Wrapping Up the Harvest

Jack enjoys the parsnip harvest

Hello Everyone!  This is Captain Jack (The Dog) reporting to you from the passenger’s seat of our mobile “Command Central”, aka Farmer Richard’s truck.  Dad and I have been doing a lot of driving over the past few weeks.   We seldom leave the valley, but we visit a lot of fields in the course of the day.  Fall is a very busy time of the year for us.  Many people think we’re winding down, but we actually still have a lot of work to do!  This has been a great fall for us in many ways.  Dad remembers having 3 feet of snow on October 31 back in 1989 or 1990.  Personally, I like snow and wouldn’t mind that, but the rest of the humans on the farm don’t seem as ready for the winter wonderland as I am.   We have harvested our horseradish, selected seed stock for next year and are almost done planting next year’s crop.  We dug and selected seed for next year’s sunchokes which are also all planted.  Of course, we have also planted our garlic and about half of it has already been mulched to keep it safe during the winter!

Jack in the truck

“Global warming” has been a blessing and a challenge this year.  We’ve had a warm fall with temperatures in September (4°F) and October (3°F) and above normal averages.  We all enjoy being able to feel our fingers as we work, and in that way we’re grateful for the warmer temperatures.  The downside of the warmer days is that crops are coming in ahead of schedule.  Turnips, radishes, etc. are sizing up faster than normal resulting in some things getting too big.  We like to “store” crops in the field and harvest as late as possible, but that just isn’t an option with some of the plantings this year.  While larger roots are entirely edible and of good quality, buyers won’t accept them thus they remain in the field and are unsaleable.

We get pretty nervous this time of year.  In addition to the temperatures, Dad’s also keeping his eye on moisture.  Last week we had 2.3 inches of rain which put a stop to our mechanical harvest.  Thankfully the ground was pretty dry and the 2.3 inches of rain soaked easily into very dry soil.  We were back in the field Monday morning, despite the ground still being a little wet.  We couldn’t wait though…we’re in a race against time with rain forecasted for this Thursday!  That means we have 3 days to maximize the harvest before we might be forced out of the field again.  Our goal is 120 more bins of vegetables this week averaging 600# per bin.  That’s 36 tons of vegetables to harvest in 3 days!  Wait…there’s one other challenge that’s part of this picture.  We’re nearly out of cooler space and bins!  We trim & wash vegetables every day to empty bins and send them back to the fields to get reloaded.  Nonetheless, we’re getting pretty slim on storage space and while Dad’s fretting in the fields, Mom (Andrea) is fretting in the packing shed.  Mom is trained as a chef and was taught to face challenges in the kitchen with no option other than to find a solution.  Sometimes I hear her telling herself “Make it happen Chef.”  Somehow it will work out, but in the meantime there’s an intense game of “Cooler Tetris” going on!  Right now we have our fingers crossed that we’ll get as much harvested as we can before the rain starts again and we’re hoping we don’t get as much as last week.

Captain Jack supervises the celeriac harvest

In looking at the long range forecast (several times a day), we know that the temperatures are going to drop eventually.  Next week they’re forecasting temperatures in the twenties.  Temperatures this low could spell the end for many crops unless we have covers in place!  Double covers with hoops to hold the cover above the plants work well to about 20-25°F.  We have already had some touches of frost and have covers in place for our remaining greens, parsley, etc.  Unfortunately they are a management challenge as they need to be removed on warm and wet days or we risk mildew setting in on the plants.

So, as you can see we are doing a bit of a “song & dance” around weather as we race against time to get everything harvested and tucked away safely in storage before winter sets in.  HVF has long been ahead of the times in supporting and encouraging “seasonal eating” throughout the winter.  Root and storage crops are an important part of our winter diet and are intended to last in storage until spring.  This is the way the settlers ate in the 1800’s and for those who are committed to eating a local Midwestern diet year-round, these late season crops are essential.  According to Mom & Dad’s estimates, we have a lot of food available to our members and customers over the next several months.  In fact, we still have Extended Season Vegetable shares available for our January deliveries.  Our sign-ups for this share are the lowest they’ve been in years, which is a bit concerning for us.  We’re hoping you just forgot to sign up for this share and if that’s the case, please send your order in soon!  If we don’t see better participation for January deliveries we’re going to have to consider discontinuing these deliveries as the economics and realities of running a truck in January just don’t balance out with the value of product on the truck.


Well, it’s Wednesday morning and we have to get our crew plans pulled together for the day.  I have another big day of hauling vegetables with my Dad, Farmer Richard.  I better eat my breakfast and brush my hair so I’m ready to go at 8 am when the crew heads to the field.  I hope you enjoy the bounty of this week’s box!  Captain Jack “The Dog” signing off.

Harvest Party Recap!

by Beth Brown-Lucas

Captain Jack loved meeting everyone

We could not have asked for better weather for our Harvest Party this past Sunday! It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the upper 70s and there was not even a chance of rain. Our party kicked off at noon with a Mix & Mingle and snacks.

Folks started arriving right at noon, excited to tour the farm and meet their fellow CSA members. Captain Jack was ready, making sure he greeted everybody as they arrived. We had delicious light snacks prepared and everyone raved about the Caramelized Poblano Chile & Onion Dip and Roasted Beet & White Bean Dip made by Farmer Andrea. Everybody mingled & chatted while enjoying NessAlla Kombucha and cold press Kickapoo coffee. We had a few activities planned, and kids tried their best to guess the seeds in the “Name that Seed” game or ringing a pumpkin in the Pumpkin Ring Toss.

In the pepper field

At about 1:00 Farmer Richard began loading the wagons for the farm tour. A few families were already on the wagons in anticipation of starting the tour! We loaded up 4 wagons and made our way down the road. Kids & adults were excited to catch a glimpse of the strawberry field and the rhubarb-we had a great view of the fields below. As we continued on our way to the sweet potatoes, we were also able to see the parsley, daikon and leeks.

The sweet potato digging begins

When we arrived at the sweet potatoes, we were all anxious to get off the wagons and into the field! Richard & Andrea led groups of children in digging the first of the sweet potatoes. Before long everyone was pulling sweet potatoes out of the dirt, and there were plenty to go around. Farmer Richard explained how to tell when a sweet potato is ready to harvest, and how the crew has to cut the vines back by hand when harvesting them. Jose Ramon, Alvaro and Rogelio helped cut the vines & dig the potatoes while our guests helped pull up bunches of sweet potatoes. One party attendee found one of the biggest sweet potatoes anyone had ever seen! It was over 2 feet long!

Now that's a giant sweet potato!

After we finished digging sweet potatoes, our wagon caravan made its way to the next stop- peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos and eggplants. Kids were so excited to pick the mini-sweet peppers and eat to their hearts’ content. Everyone wandered through the rows picking Orange Ukraine peppers, tomatillos, eggplant and some tomatoes. We made sure to tell everyone which peppers were the hot peppers, although a few brave souls tried eating raw jalapeños and lived to tell the tale! We were asked lots of great questions, like “How do you know when an eggplant is ready to harvest?”, “Why are the peppers planted on that reflective stuff?”  and “Do you have extra bags?” Our expert farmers and crew were happy to answer questions and help everyone pick and carry lots of great treats back to the wagons.

Picking the perfect pumpkin!

From there we headed to the main attraction-the pumpkin field! Andrea & Richard helped people find the Cinnamon Girl pie pumpkins and we see a lot of pies and pumpkin soup being made soon. Others wanted the big pumpkins for carving and a few took armloads of pumpkins back from the field. Andrea searched high and low for her special pumpkin carved with her name until somebody called out that they found a pumpkin with “AJ” written on it. Captain Jack’s special pumpkin was never found even though Richard made it very easy this year and just carved “Dog” into the pumpkin.  He wasn’t too disappointed that nobody brought his pumpkin back for him though. After everyone had picked their pumpkins, we loaded up the wagons and prepared to head back for the pig roast. A few adventurous partygoers took a tour of the effigy mounds with Richard while the rest of us made our way back to enjoy the food.

The food was plentiful!

Everyone worked up a good appetite with all the field work, and the pig roast was accompanied by an abundance of side dishes, salads and desserts. So many people commented on how wonderful the food was and went back for second and third plates just so they could sample everything! It’s safe to say that nobody went home hungry.
 

Thanks for coming to our party!

At the end of the day, it was a very successful Harvest Party. Many people commented that it was a perfect day to visit the farm and that they loved the chance to see where their food is grown and meet their farmers. It was wonderful to meet so many new people, and see long time friends of the farm. A big thank you to all the Harmony Valley crew who volunteered to help with set-up, drive tractors and clean up after the party ended. Thanks to all who attended the party and made it such a fun day. We were so happy to be able to share the day with you and had so much fun showing you the farm and talking with you. We hope to see you next year!

Late Summer Farm Update

by Captain Jack de Wilde, The Dog

Angel showing off an abundant broccoli harvest!

Hello Everyone!  I’ve been rather quiet recently as we’ve had some other very important topics to discuss in the newsletters this summer.  However, our Harvest Party is coming up in just a few weeks on Sunday, September 27 and you know I can’t keep quiet about a farm party!  Second to winter, fall is one of my favorite times of the year, so I’m happy that the changing of the seasons is upon us. While we’ve had a fairly cool summer with temperatures barely hitting 90°F, we’ve had some hot & steamy days recently.  We’ve had to run the air conditioning in the office so the ladies can stay comfortable and get their work done.  On these hot days I usually only work a half day and stay in the office during the heat of the day.  If you have seen the amount of fur I have, you understand why.

So I thought this would be a good week to fill you in on where we are with things on the farm as summer is winding down and fall is beginning.  With the cool summer we’ve had, many of our fall crops have been growing nicely and are actually coming in ahead of schedule.  We have four fall broccoli plantings that normally mature in late September and all of October.  Well, they’ve already started making heads and the first part of this week the crew cut over 1,200# of broccoli!

Picking Tomatoes

Our long tomato season is soon to come to an end.  Last week we picked over 12,000# of tomatoes! We’re trying to make the most of it before they’re all ripe and gone.  Dad still hasn’t gotten tired of BLT sandwiches and he’s eaten them every week for about 4-5 weeks now!  Benji’s crew said it’s time to stop harvesting melons.  We still have one more watermelon harvest, but after that we can officially say good-bye to watermelons & melons.  Cucumbers and zucchini are also coming to a close.  The peppers are still ripening and we hope to continue picking them until we see the first frost.  I hope you’ve been enjoying the mini-sweet peppers.  These are a special little pepper and we are happy to share them with you this year.

As soon as we finish harvesting a field towards the end of the summer, Dad gets antsy to chop the remaining plants, spread compost on the field, and then plant a soil-improving cover crop mix.  This is very important so we can ensure there are nutrients going back into the soil for next year’s crop. When you come to the farm for the party, I can show you some cool fields with different cover crops on them.

Butternut Squash Harvest

While summer crops are winding down, more fall crops are coming.  Last week we finished digging all the potatoes and also started harvesting the winter squash. We’re getting them in as fast as we can because they are ripe and ready to go.  One problem we have right now is that we still have a lot of onions in the greenhouse where we also need to store the squash!  We’re trying very hard to finish trimming the onions and put them in the cooler so we have more room for all the beautiful winter squash. Just a few more weeks and it will be time to dig sweet potatoes!

The fist burdock root harvest

Around here, fall means serious root crop harvesting.  When it’s time to harvest root crops for winter storage, you’d better stay out of the way.  Nothing holds my Dad or Rafael back!  Last weekend we started harvesting burdock root, which is not something we usually include in CSA boxes, but it’s a very important crop for our farm.  Later this week we’re going to start digging sunchokes and next week’s box will definitely reflect the transition from summer to fall.  Celery root, leeks, potatoes….time to make soup!

We have many more tasty vegetables to harvest for you though before we get into the heavy root crops.  Jicama, lemongrass, celery, Portuguese kale and I almost forgot the fall cabbages!  Dad loves creamed cabbage and creamy cole slaw.  I don’t care for these dishes, but we usually have these things with cheeseburgers…which I do like!

Well, I know I forgot some things, but you get the jist that there’s a lot happening around here!  Dad and I have been checking the pumpkins, which should be ready just in time for the party.  Have I mentioned we’re having a party?  Just a reminder that I’m a dog and will need help at the party to get my pumpkin out of the field and onto the wagon.  Usually there are plenty of children who are willing to help, but I thought I’d be proactive and ask in advance so you can put this event on your calendar and make plans to attend.  It’s going to be a fun day and we hope you’ll join us!

"A Year Of Blooms" - What's Inside the CSA Calendar & Resource Guide?

Is it really July already!?  Time to turn another page in the calendar…the 2015 HVF CSA Calendar that is!  Our new calendars are finally here and have been at your sites for the past few weeks now.  If you haven’t had a chance to pick one up yet, we’d like to encourage you to do so.  Our hope is that you’ll enjoy the beauty of this calendar, but also consider this calendar to be part of your connection to your farm and an important resource guide.  If you are thinking…. “I really don’t need another calendar to hang on the wall,” I’d like to mention that this calendar is more than just pretty pictures and dates to hang on your wall.  It is actually a very useful tool to guide you through your CSA experience this season.   We had extras made, so feel free to take more than one per household if you’d like to have them in more than one location.  Read on to find out what’s inside!

Our CSA calendar is our way of connecting you to our farm throughout the entire year.  Yes, there are pretty pictures to look at each month and hopefully you’ll enjoy the theme of this year’s calendar-- “A Year of Blooms.” Throughout the season we captured pictures of different flowers in bloom.  Some of them are from fruits or vegetables and others are wildflowers.   Our hope is that you’ll keep this calendar handy and hang it in a convenient place where you can enjoy its beauty, but also refer to it regularly.  Beyond the pretty pictures, you’ll find that our calendar has been customized to include our delivery schedule.  If you’re a little unclear about all this ‘Green Week’/ ‘Brown Week’ business, refer to your calendar.  We’ve laid out the entire delivery season complete with color coding for the different delivery weeks.  You can even go a step further and mark your specific delivery dates on your calendar.  We also highlight that time of year when our delivery schedule changes a little bit around the holidays.  This can be a tricky time to remember when you are supposed to pick up your shares, so we encourage you to reference the calendar so you don’t miss out on anything!
Some of the most important and useful information in the calendar is in the very last pages.  If you flip to the back of the calendar, you’ll find all of the site locations including site hours and contact information.  If you need to contact your site host for some reason during the season, it can be very handy to just flip to the back of the calendar for this information.  You’ll also find one of Farmer Richard’s favorite pages in the calendar.  He admires the “Don’t Rip That Box!” page and hopes everyone will take a minute to review these important guidelines for breaking down the CSA boxes.  If the boxes stay at the site and are broken down properly, we will be able to reuse them again instead of having to throw it away after a single use.

Having a CSA calendar in your kitchen might be a handy idea, especially on delivery day when you’re putting away the contents of your shares.  Another important piece of information in the calendar is our “Storage Tips” section.  If you’re not quite sure how or where to store a particular item in your box, just flip to the back of the calendar and refer to the list of vegetables.  This list will answer most of your questions, but we’ve also provided a few recommended resources for storage information that you may find additionally helpful.
I hope you’re starting to see that this calendar really is more than just dates on the wall.  We actually consider it to be a CSA Resource Guide.  In the front of the calendar you’ll find important reminders about how you can make the most of your CSA experience.  Please take a moment to read this brief information so you are fully informed about the details of pickup day, how to use the Choice & Swap boxes, etc.  When everyone follows the guidelines we have smooth and successful pick up days and everyone leaves with the shares they signed up for!
Finally, we acknowledge that learning to eat “out of the box” is a transition and we want to remind you that you are not alone in this adventure.  Page 3 of the calendar and resource guide highlights a few resources you might find helpful to guide you as you learn about storing and preparing the different vegetables in your box from week to week.  It’s a good place to turn to if you’re stumped by a vegetable and looking for more information or places to turn to for recipes.
If you haven’t picked up your calendar yet, or you’d like another one, please look for them at your site this week.  We appreciate your support of our farm and hope you are enjoying  your seasonal eating adventure!
--Farmers Richard & Andrea, Capt. Jack The Dog, and the Entire HVF Crew

Strawberry Day 2015-What a Fun Day!!

Strawberries ready to head home! We can't wait for next year!

Last Sunday we had a great turnout for our 2015 Strawberry Day Party.  Thankfully we had a clear and sunny day for the celebration and the storms and rain held off until Monday morning.  It was fun to see some familiar faces again and we enjoyed the opportunity to meet some members who were visiting for the first time.

The wagon tour ended in the strawberry field,
where no one could resist sampling a sweet, sun-warmed berry
or two!

Captain Jack had a great day and boy was he tuckered out by the end of the party!  He’s still recovering, so he asked me to pass on a huge “Thank You” to all of the wonderful children (and adults) who played with him and took care of him on Sunday.  Farmer Richard was grateful for the help he had with feeding the animals in the evening.  Rico the goat and Richard’s pet pig appreciated the pieces of apple snacks the kids fed him.
We had our annual “pick the biggest berry” contest again this year.  Faith was the winner of the kids division and won with a berry weighing 0.12#!  Kathy and Jess tied for the adult division and picked berries weighing in at 0.11# each.  There was enough ice cream to go around, so these three ladies each went home with a ½ gallon of strawberry ice cream.  Carol was the lucky winner for participating in the scavenger hunt and also took a container of ice cream home with her.  If you weren’t able to attend the party….you might want to knock on one of these ladies’ doors and see if they’ll share their ice cream with you (although chances might be slim).

Farmers Richard & Andrea were happy to share farm stories
& wisdom on the farm tour!

Mark your calendars for our Fall Harvest Party on September 27.  We have a lot more fun planned including pumpkin picking, sweet potato digging & a hog roast!
----Richard, Andrea, Capt. Jack The Dog & The Entire HVF Crew

Wagon tours heading towards the sugar snap pea field, where
everyone could pick & eat to their heart's content!

Our heaviest berry contest winners! Each took home a 1/2 gallon of Castle Rock Organic Dairy & Harmony Valley Farm strawberry ice cream!

Farmer Richard asked for some help collecting eggs
at chore time!

Strawberry ice cream from Castle
Rock Organic Dairy & Harmony
Valley Farm was a big hit!

Wagon tours of the farm ready to head out

Strawberry Day 2015!

By Captain Jack-The Dog

Hello Everyone!  I’m so excited for our Strawberry Day party this coming Sunday, June 21!  I wanted to make sure I reminded everyone about the party in case you haven’t had a chance to read any of the invitations we sent previously.  We’re going to have a great time sharing together in a potluck lunch, followed by wagon tours through our fields and lots of strawberry picking.  Of course, I can’t forget to tell you we’ll also have strawberry ice cream!  We have a lot of exciting things happening in our fields right now and there will be plenty to see and pick.  Here’s a little sneak preview of some of the things we’re excited to show you on the tour.
We’ll start with the obvious….strawberries!  My dad, Farmer Richard, says this is one of the best fields of strawberries he’s ever seen….and he’s seen a lot!  We spent a lot of time and effort making sure the field was mulched really well last fall.  Dad says our investment has paid off this year.  Despite the rains we’ve had over the past week, the field still looks good and the berries are clean.  The plants have really been producing gorgeous, sweet, delicious berries.  My dad and some of his crew leaders will be in the field on Sunday to help you find the best berries.  Don’t forget to walk in between the rows with your ballet shoes on.  We want to keep the plants nice and healthy so we can continue to pick berries this year and so the field looks nice again for another year.  If you aren’t sure where to walk, just ask my dad.  He’ll show you the best way to tread lightly in the fields.
Along the tour route, you’ll see quite a few other vegetable crops as well.  We just started picking zucchini last Friday.  The plants look really nice and they are loaded with blossoms!  Right next to the zucchini you can check out the progress of the cucumbers, watermelons and melons.  If you look closely you might find a tiny little cucumber!  To get to the zucchini field, we’ll have to drive by the onions.  Man, they look good!  I think it’s going to be a good onion year….at least that’s my perspective as a dog.  Just another week or so of scallions and I think the green top Cipollini onions will be ready to harvest.  These are some of my mom’s (Andrea) favorite onions.  As we’re leaving that farm, you can take a look at the celery root field.  It looks pretty good!
We’ll make another stop at a location we call “Dorothy’s Bench.” Dorothy is our landlord and she has a really nice farm.  This year we planted our early broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and sweet heart cabbages on her farm.  They look really nice and we’re excited to show you these beautiful fields.  We also decided to plant our tomatoes on her farm this year.  The first planting has already been staked and tied for the first time.  Wait until you see the tomatillo plants…..their stems are huge!
Before we leave Dorothy’s you’ll want to check out the sugar snap peas.  I have trouble picking them, but I can show you where they are and tell you how to decide whether they’re ready to pick or not.  You want to look for the big fat ones…they’re the sweet ones.  Don’t eat too many peas though…we have to save room for strawberries!
The strawberries are so delicious this year!  I’ve been eating them for my snack almost every day!  You are welcome to pick and eat in the field.  You might get a little dirty, so don’t wear your nicest shirt.  If you want to take some home to make jam or strawberry pies, make sure you bring some containers.  Kelly will have a scale by the packing shed where we’re going to load up the wagons for the tour.  Make sure you talk to Kelly before you get on the wagon so she can weigh your empty container.  Oh, I almost forgot…we’re having a contest!  While you’re picking strawberries, keep your eye out for large berries.  We are offering a prize to the kid and adult who find the biggest strawberry (by weight).  The prize will be strawberry ice cream that you can take home!  So lets talk about this ice cream.  Most members probably know by now that I really like strawberry ice cream.  Our friends at Castle Rock Organic Dairy made the ice cream for our party again this year.  They use their delicious creamy milk and strawberries from our farm that we froze last year.  They always alter their ice cream recipe a little bit for us so there is at least twice as much strawberry in it!  Last year there was a member who said she didn’t like strawberry ice cream, but she tried a little bit anyway.  Surprise—she loved it!
It’s time for me to get back to work.  I need to go check on the harvest crews with my Dad and then it will be time for my afternoon nap.  I hope you will consider coming to our farm on Sunday.  I’m really looking forward to a fun day!

Spring Farm Update!

By Farmer Richard and his sidekicks Andrea & Captain Jack the Dog

Spring is different every year and as we write this update temperature is on our minds.  We were happy to see the snow melt away towards the end of March…..and then woke up to a winter wonderland on March 23!  Once the snow melted again and things dried out, we were able to dig overwintered parsnips and sunchokes….just before it rained!  After some rainy, cold days, we were thankful for warm days in April which allowed us to get some field work done.  We planted all the parsnips as well as the first beets, carrots & peas.  The transplanting team worked hard to plant all the onions and then moved right into transplanting the first crop of head lettuce, fennel, basil, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kohlrabi.  They also managed to get the parsley and Brussels sprouts in the ground!  Thankfully everything was in place before the next wave of rain.  This past week has been cool and wet.  In fact, it’s downright chilly today and there is a chance of frost!  Don’t worry….the crew covered the strawberries yesterday to protect the blossoms so there should be plenty of strawberries to pick on June 21 at Strawberry Day!  (Mark your calendars!)

Weather talk aside, we’ve had a pretty good spring and have a lot of good field updates.  First, our asparagus and rhubarb crops are producing beyond our expectations!  Both of these perennial crops take about 3 years to establish before we can do any substantial harvests off them.  Over the past few years we’ve put in new rhubarb and asparagus plantings.  Richard & Jack have been waiting patiently (Andrea not so patiently) for our new fields to become established and this is the first year we can harvest from all of these fields!   Despite the cool weather we’re still seeing some impressive asparagus harvests.  The rhubarb field is also producing well and the bright red stalks are gorgeous!
As we look ahead to June, we should mention that our first two pea plantings are in and looking good.  Sugar snap and snow peas should be ready for the first to middle part of June.  The pea vine looks like it might be ready as early as next week.  The strawberry field is blossoming and the plants look healthy.  We do watch the weather closely though (that darn weather topic again).  The blossoms can’t take the frost, so we’ve covered the field with our giant field blankets to get them through the week…just in case Jack Frost pays our valley a visit.

Anyone interested in garlic?  We’re happy to report the garlic crop appears to have overwintered nicely with about a 99% survival rate!  We’re planning to harvest green garlic next week….and before we know it we’ll be enjoying garlic scapes and fresh, juicy bulb garlic.
Our pastures are lush and green and the cattle love their days grazing the hillsides.  Our goat pasture is full of young energy with nine new kids and more on the way!  We’re also happy to report we have pigs roaming our pastures again!  Last week we got 15 piglets.  It took them a few days to acclimate to their new home, but it looks like they’ve adapted well.  They’ve also grown accustomed to the nightly deliveries of compost from the packing shed. Just like us, they are enjoying many spinach salads for dinner.  The chickens moved to the pasture with the pigs. They’re a little more vulnerable to pesky predators, but are learning to defend and protect themselves. Manuel and Juan Pablo have done five plantings  of “salad greens.” This is our first week of harvest from our spring-planted salad greens.  We should have salad mix, baby kale and more baby arugula coming soon!  We’re also learning how to use a new vacuum seeder we got this spring. We’ll use it to plant our cilantro, dill, bunched arugula, baby bok choi and radishes.  It was fun having a shiny, new piece of equipment.  It’s dirty now, but seems to be working well and we’re thankful to have it as it will help us fine-tune the plantings for greater precision.
Jack is happy to have the field crew back from Mexico so he can play ball at lunch time.  Richard has been hunting for morel mushrooms in his spare time and Andrea is having fun cooking them along with asparagus, spinach, ramps and all of the other tasty green things available now!
Kelly & Beth have been busy in the office preparing for the start of deliveries.  Lately they’ve been working on processing orders for maple syrup.  Our friend and neighbor, Alvin Miller, had another pretty good year for making maple syrup.  If you haven’t taken advantage of this offer yet, don’t wait. We’ve extended our deadline until May 20th, but that’s the absolute last day for orders!  Alvin needs time to bottle the syrup, so make sure you send your order in as soon as possible so Alvin knows how many bottles to fill!   We’re happy to have another season of CSA underway. While farming isn’t easy, we are blessed with great customers and a great crew!  Our crew has been practicing flexibility for the past several weeks.  On warm, sunny days they stay late to get the work done.  On rainy and cold days they help in the packing shed and greenhouses doing whatever needs to be done.  Without a hard-working crew, we couldn’t be the farm we are today.  We’re glad that you’ll be sharing with us in the bounty of this year’s harvest.  Rest assured we have a lot of delicious food coming your way!

Vegetable Feature: Sorrel

Sorrel is a perennial plant we look forward to every spring and is among the first greens of the season.  It is actually in the same family of vegetables as rhubarb!  Sorrel leaves have a pointy, arrow shape and are thick in texture and bright green in color.  You’ll recognize sorrel by its tart and citrus-like flavor.  It has a bright flavor that will call your taste buds to attention.
Sorrel can be eaten both raw and cooked.  Raw sorrel can brighten any salad and is excellent when blended into cold sauces, vinaigrettes, dressings or dips.  Because of its bold flavor, it is often treated more like an herb when used raw.  When cooked, sorrel behaves in a very interesting way.  First, its color changes from bright green to a drab olive green almost immediately.  Don’t worry, this happens to everyone and it’s just the way it is with sorrel!  The other interesting thing about sorrel is how it “melts” when added to hot liquids.  The leaves will almost immediately change color and then start to soften.  The longer it’s cooked, the more the leaves break apart and you can stir it into a coarse sauce. This is one of the reasons it’s often used in soups and sauces.
The acidity of sorrel makes it a natural companion to more rich foods such as cream, butter, sour cream, yogurt, duck, and fatty fish (salmon & mackerel).  Additionally, it pairs well with more “earthy” foods such as lentils, rice, buckwheat, mushrooms and potatoes.
If you are interested in preserving sorrel to use during the winter, here’s an interesting idea from Deborah Madison’s book, Vegetable Literacy.  She recommends making a sorrel puree to freeze.
“Drop stemmed leaves into a skillet with a little butter and cook until the leaves dissolve into a rough puree, which takes only a few minutes.  Cool, then freeze flat in a ziplock bag….Just a dab will add spirit to the quiet flavors of winter foods:  break off chunks to stir into lentil soups, mushroom sauces or ragouts, or an omelet filling.”

Spiced Lentils with Nettles & Sorrel Yogurt Sauce

Serves 2-3 as a main dish or 3-4 as a side dish
Spiced Lentils
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup ramp bulbs or green onion bulbs, sliced thinly
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
¾ tsp salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup beluga lentils
2 ½ cups water
1 cup blanched, roughly chopped nettle leaves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup thinly sliced chives or green onion tops

Sorrel Yogurt Sauce
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
¾ cup sorrel leaves, sliced into ribbons
Zest of one lemon
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Blend until the sorrel leaves are well-incorporated.
Let the mixture set for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with additional salt as needed.

Store any extra sauce in the refrigerator.

1. Heat olive oil in a 10-12 inch sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the sliced ramp or green onion bulbs and sauté until softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and black pepper.  Stir to combine the spices with the oil and onions.  Continue to stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. 
2. Add the lentils and water and stir to combine.  Bring the lentils to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly to maintain a gentle simmer.  Partially cover the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are just tender.  
3. Remove the lid from the pan and stir in the nettles and lemon juice.  Continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes.  If there is still a lot of liquid in the pan, cook uncovered.  If there is a small amount of liquid remaining, put the lid back on the pan to finish cooking.  You want a small amount of liquid remaining when the dish is done, but it should not be soupy.
4. Turn off the heat and season with additional salt and black pepper if needed.  Stir in the chives or green onion tops.  Serve warm or at room temperature with 1-2 Tbsp of Sorrel Yogurt Sauce.

Sorrel Hummus

Yield:  1 ½ cups

2 garlic cloves

1 ½ oz sorrel leaves, roughly chopped (approximately 1 cup)

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (one-15 oz can)

¼ cup tahini

Grated zest of 1 organic lemon

1 ½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp sea salt, plus more if desired

1 ½ tsp raw honey or pure maple syrup

¼ cup water

Cold-pressed olive oil, for serving*

1. Put the garlic in a food processor and pulse to mince.  Add the sorrel, chickpeas, tahini, lemon zest and juice, salt, honey, and ¼ cup water, and blend on the highest setting until smooth.  Season with more salt if needed.  
2. Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, drizzle olive oil over the top, and serve.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

*Note:  If you are using the hummus as a spread, add 1 ½ tsp olive oil to the food processor and blend it into the hummus.

Serving Suggestions:  This sorrel hummus is delicious served with pita bread, corn chips or fresh vegetables as an appetizer or snack.  You can also use it as a spread for sandwiches, flat bread or wraps.  When we tested this recipe, we chose to spread the sorrel hummus on a tortilla and stuffed it with fresh spinach and diced raw asparagus tossed with a little drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.  The hummus is bright and lemony and in Farmer Richard’s words.... “also rich & creamy.  I like the contrast of the crispy asparagus with the creamy hummus.” This spread goes well with any spring vegetable including radishes, green onions, blanched nettles, baby white turnips and more!

Recipe Source: This recipe was borrowed from Sarah Britton’s beautiful new cookbook, My New Roots.  This book was just released this spring and it’s packed full of nourishing plant-based recipes organized by the season.  Sarah also has a blog by the same name, My New Roots (www.mynewroots.org).  Her recipes are vegetarian and often vegan friendly, although they are also adaptable to include in meals for meat-eaters as well.  Another bonus of both her book and her blog…..the gorgeous pictures!  

Seasons Changing…

By Farmer Richard & Captain Jack—the dog

RICHARD: There is something in the air, I feel it and see the signs. Fall is coming, or is it already here? Our yard has a new silence. After seeing our resident barn swallows and bank swallows congregating on the overhead wires throughout the summer, suddenly they are gone! Did they see the same forecast we saw? Temperatures are dropping this week by 15 degrees! We’re preparing to say goodbye to summer and usher in fall…although we long for just a few more days of summer fun.

The crops are changing too! We are harvesting a mature crop of winter squash this week, at the same time the summer squash, cucumbers and melons draw to a close. We are also picking the last crop of green beans, edamame and sweet corn. We missed a couple of plantings this spring due to wet soil, but gambled on a late sweet corn planting. Gambled? Yes, the dreaded corn earworm, which does not overwinter here normally, migrates north from the south in mid-summer. Late planted sweet corn is very susceptible to corn earworms. We use a pheromone trap to tell us when the earworm moths are laying their eggs. Last year it failed us, no moths in the trap, but lots of earworms in the corn! So far this year we haven’t seen any signs of earworms, so lets keep our fingers crossed that they stay away for just a little while longer!

Sweet corn in the field is protected from birds by flashy streamers and bird scare eye balloons.
Thousands of dragonflies also keep insects at bay.

JACK: I check the corn every day with my dad, Farmer Richard. He checks the moth trap, I check for signs of deer or raccoons! We have a tall fence to keep the deer out and it has a low electric wire to keep the raccoons out. Sometimes I get excited sniffing around for signs of critters and forget about the wire. In fact the other day I got zapped by the electricity! I yelped and went back to the truck to recover from the surprise. I can guarantee that no raccoons will get in the corn this year! The corn field looks like a circus with flashy streamers and bird scare eye balloons all sparkling and flashing in the breeze. I know that is to keep the red-winged blackbirds from shredding the tip of the corn ears. I don’t understand why the birds can’t eat the entire ear of corn, but for some reason they must prefer just the tip of the ear.

Farmer Richard and Captain Jack counted
over 500 pumpkins in the field!

This week I saw something else exciting flashing in the air. The last time we checked the corn field, I saw dragon flies everywhere, thousands of them! Their iridescent wings flashing in the sun! I asked Dad about them and he says it’s just another sign of fall. Just like the barn swallows, the dragonflies congregate and migrate to the south for the winter.

Today we counted pumpkins! There are more than 500 pumpkins in the field (I got tired of counting) including some nice silky “Winter Luxury” pumpkins that make great pie. I hope you are planning to come to our Harvest Party on September 21st to help us pick all of these pumpkins. I might need my friends to help me find the pumpkin in the field with my name carved on it. Dad said it’s out there, but I don’t read very well and haven’t found it yet. If it’s a big one, I might need help hauling it home!

RICHARD: As for the other crops, the peppers have been slow to turn ripe, but here they come now!  Enjoy the sweet taste of red/orange/yellow ripe, sweet peppers before the first frost ends the season!

The sweet potatoes and jicama are looking good, but they need to see a few more days in the 80’s to accelerate their growth. The fall cole crops, including broccoli romanesco, cauliflower, broccoli, rutabagas and cabbage, are enjoying the cool summer and are maturing extra early this year! A few of you might even get a purple cauliflower in your box this week!

As we move into root crop season, I’m happy to report that the parsnips look great! Celeriac, leeks, beets, carrots and the late russet potatoes are all looking good and it won’t be long before we harvest them for your boxes. Plus we may still see some nice greens like salad mix or spinach before the winter freeze moves in.

JACK: Summer is fun, but I prefer cool weather. If you have as much hair as I do you would understand why I like fall and winter. My dad helps make the summer heat more bearable for me by turning on the A/C in the truck for me on hot days, but I prefer to get out and run around instead of sitting in the cool truck listening to NPR. I’m happy to see the temperatures dropping…it means we’re one day closer to the first snow fall. I can feel it in the air!

RICHARD & JACK: We hope you’ll consider joining us for our harvest party in just a few weeks. We have a lot of exciting things to show everyone and we’re hoping you’ll help us dig some sweet potatoes, pick the last of the mini-sweet peppers, and find just the right pumpkin for you to take home! See you soon!

Who Will Be Crowned 2014 Champion Vegetable

The Sweet Potatoes smashed the Rutabagas!  They move into the final round today to take on the Spring-time favorite - Ramps!  Here is how the bracket looks!  How did your picks stack up?

On the 'LIKE' side, the Ramps are really springing up to this occasion. We asked Alvaro to head out to the woods and check on the current Ramp progress. The picture below shows that they are just starting to show off their green tips.  I, for one, can't wait to taste one of these again! To choose these spring-time favorites  as overall champion vegetable, 'LIKE' our Facebook status today!

Capt Jack knew all along that the Sweet Potatoes would roast all the other competitors.  Now he wants your help to chop up the Ramps!  If the Sweet Potatoes can overcome the powerfully flavorful Ramps, Capt Jack says we will pick one lucky person who shares our status (voting for the Sweet Potatoes) and send them a Farm Fresh & Fast cookbook from FairShare! 'SHARE' our Facebook status today for your chance to win if the Sweet Potatoes win!

This is the last match-up this year - Make your votes count!  Tomorrow we will announce the Champion!!

Second Final Four Match-Up

Yesterday, as the Ramps were dicing up the Mini Sweet Peppers, Capt Jack was looking forward to the Sweet Potato and Rutabaga mash-up today. He is pretty sure he knows who will win, but only time will tell.

On the 'LIKE' side today we have Capt. Jack's favorite vegetable of all time - the Sweet Potato!  These sweet beauties have cured the competition thus far. First they roasted the Honeynut Butternut Squash, then they steamed the Broccoli Romanesco. Now we will see if they can mash up the Rutabaga team. To help the Sweet Potatoes go to the Championship round, 'LIKE' our status on Facebook today.

On the 'SHARE' side, we have the Rutabaga team. They buried the Celeriac in the ground during the first round and are still reeling over the Red Beet blow-out on Friday. These root veggies are looking to smash the Sweet Potatoes with a little butter, salt and pepper to help them go down. The Rutabaga team is looking to you for help to take down the competition, to help them move on - 'SHARE' our Facebook status today!

The winner of this round will move on to take on the Ramps for the Championship Title.  I am sure that Jack will be eagerly waiting to see the results tomorrow. Can you guess who he wants to win?

Moving to the Fall Division Match-up!

We continue to make our way through the seasons to narrow the field to our eight elite vegetables.  Today we move into the Fall Division of the bracket to see the Sweet Potatoes go up against the Honeynut Butternut Squash.  This will be a sweet victory for either vegetable that makes it on to the next level in this round!

On the “Like” side (Captain Jack is calling them the “Home Team”)  we have Captain Jack’s favorite vegetable….Sweet Potatoes!  Sweet potatoes encompass so many things that Jack loves…..starting with digging!  When Farmer Richard gives the “OK” to start the dig, everyone puts on their serious faces and the race begins to get all 2 acres of sweet potatoes dug within a few days.  Jack keeps track of how many tons of potatoes are harvested in a day and everyone breathes a sigh of relief when they are all in.  After a week of curing in the greenhouse, these sweet beauties are ready to eat.  Jack’s favorite…..sweet potato fries!  Jack not only loves digging, but he is also a fan of catching sticks of any kind….and sweet potato fries qualify as sticks in this case!

Jack making sure the crew is doing a good job!

On the “Share” side, we have the Honeynut Butternut Squash bringing some stiff competition to this round.  The Honeynut Butternut Squash is our smallest squash, but has quickly won our hearts with its sweet, flavorful rich flesh.  This is not just any old butternut squash.  It’s a personal-sized beauty that only gets to be about 4-5” long.  There is a lot of natural sweetness concentrated in this little package and it seldom needs anything more than a pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt.  Just cut them in half, bake and serve…..they are so rich the flesh tastes like pumpkin pie!  Oh, and don’t forget about roasting the seeds inside to make a crunchy, nutty snack.  So much to offer in a vegetable that fits in the palm of your hand.