CSA Week 12: August 23-27

It certainly seems like the summer is drawing to a close. The nights are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, some of the leaves are just beginning to pick up some color, and gradually the farm crew is beginning to leave for school, jobs, and other pursuits. This is my second fall of not going "back to school" and while I certainly recognize the time of year, I think relief might be a more accurate word to describe my feelings than nostalgia ... Instead of school, my mind turns to the colder months of the year and a desire to preserve some of the tastes of summer to enjoy during the winter. Over the past few weeks here at the farm, we've begun the process of freezing and canning all the vegetables we can so that we can enjoy them year-round. We've been busy canning and freezing tomato sauce, freezing pesto, salsa, tomatoes, peppers, and we'll start freezing corn soon. So because I didn't get a chance to take a picture of any of the animals this week I'll take a break from introducing an animal and because most of the vegetables in the shares this week are familiar, instead of listing new recipes, I'll post some suggestions of how to preserve these vegetables so that you can eat them year round (instead of all right now; we realize you might be getting a little tired of tomatoes ....)

This week's share (click to enlarge):


Preserving Tips: Just a quick note, most of these will involve freezing vegetables. It's the method that I've had the most success with and I have plenty of freezer space available to me (the biggest issue most people have with freezing). I prefer freezing to canning when it comes to things like Tomato Sauce and Salsa because I like to play around with different recipes. When canning vegetables it is very important to follow tried and true canning recipes to ensure that the level of acidity in the product that you are canning is high enough to kill off harmful bacteria that can cause Botulism. Freezing works for me but if you prefer canning or are limited by freezer space, then check out canning (tomato puree in particular is especially easy to can).

Zucchini: This might be a little late as our zucchini are fading away but zucchini and summer squash can be pureed and frozen for use in soups or they can be grated for later use in baked goods (zucchini bread, muffins, etc.)

Corn: Frozen corn has been a revelation to me here at the farm. I arrived here a recent convert to the deliciousness of absolutely fresh sweet corn but had never tasted any frozen corn that I wanted to eat again. If you're not going to eat your corn the day you receive it (or maybe the next), try freezing it to preserve it for mid-winter. To freeze corn, blanch on or off the cob for 3-5 minutes, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, and drain. Store in an freezer bag and reheat in some water if necessary when you're ready to serve it.

Peppers: Peppers are extremely easy to freeze. Simply rinse and seed them, then slice them up thinly and put them on a cookie and freeze them overnight. Then store them in a freezer and take what you need when you're ready. Frozen peppers are best for cooking as they retain their flavor but not all of their texture when frozen. Peppers also can be incorporated into Tomato Sauce or Salsa to freeze. I'm not going to include a specific sauce or salsa recipe here but you can find many online if you want a specific recipe. I never really follow a recipe but for sauce I just usually saute some onion and garlic and add a bunch of chopped tomatoes and a pepper or 2 along with some chopped fresh basil (and maybe some eggplant or fennel if there's some lying around). Let it simmer for a little while until I like the consistency and then freeze it in old yogurt-type containers. For salsa, I do pretty much the same thing except I don't cook anything. I just mix together some chopped peppers, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and maybe a little salt, lemon juice, and cumin. Give it a taste and adjust according to how it tastes. Then freeze in some airtight plastic containers.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes can be frozen just as you would peppers. Simply rinse them off, cut out the core and any bad spots, slice them up and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight. Then transfer to a freezer bag for the long-term. Like peppers, frozen tomatoes are best when cooked. And of course, tomatoes are a pretty key ingredient for Tomato sauce and salsa.

Beans: To freeze beans, blanch in boiling water for two minutes, rinse in cold water to stop cooking process, drain and store in a freezer bag. Simply reheat with a little water if necessary.

Garlic: Just a quick note about garlic (even though it's not in this week's share) as there have been a few questions. The garlic you have been receiving recently has been dried so it does not need to be refrigerated (it has only been drying for a few weeks so it will be much fresher and juicier than the garlic you would get at the store). The garlic probably is somewhat dirty and the best way to deal with this is to peel the cloves you want to use and then rinse them off. Otherwise simply use (and store) this garlic as you would any garlic you got from the store.

That's all for this week from me. But this would be a great week to share any ideas, recipes, thoughts you have for preserving some of the vegetables that you don't immediately eat. Does freezing work for you or do you prefer the long-term convenience of canning? Whatever it is, it'd be great to hear your ideas!

Have a good one!

CSA Week 11: August 16-20

August is one of the busiest months here on the farm as we are still in the height of the summer harvest season but also have to prepare for the fall and winter seasons. The cucumbers and summer squash gradually are coming to an end (those of who spend hours harvesting them each day will not be sad to see them go!) just as the corn, plum tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers (hopefully!) are arriving while the greenhouse tomatoes just keep coming. The garlic is drying in the barn and we've just begun harvesting and drying the onions. We transplanted our first fall spinach planting outside yesterday (Spinach does not do well with the heat of the summer as it tends to bolt quite quickly - the reason that you haven't gotten spinach in your shares since June). The greenhouse that had our early season zucchini, cucumbers, and basil now has Zinnias and a new planting of basil and we're finalizing plans for our late fall and winter growing (with the mild winters we've been having recently, winter growing in unheated greenhouses is becoming more feasible). On top of all the vegetables, we've still got the meat birds, laying hens, pullets (pullets are laying hens that are less than a year old; ours were born in April and some of them have just started laying eggs in the past week!), cows, and pigs to take care of.

On the subject of animals, this week's animal of the week is Sweetheart, the Jersey cow that provides the organic raw milk that those of you who pick your share up at the farm are able to buy. Vermont law has changed a lot in the past few years (thanks to the work of Rural Vermont) and farmers now are allowed to sell up to 50 quarts of raw milk a day from the farm (the reason we are not able to deliver raw milk) while farmers who register with and are inspected by the state and have regular milk testing are allowed to sell up to 40 gallons per day between on-farm sales and home delivery to pre-paid customers (check out the Rural Vermont website for more information on the work they've done on raw milk and other issues). Sweetheart arrived at Luna Bleu this spring from a local organic dairy farm. She was beginning to slow down a little bit so the farmer didn't want to milk her anymore but she still provides plenty of milk for us to drink here on the farm as well as some to sell to CSA members and other neighbors. Suzanne also makes yogurt from the milk once a week that is available to those who pick up their shares on Mondays here at the farm. We now milk Sweetheart once a day and she produces between 2 and 3 gallons of milk a day. Her diet is almost entirely grass (she does get a little organic grain to balance it out) so this is rich, healthy milk. Jersey cows produce milk a much more creamier milk than Holstein cows (the black-and-white cows that are quite common in VT). Nothing has been done to the milk other than filtering. Since it is not-homogenized, the cream rises to the top and you'll want to either skim some off to use as cream or shake the jar very well before pouring (or else the first glass is half-and-half and the rest are skim milk!). Since the milk is not pasteurized it is full of bacteria that are beneficial to the digestive system as well as several important enzymes. Raw milk also contains the vitamin B6 and the pasteurization process causes 20% of this important vitamin to be lost. In short, this milk is delicious, good for the environment and good for you! Hopefully you have a chance to pick up a jar from the farm!


Sweetheart grazing in the pasture.

This week's share (click picture to enlarge):


Preparation Tips/Recipes:

Corn: The corn in your share this week is a smaller earlier variety (the ears are supposed to be that size). Sweet corn is best when it's the freshest; we always make sure that we pick the corn the day that we give it to you and you should eat it as soon as possible. Sweet corn is simple and delicious. Just steam it for a few minutes (I always err on the side of under-cooking to ensure firm kernels) and eat it with a little butter and salt.

Eggplant: Suzanne made Baba Ganouj, a Middle Eastern eggplant dish, the other day and it was pretty awesome, and it's simple to make!

Baba Ganouj

2 pounds eggplant
6 tbs fresh lemon juice
4 tbs tahini
1 to 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
chopped scallions (optional)
olive oil (optional)

Pierce the skins of the eggplants several times with a fork and place them on a baking sheet. Bake the whole eggplants at 400 until they are crinkly on the outside and very soft inside, about 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size (for a more authentic smoky flavor grill the eggplant over a direct flame until they are well charred on the outside). When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides. Puree the eggplant pulp and the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth (or mash the eggplant with a fork until smooth and then stir in the remaining ingredients). Cool to room temperature and serve (or serve chilled) with some crackers or veggies to dip.

(Recipe from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant)

Kohlrabi: The Burlington Free Press had an article a couple weeks ago about Kohlrabi. It included the following recipe:

Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw with Miso Dressing
1-2 Medium Kohlrabis
2 carrots
1 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
chopped cilantro

Peel and grate the kohlrabi and carrots. Whisk together soy sauce, miso, and vinegar. Combine all ingredients and chill.

Fresh Tomato Sauce: As you start to see more plum tomatoes appearing in your shares, it's time to start thinking about tomato sauce (plum tomatoes have less water than slicing and heirloom tomatoes and they are best cooked in a sauce or used for salsa). I'm not going to post a specific recipe for Fresh Tomato Sauce but it is very simply to make and you can just use whatever you have/like. I usually saute some garlic and onion in olive oil, add some chopped tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, some fresh basil and oregano, and some salt, pepper, and sugar to taste and let it simmer down. I don't worry about peeling or seeding the tomatoes but you easily can peel them by cutting a little X in the bottom of the tomato and putting it in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then immediately into ice water for a couple minutes. The skin then should peel off easily. Another option is to roast the tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant to intensify the flavor. Regardless of what you do, just keep adjusting things until it tastes good to you and then serve fresh with some pasta!

That's all for this week. Have a good one!

CSA Week 10: August 9-13

Well the weather seems to have cooled off a bit but the crops keep coming strong. This past week marked the beginning of melon season here at the farm and they're in your shares this week. We have a few different varieties of melons for you: there's the traditional Cantaloupe and Honey Dew, as well as Sun Jewel, an Asian melon that has yellow and white stripes and a flavor and texture similar to a Honey Dew and there's also a bright yellow melon, whose name no one really seems to know for sure, that has a flavor similar to Cantaloupe and a texture similar to Honey Dew. Melon season comes and goes quickly; it seems like we're overwhelmed suddenly and then they're gone so it's important to enjoy them while we can. With the arrival of melons along with the bounty of tomatoes, the pigs really are loving life these days too; they really love the sweet things. We also have green beans in your share for the first time this week and everyone will be getting a small bunch of lemon basil among the regular staples of lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. And we have three members of the Allium family for you this week: scallions, garlic, and onions.

This week, allow me to introduce Charlie, our registered Devon bull. We have 35 beef cattle here at the farm, in addition to the 2 Jerseys that we have for milk. Among the 35, we have 10 adult cows (a cow is an adult female bovine that has had a calf; a heifer is a female bovine that has not yet had a calf) and Charlie is the only bull(a bull is an uncastrated adult male bovine; a steer is a male that has been castrated). Life on the farm is great for the bull, but a little tougher for the steers (since cattle eat so much it only makes sense to keep 1 bull, unless we had a lot more cows). Devons are a dual-purpose (milk and beef) breed from England. They are on the small side but they are especially efficient grazers. As beef cattle they are well-marbled without needing any grain (they actually get too fat when they are raised in feedlots like most cattle in this country). Here at the farm, they are rotationally-grazed so that they have access to new grass each week, and the only grain they get is to help us move them more easily (grain is sort of like candy to cows, part of the reason that it is so unhealthy for them to eat a lot of it); this means that their meat is on the lean side and that it is full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can try some of our beef by joining our CSA meat share or by picking some up at the farm Monday afternoons or at one of the farmers' markets.

Charlie grazing in the upper pasture.

This week's share (click the photo to enlarge):


Preparation Tips/Recipes:

Beets - If you're getting sick of beets, try this awesome cake recipe. Shona made it a couple weeks ago for Maggie's birthday and it really is fantastic. The recipe comes from an English cookbook (from the farm/restaurant where Shona WWOOF'ed last fall) so the measurements are by weight, rather than by volume.

Dark Chocolate Beetroot Cake
8 oz. self-raising flour (to sub regular all-purpose flour, add 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt for each cup of regular flour)
8 oz. sugar
2 tsp. ground cardamom
3.5 oz. dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa
5 oz. butter
8 oz. cooked beets, grated
4 medium eggs

Icing (this is more than enough for 2 cakes)
18 oz. dark chocolate
11 fl oz. cream
2 tsp. dark rum

For the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease and line a deep 9" round cake tin.
3. Sift the cardamom and flour together.
4. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over warm water (or in a double boiler).
5. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
6. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk in thoroughly.
7. Add the grated beetroot and mix in well.
8. Fold in the flour carefully.
9. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
10. Bake for 50 minutes or until a wooden stick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Remove from the oven and leave for 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:
1. Combine the dark chocolate and the cream in a bowl and heat gently over a pan or warm water.
2. Leave to cool slightly, add the rum then spread over the cake as it starts to set.
3. Serve with creme fraiche or whipped cream.

Beans - My favorite way to prepare green beans is simply to saute them with a little olive oil, garlic, oregano and then a little chicken/vegetable stock or bouillon (this really takes the beans to the next level).

August Meat Share

My apologies for the tardiness of this post; August is one of the busiest months here on the farm and I neglected to post about the meat share this month. As you now know, the meat share this month is heavy on the pork. In addition to your regular chicken (most of them are about 5 pounds this month) and roughly 2 pounds of ground beef, this month's share includes a pound of our bacon (this is the last of our bacon unfortunately, but we made sure to set some aside for our CSA members!), and 2.5 to 3 pounds of country style pork ribs. As always we have lots of additional ground beef and frozen chickens available.

Preparation Tips/Recipes:

Ground Beef: We're certainly still in the midst of grilling season so you may want to just throw some burgers on the grill but if you're looking to switch things up a little bit or maybe use some of those tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, etc. to make some fresh tomato sauce, here's a recipe that Maggie's (another apprentice here on the farm) grandmother passed along. Maggie made it a couple weeks ago and I think we probably ate about half the meatballs before she had a chance to add them to the sauce.

Angie's Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
4 slices bread, soaked in milk, squeezed dry
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano), to taste
medium onion, grated (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together. Form into balls. Cook over medium high heat with a little bit of olive oil until browned and almost cooked through. Add to sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Country-Style Ribs: Country-style pork ribs are not actually ribs; they are cut from the shoulder and really are more shoulder chops than ribs (you probably noticed that they look a little more like chops than what you think of as ribs). As such, they are very versatile cuts of meat. You can simply cook them as you would pork chops, sauteing them in a pan (I really like to sprinkle them with some salt and paprika, brown them, and then simmer them with some apple juice, chopped tomatoes and chopped peppers) or grilling them. Here's a recipe for a Chinese rib marinade that can be used for any sort of pork ribs or chops:

Chinese Rib Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
heaping tablespoon brown sugar
pinch Five Spice Powder
5 large cloves garlic, pressed
6 or 7 stars of star anise (boiled and steeped in 1 cup water)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Marinate the meat for 2 to 4 hours. Bake at 325 or grill over indirect charcoal for about an hour until browned well, fat is rendering and meat comes cleanly off the bone. (Ribs can be turned halfway through cooking and brushed with the marinade and toasted sesame oil if you like). And instead of simply pouring the marinade down the drain when the meat is done marinating, I put it in a pot and boil it for a few minutes to pasteurize it and then it is a great sauce to serve over the meat itself and on rice.

CSA Week 9: August 2-6

What a strange year it's been weather-wise. First it hits 90 in the beginning of May, now late July feels like fall. The cooler weather definitely makes it a little nicer to work in the fields, though. The vegetables still are coming strong, though, and unfortunately so are the weeds. It seems like this year has been an especially bad one for weeds. The combination of rain and heat has resulted in a real explosion of them. But we're doing our best to stay on top of them ...

This week I'll introduce you to Odin, the big white dog who sort of looks like a polar bear. Odin is one of the most popular figures here at the farm; it seems like if there's one thing that people remember about the farm when they visit, it's Odin. Last summer, a writer from Vogue stayed with us for a week and wrote (quite briefly) about her experience for the magazine. Odin was the only being from the farm whose picture made the cut. Odin is a Maremma, a breed of livestock guardian dogs that originated in Italy. He came to the farm as a puppy 3 years ago to help protect the chickens and generally has done a good job (although we did have a problem with a fox earlier this spring). I'm sure anyone who has met Odin finds it funny to think of him as any sort of guard dog as he spends most of his time lounging around the farm. Usually you can tell where he is by the loud snores that he emits! Hopefully you've had a chance to meet Odin; while he certainly is big, he's also one of the friendliest dogs I've ever met!

This week's share:
(If it's difficult to read, click the picture to enlarge)


Preparation Tips/Recipes:

Pan-Cooked Summer Greens

1 to 2 bunches Swiss chard or Kale, washed, dried and cut into thin strips, stalks discarded
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced (scallions can substitute here)
2 tbs soy suace
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Steam greens until bright, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain. Immediately immerse greens in a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds and drain again. Set the cooled greens aside.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the greens and toss gently to combine well. Continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the amount of greens.
3. Add soy sauce, and salt and pepper. Gently toss ingredients and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and serve at once.

Recipe from Half Pint Farm courtesy of Dishing Up Vermont

Stuffed Zucchini
Play around with stuffing zucchini to see what you like the best. Here's a recipe from our CSA cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini
6 or 7 medium zucchini
3 tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped (a couple scallions would work too)
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup greshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 teasppons fresh sweet marjoram
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 375. Wash zucchini, cut off and discard ends and steam until just tender. Cool. Split lengthwise, scoop out pulp (reserve), turn upside down and let drain. Mash pulp. Heat butter in skillet, add onion and garlic, and saute until softened. Add squash pulp, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of the cheese, herbs and seasonings. Add eggs and cook until mixture thickens. Stuff into zucchini shells, top with remaining cheese and place in a buttered casserole. Bake until browned, 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 6-8 servings.

Kohlrabi, Corn, and Tomato Saute
4 cups diced kohlrabi
2 tbs butter
1 cup corn kernels
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 tbs minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper

Blanch or steam the kohlrabi until tender crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saute pan, and saute the corn, tomatoes, scallions, garlic, parsley, and chili powder for 2 minutes. Add the kohlrabi and saute for another 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

From the Joy of Gardening Cookbook

That's all for this week. As always, please send along any favorite recipes you may have. Or just post them in the comments section!

Have a good one!