Week 17
I try to resist cooking fall/winter food this time of year because I know that we have a long winter and many squash dishes ahead of us. However, the weather last week convinced me that I needed to light a fire and put a pot of soup on the stove. We had delicata soup and grilled sandwiches with sharp cheddar, apple and caramelized onion. Delicata isn't my usual go to squash for soup, but we wanted to give them a test run before we sold them so it seemed like a natural choice. I roasted the squash and then pureed the soup with the skin on. Maybe not the best choice without a more powerful blender, but nothing a mesh strainer couldn't fix! It really hit the spot and the delicata tastes great. You will get an assortment of squash in your boxes over the next few weeks. They will be fine for months as long as they are stored in a dry spot.
Lettuce
Carrots
Sweet Corn (hopefully)
Delicata - The skin on these is edible. This is, in my opinion, the most versatile squash we grow. We use it in curries, burritos, on pizza and and sliced into rings and roasted or cubed in a roasted veggie mix. It is also a great squash for stuffing. The seeds are small and awesome toasted.
Sweet Onions
Spinach - Small Only
Potatoes - Large Only
Beets - Large Only - Small shares will get beets next week.
Chard - Large Only
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Week 16
My in-laws arrived last night from Helena, Montana. Helena and Montana in general have been plagued with wild fires and smokey skies for all of late summer. The rain or snow is needed there, as well as here, but the looming rain put a little extra skip in our step last week. We hauled in a good portion of the winter squash. It can tolerate some rain, but we always like to get the varieties with corky stems out of the field while they are dry. We worry about the soft stems absorbing moisture and the squash getting dirty. A little mud isn't a big deal but wiping ten thousand pounds of squash can take a while. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and the spaghetti squash and butternuts will have to come out later this week.
We use to haul all our squash out in hand carried crates. A couple years a go we started loading them into watermelon boxes, a real back saver. We use a tractor to drive the boxes through the field tossing and catching the squash to fill the bins. Then we use a tractor to load boxes in to vehicles, drive to our barn and also unload with a tractor. The squash will cure there until we sort and sell it. We do still crate and carry some squash but the forks and the watermelon boxes have been a game changer.
Lettuce
Radishes
Spinach - large this week, small next week
Potatoes - small this week, large next week
Choy
Carrots
Cherry Tomatoes
Sheep Nose Peppers - Large Only
Salad Mix - Large Only
My in-laws arrived last night from Helena, Montana. Helena and Montana in general have been plagued with wild fires and smokey skies for all of late summer. The rain or snow is needed there, as well as here, but the looming rain put a little extra skip in our step last week. We hauled in a good portion of the winter squash. It can tolerate some rain, but we always like to get the varieties with corky stems out of the field while they are dry. We worry about the soft stems absorbing moisture and the squash getting dirty. A little mud isn't a big deal but wiping ten thousand pounds of squash can take a while. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and the spaghetti squash and butternuts will have to come out later this week.
We use to haul all our squash out in hand carried crates. A couple years a go we started loading them into watermelon boxes, a real back saver. We use a tractor to drive the boxes through the field tossing and catching the squash to fill the bins. Then we use a tractor to load boxes in to vehicles, drive to our barn and also unload with a tractor. The squash will cure there until we sort and sell it. We do still crate and carry some squash but the forks and the watermelon boxes have been a game changer.
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| Squash Hauling |
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| Pie Pumpkins |
Radishes
Spinach - large this week, small next week
Potatoes - small this week, large next week
Choy
Carrots
Cherry Tomatoes
Sheep Nose Peppers - Large Only
Salad Mix - Large Only
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Week 15
I don't know about you but the rain left me feeling refreshed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to wash the dust and ash off the vegetables and shine things up a bit. The cool, wet morning felt relaxing even though there was no less to do today than yesterday. Change is nice.
The farm amplifies our connection to the seasons. In Chinese medicine there are five elements and five corresponding seasons. Four of the seasons correlate with the ones you are familiar with and the fifth is where we are now - late summer. It starts in the second half of August around the time when you suddenly notice the cooler mornings, the shorter days and the change in light. On the farm the bounty and abundance are still there, but the leaves are starting to yellow and many of the plants begin slow down, fade and prepare to call it a season. Summer begins to release its grip on us, we can take a breath and feel grounded again. There is still much to be done and September is still very busy and yet the tension lessens, the desire to share meals with friends returns and we do our best to be grateful for the warm sunny days that remain.
Lettuce
Kale - Lacinato
Sweet Onions
Tomato
Poblanos
Cabbage
Zucchini
Cauliflower - Large Only
Sweet Pepper - Small Only
I don't know about you but the rain left me feeling refreshed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to wash the dust and ash off the vegetables and shine things up a bit. The cool, wet morning felt relaxing even though there was no less to do today than yesterday. Change is nice.
The farm amplifies our connection to the seasons. In Chinese medicine there are five elements and five corresponding seasons. Four of the seasons correlate with the ones you are familiar with and the fifth is where we are now - late summer. It starts in the second half of August around the time when you suddenly notice the cooler mornings, the shorter days and the change in light. On the farm the bounty and abundance are still there, but the leaves are starting to yellow and many of the plants begin slow down, fade and prepare to call it a season. Summer begins to release its grip on us, we can take a breath and feel grounded again. There is still much to be done and September is still very busy and yet the tension lessens, the desire to share meals with friends returns and we do our best to be grateful for the warm sunny days that remain.
Lettuce
Kale - Lacinato
Sweet Onions
Tomato
Poblanos
Cabbage
Zucchini
Cauliflower - Large Only
Sweet Pepper - Small Only
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Week 14
I hope you all have a swimming hole, a BBQ and a long weekend to enjoy this run of hot weather.
Wax Beans
Eggplant - Assorted - If you have a preference on the slender Asian variety versus the larger Italian style let me know when you get your box.
Herb Choice - Basil, Thai Basil, Parsley or Rosemary - may not have full selection for the entire pick-up.
Broccoli
Garlic
Arugula
Tomato
Cucumber
Lettuce - Large Only
Mixed Bell Peppers - Large Only These will be peppers that are in between their immature purple phase and their mature red state.
I don't eat a lot of eggplant which is sad because I love it, but good because I have a mild allergic reaction to it. A customer mentioned that she makes a stir fried eggplant and Thai basil recipe with chiles and a little fish sauce and it sounded good to me and I have been thinking about making it for my once a year eggplant dinner. I love a similar dish that I make with chicken. I was just planning on winging it, but if the combo sounds good to you and you don't want to wing it, here is a recipe with good reviews. In general if you want to do some sort of stir fry I would recommend the long slender eggplant. The rounder Italian style eggplant is great for roasting, grilling and making big round slices.
Eggplant Stir Fry
I hope you all have a swimming hole, a BBQ and a long weekend to enjoy this run of hot weather.
Wax Beans
Eggplant - Assorted - If you have a preference on the slender Asian variety versus the larger Italian style let me know when you get your box.
Herb Choice - Basil, Thai Basil, Parsley or Rosemary - may not have full selection for the entire pick-up.
Broccoli
Garlic
Arugula
Tomato
Cucumber
Lettuce - Large Only
Mixed Bell Peppers - Large Only These will be peppers that are in between their immature purple phase and their mature red state.
I don't eat a lot of eggplant which is sad because I love it, but good because I have a mild allergic reaction to it. A customer mentioned that she makes a stir fried eggplant and Thai basil recipe with chiles and a little fish sauce and it sounded good to me and I have been thinking about making it for my once a year eggplant dinner. I love a similar dish that I make with chicken. I was just planning on winging it, but if the combo sounds good to you and you don't want to wing it, here is a recipe with good reviews. In general if you want to do some sort of stir fry I would recommend the long slender eggplant. The rounder Italian style eggplant is great for roasting, grilling and making big round slices.
Eggplant Stir Fry
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Week 13
Another melon season is almost over with and once again I missed my opportunity to attempt a square watermelon. I don't have an interest in attempting to replicate tennis ball size strawberries or the square watermelons of Japan's luxury fruit scene to sell but one of these years I will find time to mess with some watermelons for the fun of it. They just look so unusual, even if they taste the same.
In your boxes today is a melon that is probably our favorite (so hard to choose). Melons in general hold a soft spot for us because one the fondest memories of our courtship is the two us sampling all of the melons that the farm Kelly worked on in Maine grew. It was maybe my first experience of the gluttony(in a positive sense, if that is possible) of being on a farm affords. Cutting into melon after melon, passing up the occasional mediocre one and eating well beyond the "I can't eat another bite of melon" moment. Kelly gave me the nickname of Sweetie #6 that summer. Sweetie #6 was a butterscotch melon that you can no longer get seed for, but Serenade, which is in your box today, is similar and the only butterscotch melon I have been able to find.
There is a melon article from Saveur magazine that I cut out and read to Kelly when I first saw it because I knew that he would relate to it as much as I did. It is still hanging around our house seven years later. If you love melons you might enjoy reading it. I am including one of my favorite sections below and it speaks a little bit to what I mean when I use the word gluttony in terms of sampling produce and the joy that can come with it.
Carrots
Zucchini
Serenade Melon
Piel de Sapo Melon - Large Only
Cherry Tomato
Cucumber - Large Only These are last round of the Japanese style cucumber we grow. We have battled the cucumber beetle all summer and they are winning! You will notice some bug damage, but the bigger problem is that they are spreading bacterial wilt and the plants are dying.
Sweet Onions
Collards - Large Only
Another melon season is almost over with and once again I missed my opportunity to attempt a square watermelon. I don't have an interest in attempting to replicate tennis ball size strawberries or the square watermelons of Japan's luxury fruit scene to sell but one of these years I will find time to mess with some watermelons for the fun of it. They just look so unusual, even if they taste the same.
In your boxes today is a melon that is probably our favorite (so hard to choose). Melons in general hold a soft spot for us because one the fondest memories of our courtship is the two us sampling all of the melons that the farm Kelly worked on in Maine grew. It was maybe my first experience of the gluttony(in a positive sense, if that is possible) of being on a farm affords. Cutting into melon after melon, passing up the occasional mediocre one and eating well beyond the "I can't eat another bite of melon" moment. Kelly gave me the nickname of Sweetie #6 that summer. Sweetie #6 was a butterscotch melon that you can no longer get seed for, but Serenade, which is in your box today, is similar and the only butterscotch melon I have been able to find.
There is a melon article from Saveur magazine that I cut out and read to Kelly when I first saw it because I knew that he would relate to it as much as I did. It is still hanging around our house seven years later. If you love melons you might enjoy reading it. I am including one of my favorite sections below and it speaks a little bit to what I mean when I use the word gluttony in terms of sampling produce and the joy that can come with it.
A couple approach. The husband, a fondler and caresser, picks up a smooth, yellow-skinned Charentais melon, inhales its fragrance. "These smell fantastic," he says. He turns to his wife. "Let's get a couple of them."
The wife pinches the clasp of her purse with both hands. "No," she says, "we couldn't eat that much. Remember, we'll be away on Saturday."
I'm thinking to myself, the two of you couldn't eat a pair of these little melons in three days? I eat one by myself in about three minutes, standing in a muddy field with my pocketknife in my hand, cutting off slices and tossing the chewed rinds in every direction. And 20 minutes later I eat another one.
LettuceCarrots
Zucchini
Serenade Melon
Piel de Sapo Melon - Large Only
Cherry Tomato
Cucumber - Large Only These are last round of the Japanese style cucumber we grow. We have battled the cucumber beetle all summer and they are winning! You will notice some bug damage, but the bigger problem is that they are spreading bacterial wilt and the plants are dying.
Sweet Onions
Collards - Large Only
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Week 12
Yesterday after market, Aaron from Humble Stump Farm and Maya and Phelan from Little Big Farm stopped by for a beer in the orchard. They are both part of the smaller is better trend in small farming and I always enjoy hearing their perspective. As we walked around our fields, a little weedy, a little poorly managed, I contemplated the trend. The idea is to stay small. In order to do this you farm very intensively with little cover cropping and often filling a bed with a new planting as soon as you finish harvesting a bed. There is also more of a focus on crops that are the most profitable and therefor that type of farm tends to be less diverse. Very small farms often have permanent beds and less of a need for tractors and all the implements that go with them. All systems have their advantages and disadvantages. With an impending move (to who knows where) Kelly and I have been having a lot of discussions about what we want our farm to be and how we want to manage it. We like diversity, we like tractors and we like cover cropping but that doesn't mean we can't take some new ideas and mix them in. We are still very small (7 acres) in terms of most farms and at our size I feel like we should be able to create a little bit of a hybrid farm in a way that makes sense. There are some things that are not practical to adopt at our size, but it is important to remember that there can be more than one way of doing thing something and just because something is working okay doesn't mean you shouldn't try to improve on it.
On the other side of the spectrum is large scale organic agriculture. We receive a publication put out by the Organic Trade Association, which does many things including lobbying the state and federal government with an organic agenda. Of course not all organic farmers think alike and sometimes they push policies that people don't agree with. They don't only represent large scale organic agriculture, but naturally many of their members are larger corporations. There were some interesting statistics in the recent issue about the rise of organic agriculture. For example, in 2016 there were 17,525 certified organic producers, a 13 percent increase over the previous year (we were a farm that certified for the first time in 2016) and organic vegetables made up 14 percent of all vegetable sales. As the organic industry grows and organic food becomes more readily available, smaller producers like us will have to find ways to distinguish ourselves. Hopefully we can do that with both quality and freshness.
Anyway, when I am not looking at Petfinder for a friend for Tucker I like to think about this kind of stuff!
Alright, back to the food.
Carrots
Colored Bell Peppers - should be some beauties to pick tomorrow.
Broccoli
Cucumber
Slicing Tomato
Melon
Potatoes - Pinto - We are growing two striking potatoes this year. One is Masquerade which is purple and white and the other is the one you are getting today called Pinto which is red and gold. We tried them both and my favorite is the Pinto.
Yesterday after market, Aaron from Humble Stump Farm and Maya and Phelan from Little Big Farm stopped by for a beer in the orchard. They are both part of the smaller is better trend in small farming and I always enjoy hearing their perspective. As we walked around our fields, a little weedy, a little poorly managed, I contemplated the trend. The idea is to stay small. In order to do this you farm very intensively with little cover cropping and often filling a bed with a new planting as soon as you finish harvesting a bed. There is also more of a focus on crops that are the most profitable and therefor that type of farm tends to be less diverse. Very small farms often have permanent beds and less of a need for tractors and all the implements that go with them. All systems have their advantages and disadvantages. With an impending move (to who knows where) Kelly and I have been having a lot of discussions about what we want our farm to be and how we want to manage it. We like diversity, we like tractors and we like cover cropping but that doesn't mean we can't take some new ideas and mix them in. We are still very small (7 acres) in terms of most farms and at our size I feel like we should be able to create a little bit of a hybrid farm in a way that makes sense. There are some things that are not practical to adopt at our size, but it is important to remember that there can be more than one way of doing thing something and just because something is working okay doesn't mean you shouldn't try to improve on it.
On the other side of the spectrum is large scale organic agriculture. We receive a publication put out by the Organic Trade Association, which does many things including lobbying the state and federal government with an organic agenda. Of course not all organic farmers think alike and sometimes they push policies that people don't agree with. They don't only represent large scale organic agriculture, but naturally many of their members are larger corporations. There were some interesting statistics in the recent issue about the rise of organic agriculture. For example, in 2016 there were 17,525 certified organic producers, a 13 percent increase over the previous year (we were a farm that certified for the first time in 2016) and organic vegetables made up 14 percent of all vegetable sales. As the organic industry grows and organic food becomes more readily available, smaller producers like us will have to find ways to distinguish ourselves. Hopefully we can do that with both quality and freshness.
Anyway, when I am not looking at Petfinder for a friend for Tucker I like to think about this kind of stuff!
Alright, back to the food.
Carrots
Colored Bell Peppers - should be some beauties to pick tomorrow.
Broccoli
Cucumber
Slicing Tomato
Melon
Potatoes - Pinto - We are growing two striking potatoes this year. One is Masquerade which is purple and white and the other is the one you are getting today called Pinto which is red and gold. We tried them both and my favorite is the Pinto.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Week 11
We pulled all of the Walla Walla onions that had fallen over before the rain. Having them dry and cozy in the barn gave us some peace of mind and allowed us to fully enjoy the rain. There is an overhang off the living room that is roofed in metal and I love sitting out back and listening to the rain fall on the metal roof. I enjoy it in winter as well, but it is extra nice to do it in mid August. A little break in the heat was great, but I am happy that it warms up again a little later in the week. Summer is so brief, I am not ready to give up on it yet!
You have a hallmark of summer in your box today - corn. We made some delicious tacos from Rick Bayless's cookbook and I am including the recipe below since there are many of the ingredients in your box today.
Melons are starting to trickle in - should have something fun for your boxes next week.
Red Leaf Lettuce
Cucumber
Corn - The corn will be picked the morning of your pick up day. It will keep in the fridge but corn is best eaten as soon as possible.
Cherry Tomatoes
Zucchini
Poblano Peppers - While these are on the lesser end of the spicy scale as far as chile peppers go, they do still have a bit of heat to them, particularly if you are using them in a dish where the pepper is the lead role such as chile rellenos.
Swiss Chard
Carrot - Large Only
Mexican Style Zucchini Tacos
We pulled all of the Walla Walla onions that had fallen over before the rain. Having them dry and cozy in the barn gave us some peace of mind and allowed us to fully enjoy the rain. There is an overhang off the living room that is roofed in metal and I love sitting out back and listening to the rain fall on the metal roof. I enjoy it in winter as well, but it is extra nice to do it in mid August. A little break in the heat was great, but I am happy that it warms up again a little later in the week. Summer is so brief, I am not ready to give up on it yet!
You have a hallmark of summer in your box today - corn. We made some delicious tacos from Rick Bayless's cookbook and I am including the recipe below since there are many of the ingredients in your box today.
Melons are starting to trickle in - should have something fun for your boxes next week.
Red Leaf Lettuce
Cucumber
Corn - The corn will be picked the morning of your pick up day. It will keep in the fridge but corn is best eaten as soon as possible.
Cherry Tomatoes
Zucchini
Poblano Peppers - While these are on the lesser end of the spicy scale as far as chile peppers go, they do still have a bit of heat to them, particularly if you are using them in a dish where the pepper is the lead role such as chile rellenos.
Swiss Chard
Carrot - Large Only
Mexican Style Zucchini Tacos
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