CSA Farm Share Week 20

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. October 11

• Collards
• Kale
• Carrots
• Sweet Potato
• Celariac

Tue. October 14

• Collards
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Salad Radish

CSA Farm Share Week 19

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. October 4

• Kale
• Napa Cabbage
• Pablano Peppers (medium spicy)
• Beets
• Potatoes
• Pie Pumpkin (can be baked or boiled, then the cooked pumpkin put into many recipes, soups, pies, muffins, etc..

Tue. October 6

• Collards
• Beets
• Potatoes
• Celeriac - Also known as turnip-rooted celery or knob celery, here are some recipie ideas here: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/winter/cooknow_celeryroot  Cut off all the gnarly roots and skin before using.
• Pie Pumpkin or Delicata Squash
• Garlic

CSA Farm Share Week 18

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. September 26

• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Swiss Chard
• Collard Greens
• Nasturtium Greens and Flowers (Leaves have a wonderful spicy flavor, great in salads, flowers have a very delicate taste)
• Assorted Peppers
• Apples (From a friends orchard right down the road!!!)

Tue. September 30

• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Lacinato Kale (Also known as dinosaur, or toscano kale)
• Assorted Peppers (Bells, Italian Frying)
• Pablano Peppers (medium spicy)
• Potatoes
• Garlic

Recipe Ideas

Nasturtium Pesto
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/01/nasturtium-pesto/

Collard Greens
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kickin-collard-greens/
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30794-slow-cooker-collard-greens
http://www.margaretsportuguesekitchen.com/2012/07/caldo-verdecollard-greens-soup.html

CSA Farm Share Week 17

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. September 20

• Italian Frying Peppers
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Lettuce
• Sweet Potato
• White Potato
• Onions
• Acorn Squash
• Dill (We added this to mashed sweet potatoes last week and it was quite good)
• Chocolate Mint !! (Make Tea, Add to brownies, cookies, ice cream, Mojitos and more)

Tue. September 23

• Head Lettuce
• Swiss Chard
• Collard Greens
• Nasturtium Greens and Flowers (Leaves have a wonderful spicy flavor, great in salads, flowers have a very delicate taste)
• Assorted Peppers
• Apples (From a friends orchard right down the road!!!)

Recipe Ideas

Nasturtium Pesto
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/01/nasturtium-pesto/

Collard Greens
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kickin-collard-greens/
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30794-slow-cooker-collard-greens

Vegetable Spotlight

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas), belongs to the family Convolvulaceae (which includes the Morning Glory).  Its origin is likely between the Yucatan of Mexico and the mouth of the Orinoco River in Venezuela.  Unknown in the ancient Mediterranean world, and there is no known mention of it in the Bible.  All its known species are found in the New World; no wild sweet potato has been found elsewhere.  It seems to be exclusively an American plant, which originated in the tropics or sub tropics, where it is perennial.

Christopher Columbus reported that he was served three or four kinds at a feast given in his honor by the king of the island Saint Thomas.  He recorded the fact that bread was made from them, which he called aje bread, aje or axi was the local name given for sweet potato.  Also recorded by individuals in Columbus’ fleet in 1494 was it’s presence on Hispaniola and Yucatan.  Plants were carried back to Spain an soon planted there.  They were generally cultivated in Portugal and Italy by 1566.  

By the early 1600’s, thanks to traders, sweet potatoes made their way to Asia, where they made great use of them, even today.  They never never really took off in France, possibly because the vegetable is not quite in tune with their cuisine, which reserves sugary tastes for desert.

The countries where sweet potatoes are a staple of human consumption, are: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.

About 20,000 tons of sweet potatoes are produced annually in New Zealand, where sweet potato is known by its Māori name, kūmara. It was a staple food for Māori before European contact.

The sweet potato is not in the same family as Yams, and not closely related to the common potato either (nightshade family).

CSA Farm Share Week 16

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. September 13

• Sweet Peppers
• Head Lettuce
• Delicata Squash (skin is great too)
• Napa Cabbage
• Tomatoes
• Jalapeno Pepper

- Eight things to do with Napa Cabbage: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/809695/8-things-to-do-with-napa-cabbage
- Delicata Squash Recipes:
http://summertomato.com/better-than-butternut-roasted-delicata-squash-recipe/
http://casayellow.com/2013/09/19/baked-delicata-squash-with-cream-parmigiano/

Tue. September 15

• Bell Peppers
• Lettuce
• Sweet Potato
• White Potato
• Onions
• Acorn Squash
• Dill (We added this to mashed sweet potatoes last week and it was quite good)
• Chocolate Mint !! (Make Tea, Add to brownies, cookies, ice cream, Mojitos and more)

CSA Farm Share Week 15

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. September 6

• Tomatoes*
• Sweet Peppers*
• Onions*
• Cilantro*
• Parsley*
• Jalapeno Pepper*
• Concord Grapes (from a friends vine)**THESE HAVE SEEDS

*Salsa!!!

** Grape Salsa?!!? or Crostini (http://www.gourmettenyc.com/2012/09/19/concord-grape-ricotta-crostini/)

Tue. September 9

• Sweet Peppers
• Head Lettuce
• Spaghetti Squash
• Napa Cabbage
• Tomatoes
• Jalapeno Pepper

- How to prepare spaghetti squash: http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/
- Eight things to do with Napa Cabbage: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/809695/8-things-to-do-with-napa-cabbage

CSA Farm Share Week 14

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. August 30

• Lettuce Mix
• Sweet Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Dill

Tue. September 2

• Tomatoes*
• Sweet Peppers*
• Onions*
• Cilantro*
• Parsley*
• Jalapeno Pepper*
• Concord Grapes (from a friends vine)**THESE HAVE SEEDS

*Salsa!!!
** Grape Salsa?!!? or Crostini (http://www.gourmettenyc.com/2012/09/19/concord-grape-ricotta-crostini/)

CSA Farm Share Week 13

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. August 23

• Lettuce Mix
• Bunching Onions
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Sage
• Garlic
• Jalapeno Pepper

Tue. August 26

• Lettuce Mix
• Bell Peppers
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Dill

Vegetable Spotlight - Tomato

It’s place of origin is the lower Andes, what is today Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Archeology has produced no information on its early history there, it’s speculated that pre-Columbian peruvians simply gathered the wild fruit in season and made no attempt to improve it. The most likely explanation for its spread to Italy was the theory that the Spaniards brought seeds to Spain, then passed them on to Naples, which was under Spanish rule in 1522. While the Spaniards accepted the new plant passively, the Italians on the other hand were quite aggressive about it. By the renaissance it had spread as far as Poland.

The rest of Europe distrusted the tomato as food for quite a while, as late as 1760 is was treated as more of an ornamental plant, even in America. It was regarded as poisonous by many early botanists, probably because it was recognized as a member of the family Solanaceae (Nightshades), which includes several toxic plants.

One of the first person to grow tomatoes in the U.S. was Thomas Jefferson, possibly getting his seeds from an Italian painter in Salem, Mass. His neighbors were afraid to taste them. By 1782 Jefferson said the plants were common in the private gardens of Virginians. And by the early 1800’s Americans seemed to have discovered the joy of a eating fresh, vine ripe tomato!

CSA Farm Share Week 12

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. August 13

• Lettuce Mix
• Bunching Onions
• Green Pepper
• Squash
• White Onion
• Parsley
• Romano Beans
• Cherry Tomatoes

Tue. August 19

• Lettuce Mix
• Bunching Onions
• Onion
• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Fresh Sage and Rosemary

Vegetable Spotlight - Lettuce  

Nobody really knows where lettuce originated, but we do know it has been on the human menu at least since 800 BC.,when an Assyrian herbal listed it among the 250 plants growing in the gardens of King Merodach-Baladan in Babylon.  Herodotus wrote that the kings of Persia had lettuce on their tables about 550 BC and it was also being grown in Egypt.  At those times, lettuce did not form heads, but rather grew leaves on a tall stalk (much like the wild lettuce known as a “weed” found in our regions-Lactuca scariola).  The Romans cultivated a variety of lettuce that grew more “head like.”  This variety was not recognized till the 1st century AD.

Lettuce seems to be slow in reaching the far east, only in the 5th century do we see it mentioned in Chinese literature.  It was cultivated in French gardens, but water cress seemed to have been preferred as a salad green.

It appears to have enjoyed luxury status, being served at all the great medieval banquets.  By 1440 lettuce became quite popular in England, and in the 17th century, Louis XIV was quite fond of it.

Columbus is purportedly the one who introduced it to the New World, but not until after World War I, did Americans pay much attention to it.

CSA Farm Share Week 11

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. August 8

• Swiss Chard
• White Onions
• Green Pepper
• Blue and Purple Potato
• Jalepeno pepper (med. hot)
• Garlic

Tue. August 12

• Lettuce Mix
• White Onions
• Green Pepper
• Blue Potato
• Garlic

Taking a break from the Vegetable spotlight.  Got too busy this week to write it, I'm sure somebody's really bummed they can't learn more esoteric vegetable information. :)

CSA Farm Share Week 10

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. August 2

• Lettuce Mix
• Onions 
• Green Beans (romano variety)
• Basil
• Parsley

Tue. August 5

• Lettuce Mix
• Onion
• Carrots
• Beets
• Hot Pepper (jalapeno, med/hot)
• Basil

Vegetable Spotlight

Onion The onion is a lilly, sharing the same family with asparagus and the tulip. It belongs to the genus Allium. Other well know alliums include leeks, shallots, scallions and garlic. The french writer Dumay says “..the onion offers always, and especially in winter, a little of the springtime of the soil, preserved in it’s bulb.” I’d have to agree, here in Virginia onions are some the of earliest planted crops, taking much of the season to mature and then dry.

The origin of the onion remains a mystery, it way already being cultivated by prehistoric men when they were still in the collecting stage which preceded the pastoral and agricultural sages, then roots and bulbs were easy to gather, and the onion perhaps easier than most, since it gave itself away by its smell. Most authorities put it somewhere in Asia, but this is sometimes disputed.  The Code of Hammurabi (ancient Mesopotamia), stipulates that the needy shall receive a monthly ration of bread and onions. Onions were a staple for the poor, but also enjoyed by royalty. The king of Ur, Ur-Nammu(2100BC) had onions growing in his gardens. The ancient Egyptians were great onion eaters.

During the middle ages onions were a favorite food of the common people. They also appear in French feudal deeds more frequently than any other vegetable except garlic.  There were onions native to the North American continent, as witnessed by Spanish explorers, the onions we mainly eat today are from Eurasian decent.



Around the Farm

Transplanting kale, collard and kohlrabi.

CSA Farm Share Week 9

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. July 26

• Carrots
• Green Pepper
• Squash
• Cucumber
• Potato
• Garlic

Tue. July 29

• Lettuce Mix
• Green Pepper
• Onions 
• Green Beans (romano variety)
• Parsley

Vegetable Spotlight - Pepper

Peppers are native to central and south america, and were carried to Spain in the late 1400’s.  They were actually mis-named by Christopher Columbus.  At that time peppercorns, the fruit of an unrelated plant originating from India, Piper nigrum, was a highly prized condiment; the name "pepper" was at that time applied in Europe to all known spices with a hot and pungent taste and so naturally extended to the newly discovered Capsicum genus

They are members of the Solanaceae, or “nightshade” family, which is an important family of plants that includes: potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant.  Bell peppers are members of the Capsicum genus, but contain no capsaicin(the thing that makes hot peppers hot).  

Some other important members of Solanaceae include a number of ornamental plants such as Petunia, Browallia and Lycianthes, the source of psychoactive alkaloids, Datura, Mandragora (mandrake), and deadly nightshade.

With the exception of tobacco (Nicotianoideae) and petunia (Petunioideae), most of the economically important genera are contained in the subfamily Solanoidea.

Recipes

Working on it, we'll have some up by the weekend.

CSA Farm Share Week 8

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. July 19

• Beets
• Celery
• Basil
• Chard
• Bunching onions
• Cucumbers

Tues. July 22

• Chard
• Potatoes
• Garlic
• Squash
• Cucumber
• Carrots

Vegetable Spotlight

Basil - According to ancient legend, St.Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, was told in a vision that she would find the True Cross in a place where the air was sweet with perfume; she discovered it under a patch of Basil.  The word basil comes from basilikon, meaning kingly.  In many places custom demanded that the king himself cut the first basil of the season with a golden sickle, iron was too base.

Sweet basil is a native of India, where it is sacred.  It has been used in the kitchen since at least 400 B.C.  when the Greek physician/botanist Chrysippos described it as one of his favorite seasonings.  In the middle ages it worked it’s way northward through France.

We love making pesto with fresh basil.  Remember if you’re using it in a cooked dish, add it at the last minute as heat will destroy it’s flavor, and turn it black.

In France they sometimes make Pistou, or pistou sauce, is a Provençal cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil. It is somewhat similar to pesto, although it lacks pine nuts. Some modern versions of the recipe include grated parmesan, pecorino or similar hard cheeses. A somewhat similar sauce is Argentine chimichurri made with parsley.





Around the Farm



















Garlic was harvested over last weekend and is drying in the barn.  You will start seeing it in your shares soon!

Getting ready to get ground finally worked up for for seedings of carrots and beets that will be harvested this fall.

Cabbage, Kale, Collards and more are being potted up in greenhouse, and will be ready to be transplanted in 2-3 weeks.

CSA Farm Share Week 7

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. July 12

• Summer Squash
• Green beans
• Parsley
• Cucumbers
• Bunching onions

Tue. July 15

• Summer Squash
• Bunching onions
• Basil - Great for pesto, which has many ways to use than just for pasta: 
  - http://www.thekitchn.com/10-ways-to-use-pesto-beyond-pasta-tips-from-the-kitchn-119782
• Green Beans
• Celery
• Beets  - Anybody interested in making Kvass?  We can provide you with more beets.  I have yet to make it but it's on the list of things to try.  http://nourishedkitchen.com/beet-kvass-recipe/  If you are not already aware, the benefits of consuming fermented foods are pretty amazing.

Vegetable Spotlight - The Curcubitacea

Sometimes known as the "gourd family," the cucurbits contain over one hundred genera.  Some of the most important being:

• Curcubita - squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds
• Lagenaria - mostly non edible gourds
• Citrullus - watermelon
• Cucumis - cucumber, some melons
• Lufa - common name also luffa

The curcubitacea family ranks among the highest of plant families for number and percentage of species

used as human food.  Plants of this family were some of the earliest cultivated in both the old and new worlds.

Cucumber by Jean-Baptiste Chardin

The cucumber was once described as having been grown more than three thousand years ago in India, current research pushes that date back even further.  If the translations have been made correctly, then the Romans were fond of them too, and preferred to serve them with honey.  In fact one emperor in particular ordered them to be served at every meal.  They don't enjoy an extremely illustrious career though, perhaps because of their neutral nature.

 A Dr.Johnson (whoever he was?) said they "should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out."  Wow!, well I'll have to disagree strongly, because that sounds quite good, and in fact I believe my lunch today consisted of a similar dish!!

When the Spaniards carried the cucumber to America, it was adopted so enthusiastically by the Pueblo Indians that some authors assumed (erroneously) that it was a native food.

In 1540 or thereabouts, Hernando do Alvarado spending time as a scout in the American Southwest reported that the territory which he had explored grew melons.  This could not have been because melons were old world fruits which did not exist in America at that time.  What were they then?   For the next hundred years there was some confusion among Europeans as to what to call these new found things.  Melon and pumpkin were used interchangeably for a while.

Even Columbus in the account of his first voyage described fields in present day Cuba, "planted with several native plants and with calebazzas."  Callebazzas means basically gourd.

Cabeza de Vaca reported pumpkins growing near Florida's Tampa Bay in 1528, and de Soto in western Florida found pumpkins.

Interestingly we are told that squash was grown in the hanging gardens of Babylon, and that Pliny mentioned it, and that recipes were found in Roman cookbooks.  So why the confusion from the explorers?   Seems to be related to the separate genera found in the New World.

The history is much more nuanced than we have time here to discuss, but the general consensus is this: It appears that squashes and pumpkins are exclusively New World, but gourds belong to the Old World.  And while these gourds were utilitarian at times (carrying water, etc), some were also edible.  But evidently the Old World gourds were not quite a tasty as the New World varieties, de Soto found his Floridian pumpkins to be "better and more flavorful than those of Spain."

Now the squash you will find in your shares now until the end of summer is a subset of Cucurbita Pepo, deemed "summer squash."  There are some winter squashes in this sub set, but most are squashes that we eat while still having tender skin (unlike the winter squashes).  Enjoy the bounty!

Recipe Ideas

Quick Pickles (for cucumbers, beans, onions and many other things too) - Vinegar, salt, sugar and various spices can create a really large variety of "fresh pack" pickles that are read to eat very soon.  Different vinegars can be experimented with too, I really like apple cider vinegar.   These are not fermented dishes.

http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2013/08/quick-pickles/

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30422-easy-quick-pickles

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-quickpickled-red-onions-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193247

Cucumber parsley salad - http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/16430/Cucumber-Parsley_Salad (onions added to this would be great!)

Around the Farm

 Buckwheat growing where fall crops will be sown.  Will mow and disc within the next couple of weeks.  Fall crops will be direct seeded and transplanted starting around the 1st of August.

In the far field is cucumber, squash, sweet potato, tomatoes, garlic (pulling this week!) and potatoes.

Hulless oats, an experiment this spring.  They appear ready to harvest.

A single oat with it's papery covering that will need to be winnowed away.

CSA Farm Share Week 6

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. July 5

• Summer Squash
• New Potatoes (red)
• Fennel bulbs
• Carrots (purple,yellow,white)
• Parsley
• Fresh Onions (bulbs with good tops)

Tue. July 8  (new recipes added today)

• Fennel bulbs
• Parsley
• Cucumbers
• Fresh Onions
• Green Beans

Vegetable Spotlight

Potato  Native to South America specifically the high Sierra of the Andes, where it had been developed because corn would not grow above 11,000 feet.  The first Europeans probably saw their first potato near Quito Ecuador not much later than 1530, where Pizarro’s men wrote about it in his Chronicle of Peru (1553).  It has been estimated that the potato had been domesticated in Peru since 3000 B.C.  It was these Spaniards that most likely took the potato back to their home land.   The potato enjoys and interesting history from the 16th century on to today, worth looking at more extensively if you were so inclined.  (i.e. how did it get to Ireland?).  

Recipe Ideas

Quick Pickles (for cukes, beans, onions and other things too) - Here are a few ideas, the combinations of spices, and variates of salt, sugar and vinegar present many options for making pickled food.

http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2013/08/quick-pickles/

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30422-easy-quick-pickles

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-quickpickled-red-onions-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193247

Cucumber parsley salad - http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/16430/Cucumber-Parsley_Salad (onions added to this would be great!)

Fennel and green beans - http://www.marthastewart.com/326889/fennel-and-green-beans-with-orange-and-a

Roasted potato and fennel salad -  This recipe calls for 5# of potato and serves up to 12 people, so you might need to reduce proportions by 1/2 or 1/4.  You could replace the chives with the green onion tops if you like.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/roasted-potato-and-fennel-salad-recipe.html

This Week on the Farm

Lots of stuff to keep up with.

• Harvests for wholesale every week.
• Seeding lettuce mix (need to do it every week)!
• Cultivating the weeds, especially in the summer crop areas (beans, pepper, squash, etc).  Mostly done with hoes, some done by tractor.
• Seeding fall crops in the greenhouse, they will be transplanted in August (kale, cabbage, collards, etc).
• Pounding tomato stakes and stringing up plants.
• Keeping an eye on the garlic, not quite ready to pull yet, soon though.

CSA Farm Share Week 5

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. June 28

• Summer Squash (just starting to come in)
• Chard
• Head Lettuce
• Carrots
• Dill

Tue. July 1

• Summer Squash
• New Potatoes
• Kale
• Carrots
• Dill

Vegetable Spotlight

Dill > It has been said by some that dill is "the most frequently used herb in Polish cooking.."  In Europe Poles are joined by others in central and eastern countries in their adoration of dill.  Russians are fond of it, along with those from Hungary and Scandinavia.  Interestingly it is little known in Latin countries, in France it appears to be almost foreign.  It was probably used by the Romans, who mixed dill oil in their gladiators food in the belief that it was tonic.  And it may have been for the same reason that dill seed were given to American children a century or two back to chew in church, perhaps to keep them awake during long sermons.  Another, somewhat contradictory bit of information says that may lull some to sleep: To procure sleep - wash the head in a decoction of dill seed, and smell of infrequently.  Some say it also relives gas (carminative).

Recipe Ideas

Dill is a very flexible herb that can be used many ways.  Here are a few:

Bourbon carrots: http://mjskitchen.com/2013/05/bourbon-carrots-four-ways/

Pork scallopini with dill pesto and chickpeas: http://bevcooks.com/2012/08/pork-scallopini-with-dill-pesto-and-chickpeas/

Borscht dish: http://food52.com/recipes/3327-dr-zhivago-borscht

Greek style mac and cheese: http://www.steamykitchen.com/14735-greek-style-mac-n-cheese.html

Afgahn dill rice: http://food52.com/recipes/1887-dill-rice-the-afghani-way-chelo-shibit

Potato and Kale salad with Tahini Dill dressing!!! http://www.emmaslittlekitchen.com/warm-potato-kale-salad-tahini-dill-dressing/

CSA Farm Share Week 4

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. June 20

• Kale
• Chard
• Fennel
• Cilantro
• Bunching Onions

Tue. June 24

• Head Lettuce
• Carrots
• Fennel
• Cilantro
• Bunching Onions

Down by a little path I fond

 Of mintes full and fennell greene,

 - Chaucer

Fennel has a history measurable in millennia, but does not occupy a prominent place in the hierarchy of foods unfortunately.  In Italy it is considered a vegetable, with emphasis on the bulbs.  But in France it is viewed as an herb.  But actually all parts of Fennel are edible, including stems, flowers and seeds.  The flavor is that of "anise."  Which can also be described as licorice.  The two plants are different, although they belong to the same family (Apiaceae, the carrot/parsley/celery/cilantro family!).

The French put fresh leaves in salads.  The use of fennel as a fish flavorer had found favor in England at least by Elizabethan times, Shakespeare talked of it.

Fennel is found in the Ethiopian seasoning, berbere sauce.  In Greek mythology, Prometheus used the stalk of a fennel plant to steal fire from the demigods.

A manuscript, which dates to around 800 and is in Paris’ Bibliothèque Nationale, contains the following medicinal recipe: Mix the gall of a vulture “with sugar of fennel & horehound & with oil of balsam & Attic honey.” Apply the mixture to hurting eyes each morning “to drive away pain.”

Recipe Ideas

The leafy fronds are best used raw, they don't hold up well to cooking, so think salads, slaws, pesto, or juice them! The layered bulb part is good raw too, but it's also great cooked, here is a very simple recipe for caramelizing fennel.

>http://putneyfarm.com/2012/04/05/caramelized-fennel-the-best-fennel-youll-ever-eat/

And here is one combing both the fennel and cilantro in your share. 

>http://farmerstoyou.com/organicfoodblog/2013/10/11/fennel-apple-celery-salad-with-cilantro-and-lemon/

Fennel Frond Pesto

>http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/fennel-frond-pesto-and-more/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Around the Farm

Buckwheat seed, sown today on the below .28 acre plot.  It was previously fallow since last spring, and sweet yellow clover has been mowed and disced.  This area will be planted to fall crops this year. Buckwheat grows very fast and will be mowed and incorporated into the soil by the end of July.  It is succulent and does not generate a large amount of organic matter, which for our purposes is just fine.

Buckwheat is great because it will "hold" this area till we are ready to plant later this summer, by coming up quickly it shades out annual weeds and some perennials.  Also helps extract phosphorus and attracts honeybees and other beneficial insects.

In the above picture, on the left there is has hulless oats for human and animal consumption.  They are currently in the milk stage.  On the right is an area that had oats, barley and winter peas that I mowed last week.  There are also three different kinds of clovers that will start flourishing now, and then next year come back and flower (biennial).  This area will be fallow for a year.

Gil doing some tractor work.

Below we have parsnips flowering, these were planted last year in a really weedy area and forgotten about, so we didn't harvest any parsnips because of this.  But evidently there were some survivors out there.  Notice the umbrella like flower head.  Parsnips are also in the Apiaceae family, also know as the Umbelliferae family, because the flower heads are somewhat umbrella like.

CSA Farm Share Week 3

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. June 14

• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Spinach
• Beets (tops are great to eat)
• Peas (last of the season, hope you enjoyed!!)
• Parsley

Tue. June 17

• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Swiss Chard
• Beets
• Parsley
• Radish

"To take parsley away from the cook, would make it almost impossible for him to exercise his art." - Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc d'Antic

The ancient Romans knew of parsley, and Pliny said that sauces and salads should never be without it.  Charlemange ordered it to be planted in his domains in 800 AD.  Most historians agree that there is no written record of parsley in America before 1806.

Our parsley is so mind blowingly fresh and healthy, this is not for garnishing.  *Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids—including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin.


Parsley's volatile oils—particularly myristicin—have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the body. The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, and in particular, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke).

The flavonoids in parsley—especially luteolin—have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. In addition, extracts from parsley have been used in animal studies to help increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood.

In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene) *(source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100)

We hope you enjoy this often underrated vegetable!

Recipe Ideas

Parsley Humus - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/health/nutrition/no-parsley-left-behind-recipes-for-health.html?_r=0

Parsley Pesto - http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/the-secret-ingredient-parsley-spaghetti-with-pesto-recipe.html

Parsley patch (6/13/14)

Beets harvested today. (6/13/14)

CSA Farm Share Week 2

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Sat. June 7

• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Swiss Chard
• Bunching Onions
• Radish
• Garlic Scapes
• Peas

Tue. June 10

• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Baby Beets (the tops are completely great to use!)
• Bunching Onions
• Kale
• Garlic Scapes
• Peas

The scape of the garlic is the emerging flower stalk of hardneck garlic.  We trim them now to hopefully get a larger bulb of garlic later on.  The scapes can be eaten raw in salads, or used in sautés and any other dish you would normally use garlic.  These are tender, and have a good garlic spice to them.  Sometimes the tips can be tough, these can be used to flavor soups though.  Scapes are considered a delicacy in many countries including China and Korea.  ENJOY!

Here are some recipes you might like:

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Garlic Scape Pesto

About 6 garlic scapes

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cups of baby lettuce mix

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Salt and pepper to tast

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Chop the scapes so they will fit in your blender.  Blend briefly.  Add 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a slow steady stream.  And the lettuce and parsley.  Blend until you have a coarse mixture.  While blender is running, gradually add the rest of oil.  Add the sunflower seeds, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Use about 1 cup of this pesto to coat 1 pound of pasta.  This is also great on bread, crackers, or part of a pizza topping.

Balsamic Beet Greens & Goat Cheese Crostini 

http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/beet-greens-goat-cheese-crostini/

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Our baby lettuce mix is harvested one handful at a time, washed, spun dry, then bagged, we never harvest more than two days before delivery.  Ready to serve, it's so fresh it will last at least a week in a cold fridge.  If you notice too much condensation building in the bag over time place lettuce in a bowl, and cover with a moist towel to keep lettuce from drying out too much.

Also you might have noticed a paper in your bags, here is a little about the program we are involved in with Hayley Billingsley at Tech, she is an undergrad working with Dr. Megan O'Rourke in the Horticulture department.

Dear CSA Shareholder,
During this summer’s CSA season, we will be conducting a study to explore positive health impacts of membership.  If you’re over the age of 18 and a member, you’re eligible and we’d appreciate your help! The measures taken will be quick and mostly available at your pick –up and include weight, height, 24-hour dietary recall, and a quick questionnaire at the end of the summer. A scale will be available at pick-up and you can record your weight next to an assigned number for privacy. If you’re selected to participate in dietary recall (which is just a quick recall of what you’d eaten the previous day), you can select a time convenient for you on the Virginia Tech campus. We’ll then provide you with a dietary analysis with comparison to the average American using NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).
Thank you and we hope to see you soon!"
-Hayley Billingsley
Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise- Dietetics Option
Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

CSA Farm Share Week 1

Hello,

We are excited to be starting the farm shares this week!  You will find in your bag:

• Spinach
• Beet greens or swiss chard
• Kale
• Sugar Snap Peas

All of the vegetables in the share could be put into a salad and eaten raw.  Also they would do well in a sauté (high heat, little fat, uniformly cut ingredients), cooked long enough to just lightly wilt everything. Olive oil, coconut oil, or butter are great options for this use.  We have used all of these greens in omelets and quiches with great success.  Here is a great place to get some ideas on how to use all these greens: http://www.thekitchn.com/chard-kale-and-spinach-what-to-54508

In the next coming weeks you will find more greens (lettuce mix, chard, kale, spinach), beets, carrots, scallions and fennel.  You can expect to see peas again too.

Beans are coming up nicely, winter squash, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers have been transplanted. You will start seeing some of these things mid-summer, along with herbs such as dill, cilantro and basil.  Sweet potato slips were planted last weekend too.

Pea inspector

Ground prepared for winter squash and pepper transplants.  Winter Rye, Vetch, and Clover were mowed, disced, chisel plowed, and then disced again.  What was left was suitable for transplanting with just some spotty places where tufts of rye are still growing.

Just prior to mowing down sweet yellow clover cover crop, it was almost 6 feet tall!  Late summer crops will be planted here. (cabbage, kale, carrots, beets, etc)

Thanks again for your support.  Have a great week!