Week 3; July 18, 2013

What's in the box?

Rainbow Chard

Green Onions

Collard Greens

Sugar Snap Peas

Basil

Zuchinni/ Summer Squash

Collards

Green Onions

Broccoli

Cukes

Zuchinni/ Summer Squash

Notes on the box...

Do not put BASIL in the fridge. Try to keep it dry and warm. Your counter is a good spot for it.

Rainbow Chard is best stored in an open plastic bag in your crisper. It is out outside, so it may look wilty out of the box, but a nice soak in cold water will perk it back up. You can use it in any recipe as you would spinach.

Everything else is safe stored in the crisper, no bag needed.

We just want to come out and say right away that this box is disappointing for us. We don't like to put out boxes that don't contain a good value. We don't like skimpy boxes. It was painful for us putting this one together. We mentioned last week that we lost just about all of our head lettuce to deer. We are still working on getting the fence up, but there's a lot that needs doing at the same time. We have no garlic scapes this season because we left our garlic in the ground when we moved (this was a real bummer as we had been saving seed for 8 years!) One of our farming mentors refers to this point in the season as "the heart of darkness." Everything needs doing yesterday, things don't seem to go smoothly, it's hot, things break down, and we are in between the Spring crops and the Summer crops. This year, it is particularly bad since so many of our direct seeded crops were planted late and then didn't germinate, and many of our Spring crops either got too hot and bolted (not good to eat) or they are still sitting there, not producing enough yet (I'm lookin' at you broccoli and cauliflower!). Seriously we have about 3/4 of an acre of just Broccoli and that is about 10,000 plants and we only harvested about 150 lbs this week and a little less than that last week. We've never seen anything like this! But optimistically, the Summer crops are looking good... corn is tasseling, tomatoes are reaching for the sky, peppers have little baby peppers, eggplants have baby eggplants, and melon plants are stretching their vines all over the place. And the potatoes are looking so amazing! We are doing a "crop swap" with a fellow CSA farmer and he said salad mix and carrots will be ready in a few weeks.

Our apologies again for the less than stellar box. We want you to know that these are not our standards and we strive for much better... We feel confident that we will get there and things will get better as the season moves along. The weather has really thrown us and the plants for a loop, compounded by the move and things discussed in previous blogs. It's part of the risk involved in CSA. No one ever wants to have the risk become a reality, but here it is. Hopefully we will be able to make it up to you as the season progresses. Being a member pays off over the long haul (many seasons). Farming is a marathon race, and a lifetime of investment.

Recipes...

A link to collard greens with butter beans. YUM!

Quinoa Burger with Zucchini or Summer Squash

Collard Greens Miniera

Recipe Card

[yumprint-recipe id='5']

Turnip Rock FarmerJuly 17, 2013 Comments

Week 2; July 11, 2013

What's in the box?

green onions

zucchini or summer squash

lacinato/ dinosaur/ tuscan kale

broccoli

salad mix

sugar snap peas

herb pot with sage, thyme, and mint

sugar snap peas

green onions

summer squash or zucchini

lacinato/ dinosaur/ tuscan kale

salad mix

salad turnips

herb pot with sage and thyme

Notes on the box:

The Sugar Snap Peas should be rinsed before eating. These are not shell peas that you would have to take out of the pod. The shell of the sugar snap pea is edible and so delicious! This variety is supposed to be “stringless”, but they can be “stringed”. To string them, pull the longer end with the blossom toward the opposite end. A little string will come off. If you don’t want to do this, don’t worry about the string. It’s not so stringy that it can’t be chewed. You can chop the peas if you don’t want to leave them whole.

You can eat the tops of the salad turnips. They are nice chopped and added to the salad mix or you can saute them. They are pretty mild for turnip greens. The turnips themselves are so sweet and nice sliced and added to a salad. Sorry that we didn't have enough for full shares, too.

Broccoli is the first of the season and is small. The sudden temp changes made it "button up" or "head up" while the plants were still small. But it's really nice and tender and I encourage you to chop the whole thing, stalk and all, and sautee, steam, stir fry, or roast it! It's also wonderful chopped very fine and made into a broccoli slaw.

All the veggies this week will store best in your crisper. The kale may benefit from being placed in an open plastic bag to preserve the moisture longer.

Herb identification:

Herbs can be potted out or kept in a sunny window and watered regularly. They will get much bigger if you pot them out. If you leave them in the pot, just pinch off several leaves at a time and add the fresh herbs at the end of a recipe to let the flavor come out. Sage can also be added earlier in recipes (it's often fried) and thyme is nice if you add the whole sprigs to a soup and then take them out before serving.

Recipes...

A link to 5 ways to eat sugar snap peas from the Kitchn Blog.

A link to Salad in a jar. This is a GREAT lunch option and a great way to have your salad but not have it all mushy by lunch time. Feel free to experiment and substitute widely! Ever tried raw zucchini or summer squash in a salad? It's really good! After the endless Winter and slow to arrive veggies, we have been eating tons of veggies raw. So refreshing and satisfying! How we love the SUNSHINE!

On the farm...

Pea pickin' Ben

Packing shed this week:

THE WORLD'S MOST PERFECT WEATHER!

On Tuesday night we got exactly an inch of good not too fast, not too long rain after a good dry hot spell, perfect. In that dry spell we got some first cutting hay done (156 small round bales), an old 15 acre corn field planted down to grasses, and small grain for grazing this fall, plus lots of fall plantings of broccoli and cabbage. Some areas of the farm it was the first time we were able to work the soil because it has been too wet. Now we are basking in the nicest weather in the world. Low humidity high 70s low 80s. My man Paul Huttner put the stamp on it, according to his models we have the nicest weather in the world. So take that, California. Plus I just want to take this opportunity to say nice things about the weather, and keep a balanced perspective and count our blessings. At the start of the day today, I had a broken down delivery van and a walk in cooler on the fritz, but by the end we had 255 packed CSA boxes and everything up and running.

In the fields...

Potatoes are blossoming, the nicest looking potatoes we have ever grown plus the weather has been very favorable for them. Plus there are very few to no potato beetles! Potato beetles love to eat eggplants more than potatoes, but this year may be one of the few years we actually get an eggplant crop. Those potato beetles will have found us by next season without a doubt!

We have tiny cucumbers on the vineSmall heads of cauliflower peaking out behind the leaves

Little heads of cabbage wrapping up

Lots of beautiful melons, tomatoes, peppers, all starting to set fruit.

Some good sized heirloom tomatoes sizing up in the greenhouse growing inches taller everyday.

Spring is nearly over (well, technically it's been over for a couple of weeks) and summer is looking delicious.

It has never been that on the second box we are delivering summer squash and zuchinni, but here it is. We might just be skipping over a lot of the spring crops and head right into the summer.

A new farm means new soil.

I just wanted to mention quickly what this means to us and for you, this season. The field where we are planting in this year has been in a hay crop for two years and hasn't been sprayed in that time, That is a rare thing to find these days of high corn prices. But that doesn't mean that everything is all good. No matter where any organic farmer decides to put roots down it usually means starting with a dead and/or very depleted soil. We saw some amazing changes over the 5 years in New Auburn with soil building and amending, but we are starting over again. Developing a habitat in the soil for microbes to digest organic matter and turn it into plant food takes time and some good inputs. Adjusting pH and minerals, bringing in more organic matter... It's a lot of work, but building good soil is what we want to do! We are always learning more about it and trying to do it better and better. We feel confident that we will be able to nurture some great soil and habitat out here on the new farm, though it will take some time to get there.... Hopefully you'll notice the changes in the quality of our soil in the quality of the produce you're getting. healthy soil = healthy people. That's what we want to deliver to you!

Next Week:

Peas?

Green onions

Broccoli

lettuce?

more greens

summer squash

Turnip Rock FarmerJuly 10, 2013Comment

Welcome! Week 1; June 27, 2013

Herb pot with oregano and savory (and tiny rosemary that didn't really size up)

red lettuce

baby red russian kale

greens bunch (featuring a combination of curly and lacinato kale and collards)

french breakfast radishes

green garlic

herb pot with oregano and savory

green garlic

swiss chard

french breakfast radish

baby red russian kale

greens bunch featuring kale and collards

Notes on the box:

Kale/collardsshould be stored in the fridge in your crisper stored in an open plastic bag. It will last for at least a week and likely closer to two. If it seems a little limp from the heat or from sitting in your fridge too long, you can soak it in cold water and it will perk back up. Remove the stems before cooking. Kale and collards are often quite toothsome, but this young stuff is super tender and if you want to try it raw now is the time. If that is too much too soon, greens are great simply sautéed in butter or oil with some chopped green garlic until it is bright green. If you want to consume your greens, but you don’t like the flavor you can add a few leaves to a smoothie. Greens are VERY good for you and among the most nutrient dense foods, so eat up and know that you are treating your body to something healthy!

Radishes store best with the tops removed. Take the tops off and put them in a baggie in your crisper. The tops are edible as well. You can add your radish tops to stir fry or salads. The radishes themselves are very yummy this time of year. They are a great spicy snack and if you've never tried thinly sliced radishes on buttered bread with a little salt, we recommend it.

Green Garlic is simply garlic that has not yet matured. You can use it as you would a green onion or you can cook with it as you would garlic. It has a more mild flavor than bulb garlic, so it’s great to eat fresh. You can put it straight into your crisper. When you are ready to use it, cut off the rooty part at the end and slice all the way up to where the leaves start to separate. You can cut up into the leafy part, but watch out for dirt that likes to hide between the leaves and the stalk. Green garlic is a seasonal treat. We hope you enjoy it!

Baby red russian kale may be new to you. We've grown it as part of a braising mix, but we like it by itself as it has a milder flavor and is more versatile since it's great eaten fresh or lightly sautéed. Store it in the bag in your crisper. If you eat it fresh you can coarsely chop it to avoid too many long stems then add some of your favorite dressing. It's good mixed with salad greens and radish tops for a big salad with lots of texture and flavor. Also nice coarsely chopped and dressed with a warm vinaigrette to slightly wilt the greens.

Rainbow Chard may be new to some of you. It’s leaves can be used the same as spinach in cooked recipes. AND the beautiful stalks are edible as well. Chop them and saute them a few minutes before you cook the leaves since they take a little longer to cook. You can put them in with the garlic or onions in a recipe. Store them in an open plastic bag in your fridge. These greens will also perk up when soaked in cold water when they start to look a little wilty.

Herbs can be kept in a sunny spot and watered regularly or they can be replanted into a garden or flowerbed or window box if you want to let them get bigger. Take off a few leaves at a time to use in you cooking.

Recipes:

[yumprint-recipe id='3'][yumprint-recipe id='4']A link to Homemade Green Garlic Salt recipe

On the Farm:

We've been busy moving our farm! We found the new location in Amery in December and started moving in January. There was a ton of work to do during our usual relaxed and restful planning period. SO many trips with the truck and trailer loaded with equipment! SO many farm implements to dig out of the snow and pry out of the ice! Greenhouses to take down and put up again at the new farm (we've got 3 out of 4 done, not bad!) Housing for our crew to design and build. A comunal kitchen to put in to the house. A packing shed to put in. A walk-in cooler to take down and put up again. Animals to move and housing for all of them to figure out. Fences for animals to be built. A deer fence to put up (our next big project). An old milkhouse to tear down and have rebuilt. A new well and irrigation to have put in. Our old farm to sell. Turning over new ground. SO MUCH planning and so many systems to put in place. In short, we have been trying to get done everything we accomplished over 5 years at the old farm done in one Spring (as well as putting in our dairy and getting more cows) And on top of all that... the usual busy Spring with seeding, transplanting, weeding and getting those veggies growing! The weather (as all of you know) has been extremely challenging this Spring. We anticipated getting a lot more done a lot earlier, but there's little you can do when it won't stop snowing and the ground won't thaw and then when it does, it stays wet, cloudy, and cold for weeks on end! Phew! So much accomplished already and the season is just getting started! It's been exhausting and stressful, but putting the first box together is very energizing (the sunshine has been helpful, too). It reminds us of why we are here and how much we love getting healthy, clean, beautiful food to you and your families.

We realize the first box is missing some favorites (spinach, salad turnips, big head lettuce, and most of all strawberries) due to poor germination from the ground being too wet and cold and things not sizing up for the same reasons. We had to leave behind our strawberries when we moved, but we have planted plenty that we will harvest next Spring... ah waiting.... But Summer and Fall crops are looking great. The late start means more deliveries later into the fall for our members. Our crew this season is so fantastic. We are so lucky to have them. We are excited to have folks out to the farm this season and we are super excited to be growing your food closer to your homes, in better soil, and surrounded by DNR and Wildlife and Fisheries land instead of frac sand mines! We look forward to telling you more about our new place and the exciting developments we have in the works... 17 weeks left to bring you all the news!

Please let us know if you have any questions or problems with the first delivery.

Remember that we will not be delivering a box the week of the 4th of July. Week 2 will be delivered on July 11.

Making hay while the Sun shines (and getting it in just before it rained!)

in regards to the weather, we know all too well...

Turnip Rock FarmerJune 26, 2013Comment