Week 10; August 10, 2017

What's in the box?  

New Potatoes
Green Beans
Cucumber
Sweet onions
Green Peppers
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Salad Turnips (we ran out before all members received these)
Kale - Medium and Large
Beets - Medium and Large
Squash - Medium and Large

Notes on the box.  

The New Potatoes are unwashed.  They are "new" because they are uncured which means that their skin is very thin and fragile.  You can wash them more carefully at home and not have the skins peel off.  Yes!  The skin is very tender so no need to peel! Because they are uncured, they do not have the long shelf life of a storage potato.  Try to eat them within a week or 2.  They are best fresh.  Store in the bag in a cool place.  New potatoes are so nice and full of flavor.  It's a good time to cook them simply by steaming or boiling and then serving with salt and butter and a little bit of chopped fresh parsley.  They are also great roasted. And also great all dressed up in a potato salad.  
 

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

This week is Circle of the Sun again.  This batch was made in early November.  It's quite creamy and will make a nice melter.  Also is our plain quark.  Have you tried this on some baguette with cucumber and tomato?  Very Yummy!  

Recipes.

10 New Potato Recipes from the Guardian

I'll try to add some more recipes after I get done with cheese making today!

On the Farm.

Our wonderful hard working, sprinkle cookie making, perpetually smiling Jeanne is headed back to school this week.  This work is so hard and Jeanne has been a champion.  We will miss Jeanne and the amazing worker that she is and all the light that she adds to the day.  Pretty sure she could get the melons to ripen if she just stood next to them because of her warmth.  Otto and Sadie will miss her very much, too! Wishing Jeanne happiness and success in her endeavors!  Thank you for all that you added to the farm and the season, Jeanne!!  

Well,  we suddenly have 7 more cows in milk this week!  We had 4 calves this week and brought in 3 more milking cows.  It's quite a bit later than we usually want cows to calve, but we have to be a bit more flexible with calving than a conventional dairy.  A conventional dairy plans when they want cows to calve and they give to cows hormones to bring them into heat and then have them bred.  We don't use hormones, so we have to observe our cows for signs that they are in heat, which is an art to be sure.  Then we call the breeder, but sometimes the timing is a little off.  The cow might be in heat on Saturday and the breeder doesn't come until Monday, so we miss the window and have to wait another month.  So around this time last year we brought in our neighbor's bull who is the best at knowing when a cow is in heat and is able to breed them right away!  Sylvia is a great farmer who raises a heritage beef cow on 100% grass.  The calves that come from the bull and our cows are kept for meat instead of dairy.  We are happy to have so many more cows in milk, but it means adjusting our cheese making schedule!  We are now making cheese every day of the week except Saturday when we go to market.  That means we are in the 7 days a week schedule again.  We need to get more cheese aging and ready for next season and we will be able to do that now!

Some of you can celebrate the end of summer squash! Congrats, you made it through! Right on it's heels are the cucumbers. Cool damp conditions are not all good for cucurbits.  They succumb to powdery mildew and then it's the end for them. So make those pickles now! 

If we can get a stretch of some sunny weather we'll be seeing some of the first melons. And this year is footin to make up for the last three!

Fall crops are 80% planted and we are looking good for the next month. ! 

Enjoy the ride. 

 

Forecast for next week.

Corn! 
Beans
Carrots
Cucumber
Melons? Maybe, this cool weather is slowing them down
Cilantro
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Peppers
Onions
Potatoes

Turnip Rock FarmerComment
Week 9; August 3, 2017

What's in the box?  

Green Onions
Basil
Hakuri Turnips
Green Beans!
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Spinach
Peppers
Sweet Onions
Broccoli
Tomatoes - medium and large
Leaf lettuce - medium and large

Notes on the box.

Nice to have a change in variety in the box!  You can make BLTs!  
Store Tomatoes on your counter with the stem end facing down.  They get a mealy texture if stored in the fridge.  If you plan on cooking them, its okay to store them in the fridge.  This is just the beginning of the tomatoes.  The plants are looking great and are loaded with fruit.  We have heard that there was a case of late blight reported already in Wisconsin.  We are hopeful that we will have a good harvest before it spreads to our farm.   
Basil should also be kept on the counter.  Try to use basil ASAP.  We like to make a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil with a little oil and vinegar drizzled on top.  
Everything else can be kept in the fridge.  

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

Fresh cheese curds!  Have you tried them in a salad?  If you aren't into just snacking on them, you can add them to a bean salad.  They are great fried, of course.  But they don't really melt.  
And an experiment that tastes pretty great!  This cheese was made when I discovered that I ran out of my usual culture that I usually use when making Antares. I changed up the texture, too.  It's an entirely different cheese than Antares.  I think it's pretty yummy!  It's a raw milk cheese aged 9 months.  

Recipes.

Green Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich

On the Farm.  

We are getting a nice rainy day which the plants could really use.  We started irrigating over the weekend for the crops that looked like they couldn't wait.  
Things are looking great! We are looking at a good weekend for our harvest party and will be letting you know soon.   
We brought in a few more cows and had 2 more calves on Sunday.  We have been spending quite a bit of time chasing around calves who have become escape artists!  
Sorry for the short blog this week!  We have relatives from Texas visiting and want to get in as much time as we can.  
Have a great week and enjoy your veggies!  Send us pictures of your beautiful dinners and recipes that you love!

Forecast for next week...

Rerun of this week, but might not have lettuce

Turnip Rock FarmerComment
Week 8; July 27, 2017

What's in the box?  

leaf lettuce
sweet onion
green onions
carrots
garlic
squash
cucumbers
arugula
baby kale - medium and large
Cabbage - medium and large

Notes on the box.

Well, last season we had a very light cucumber year and heavy broccoli year.  This season seems to have swung the other way.  It looks like we are at peak cucumber, though.  It may start slowing down a bit, but until then... cucumber salad, quick pickles, cucumbers on sandwiches, sliced cucumbers with a little salt for a snack, cucumbers in drinks....  I've seen quite a few recipes for cooked cucumbers.  I've included one below since it's called CUCUMBER ATTACK.  I've not tried it yet, but I will this evening.  Have you tried cooked cucumber??
The zucchini keeps growing with no signs of slowing so... stir fry, zoodles, zucchini bread and muffins, zuke-canoes...
And another dose of cabbage!  Cabbage is a good keeper and this variety of cabbage is particularly good for fresh eating.  We use if for slaws, but also slice it very thin and use it as a bed for meats like saucy spicy ribs or chicken. The cabbage will wilt slightly from the heat of the cooked meat and catch some of the yummy sauce. 
Remove tops from carrots for best storage.  Keep the uncured onions and garlic in the fridge.

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

I put Feta in again this week since it goes so nicely with cucumber salads and I know you are swimming in cukes!  
There is also Circle of the Sun.  This week's batch is particularly tasty.  I really love this cheese.  We are getting down to the last of the 2016 Circle of the Sun and waiting on the 2017 makes to ripen.  I hope you enjoy this one!  It's a good melter and great for snacking.  

Recipes.

CUCUMBER ATTACK by Joshua Ploeg
4 cups cucumber - peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts (cashews or sunflower seeds would also be good)
1 Tbsp. fresh mint
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed coriander
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup soy yogurt (or regular yogurt)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 medium avocados - peeled, pitted, chopped, and sprinkled with salt and lemon juice
-Heat oil in pan, add seeds, garlic, coriander, and a pinch of salt and cook for a minute or two.  Add all the remaining ingredients except for the avocado and cook until heated through.  Remove from heat and toss with the avocado in a nice bowl.  Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature.  

Marinated Cucumber Salad in Honey-Cider Vinegar from Farmer John's the Real Dirt on Vegetables Cookbook
1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
2 T water
1-3 tsp honey
1/2 tsp prepared dijon mustard OR 1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds OR 1 tsp celery seeds OR 1 tsp chopped fresh dill
4 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
6 thin slices onion
- Mix the vinegar, water, honey, and seasoning in a class mixing bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, toss until well combined
- marinate for at least 30 min at room temp or in the fridge overnight.  serve cold or at room temp.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake from WA Post

Greek feta and Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers with Feta, Mint, and Sumac

On the Farm.

There was a recent close call on the farm...  The skid loader began smoking while Josh was moving some hay.  Not too uncommon to have machinery start smoking, but this time the loader was actually on firel.  Once the fire was out and the loader was taken apart, Josh noticed holes were melted in the fuel tank.  Could have been seconds away from disaster.  We are refilled with gratitude for our health and safety!  Now to get the skid loader running again...

New potatoes, tomatoes, and corn are just around the corner! Big dose of broccoli coming up, too. Looking like one of the best melon years we've seen in years growing along. Nice shot of rain Wednesday night. Next week marks half way for the main season. More variety will be coming soon.  

The days are long, but not long enough... so i leave you with a couple poems that came to mind whilst knees pressed firmly in the duff. 

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

Those Annual Bills

These annual bills! these annual bills!
How many a song their discord trills
Of 'truck' consumed, enjoyed, forgot,
Since I was skinned by last year's lot!

Those joyous beans are passed away;
Those onions blithe, O where are they?
Once loved, lost, mourned-now vexing ILLS
Your shades troop back in annual bills!

And so 'twill be when I'm aground
These yearly duns will still go round,
While other bards, with frantic quills,
Shall damn and damn these annual bills! 

-Mark Twain

 

Forecast for next week.

beans
lettuce
onions
squash/cucumbers
arugula
green bell peppers? 

Turnip Rock Farmer Comment