News from Windy Willow Farm 2008 CSA Week 15

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 15

This week’s share includes:

2 heads garlic
2 sweet onions – One each, red and white.
1 Qt red potatoes
3 Qt tomatoes
1 bunch carrots – I attempted to dig our Sugarsnax carrots again, with mixed success. They are tasty, but may not be the most attractive carrots ever!3 sweet peppers, two bell and one Carmine
1 bunch beets Several members have requested extra beets, showing that once again they are a favorite!
3 leeks – these are a mild allium, and give great flavor to your favorite recipes. They are challenging to clean, however, as the dirt gets down into the flat leaves. Cut off the roots and the leaves and slice and wash the rest of the stem. I use the entire thing, both white and light green parts. Many recipes call for just the white part.
2 heads Buttercrunch lettuce: one green, one red- These are not the biggest heads of lettuce that we’ve grown; but the deer are taking out close to 20 heads every night. I thought I’d share these with you before there are none to share!
2 eggplant: one light purple and one dark

Best guess for next week –peppers, swiss chard, onions, hot peppers, lettuce

Photo Captions: Mark and I did a marathon canning day this past weekend, putting up 25 quarts of pizza sauce and 36 quarts of spaghetti sauce. We still need to do our canning salsa and some more spaghetti sauce, but we’re almost done preserving tomatoes for the winter.

One of my favorite farm sayings is, “Make hay while the sun shines” and I try to follow that advice. These days the only time I can find to ride my horse is early in the morning. This week I was up early, did the animal chores and was swinging into the saddle at5:15 am. It is a surreal experience, to ride in the dark. It’s hard to find your equilibrium, and even harder to see where you’re going! Thankfully Zack has better night vision than I, although he routinely mistook a clump of grass for a horse-eating monster.

However, when we spotted something black in one of our far fields, he wasn’t concerned in the least. I decided we should go investigate, to see if it was going to be something that would eventually spook him. About 15 feet away, I finally figured out that there was white on the black, and the skunk started to lift his tail! I quickly turned Zack and started squeezing him with my legs to get him to move faster. For once in his life, he wasn’t spooked by the skunk, and sauntered away. Luckily, we didn’t get sprayed and continued our ride without incident. We enjoyed riding in the mist-shrouded fields and watched the sun come up over the fields together.

It looks like I have bad news to report on the sweet corn front: the raccoons have all but decimated our sweet corn, and it’s not even ripe yet! Mark suggested putting up fences, but with 500-foot rows, it would be all but impossible to protect. I’m going to put my energies into protecting what’s left of our fall lettuce, from the deer, an endeavor more easily accomplished.

Eat what you can, can what you can’t.
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

Gwen’s Kitchen Sink soup
Essentially an amalgam of Potato/Leek soup mixed with Broccoli/Cheese soup with added wild rice and barley. I do no measuring, and adjust the flavors by taste.

Here are the ingredients:
Chopped onions, minced garlic, sliced leeks all sautéed together in some olive oil and a pat of butter in a big stock pot. Then I add as much water as I can fit in the pot, 8-12 quarts, vegetable bullion, cubed potatoes, wild rice, barley, carrots, frozen broccoli florettes, salt, pepper and a few frozen sun gold tomatoes. I cook it forever, on a low simmer, stirring often. The potatoes should fall apart as well as the broccoli. Before it’s done, I throw in a few healthy handfuls of cheddar cheese and taste again to adjust the seasoning. Very simple and awesome. I also freeze it in big containers for wintertime enjoyment.

Many folks have expressed concern that they “can’t make soup!” Soup is essentially sautéing some onions, and adding water! Then throw in whatever you have around, vegetables, meat or bones and cook until the flavors come out. (When cooking bones for a soup, I add a tablespoon of vinegar to get the marrow out). Then salt and pepper to taste. Anyone can make a great soup.

Roasted Beets with Feta - Allrecipes

Submitted by: ShandeenRated: 5 out of 5 by 27 members
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
2.Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3.While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4.To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.

News from Windy Willow Farm 2008 CSA Week 14

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 14
This week’s share includes:

Cucumbers- they are slowing down their production, knowing that fall is drawing near. I wish I could figure out a way to capture them for winter’s use, let me know if you have any ideas… drying them?
2 heads garlic
2 sweet onion – One each, red and white. I can’t get enough of these giant, sweet onions! I put them in everything, cooked or raw, with great results.
1 Qt white potatoes
1 pint Sun Gold tomatoes – with morning temperatures in the 40s, like this morning, the tomatoes won’t be lasting too much longer. Enjoy them while they last!
3 Qt tomatoes – According to Cornell Cooperative Extension, you should add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice or white vinegar to your sauce, to ensure adequate acidity. Modern tomatoes have a lower acid content than old fashioned tomatoes, and may not be safely canned with out adding more.
1 bunch carrots – We’re back to baby carrots, since they’re so gorgeous.
1 diakon radish – this is the first year we’ve grown these Asian radishes, and they are much milder than their springtime counterparts. As a matter of fact, we were munching on these in the garden at 7:30 this morning, for a taste! Mark grew these to add to his planned kimchi (fermented cabbage, radish, carrot and hot pepper flakes). Daikon is high in Vitamin C and low in calories.
2 sweet bell peppers, one red, one yellow
1 head red cabbage
1 Qt yellow beans

Best guess for next week – Sweet corn!!

Photo Captions: 1) Can you tell that I love tomato season? 2) My new favorite meal, inspired by my mother in law: nice bread, toasted; fresh pesto spread on top, melted sharp cheddar, thick slice of ripe tomato, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Dawn is a magical time of day here at WWF. Many of the animals are still asleep, the air is still, the sky is brightening and the cats wait for me on our front steps. Mark says I’m like the Pied Piper, with a trail of cats as I walk to the barn. One lucky cat gets a cuddle during the walk, purring happily and kneading her paws. At the barn, the cats jockey for position around the food. I bring Zack, the horse, out of his stall (who still has shavings in his mane and ears from laying down during the night) out to graze at liberty on the tall weeds around the barn. The lambs baa their good morning. As I’m filling the turkeys’ waterer (to the munch, munch sound of the horse), one curious turkey thumps down from the roost to investigate. The feeder is full, the water is fresh, the sand is ready; the outside chores are complete.

It seems that the night is holding it’s breath, before the daylight steals it’s secrets. With pink clouds to the east, the rooster crowing in the barn, the horse munching on grass, the dog’s tags jingling in the brush, the world settles into it’s perfect place. I lean on Zack’s shoulder and breathe in the day, closing my eyes to enjoy the moment.

Eat what you can, can what you can’t.
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

RADISH SLAW (Mariquita Farm's Newsletter)This could also be good without the cabbage.
1/2 lb.radishes, trimmed and grated coarse (about 2 cups)
3 cupsfinely shredded cabbage
1 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley leaves

In a bowl toss together the radishes, the cabbage, the carrots, the onion, the lemon juice, the sugar, the oil, the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
Gourmet, April 1991

Green Bean and Grape Tomato Salad with Kalamata Vinaigrette Recipe at Epicurious.com
Bon Appétit July 2001

Grape tomatoes are smaller than cherry tomatoes. If you’re using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half for this dish.
Makes 8 servings.
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds green (or yellow) beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, left whole, or cherry tomatoes, halved

Combine olives, shallots, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste, lemon peel, thyme, and dried crushed red pepper in processor. Blend until finely chopped. With machine running, gradually add oil and blend until almost smooth. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water just until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Refresh beans under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. (Vinaigrette and beans can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)
Toss beans, tomatoes, and vinaigrette in large bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Red Cabbage Christmas Salad Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
·1 small head red cabbage
·1 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
·1/2 cup pecans, chopped
·6 slices bacon
·1 Tablespoon olive oil
·1/4 cup vinegar (balsamic gives a nice flavor)
·1 teaspoon sugar
·Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Slice cabbage into thin short shreds (do not grate - that would be too fine). Add crumbled feta cheese and pecans. Set aside. Chop bacon and scramble fry until crisp. Drain bacon on a paper towel. Drain excess fat from pan. Add olive oil to the pan and heat (do not allow oil to smoke). Slowly add vinegar (it may splatter), add sugar, and continue to heat stirring bottom of pan to bring up bacon drippings. Add drained bacon to cabbage. Pour hot dressing over cabbage and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

News from Windy Willow Farm 2008 CSA Week 13

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 13


This week’s share includes:

Zucchini and yellow squash
cucumbers
2 heads garlic
2 sweet onion – One each, red and white.
1 Qt white potatoes - We just dug these yesterday, and had a competition to find the biggest tuber. The winner was probably a good eight inches long, and 4 inches across. They are beautiful, and delicious.
1 Qt shell beans – These beautiful beans are just as lovely on the inside of the pod as the outside. They are red and cream spotted, and cook up beautifully in your soups and salads recipes. Don’t forget, though, that fresh beans don’t get as soft as canned beans. We’ll also be seeing these beans again, after they’ve dried on the vine, then you can have dried beans for winter’s use.1 pint Sun Gold tomatoes – We’re getting to the end of these orange bites of summer. Don’t forget to freeze some (put them on a cookie sheet, in the freezer, and transfer them to a bag when frozen) to use them for your soups. It adds a sweet flavor and orange color.
2 Qt tomatoes – Several varieties of main season tomato are just coming, so we’re hoping to be in tomatoes for a while more. Tomato season is probably my favorite time of year, and definitely inspires most of my cooking.
1 bunch basil – if anyone needs a pesto recipe let me know.
1 bunch carrots – These are our main season carrots, called Sugarsnax. I will be the first to admit that I’m a terrible carrot digger. I always put the garden fork either too close, and spear them, or too far and snap off the long carrots at the tips. Our sandy loam soil grows beautiful, 12-18” carrots, but makes digging them difficult. Our CSA members always know when Mark does the digging: the carrots are perfect, long and unblemished. So, an apology in advance for their scraggly appearance. They do taste great, though!
1 bunch beets – Many members have asked about beets, since it’s been awhile since we’ve had them. We’ve been having such a bumper crop this year, it’s hard to fit them in the share.
1 bunch kale – A bit thick raw, these ruffly leaves make a great addition to your cooked dishes and soups.

Best guess for next week – Eggplant, sweet peppers

Photo Captions: 1) The finished greenhouse! 2) Sun Golds

The big news of the day is that we finished building the greenhouse last night! After months of work, we got the last panel in place at around 8:30 pm, but we were determined to finish! We still have quite a to-do list, such as electrical work, installing the propane boiler, attaching the baseboards, hand digging down 5 feet to locate the water line, rototill inside and put down ag fabric where we’re not planting directly into the soil, and caulking the entire structure. We’re hoping to have it ready to start planting inside in September, so we can prepare cold-hardy salad mixes for winter’s use. Eventual plans will be to start all of our own transplants for spring planting, and in-ground planting of early crops, like spinach and lettuce, to start the CSA season stronger.

The Windy Willow Farm Annual Picnic and Bonfire is scheduled for Saturday, September 20th, from 4 pm – 8 pm. We had 10 respondents with the following results: 7 said either date works fine; 2 said the 20th is better; 1 said the 13th is better. Sorry to those who can’t attend. I’ll be putting out a sign up sheet in a week or two to work out the details. Thanks for your responses.

Every other day or so I go out and check on the corn. It’s coming, slowly, but (hopefully) surely. The early variety I planted did not get pollinated, since most of it was eaten by the crows, and you need 4 rows of corn for self-pollinating. I’m hoping the later variety gets what it needs to make big, fat ears. I’ll keep you posted.

We hope you’re enjoying the season with us. In a few weeks I’ll be distributing a survey to gather feedback on the season, including comments on the selection, variety, quantity and quality of the vegetables and CSA program. However, if you have feedback, there is no need to wait for our survey, I’d be happy to discuss any issues with you at our pickups. I’m usually outside until 5:30 or so if you’d like to chat.

Thanks for your support, we love being your farmers!
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

Salsa for Canning (From Mother Earth News Magazine, October/November 2001, but with our additions)
- This recipe was requested by my sister, who loves our canned salsa.

12 pounds (6 quarts) tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup hot chiles, finely chopped
1 cup sweet peppers, chopped
3 onions, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs salt

Combine chopped tomatoes with vinegar in anonreactive stockpot and cook 1 to 2 hours to make a thick sauce. Stir occatonally. Add chiles, sweet pepper and onion. For hotter salsa, replace some or al the sweet pepper with hot chiles, or addpepper sauc or other hot sauce to taste. Add salt and cilantro. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into clean, hot pint jars, leaving a half-inch head space. Adjust lids and process in boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.

Garlicky Greens and Beans (from Cooks Recipes Garlicky Greens and Beans Recipe)
1 1/2 pounds kale, chard or mustard greens, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons olive oil2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 (15-ounce) can white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini), undrained

6 dried tomato halves, rehydrated if dried, chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper to taste


In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water, add greens and cook until they are almost tender but still bright green, 5 to 8 minutes. Time will depend upon type of green being used. Drain and set aside. (Greens can be cooked one day ahead; refrigerate until continuing with recipe).
Heat olive oil in large skillet and sauté garlic until tender but not browned; stir in beans and cook and stir for 8 minutes, heating beans through. Some beans may break up; this is okay as it helps thicken the dish.
Gently stir in reserved greens, tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Cook and stir gently until heated through. If desired, top each serving with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4.
Nutrition FactsCalories 270 calories Protein 13 grams Fat 4 grams Sodium 230 milligrams Cholesterol 0 milligrams Saturated Fat 0 grams Carbohydrates 46 grams Fiber 7 grams
Recipe provided courtesy of Pork: The Other White Meat.

News From Windy Willow Farm, 2008 CSA Week 12

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 12
This week’s share includes:

Zucchini – We’re at the end of our summer squash season, and we hope you’ve enjoyed them. Our eight-ball zucchini has been a great find, providing a great slicing zuke with less water.
yellow squash
cucumbers, pickling or slicing – the slicing cukes I planted are coming on now. They are supposed to be burpless, and without the bitter gene. I’ve been enjoying them in my daily cuke and tomato salads.
2 head garlic
2 sweet onion – One each, red and white. These onions are gorgeous, and will go perfectly in all of your recipes
1 Qt red potatoes
1 Qt yellow beans
1 pint Sun Gold tomatoes - I offended a friend, by saying I got tired of Sun Golds. They are the sweetest, most wonderful tomato in the garden (is that better?), but are tiring to pick. I love slicing into a huge, meaty, main season tomato, that will fit perfectly on my sandwich. Sun Golds are a snack. Main season tomatoes are a meal.
2 sweet pepper, one long Carmen (Italian Fryer) and a green-to-red bell variety
2 Qt tomatoes – these tomatoes are delicious, and are a mixture of ripeness, varieties and textures. Most are red-based, but judge ripeness by touch, not color. (put them on your counter, stem down and check them every day for ripeness). You’re looking for a give when you give the tomato a gentle squeeze. Varieties: The golfball sized orange tomato is a new variety for me this year, called Sungella. Not too bad, just don’t eat it after a Sun Gold. There are also Thessaloniki (small, round ones), Better Boy, Ultimate Opener (great name, isn’t it?), Bucks County (Heirloom), Big Mama (big, fat paste), Amish Paste (long, skinny paste), Jet Star and a few Red Brandywine. Enjoy them!
1 bunch cilantro – this is part of this week’s Salsa Pack: tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and cilantro. See recipe below. I also bought some organic avocados to make guacamole (tomatoes, avocado, lime juice, onion, salt)
5 hot peppers - These are our “accidental” peppers, purchased from our greenhouse. I planted them as a sweet bell, put the row cover on and forgot about them. A month and a half later, I took the cover off and discovered that they were either an ornamental pepper (they’re not) or a hot pepper. The greenhouse guy confirmed that they must be a hot, since he didn’t grow any ornamentals. So, be careful and enjoy.

Best guess for next week – Carrots, eggplant,

Photo Captions: 1)These hot peppers are tiny, but gorgeous! 2) Garlic galore.

Oh, the rain. It’s raining right now, just a passing shower. I’ve had it up to here with rain, I tell you! It’s actually been a great growing season, with most crops doing brilliantly in the garden. But by now, I’m pretty soggy. The weeds are doing wonderfully as well, and I’ve little time to fight them.

The rain has been terrible on our berry crop, rotting it right on the vine. I’m hoping for our late berries to come on soon, and we can enjoy them again. I totally neglected the chinese cabbage, and let the weeds take it over. They are rotting right in the row, since the weeds don’t allow any airflow. I’ll try again with it next year. The corn is coming, though! It’s taller than I am (not so hard to do!) and beginning to tassel, which means we should have corn in 10-14 days.

The greenhouse work is continuing, one step forward, two steps back, it seems. Our greenhouse design is called a Gothic Arch, and it peaks in the middle, like a parenthesis. You bend the multi-walled polycarbonate around these curves. One of our polycarbonate panels broke (not during installation), just cracked from the outside! The company didn’t believe us until we sent a picture of what happened. To fix it, we have to remove the outer three panels and replace the broken one. A headache, for sure. I’ll be happy when it’s done; I wish we could make more progress.

Thanks for your support, we love being your farmers!
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

Gwen’s favorite garlic pasta
(This pasta dish is to die for. I have friends who swoon when recalling the day I prepared it for them!)
Pasta
Garlic (as much as you dare, pressed)
Olive oil
Fresh basil
Fresh, ripe, chopped tomatoes
Fresh or dry basil and oregano
Chevre cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
A confident smile for when your friends clamor over your brilliance

Boil up your pasta (linguine is my current favorite). While it’s cooking, sauté as much minced or pressed garlic as you dare (most of a head) in olive oil. Add some dry oregano, basil, salt and pepper and cook until garlic is golden. Drain the pasta and toss in the frying pan with the garlic. Arrange pasta on your plate and top with freshly chopped ripe tomato, chopped fresh basil and chevre cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle olive oil to finish.

Gwen’s Favorite Tomato Recipes (aka the Tomato Compendium!)

To make the following recipes, start with:

Chopped tomatoes
Chopped sweet onion

And then add the following, depending on your preference:

For fresh salsa: add chopped cilantro, hot pepper (optional), a tablespoon or so of lime juice, and salt.
For fresh tomato sauce (toss with hot pasta): add chopped basil, a little chopped fresh garlic, good olive oil, and salt and pepper. (I just made it for the first time this season and I pressed the garlic into the oil, and added the basil as well. These fragranced the oil nicely, and mixed well with the tomatoes and onions.)
For Bruschetta: add chopped basil, a little chopped fresh garlic, good olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat through (but don’t cook) and finish with balsamic vinegar. Use to top bread that’s been brushed with garlic olive oil (I crush some cloves and soak in olive oil) that I brown under the broiler). Grate parmesan cheese to top.
For cooked sauce: sauté the onion until translucent in a big saucepan, adding crushed garlic near the end. Add chopped tomatoes and cook down for several hours. Season with chopped basil and oregano (I use a 3:1 ration basil to oregano), salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar.