News from Windy Willow Farm2008 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.
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