Farm News September 12, 2023
Our Farmstand is in full swing:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm
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The first two weeks of September have been a whirlwind. August exited with some amazingly fresh air for that time of year, but then hot summer weather returned in time for Labor Day. We always expect some hot weather in September, but a string of 90-degree days is tough when you were hoping for a cool down. We once again broke out the pipe and started irrigating as the interval without rain stretched over a week. What we’ve noticed over the last 10 seasons or so is that when we get stuck in a dry pattern, we are there for weeks but when the rains return, they return with a vengeance.
Brendan packs the last of the Chinese cabbage; It’s looking perky despite the 7 inches of rain this past week.
Sure enough, Friday brought one of the most intense one-hour downpours I can remember in New Milford, right in the middle of the Farm Stand open hours. Those of us in the barn watched in awe as lightning and thunder cracked all around us, and the farm went from dried out to flooded in mere minutes. The rains have continued for several days, making it a challenge to dig potatoes and get the last fall plantings weeded in a timely manner. Luckily it looks like a cold front mid-week will bring in some cooler, drier air so we can begin bringing in the potato crop in earnest. Right next to them, the winter squash made a good crop this year. Most of the varieties we grow will need some curing and we will see them at the end of the month, but we should be able to have some of the crop out next week. The sweet potatoes seem to have made a good crop as well, and we will look to digging them soon.
Signs of love from the universe (here and below too).
Our late season corn is some of the best we’ve had but will only last another week or two. It’s prime ginger season and this year’s crop is one of our best. Summer squash has wound down, but hopefully we can keep the cukes going for another week or two. Fall is a bit of a “second season” on the farm, as crops we planted in mid-summer begin to mature. Fall beets and carrots are looking great. Broccoli and broccolini are back on the menu, and kale and chard are abundant. Spinach will be making spotty appearances, and we’ve got plenty of salad mix and lettuce in the plans to hopefully keep us going into early winter..
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm Crew
Can you find the heart?
Featured veg:
Sweet Peppers: We’ve been enjoying a nice quality pick of mixed sweet peppers this season. The earlier yielding Lunchbox peppers have taken a back seat to the sweet red and yellow Italian, orange snacking, and red bell varieties. Be sure to branch out from the basic bell – we adore the pointy peppers. We love the Italians for cooking and the orange snacking for fresh eating (a Mother Nature- condoned sugar shot). These peppers take a while to ripen up, usually coming into their own in September. With any luck, they’ll go way beyond too.
Satina Gold potatoes: this potato has wonderful yellow flesh and flavor, similar to Yukon Gold. We find them equally tasty, and unlike Yukon Gold, they don’t drop dead when the first leafhopper bug appears. They are now a resolute farm and customer favorite. We love them for their distinct satiny texture (note the name); they’ve become a farm staple, fair and square.
Also available:
Head lettuce, arugula, salad mix, pea shoots, red and French Breakfast radishes, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, radicchio, scallions, leeks, celeriac, cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, fennel, escarole, Chinese cabbage, German Extra Hardy garlic, red and Chioggia beets, carrots, plum, beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes, Sungold, red and artisanal cherry tomatoes, slicing cucumbers, jalapeño, poblano, and shishito peppers, Dark Red Norland, La Ratte gold and Magic Molly blue fingerlings, Satina, & Caribe potatoes, eggplant and mixed sweet peppers, sweet corn, fresh edamame (early in the week only), spinach (as we have it), fresh, young ginger!
Coming Soon:
Kennebec potatoes
Pick Your Own:
WAX AND GREEN BEANS:
Still going…
SUNFLOWERS:
There are still some available by the stem.
FLOWERS:
The flower patch is in full bloom!
PERENNIAL HERBS:
chives, oregano, sage, and thyme
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Sweet & Spicy Pepper Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe
Recipe by HomesteadandChill
Even if you aren't usually a fan of hot sauce, I think you may change your mind after trying this fermented hot sauce recipe! The lacto-fermentation process transforms the sharp, hot, often overpowering flavor profile of chili peppers – into something far more mild, complex, flavorful, tangy and tasty than any other preparation of peppers! This is called a “sweet and spicy” fermented hot sauce because it is made with a combination of both hot chilis and sweet peppers. Therefore, you can easily tailor it to your taste buds with the types of peppers you choose to ferment.
Prep Time: 45 minutes mins
Fermentation Time: 10 days
Preserving Peppers Servings: 1 quart
Equipment
Fermentation vessel, such as a glass jar.
Ferment weight and airlock lid (or large, boiled rocks to weigh down the ferment)
Strainer
Blender
Bottles or jars, for storage
Ingredients
1 lb peppers of choice, both hot chili peppers and some sweeter peppers recommended
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1 whole small onion, or 1/2 medium to large onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp sea salt, pickling salt, or kosher salt (no table salt)
2 cups filtered water, to combine with salt for brine
Instructions
Wash and chop peppers and onions. Wear gloves is suggested. Remove most of pepper seeds.
In the bottom of a clean quart jar, add a small handful (1/4 cup loose) of fresh cilantro and 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic.
Next add the diced onion, and some peppers on top. Lightly press to compact and reduce air space as you go.
When the jar is halfway to 2/3 full, add the remaining 1/4 cup of cilantro and then continue filling the jar with peppers, until completely packed full (within top inch of the jar).
On the stovetop, combine 2 cups filtered water with 1 tbsp sea salt. Lightly heat until salt dissolves, but avoid overheating.
Allow brine to cool to room temperature or lukewarm, and then pour over the peppers in the jar until the jar is full and they are fully submerged. Tap and wiggle jar to remove air pockets.
Cover with fermentation weight and airlock lid, to keep veggies submerged below the brine during fermentation.
Set jar in a temperate location (70-75°F) to ferment for 7-14 days.
After 7-14 days, open jar and pour contents through a strainer that is positioned over a bowl to catch the liquid. KEEP the strained brine liquid.
Add all solid contents (peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro) to a blender. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice, and 1/4 cup of the reserved brine liquid. Blend.
Assess the consistency of the fermented hot sauce. Continue to add reserved brine little by little, blending as you go, until the desired consistency of sauce is reached.
Store finished fermented hot sauce in an air-tight bottle or jar in the refrigerator. Shake before use. It should stay good for up to one year in the refrigerator.