Farm News

Hello folks, this is Tara stepping in for Paul with this week’s edition of the farm news. Paul is currently lying down on the job, underneath the delivery truck that is. He is fixing the brakes on the van so that we can get those boxes of green goodness to you tomorrow (yeah for corn!!!). One of the many things I have learned this season is that at the height of summer, when one is busiest in the fields, is the exact time your tractor will get a flat tire, your new harvest tent will come crashing down in a small drizzle, the brakes will snap, and the pigweed flowers in profusion.

Thanks to our tractor driven basket weeder we spend less time on our hands and knees, but when we are down there it is always pigweed that is our number one enemy. This plant has both male and female flowers, guaranteeing pollination every time! They flower in the height of summer and shortly after leave behind over 100,000 seeds per plant, insuring we will have work again next summer. It's only weakness is that it is an annual, reproducing only by seed, so getting them all before they flower is the first step to managing these little buggers.

Paul tells us fairy tales of farms he has seen in far away places like Pennsylvania. There, he tells us, lives a man who has spent years controlling his weed population. They now spend less than a day each year crawling the beds! That’s what we are aiming for here folks!

It is a pleasure bringing you the vegetables.

Tara (For Paul, Michael, Bob, and Jean)

Some GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING info:

-Please leave your returned box at the drop site according to your coordinators instructions. Generally it works best to bend back the box tabs (don’t rip them!) and store the boxes flat.

-CSA shares cannot be stored by drop site coordinators. All shares need to be picked up from a drop site by 11AM on Friday, after that they are subject to ‘redistribution’ so they don’t spoil. If you can’t pick up your share, share a weeks’ veg with a friend or relative and have them pick it up. Or call us and we will bring your share to the New Milford Food Bank with our weekly donation.

-Please mail all CSA payments to the farm. Please don’t leave checks or other correspondence at a drop site.

In the box this week:

Summercrisp lettuce Sweet corn

Cucumbers Carrots

Green Cabbage Tomatoes

Rainbow Swiss Chard

What do I do with it?

Green Cabbage: this is some nice cabbage. We have two kinds, a point heirloom type called Early Jersey Wakefield and a more modern looking, flattened variety called Tendersweet. See the recipe for fresh cole slaw below. Cabbage will store in your fridge for weeks if you can’t use it right away.

Sweet Corn: It’s here! This is our early corn, with small but tasty ears. And also plenty of corn borers. We call it Wormy But Good (WBG) corn. It’s really hard to get bug free corn in New England, especially when you don’t use synthetic chemicals. I have been told we have one of the largest plantings of organic corn in Connecticut (all of a whopping one acre). Sweet corn can be shucked, and placed in boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes. Or try roasting it in the husk, just soak the ears a bit in some water and toss them on the grill. Either way, don’t overcook it. Best eating is the first night, it will hold ok for a day or two in the fridge.

Swiss Chard: This close relative of beets is a good substitute for spinach in your favorite recipe, or try it sautéed in garlic and oil. Remember to cook the stems for several more minutes than the leaves. See the recipe for Swiss Chard Pie below.

Coming soon: Eggplants are trickling in and we should have enough to fill the boxes in a week or two. We found the first ripe field tomato today. We should still have lettuce for the next few weeks, although there will be a heat induced gap in the not too distant future. Good chance for beets, and lacinato or green kale. We’ll put sweet corn in as often as we have it. Big sweet onions are ready as well

Recipes:

Cole slaw, from “Salads”, Time-Life books.

½ head of cabbage, cored and finely shredded

2 large carrots, finely shredded

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp. Fresh lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put all of the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise and stir to combine. Stir in the lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper, and continue stirring until all of the vegetables are evenly coated with the mayo. Transfer to a serving dish, cover and chill in the fridge.

Swiss Chard Pie, from “Asparagus to Zucchini, ` guide to seasonal, farm fresh produce”.

1 onion, chopped 6 eggs

1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup shredded cheese

2 tablespoons oil 1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch Swiss Chard 2 pie crusts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown onion and garlic in oil Trim and chop chard, add to pan and cook down until wilted. Beat eggs in a bowl, mix in cheese, salt and chard mixture. Pour into pie shells and bake 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 2 pies.