Fort Hill Farm CSA
Week Three – June 29, 2005 Paul Bucciaglia
18 Fort Hill Road
New Milford, CT 06776
860-350-3158
Fort Hill Farm has received more than its share of media attention this spring, which has been fun and has helped spread the word about the CSA concept. But in a way it’s also a little disturbing, in that starting up a small farm that is environmentally, agriculturally, and econonomically sustainable should not be a newsworthy event. And yet it is, because family farms, small-scale farms, sustainable farms, or whatever you want to call them, have been disappearing from this nation for decades. In ‘big farm’ country like the Midwest, small farms are gobbled up by large scale, corporate farms. On the coasts and near large urban centers, a more final fate awaits many productive acres. We are losing farmland to development at an alarming rate. Connecticut leads the nation in the rate of farmland loss. Over 9,000 acres a year are put under the bulldozer in this state every year, much of it fertile, flat, stone-free land. A society that destroys its topsoil and farmland destroys not only its means of food production, but also a part of its soul. We can watch farms disappear in this state and still have abundant food in our stores because of a transportation system built on artificially cheap fossil fuel and the exploitation of agricultural workers, both in this country and abroad. But once we turn the entire state into a never-ending procession of McMansions , strip malls, and fast food joints, we will have lost touch with the beauty that exists in traditional New England landscapes, and with the land itself.
There is something we can all do about this. Right now a landmark bill is before Governor Rell, called Bill 410 - An Act Concerning Farm Land Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing, and Historic Preservation. This bill will finally create a steady stream of funding for the state’s “Purchase of Development Rights” program. This would allow the state to purchase the development rights to prime farm lands, keeping the land in agriculture forever. The bill also creates new funding to assist new and transitioning farmers in the state. According to an article in the Hartford Courant, the program would be funded from a $30 document recording fee, not from the general state fund. Please take a moment to write the governor to let her know that you appreciate the benefits of Connecticut farmland and you want to see Bill 410 passed and funded. Governor Rell’s email is Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us. To learn more about farmland preservation efforts in the state, visit the Working Lands Alliance at www.workinglandsalliance.org. This bill is at a critical juncture and every email that expresses a positive view of farm land preservation would make a difference!
Your farmer,
Paul Bucciaglia, for Janine, John, Leah, Bob, and Jean.
More hot and dry weather has kept us on our toes, pulling out the irrigation pipe and pumping water to the crops as fast as we can. So far we are keeping up, and things are looking good. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and sweet corn have put on impressive growth. Cabbage, fennel, and garlic are on the way very soon. First greenhouse tomatoes will be here in no time. On the down side, after 2 failed attempts to get a stand, peas are taking it on the chin in this heat, and I am not optimistic about getting a crop this year. Zucchini is coming in as fast as we can pick it, which must mean its time for Jean Wiltshire to join us a few mornings a week for some squash pickin’. Welcome back Jean!
GENTLE REMINDER #1: the balance of your CSA share payment is due! Thanks to those of you who have paid-especially the new shareholders, we appreciate your faith in the farm.
GENTLE REMINDER #2: please adhere to the hours for your share pickup site. Drop site coordinators do all of us a great favor by offering their homes as pickup sites.
OLD NEWLETTERS: are on line at www.forthillfarm.com if you missed one.
PICK YOUR OWN: Strawberries have peaked and are fading fast. To clean out the patch, PYO limit is now two quarts for all CSA shareholders, while they last (which might not be long so don’t delay). Additional quarts available PYO, $5 a quart. PYO hours Tuesday, Friday 2:30 to 6:30PM and Saturday 8AM to noon. Directions to farm at www.forthillfarm.com.
New this week:
Bunched beets: the ‘early wonder’ variety is in! Chop them up, greens and all: steam the roots then the shoots. Loaded with antioxidants (that’s what all the purple is about) to make you look younger and live longer! See recipe below.
Garlic scapes: weird veg of the week #1. These are great to cook with! These are the flowers of our hard neck garlic, we snap them off so the bulbs will expand. You can eat almost the whole thing, just discard the ‘whip’ at the end and chop the rest up. Sauté in oil with other veg, or for the garlic lover, make into pesto, see recipe below. These are a seasonal treat, only around for a few weeks each summer.
Salad turnips: Mild, sweet, and crisp, enjoy these sliced raw into a salad. Also good for light cooking and steaming, greens and all.
Also in the box: lettuce, bunch spinach, and strawberries.
Featured Veg of the week: Kohlrabi, by Janine Meyer
Kohlrabi, a European member of the broccoli family, is a new experience for most people these days. Its name is derived directly from German dialect, kohl meaning cabbage, and rabi meaning turnip. It tastes similar to a turnip only milder and sweeter. It’s delicious eaten raw but can also be sautéed in olive oil or mashed like potatoes. The leaves are also edible and can be cooked the same way you would spinach. Kohlrabi offers a balanced array of your essential minerals including calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and is particularly high is potassium. It is also quite high in everyone’s favorite, Vitamin C, an excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
1 bunch beets w/ greens
2 garlic scapes, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Toss Beets with greens, garlic, and oil in large saucepan or skillet. Cover and sauté until greens are just wilted. Add a splash of water if necessary to prevent greens from sticking to the pan. Toast sunflower seeds in a dry skillet or hot oven several minutes, tossing often and stir into greens. Four servings.
Garlic Scape Pesto, from the Moscow Food Coop, www.moscowfood.coop1/2 lb.
organic scapes (chopped into 1" sections)
1 c. organic olive oil
2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
In a blender, combine the scapes and olive oil. Pour mixture into bowl and blend the cheese in by hand. Serve over pasta.