Farm News

July is rolling along with hot, humid weather that is bringing some good growing conditions in between deluges of rain. While the weather is a little sticky for the humans involved in this food chain, most of the crops in the field are just fine with it. Mid July marks a change for the farm. Many of the spring plantings of crops like broccoli and cabbage are peaking or past, while the hot season crops like eggplants and peppers will soon be ready for harvest. We finally have some cucumbers for everyone this week and are glad to see them, and we have tons (literally) of summer squash. The first planting of sweet corn is here, and as is usual at Fort Hill Farm it is “WBD” (wormy but delicious). I was explaining the worm situation to shareholder Elliot Glass and he remarked that the worms were really “organic inspectors”. I like that analogy, and it is really very appropriate. Remember when they thought they had found Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq a few years back? Turns out that what the chemical detectors had turned up was a pile of insecticides, which not coincidentally are in the same chemical family as weapons-grade nerve gas. Given the option of having a worm or 2 in the corn or having it sprayed weekly with toxic synthetic insecticides, I’ll take a few inspectors any day. Sweet corn is one of the most difficult crops to grow organically, and we are still on a learning curve with respect to organic control of corn insect pests, as are the university ag scientists we talk to. Organic growers would have much better tools to combat pests if even a tiny percentage of the tax dollars poured into biotech and chemical warfare approaches to farming were diverted to fund sustainable, ecologically rational, organic approaches to pest control.

Other than harvesting, we’ve also been busy planting for the fall. Last week we put in about two thirds of an acre of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and collard greens for fall harvest. It’s a bit of a relief to have the bulk of planting behind us. We will continue weekly plantings of lettuce and greens until the end of August, when we will put the seeding tractor and the transplanter away for the year. Meanwhile we have settled into a nice routine of tending, harvesting, and distributing the crops.

Hope you enjoy the harvest.

Your farmer,

Paul Bucciaglia, for Janine, John, Leah, and Jean.

WANTED: PICKUP TRUCK for harvesting. Many of you on the farm have seen the crew tool around in “The Bluebird” our 21 year old Nissan pickup. She has served us well, moving hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce from the field to the packing shed over the last 5 years, on two different farms. But she’s getting a bit tired. So we are looking to purchase a mechanically sound, affordable (=cheap!), compact pickup truck (Nissan, Isuzu, Toyota, Chevy S-10, etc.). Looks are completely unimportant; a snowplow would be nice. Please give Paul a call at the farm if you have any info on the whereabouts of such a beast. Thanks!

Great News! Bill 410, which funds protection for CT farmland, was signed by Governor Rell last week. Thanks to all of you who called or emailed!

New this week:

Corn: Its here! This is some great corn, even though it’s on the small side. You will definitely find some ‘inspectors’ both at the tip and the base. Shucking corn is a great job for small boys, especially if they are budding entomologists!

Cucumbers: Some of them are long and warty but very tasty varieties, give them a try before you judge them based on their looks. As far as veg goes, beauty is in the taste buds of the eater….

Green Beans: Great crop of green beans this year.

Also in the box: Rainbow chard, lettuce, tomatoes, summer squash, fennel, broccoli, fresh garlic, and carrots.

PICK YOUR OWN: Green Beans, herbs, and cut flowers are available PYO to all shareholders this week at the farm, limits as posted in the barn. PYO hours Tuesday, Friday 2:30 to 6:30PM and Saturday 8AM to noon. Directions to farm at www.forthillfarm.com.

Featured Vegetable of the week: Fennel, by Janine Meyer

Fennel is a fun vegetable with a unique licorice taste. It is excellent in salads, and a great addition to the recipe featured below. Fennel packs a healthy dose of Vitamin C and bioflavanoids, Vitamin A, folate, and iron. Like many of our featured veggies so far this spring, fennel also brings into the diet many essential minerals. Fennel also contains the phytonutrient anethole, which has reduced inflammation and cancer in laboratory studies on animals.

Recipes

Chicken with Fennel, from New Morning Natural and Organic, Woodbury

2 fennel bulbs ½ cup half and half

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 Tbspns olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped 4 large carrots, coarsely shredded

1 cup chicken broth

Seasoning mix: 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ½ tsp fennel seed, crushed, ½ tsp thyme, ¼ tsp celery seed, crushed, 1/8 tsp ground red pepper, 2 garlic cloves, minced. Combine and mix.

Trim bases from fennel bulbs, cut bulbs into thin strips, reserving fronds for garnish, if desired. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon seasoning mix evenly over chicken. Sauté chicken in 1 tablespoon hot oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until browned. Cut each breast in to slices, set aside and keep warm. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and sauté fennel, onion, and carrot over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and remaining seasoning mix; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 8 minutes. Stir in half and half, return chicken to pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Serve over couscous or rice.

Easy Cheesy Summer Squash, from “One United Harvest, creative recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms”, by Julie Sochaki.

3 Tblsp. Olive oil 2 tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)

1 garlic clove, chopped 1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced salt and pepper to taste

4 to 6 squash, cut into chunks ½ lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeno pepper. Cook 3 minute or until garlic is fragrant, then add squash. Increase heat to high and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and stir in chopped tomatoes and corn. Cook 10 minutes more, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese, cover to let cheese melt.