Week 1 – June 10, 2009                         

Farm News

Welcome back to the seventh season of Fort Hill Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program!    As usual the spring has been a roller coaster of late frosts, early heat waves, old tractors breaking down, construction projects, and of course preparing and planting three greenhouses and 16 acres of crops.  Along for the ride this spring is our new crew of apprentice farmers.  We are very happy to welcome Sarah Woutat back with us for another year of growing at the farm.  Aaron Thompson  has worked for several years on an organic produce farm in northern California, and Jake Lau is here to get some on-farm experience after completing his degree in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota.  Helping me run the farm is assistant farm manager Janine Meyer, whose organization skills keep the farm chugging along, and my partner Rebecca Batchie, who helps us through the summer rush while on break from college.   We’ve also got a host of workers who help us with weeding, bulk harvesting, and planting.  Many of them are students, some are family friends, and some are family, who help us get through this busy time.

 

Most crops are doing well, although the recent cool weather has slowed down growth a bit.  The next three weeks should bring us lots of cooking and salad greens, and strawberries!  This year’s crop looks to be a very good one, and we encourage all shareholders to come to the farm to pick additional berries (see information below).  Remember that strawberry season only lasts three or four weeks, and wet weather can quickly turn a bumper crop into a microbiology experiment.  So pick now!  Growing organic strawberries on a small scale is a labor of love.  We plant strawberries a year ahead of time, after spreading compost and incorporating cover crops.  The ‘mother’ plants then spend the next four summer months sending out ‘daughter’ plants to make the beds.  During this time they require almost constant weeding. We also clip off all the flower buds so the plants put their energy into getting established.  After the first hard freeze in the fall, we cover the beds with straw, so the plants can survive the winter.  In early April, we rake off the straw, add some fertilizer, and watch the weather forecast diligently for frost warnings.  When we get one, I put on a coat, and turn on the irrigation sprinklers at midnight to keep the tender flowers from freezing—no flowers, no fruit!  Then we hope for some sunny days and soaking rains (or we irrigate some more), until the pickin’ and grinnin’ starts in early June. 

  

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Paul, for Janine, Aaron, Jake, Sarah, and Rebecca

 

CSA ANNOUNCEMENTS

-Please be sure to read the newsletter announcements each week!   This is our way to communicate with you, our members!  Paper copies of newsletters are available at your distribution site, or on line at www.forthillfarm.com.

 

-BOX SHAREHOLDERS.  Please carefully read the attached instructions on how to unfold, clean, store, and return your box.  Please keep your drop site tidy, and follow any instructions from your drop site coordinator, they do all of us a great favor by opening their homes as a distribution site.  Thanks!

 

Check out the newly minted CSA recipe database!  Janine spent a good chunk of the winter putting it together, with technical help from my brother in law Jack Prior, and it looks great.  Each crop has a brief intro and plenty of recipe ideas to get your culinary impulses flowing.  No more hunting through old newsletters for a recipe!

 

               

Featured this week: 

Broccoli raab:  a great Italian cooking green.   Go to www.forthillfarm.com for recipe ideas, great sautéed with garlic.

 

Lettuce: This week the green leaf, red leaf, and butterhead lettuce are ready.  Tear the leaves, soak fully covered in cold water for a few minutes, drain, and then spin in a salad spinner.  Store whole heads in a plastic bag in your fridge crisper for up to one week.

 

Salad mix:  Always a big hit with CSA shareholder.  Our own mix of 7 kinds of lettuce, plus arugula, tatsoi, and  red kale.  Always wash by completely immersing in cold water, drain, and spin in a salad spinner.  Will store for a week in the salad spinner, or up to four days in the vented bag.

 

Radishes:  A really nice crop this week, very crisp and juicy.   Chop into your salad.  Also, the greens can be sautéed just like any mustard green.

 

Spinach:  Spring spinach can be tough to grow, but the (mostly) cool weather has been very good to this planting.   Store in a bag in the fridge for a week.  Wash well!

 

Scallions:  green onions to chop into salads or veggie sautés, or try recipe below.

 

Strawberries:  quite possibly THE favorite crop of most shareholders.  Probably don’t need to go over how to eat or store them , since most folks just cut off the green top and eat them the first night.  If you have any left, they will store in the fridge for a few days but eat promptly as ripe berries don’t hold well.   Strawberries available as pick your own (open to ALL shareholders).  Current limit is 2 quarts per share, additional quarts for $3.  Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to noon.

 

Potentially on the way:   arugula, garlic scapes, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, strawberries

 

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

 

Garlic Crostini with Spinach, Mushroom & Parmigiano Salad,

by Joanne Weir from Fine Cooking

 

For the vinaigrette:
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil                                                                1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (from about half a lemon)
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest                                                          1 small shallot, minced (1-1/2 Tbs.)
1 medium clove garlic, minced                                                         Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

For the salad and crostini:
Six 1/2-inch-thick slices coarse-textured Tuscan-style bread
2 cloves garlic, cut in half lengthwise                                              

Kosher salt and Fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
2 ½ cups small fresh button mushrooms, stems discarded, caps halved
6 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, washed and dried
Parmigiano-Reggiano for shaving

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, seasoning to taste with the salt and pepper.

Make the salad:

Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and broil until crispy and light golden on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and broil the other sides until golden, about 1 minute. Rub one side of the toasted bread with the cut sides of the garlic. Sprinkle each slice with a small pinch of salt and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms and stir to coat in the oil. Let the mushrooms cook undisturbed until the liquid they release evaporates and they’re deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt, stir, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most sides are nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes more. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Toss the spinach and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Put the bread slices on four or six plates and drizzle each slice with a little olive oil. Divide the spinach among the plates, arranging it on the top of the bread but leaving part of the bread exposed. Top with the mushrooms. Using a cheese shaver or vegetable peeler, shave a few thin slivers of Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.