Farm News

We dug the first potatoes of the year today. Nate mowed down the first 10 rows of spuds last week, so the skins would start to harden off a bit. Then Amanda and I hooked up the Case tractor to our ‘old faithful’ spud digger. I have no idea how old it is, or even what the make and model might be. It has absolutely no paint left whatsoever. But when we turned on the digger chain and plunged it into the ground, pretty red potatoes went bouncing up and over the chain for us to gather from the rows. It’s a very satisfying sight, and the old girl (the digger, not Amanda…) made quick work of the first three rows (of 40!) for this year’s harvest.

We’ve also got some great corn this week, from one of my favorite varieties. Sometime next week we’ll be entering a gap in the corn harvest, but we’ve got two more plantings that should come in later in August and again in early September. Tomatoes continue to pour in, making up for last year’s dismal showing. Greens and lettuce are ramping up a bit after experiencing a setback in the July heat wave. All and all the first half of 2010’s harvest has been fabulous (and I rarely say stuff like that….), and along with the harvest we are busy turning in spent beds and either planting them to new beds of greens for the fall, or tucking them to bed for the season with a cover crop of soybeans or field peas.

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Alice, Amanda, Nate, and the Morning Crew

Etiquette in the Pick Your Own Patch: We put a lot of trust in shareholders when we let everyone out into our carefully tended fields. Please abide by the limits we post in the barn to make sure there is enough of each crop to go around. Please walk carefully in the pick your own patch – no running!- staying in the aisles and not straying into adjacent beds, which may be seeded to a new crop. We are delighted that kids come to pick, but we ask that all minors be directly accompanied by an adult. Teach your children to respect the plants that are creating our dinners literally out of thin air by picking carefully and gently. Remember that Fort Hill Farm is a working farm; please yield to farm vehicles. Thanks for everyone’s cooperation.

Box shareholders: please return your cleaned, folded box each week. Gently fold back the tabs on the box WITHOUT RIPPING THEM. Ripped tabs = > trashed box => higher share cost. If you have a friend pick up your share, please be sure to pass along how to fold down a box. MANY THANKS for your help with this!

-Pick Your Own at the farm: Plenty of basil and other herbs for the picking. Green and wax beans are in. Lots of Sunflowers, up to 3 per share. Flower patch is opened as well. Cherry and plum tomatoes just starting to come in. The Pick Your Own patch is open to all shareholders, once per week, Tues. and Thursday 2:30 to 6:30 PM and Sat. 8 AM to noon.

Featured this week:

Cantaloupe: it’s tough to grow a good melon in Connecticut, but every year we give it a try. Most are good, many are great, and a few are a bit flat. Most are ripe and ready to eat—these have a golden color and fragrant melon scent. If it’s a bit green with less scent, give it a few days at room temp to ripen. Store ripe melons in the fridge for up to a week.

Red Norland potatoes: great for summer salads or mashed. See recipes below. Store potatoes in a dark but airy place, at room temperature.

Summer squash: the warm, dry weather has put this years crop into overdrive, with loads of beautiful green zucs, and plenty of tasty yellow and green “Zephyr’ squash. Got zucchini blues? See the yummy zuc bread recipe below!

Red Torpedo onions: a fresh, red onion perfect for summer salads. Can store at room temp for a few days, for longer termn storage put them in the fridge as these guys are not cured.

Sweet Corn: A good crop this year, but a bit of boom and bust. This week is a BOOM, so here are your options since we need to pick it when its ready and cannot hold onto it in the field: 1) eat as much as you can fresh in the next 2 days, storing it in the fridge. 2) Use it in the great recipes at www.forthillfarm.com, click on “Recipes” and then “Sweet Corn”. Janine particularly recommends Corn and Tomato Gratin, Corn Chowder, and Corn and Tomato Salsa. 3) Freeze it! Corn is just about the easiest vegetable to store. First shuck the ears, and then blanch them by submerging them in a pot of boiling water for one minute, and then immediately plunge into cold water. Cut off the kernels in to a zip lock bag, purge the air, and freeze. You’ll have a nice surprise for some cold winter night when you can get a sweet taste of summer.

Also available: lettuce, salad mix, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, carrots, golden beets

Potentially on the way: tomatoes, cukes, summer squash, Swiss Chard, lettuce, and potatoes

Recipes, suggested by Amanda Rockwell

Green Bean, Red Potato, and Cucumber Salad, Adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas

1 ½ lbs. red-skinned potatoes 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 lb. green or wax beans ½ tsp. salt

½ lb. cucumbers ½ tsp. sugar

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ cup finely chopped red onion fresh ground pepper to taste

2 Tbs. olive oil

Scrub the potatoes clean and trim away any rough spots. Cut potatoes into cubes that are larger than the size of a walnut. Salt potatoes lightly and steam them for about 15 minutes, or until tender, then let cool.

Wash and trim the green or wax beans and steam for 5-7 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Also let cool.

If you have slender, thin-skinned cucumbers, wash them, trim off the ends, and slice about 1/8 inch thick. If you have larger cucumbers, you will need a bit more by weight. Peel them, halve them lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds before slicing them.

Combine the potatoes, beans, sliced cucumbers, coarsely chopped dill, and chopped red onion into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt sugar, Dijon mustard, and dash of pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss together gently but thoroughly. Try not to break up the potatoes.

Allow the salad to rest in the refrigerator for an hour or so, then taste, and correct the seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.

This serves 6-8 generously, or up to 10 in smaller servings.

Paul’s Greek Salad, By Paul Burkhouse, Foxtail Farm CSA, Osceola WI

1. Coarsely chop equal quantities of cucumbers and tomatoes (about 1 ½ cups each).

2. Add thinly sliced sweet onions (Ailsa Craig or red onions work well).

3. Combine with good kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese

4. Blend together at least a teaspoon of oregano (don’t be shy, really), a quarter cup of vinegar of some kind, and at least 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (don’t skimp on the olive oil!). Add a little salt and mix.

5. Toss the fresh chopped veggies, olives, and crumbled feta with this dressing.

6. Serve over nice crisp lettuce such as romaine or summer crisp.

7. Have some good crusty bread available to soak up those wonderful, fresh juices.

*You can also add chopped sweet bell peppers to this.

Zucchini Bread Recipe, From SimplyRecipes.com

2 eggs, beaten Pinch salt

1 1/3 cup sugar                                                    3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla                                             1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated fresh zucchini                              2 teaspoons cinnamon
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter                         1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 teaspoons baking soda                                   1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

2. Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.

Fort Hill Farm

Newsletter 9: August 4, 2010

Farm News