Farm News

Fall is now firmly taken hold of the weather channel and is programming all kinds of cool nights and bright, refreshing days.  Things got so refreshing on Friday that we had a brush with a frost, which would have been the earliest ever during my tenure at Fort Hill Farm.  We spent a good chunk of our day covering crops and setting up irrigation pipe.  Of course since we prepared for a frost, the mercury managed to stay a few degrees above freezing, and we were spared, which was fine since it’s already become a challenge to figure out what to put in the share each week.  We’ve had very disappointing fall broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale crops, and this was before the storm hit.  Since then, most crops have been in some kind of time warp where they just stayed the same size, day after day.  We’ve seen a little better growth in the last few days, but it’s been a challenge to figure out how to fill 400 shares of fresh, organic produce each week.  How much of a challenge?  Well, last week we learned that sweet potato leaves make a fine cooked green, so guess what’s for dinner this week!  Yup, you read it right.  The leaves, not the tubers.  We’ll be digging the tubers very soon, curing them to sweeten them up, and distributing the tubers in mid October.  But in the meantime, we’ve felt a bit pinched for veggies, and in talking with my friends Justine and Brian from Dennison Farm near Troy, NY, we learned about a whole new way to eat sweet potatoes.  The Dennison’s run a large CSA and were hit very hard by Irene.  They suffered a lot of flood damage and were searching for crops to fill the shares, and they were surprised to learn sweet potato leaves are edible.  Apparently they are a very popular vegetable in southeast Asia and Africa.  We’ve found them to be pretty tasty too, so here they are in your share. 

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for the Fort Hill Farm crew (Colleen, Faye, Eliza, Ollie, Rebecca, Janine, and Aaron).

Folks of all ages awaiting a hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Dancing to the lively tunes of Too Blue.

Recipes     

 

 

 

Grilled Delicata Squash with Garam Masala and Cilantro, adapted from www.healthylivingmarket.comIngredients
3-4 medium delicata squash
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garam masala
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Fresh cilantro leaves to finish

Place a grill wok on your grill and turn to high heat (If you don’t have a grill wok a wire cooling rack also works well, this helps to keep your squash from falling through the grates). With a vegetable peeler, peel the outsides of the squash, remove the stems and slice lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds using a spoon. Slice the squash halves into crescent shapes, about 1 inch thick. In a large mixing bowl, combine the squash, garam masala, olive oil, and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper and toss together until evenly coated. Pour squash into grill wok and close lid of grill. Grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning the squash frequently, until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Serve squash sprinkled with fresh cilantro leaves.

adapted from www.foodbuzz.com

3 Tbsp, to ¼ c. olive oil

½ onion, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp. chopped garlic

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 bunch sweet potato leaves (including the leaf stalks coming off of the main stem)

Cayenne or hot pepper to taste

Salt or Tamari to taste

Wash the sweet potato leaves and chop the stems into 2 inch long pieces. Very coarsely chop the leaves and set aside. Preheat the oil in a wok or sauté pan at med-high heat. Add the onions first, and after a minute or two, add the stems, stirring constantly. When the onions start to brown slightly, add the garlic, hot pepper, and ginger, and sprinkle with salt. After another minute or two, add the leaves and coat with the onion mixture. Stir the greens constantly and add a bit of water to the pan if needed. If using tamari, add at this point. The stir-fry is done just when the leaves are wilted and stems are still somewhat firm.   

NINTH ANNUAL FORT HILL FARM HARVEST POT LUCK THIS WEEK!

RAIN OR SHINE, Sunday, September 18

from 3 PM to 6:30 PM .

PYO hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to 12:30PM.   PYO open to ALL shareholders

3 to 4 lbs. acorn or butternut squash

1 lb. ziti or penne

½ cup olive oil

2 TBSP unsalted butter

2 large leeks, cleaned and coarsely chopped

½ small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ to 1 tsp coarse sea salt or to taste

Freshly milled black pepper

½ cup dry white wine or water

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the squash cut side down, in 1 inch of water in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until tender. Set aside until just cool enough to handle. Then scoop squash pulp out from skins.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 less than the cooking time on the package; drain and set aside.

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the leeks, onion, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and leeks have become pliable, making sure the garlic does not burn. Add the squash and wine, stirring until a thick sauce is formed. Fold in the cooked pasta; taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon back into the baking dish; sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cheese browns. Sprinkle with the parsley and enjoy.

This is my kale recipe standby. Quick, easy, and delicious! Good for collard greens too.

1 bunch kale, curly green or lacinato                             

2-3 leeks, or 1 onion, whatever you’ve got                   

2-3 TBSP butter or olive oil

1-2 TBSP minced garlic, or to taste

¼ cup broth, beer, or wine                                           

salt and pepper to taste

Remove the stems from the kale.   Coarsely chop the leaves. Slice the onion (into half moons) or leeks (white and light green part only). In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil or butter over medium heat and add the onions or leeks. Sauté until soft, add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chopped kale and toss to combine with the onions and garlic then add the broth or beer, season with salt and toss the kale to coat, then cover and let steam, tossing occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until the greens are tender. Season with fresh ground pepper and ENJOY!

*Farmer’s note: What an amazing year for peppers! Add some chopped/sliced red peppers to this along with the cooking liquid for a sweet and colorful touch. Delicious!

NINTH ANNUAL FORT HILL FARM HARVEST POT LUCK 

RAIN OR SHINE, Sunday, September 18

from 3 PM to 6:30 PM .

*Herbs, including chives, parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and dill.

*One bouquet of flowers per share, flowers are still good but declining.

*Lots of cherry tomatoes but flavor declining rapidly.

*Plum tomatoes nearing the end but still available. 

PYO hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to 12:30PM.   PYO open to ALL shareholders

1 Spaghetti Squash, halved lengthwise, seeded             

1 TBSP butter                                                             

1 yellow onion, diced                                                   

3 cloves garlic, minced                                                 

2 ribs celery, diced                                                                  

2 cups cooked lentils, drained well

¼ cup bread crumbs

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish, add about an inch of water, cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and celery and sauté until onions are translucent. Remove from heat; add lentils, breadcrumbs, thyme, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff the cavity of each squash half and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until squash is nice and tender.

Janine’s Roasted Red Pepper Pesto,

by Janine McCormick

6 – 8 Carmen Peppers, seeded and halved

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (more for peps)

2 – 3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 sm or 2 med carrots, sliced and cooked

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2-3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the seeded and quartered peppers with olive oil and a little salt. Arrange them on a baking sheet single layer and roast until the skin is blistered and peppers are tender. (They can also be fire roasted on the grill, put peppers on a medium heat grill, cook skin side down for 5 to 8 minutes until you have a nice blister on the skin, turn and continue to cook until pepper is very tender, a few minutes more). Move the hot roasted/grilled peppers to a bowl cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Allow peppers to cool until they can easily be handled, once cook the skins (or most of the skin) should peel right off.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over low to medium-low heat in a small skillet. Add the chopped garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, 1-3 minutes. Put all ingredients, except the parsley, into a food processor. Pulse until a paste forms. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.