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Featured this week
Wax beans: yummyand mild bean, see recipe below for details.
Zucchini: ok, I know I already featured zucchini. They are producing like crazy, and one of our coolers is a virtual wall of squash crates. I was trying to think of all the ways you could use zucchini, and I ended up sounding like Bubba in the movie “Forrest Gump”: sautéed zucchini, fried zucchini, baked zucchini, easy cheesy zucchini, zucchini over pasta, zucchini enchiladas, zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake…..you get the idea! See www.forthillfarm.com for recipes.
Basil: we have tons of basil this week and we are including a honker of a bunch so you can put up some pesto, and still have plenty for tomato salads and sauces. More available at the farm, see “Pick your own” below for details.
Farmers Choice: eggplant or cauliflower. We also snuck a bunch of salad turnips into the boxes this week (they were available at the on-farm pickup last week). Remember these guys are great sliced raw into your salad, and you can also lightly steam both the roots and the greens.
Also Available:
cukes, tomatoes, fresh garlic, salad mix, carrots, jalapeno pepper (hot), sweet corn, scallions.
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Potentially
on the way
Summer squash, cucumbers,
tomatoes, beets,
red torpedo onions (this time I mean it),
possibly cubanelle frying peppers
and sweet corn.
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Farm News
This week started cloudy and cool, and it was a great break from last weeks’ heat wave. We were able to bring in the mornings harvest, and it just started sprinkling when we finished up the summer squash. We weren’t sure if this bit of rain would water the plants for more than a few days, but we’re grateful for a break from irrigating just the same. We then headed into the big, three bay high tunnel, which houses most of our tomato crop. This is our first season with the high tunnel, and we are on something of a learning curve. The plants grew so large in there that they overwhelmed our trellis, which has begun to collapse in places. Conor and Chris have been conducting tomato trellis resuscitation, trying to keep the plants upright before we go into pick. Picking is a little bit like crawling through a jungle, as we move the foliage aside and look for ripe fruit. Today, things got even more jungly as we encountered some truly epic tomato hornworms. Tomato hornworms are caterpillars that are the larvae of very large, nocturnal hawk moths. These critters get big, up to 3 inches long and as thick as my thumb. We began noticing them last week, and they grew exponentially over the weekend. We were amazed at how much foliage they ate over the weekend, and they had begun to munch some tomato fruit. Normally these guys are kept in check by a parasitic wasp that lays her eggs on the caterpillar. We regularly find these doomed caterpillars, carrying large white eggs on their backs. But sometimes Mother Nature needs some help, and organic farmers have a few tools at the ready. One of the most effective treatments for caterpillars is a soil bacterium named , or ‘BT’ for short. This bacterium is reared in large quantities in a lab. They produce a protein which is harmless to mammals, which have an acidic gut which quickly degrades the protein. Insects have basic guts, and when they eat the protein, it causes them to stop feeding and die. Because an insect needs to eat the protein, BT is very gentle on beneficial insects which eat plant pests. BT also degrades very quickly in sunlight, so this evening I mixed up a back pack sprayer full of it and walked down the aisles, knowing the caterpillars would eat it overnight. Shareholders occasionally ask what I spray, and BT is a great example of a non-toxic, bio-rational tool, approved for use in certified organic crop production, that farmers can use when natural predators just can’t keep up.
Hope you enjoy the harvest,
Paul, for the Fort Hill Farm crew (Faye, Colleen, Eliza, Ollie, Rebecca, Janine, Aaron, Conor, Chris, Nick, and Nick.
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| Tomato Horn Worm. |
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| Faye and Colleen cutting arugula. |
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CSA Announcements
-BOX RETURNS have reached an all time low. Thanks to those of you who return your clean, dry, unfolded, UNRIPPED box each week. Otherwise, please return your boxes, people!
-Please note: starting August 3, Saturday distributions will end at 12:30 PM.
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Pick Your Own
* Very nice crop of wax beans at present, but they get big in a hurry this time of year, so come early for best picking.
* Huge basil pick, it will go by in the next week or so. Carpe diem, take what you can use.
* Also chives, parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and dill (limit one small bunch total).
* One bouquet of flowers per share, flowers will be peaking over the next 3 weeks.
* Sungold cherry tomatoes just starting to ripen.
* Many, many sunflowers to choose from.
If you are a box shareholder, this would be a good week to plan a trip to the farm to hit the Pick Your Own (PYO) patch.
PYO open to ALL shareholders.
Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to 1:00pm
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Corn and Squash simmered in Coconut Milk with Thai Basil,
from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison
1 TBSP roasted peanut oil
1 pack firm tofu, drained, diced into ½ inch cubes
2 medium zucchini, diced into ½ inch cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large ears sweet corn
1 heaping TBSP cilantro
1 Serrano chili *optional (you can use a jalapeno or cayenne here)
1 heaping TBSP Thai (or Regular) Basil leaves
1 bunch scallions, including ½ of the greens, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk
1 tsp soy sauce
3 cups cooked Basmati Rice
Cilantro and Basil leaves for garnish
Heat the oil in a wide non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the tofu and zucchini and sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to brown all sides of the tofu.
While the tofu is cooking, slice the corn off the cob, then, reversing your knife, press out the milk. Set aside on the cutting board. Finely chop the chili (if using) with the cilantro and basil.
Add the scallions, (chili) herb mixture, and corn to the pan. Add the coconut to the pan and rinse out the can with a little water and add that as well. Stir in the soy sauce, an additional ½ tsp salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Simmer until the corn is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve over rice and garnish with the additional herbs.
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Fresh Corn and Tomato Salsa,
By Janine and Paul
2 TBSP oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 Tomatoes, chopped
2 ears corn, shucked, cut kernels off the cob
1 med red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, diced (leave the seeds for more heat)
2-3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
½ lemon or lime
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
Put the oil in a pan and heat over low to medium heat, once the oil is hot add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds to sweat the garlic, this mellows the “bite” of raw garlic.
In a bowl combine the tomatoes, corn, onion, jalapenos, cilantro and garlic with the oil it was cooked in. Take your ½ lemon or lime and squeeze some fresh juice in with your salsa ingredients. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
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Albanian Cucumber Salad,
Inspired by my brother in-law Bes Islami, this is his mother’s classic cucumber salad. So simple, so delicious.
2 cucumbers, sliced into half moons
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, chopped
½ -1 small red onion or 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Feta cheese, crumbled
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White vinegar (I often use white balsamic or white wine vinegar)
Salt and Fresh ground pepper to taste
Put the sliced cucumber, tomato, onion and feta (as much or as little feta as you like) into a bowl (preferably with a lid, or use a large tupperware container). Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil, about a ¼ cup and a good few Tablespoons of vinegar over the veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on the bowl and shake until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve as a side dish; with crusty bread and a salad for a light lunch or dinner; or use as a salad topper. It’s delicious!!! I make it weekly. It’s also good the next day.
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Basil Pesto,
The Moosewood Cookbook
3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
3 to 4 large cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan
Salt and Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Place the basil leaves, garlic, and nuts in a food processor and pulse until well blended. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. When you have a smooth paste, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, place room temperature pesto in a warmed serving bowl. Add hot pasta and toss thoroughly. Allow 2 to 3 TBSP of Pesto per serving.
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Paul Bucciaglia
Fort Hill Farm
18 Fort Hill Rd.
New Milford, CT 06776
860-210-7961
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