Week 8 – July 28, 2010                                                                      Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

This week’s farm news is brought to you by Apprentice Jake Lau.  Jake’s been working on the farm for 2 seasons now and apparently has seen his share of surprises.  Jake writes:

Work on the farm is often unpredictable.  We have to be ready for anything to happen, and to improvise on the spot.  Trying to plan on the farm is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat.  Except you are blindfolded and you have no idea what is in the hat.   You just reach in and… Surprise!  Surprise! a hole in the drip tape gushing water.  Surprise! a hole in a truck tire.  Surprise! that bed of just sprouted carrots has disappeared.  Not all surprises are negative, however.  Surprise! no mold in the strawberries.  Surprise!  great sweet corn.  And the best surprise of all…baked goods left for us by grateful shareholders at distribution.  On one hand, the surprises are what keep work feeling fresh and, on the other hand, the unpredictability of farming means that sometimes the third best choice is the only choice.

This last week provided a perfect example of the surprises we encounter on the farm.  With Paul out of town last week the crew was prepared to deal with more of the unexpected than usual.  So on Monday we were ready.  And then, Surprise! The John Deere, the tractor used for moving the irrigation gun and seeding greens, wouldn’t start.  Well, at least we could still use other tractors for the irrigation gun and the Allis Chalmers G for seeding greens.  Problem solved.  Whew, that was close.  And then again, Surprise!  The ‘G’ stops working. Ok, now what do we do?  We eventually rigged up another ‘G’ tractor, and walked in two extra rows with a walk-behind seeder.  Not exactly as planned, but close enough.  Hope you enjoy the share this week.  It is full of the good kind of surprises.   

Jake, for Paul, Janine, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  Plenty of basil and other herbs for the picking.  Green beans are in, about 1 pound limit per share.   Lots of Sunflowers, up to 3 per share.  Flower patch is opened as well.  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: 

Sweet corn:  Surprise! We had 2 weeks worth of corn come in all at once, so we are picking it all now and getting it to shareholders.  If you have a lot of people looking to eat fresh sweet corn, that should be a great surprise.  If you have a smaller number of people to feed, here are your options:  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.

Tomatoes:  Surprise! We actually have tomatoes this year.  Talk about boom and bust cycles.  Last year, the patch yielded nothing, nada, niente, because of the latest tomato scourge, late blight.  This year the combination of hot weather and low rainfall has brought us (for the moment…) some very healthy plants loaded with yummy, tasty fruit.  Time to don your tomato processing gear and store the harvest.  Try them in the following recipes at our web site:  salsa cruda ( a no-cook tomato sauce), Gazpacho (a refreshing, cold tomato soup), fresh tomato and corn salsa, and slow roasted plum tomatoes (works with any kind of tomato).  Tomatoes can also be cored, quartered and frozen for later cooking use.  Or give a nice surprise to your next door neighbor!

Ailsa Craig big sweet onions:  a crew favorite.  Slice into ½ inch slabs, coat with olive oil and grill for a tasty treat.  Or chop into any recipe.  Store these guys in the fridge as they have not been cured.

Also available:  cucumbers, summer squash, basil, fresh garlic, Swiss Chard, and Farmers Choice.

Potentially on the way:  tomatoes, cukes, summer squash, corn, potatoes, carrots

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Mexican-Style Zucchini Tacos, From Recipes from America’s Small Farms

1 ½ TBSP vegetable oil                                                                      4 medium summer squash, cut into ½ inch cubes

1 medium white onion, chopped                                                      3 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro

2 medium to large tomatoes, chopped                                            2/3 cup heavy cream

2 garlic cloves, minced                                                                       Salt to taste

2 large fresh poblano chiles                                                               Kernel from 1 ear of corn

½ cup Mexican queso fresco (or salted pressed farmers cheese or feta) crumbled

24 fresh, warm corn tortillas

Preparing the flavoring base:  Measure the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 8 minutes.  While the onion is cooking coarsely puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender.  Add the garlic to browned onion, cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the tomatoes.  Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Roasting the chiles:  Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turn regularly until the skin has blistered and blackened on all sides, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for the broiler.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes.  Rub off blackened skins, then pull out the seeds and stems.  Rinse briefly.  Slice into ¼ inch strips.  Finishing the dish:  Uncover the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir in the poblanos, corn, zucchini, cilantro, and heavy cream.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is crisp-tender and the liquid has thickened enough to coast the vegetables nicely, about 8 minutes.  Taste and season with salt.  Serve with the corn tortillas and crumbled cheese.

Roasted Chicken with Swiss chard and Fresh Corn Relish, From Recipes from America’s Small Farms

2 TBSP cider vinegar                                                                          1 cup fresh corn kernels

2 TBSP vegetable oil                                                                           1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 TBSP sugar                                                                                        2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp chili powder                                                                                 2 (3 pound) chickens, halved

1 tsp ground cumin                                                                             1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme

Salt and Freshly milled black pepper                                               1 ½ pounds Swiss chard, washed, thickly sliced

Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.  Stir in the corn, bell pepper, and onions.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Arrange the chicken halves in a large roasting pan.  Sprinkle with the thyme, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.  Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 180F.  Meanwhile simmer the greens in a large pot of boiling water until wilted.  Drain well.  When the chicken is cooked through, move it to a plate or board; add the chard to the roasting pan and stir until the pan juices are combined with the greens.  Taste and add salt, if necessary.  Divide the chard among 4 plates; top each with a chicken half and serve with the corn relish.

Albanian Cucumber Salad

Inspired by my brother in-law, Bes Islami, this is his mother’s classic cucumber salad.

2 cucumbers, sliced into half moons                                               1 large or 2 small tomatoes, chopped

½ -1 small red onion, thinly sliced                                                    Feta cheese, crumbled

Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                                                          Salt and Fresh ground pepper to taste

White vinegar (I often use white balsamic or white wine vinegar)

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.

Week 7 – July 21, 2010                                                                      Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the middle of July.  We’ve been hustling through hot, dry, sunny days now for a steady string of about 6 to 8 weeks and yet nothing can curb my excitement as I walk around the farm. I see seedlings popping up out of freshly seeded beds, summer fruiting plants of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and melons getting ready to burst with a (hopefully) bountiful harvest.  Corn stalks swaying in the breeze, garlic hanging in the greenhouse, cucumbers vining and zucchini growing as fast as we can pick them, it all hums the happy tune of summer! 

As exciting as a summers’ harvest can be, it also brings with it the long days of weeding, seeding, and irrigating and we’ve been doing our best to stay on top of it all in the absence of Paul as he’s gone to his ‘homeland’ of Italy for a well deserved vacation.  My efforts would all be for loss if it wasn’t for our fantastic apprentice crew Jake Lau, Alice English, Nate Roderick, and Amanda Rockwell to back me up and get it all done.  They make my job easy with their ever vigilant hard work.  I would also like to take the time to say Thank You to all the folks behind the scenes that help to bring in the harvest week after week while keeping the weeds at bay.  Thanks to our ‘Morning Crew’ for the hustle, Conor Coleman, Kristin Fable, Faye Barry, Basil Inferrera, Tom Harper, Haley Woodard and Austin Weyant.

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Janine, for Paul, Jake, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  Plenty of basil, cilantro, and other herbs for the picking.  Green beans are in, about 1 pound limit per share.   Lots of Sunflowers, up to 3 per share.  Flower patch is opened as well.  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: 

Sweet corn:  Best eaten immediately, you can also store sweet corn in the fridge for up to 2 days.  Remember that corn is easy to freeze, just blanch and cut the kernels off the cob and put in a zip lock bag for a winter treat!

Gold and Red Beets:  We had some trouble last year getting good germination for our gold beets but they are looking good this year!  Gold beets are sweet like our Red beets but not quite as ‘earthy’ tasting.  They also won’t bleed the way red beets will.  Grate fresh into a salad with nuts and goat or feta cheese or see recipe below!

Kale:  you might see curly green kale (frilly leaves) or lacinato kale (dark green dimpled leaves).  Both can be used interchangeably in recipes.  Store in a loosely closed plastic bag in your fridge for up to a week.

Also available:  tomatoes, carrots, green beans, cucumbers, purplette onions, lettuce or salad mix, cilantro, fresh garlic

Potentially on the way:  red torpedo onions, tomatoes, cukes, Swiss Chard, summer squash, arugula

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Avocado and Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, By Alice Waters

6 medium beets                                               salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar                        extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced fine                                2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice                                 1 tablespoon orange juice
Chervil or Parsley sprigs                                 1/4 teaspoon chopped lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon chopped orange zest                  2 firm ripe avocados

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Trim and wash beets, and put them in a baking dish.  Add a splash of water, and cover tightly.   Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender.   Let beets cool, then peel and cut into wedges.  Place in bowl, and season with salt and pepper; add red wine vinegar and 1 TBSP olive oil, and toss gently.

Combine shallots with white wine vinegar, lemon and orange juices and pinch of salt.  Macerate 15 minutes.  Whisk in 3/4-cup oil and stir in the chopped chervil or parsley, lemon zest, and orange zest. Taste for seasoning.

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Leaving the skin intact cut the avocados lengthwise into 1/4″ slices. Scoop out the slices with a large spoon and arrange them on a platter or individual dishes. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the beets over the avocado slices and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Garnish with a few chervil sprigs.

Sweet Corn and Fresh Tomato Salsa, By Paul and Janine

3-4 Tomatoes, chopped                                   2 ears sweet corn, shucked, cut the kernels

1 med red onion, diced                                      off the cob, we used ours raw!

2 garlic cloves, minced                                    1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2-3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro                       (if you like it hot, leave the seeds)

½ lemon or lime                                              salt and pepper to taste

2 TBSP oil

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 the ½ lemon or lime and squeeze some fresh juice in with your salsa ingredients.  Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Organic Warm Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Chevre, From Recipes from America’s Small Farms

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil                                         3 cups Kale, washed and torn into pieces

½ cup balsamic vinegar                                               2 cups mixed greens

2 garlic cloves, pressed                                               Salt and freshly milled black pepper

2 tsp honey                                                                  8 to 12oz firm chevre (goat cheese) sliced or crumbled

½ tsp paprika                                                               ¼ cup pistachios, toasted

1 ½ cups sliced white or cremini mushrooms

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, and paprika in a small bowl.  Bring ¼ cup of the mixture to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the kale and cook, stirring once or twice, just until it begins to wilt.

Toss the hot mixture with the greens in a large bowl; add salt and pepper to taste.  Divide the greens among 4 serving plates; top with the chevre and toasted pistachios.  Serve immediately; which the remaining balsamic vinaigrette and pass to drizzle over the greens

Week 6 – July14, 2010                                                                                   Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

We did get a little shot of rain on Saturday, but not really enough to break us out of our pattern:  plant, water, weed, pick, repeat.  But not a bad pattern to be stuck in.  This weeks share is a real hum dinger:  tomatoes! green beans! sweet corn!  fresh garlic! Throw in some greens and salad fixings and let the pickin’ and grinnin’ begin.   It’s been a hard couple of weeks on the farm but we are happy to have some great produce to offer you  to show for our efforts.  Last years amazing produce meltdowns have me grateful for the dry weather, and double grateful for our wells and irrigation equipment.  The crew has been putting in a huge effort to keep everything watered, weeded and picked, and on top of that we pulled, bunched, and hung in our greenhouse over 20,000 nice bulbs of our very popular German White hardneck garlic.  Hopefully we can squeeze a nice nights soaking rain out of the sky to make things go a little more easily.

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  Plenty of basil, cilantro, and other herbs for the picking.  Green beans are in, about 1 pound limit per share.   Flower patch is newly opened as well.  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: 

Sweet corn:  is here!  These are the extra early, petite ears from a variety called ‘Trinity’.  Very sweet and tender, they don’t need more than a minute or two of boiling –just get them hot enough to melt the butter.  Best eaten immediately, you can also store sweet cor

.

.n in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Basil:  for pesto or tomato salads.  Basil is best stored in a water filled vase like a bouquet of flowers, at room temp, out of direct sunlight.  Do not store in fridge as it turns into a brown slimy mess.

Fresh garlic:  ready to peel and chop into your favorite recipe.  Store on your counter top or in the fridge.

Tomatoes:  are starting to come in a little stronger. Most are from our greenhouse, with the first field tomatoes coming in as well, and very early at that.  Store tomatoes room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 5 days depending on ripeness.  You may get the round, red ‘standard’ varieties, or the more brightly colored (and funky shaped) heirloom varieties.  Currently harvested heirlooms include Paul Robeson, Cherokee Purple, Taxi,  and Striped German. 

Also available:  green beans, cucumbers, summer squash, lettuce, scallions,

Potentially on the way:  red torpedo onions, yellow beets, tomatoes, cukes, Swiss Chard or kale, summer squash, lettuce

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Summer Squash and Basil Salad, From Simply in Season

3-4 medium summer squash, julienned                       ¼ cup olive oil

2-3 TBSP fresh basil, chopped                                    ½ tsp salt

3-4 TBSP parmesan cheese, freshly grated                  ¼ tsp pepper

1 garlic clove, minced                                                  ¼ tsp sugar

¼ cup red wine vinegar

Toss the summer squash, basil and parmesan cheese together.  Combine the garlic, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and sugar and pour over the salad.  Mix, chill 1 hour, and serve.  Best when eaten the same day.   Great served over a fresh green salad with crusty bread.

*Farmer’s Note: This would be great with some fresh sliced tomato and scallions too!

Coconut Curried Cauliflower with Basil, from former apprentice Shad Bridges

1 lg. Yellow onion, chopped                            1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup whole basil leaves                                  1 can coconut milk     

2 TBSP curry powder                                      1 TBSP salt

1 tsp pepper                                                     1 TBSP vegetable oil   

½ cup water or broth

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat.  Add the onions and curry powder; cook about 5 minutes stirring often.  Add the cauliflower, coconut milk, and water or broth.  Cover and simmer until cauliflower is just tender.  Add the basil, salt and pepper.  Cook 5 minutes more.  Serve over rice.

Broccoli Salad with Walnuts, Raisins, and Red Onion, From Recipes from America’s Small Farms

Slice 1 ½ pounds of broccoli and cook (steam or blanch) until crisp tender.  Drain well and allow to cool.

Mix ½ cup mayonnaise or plain low-fat yogurt, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 TBSP vinegar until blended; refrigerate overnight.  Toss with the broccoli, ¼ cup chopped walnuts, ¼ cup raisins, and ¼ cup red onion.

Steamed Green Beans with Lemony Tahini Sauce, by Jenn Armentrount, from Fine Cooking

1 medium clove garlic                                     3 TBSP fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt                                                       1 lb. green beans, trimmed

3 TBSP tahini                                                   2 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish *optional

Mince the garlic.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic with a pinch of salt and use the flat end of your knife to repeatedly scrape the garlic against the cutting board, mashing it into a paste.  Transfer to a small bowl and add the tahini.  Whisk to blend.  Gradually whisk in the lemon juice; at first the tahini will thicken, but as you add more and more lemon juice it will begin to loosen.  Once all the lemon juice is added, whisk in water ½ TBSP at a time until you reach the consistency of a creamy sauce.  Stir in cumin and salt to taste.

Put the beans into a pot with a steaming basket, sprinkle with kosher salt, cover and steam until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.  To serve, drizzle the sauce over the beans and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.

Week 5 – July7, 2010                                                                         Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

Well, it’s just really hot out there.  The heat is taking its toll on the plants, and to a lesser extent, on our plucky crew.  We are running like mad this time of year.  Janine is busy leading the harvest.  Nate and Amanda are doing the plumbing and other leg work to keep our lines of sprinklers running.  Jake is switching valves all over the farm trying to keep the drip lines to the field tomatoes, peppers, and winter squash full of water.  Alice runs the transplanter rig, getting the fall Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and the last of the sweet corn into the ground.  Our Morning Crew is busy weeding, mulching, planting, and bunching carrots and radishes to put out for CSA distributions.  And I run around with the Big Irrigation Gun, pointing as much water as I can at our crops, and trying to keep up with whatever the farm throws at us.   So far we have been able to keep up with the ‘dry spell’, but we have maxed out the irrigation capacity of our wells.  They are pumping at full tilt, but still we are starting to fall behind schedule on irrigations.   Four days with forecasts over 95 F are not going to help that any…..  it’s a tight situation.  On our crop walk today, we saw some nice ears forming in the sweet corn, and small melons the size of softballs.  Winter squash and pumpkins are vining like crazy and throwing out first fruit, and tomatoes and peppers are looking good.  Nice sized spuds are hiding under the hills beneath the potato plants.  So hopefully this ‘dry spell’ won’t turn into a drought, and we’ll be able to catch up on our watering.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  Plenty of basil, cilantro, and other herbs for the picking.  The Pick Your Own patch is open to all shareholders, once per week, Tues. and Thursday 2:30 to 6:30 PM and Sat. 8AM to noon.

Featured this week: 

Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage:  a pointy headed, heirloom cabbage great for slaws and salads.  Store up to 3 weeks in the fridge crisper.

Fennel:  A Mediterranean vegetable, with a unique anise taste.  Use fresh in salads with olive oil, or see recipe below.

Purplette onions:  We’ve been trialing this early fresh onion for a few years, and this seasons edition is the nicest we’ve seen.  Cut the greens and store in the fridge for several weeks.

Parsley: Curly or flat Italian, a versatile kitchen herb.  Store in a bag in the fridge for up to a week.

Carrots:  our first of the season.  Carrots can be a little tricky to grow in New England, this is one of the best tasting crops we’ve grown.  Enjoy!

Tomatoes:  first of the season!  These are from our greenhouse.  Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 4 days depending on ripeness.  You may get the round, red ‘standard’ varieties, or the more brightly colored (and funky shaped) heirloom varieties.  This year we have Paul Robeson, Cherokee Purple, and Striped German in the greenhouse.  Tomato season will start off slow with just a few per share, and with any luck we’ll get a field crop this year to fully satiate all you tomatoholics out there.

Also available:  radishes, cucumbers, summer squash, salad mix (remember, store no more than 3 days in vented bag.  Wash and spin in a salad spinner and store there for up to a week).

Potentially on the way:  carrots, scallions, fresh garlic, green beans, tomatoes, and kale.

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Coleslaw, By Janine McCormick

The Slaw:

½ large Green and/or Red Cabbage, thinly sliced        

2 to 3 medium carrots, grated

Grated radishes or salad turnips *optional         

The Dressing:

1 TBSP sugar   salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  

1 TBSP water   1 tsp celery seed

1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar   2 TBSP dried Dill or horseradish        

Mayonnaise     ½ tsp paprika  

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

Prepare the dressing first; dissolve the sugar into the water and then add the apple cider vinegar.  Stir in mayonnaise, using as much or as little as you like for the consistency you prefer.  Add the remaining seasonings.  Taste and adjust any of the dressing ingredients to suit your taste.  Then set the dressing aside while you prepare the slaw.  Once the slaw ingredients are ready, pour the dressing over them and toss well to coat. 

Grilled Fennel with Lemon and Parmesan, by Janine McCormick

1 to 2 fennel bulbs       Sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil    Parmesan Cheese

1 lemon

Preheat your grill to medium; be sure that the grates are well cleaned.

Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, if you have a large fennel bulb you could even quarter it.  ** Be sure to leave enough of the core intact so that the fennel layers stay together.  Toss the fennel halves or quarters with a generous amount of olive oil and place on the preheated grill.  Grill for about 7 to 10 minutes per side, cooking time will vary slightly with the size of the fennel.  You will see pronounced grill marks and the fennel will become soft and tender.  Remove from the grill, drizzle with a little more olive oil, squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly grated parmesan.  Great served with grilled chicken or fish.

Shrimp and Feta stuffed Zucchini, from foodandwine.com, recipe adapted by Janine McCormick

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, more for brushing          Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped  ¾ lb. shelled and deveined shrimp, finely chopped

½ fennel bulb, finely chopped 2 TBSP chopped parsley

1 large garlic clove, minced     2 TBSP chopped dill

4 plum tomatoes, chopped       3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

½ tsp crushed red pepper         1 ½ cups crumbled feta (6 oz.)

Preheat the oven to 425.  In a skillet, heat the 2 TBSP of olive oil.  Add the onion, bell pepper, fennel and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until tender, 6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper, cook, mashing, until thickened, 5 minutes.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Remove from heat, let cool slightly.  Stir in the shrimp, parsley, and dill.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the zucchini leaving a ¼ inch shell all around.  Rub with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Stuff with the filling mixture.  Transfer to a lightly oiled roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes, until the filling is cooked through and the zucchini are just tender.

Preheat the broiler, position a rack 6 inches from the heat.  Top the zucchini with the feta and broil for 5 minutes, until the feta is melted and golden.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 4 – June 29, 2010                                                                      Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

When I was a kid my Mom used to read a story book to me called “That’s Good, That’s Bad”.  It was about a small boy who runs into a tiger, and the tiger says “Run and I’ll eat you”, but the boy is too tired to run and proceeds to tell a harrowing tale of good and bad breaks involving encounters with jungle creatures, where things that seem bad (That’s Bad!) turn out to be good, and vice versa.  Farming is a lot like this story.  It doesn’t rain for a month. That’s Bad because we have to irrigate and that takes a lot of time, money, and equipment.  But That’s Good for the strawberry crop, which was among the biggest and best tasting we’ve grown in a long time.  I go out to seed the mid season corn and way overseed it.  That’s Bad, we declare as we look at it on our weekly crew crop walk last week—now we will have to thin it.  But actually That’s Good, because when we do go to thin it, it turns out that wire worms, geese, and some unknown fungus found it and killed half the plants.  The warm temperatures this spring and summer have pushed crops way ahead of schedule.  That’s Good for the crops and hungry CSA shareholders, but That’s Bad if you are trying to kill weeds, which are growing at an unbelievable rate.  Lucky for us we have a great crew of college and high school students we hire for the summer to help us hack back the weeds and bring in some of the crops.  We call them the Morning Crew, because they mostly work morning hours, and their hard work is helping us keep on top of things, and That’s Good!

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

CSA ANNOUNCEMENTS

-Fourth of July holiday—all CSA distributions will go ahead on their regular schedule.  No changes.

-We are emailing a ‘jazzed up’ version of the newsletter to all primary shareholders.  It has an easy to use ‘forward’ button so you can send it along to others if you share a share.  If you are a primary shareholder, please make sure that forthillfarm@gmail.com is on your email contact list, so this ends up in your inbox.  Remember, everything we used to send by US post will now be sent to your email address. 

-Box Shareholders:  please carefully bend back the tabs on your box when opening, without ripping them.  Remove all leaves, etc, wash and air dry the box if necessary, and bring back to your drop site the next week.  Thanks for your cooperation!

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  We’re opening most of the herb patch this week.  With the hot, dry weather this year, peas were a fast crop this year, some left but fading fast.  Strawberry season about over.  The Pick Your Own patch is open to all shareholders, once per week, Tues. and Thursday 2:30 to 6:30 PM and Sat. 8AM to noon.

Featured this week: 

Early Wonder Beets:  both the greens and  roots of these sweet early beets are great to eat, chop and steam the whole lot or see recipe below.  Store for up to a week in a loose plastic bag in the fridge.  Also see Steamed Beets and Greens with Goat Cheese over Pasta recipe on our web site, a crew favorite.

Escarole:  this is not lettuce!  Very bitter raw, but wonderful for soups, or Escarole and Beans (see recipe at www.forthillfarm.com), or check out recipe below.  Store for up to 10 days in a loose plastic bag in the fridge.

Cilantro:  versatile herb, store in the fridge in a loose plastic bag for up to one week.

Basil tops:  we have a booming first crop, we’re trying to get it cut before it flowers out so here’s another shot.  Store basil like a bouquet of flowers—in a glass of water at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

Salad turnips:  we find folks really like these once they give them a try.  Best chopped raw onto a salad.  Can also be cooked, and greens can be steamed.  Store entire bunch for up to 5 days in loose plastic bag in fridge.  Roots will store for up to 2 weeks in the fridge crisper if you tear off the tops.

Also available:  summer squash, broccoli, scallions, arugula (remember, store no more than 3 days in vented bag.  Wash and spin in a salad spinner and store there for up to a week).

Potentially on the way:  carrots, wakefield cabbage, parsley, fennel, cucumbers, summer squash, purplette onions

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Sautéed Escarole with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Capers, By Shareholder Jennifer Armentrout, from Fine Cooking

1 head escarole, trimmed, rinsed, and cut into roughly 2-inch pieces
Kosher salt                                                                                            1 Tbs. raisins

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil                                                                ½ Tbs. capers, rinsed
1-2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled                                   Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. pine nuts                                                                                    ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

*Tip: You can blanch the escarole up to one hour ahead. Wait until just before serving to add the lemon juice, though, as the acid in the juice will dull the escarole’s color if it sits too long. Serves 4.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the escarole and cook until the stem pieces start to soften, about 2 minutes (the water needn’t return to a boil). Drain, run under cold water to cool, and drain again.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic browns slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the garlic with tongs and discard. Add the pine nuts, raisins, capers, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the pine nuts are golden and the raisins puff, about 1 minute. Add the escarole, increase the heat to medium high, and cook, tossing often, until heated through and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and season to taste with salt.

Early Summer Beet Salad, By Janine McCormick

1 Bunch beets with greens                                                 Salad Turnips or Radishes sliced thin

Fresh Spinach or Arugula                                                   Toasted nuts, like almonds, pecans, walnuts or sunflower seeds

Fresh berries in season, sliced *optional                          Goat cheese, crumbled

Chop up the beet greens and spinach or arugula, wash, dry and toss together.  Peel and chop your beets into preferred salad-sized pieces and either steam, boil or roast until tender, whichever cooking method you prefer.  Let the beets cool slightly before adding them to your greens. Toss everything together.   Lightly dress with Olive Oil and an aged Balsamic Vinegar; season with fresh ground black pepper and crumbled Goat Cheese.  Serve with warm crusty bread for a light meal on a hot summer day!

Couscous with Cilantro and Melted Scallions, by Perla Meyers of Fine Cooking

This would be great with grilled zucchini and grilled chicken or fish.

¼ cup unsalted butter                                                                         3 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth

1 bunch scallions                                                                                 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro                                              Juice of 1 lemon or lime

10 oz. (1 ½ cups, or 1 box) couscous

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, add the scallions, and cook, covered, until tender, about 8 minutes.  Add the cilantro, couscous, broth, ½ tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Stir, bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and remove from the heat.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Fluff the couscous with a fork.  Taste for salt, add a large grinding of pepper, and season with some of the lime or lemon juice.

Week 3 – June 22, 2010                                                                      Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

This week is a great harvest, and we are really enjoying bringing in the veg.  Dry weather increases our work load because we have to move pipe, drag our travelling irrigation gun all over the farm, and run miles of drip tape to our thirsty fields.   But it sure does bring on the best in crops.  I think California growers have it pretty easy.  It stops raining there in April, and then the snow melt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains pours down into the Central valley, and they turn on the taps and start irrigating.  Nothing to it!  It’s been so dry that the pines have been scenting the air around the apprentice house, which made me think of those nice California growing conditions, which seem to have migrated east this year.  Most crops are putting on strong growth.  We should have summer squash soon, with the cukes a week or two later.  First sweet corn is starting to tassel, melons are starting to vine and hints of red have been sited in the greenhouse tomatoes.  And lots of spring greens for salads and sauté.  

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

CSA ANNOUNCEMENTS

-We are emailing a ‘jazzed up’ version of the newsletter to all primary shareholders.  It has an easy to use ‘forward’ button so you can send it along to others if you share a share.  If you are a primary shareholder, please make sure that forthillfarm@gmail.com is on your email contact list, so this ends up in your inbox.  Remember, everything we used to send by US post will now be sent to your email address. 

-Box Shareholders:  please carefully bend back the tabs on your box when opening, without ripping them.  Remove all leaves, etc, wash and air dry the box if necessary, and bring back to your drop site the next week.  Thanks for your cooperation!

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  Been a great run in the strawberry patch this year but the parties about over.  Snap peas coming in nicely, limit should be around a quart this week.  One bunch of basil available per share.  The Pick Your Own patch is open to all shareholders, once per week, Tues. and Thursday 2:30 to 6:30 PM and Sat. 8AM to noon.

Featured this week: 

Broccoli:  has done pretty well this spring despite all the hot and dry weather, which it is not crazy about. 

Spinach:  Great fresh for salads, wash the greens and then spin dry in a salad spinner, and either store them in the spinner or move to a clean, dry, covered bowl in the fridge.  Do not store salad or spinach for more than three days in the vented greens bag.

Snap peas:  I guess you can cook them, but I like to just eat them fresh. Store in fridge for up to 3 days.

Swiss Chard:  versatile cooking green, great sautéed with garlic and onions, or try recipe below.

Basil:  a nice bunch for pesto.  If you still have your garlic scapes, basil and scapes make a great pesto.

Also available: radishes, lettuce (red, butterhead, or romaine)

Potentially on the way:  beets with green, scallions, summer squash, salad mix, cilantro, escarole

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Swiss Chard Bruschetta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, By Janine McCormick

Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                                Sea Salt and Fresh ground black pepper to taste       

4 garlic cloves, chopped                                              1 Loaf French or Italian bread, cut into ¼ inch slices

1 bunch Swiss chard                                                   Fresh Mozzarella, sliced

6-8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced        A couple TBSP fresh basil, chopped 

¼ cup dry white wine *optional                                 Fresh grated Parmesan Reggiano or Romano cheese

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Heat 4-6 TBSP of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about one minute (do not brown the garlic!).  Add the chard stems and sauté until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the chard leaves and wine, if using.  Continue to sauté until the chard is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Remove from the heat and toss in the sun-dried tomatoes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Top the bread with fresh mozzarella and return to the oven to melt.  Top with the sautéed chard mixture, a sprinkle of fresh basil, and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and enjoy!

Sesame Broccoli Salad, From Recipes from America’s Small Farms

1 ½ pounds broccoli                                                    2 TBSP toasted sesame oil     

2 TBSP soy sauce or tamari                                        2 TBSP honey

2 TBSP rice wine vinegar                                           ½ cup toasted sesame seeds

Slice 1 ½ pounds of broccoli and cook (steam or blanch) until crisp tender.  Drain well and allow to cool.

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and honey in a large bowl.  Toast ½ cup sesame seeds in a heavy skillet; let cool.  Mix the broccoli and half the sesame seeds into the dressing.  Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours, tossing occasionally.  Transfer the broccoli to a platter, pour the dressing over, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

Caesar Salad, from allrecipes.com

1 head Romaine lettuce                                              1 egg

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil                                         1 lemon, juiced

3 TBSP red wine vinegar                                            Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce                                          ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ tsp salt                                                                     1 ½ cups garlic croutons

¼ TBSP ground mustard                                            1 (2 oz.) can anchovy filets

1 clove crushed garlic

Clean lettuce and spin dry in a salad spinner.  In a bowl or jar combine oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, garlic, and lemon juice.  Whisk until well blended.

Coddle egg by heating 3 cups of water to boiling.  Drop in egg, still in its’ shell, and let stand for 1 minute.  Remove egg from water and let cool.  Once cooled, crack open and whisk into the dressing until thoroughly blended.

Mash the desired amount of anchovies and whisk into dressing.  If desired, set aside a few for garnish. 

Tear cleaned romaine leaves into a large salad bowl.  Pour dressing over top and toss lightly.  Add the grated cheese, croutons, and fresh ground black pepper, toss.  Serve immediately.

Week 2 – June 15, 2010                                                                      Paul Bucciaglia

                                                                                                            18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford,  CT 06776

                                                                                                            860-210-7961

                                                                                                            forthillfarm@gmail.com

                                                                                                            www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

June is always a hectic month for the farm.  We still have plenty of planting to do, a task that will occupy us right into early September when we seed the last of the fall salad greens.  And the 13 acres we have planted is always crying for attention.  The recent rains brought much needed moisture to our crops, but the combination of moisture, sun and heat has set the weed machine in motion.  The long days bring on some incredible growth, and sometimes what looks like a few weeds in the lettuce turns into a jungle that threatens to bring down the whole crop overnight.  We’re also keeping our eyes peeled for insect and disease pests, irrigating when necessary, mulching the tomato and pepper rows, and, of course, picking and packing the spring crops! 

Hope you enjoy the harvest. 

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Alice, Amanda, and Nate

CSA ANNOUNCEMENTS

-Please be sure to read the newsletter each week!   This is our way to communicate with you, our members.  We are emailing a copy to each shareholder, we post it each Tuesday on our web site, and if you prefer, paper copies of newsletters are available at your distribution site.  

-More recipes, plus produce storage and processing info, available at www.forthillfarm, just click on the “Recipes” tab for a veritable cornucopia of information. 

-Pick Your Own at the farm:  still some good strawberries out there although you have to work a little harder and make sure to pick only firm berries.  Hard to predict limits as it is highly weather dependant, but 2 quarts per share is a good bet, extra quarts available supply permitting.  Snap peas starting to come in, limit one pint per share.  The Pick Your Own patch is open to all shareholders, once per week, Tues. and Thursday 2:30 to 6:30 PM and Sat. 8AM to noon.

Featured this week: 

Chinese Cabbage:  versatile green that can be used in salad and stir fry, see recipe below.  Store for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Spinach and Salad mix:  Janine is our official greens seeder, and after a couple of years of adjustments we are getting some really nice cut leaf crops from the high density seeder we bought a few years ago.  For both spinach and salad mix, wash the greens and then spin dry in a salad spinner, and either store them in the spinner or move to a clean, dry, covered bowl in the fridge.  Do not store salad or spinach for more than three days in the vented greens bag.

Kohlrabi:  give this one a try!  I like to just peel them, slice ‘em up and eat them, or you can sauté or steam it as well.  We have the regular green and a fancy purple varieties.  Leaves can be sautéed if you like but the peeled and sliced bulb is the main event on this crop.  Store in fridge in a loose plastic bag for up to two weeks.

Garlic scapes:  putting together a CSA share in the spring is tough, because I end up breaking my “no more than one weird vegetable a week rule” quite a bit.   But give the scapes a chance, and you will be pleasantly surprised.  These are the flowers of our hard neck garlic, and they are quite delicious lightly steamed and sautéed with spring greens.  The whole thing is edible, although I usually trim off the very thin ‘whip’ at the tip of the scape.  Then chop up the stem and the flower bulb and use as you would garlic.  Makes a great pesto over pasta, see recipes at www.forthillfarm.com.  Will store for weeks in your fridge crisper.

Potentially on the way:   lettuce, radishes, garlic scapes, Swiss chard, escarole

Recipes, suggested by Janine McCormick

Spinach and Scape Frittata, Adapted from dakotagarlic.com

3 TBSP olive oil                                               10 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach                1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP. chopped parsley or basil                    1/2 cup finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients except olive oil and garlic scapes.
3.  Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the garlic scapes and sauté until tender on medium heat for about five minutes.
4.  Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic scapes and cook over low for three minutes.
5. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set.
6. Cut into wedges and serve.

Potato and Kohlrabi Gratin, Recipe by Eberhard Muller

3 oz. Sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into thin strips     2 cups heavy cream

2 TBSP crème fraiche or sour cream                           ½ garlic clove, minced

½ tsp minced thyme                                                     Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes                                       2 medium kohlrabi, peeled

Preheat oven to 300.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. 

In a small skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until barely crisp, about 4 minutes.  Drain on paper towels, and then transfer to a large bowl.  Stir in the heavy cream, crème fraiche, garlic and thyme.  Season the cream generously with salt and pepper.

Using a mandolin, thinly slice the potatoes and kohlrabi, then add to the cream and toss to mix.  Spread the potatoes, kohlrabi, and cream in an even layer in the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.  Increase the oven temperature to 325 and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes longer, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is browned.  Let the gratin stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Hoisin Pork with Chinese Cabbage, by Tony Rosenfeld, Fine Cooking, adapted by Janine McCormick

1 lb. Pork Tenderloin, cut into ¼ inch strips about 3 inches long

1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste                                    3 TBSP hoisin sauce

2 TBSP soy sauce                                                        1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

3 TBSP canola or peanut oil                                        2 tsp minced garlic

6 cup Chinese Cabbage cut into 1 ½ inch pieces         1 red bell pepper, cored, sliced into 3 inch lengths

¼ cup thinly sliced scallions, green part only

In a large bowl, season the pork with ½ tsp. of the salt.  In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Heat 2 TBSP of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until simmering hot.  Add the pork and cook, until it browns and loses most of its raw appearance, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 TBSP of oil to the skillet.  Add the garlic, once it begins to sizzle, add the cabbage and pepper.  Sprinkle with remaining ½ tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until the cabbage starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.

Add the hoisin mixture, the pork, half of the scallions and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute.  Let sit for 2 minutes off the heat, the cabbage will exude some liquid and form a rich broth, toss well again and serve sprinkled with remaining scallions.

Fort Hill Farm CSA

*To blanch, drop trimmed (but uncut) broccoli raab into boiling salted water. After two minutes (even if the water hasn’t returned to a boil), drain and refresh under cold water.

Put the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and starts to sizzle slightly, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low if the garlic starts to brown. Stir in the lemon zest, 1/4 tsp. salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Raise the heat to medium high and add the broccoli raab, turning to thoroughly coat in the oil and spices. Turn frequently, until it is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, sprinkle lemon juice over the broccoli raab, toss again, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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