Fort Hill Farm

February CSA Share Payments are due

Paul — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:12:09 +0000

Just a reminder, if you haven’t already sent it in or payed your share in full, your next CSA payment is due by February 15th ($235 or if you prefer your balance paid in full).

We hope you are all enjoying this winter, we’ve been busy gearing up for another year by making our crop plans, getting all of our seeds ordered, and doing our best to finish up our winter admin in the next few weeks. We’ll be seeing you soon!

Week 21 October 28, 2009

Paul — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:05:28 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 21– October 28, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

As the 2009 CSA harvest season comes to a close, I find myself having mixed feelings about this “year of the great monsoon”. On the one hand, we had amazing spring broccoli and salad crops. But the same rains that created all that abundance brought disappointing harvests in the pepper and winter squash patches, and for the first time in my 36 years of gardening and farming, I completely lost a tomato crop. While watching 4,000 tomato plants melt overnight was discouraging, we persevered and we were all rewarded with a very strong fall harvest of cooking greens, garlic, salad mix, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cabbage. For the last four distributions, we have tried to pile on extra storage crops, such as sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes, and we hope you find your fridge and root storage bin full of Fort Hill Farm produce to tide you over for the next month or so.

I’d like to take this time to thank all the people who make the CSA possible. This year’s crew was one of those groups that just revved up to get the job done. Janine, Sarah, Aaron, and Jake were first rate people to work with, and never complained, even in the nastiest of conditions. Our crew of summer and fall workers helped us contain the weeds and bring in the harvest, and as usual our reliable helpers Heather Phillip and Bob Cornell helped with the box pack, and John McGuigan at the Westport Market. Joe Bucciaglia was there to help with spring infrastructure projects, and Christin Laughlin was in the barn every Thursday distribution to help out with that busy time. We’d also like to thank all the drop site coordinators who make the Box CSA possible.

But I think an extra big thank you goes out to the Fort Hill Farm shareholders this season. I may have become a bit complacent over the years, as we enjoyed year after year of improved yields and quality in our produce. If I have learned anything from the difficulties this season, it is to never take a crop for granted, and to be thankful for whatever the farm is able to offer us. This year also reinforced the incredible trust that shareholders place in us. It meant a great deal to us that shareholders cheerfully accepted the downs of this year, and offered us kind words and support. All of us here at the farm thank you for being part of the CSA, and for taking the extra effort to support our farm.

We hope you enjoyed the harvest, have a peaceful winter, and join us next spring.

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Sarah, and Aaron

-BULK PRODUCE is available for purchase at the farm during this last week of regular Mix and Match distributions (Tuesday and Thursday 2:30 to 6:30PM, and Saturday 8AM to Noon). All shareholders are welcome to purchase selected crops by the pound or piece. This week we have several kinds of potatoes, green cabbage, spinach, leeks, lettuce, and various cooking greens available for purchase, while supplies last. Potatoes are available unwashed and will hold for several months in a cool, dry, dark place. Check the ‘Bulk Produce’ board in the barn for details.

-THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR CSA DISTRIUBUTIONS. We hope you enjoyed this season’s harvest, and look forward to bringing you more fresh, local, organic produce in 2010.

-CSA SHARE RENEWAL FORMS AND SURVEYS were mailed a few weeks ago, please email or call us if you are a primary shareholder and did not receive this mailing. Completed renewal forms and share down payments are due by December 15. If we don’t hear from you by then, we will offer your share to the next person on our wait list.

-BOX SHAREHOLDERS: have a couple of options for returning your last box. 1) Load your share into some bags and leave the box this week. 2) Return the box within one week to your drop site. 3) Hang on to the box and return it at the first pickup in 2010. We need all boxes back, clean and unripped! Thanks!

-If you share a share and would like your own, please add your name to our wait list when it opens on January 1. The wait list is at www.forthillfarm.com, click on “CSA Enrollment”. We’ll contact you as soon as a share becomes available. Please note that the wait list will only be open for a few weeks in 2010.

Featured this week:

Parsnips: a quintessential New England crop. Great roasted or in soups and stews. Will store for months in your fridge crisper.

Celeriac: We’d really like to get people excited about this great veggie, as we have a hard time growing quality celery. Peel and cube for roasting or in soups and stews. Also great sliced in with potatoes au gratin. Will store for months in your fridge crisper.

Also available: bell peppers, leeks, carrots, spinach, lettuce, garlic, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts.

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Leek, Potato, and Celeriac Soup, from The Cook’s Garden catalog, Spring/Summer 1990

¼ cup butter 4 Leeks, roots and tops removed

3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½ “slices 1 Celeriac knob, peeled, cut into 1”chunks

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock Thyme, Basil and/or marjoram to taste

Melt the butter in a stockpot. Slice leeks into ¼ inch slices and add to stock pot. Sauté for 5 minutes until golden. Add potatoes and celeriac and sauté for 5 minutes. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of stock, cover and continue to cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour vegetables and stock into a food processor or work in batches in a blender and puree. Return puree to stock pot, add remaining stock and herbs. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Stuffed Peppers, A favorite recipe contributed by a fellow shareholder!

1 lb. ground beef 2 TBSP olive oil

1 small can tomato paste 1 med. red onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup beef stock

½ tsp dried thyme ½ tsp dried oregano

2 cups cooked brown rice 8 oz. Grated cheddar cheese

6 Peppers sliced lengthwise and seeded salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. In a heavy skillet brown the ground beef in the oil for 15 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock and herbs. Bring to a boil then simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from the heat; add the cooked rice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set peppers cut side up in a greased baking dish. Fill with beef and rice mixture, top with grated cheddar cheese and bake for 45 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling.

Burnished Chicken Thighs with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips, By Lori Longbotham, from Fine Cooking

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil                                                                3 Tbs. whole-grain Dijon mustard
1-1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar                                                              1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper                                               8 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and skin
1 med-large sweet potato, peeled, cut into ½ “ pieces                  4 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into ½ “pieces
3 strips bacon                                                                                       1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 small shallots, lobes separated, peeled and halved through the root end

Stir together the oil, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Heat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the chicken skin side up on one end of a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with any remaining marinade. At the other end of the baking sheet, toss together the sweet potato, parsnips, shallots, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer. Sprinkle the chicken and vegetables lightly with a little more salt and roast for 20 min. Baste the chicken with the pan juices using a brush and stir the vegetables. Continue to roast, basting and stirring every 10 min., until the chicken is burnished—deeply browned—and the vegetables are tender, about 30 min. more.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until crisp, 5 to 8 min. Drain the bacon on paper towels. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble it and toss with the parsley.

When the chicken is done, stir the vegetables and transfer them to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Toss with half of the bacon mixture. Baste the chicken and transfer with tongs to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the remaining bacon mixture, and serve hot.

Make Ahead Tips

For this recipe, you can marinate the chicken as soon as you get home from work and cook it in an hour or two. Or you can toss all the ingredients together quickly in the morning and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator all day. The recipes say to turn the chicken occasionally, but if you’re not home during the day, don’t worry about that.

Week 19 October 14, 2009

Paul — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:28:55 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 19– October 14, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

Jack Frost nipped our noses on Sunday night. Not too big a deal, as the summer crops have been winding down for a while now. And the spinach, tatsoi, collard greens, broccoli, kale, Brussels Sprouts, and cabbage all get sweeter when exposed to below freezing temperatures. That’s because many of these crops accumulate sugar as an antifreeze. Fall crops are among the highest quality harvests we get in New England, and this September was particularly good to us. The frosts at this time of year also mean we have to take a break from “early bird gets the worm” mind set that farmers generally have, because even the cold tolerant crops need to thaw before we can handle them. We’re all thankful for a bit more time to keep hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock in the morning.

Otherwise, we are still busy bringing in the root crops. We’ve almost completed the potato and carrot harvests, and plan to hit the beet patch pretty hard next week to get a big shot of them into the share. And we’re also looking forward to getting back to the spring projects we had to abandon in June once the harvesting and weeding began in earnest.

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Sarah, and Aaron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) on the farm is just about done for the season. A few herbs and flowers still around.

-CSA DISTRIUBUTIONS continue through October. CSA Renewal forms are in the mail.

-NOTE TO BOX SHAREHOLDERS: we went to a slightly larger box this week to accommodate the Brussels sprouts, please carefully fold back the tabs, without tearing them, and return this and any other boxes next week. Thanks!

Featured this week:

Sweet dumpling squash: One of my favorites, has a flavor like Delicata but a little dryer flesh. See recipe below. Will store for up to a few weeks to 2 months if unblemished.

Brussels sprouts: What I’ve consistently found amazing is that kids really love to try our sprouts, once they seem them on the stem, right out of the field. I have yet to see that kind of enthusiasm for the ones that come in a frozen square block, which I find interesting. Pluck the sprouts off, and steam with a little salt and butter. Store sprouts for at least a week in the refrigerator.

Sweet potatoes: just a reminder here, store at room temp, and do not wash until ready to cook them. They keep pretty well on the kitchen counter. I have had some tubers store for 6 or 7 months this way. The small, thin ones are great sliced, rubbed with oil, and baked as ‘oven fries’, you can eat them skins and all.

“Elba” potatoes: A new variety for us. What a roller coaster ride it is to keep up with American eating habits. Four or five years ago, when “carbohydrate” was a four letter word, no one wanted potatoes. So we reduced our plantings, which prompted several “Where’s the spuds?!” comments from shareholders over the ensuing years, as the anti-carbo rhetoric mellowed out. I asked my friend Howie Bronson, over at Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury, for a high yielding, general purpose spud, and he recommended Elba. I haven’t had a chance to try them, so let me know what you think. The Fedco catalog says they have “moist, flavorful flesh, and they store well.” They yielded so well that they have overwhelmed our storage capacaity, so we are distributing them UNWASHED so you can store them at home. Store them dirty and in a dark, cool, airy place, and they should hold for many weeks. This will give you a chance to catch up on any washed potatoes you may have kicking around in your kitchen, while saving these Elba tubers for November, after the CSA distributions end.

Onions: here’s the last shot of onions for the year. Since we lack the facilities to cure and hold storage onions well, this year we increased our plantings of fresh summer onions and fall leeks to compensate. More leeks on the way next week!

Also available: broccoli, salad mix, lettuce, garlic, kale, carrots

Potentially on the way: butternut squash, potatoes, leeks, spinach, beets, carrots, green cabbage, lettuce.

Recipes (recommendations from Sarah):

Kale Salad, Adapted by Paul Bucciaglia

Farmers note: a local natural food store makes this stuff and I find it addictive. Double everything if you want to make a big batch. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos can be found at most natural food stores.

½ bunch of kale, stems removed, rough chopped 1/4 of head of red cabbage, shaved

1/2 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

2-3 TBSP olive oil 4 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

2 TBSP Lemon juice 1 to 3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

1 to 2 TBSP Sesame oil salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the chopped kale, sliced onion, and shaved red cabbage in a large bowl.

Whisk together the olive oil, Braggs Liquid Aminos, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over veggies, toss well to coat, cover, and refrigerate over night.

Serve Chilled.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Curried Apples, From wholeliving.com

2 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes 2 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp honey

1 onion, halved and sliced 1/4 tsp curry powder

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 small tart apple, peeled, cored, diced

2 jalapeno peppers, ribs and 1/4 cup plain yogurt

seeds removed, thinly sliced 2 tbsp chopped mint, for garnish

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup dry sherry (optional)

4 cups vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, turning once, or until potatoes are very soft. When cool enough to handle, scoop cooked potato out of skins. Discard skins.

Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add bell pepper, jalapenos, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes. Add sherry (if using), sweet potato, and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes until flavors have blended.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender. Combine batches in a clean pot. The soup should be thick. If you prefer a thinner soup, add water or more broth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, honey, and curry powder to a boils. Add apple; stir for 1 minute and remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls, add a spoonful of apples, a spoonful of yogurt, and a sprinkle of mint.

Mashed Maple Squash, From eatingwell.com

1 small squash (1 1/4 lbs), 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

halved and seeded 1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 400. Coat 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place squash cut side down in prepared baking pan. Bake until soft, about 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Scrape the soft squash flesh into medium bowl. Stir in syrup, butter, cinnamon and salt with a fork, mashing the squash until somewhat smooth.

Week 18, October 7 2009

Paul — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:47:24 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 18– October 7, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

This week’s edition of the Farm News is brought to you by Jake Lau. Jake came to us straight from the Horticulture Department at the University of Minnesota. He’s been hard at work in the fields this summer, adding some practical experience to his agricultural resume. After reading his ‘Farm News’ article below, I am considering taking a hiatus for the rest of the Fall! Jake writes:

The machines at Fort Hill Farm are alive! Not like in the movies where inanimate objects come to life. The machines don’t come alive at night like the toys in Toy Story. They don’t spring to life when we are away. Instead, they just stop working. At first glance, this may not seem all that surprising given the age of many of the machines on the farm. Old machines break or need special attention from time to time. No news there. But when we took another look, the precise timing of the tractor and machine failures peaked our suspicion.

This year, like many of the previous years, most of the cases of machine failure on the farm have come when Paul has recently arrived after being away from a project. These breakdowns happen so often that we can almost sense when something will break. If a project or job is going well, we will often joke that if Paul were to come and help, something would surely break. Even Paul noticed this phenomenon. He said that if the crew is in the field working on something tractor related he might not check to see how things are going because he knows that when he does, something may stop working. What could be causing the tractors to fail right as Paul arrives? Is it because we might get a little bit nervous when the boss is around, or is it something else?

I think it is because the machines like Paul’s attention and feel neglected when he is not around. They need him as much as he needs them. Why else would the bed lifter start cutting carrots for the 20 feet when Paul is present, but worked fine for the first half of the bed without him. Or, why would the greens spinner work perfectly for the first five cycles, but break on the sixth cycle right as Paul arrives? If only the tractors knew that the crew likes them as much as Paul does. Maybe then the tractors would work all the time regardless of who is present. So if any tractors are reading this, please keep working, we all love you.

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Jake, for Paul, Janine, Sarah, and Aaron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Just about all the PYO crops winding down. Some raspberries and green beans still available. Lots of beautiful dahlias in the flower patch! PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Sat.8AM to noon.

-CONGRATULATIONS to Janine Meyer and Chris McCormick, who tied the knot on Sunday, October 4^th. Janine has been an Apprentice and Assistant Manager on the farm for five seasons now, and Chris apprenticed on the farm in 2006, but traded in his hoe and harvest knife for a chainsaw and tree climbing ropes pretty much as soon as he could. We wish them the best of everything in their new life together, and a very restful honeymoon on the Mayan Riviera.

-CSA DISTRIUBUTIONS CONTINUE THROUGH OCTOBER! Lots of roots, greens, and winter squash on the way. Also, 2010 SHARE RENEWAL letters for current CSA members will be sent to you soon via US mail. If you know of folks who are interested in a CSA share, they can add their name to our wait list at www.forthillfarm.com starting January 1.

Featured this week:

Butternut squash: Probably the best known of the winter squash. Will store for months in a dry, airy, cool or room temperature spot PROVIDED they do not have any blemishes. Since many of them do, we recommend you cook as soon as you can. Standard winter squash prep, see web site “Recipes” for details, or try the recipe below.

Turnips: Much maligned, but truly a stout veggie, and a New England classic. Try them mashed alone or with spuds, roasted with other root veggies, or in the gratin recipe below. Will store for many weeks in your crisper if you need to work up some courage before cooking them.

Red Cabbage: first of our fall cabbages, red cabbage is great shredded into salad, or mixed with green frilly kale, onions, and lemon juice for a very tasty and nutritious winter salad substitute for those yukky bagged salad mixes you find in the box stores. Eat local! Will store for MONTHS in the back of your fridge, just waiting for you to appreciate its crisp sweetness, lovely red color, and its power pack of antioxidants and vitamins.

Collard greens: all we are saying, is give collards a chance. Try them with onions, a bit o’ bacon, and some black eyed peas, see recipes at www.forthillfarm.com, click on ‘recipes’.

Carola potatoes: one of my favorites, great for roasting or oven fries. Lovely golden color.

Also available: carrots, spinach, Farmers choice, garlic

Potentially on the way: sweet dumpling squash, potatoes, onions, spinach, beets, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, garlic

Recipes (recommendations from Sarah):

Collard Greens with Red Onions and Bacon, from The Gourmet Cookbook, modified by Sarah Woutat

4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into quarters ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 cups chopped red onion ½ tsp salt

½ cup chicken broth 1 bunch collard greens, coarse stems

1/8 cup cider vinegar removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar

Cook bacon in a heavy pot over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towel and drain. Cook onions in fat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add stock, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes, salt, and half of bacon to pot and simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Add half the collards, tossing until slightly wilted, and then add remaining collards, tossing until wilted and combined. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Orzo with Fresh Sage, from the Bon Appetite Cookbook

3 tbsp butter ½ cup dry white wine

1 cup chopped onion 4 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup orzo

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, halved, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

seeded, and cut into1/2 inch cubes 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash cubes and stir to coat. Add ½ cup chicken broth and wine. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring remaining 3 ½ cups broth to boil in heavy saucepan. Add orzo. Boil uncovered until orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain if necessary. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in squash, then Parmesan and sage. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Herbed Turnip Gratin, from The Bon Appetite Cookbook

1 large clove garlic 1 ¼ cups whipping cream

1 pound turnips, peeled, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon salt

2 tbsp flour ½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup chopped chives ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Rub 11×7 inch glass or ceramic baking dish with garlic. Butter dish. Add 1/3 of turnips. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp flour, then 1/3 of chives. Top with remaining turnips and sprinkle with remaining chives. Bring cream, ½ tsp salt, pepper, and nutmeg to a simmer in small saucepan. Pour mixture over turnips. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until turnips are tender, top browns, and cream thickens, about 20 minutes.

Week 17, September 30, 2009

Paul — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:14:48 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 17– September 30, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

The big news last week is that the crew knocked off the sweet potato harvest. Even with our tractor mounted digger, this is a hard job. First, Jake took the flail mower over the patch to shred all the leaves. Next, we cut the vines with some coulters (look like big pizza cutters) under a cultivating tractor. Then we get our backs into it, and rip out all the vines. Then comes the fun part. We rig up our potato digger with a big plate to scoop up the tubers, and sink it into the ground. When we start pulling the digger, the sweet potatoes climb up the bed chain, where they are sifted from the soil. Then we pull the tubers apart from each other, sort them out, and bag them up. We had some nice warm days for digging last week, and when we were done, dozens of red mesh bags dotted the patch where the vines once were. Then we put all that stored up summer sun in the greenhouse to let the sweet potatoes convert some of that starch to sugar. This takes a few weeks, but we’ve sampled the tubers we first started digging back in mid September and found them quite tasty. We should have them in the share a couple more times this season.

So right now we are taking an inventory of what crops we have left. Our goal at this point is to divide them up so that we get everyone their ‘share’ of the fall root, squash, and greens crops. While we don’t have any bin buster crops in the mix, overall the outlook is pretty good for the fall crops.

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for Janine, Sarah, Jake, and Aaron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Flowers and herbs winding down. We also have a new PYO crop of raspberries this year, limits range from a half pint to a pint. Still some green and wax beans, last of season, extra beans available to purchase for freezing. PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Sat.8AM to noon.

-BOX SHAREHOLDERS: Please, please do not rip your box when you open it. After cleaning and drying your box, gently fold back the tabs WITHOUT RIPPING THEM. Please return your box each week. If you offer your share to a friend for a week, please pass along this info. Why do I care so much about the boxes?? They are expensive, they cannot be recycled, and they should last for years with a little care. Thanks so much to those out there who are returning clean, unripped boxes ready to pack each week!

Featured this week:

Pie Pumpkins: Very popular with shareholders, these are great for pies and breads. We’ve decided to give them out earlier this year so you can decide weather you want to use them for Halloween face painting or Thanksgiving pies. Either way, they don’t store well for us on the farm in bins. If you plan to use them for baking (staff recommended use!), follow the directions below. Easy to freeze for later use.

Red Bok Choy: just like the green variety, only a little jazzier. Sauté or stir fry.

Sweet potatoes: One of the most common questions we get in the fall is “When are the sweet potatoes coming in?” The reason for the wait is two fold. First, sweet potatoes are among the slowest growing of crops, and they can’t be planted until after all danger of frost. Second, even after we get them out of the ground, it takes a few weeks in a warm spot to get them to sweeten up. But here they are, and hopefully worth the wait! We’ve learned that sweet potatoes are very sensitive to chilling, so we are distributing them without washing them to spare them the cold water dunk (we also are pretty happy not to have to wash 5,000 lbs. of roots….). If the tubers are in good shape, they should store for months at room temperature in a dry, airy location. Wash right before you intend to use them. Great baked, roasted, or oven fried.

Also available: broccoli, beets, broccoli raab, garlic, peppers, potatoes, radishes, Farmers choice

Potentially on the way: butternut squash, potatoes, leeks, spinach, a salad ingredient or two, carrots, kale

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Broccoli and Bok Choy Stir-Fry. From Vegetarian Gourmet, Spring ’93,

1 TBSP peanut oil 1 two-inch piece of ginger, grated

1 red bell pepper, julienne pinch of salt and pepper

1 green bell pepper, julienne 1 pound of bok choy, shredded

1 bunch green onions, chopped 2 TBSP sherry

1 cup broccoli florets 1 TBSP soy sauce

Heat oil in wok or deep skillet. Stir-fry peppers, green onion, broccoli, ginger, salt, and pepper until broccoli softens slightly, 3-4 minutes. Add bok choy and sherry, cook 2 minutes more. Sprinkle with soy sauce and serve immediately.

Makes two servings.

Pumpkin Puree for Pies, Breads, Soups etc… from Janine Meyer

Slice off the top of the pumpkin where the stem is and then cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and save for roasting or discard. Put the two pumpkin halves in a baking dish with ½ to an inch of water, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a knife easily slides in through the skin without effort. Allow the pumpkin halves to cool, then scoop out the cooked pulp and puree in a food processor or mash well with a potato masher.

You can freeze this very easily in ziplock bags for future pumpkin breads, soups and pie for the holidays! I recommend freezing in 1 to 2 cup increments so that you can thaw just what you’ll need for a recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake, from The Joy of Cooking

For the Crust:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs ¼ – ½ cup sugar

6 TBSP unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 tsp ground cinnamon *optional

For the filling:

2/3 cup packed brown sugar ¾ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground or grated nutmeg 1 pound cream cheese (2 8oz. packages)

2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks

1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin 1 ½ cups sour cream

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla

*have all ingredients for the cheesecake at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put the graham cracker crumbs and sugar into a bowl and stir until well blended. Work in the butter. Form into an 8 inch spring form pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.

In a small bowl, combine the 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Put the softened cream cheese into a large bowl and beat just until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time; beat until well blended after each addition and scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in the pumpkin puree until just blended. Scrape the filling into your baked crumb crust and bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325F and bake until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center still looks moist and jiggles when the pan is tapped, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar and vanilla. Scrape on top of the hot cake and smooth with a spatula. Return to the oven for 7 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely before un-molding. Chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving.

Week 16 September 23, 2009

Paul — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:45:33 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 16– September 23, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

I had this wishful thinking going, that since we’ve experienced some rather unpleasant weather this season, we had earned a long Indian summer with no hint of frost until well into October. On Friday, I noticed a predicted low of 39F for Saturday evening. That’s the temperature where a yellow alert for frost goes off in my head. But still laboring under my late-frost fantasy, on Saturday I stopped in to visit my friends Dan and Tracy at Chubby Bunny farm in Falls Village. They were busy covering their peppers, and in talking with them I learned that the predicted low was now 36F with a warning for patchy frost. Red alert! After visiting for a bit and helping to cover a few of their peppers, I headed back down Route 7, and made a call to Aaron on the way. When I got to the farm, he had already started unrolling 300 foot sheets of spun bound row covers to put over our peppers and eggplants. As dusk settled on the farm, we put on some head lamps and set about covering the sweet potatoes, and the windrows of squash that were still lined up in the field. At some point during these little frost emergencies, it’s helpful to just accept that you are going to spend a good chunk of the night covering crops and putting out irrigation pipe. Then you start to notice that you can now see your breath, and the sweat on your back is getting chilled, and you can feel the stillness in the air. That’s one of the main ingredients for frost, because on still nights the cold air settles in pockets in low areas. The other big ingredient is a clear sky, with a big bunch of cold, Canadian air. Clouds act as a blanket, holding in heat that radiates into space from Earth at night. When that blanket of clouds gets kicked off, the heat makes a beeline for the cosmos, and ice crystals form. So after we covered what we could, we set up pipe on the last bean crop, and over those nice raspberries, figuring everyone would enjoy those crops for a few more weeks. In the dark, Aaron grabbed some wrenches to set up big risers on the raspberry pipe, so we could jet the water over the five foot brambles. I took a tractor and a pipe wagon around the farm, gathering the pipes we needed, and we walked them into the beans and the raspberries. At midnight I turned the water on, which keeps the leaves from freezing, partly because the water is warmer than the air, and partly because in a weird twist of physics, as water changes from a liquid to a solid state, it gives off heat. In the morning Aaron saw just a few patches of frost in the open field next to the farm. We were spared a killing frost, but came within a degree or two of getting one. Which means we’ll have a few more weeks of peppers, eggplants, and beans and raspberries, before the next frost comes in and leaves only the cold tolerant cole crops and spinach in the field.

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for Janine, Sarah, Jake, and Aaron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Flowers are still available but getting near the end, one bouquet per share. A variety of herbs available. We also have a new PYO crop of raspberries this year, limits range from a half pint to a pint. Nice crop of green and wax beans, last of season. PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Sat.8AM to noon.

Featured this week:

Acorn squash: One of the most popular winter squashes. These guys don’t store particularly well, and are pretty much ready to eat now. Hold for a few weeks at room temperature. To cook, place both squash halves cut side down in a lightly oiled baking dish and add about 1 inch of water. Cover and bake 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Once you can stick a fork through the skin without much effort, it’s done. Serve with butter and a little maple syrup. Or see recipe below.

German Butterball potatoes: Who names these things, anyways? Just seems like a spud named ‘Butterball’ has to be good. These guys have a nice golden color, and light russetting on the skin, and are a good general purpose potato. We’ve also got a smorgasbord of spuds that we’ve previously dug that will be making their way into the share.

Spinach: fall is truly the best time to grow this cool weather loving crop. Janine was busy planting many beds of it in late August and early September in the hopes that we will have it around through the end of the harvest season.

Escarole: Delicious in soups (Escarole and beans!), very bitter eaten raw. If you get a box share, we’ve wrapped the escarole in a rubber band so you can distinguish it from lettuce.

Also available: garlic, lettuce, carrots, peppers, salad mix, leeks, parsley

Potentially on the way: broccoli raab, pie pumpkins, potatoes, peppers, onions, spinach, radishes, red bok choy

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Stuffed Acorn Squash, from Simply in Season

2-3 acorn squash (or other winter squash) 1 lb. sausage (pork, beef, or turkey casings removed)

1 onion, diced 1 apple, diced

2 cups toasted bread cubes ¾ cups chopped nuts

¾ cups golden raisins 1 TBSP sour cream or plain yogurt

¼ tsp each dried thyme, basil and oregano

Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half and remove seeds and strings. Place cut side down on lightly greased baking sheet with sides. Bake until almost soft but not mushy, 40 – 50 minutes. (This step may be done in advance.) Remove from the oven and set aside.

Adjust oven temperature to 375. Brown the sausage in a large skillet. Add onion and apple and sauté just until tender. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stuff into cooked squash halves, cover, and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

California Italian Wedding Soup, Shared by Shareholder Elaine McMillan

From Allrecipes.com, submitted by DPATEL

All ingredients have been doubled from the original recipe to accommodate a typical head of escarole. Reviewers said you could use kale or spinach instead of the escarole, and that you can use any ground beef. Quite yummy! –Elaine McMillan

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef 2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs 2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup shredded fresh basil leaves 2 TSBP chopped parsley

2 green onions, sliced 12 cups (3 Qt.) chicken broth

4 cups finely sliced escarole zest from 2 lemons

½ cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta), uncooked grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Mix together the meat, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, basil, parsley, and green onions; shape into 3/4-inch balls (size of grapes). Pour the broth into a large saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, drop in meatballs. Stir in escarole, lemon zest and orzo. Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender, stirring frequently. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Mashed potatoes with Sautéed leeks, From Asparagus to Zucchini

1 pound new potatoes, cut in half ¼ cup milk, warmed

2 TBSP butter salt and pepper

3 medium leeks, white and light green parts

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy, medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring frequently until tender and beginning to color, 8-10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash with warmed milk. Stir in leek mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes four servings.

Week 15 September 16, 2009

Paul — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:03:25 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 15– September 16, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

Cool night temps, heavy morning dews, and warm, sunny afternoons mean that fall is definitely in the air. We got a pretty nice day for our harvest potluck on Sunday. As usual, our CSA shareholders put out some great dishes to share, and the hayrides and pumpkins were a big hit with the young folks. Our raffle to help save CT farmland was a huge success! We raised $820 for the CT Farmland Trust. The winner of the basket full of Connecticut Grown food was Francois and John Baretsky. Thanks to all who contributed, and to Janine Meyer for concocting and coordinating the raffle.

Otherwise, we are in the thick of the big fall harvest projects. We start in the morning by cutting salad and bunching greens. As the sun dries the dew off the fields, we turn to pulling roots like carrots and beets. Then we hook a digger to the tractor and head out to the potato fields. It was especially fun to dig the Kennebec’s this week. There was a bumper crop of them, and it was very satisfying for us to watch all the big yellow spuds bouncing up the back of the old potato digger. When the fields are completely dry, we turn to the winter squash. Last week we cut all the squash from the vines, which are just about dead this time of year. Then we windrow the harvest, putting them into long rows. On warm, sunny, and dry afternoons, we pick up a bin with a set of forks attached to a tractor, and work in pairs to lift the squash and toss them to a partner who loads them into a bin. The squash harvest looks pretty good this year, but my feeling is that they may hold poorly due to all the rain. Best to enjoy them now!

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for Janine, Sarah, Jake, and Aaron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Flowers are still available but getting near the end, one bouquet per share. A variety of herbs available. We also have a new PYO crop of raspberries this year, limits range from a half pint to a pint. Nice crop of green and wax beans, last of season. Pumpkins are available, one per share while they last. PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to noon.

-BOX SHAREHOLDERS: Please, please do not rip your box when you open it. After cleaning your box, gently fold back the tabs WITHOUT RIPPING THEM. Please return your box each week. If you offer your share to a friend for a week, please pass along this info. Why do I care so much about the boxes?? They are expensive, they cannot be recycled, and they should last for years with a little care. Thanks so much to those out there who are returning clean, unripped boxes ready to pack each week!

-CSA DISTRIUBUTIONS CONTINUE THROUGH OCTOBER. Our last box distribution will be Wednesday, October 28. The last on-farm distribution will be Saturday, October 31.

-2010 SHARE RENEWAL letters for current CSA members will be sent to you soon via US mail.

Featured this week:

Delicata squash: this is a funny squash. In a given bin, most are great, some are fabulous, and a few are lousy. The hard part is they all look the same! They also store very poorly, so store at room temperature and eat them within a week. So why do we grow them? Because when you get a fabulous one, it is a life changing experience. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place both squash halves cut side down in a lightly oiled baking dish and add about 1 inch of water. Cover and bake 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Once you can stick a fork through the skin without much effort, it’s done. Serve with butter and a little maple syrup. Or see recipe below.

Kennebec potatoes: a great all purpose spud. Kenenebecs are great mashed, fried, roasted, baked, whatever. If you get a green spot, just cut it off, the rest of the spud is fine.

Beets: this week we have a mix or red and golden beets.

Also available: garlic, beets, bok choy, green kale, peppers, thyme, salad mix, red onions

Potentially on the way: lettuce, escarole, pie pumpkins, potatoes, peppers, leeks, spinach, radishes

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Potato and Kale Soup, By Janine Meyer

1 onion, diced 2-3 celery ribs, diced

2-3 medium carrots, diced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 medium potatoes, cubed 1-2 TBSP olive oil

1 Bay Leaf, broken into pieces 1 Quart Veggie Stock (more to taste)

salt and fresh black pepper to taste 1 tsp fresh thyme

1 TBSP fresh parsley ½ to 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped

In a medium soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Sauté 3-5 minutes, until the onions are transparent and the carrots just begin to get tender. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme, sauté one minute more. Add the stock, simmer for 10 –20 minutes (the amount of time needed for simmering depends on how big you’ve cubed your potatoes. Check potatoes frequently, you don’t want them to be mushy). Once potatoes are done, you can blend the soup in a blender or food processor for a smooth and creamy texture, use a hand blender for a partially blended soup or leave everything whole. Add the kale, salt and pepper to taste and the parsley, simmer for 3 to 5 more minutes. Turn the heat off and let the soup sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Roasted Beet Wedges, by Susie Middleton compliments of Fine Cooking

1 lb. small or medium red and/or gold beets 1 TBSP plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp kosher salt 5 small sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary

Heat the oven to 400. Measure two 2-foot lengths of aluminum foil and crisscross them on a small rimmed baking sheet. Slice the tops and bottoms off the beets. Cut the beets into wedges from top to bottom (small beets may only need to be quartered; cut larger beets in half horizontally first, then cut each half into about 6 wedges). Each wedge should be about 1 ½ inches at it’s widest point. Toss the beets well with the olive oil and salt, put them, in one layer, on the cross section of foil on the baking sheet. Group them snugly but in one layer. Lay the herb sprigs on top of the beets and close the package tightly by folding each sheet of foil in and sealing it with the others. The package should be flat and relatively airtight.

Roast the beets for 1 ½ hours. Remove them from the oven and, avoiding the steam, carefully peal back the foil. Check to see that the beets are cooked through (a thin knife should slide through without resistance). Also check that the bottoms of the beets are nicely caramelized (they should be darkened and wrinkled). If they’re not done, seal the package again and return the beet to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Depending on the heat of your oven, the thickness of your baking sheet, and the size of the wedges, they may take a more or less time.

*make ahead tip: the beets can be made several hours in advance and reheated or served at room temperature. To reheat, spread the wedges on a baking sheet and heat in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

Delicata Squash and Roasted Mushrooms with Thyme, from epicurious.com

6 TBSP olive oil 1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme

¾ tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper

2 lb delicata squash (3 medium), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into ½ inch slices

2 lb. mixed fresh mushrooms such as cremini, shitake, and oyster, trimmed and halved (quartered if large)

Preheat oven to 375. Stir together oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss squash with 2 TBSP of the thyme oil in a shallow baking pan (1/2 to 1 inch deep) and arrange in 1 layer. Toss mushrooms with remaining ¼ cup thyme oil in another shallow baking pan (1/2 to 1 inch deep) and arrange in 1 layer. Roast squash and mushrooms, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until vegetables are tender and liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve together.

Week 14 September 9, 2009

Paul — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:31:36 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 14 – September 9, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

This week’s edition of the farm news comes from Sarah Woutat. Sarah has apprenticed at the farm for two years now, and we know her energy, enthusiasm, and newly developed farming skills will serve her well in her quest to start her own farm. Sarah writes:

            People who want to farm come in all shapes and sizes and from a myriad of backgrounds. This year’s crop of apprentices at Fort Hill Farm is no exception. The difference this year is that all three of us really want to have our own farms, sooner rather than later. As we were harvesting leeks this morning, we came to discussing where we’ll find land to farm. It’s a big conversation!
            The northeast is a great place to farm because there are so many people interested in local, sustainably raised produce. And the geography and distribution of people in this part of the country make it so that a farmer shouldn’t have to travel too far with their vegetables. However, this same quality about the northeast that makes it such a great place to farm has also made it difficult to find land to grow on. Land prices are too high for beginning farmers to purchase, and protected farmland is few and far between. In CT alone, we have lost 21% of our farmland in the last 20 years to development. It is more profitable for a retiring farmer to sell his/her land to developers than to a young farmer.
            In comes Connecticut Farmland Trust. They work with state, federal, and local agencies to help farmers and property owners put agricultural conservation easements on their land to protect it from being developed, and to insure that it will continue to be farmed. Often times this land can then be leased to new farmers, thus increasing the number of operating farms in CT.
            So, in the spirit of supporting our future farmers (and farms) please check out the Connecticut Farmland Trust website at www.ctfarmland.org and play the raffle at this Sunday’s potluck (please see details below).

Enjoy the harvest and we hope to see you Sunday!

Sarah, for Paul, Janine, Jake, and Aaron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Flowers are still available, one bouquet per share. A variety of herbs available. PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to noon.

******************************************************************************************

SEVENTH ANNUAL FORT HILL FARM HARVEST POT LUCK is THIS WEEKEND!

When: RAIN OR SHINE, Sunday, September 13 from 3 PM to 6:30 PM .

Pot luck dinner! Please bring a dish to share! Hay Rides! PYO Pumpkins! Live music! We welcome back musicians Dave Hogan and Brian O’Calighan of Graylight Campfire to our ‘Harvest Potluck’. They’ll be entertaining us with bluegrassy/folk infused rock n’ roll. Bring a chair or blanket if you wish.

RAFFLE to help save CT farmland! This year, at our Harvest Potluck, we will raffle off a basket filled to the brim with local goods such as award winning cheeses, fresh jams, honey, wine, goat milk soap, artisan bread, and maple syrup that have been grown, made, crafted and or collected by CT farmers. All of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to The Connecticut Farmland Trust (www.ctfarmland.org), from the Shareholders of Fort Hill Farm CSA. The Connecticut Farmland Trust is the only private statewide conservation organization dedicated solely to permanently protecting Connecticut’s farmland. If you would like to participate in the raffle but will be unable to attend the potluck, please send us your donation with a name and phone number and we will contact you if you win. Tickets are $5 each, or 4 for $15. The estimated value of the basket is $150. Thanks for any support you can give this worthwhile cause.

Featured this week:

Fingerling potatoes: we’ve been growing these Austrian Crescent potatoes for several years now and they have become a favorite with farmers and shareholders alike. Great roasted with oil and rosemary. Store in a dark, well ventilated area at room temperature.

Leeks: you know that fall is just about here when the leeks start coming in. Try them sautéed with cooking greens like chard or kale, or in the salad recipe below.

Spaghetti squash: see recipe below for details on preparing this unusual winter squash. Spaghetti squash don’t store particularly well, they will keep for about a week or so at room temperature.

Also available: garlic, broccoli, parsley, last of the sweet corn, Swiss Chard, peppers, radishes, carrots, and Farmers Choice.

Potentially on the way: garlic, red onions, peppers, potatoes, bok choy, winter squash, and beets

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Spaghetti Squash a la Farmer Paul, from Janine Meyer

My first year at Fort Hill Farm Paul suggested I prepare my spaghetti squash this way and now it’s the only way I ever eat it, it’s so simple and so good!

1 Spaghetti Squash extra virgin olive oil

4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place both squash halves cut side down in a lightly oiled baking dish and add about 1 inch of water. Cover and bake 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Once you can stick a fork through the skin without much effort, it’s done. Remove from the oven and set the squash on a dish to cool. Once the squash is cool enough to handle scrape the squash out of the skins using a fork. As you do this the squash to will turn to spaghetti like strings! Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until the garlic is just fragrant. Add the spaghetti squash and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with lots of fresh grated parmesan or Romano cheese and ENJOY!

Caramelized Leek Salad with Pear, Cheese, and Toasted Walnuts, from Farmer John’s Cookbook

½ cup walnut halves 1 TBSP unsalted butter

5 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 large leeks, sliced, white and light green parts

4 cups salad greens ¼ tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper 1 ½ TBSP balsamic vinegar

2 pears, cored, sliced (you may want to sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from turning brown)

4 oz. cheese, crumbled or thinly sliced (chevre, fresh pecorino, Parmesan, fontina, or smoked gouda)

Toast the walnuts in a dry, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat until they start to turn brown in spots and become fragrant. (Be careful not to overtoast them, as they will burn very quickly once toasted.) Immediately transfer the nuts to a dish to cool. Chop the nuts.

Heat the butter and 1 TBSP of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep golden color, about 45 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, toss the salad greens with the salt and pepper to taste. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss; add the remaining olive oil and toss again. Divide the greens among 4 plates; sprinkle with the caramelized leeks and toasted walnuts. Arrange the pear slices on the leeks. Sprinkle with cheese.

.

Newsletter 13 September 2, 2009

Paul — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:48:11 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 13 – September 2, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

Many times I’ll hear from folks, who work in indoor environments, how great it must be to work outdoors. Most years I agree with that, but this year has been a different kettle of fish. It has been too cold, too gray, too buggy, too rainy, occasionally too hot, often very muggy, and sometimes just downright nasty out there in the fields this year. Last week was a welcome break. We had some clear, calm weather with ‘just right’ temperatures that put a smile on everyone’s face. It was also a week of transitions. Most of our Morning Crew workers are high school and college students, and many of them said good-bye to us and packed up for school. We’ll miss their enthusiasm, and all the willing hands that were leant to us this summer. We thank them for the mountains of squash, cukes, carrots, and beans they picked, and for weeding the prairies of crab grass that seemed to sprout in every planting this year. We also hosted a group of incoming Yale freshman for their orientation week. They chose to work on a farm to see what it was all about, and we obliged by having them dig spuds, take down tomato trellis, pull beets and carrots, pack CSA boxes, weed the fall beans, and clean and sort this summer’s garlic harvest. They helped so much that when the rain returned on Friday afternoon, we just made a plan for the next week, and headed home early to catch a nap!

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul, for Janine, Jake, Sarah, and Aarron

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Flowers are still available, one bouquet per share. .A variety of herbs available. Edamame soybeans available while they last. PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to noon.

******************************************************************************************

SEVENTH ANNUAL FORT HILL FARM HARVEST POT LUCK!

When: RAIN OR SHINE, Sunday, September 13 from 3 PM to 6:30 PM .

RAFFLE to help save CT farmland! This year, at our Harvest Potluck, we will raffle off a basket filled to the brim with local goods such as award winning cheeses, fresh jams, honey, wine, goat milk soap, artisan bread, and maple syrup that have been grown, made, crafted and or collected by CT farmers. All of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to The Connecticut Farmland Trust (www.ctfarmland.org), from the Shareholders of Fort Hill Farm CSA. The Connecticut Farmland Trust is the only private statewide conservation organization dedicated solely to permanently protecting Connecticut’s farmland. If you would like to participate in the raffle but will be unable to attend the potluck, send us your donation with a name and phone number and we will contact you if your name is pulled. Tickets are $5 each, or 4 for $15. The estimated value of the basket is $150. Thanks for any support you can give this worthwhile cause.

HUGE, MONSTER, BIG TYPO in last week’s newsletter: Correct raffle ticket prices are as printed above!

Featured this week:

Watermelon: we’ve got some juicy red watermelons this week, along with the last of the yellow watermelons and cantaloupes. Best chilled in the fridge, and eaten sooner rather than later, as they are ripe and ready to eat.

Lacinato kale: strip the leaves from the stalk, and enjoy this nutritious cooking green sautéed in garlic and oil.

Peppers: it’s been a hard year to grow a red pepper. Many are having a ‘melt down’ in the field, which is not a pretty site. We have two kinds of peppers. The bell peppers we have begun harvesting at the ‘sun tan’ stage. They are turning red, and have much of the flavor of a red pepper, but are less likely to rot. We also have some nice Italian red frying peppers, which are delicious sliced into salads, sautéed, or brushed with olive oil and grilled.

Also available: red torpedo onions, garlic, broccoli, basil, cukes, corn, carrots, the last tomato, and Farmers Choice.

Potentially on the way: leeks, garlic, spaghetti squash, red peppers, fingerling potatoes, lettuce, radishes

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Shanghai Stir-Fried Beef & Broccoli, by Tony Rosenfeld

1 small flank steak (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb.)                      3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dry sherry                                                      1 Tbs. cornstarch
4 heaping cups broccoli, cut into 2-inch florets        Kosher salt
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil                                     2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks   1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
2 Tbs. oyster sauce

Bring 2 quarts water with 2 tsp. kosher salt to a boil.

Slice the steak in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices. In a medium bowl, stir 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce with the sherry, cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and then rinse under cold water until the broccoli cools. Set a large, heavy skillet or a large wok over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil and, when it starts to shimmer, add the beef. Cook the beef, stirring frequently, until it loses most but not all of its raw color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and 3 Tbs. water and cook, stirring to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the broccoli warms through, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, the oyster sauce, and the remaining 2 Tbs. soy sauce; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Harvest Bean Soup, By Ginny Bucciaglia

1 bag dried 12-bean assortment 1-bunch kale, rough chopped

1 onion, chopped 6 garlic cloves, chopped

14 oz. canned tomatoes, pureed 6 celery stalks, chopped

4 potatoes, cubed 4 carrots, peeled and chopped

½ cup olive oil ½ tsp thyme

1 tsp basil 1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Put entire contents of 12-bean assortment bag in a medium pot or glass jar with cold water. Let the beans soak at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the chopped kale and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove kale with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the beans, return the water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer beans for 1 hour or until fully cooked. Check the water level and add more to keep beans covered while cooking. Drain and discard the water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and sauté the onions and 4 chopped garlic cloves until onions are translucent. Add 6 cups of water and tomatoes, celery and potatoes; bring to a boil and season with thyme, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 1 hour or until vegetables are just tender. Add the cooked kale, cooked beans, and the remaining 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Continue cooking until kale is tender. Adjust seasonings, as desired. Serve with crusty bread, grated cheese and fresh ground black pepper.

Newsletter 12 August 26, 2008

Paul — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:04:18 +0000

Fort Hill Farm CSA

Week 12 – August 26, 2009 Paul Bucciaglia

18 Fort Hill Road

New Milford, CT 06776

860-210-7961

forthillfarm@gmail.com

www.forthillfarm.com

Farm News

This weeks Farm News is brought to you by Rebecca Batchie. Rebecca is an accomplished horticulturist, and is currently a full time student at Mount Holyoke College. She is also my partner, and I’m very grateful she has chosen to work on the farm. Rebecca found herself in need of a summer job last May, and has been a huge help here at the farm for the last two seasons. We will miss her ‘can-do’ attitude and quick smile when she goes back to school in September. Rebecca writes:

Given the obviousness of the heat, bugs, rain, and permanently stained hands and clothes that farming entails, I feel compelled to spotlight some of the pleasures of working on a small farm.

For one, farming’s built-in need for teamwork engenders camaraderie. Whether it’s passing crates of melons through a chain of hands into the cooler, conquering the pigweeds one acre at a time, or tag-teaming the squash and cucumber harvest three times a week, I stand by the old adage, “many hands make light work.” I have the daily joy of being part of a willing crew.

Balancing the needs of equipment, shareholders, and Mother Nature requires that the farm operate under an ethos of routine. But within that daily or weekly framework of routine is a welcome abundance of job diversity. To paraphrase one crewmember’s comment: “I love this job. Just when I think I can’t take the heat anymore, we’re on to the next thing, and everything shifts.” Through this diversity, I find that boredom is a foreign state, and that the days fly by.

As a card carrying multi-tasker, I appreciate that farm work entails some free health perks. Barreling down 300-foot corn rows with 60-pound barrels in tow comes pretty close to an aerobic workout. Similarly, rearranging the stacks of crates in the cooler rivals the best weight training regimen around. The bonus is that all of this bending and lifting in “nature’s gym” could make a faithful yogi out of the most inflexible individual (and we know those yogis lived forever).

And since part of the job description includes trialing veggies right off the plant, I reap the benefits of fresh produce still warmed by the sun. For example, it’s our duty to crack open a melon or two to insure their sweetness before we commit to picking the patch. This is some tough work, I tell you.

But most notably, I derive satisfaction from the simplicity and logic of growing food, because let’s face it, good food matters. And since our culture’s primary diseases actively reflect our diet, it matters that much more. So thanks for being part of this community of folks who share an appreciation for quality food and the way in which it is grown. Enjoy the share this week!

Rebecca, for Paul, Janine, Jake, Sarah, Aarron, and the Morning Crew.

-PICK YOUR OWN (PYO) at the farm: Flowers are just about peaking, one bouquet per share. Sunflowers are on the wane, 1 per share. A variety of herbs available including cilantro, basil and parsley, along with green and wax beans. Edamame soybeans are here! PYO open to all shareholders, once per week, at the farm in New Milford. Details in the white barn. Pick your own hours are Tues. and Thurs 2:30PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday 8AM to noon.

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SEVENTH ANNUAL FORT HILL FARM HARVEST POT LUCK!

When: RAIN OR SHINE, Sunday, September 13 from 3 PM to 6:30 PM .

Pot luck dinner! Hay Rides! PYO Pumpkins! Live music! We welcome back musicians Dave Hogan and Brian O’Calighan of Graylight Campfire to our ‘Harvest Potluck’. They’ll be entertaining us with bluegrassy/folk infused rock n’ roll.

RAFFLE to help save CT farmland! In this newsletter we often bring up the point that farmland in Connecticut is disappearing fast, and we need to redouble our efforts to preserve farmland, and get more new farmers on good ground. This year, at our Harvest Potluck, we will raffle off a basket filled to the brim with local goods such as award winning cheeses, fresh jams, honey, wine, goat milk soap, artisan bread, and maple syrup that have been grown, made, crafted and or collected by CT farmers. All of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to The Connecticut Farmland Trust (www.ctfarmland.org), from the Shareholders of Fort Hill Farm CSA. The Connecticut Farmland Trust is the only private statewide conservation organization dedicated solely to permanently protecting Connecticut’s farmland. If you would like to donate and participate in the raffle but will be unable to attend the potluck, send us your donation with a name and phone number and we will contact you if your name is pulled. Tickets will be 1 for $75,or 4 for $15. The estimated value of the basket is $150. Good luck, and thanks for any support you can give this worthwhile cause.

Featured this week:

Melons: yellow watermelons and cantaloupes are in, we’ll be rotating them around to everyone over the next couple of weeks. Chill, slice, and enjoy. They should be ripe and ready to eat, but if you must, store in fridge for up to one week.

Edamame: these delicious fresh soybeans are a snap to prepare. Just pull the pods from the plant, steam for a few minutes, sprinkle some salt on them, put the pod in your mouth, and strip out the beans. Great appetizer or snack.

All Blue potatoes: always a hit with kids, try them roasted or mashed, see recipe below.

Also available: green beans, broccoli raab, cukes, corn, summer squash, and garlic.

Potentially on the way: beets, carrots, corn, onions or leeks, cukes, melons, potatoes, and maybe red peppers or kale.

Recipes (recommendations from Janine):

Red, White and Blue Potatoes, Adapted from The Candle Café Cookbook

(Farmers note: you can use any color potatoes in this recipe if you happen to be low on reds and whites)

2 pounds of a variety of different colored potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

¼ cup fresh lemon juice 1 tsp salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup minced garlic

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper ¼ cup minced fresh oregano or

½ cup chopped fresh parsley 2 TBSP dried Oregano

In a large bowl, place the potatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss together until the potatoes are well coated. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or over night.

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes, or until crispy and tender. Sprinkle the parsley over the potatoes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Four Bean Salad, from Simply in Season

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 TBSP olive oil 1 TBSP sugar

1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper

1 lb. green beans, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces and blanched

1 ½ cups cooked and shelled Edamame 2 cups black beans

2 cups pink beans 1 small red onion, diced

1 cup green pepper, diced 1 TBSP each fresh basil, parsley, oregano, thyme

Mix together the apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and set aside. Prepare the remaining ingredients, toss with the dressing and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Serves 12.

Cucumber Salad, Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck from www.foodnetwork.com

2 cups thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers 1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

If Japanese cucumbers are not available, English cucumbers can be substituted. The English cucumbers need to be peeled, cut lengthwise, seeded and sliced into thin half moons. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers and salt and mix well. Add sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and mix well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and mix. Let marinate for 20 minutes before serving. Adjust seasonings before serving.