Hello folks,

Welcome to week 13 of the Maple Wind CSA. A few announcements:

Join the Huntington Valley Arts at Jubilee Farm in Huntington Center this Sunday, September 7 from 11-5 for a wonderful day of art, local food, music and fun. Maple Wind will be serving up some of our delicious grilled food (hamburgers/sausages) along with other local food folks. Come browse local artisans, take part in the many children activities, or just relax and listen to some great music.

The Localvore Market at Jubilee Farm will be running only two more Thursdays until Sept. 11. After that, we will return to our regular Huntington pickup for the CSA at Maple Wind 4:30-6pm. Call us if you will be late and we’ll put a bag inside the barn for you to get.  

We hope to get another round of syrup out next week so returning your jars is very appreciated (or donating some other pint jars you have kicking around).

ON THE FARM: We have been blessed with some real “Hay weather”. We made about 150 dry round bales on some of our leased acreage. Whew! That’s a relief. The new group of market pigs are really rooting up their pasture as they should. What a riot they are… its a sight to see when they know you are coming up to give them their afternoon meal of grain and milk!  

After about 6 months of some R&D at Earth Turbines, we are proud to announce that we have a turbine on our second tower again! Lets make some KW!!!

IN THE GARDEN:The garden is plentiful with goodness. Thursday we are bringing Herbie and Henry to the garden to harvest all of the potatoes with a horse drawn harvester. Ill take some photos and attache them next week if I can. Its amazing to watch all the potatoes come out of the earth - we’ll have some new varieties for the rest of the season. What a site to see after a slow start, the 700 feet of tomatoes are ripening nicely now. The tomatillos are very close to being ready so get your salsa verde recipes ready! The winter squash are huge and we will start to field cure them as their vines begin to die back. We’ve picked the spaghetti and the kabocha squash which you’ll see in your share soon. New curley kale is looking wonderful as are the fall broccoli and some pac choi and kolrabi.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Enjoy a great September harvest: Spaghetti Squash, Potatoes, Baby Watermelon, Onion, Garlic, Basil, Tomatos, Peppers, Eggplant, Spicy Greens as well as some varieties of lettuce.

IN THE KITCHEN: Make some pesto! Its the last of the basil.

Spaghetti Squash I
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
“Such a perfect name for this squash. When it’s baked, its meat looks like glistening strands of pasta. For this recipe, the squash is baked and then combined with feta cheese, sauteed vegetables, olives, and basil. Lovely.”
INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash, halved
lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
2 tablespoons chopped freshbasil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

From Allrecipes.com

Roasted Eggplant Dip   (CSA eggplant might be small so adjust the recipe accordingly)

YIELD: Makes 8 (1/4-cup) servings. Baba ghanoush is the name of this traditional and healthy Middle Eastern appetizer. For the best flavor, choose firm, smooth-skinned eggplants for roasting. You can reduce the fat content of the dip by pouring any oil off the top of the tahini before measuring it.

INGREDIENTS:
2eggplants (about 1 pound each)
1/4cup lemon juice
3tablespoons sesame tahini*
4cloves garlic, minced
2teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1/2teaspoon salt
Paprika
1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Red chili pepper slices** (optional)
Pita bread rounds, cut into wedges
PREPARATION: 1.Prepare grill for direct cooking. Prick eggplants in several places with fork. Place eggplants on grid. Grill, covered, over medium-high heat 30 to 40 minutes or until skin is black and blistered and pulp is soft, turning often. Peel eggplants when cool enough to handle. Let cool to room temperature.
2.Place eggplant pulp in food processor with lemon juice, tahini, garlic, pepper sauce and salt; process until smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to blend. Sprinkle top with paprika and parsley and red pepper slices; serve with pita bread.

Hello folks, 

What a lovely couple of days, we have been blessed. This is what we’ve been waiting for… Today our son David started first grade, what a milestone! Its amazing that it is school time again.

CSA members: Please remember to bring back your syrup jars, we’ll be sending your third installment next week I think. Can you believe this is week #12! 

ON THE FARM: This week we have made a few big changes in animals groups. The group of 160 White Comets layer hens moved up the hill to be with all the other layer hens so now we have a mixed group of 250 hens producing our delicious organic eggs. You can now find them at Richmond Corner Market, Green Grocer, Beaudrys and our CSA pick ups as well as the 3 weekly farmers markets we attend. Thats alot of eggs! About 200 a day!!!!

We said goodbye to our market pigs and now we have just the group of pigs born in May that are in pasture. The boar and 4 sows are in a separate pasture enjoying the lazy days of summer with a nice cool mudpit!

We hosted Hen of the Wood chef Eric Weinstadt at our farm on Wednesday for an dinner with Vermont Fresh Network. 

IN THE GARDEN: Nothing new to report other than we can really see the changing of seasons. We’ve pulled out all the summer squash plants and cucumber plants. Its looking more like fall. The tomatoes are finally turning colors! Yum. Huge winter squash on on their way and the pumpkins are looking great.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Beets, Carrots, Leeks, Red Cabbage, Patty Pan squash, cucumber, a final melon and some loose greens and delicious arugula!

IN THE KITCHEN:

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

2 T vinegar

2 T brown sugar

2 T soy sauce

2 T orange marmalade

Chop cabbage into big pieces. Put oil in hot skillet or wok. Add some grated ginger then the cabbage and stir for 2 min. Garlic is optional at this point. Add the above 4 ingredients and cover for 2 min. Serve and stir in 1/2 t sesame oil or seeds.

CARROT AND BEET SALAD WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup minced shallot

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup rice vinegar (available at Asian markets and some supermarkets)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil

 Tabasco to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cups finely shredded carrots

4 cups finely shredded peeled raw beets (about 3/4 pound)

 spinach leaves, washed thoroughly, for garnish if desired
In a blender purée shallot, ginger, and garlic with rice vinegar, soy sauce,
sesame oil, and Tabasco. With motor running add olive oil in a stream and blend
until smooth. In separate bowls toss carrots with half of the dressing and beets
with remaining half. Divide carrot salad and beet salad among 6 plates and garnish
with spinach leaves.

Gourmet April 1996

Happy Eating and enjoy the rest of August...

Beth

Howdy folks, OOOOOOPS, no one told me that I skipped a week… I noticed that this was unpublished when I sat down to do Aug 28th posting. Sorry about the slip up.Beth

Lets enjoy some sun while we have it! What a week at Maple Wind… busy busy.

NOTEWORTHY: We’ll have eggs for sale at the pickup tomorrow! FRESH ORGANIC CHICKENS ARE IN RICHMOND AT THE PICKUP AS WELL.

Huntington folks, pickup again at Sara Janes but next week we’ll be back home here on Carse Rd.

Please dont forget your bags and return the maple syrup jars if you still have them. thank you.

VALLEY STAGE Bluegrass Festival in Huntington this Saturday from 12:30-8:30. Great lineup! We’ll be selling hamburgers, sausages, and maybe some of Nate’s Jambalaya! Also some fresh garden side salads. Come here great music! tickets available at the door.

ON THE FARM: Tuesday we (13 of us) processed another batch of our organic pastured chickens- 323 to be exact! Whew! Its quite the day so to everyone that helped, thank you and thank you again! Today, (Wed) Bruce hosted a beginning farmer workshop here at Maple Wind to 24 folks that were interested in finding out how we do things. Entiled Wire, Water and Wellness, Bruce and some other knowledgeable folks from UVM answered many questions about pasture management, animal health and setting up water and fence systems. Way to go Bruce!

IN THE GARDEN: Never say never…we saw him (or her). Shhhh! We did spot a woodchuck today in a far corner of the field but on the opposite side to the garden. I hope he doesnt find his way over and stays happy on his side… The garden is doing great. We really are so lucky to have come out of all this wet weather with no real ill affects other than crazy weeds and some lost greens. Ive been hearing news of some farms (some with CSAs) that have had to shut down for the season because of crop failure. I am truely blessed with well draining soils.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Cruisin into August…Great news!!!!! The tomatos are ripening and you will see a few this week. Just a tease maybe but be ready for the onslaught of summer tomatoes in weeks to come! Also enjoy, chard, red cabbage (more green in the fall), carrots, cucumbers, the tail end of summer squash, onions,  and a healthy dose of green beans!

IN THE KITCHEN:

An idea from member, Jared Katz, for some delicious kale:

I like to “julienne” the kale and saute it in a tsp of coconut oil until it starts to crisp, then add minced garlic, sliced sweet onions and some diced sweet potatoes. Salt and you have a meal

HELP! Id love to have more member recipies, please email me and Ill put them in upcoming blogs!

Enjoy your week and the fresh vegetables. Try your hand at some freezing if you cant finish your share.

Eat well,

Beth

Hello folks,

NOTE: Huntington Localvore Market is still happening a few more weeks into September. So CSA Huntington folks, plan on veggie pickup there until further notice. New TIME: 3:30-6:30!!!! See you then.

PORK STILL AVAILABLE: Freezer pork still available in 1/2 or whole. Pigs are going to the butcher on Monday. We also have organic chickens in our freezer and fresh ones for preorder for September!

So nice to see some sun for a change. Soak it up!! Summer really feels like its coming to a close with the trees already changing color- wow!

ON THE FARM: This week, we’ve had some big changes for pasture arrangements for our animals. The bulls are back in with the cows and calves…happily. The sheep are all back on our farm property from Lee Baughmans land, its nice to have them back. The last batch of broiler chickens have graduated beyond their brooder and now are enjoying the pasture lifestyle on grass! We’ve moved the piglets now up to the farm in our hidden pasture. Soon we will be saying goodbye to our market pigs (Monday). The turkeys are thriving on their pasture and eggs are plentiful from the layer hens, thanks ladies!

IN THE GARDEN: We are in a nice transition to late summer crops and looking forward to some amazing winter squash, fall broccoli and some new varieties of kale. The rain has been a blessing, we havent had to irrigate but we did have to pull all the onions so they would not start rotting. So, we’ll be drying them and giving them out over the coming weeks.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: YEAH… melon this week! enjoy a tasty treat! Also, potatoes (some all blues, red norland and more fingerlings..yum) Kale, onion, eggplant, patty pan squash, basil, flowers and cukes. Dont faint…head lettuce will be there too! Hopefully some green beans…

Thanks for your support! Eat well,

Beth

IN THE KITCHEN:

POTATO SOUP WITH KALE AND CHORIZO

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
8 ounces fully cooked Maple Wind Farm chorizo, casing removed if necessary, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika*
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
8 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds kale, stemmed, torn into small pieces (about 16 cups lightly packed)
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes rustic bread

 Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add potatoes and broth. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add kale; stir until wilted and soup returns to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle croutons with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Divide soup among bowls. Top with croutons and serve.

Bon Appétit
March 2008

MELON COMPOTE
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
a 1-inch piece gingerroot, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups 3/4-inch watermelon balls (from about a 3-pound piece, seeded)
2 cups 3/4-inch honeydew melon balls (from about a 3-pound piece, seeded)
2 cups 3/4-inch cantaloupe balls (from about a 3-pound piece, seeded)
In a 1-quart saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and simmer 2 minutes. Cool syrup and stir in lime juice, gingerroot, cumin, pepper, and salt to taste. In a bowl toss together melon balls and syrup. Chill compote, covered, at least until cold, about 2 hours, and up to 3 days.

Gourmet
August 1996

Hello Folks,

Welcome to week 9 of our CSA! Summer is flying by isn’t it?

NEWS ON THE FARM: Our cows and calves are back from Teal Farm after grazing for 4 weeks. Its nice to see them on our fields especially since our grass is tall and ready for them! We are watching our turkey flock grow up nicely with a small percentage of fatalities which is unlike years past. “Batman”, our boar is also back! He has been reunited with our two sows which has had a calming affect on them which is nice since they were regularly escaping their pasture. Our market pigs are all ready to go to the butcher so over the next few weeks, we’ll be sending all of them (get your custom orders in or they all go to retail cuts).  Then we’ll have just the one group of piglets of 19 for the fall/winter until the next farrow.

NEWS IN THE GARDEN: The soil is draining quite well despite all the rain but boy oh boy, we don’t need any more for awhile. Vegetables are growing like crazy! We are just about finished with our summer squash harvest so you wont see any more after this week (maybe next?) 

Im hoping that you all are enjoying the harvest, I haven’t received any feedback other than “wow!” at the pick ups so that feels good. We would like to know if you have a great deal of excess each week. We are trying to gauge the amount to the best we can for the appropriate share size. 

EXCESS can usually be frozen very easily and put away for later in the fall or winter. Canning does take more time and materials but is a wonderful way to go if you have the desire. There are great books on the subject! Try it! I freeze blanched green beans, broccoli and even cut up zucchini for use later.

NOTE ON GREENS: I realize that the greens have not been available recently. Mid summer, its always challenging to get a good harvest of greens. We had a large part of our head lettuce supply rot in the field because of the wet weather we have been having. Also, some of the loose lettuce also has been bolting between the heat and the wet. Its frustrating for sure. It may be a few more weeks until we get back on track. Enjoy other summer salads in the meantime: slaws, cucumbers etc.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Enjoy a bunch of beets, broccoli, squash again, cucumbers, a leek, eggplant, kale, LOTS of green beans, flowers and herbs.

REMINDER: Jubilee Farm LocalVore Market happens for the next 2 weeks! Aug 7 and 14th from 4-7

Hoedown on the Hill at Maple Wind Farm from 4:30-sunset on Sunday August 10th. Come enjoy some bluegrass music and some square dancing in our big arena barn. Bring a side or dessert to share and BYOB and plate and fork. We will provide kabobs and lemonade and water. No dogs please and do bring friends!

IN THE KITCHEN: 3 yummy recipes from this weeks harvest, Enjoy! Sorry about the formatting.

Maple Teriyaki Baked Beets

Pungent Green Beans with Garlic, Ginger and Cumin.

Indian inspired dish to serve over couscous or quinoa.

10 cloves garlic, smashed
1 piece ginger (about 1 inch long), peeled, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup mild-flavored vegetable oil
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 whole dried red chile pepper (optional)
2–4 fresh tomatoes, stems removed, peeled, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 pounds green beans, cut in half (about 8 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
freshly ground black pepper

Zucchini Bread!! 

2 eggs    1/2 cup vegetable oil  

1 1/4 cups grated zucchini  1 teaspoon vanilla extract  

1/2 teaspoon salt   1/8 teaspoon baking powder 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon baking soda  1 cup sugar 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a baking pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Pour batter into pan and bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown.

Hello folks,

As July draws to a close, we are enjoying some beautiful days even with the wet summer we have been having. Our apprentice program is now half over. Its hard to believe that Jodi, Ben, Oliver and Lucy have been with us for 3 months! We have really hit a nice rhythm on the farm and everyone is working hard and learning more about our grazing methods. We’ve all had lots of laughs together. Thanks guys!

Sundsay August 10th: HOEDOWN ON THE HILL at Maple Wind Farm. 4:30-sunset. Come listen to the bluegrass music of the Meatpackers and enjoy the company of friends and good food. Maple Wind meat tastes and lemonade provided. Please bring a dish or dessert to share and your own plate/fork (BYOB too). Rain or shine. Walk to the party site is about 5 min from parking. Carpooling recommended. See you here! 

ON THE FARM: Business as usual, the animals are doing well. We brought back our three bulls from the group of beeves at the Andrews Farm to keep Eliza Jane company in the pasture. She’s found one particular “friend” that she has been cozy with- so we expect to see a calf from her in the spring! Egg production is getting more and more each day so expect to see them in Beaudrys, Green Grocer and all our farmers markets locations…YUM! We took our sow that did not get pregnant to the butcher and the two other sows have been renegades in their pasture breaking out often so we put them in the pasture with the rest of the market pigs so hopefully they will stay put.

IN THE GARDEN: This week we put in the fall broccoli and some purple cauliflour as well as some new kinds of kale ready this fall. We seeded some turnips ready early September and are strategizing some of our final sowings of greens, spinach and herbs. Thankfully we have had no deer or woodchuck activity this summer, I hope we keep it that way.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Some new items to enjoy: fennel, red cabbage, lots of green beans and yes finally carrots!!! Also some more summer squash, cucumbers, onions, herbs. Sorry, we did not end up harvesting potatoes this week, we will get the horse team out next week and use the potato harvester.

FENNEL:………….Since this is the only fennel you will get all summer, I found some interesting information below.  Expand your horizons, enjoy the versatility of this unique vegetable.

From Cooking Light website: Don’t let an aversion to black jelly beans keep you away from fennel. Native to the Mediterranean region, this licorice-flavored member of the parsley family is one of Italy’s most popular vegetables.

Work with it, and you will find that the aromatic plant lends itself well to a wider variety of foods than you might have first suspected. Another benefit: one cup contains almost 20 percent of your recommended daily value of vitamin C. Most fennel available in American markets is grown in California. The type you’ll find—Florence, or bulb, fennel (sometimes labeled “fresh anise”)—has a bulbous base, stalks like celery, and feathery leaves that resemble Queen Anne’s lace. Like celery, the entire plant is edible. The crisp and slightly sweet bulb is especially delicious served raw in salads. Whether braised, sautéed, roasted, or grilled, the bulb mellows and softens with cooking.

Look for small, heavy, white bulbs that are firm and free of cracks, browning, or moist areas. The stalks should be crisp, with feathery, bright-green fronds. Wrapped in plastic, fennel keeps for just a few days in the refrigerator; the flavor fades as it dries out.

The Whole Fennel

• Fennel seeds don’t come from bulb fennel but from common, or wild, fennel. The seeds are slightly nutty, with the expected licorice flavor, and are widely used in sausages, stews, soups, and curries.

• Fennel stalks can take the place of celery in soups and stews, and can be used as a “bed” for roasted chicken and meats.

• Use fronds as a garnish, or chop them and use as you would other herbs, like dill or parsley. Chopped fennel works especially well in Italian tomato sauces, but add it late in the cooking process so the flavor isn’t diluted.

Bulb Basics

• Trim the stalks about an inch above the bulb.

• If you want pieces to stay together for grilling, keep the root end intact. Otherwise, trim about a half inch off the root end before cooking.

• To slice fennel, stand the bulb on the root end and cut vertically.

IN THE KITCHEN: Thanks to Jodi for these awesome ideas!! Tonight in fact, we did a test recipe for the squash casserole- yum!!!!! Im excited to try the carrot/fennel dish! 

Squash Custard Casserole

8-10 squash, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds (2 lbs.)
2 large eggs
4 tblspns (1/2 stick) butter melted
1/2 cup milk
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tblspns finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tblspns sugar
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn black pepper
1 cup coarse bread crumbs
1 cup grated melting cheese such as cheddar or gruyere
2 strips bacon, sliced crosswise into 1 inch-wide sections, cooked crisp and crumbled

~Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 12 by 8 inch ovenproof casserole.
~Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the squash and cook over medium-high heat
until barely wilted, about 2 min. Drain and set aside.
~Combine the eggs, butter, milk, onion, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large
bowl. Add the squash and mix. Transfer the mixture to the casserole. Sprinkle the
bread crumbs, cheddar, and crumbled bacon over the top. Bake for 35 min. or until
the top is golden and crunchy.

Icy Cold Summer Soup

1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/4 each yellow, red, and green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 celery rib, trimmed and sliced very thin
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 radishes, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/4 inch dice
8 cups vegetable juice
Sour cream or plain yogurt for topping

`Combine all the ingredients except the sour cream in a large bowl. Stir to mix,
cover and refrigerate for several hours.
~serve chilled, with a bowl or sour cream on the side if desired.

Carrots Braised with Fennel

1 tblspn butter
1 tblspn olive oil
4 medium carrots, trimmed and julienned
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut to same thickness as carrots
1/2 cup broth
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds

~Heat the butter and oil together in a large saute pan until the butter melts. Add
the carrots and fennel and stir to coat. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 10
min, or until wilted.
~Add the broth and wine, raise the heat to medium, and cook, uncovered for 10 min
more or until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are fork tender.
~Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the chopped fronds and serve right away.

Eat well, eat local.

Regards, Beth

Hello folks…

Reminder of the LOCALVORE MARKET at Jubilee Farm in Huntington Center for the next four Thursdays. Come buy from your neighbors who raise, grow or make local food and plants. 4-7pm. Important: Huntington CSA pickup folks, this is your pick up location NOT our farm for 4 weeks. We will have meat for sale and I might bring our grill for hamburgers!

ON THE FARM:The animals are doing well. We just got our 125 turkey chicks and they are doing nicely. These will be organic pastured birds for Thanksgiving. If you would like to place an order for one, let us know. Good news, our pullets layer hens are slowly starting to lay their eggs, Ben found four today! On the egg front, we are collecting about 100 a day now so we are proud to be able to provide Beaudrys and the Green Grocer again with our delicious pastured organic eggs. (Also found at farmers markets and our CSA pickups).

We moved the lamb flock back into the field with the ewes who should be all dried off now. Thats a relief to only move one group of sheep each day instead of two. They are settling in fine though some of the large lambs still think nursing would be great and are trying to find some milk.

IN THE GARDEN: We had the crew out on Tuesday do a huge number on the weeds and the garden looks great! We had weekwackers, mantis tiller, “Troy” the tiller, hand weeders galore and it really helped get a handle on the wet weather weeds for sure. Thanks gang! Peas are gone now for the season but the beans are looking fabulous. We did a huge preharvest on Wednesday in anticipation of the huge rains on Thursday. I just hope we dont have too much standing water in the garden by the end of tomorrows expected rains.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: MMM…more maple syrup! enjoy! Wet weather makes for large vegetables! You’ll notice some larger than normal cucumbers and some of the summer squash are large too. Still delicious though! Our harvest also includes beets, mesculin, cauliflour, broccoli, french beans, kale and flowers. I promise, soon we’ll have carrots and potatoes. Next week: Red cabbage.

IN THE KITCHEN:  A few ideas… Id like to hear what you are doing with the harvest. Email me at beth@otloose.com and I’ll publish your ideas.

Try a nice cool summer salad of cucumbers and tomatoes or blend up a cucumber with dill and yogurt for a nice dressing on your green salad.

Zucchini: try a stuffed baked squash with sausage, and cut up veggies and parmesean cheese.

Beets are great grated on your summer salad raw or boil them untill you can stick a fork in them. Make sure to cut the tops 1″ from the beet and then after they are boiled, you can just peel the skin right off and slice and eat. My kids love them!

Kale is nice steamed into scrambled eggs in the morning. One of the best sources of vit. A!

As always, enjoy the harvest and eat well.

Beth

Hello folks, here’s this weeks news. I hope your are enjoying the musings…

CSA members: PLEASE try to remember your pint jar returnables for the maple syrup. We’ll refill next week! YUM!

NOTE!!! Huntington CSA members: Next week July 24 and the following 3 weeks we will have the veggie share pickups at Jubilee Farm in Huntington Center. Sara Jane Williamson owner of Jubiliee is hosting a LOCALVORE MARKET for 4 weeks with many wonderful local goods for sale (baked goods, syrup, Maple Wind meats, veggies, jams etc. )  ALL WELCOME!!!! spread the word about this mini farmers market to all your friends.

ON THE FARM: Finally we have completed the water systems at Teal Farm for the lower fields. Bruce and the crew are very relieved to have that behind us and the water pressure is fantastic! Ben Cooley says “the cows will love it and we are ready to move them on Friday or Saturday”. They’ve been vacationing for 8-9 days up on high ground on an old air landing strip. To get them water, we’ve had to fill two water tanks using a pump from ponds on Melissa’s property. Every 24 hours 80 cows with their calves drink about 700 gallons!!!! We are still cutting and bailing hay- its been great weather this week for it!

IN THE GARDEN: Grow garden grow! All is well and we are hitting a nice period of harvest. We hope you are enjoying the fresh vegetables. I will say that soon we will enter into a slower “greens” period. I had a huge number of head lettuce bolt and also a nice patch of buttercrunch get bottom rot (from the wet soils from all this rain) so I had to compost them all. Head lettuce will not be very prevelent in the upcoming few weeks, my apologies. We’ll keep trying for loose lettuce until then. We got all the tomatoes trellised this week finally and they are loving the air and stretching in the sun! We can see many fruits but the ripe ones are still aways off.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Cucumbers (salad and pickling), Summer Squash, Basil, Cabbage, Chard, Scallions, Arugula (the swiss cheese kind with flea beetle marks but still tastes fine), and some cut red lettuce. There may be more surprises…

IN THE KITCHEN: We have great dill heads in the pick your own herb gardens so take some home and make a jar of pickles! Easy and fun! For many pickling recipies I highly recommend “Putting Food By” by Janet Greene. Very comprehensive on freezing, canning, and preserving all vegetables, fruits and meats. It is quite the bible of food preservation. Its put out by Plume Press. I think I got this used on Amazon.com.

Quick Pickles

10 pickles, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/4 c. pickling salt, 1/3 Quart vinegar and 1/3 Quart water, fresh dill heads.  Optional: garlic cloves or whole picking spices.

Mix together sugar, salt, vinegar, and water to a boil. Scrub cucumbers, remove stems and blossom ends; cut lengthwise in halves or quarters (not longer than the jar) Put a dill head in each clean hot jar. Pack the jars with cut cucumbers upright, then tuck in garlic clove if you like. Pour in boiling vinegar mixture, leave 1/2 inch headroom. Adjust lids. Process in 185F/85 C water bath for 10 min. Remove jars and complete seals if necessary.

Steamed Chard with Candied Ginger

3/4 lb chard leaves, salt and pepper to taste, 1 TB olive oil, grated lemon or orange zest or lemon juice to taste, chopped candied ginger to taste

Wash chard then chop coarsely. Steam leaves 5-10 min. Toss chard with remaining ingredients and serve warm.

I welcome any great tasty dishes you may want to share with the other members, Email me and I can add it to a newsletter.

Have a great week.

Beth

Summer is in full swing! I hope you all are enjoying splashes in a nearby river or waterhole on these hot days!

Reminders: Please bring your pint jars back tomorrow for a refill of maple syrup soon! Thank you! Any extras would be appreciated. Dont forget your bags and some folks are reusing their produce bags- way to go!

Kudos to the Williston families who carpool their veggies…4 families share Maple Wind CSAs and they each rotate a week to pick up for each other. Maybe you have a neighbor in our CSA to do the same thing and save some gas or time.

ON THE FARM: We are still finishing the work at the Teal Farm with water systems as our next project. By the way, the Teal Farm is having a open to the public free tour this Saturday July 12 at 10:00am. Bruce and Nate spent a good bit of last week on an excavator installing the spring and now this week our focus is fencing and running the ground water line. We are taking more steers to the butcher on Monday as well as a few pigs so expect more great product at Farmers Market. Its not too late to order custom meats!

IN THE GARDEN: Weeds.. We’ve enjoyed the rain but so have the weeds. We are tackling them with a vengence and just had a huge crew out there yesterday in the humid weather taking care of business. Are you looking down from route 2 to see the garden as you drive by? Its really taking on some beautiful colors. No sign of the wood chuck from last year thank goodness. The broccoli are coming along nicely as are the cauliflour. Our squash plants are at least 2 1/2 feet high and thriving! I can see some winter squash forming!

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Colorful and flavorful. Summer is kicking in! ENJOY!!!! yum.

You’ll find summer squash, cucumbers, beets and kale. Also some mixed mesculin greens, garlic scapes and some more peas (PYO at Richmond again). The pickers in Richmond last week were troopers in the rain…out there with umbrellas and all!

IN THE KITCHEN: Thank you Jodi  from Maple Wind Farm for supplying these tasty zucchini recipies. Members are always welcome to email me a great recipe they know or would like to suggest to all of us and I will post it here.

FRIED ZUCCHINI

8 tblspn flour

9 tblspn water

salt

1lb zucchini

9 tblspn yogurt

1 tblspn olive oil

1/2 bunch of mint

1/4 tspn ground cumin

oil for frying

~In large bowl stir together flour, salt and water until smooth to make batter. Let stand for about 1 1/2 hours.

~Wash zucchini and slice about 1/2 inch thick.

~Put yogurt, mint and olive oil in food processor. Season with cumin.

~Lay zucchini slices in batter. Heat oil in wide pot or wok. Remove zucchini from batter, let drain a little. Carefully place slices in oil and fry about 5-8 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Serve with yogurt dip.

ZUCCHINI-POTATO FRITTERS

1/2 lb potatoes

1/3 lb zucchini

1/2 tspn corriander and cumin

2 heaping tblspn whole wheat flour

salt and fresh ground pepper

sweet paprika

3 tblspn oil for frying

~Peel and rinse potatoes and zucchini, then grate. In small bowl combine potatoes, zucchini and corriander ~Add cumin and flour. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well.

~Heat oil in pan. Form the mixture into six fritters. Then fry over medium heat until crispy brown.

Enjoy your week.

Thank you for eating locally and reducing your “miles per gallon quotients in your diet”.

Beth

Hello and Happy 4th of July weekend.

A bit of Housekeeping….

CSA members, please remember to contact me if you are not going to be picking up your share for the week. Also, call my cell phone if you know you will be late and we’ll put a bag together for you and leave it on the porch of the Andrews Farm or on the table in our barn. I hate to see a whole share go to waste. Id rather it stay in the field until next week. Beths # 233-3862 Don’t forget to bring your bags and some of you are reusing the produce bags, thanks!

Let us know if you would like some meat brought to the pickups for your weekend meals.

News of the Farm

On Monday, we had a HUGE day. We had an awesome crew of 12 that processed our first round of chickens…300 of them! Its not too late to pickup a fresh chicken, just come to the Andrews Farm from 3-6 Thurs or call us and we can bring one for you to a market on Saturday before they go in the freezer! All are between 3.5-5 pounds and look marvelous!  On Tuesday, Jodi, Lucy and Beth weaned our lamb flock from their mothers. The lambs seemed to be fine, enjoying frolicking in their new pasture by themselves. The ewes spent the first two days making a bunch of noise calling for their little ones. We do this so the mothers can dry up their milk production and the lambs can be more independent grass eaters for the summer. The crew making hay took 57 gorgeous bales of hay off of the southside pasture on the Teal Farm on Wednesday. When we get our next good weather window, we’ll cut the north side.

News in the Garden

We are happy with the growth of the garden. New varieties are soon to come ready for harvest. With all the rain we are trying to stay on top of weeds which is always a challenge. The plastic mulch is great under the plants, it the weeds in between the rows we have to stay on top of.  Many of the potatoes are flowering which means they are creating tubers. We should have some fingerlings soon!

This weeks harvest

Enjoy some early season cabbage, chard, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, and some summer squash. In Richmond, you will be invited to pick your own peas and boy o boy are they delicious…bursting with flavor! 

(Huntington, we’ll be picking for you) There will be herbs as always. 

The arugula (that I hoped you enjoyed last week) has bolted (gone to flowering stage) so we are going to pick the flowers. Jodi suggested that they are tasty on salads so give it a try!

As always, we welcome your feedback and comments. Please call or email.

Beth

In the kitchen

Did you know dill heads go well in potato salad and look nice too with great flavor. We hope you are enjoying all the great herbs.

Try this slaw recipe for your 4th of July picnic. Great with Maple Wind Farm ribs, pork chops or hamburgers.

SUPER SLAW

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

2 large red or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchstick-size strips

2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

8 large green onions, cut into matchstick-size strips

 /2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk first 7 ingredients in small bowl to blend. (Dressing can be made 1 day ahead.

Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before

continuing.)

Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season

with salt and pepper and serve.

Bon Appetit

July 1998