June 19, 2008 First Post!
Well folks (all 26 of you that have signed up for this blog-type email newsletter) here it is. You dont have to be a CSA member to recieve this posting to your email. We had our first CSA pickup for 2008 last week on June 12th. We are off to a great start, a week earlier than last year. Our harvest was small but we were so excited to get things going. It was wonderful to meet our new members and see some return faces! Here’s hoping many of you had a delicous breakfast last weekend and indulged in some Maple Wind Farm liquid gold (aka maple syrup!).
I am going to try to put this newsletter together on Wednesday prior to the Thursday pickup. There maybe times when I get behind or something comes up and I wont forget. Its busy around here and sometimes computer time is at a minimum.
HARVEST for June 19th: will include some loose greens, beet greens, head lettuce, herbs and maybe some other surprises we decide to pick tomorrow. The garden is really starting to show itself now. Each week should be gaining momentum as certain varieties are coming into harvest. Expect Chard next week for sure! Peas are coming along nicely.
KITCHEN IDEAS:
Wilted mixed greens from Gourmet | May 2003
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There is a tradition in Crete of gathering wild greens and using them not only in vegetable or salad dishes but also as stuffings for savory turnovers. Cretans make use of tiny leeks, wild fennel, purslane, and milkwort, as well as the more familiar greens. We have substituted a mixture of the varieties of tender greens available at most supermarkets. You can even use prepackaged mixes, such as baby Asian salad or baby braising mix. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr (includes draining) Serves 4 (as part of mezedes). 1 1/2 lb mixed tender or baby greens such as young chard, kale, mustard greens, spinach, beet greens, dandelion, and arugula, coarse stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (20 cups)
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Cook greens in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Drain greens in a colander, then immediately plunge into a large bowl of very cold water to stop cooking. Once cooled, drain in colander, tossing occasionally, 1 hour.Just before serving, whisk together vinegar, salt, and oil in a bowl until combined well. Add greens and toss to coat.
Cooks’ note: |
NEWS ON THE FARM: In the last week, two of our four sows have farrowed (given birth to piglets). We have a nice group of 17 market pigs born last December that will become our next group to go on to grace the tables of many of you, local restaurants and other localvores buying at one of the 3 farmers markets we do each week. The pigs usually take at least 6 months to get to the weight we are looking for (200+lbs) before they are ready to go. Our pigs are really living “high on the hog” as we are feeding them 6+ gallons of milk from our Brown Suiss cow, Eliza Jane, each day. YUMMMMM!
I want to express my gratitude to our hardworking apprentices this summer, Lucy, Oliver, Ben and Jodi. We have great crew this summer and these folks are so dedicated, fun, and ready to learn about our farming operation. So introduce yourself if you see them around. Also it goes without saying that our farm manager, Nate Holmes, who as of April has been with us a year, has been working hard, solving problems and keeping us on track. Thanks Nate!
UPCOMING EVENTS: Last minute notice but we will be at the Intervale Thurday June 19th (same eve as the CSA pickup) cooking up some organic pork sausages and fresh picked green salad for the Intervales Food Hub/Summer kick off celebration. Music, food, activities down at the Intervale. If you can make it, should be a great evening of fun.
Thanks for reading! Eat well, eat local and enjoy!
Beth
