2010 Summer Newsletter 5
The Veggie Voice Village Acres Farm Summer CSA • June 15th, 2010 • Distribution 5 of 28 address: 229 Cuba Mills Rd., Mifflintown, PA 17059 phone: 717-436-9477
email: [email protected] website: www.villageacresfarm.com
“Have you ever looked at two peas in a pod? I mean, really looked at them? There’s not a chance you’d mistake one for another, after a minute’s close in” – Neil Gaiman Farm Note • a word from the Village Acres Crew:
It’s a busy time here at the farm. May and June are always our most hectic months, since we have to harvest enough crops for your CSA box every week, harvest strawberries twice a week for you and for our wholesale co-operative, and plant all the crops we’ll need for the summer and fall as well. Anyone who has lived in Central Pennsylvania knows that the weather can be variable in spring – hot sunny days, sudden thunderstorms, long cool showers, and dreary, overcast days all seem to be jumbled up in a mess. And after a good long soak, it takes a sunny day or two before we can safely drive our tractors in the field again without compacting the soil. So when we get a long dry spell, we try to take advantage of it, planting, planting, planting constantly, corn, beans, tomatoes, celeriac, eggplant, peppers, lettuce, melons…the list goes on and on. The constant pressure to take advantage of the weather can get frustrating, and after a few days of it we all start to slow down, wear out, and dream of California, where it never rains between May and November and growers can schedule their plantings whenever the time is perfect. But the chance to work in and with the weather is also one of the great attractions to working outside, where the scattered march of clouds provides a constant background and something surprising – a hawk snatching a vole out of the field, billowing mist lifting off of Moyer Ridge, or the snapping turtle Dan and I found yesterday napping in the leeks – is (like “isolated and scattered thunderstorms”) always about to happen. - Dave Produce and Cooking Notes Lettuce – As the season moves on, we’ll be trying to get a consistent lettuce crop for you every week. It’s easier when the weather is not overly hot, so this last week was good for the lettuce! One of the great things about growing so many crops is that when the weather is bad for some of them it tends to help out the others. Green Onions – Green onions are delicious sliced thinly and tossed in a salad – they’ll complement Western flavors like carrots and beets just as well as Eastern ones like garlic and ginger. New Potatoes – These fresh red potatoes have delicate skins, so handle them carefully. I In the Box like new potatoes boiled in salty water and served with any sort of salad dressing or sauce. Lettuce Shell Peas – We’ve got bagged shell peas for everyone this week, although the amount Green Onions depends on your share size. If you’re not going to use them right away, keep them New Potatoes refrigerated to preserve the flavor – then pop the peas out of their shell and cook them Shell Peas lightly. Strawberries Strawberries –Strawberries are an example of a crop that loves a hot, clear June rather Cucumber Zucchini than a cold wet one, but we seem to have gotten enough of that to keep these berries Garlic Scapes ripening for a little while longer. Enjoy them now – this might be their last hurrah. Kohlrabi Cucumbers – Our cucumber production is starting to get a little steadier, but there’s still not too many of these to go around just yet. Enjoy them in a salad or on a sandwich for now – hopefully we’ll give you enough to put away tons of pickles before long. If you can’t wait, try just making a quick pickle with these or your zucchini. Zucchini – The first zucchini planting has rapidly become a jungle – but they’re so versatile that I think they’re
worth it. Sauté them lightly with some garlic and olive oil, or throw them on the grill for a smoky flavor. Garlic Scapes – You can use these scapes as a garlickly scallion – chopped up in a salad or sautéed in a pan to give some flavor to your soup or stew. Their fun shape adds a certain garnish to a dish, too. Kohlrabi – Everyone is getting the last of the spring kohlrabi planting this week. We’re planning to have some more this fall, so feel free to experiment with this unusual crop all you want and let us know your favorite finds!
Blue Rooster Farm – Next week our family is on vacation. I will send orders along on June 22, but I will not send orders on the June 29, so plan ahead for your July 4th weekend! Sign up to be added to my mailing list at www.blueroosterfarm.com Thanks, Julie Recipes Stir-Fried Tofu with Peas From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (-although chicken breast would work too!) 1 ½ to 2 pounds firm or extra-firm tofu, blotted dry 3 tablespoons peanut or corn oil 1 large onion 2 cups peas 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped, peeled ginger ¼ cup Shaoxing wine, sherry, sake, white wine, or water 1/3 cup stock 2 tablespoons soy sauce ½ cup roughly chopped scallion Cut the tofu into ½-inch or slightly large cubes. Put 2 tablespoons oil into a large skillet or wok, preferably nonstick, over high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, a couple of minutes. Add the peas and cook until bright green and just beginning to brown, then remove onions and peas with a slotted spoon. Add the remaining oil, then the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, a couple of minutes. Add the wine and stock and cook, stirring, until about half evaporates; return the pea-onion mix to the pan and cook, stirring, for a minute or so to reheat. Add the soy sauce and scallion and cook for another 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
Quick-Pickled Vegetables From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 1 pound cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, or eggplant. 1 tablespoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried 2 teaspoons vinegar Wash the vegetables well, peel them if you like, and slice them as thinly as possible (a mandoline is perfect if you have one). Put the vegetables in a colander and sprinkle them with salt; toss well. Gently rub the salt into the vegetable with your hands for a minute. Let sit in the sink or a bowl for 15-30 minutes (cucumbers take the least amount of time), tossing and squeezing every few minutes. When little or no more liquid comes out of the vegetable, rinse well in cold water. Put in a bowl. Toss with the sugar, dill, and vinegar and serve immediately; this does not keep well.
The Veggie Voice is sponsored in part by:
State College, Pa 814.231.3927 www.envinity.com
Edited by Dave Ruggiero and Anna Mast Village Acres Farm is owned and operated by Roy & Hope Brubaker
email: [email protected] website: www.villageacresfarm.com
“Have you ever looked at two peas in a pod? I mean, really looked at them? There’s not a chance you’d mistake one for another, after a minute’s close in” – Neil Gaiman Farm Note • a word from the Village Acres Crew:
It’s a busy time here at the farm. May and June are always our most hectic months, since we have to harvest enough crops for your CSA box every week, harvest strawberries twice a week for you and for our wholesale co-operative, and plant all the crops we’ll need for the summer and fall as well. Anyone who has lived in Central Pennsylvania knows that the weather can be variable in spring – hot sunny days, sudden thunderstorms, long cool showers, and dreary, overcast days all seem to be jumbled up in a mess. And after a good long soak, it takes a sunny day or two before we can safely drive our tractors in the field again without compacting the soil. So when we get a long dry spell, we try to take advantage of it, planting, planting, planting constantly, corn, beans, tomatoes, celeriac, eggplant, peppers, lettuce, melons…the list goes on and on. The constant pressure to take advantage of the weather can get frustrating, and after a few days of it we all start to slow down, wear out, and dream of California, where it never rains between May and November and growers can schedule their plantings whenever the time is perfect. But the chance to work in and with the weather is also one of the great attractions to working outside, where the scattered march of clouds provides a constant background and something surprising – a hawk snatching a vole out of the field, billowing mist lifting off of Moyer Ridge, or the snapping turtle Dan and I found yesterday napping in the leeks – is (like “isolated and scattered thunderstorms”) always about to happen. - Dave Produce and Cooking Notes Lettuce – As the season moves on, we’ll be trying to get a consistent lettuce crop for you every week. It’s easier when the weather is not overly hot, so this last week was good for the lettuce! One of the great things about growing so many crops is that when the weather is bad for some of them it tends to help out the others. Green Onions – Green onions are delicious sliced thinly and tossed in a salad – they’ll complement Western flavors like carrots and beets just as well as Eastern ones like garlic and ginger. New Potatoes – These fresh red potatoes have delicate skins, so handle them carefully. I In the Box like new potatoes boiled in salty water and served with any sort of salad dressing or sauce. Lettuce Shell Peas – We’ve got bagged shell peas for everyone this week, although the amount Green Onions depends on your share size. If you’re not going to use them right away, keep them New Potatoes refrigerated to preserve the flavor – then pop the peas out of their shell and cook them Shell Peas lightly. Strawberries Strawberries –Strawberries are an example of a crop that loves a hot, clear June rather Cucumber Zucchini than a cold wet one, but we seem to have gotten enough of that to keep these berries Garlic Scapes ripening for a little while longer. Enjoy them now – this might be their last hurrah. Kohlrabi Cucumbers – Our cucumber production is starting to get a little steadier, but there’s still not too many of these to go around just yet. Enjoy them in a salad or on a sandwich for now – hopefully we’ll give you enough to put away tons of pickles before long. If you can’t wait, try just making a quick pickle with these or your zucchini. Zucchini – The first zucchini planting has rapidly become a jungle – but they’re so versatile that I think they’re
worth it. Sauté them lightly with some garlic and olive oil, or throw them on the grill for a smoky flavor. Garlic Scapes – You can use these scapes as a garlickly scallion – chopped up in a salad or sautéed in a pan to give some flavor to your soup or stew. Their fun shape adds a certain garnish to a dish, too. Kohlrabi – Everyone is getting the last of the spring kohlrabi planting this week. We’re planning to have some more this fall, so feel free to experiment with this unusual crop all you want and let us know your favorite finds!
Blue Rooster Farm – Next week our family is on vacation. I will send orders along on June 22, but I will not send orders on the June 29, so plan ahead for your July 4th weekend! Sign up to be added to my mailing list at www.blueroosterfarm.com Thanks, Julie Recipes Stir-Fried Tofu with Peas From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (-although chicken breast would work too!) 1 ½ to 2 pounds firm or extra-firm tofu, blotted dry 3 tablespoons peanut or corn oil 1 large onion 2 cups peas 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped, peeled ginger ¼ cup Shaoxing wine, sherry, sake, white wine, or water 1/3 cup stock 2 tablespoons soy sauce ½ cup roughly chopped scallion Cut the tofu into ½-inch or slightly large cubes. Put 2 tablespoons oil into a large skillet or wok, preferably nonstick, over high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, a couple of minutes. Add the peas and cook until bright green and just beginning to brown, then remove onions and peas with a slotted spoon. Add the remaining oil, then the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, a couple of minutes. Add the wine and stock and cook, stirring, until about half evaporates; return the pea-onion mix to the pan and cook, stirring, for a minute or so to reheat. Add the soy sauce and scallion and cook for another 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
Quick-Pickled Vegetables From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 1 pound cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, or eggplant. 1 tablespoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried 2 teaspoons vinegar Wash the vegetables well, peel them if you like, and slice them as thinly as possible (a mandoline is perfect if you have one). Put the vegetables in a colander and sprinkle them with salt; toss well. Gently rub the salt into the vegetable with your hands for a minute. Let sit in the sink or a bowl for 15-30 minutes (cucumbers take the least amount of time), tossing and squeezing every few minutes. When little or no more liquid comes out of the vegetable, rinse well in cold water. Put in a bowl. Toss with the sugar, dill, and vinegar and serve immediately; this does not keep well.
The Veggie Voice is sponsored in part by:
State College, Pa 814.231.3927 www.envinity.com
Edited by Dave Ruggiero and Anna Mast Village Acres Farm is owned and operated by Roy & Hope Brubaker
