aug 10 - 12 csa news
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GORMAN FARM COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
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From the Field
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“My Grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer” - Brenda Schoepp
There is no shortage of productivity on the farm this time of year. Fruiting crops dominate the day to day priorities. While we are still maintaining crops, planting, and irrigating like crazy, the fruiting crops don’t stop for anyone. Tomatoes are coming in everyday from three different fields, eggplant, peppers, melons, okra and squash all require just about daily harvests in order to be picked at optimal ripening as well as allowing room for the baby fruits to develop for the following day. Tomatoes are now in full force while we still have fields heavy with green fruit hinting the we should be strong on tomatoes for quite some time. We are even expecting yields to increase over the coming weeks. We have had some very good crops this year as you all are experiencing abundance of squash, eggplant, and be prepared for full tilt on tomatoes. We grow three varieties of cherry tomatoes, classic orange sungolds, black cherry, and Mt. Magic (my favorite). These are the larger red salad cherries, productive in the field and have a
longer holding capacity than the sungolds which tend to split and ripen very quickly. This week we have peppers, as well as some sad news for the first pepper planting. We currently have a soil disease confirmed from the lab commonly known as southern blight. With southern blight plants die over night and with in 48 hours they are just about completely dead, taking all the fruit as well. It is very normal for vegetable farms to build up different soil issues as many types of vegetables are hosts, this is why rotating crops is so crucial. The big rain storm the other week also exacerbated the blight. There’s not much of an organic remedy to the blight but we can let the field rest, put it in our field notes, and keep blight susceptible crops out of the field for quite some time (many years). We saw signs of it in the sweet snack peppers and probably lost 50-60 plants. That’s a lot but we plant peppers by the thousands. In the last 5 days we have lost aprox 30% of the crop and it get’s drastically worse each day. This week we are picking everything we can.
From the field continued . . . What’s hard for me is to see all the potential fruit that would otherwise be harvested in a week and successive plantings 2-3 weeks out will be a loss. We do have a second field far away from the blight and it looks great but will need some time. The planting with the blight has most of the variety in it. This is where the super sweet snack peppers, banana peppers, poblanos, jalepenos, and padrons are along with a multitude of colored bells.
Harvest
Summer Squash Cherry Tomatoes Red and Roma Tomatoes Heirloom Tomatoes Eggplant Bell Peppers Hot Peppers Onions Cantaloupe or Watermelon nnn
While snack peppers are my favorite they take a long time to mature and like all peppers they are finicky. The seed is expensive and hard to find, they require space and time in the greenhouse, peppers are tender when transplanting, easy to overwater as babies, and very fragile in the field. They also like a lot of nitrogen but like to be spoon fed slowly over time, which requires diligence and constant attention. Once they get bigger they require trellis like supports to prevent wind damage. So all in all they are high maintenance. I’m equally sad about the loss of the food potential as I am at all our hard work and efforts because the crop was one of the best I have ever grown. I had great varieties this year but they will get cut short. We should still see peppers many times but my crop plan has been foiled by problems with dirt.
These are normal farm problems and only worth mentioning because I find the science behind the problems fascinating. But all in all crops are growing great this season. As we settle in to these soils at Gorman farm, this climate in Maryland, and the seasonal fluctuations of a changing planet I am really proud and excited to see overall plant health and farming techniques just getting better each year. Along with a supportive audience and wonderful relationship that we have with you all our CSA members. We are thankful for your business but more so for the relationships we develop with you all. Community Supported Agriculture is a team effort and we are all doing this together. Thanks to everyone, and for all the support, emails and positive feedback we receive from you all each week.
From Field to the Table
H E I R L O O M TO M ATO A N D S TO N E F R U I T S A L A D
S U R P R I S I N G TO M ATO S A L A D VA R I AT I O N S
TO M ATO WAT E R ME L ON S A L A D W I T H F E TA A N D A L MO ND S
PEAR, BLUEBERRY, CUCUMBER TOMATO FRUIT SALAD
DRESSING
4 tbsp light oil (avocado) 2 tbsp agave nectar 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar juice & zest of 1 lime ½ tsp poppy seeds ¼ tsp salt
2 medium Heirloom tomatoes a handful of cherry tomatoes 1 nectarine, pitted and cut into wedges 1 mango, flesh cut into cubes a few slivers red onion 3 mint leaves, minced 1½ teaspoon sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons honey goat cheese (from Trader Joe's) salt and pepper to taste ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Combine melon and tomatoes in large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired. Toss arugula in medium bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Divide arugula among plates. Top with melon salad; sprinkle with feta cheese and toasted almonds and serve.
Toss to coat diced fruits and vegetables
NORT H AFR I C A N E G G P L A N T TAG I N E Tagine is a Berber stew named for the wide, cone-topped, earthenware pot in which it is traditionally simmered over a bed of coals. In this recipe, we’re bringing the dish into your kitchen and cooking tagine on the stove. Made with chickpeas, Medjool dates, mint and Holland eggplant — an especially lush and tender variety that’s perfect for stews — this spiced, balanced dish is bursting with the flavors of North Africa. http://www.hellawella.com/north-african-eggplanttagine-recipe
CURRIED ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH S M O K E D C A R DA M O M AN D C OC ON U T M ILK THE BOJON GOURMET
HTTP://WWW.BOJONGOURMET.COM/2014/09/ CURRIED-ROASTED-EGGPLANT-WITHSMOKED.HTMLHTTP:// WWW.BOJONGOURMET.COM/2014/09/ CURRIED-ROASTED-EGGPLANT-WITHSMOKED.HTML
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G
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GORMAN FARM COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
z
From the Field
z
“My Grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer” - Brenda Schoepp
There is no shortage of productivity on the farm this time of year. Fruiting crops dominate the day to day priorities. While we are still maintaining crops, planting, and irrigating like crazy, the fruiting crops don’t stop for anyone. Tomatoes are coming in everyday from three different fields, eggplant, peppers, melons, okra and squash all require just about daily harvests in order to be picked at optimal ripening as well as allowing room for the baby fruits to develop for the following day. Tomatoes are now in full force while we still have fields heavy with green fruit hinting the we should be strong on tomatoes for quite some time. We are even expecting yields to increase over the coming weeks. We have had some very good crops this year as you all are experiencing abundance of squash, eggplant, and be prepared for full tilt on tomatoes. We grow three varieties of cherry tomatoes, classic orange sungolds, black cherry, and Mt. Magic (my favorite). These are the larger red salad cherries, productive in the field and have a
longer holding capacity than the sungolds which tend to split and ripen very quickly. This week we have peppers, as well as some sad news for the first pepper planting. We currently have a soil disease confirmed from the lab commonly known as southern blight. With southern blight plants die over night and with in 48 hours they are just about completely dead, taking all the fruit as well. It is very normal for vegetable farms to build up different soil issues as many types of vegetables are hosts, this is why rotating crops is so crucial. The big rain storm the other week also exacerbated the blight. There’s not much of an organic remedy to the blight but we can let the field rest, put it in our field notes, and keep blight susceptible crops out of the field for quite some time (many years). We saw signs of it in the sweet snack peppers and probably lost 50-60 plants. That’s a lot but we plant peppers by the thousands. In the last 5 days we have lost aprox 30% of the crop and it get’s drastically worse each day. This week we are picking everything we can.
From the field continued . . . What’s hard for me is to see all the potential fruit that would otherwise be harvested in a week and successive plantings 2-3 weeks out will be a loss. We do have a second field far away from the blight and it looks great but will need some time. The planting with the blight has most of the variety in it. This is where the super sweet snack peppers, banana peppers, poblanos, jalepenos, and padrons are along with a multitude of colored bells.
Harvest
Summer Squash Cherry Tomatoes Red and Roma Tomatoes Heirloom Tomatoes Eggplant Bell Peppers Hot Peppers Onions Cantaloupe or Watermelon nnn
While snack peppers are my favorite they take a long time to mature and like all peppers they are finicky. The seed is expensive and hard to find, they require space and time in the greenhouse, peppers are tender when transplanting, easy to overwater as babies, and very fragile in the field. They also like a lot of nitrogen but like to be spoon fed slowly over time, which requires diligence and constant attention. Once they get bigger they require trellis like supports to prevent wind damage. So all in all they are high maintenance. I’m equally sad about the loss of the food potential as I am at all our hard work and efforts because the crop was one of the best I have ever grown. I had great varieties this year but they will get cut short. We should still see peppers many times but my crop plan has been foiled by problems with dirt.
These are normal farm problems and only worth mentioning because I find the science behind the problems fascinating. But all in all crops are growing great this season. As we settle in to these soils at Gorman farm, this climate in Maryland, and the seasonal fluctuations of a changing planet I am really proud and excited to see overall plant health and farming techniques just getting better each year. Along with a supportive audience and wonderful relationship that we have with you all our CSA members. We are thankful for your business but more so for the relationships we develop with you all. Community Supported Agriculture is a team effort and we are all doing this together. Thanks to everyone, and for all the support, emails and positive feedback we receive from you all each week.
From Field to the Table
H E I R L O O M TO M ATO A N D S TO N E F R U I T S A L A D
S U R P R I S I N G TO M ATO S A L A D VA R I AT I O N S
TO M ATO WAT E R ME L ON S A L A D W I T H F E TA A N D A L MO ND S
PEAR, BLUEBERRY, CUCUMBER TOMATO FRUIT SALAD
DRESSING
4 tbsp light oil (avocado) 2 tbsp agave nectar 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar juice & zest of 1 lime ½ tsp poppy seeds ¼ tsp salt
2 medium Heirloom tomatoes a handful of cherry tomatoes 1 nectarine, pitted and cut into wedges 1 mango, flesh cut into cubes a few slivers red onion 3 mint leaves, minced 1½ teaspoon sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons honey goat cheese (from Trader Joe's) salt and pepper to taste ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Combine melon and tomatoes in large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired. Toss arugula in medium bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Divide arugula among plates. Top with melon salad; sprinkle with feta cheese and toasted almonds and serve.
Toss to coat diced fruits and vegetables
NORT H AFR I C A N E G G P L A N T TAG I N E Tagine is a Berber stew named for the wide, cone-topped, earthenware pot in which it is traditionally simmered over a bed of coals. In this recipe, we’re bringing the dish into your kitchen and cooking tagine on the stove. Made with chickpeas, Medjool dates, mint and Holland eggplant — an especially lush and tender variety that’s perfect for stews — this spiced, balanced dish is bursting with the flavors of North Africa. http://www.hellawella.com/north-african-eggplanttagine-recipe
CURRIED ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH S M O K E D C A R DA M O M AN D C OC ON U T M ILK THE BOJON GOURMET
HTTP://WWW.BOJONGOURMET.COM/2014/09/ CURRIED-ROASTED-EGGPLANT-WITHSMOKED.HTMLHTTP:// WWW.BOJONGOURMET.COM/2014/09/ CURRIED-ROASTED-EGGPLANT-WITHSMOKED.HTML
