blue goose news
BLUE GOOSE NEWS SepTember 26 - 28, 2017 – Week 17 From the Farmer… Summer in September! It has definitely been hot for late September. Please use your broccoli as soon as possible. Broccoli does not like this heat and it will yellow sooner because of it. I felt sure I would have had enough Romanesco for everyone, but that isn’t the case as it just hasn’t “headed up” evenly. I do have a new item for you this week – celeriac. Celeriac, aka celery root, is commonly called the “ugly duckling” of vegetables. Though its appearance is unattractive, its celery/parsley blend of flavor is desirable. If you’re not sure what to do with it, cook it with your potatoes to make mashed potatoes; dice it into your stuffing, or try the recipes we provide. We have one more week of CSA after this week, and I always like to offer a “year-in-review” from the farmer’s perspective of what went well and not-so-well. One big thing that was a huge disappointment was not having strawberries. The lettuce did not produce as evenly as I would have hoped, but that was on me and my planning for the last half of the season. The Romanesco was not close to what I was hoping for either. And for all the work that we did on the tomatoes, I was pleased with our high tunnel tomatoes, but disappointed with the others in the fields. As I mentioned to some of you on our Farm Day, this year I stopped fighting against the things that already work for me. I am learning to accept the ground that I farm. I am learning to accept the vegetables that like to grow in my particular soil. For example, the field where I planted the onions this year is not my favorite because of how many rocks are in it, but every time I plant in that field the crop comes out great. So back in April I dealt with all the trouble that a rocky field causes (plastic not laying nicely, having to move rocks out of the way of the planter so the seed has a hole to go in) and again we had lots of nice onions. And the yield of our winter squash was much better. Again I learned not to fight against this variety of spaghetti squash that works for me. It may not look like the typical squash from the outside, but it is still spaghetti squash on the inside, and it is the best variety I can grow. What also did well were our cole crops, especially the broccoli, which I worked really hard to do. The nice thing about broccoli is that everybody knows what to do with it. It’s not one of our oddity vegetables that requires explanation. I think some of the things that happened well this year I can build on in the future. I also know that Mother Nature provided me a very favorable summer. We got rain when it was needed (not counting this dry spell because we surely could use a drink now!), and it was not terribly hot. In fact, most might say it was cool. If Mother Nature would provide me this weather every year, I would take it without complaint! Have a wonderful week! Scott & Chrissy Farabaugh www.bluegoosefarmnicktown.com
IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
Broccoli OR Romanesco Butternut Squash Carrots Celeriac Corn Leeks Peppers Tomatoes
NEXT WEEK’S BEST GUESSES
Squash Carrots Onions Peppers Potatoes
Super Celeriac
Bushels of Broccoli
A few nieces picking in the fields. [email protected]
2 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Noll Family Members since 2010
I love Blue Goose Farms and have been enjoying Scott's vegetables for over 16 years. Full disclosure: not only am I a patron, I am also Scott's sister. I was there from the very beginning when he first started working farmer's markets in Johnstown and Ebensburg. We would leave early in the morning weighed down with a truck full of vegetables. I have very fond memories of working those markets with Scott and our grandmother, who always treated us to KFC afterwards. Fast forward several years… Scott has since grown his farming operation and we both have grown our families (me not as much as Scott and Chrissy since I only have three daughters). Today, as a busy mom, I don't have the time to grow and maintain a garden, and I freely admit Scott does it better! I have seen first-hand how hard Scott works to fill the CSA boxes every week, and I appreciate the quality of vegetables I receive. The CSA has forced me to practice what I preach to my girls and to try something new before I say I don't like it. Shamelessly, I guilt my girls into trying new things by saying, "Uncle Scott has worked hard to grow this for you and you don't want to hurt his feelings by not trying it… www.bluegoosefarmnicktown.com
… Personally, this was true in my relationship with Swiss chard. It started out rocky, but I kept experimenting and now I am excited when it is in the box. (I roast it with feta cheese and it goes perfectly with a grilled steak.) Being a part of this CSA means being a part of Scott's family. Scott and I grew up on a farm and learned early on the value of “local” and “fresh”. Now, I love feeding my family of five local fresh vegetables. I am proud that my 5-year-old knows what kohlrabi is and actually likes it, that my 10-yearold jumps for joy when we have sugar snap peas, and that when my 7-yearold plays kitchen with play dough one of her go-to “recipes” is Swiss chard. And when I was their ages, I helped my mom can vegetables in order to enjoy a piece of summer all winter long. Scott carries on that tradition of family farming and takes great pride in his work. I am proud to be a CSA member but prouder to be his sister. FOUR CHEESE MACARONI with BUTTERNUT SQUASH (by Stacy Noll) 1 T vegetable oil 1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni 9 T butter, melted ½ C shredded Muenster cheese ½ C shredded mild Cheddar cheese ½ C shredded sharp Cheddar cheese ½ C shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 ½ C half and half 8 oz. cubed Velveeta cheese 2 eggs beaten ½ C pre-pureed butternut squash ¼ t salt 1/8 t ground black pepper Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot. Stir in 8 T of melted butter into the macaroni. In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well. Add 1 ½ C of this cheese mixture, the half and half, Velveeta, eggs, and butternut puree to macaroni; stir together well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 ½-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ C of cheese mixture and 1 T butter. Bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges. NOTE: I added the pureed butternut squash to the original recipe. I usually puree and freeze my squash in ice cube trays to have on hand when adding to a recipe. In this, I would add 3 to 4 thawed cubes. CELERIAC & APPLE REMOULADE 1 celeriac bulb, peeled 2 green apples, peeled and cored ½ C mayonnaise 2 T Dijon mustard ¼ C milk 2 T fresh lemon juice 1/3 C walnuts, toasted and chopped 3 T fresh parsley (or 1 T of dried) Grate celeriac and apples into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, mustard, milk, and lemon juice. Pour dressing over celeriac mix, add walnuts and parsley, and toss together to combine. Serve at room temperature. NOTE: You could substitute golden raisins for parsley.
EAT WELL. EAT OFTEN. [email protected]
IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
Broccoli OR Romanesco Butternut Squash Carrots Celeriac Corn Leeks Peppers Tomatoes
NEXT WEEK’S BEST GUESSES
Squash Carrots Onions Peppers Potatoes
Super Celeriac
Bushels of Broccoli
A few nieces picking in the fields. [email protected]
2 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Noll Family Members since 2010
I love Blue Goose Farms and have been enjoying Scott's vegetables for over 16 years. Full disclosure: not only am I a patron, I am also Scott's sister. I was there from the very beginning when he first started working farmer's markets in Johnstown and Ebensburg. We would leave early in the morning weighed down with a truck full of vegetables. I have very fond memories of working those markets with Scott and our grandmother, who always treated us to KFC afterwards. Fast forward several years… Scott has since grown his farming operation and we both have grown our families (me not as much as Scott and Chrissy since I only have three daughters). Today, as a busy mom, I don't have the time to grow and maintain a garden, and I freely admit Scott does it better! I have seen first-hand how hard Scott works to fill the CSA boxes every week, and I appreciate the quality of vegetables I receive. The CSA has forced me to practice what I preach to my girls and to try something new before I say I don't like it. Shamelessly, I guilt my girls into trying new things by saying, "Uncle Scott has worked hard to grow this for you and you don't want to hurt his feelings by not trying it… www.bluegoosefarmnicktown.com
… Personally, this was true in my relationship with Swiss chard. It started out rocky, but I kept experimenting and now I am excited when it is in the box. (I roast it with feta cheese and it goes perfectly with a grilled steak.) Being a part of this CSA means being a part of Scott's family. Scott and I grew up on a farm and learned early on the value of “local” and “fresh”. Now, I love feeding my family of five local fresh vegetables. I am proud that my 5-year-old knows what kohlrabi is and actually likes it, that my 10-yearold jumps for joy when we have sugar snap peas, and that when my 7-yearold plays kitchen with play dough one of her go-to “recipes” is Swiss chard. And when I was their ages, I helped my mom can vegetables in order to enjoy a piece of summer all winter long. Scott carries on that tradition of family farming and takes great pride in his work. I am proud to be a CSA member but prouder to be his sister. FOUR CHEESE MACARONI with BUTTERNUT SQUASH (by Stacy Noll) 1 T vegetable oil 1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni 9 T butter, melted ½ C shredded Muenster cheese ½ C shredded mild Cheddar cheese ½ C shredded sharp Cheddar cheese ½ C shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 ½ C half and half 8 oz. cubed Velveeta cheese 2 eggs beaten ½ C pre-pureed butternut squash ¼ t salt 1/8 t ground black pepper Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot. Stir in 8 T of melted butter into the macaroni. In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well. Add 1 ½ C of this cheese mixture, the half and half, Velveeta, eggs, and butternut puree to macaroni; stir together well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 ½-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ C of cheese mixture and 1 T butter. Bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges. NOTE: I added the pureed butternut squash to the original recipe. I usually puree and freeze my squash in ice cube trays to have on hand when adding to a recipe. In this, I would add 3 to 4 thawed cubes. CELERIAC & APPLE REMOULADE 1 celeriac bulb, peeled 2 green apples, peeled and cored ½ C mayonnaise 2 T Dijon mustard ¼ C milk 2 T fresh lemon juice 1/3 C walnuts, toasted and chopped 3 T fresh parsley (or 1 T of dried) Grate celeriac and apples into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, mustard, milk, and lemon juice. Pour dressing over celeriac mix, add walnuts and parsley, and toss together to combine. Serve at room temperature. NOTE: You could substitute golden raisins for parsley.
EAT WELL. EAT OFTEN. [email protected]
