roxbury farm - Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
ROXBURY FARM info@roxbur yfarm.com
July 30, 2011 - pickup week # 8
www.rox buryfarm.com
Letter from a farmer Crop Update Rain: Last Monday the rain did fall and again on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The rain gauge on the farm said we had about 3.5 inches of rain over the course of the week. We are grateful for the rain when most of the country is in a serious drought. The farm has turned from a dull yellow back to green in a week. It is a relief to have rain after a month of dry days. I can't imagine what it was like in Texas from 1950 to 1957 when it didn't rain once in those seven years. We feel for our fellow farmers in the Midwest who are watching their crops dry up. We may not be able to harvest green beans tomorrow because of the rain but we aren't complaining about the weather this week. We were able to harvest the potatoes for this week last Saturday before it started raining. Potatoes: Last year Jean-Paul found a used potato harvester in the Netherlands. The harvester gently digs the potatoes and then puts them on a sorting conveyor. T wo or three people stand on a platform attached to the sorting conveyor to sort out the good potatoes. One conveyor moves the good potatoes into our harvest boxes and another puts the potato plants, weeds, and bad potatoes back onto the ground. The old digger just dug up the potatoes and put them back on the ground, mixed in with weeds, stones, and dirt. We would then crawl on our knees and collect the potatoes in buckets. It is not only much more comfortable to work with the new harvester, it is gentler on the spuds and the smaller chains dig up even the smallest ones. It took three people about 2 hours to harvest 3000 lbs of potatoes this past Saturday. The new harvester allows us to grow more potatoes and add some varieties that would have fallen through the chains of the old digger. You have already been eating the Adirondack Red potatoes the past few weeks and it is typical that such an early variety consists of many smaller spuds. We are also growing the even smaller fingerling potatoes called Banana along with our standards of Keuka Gold, Amey Russets and Kennebec. Another improvement in the potatoes is our new "ridge former". The ridger is also from the Netherlands from a company called Steketee. Potatoes need to be hilled (creating a hill of loose soil) so that the developing tubers can grow in the loose soil. Hilling also controls weeds. We used to use large discs to hill the potatoes but they didn't do a very good job. The discs missed many weeds and often uncovered the potatoes. Continued on page 2
Potato beds beginning to
Jean-Paul setting up the potato harvester
Once the potatoes are exposed to sunlight they turn green and we can't harvest them. Root Crops: We put the ridge former to work in the sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, and celeriac, too. In California and the Netherlands carrots and parsnips are planted on tall ridges so that the roots have a deep layer of loose soil to grow into. That way you get nice straight carrots. We experimented with seeding our parsnips on ridges so we will see what happens this fall when we dig them up. The sweet potato plants were also planted on ridges. Then Jean-Paul continued to use the ridger to cultivate the sweet potatoes and parsnips along with the leeks and celeriac. All four crops are doing well and with a bit of hand weeding from the crew are weed free. We seeded carrots and beets on our normal flattopped raised beds. Because of the hot weather and lack of rain we had to reseed the last planting of beets and carrots. The beets had a very irregular germination and the carrots didn't germinate at all. Fortunately the reseeded crops were put in the ground just as it started to rain and both germinated well. Tomatoes: Jean-Paul has been spraying the tomatoes on a regular basis to protect them from late blight. Despite the hot and dry weather late blight has been confirmed in Dutchess County (the county just below us). The hot weather has set the tomatoes back but this week they should finally start to yield. The beefsteak tomato in your share is named Polbig and is a relatively good tasting commercial variety with a texture similar to heirloom tomatoes. We are trying one new variety called Black Cherry which is larger cherry tomato that is purple in color and very tasty. Keri grew Black Cherry in Vermont and recommended we try it out. We are also growing the beefsteak tomatoes, Juliet, Golden Rave and Mountain Magic (the round ping-pong sized tomato that is late blight resistant) along with plum tomatoes. Do not store any of your tomatoes in the fridge as their taste and texture will quickly turn into supermarket tomatoes. Sweet Corn: The sweet corn is doing really well this year. Corn likes hot weather but doesn't do well in a drought. We are fortunate that we could irrigate our corn on a regular basis. Other farmers in the area couldn't get enough water on their sweet corn and they lost their first plantings. We tried out a new variety in the Mirai family (the variety we have grown for the past few years that all of you enjoy). The old Mirai variety blew over in any kind of wind which makes harvesting difficult. This new variety has a much stronger plant that stands up to wind and rain storms. It is a bit harder to harvest but it is all worth it. It also has better tip cover that provides better protection against birds.
2 COMING NEXT WEEK (OUR BEST GUESS) Mi-
rai sweet corn; Caprice green b eans; Polbig tomatoes, Black cherry, Golden rave, or Juliet tomatoes; Amsterdamse bak carrots, Athena cantaloupe, Adirondack red potatoes, Alliance bell peppers, Carmen peppers, Mariachi and Jalapeno peppers, slicing cucumbers, basil. FRUIT: peaches
CHICKEN SHAR ES: This week we are delivering the weekly shares. July 31 Aug 3: weekly shares Aug 7 Aug 10: weekly and bi-weekly shares Aug 14 Aug 17: weekly and monthly shares Aug 21 Aug 24: weekly and biweekly shares Aug 28 Aug 31: weekly shares LAMB SHARES: The livery will be this w eek (July 31 to August 3.) Look for a cooler labeled lamb shares and separate sign in sheet for the lamb shares.
Each winter we talk to the seed representative who sells us our sweet corn seed. We let him know what we like about the varieties we grow and what problems we experienced. He then recommends new varieties for us to try. Sweet corn is constantly being improved by plant breeders to help farmers have the best crop possible. There are so many varieties available that we need an expert to guide us to the right variety for our farm and for you. Worms, birds, and raccoons also enjoy the sweet corn. We use parasitic wasps to help control the worms and then an organic spray called Entrust. For the raccoons we put up an electric net fence which is very successful. The birds are more difficult. We have tried many different bird scare solutions. This year we have settled on pie tins and the scare cannon. The silver pie tins reflect the light which is supposed to scare birds and the tins make noise when they hit the posts we tie them to. Continued on page 3
The boomer runs on propane and makes really loud cannon noises at regular intervals. It makes the dogs and horses jump every time it goes off. I am sure our neighbors aren't too happy either but the boomer keeps the birds from destroying the corn. Salad Mix and Lettuce: We wrote last week that both these crops suffered in the heat and drought. We won't have either one this week. The last two seedings of salad mix germinated well and the head lettuce is growing much better now that it is cool and wet. We should be back on track for weekly salad greens in a week or two. Spinach: We are crossing our fingers for a good spinach crop this fall. We inherited a soil borne disease from the previous farmers that causes the spinach to rot in the ground. We read that planting a cover crop of mustard, mowing it into fine pieces, and then plowing it under can help control the disease. When the mustard breaks down it produces a compound that suppresses the soil disease. We seeded the first spinach last week and the first leaves are starting to push up through the soil. Onions: On Thursday we will start harvesting the storage onions. We wait until the green onion tops fall over signaling that the onions are ready for harvest. Then we cut off the tops, pull the onions out of the ground into buckets, and lay them in the greenhouse to dry. The greenhouse is covered with a 90% shade cloth to make sure the onions don't get sunburned. With the exhaust fans going the greenhouse is a nice dry environment for the onions to cure. There will be a short break without onions in the share as we wait for them to dry. The fresh Ailsa Craig onions are done for the year. Soon we will be swimming in tomatoes and peppers. We look forward to an abundant summer and fall harvest. ~ Jody
Raccoon fence in the sweet corn.
3 DON’T FRACK NEW YORK EV ENT: The event will b e held simultaneously in Albany and New York City on August 25 to August 27 to let Governor Cuomo know that New Yorkers are aga inst hydrofracking for natural gas in New York. For more information visit www.dontfrackny.org. COOLERS AND BAGS: Please return the coolers and insulated bags that the meat orders and shares come in to your CSA site. We use them every week so please make sure to return them. Thank you!
Corn and Potato Salad 3 ears sweet corn 2 lbs potatoes Kosher salt 1 medium onion 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar Black Pepper 1/4 cup e xtra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped basil 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro Boil corn for 2-3 minutes. Remove and let cool. Boil potatoes until tender. While the potatoes cook, finely chop onion. In a large bowl combine onion with the vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cut kernels from the sweet corn ears and add to the onion. When po tatoes are very tender, drain. Cool enough to handle the potatoes. Place them on a board and press with hands or po tato masher to break up. Add them gently to the bowl with the onion and corn. Add the oil and gently stir to co mbine. Let the potato salad come to room tempe rature, then add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. If desired cover and chill up to 24 hours. Let stand at roo m temperature for at least 1 hour. If needed, toss with additional olive oil and vinegar before serving. from Better Homes and Gardens August 2012 issue.
4
Quinoa, Bell Pepper, and Fig Salad 1 cup dry sherry 1/2 cup dried currants 1 cup quinoa 2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock or store-bought chicken broth 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced 1 cup fresh figs, stemmed and chopped 1 cup carrot, finely chopped 2 bell peppers finely chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 1/3 cup tangy Citrus Vinaigrette *
*CITRUS VINAIGRETTE: 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped almonds 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cayenne pepper (also called finger chili), finely chopped 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Juice of 1 lemon Juice of 1 orange 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint 3 tablespoons sliced shallots
Pour the sherry into a medium bowl. Add the currants and set aside to rehydrate for 20 minutes. Drain the currants, To make vinaigrette, heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil discard any remaining sherry, and set the currants aside. in a pan over medium heat. Add in the almonds, Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold garlic, shallots, and chilies and sautØ until golden running water. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medi- brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer for 3 minutes. um saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and return to Add the remaining oil and juice, bring to a boil. Add a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the in the mint, simmer fo r 2 minutes then remove from quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Scrape the quinoa into the heat. a large bowl and set aside to cool. Stir the scallions, figs, carrots, bell peppers, and cilantro into the cooled quinoa. Pour the citrus vinaigrette over the salad and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. The salad can be served cold or at room temperature.
From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/quinoa-sweet-peppers-an_n_1151659.html
Firecracker Beet Slaw Serves 6 (serving size:
cup)
No need to peel the beets or apple in this simple slaw that gets a smoky kick from canned chipotle chiles. The slaw tastes better the longer it sits; it will last for 5 days refrigerated in an air-tight container. 3 raw beets, peeled and shredded (3 cups) 1 Granny Smith apple, shredded (1 cup) 4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 3 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard 1 Tbs. agave nectar or 2 Tbs. sugar 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.) 1 tsp. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce ‰tsp. salt 1. Toss together beets, apple and green onion in bowl. 2. Blend vinegar, oil, mustard, agave nectar, garlic, chipotle chile, and salt in food processor until smooth. Add to beet mixture, and toss to coat.
July 30, 2011 - pickup week # 8
www.rox buryfarm.com
Letter from a farmer Crop Update Rain: Last Monday the rain did fall and again on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The rain gauge on the farm said we had about 3.5 inches of rain over the course of the week. We are grateful for the rain when most of the country is in a serious drought. The farm has turned from a dull yellow back to green in a week. It is a relief to have rain after a month of dry days. I can't imagine what it was like in Texas from 1950 to 1957 when it didn't rain once in those seven years. We feel for our fellow farmers in the Midwest who are watching their crops dry up. We may not be able to harvest green beans tomorrow because of the rain but we aren't complaining about the weather this week. We were able to harvest the potatoes for this week last Saturday before it started raining. Potatoes: Last year Jean-Paul found a used potato harvester in the Netherlands. The harvester gently digs the potatoes and then puts them on a sorting conveyor. T wo or three people stand on a platform attached to the sorting conveyor to sort out the good potatoes. One conveyor moves the good potatoes into our harvest boxes and another puts the potato plants, weeds, and bad potatoes back onto the ground. The old digger just dug up the potatoes and put them back on the ground, mixed in with weeds, stones, and dirt. We would then crawl on our knees and collect the potatoes in buckets. It is not only much more comfortable to work with the new harvester, it is gentler on the spuds and the smaller chains dig up even the smallest ones. It took three people about 2 hours to harvest 3000 lbs of potatoes this past Saturday. The new harvester allows us to grow more potatoes and add some varieties that would have fallen through the chains of the old digger. You have already been eating the Adirondack Red potatoes the past few weeks and it is typical that such an early variety consists of many smaller spuds. We are also growing the even smaller fingerling potatoes called Banana along with our standards of Keuka Gold, Amey Russets and Kennebec. Another improvement in the potatoes is our new "ridge former". The ridger is also from the Netherlands from a company called Steketee. Potatoes need to be hilled (creating a hill of loose soil) so that the developing tubers can grow in the loose soil. Hilling also controls weeds. We used to use large discs to hill the potatoes but they didn't do a very good job. The discs missed many weeds and often uncovered the potatoes. Continued on page 2
Potato beds beginning to
Jean-Paul setting up the potato harvester
Once the potatoes are exposed to sunlight they turn green and we can't harvest them. Root Crops: We put the ridge former to work in the sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, and celeriac, too. In California and the Netherlands carrots and parsnips are planted on tall ridges so that the roots have a deep layer of loose soil to grow into. That way you get nice straight carrots. We experimented with seeding our parsnips on ridges so we will see what happens this fall when we dig them up. The sweet potato plants were also planted on ridges. Then Jean-Paul continued to use the ridger to cultivate the sweet potatoes and parsnips along with the leeks and celeriac. All four crops are doing well and with a bit of hand weeding from the crew are weed free. We seeded carrots and beets on our normal flattopped raised beds. Because of the hot weather and lack of rain we had to reseed the last planting of beets and carrots. The beets had a very irregular germination and the carrots didn't germinate at all. Fortunately the reseeded crops were put in the ground just as it started to rain and both germinated well. Tomatoes: Jean-Paul has been spraying the tomatoes on a regular basis to protect them from late blight. Despite the hot and dry weather late blight has been confirmed in Dutchess County (the county just below us). The hot weather has set the tomatoes back but this week they should finally start to yield. The beefsteak tomato in your share is named Polbig and is a relatively good tasting commercial variety with a texture similar to heirloom tomatoes. We are trying one new variety called Black Cherry which is larger cherry tomato that is purple in color and very tasty. Keri grew Black Cherry in Vermont and recommended we try it out. We are also growing the beefsteak tomatoes, Juliet, Golden Rave and Mountain Magic (the round ping-pong sized tomato that is late blight resistant) along with plum tomatoes. Do not store any of your tomatoes in the fridge as their taste and texture will quickly turn into supermarket tomatoes. Sweet Corn: The sweet corn is doing really well this year. Corn likes hot weather but doesn't do well in a drought. We are fortunate that we could irrigate our corn on a regular basis. Other farmers in the area couldn't get enough water on their sweet corn and they lost their first plantings. We tried out a new variety in the Mirai family (the variety we have grown for the past few years that all of you enjoy). The old Mirai variety blew over in any kind of wind which makes harvesting difficult. This new variety has a much stronger plant that stands up to wind and rain storms. It is a bit harder to harvest but it is all worth it. It also has better tip cover that provides better protection against birds.
2 COMING NEXT WEEK (OUR BEST GUESS) Mi-
rai sweet corn; Caprice green b eans; Polbig tomatoes, Black cherry, Golden rave, or Juliet tomatoes; Amsterdamse bak carrots, Athena cantaloupe, Adirondack red potatoes, Alliance bell peppers, Carmen peppers, Mariachi and Jalapeno peppers, slicing cucumbers, basil. FRUIT: peaches
CHICKEN SHAR ES: This week we are delivering the weekly shares. July 31 Aug 3: weekly shares Aug 7 Aug 10: weekly and bi-weekly shares Aug 14 Aug 17: weekly and monthly shares Aug 21 Aug 24: weekly and biweekly shares Aug 28 Aug 31: weekly shares LAMB SHARES: The livery will be this w eek (July 31 to August 3.) Look for a cooler labeled lamb shares and separate sign in sheet for the lamb shares.
Each winter we talk to the seed representative who sells us our sweet corn seed. We let him know what we like about the varieties we grow and what problems we experienced. He then recommends new varieties for us to try. Sweet corn is constantly being improved by plant breeders to help farmers have the best crop possible. There are so many varieties available that we need an expert to guide us to the right variety for our farm and for you. Worms, birds, and raccoons also enjoy the sweet corn. We use parasitic wasps to help control the worms and then an organic spray called Entrust. For the raccoons we put up an electric net fence which is very successful. The birds are more difficult. We have tried many different bird scare solutions. This year we have settled on pie tins and the scare cannon. The silver pie tins reflect the light which is supposed to scare birds and the tins make noise when they hit the posts we tie them to. Continued on page 3
The boomer runs on propane and makes really loud cannon noises at regular intervals. It makes the dogs and horses jump every time it goes off. I am sure our neighbors aren't too happy either but the boomer keeps the birds from destroying the corn. Salad Mix and Lettuce: We wrote last week that both these crops suffered in the heat and drought. We won't have either one this week. The last two seedings of salad mix germinated well and the head lettuce is growing much better now that it is cool and wet. We should be back on track for weekly salad greens in a week or two. Spinach: We are crossing our fingers for a good spinach crop this fall. We inherited a soil borne disease from the previous farmers that causes the spinach to rot in the ground. We read that planting a cover crop of mustard, mowing it into fine pieces, and then plowing it under can help control the disease. When the mustard breaks down it produces a compound that suppresses the soil disease. We seeded the first spinach last week and the first leaves are starting to push up through the soil. Onions: On Thursday we will start harvesting the storage onions. We wait until the green onion tops fall over signaling that the onions are ready for harvest. Then we cut off the tops, pull the onions out of the ground into buckets, and lay them in the greenhouse to dry. The greenhouse is covered with a 90% shade cloth to make sure the onions don't get sunburned. With the exhaust fans going the greenhouse is a nice dry environment for the onions to cure. There will be a short break without onions in the share as we wait for them to dry. The fresh Ailsa Craig onions are done for the year. Soon we will be swimming in tomatoes and peppers. We look forward to an abundant summer and fall harvest. ~ Jody
Raccoon fence in the sweet corn.
3 DON’T FRACK NEW YORK EV ENT: The event will b e held simultaneously in Albany and New York City on August 25 to August 27 to let Governor Cuomo know that New Yorkers are aga inst hydrofracking for natural gas in New York. For more information visit www.dontfrackny.org. COOLERS AND BAGS: Please return the coolers and insulated bags that the meat orders and shares come in to your CSA site. We use them every week so please make sure to return them. Thank you!
Corn and Potato Salad 3 ears sweet corn 2 lbs potatoes Kosher salt 1 medium onion 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar Black Pepper 1/4 cup e xtra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped basil 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro Boil corn for 2-3 minutes. Remove and let cool. Boil potatoes until tender. While the potatoes cook, finely chop onion. In a large bowl combine onion with the vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cut kernels from the sweet corn ears and add to the onion. When po tatoes are very tender, drain. Cool enough to handle the potatoes. Place them on a board and press with hands or po tato masher to break up. Add them gently to the bowl with the onion and corn. Add the oil and gently stir to co mbine. Let the potato salad come to room tempe rature, then add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. If desired cover and chill up to 24 hours. Let stand at roo m temperature for at least 1 hour. If needed, toss with additional olive oil and vinegar before serving. from Better Homes and Gardens August 2012 issue.
4
Quinoa, Bell Pepper, and Fig Salad 1 cup dry sherry 1/2 cup dried currants 1 cup quinoa 2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock or store-bought chicken broth 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced 1 cup fresh figs, stemmed and chopped 1 cup carrot, finely chopped 2 bell peppers finely chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 1/3 cup tangy Citrus Vinaigrette *
*CITRUS VINAIGRETTE: 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped almonds 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cayenne pepper (also called finger chili), finely chopped 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Juice of 1 lemon Juice of 1 orange 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint 3 tablespoons sliced shallots
Pour the sherry into a medium bowl. Add the currants and set aside to rehydrate for 20 minutes. Drain the currants, To make vinaigrette, heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil discard any remaining sherry, and set the currants aside. in a pan over medium heat. Add in the almonds, Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold garlic, shallots, and chilies and sautØ until golden running water. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medi- brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer for 3 minutes. um saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and return to Add the remaining oil and juice, bring to a boil. Add a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the in the mint, simmer fo r 2 minutes then remove from quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Scrape the quinoa into the heat. a large bowl and set aside to cool. Stir the scallions, figs, carrots, bell peppers, and cilantro into the cooled quinoa. Pour the citrus vinaigrette over the salad and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. The salad can be served cold or at room temperature.
From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/quinoa-sweet-peppers-an_n_1151659.html
Firecracker Beet Slaw Serves 6 (serving size:
cup)
No need to peel the beets or apple in this simple slaw that gets a smoky kick from canned chipotle chiles. The slaw tastes better the longer it sits; it will last for 5 days refrigerated in an air-tight container. 3 raw beets, peeled and shredded (3 cups) 1 Granny Smith apple, shredded (1 cup) 4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 3 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard 1 Tbs. agave nectar or 2 Tbs. sugar 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.) 1 tsp. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce ‰tsp. salt 1. Toss together beets, apple and green onion in bowl. 2. Blend vinegar, oil, mustard, agave nectar, garlic, chipotle chile, and salt in food processor until smooth. Add to beet mixture, and toss to coat.
