roxbury farm
ROXBURY FARM [email protected]
July 16, 2012 - pickup week # 6
www.roxburyfarm.com
Letter from a farmer The longer I farm, the more patterns and rhythms I notice. By looking at our weekly to do lists (that never seem to get finished) or reading the farm updates from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York we can identify the time of year without looking at the date. This summer other CSA newsletters from the area and the farm updates are the same as our experiences: no rain, irrigation night and day, more cucumbers, summer squash, and zucchini than anyone knows what to do with, and weeds. Yes, it is mid July. The warm weather has produced a bumper crop of vegetables especially those aforementioned cucurbits. All those veggies mean we spend more time than we usually do in early July harvesting, washing, and packing. We delivered so many vegetables we were pretty much out of the harvest boxes by the end of last week which doesn't normally happen until mid August. We aren't complaining, we are happy when we have a full truck load of vegetables going out to all of you. It just means we have less time for other jobs. The farm work has a rhythm and timing that is important to follow or things get out of control. One example is weed control. Our weed mantra is once you can see the weeds you are too late. Our goal is to kill the weeds just as they germinate before we can even see them. Most of this is done with different cultivation tools on our tractors and with a hand hoe. Once we can see the weeds it means hand pulling. If we time our cultivation and hoeing just right it is quick and easy work. On Friday, four members of the crew hoed an acre of broccoli and cauliflower in about three hours. In comparison it can take four people those same three hours to hand weed just one bed of salad mix on their hands and knees because we didn't control the weeds with the tractor at just the right time. Weeding by hand is very precise work. A tiny blade of grass in June can become a massive swath of grass in July if it wasn't removed in June. We learned this the hard way last week, cutting out giant grass plants from the onions. Or a tiny pigweed plant that was less than an inch tall in June is now a four foot tall weed that requires clippers to cut through its thick stem. We went through the potatoes and winter squash on Thursday to do just that. A handful of pigweed plants escaped the tractor cultivation and were on the brink of producing seed. One pigweed plant can produce 300,000 seeds. This gives a farmer nightmares. Increasing the amount of weed seeds in our soil is not something we want to do. Last Sunday, when we wrote our weekly to do list we were overwhelmed by the amount of weeding that needed to be done. We didn't think it could be done. Through hours of hard work by the crew and a few cool nights that slowed down the summer squash and zucchini we made a big dent in the weeding last week. We did one last weeding of the onions, tomatoes, winter squash, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, hoed broccoli and cauliflower, hand weeded the parsnips and almost all of the first planting of fall carrots. There are of course more weeds on the list for (con’t p. 2) this week but we feel like it is possible now.
Harvesting Chioggia beets early morning.
Broccoli field after cultivation and hoeing.
2 (letter con’t)
Having the weeds under control before we go into August is important. August is for harvesting. The storage onions are ready to harvest by mid August and our afternoons for a week or so are spent pulling onions out of the ground and putting them in the greenhouse to cure. We will also start harvesting potatoes in late August. Irrigating night and day also keeps us from getting other work done. Jean-Paul prefers to irrigate over night because less water is lost to evaporation under the hot sun. But, to keep up with this drought (we haven't had rain for about 5 weeks) we have to irrigate during the day, too. We figure we have been irrigating about 18 hours a day for the last couple of weeks. This is just to keep the plants alive; it would be better for the plants to get twice the amount of water we are giving them. We go through our 300 gallon diesel tank in less than a week to keep the irrigation going. Along with the weeding, irrigation, cultivating, and the regular daily harvest the crew also finished the garlic harvest. We had to get the garlic in because if we waited too much longer the stems would be so dry the bulbs would break off in the ground and we wouldn't be able to harvest them. We filled our garlic drying greenhouse full with our best garlic crop yet. After a couple of weeks of drying we will clip off the stems and leaves and start delivering garlic in the shares. We will save about 500 lbs of garlic to plant for next season's crop and you will get the rest. The grain harvest also started last week. So far between break downs of our 1952 combine that required Dave to rebuild part of it JP, Dave, Steve and Mike harvested 2000 lbs of wheat, 3000 lbs of triticale, and 2000 lbs of oats. This is a hot and dusty job. There are more oats to harvest this week after the latest repair job is finished. Our barn shelves are filling up with our own grain seed which is a good feeling. We will trade some of our wheat and triticale for rye seed from Hawthorne Valley Farm. Steffen at Hawthorne Valley grew a biodynamic variety of rye this year and we are excited to seed it this fall for a cover crop and to grow for our own seed. Our weekly harvests are changing over from greens and zucchini to the fruits of summer: peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, and eggplant. On Saturday night, we ate our first dinner of tomatoes and sweet corn. There might not be enough tomatoes for everyone this week but it will happen soon. Sweet corn will be in your share this week along with bell peppers. The eggplants are struggling but we hope to have a couple of good harvests from the plants before we lose them to Verticillium. The crew has pulled through a couple of hard weeks: not only with the work, heat, and drought but also with Lyme disease, heat exhaustion, back pain, a flu bug hitting most of the crew, and a jaw infection that requires a root canal this week. The crew members who were healthy worked harder to make up for the missing people and the sick crew members did their best to work as soon as they could. We hope that as you read this newsletter we are all breathing a sigh of relief; there is an 80% chance of rainfall for this afternoon (Sunday, July 15). A rainy Sunday afternoon is a gift we welcome, especially this summer. Crossing our fingers and toes for the sound of rain drops on our roofs this afternoon… ~Jody
COMING NEXT WEEK: sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots or beets, onions, salad mix, head lettuce, chard, basil and parsley FRUIT SHARE: Peaches CHICKEN SHARES: Please carefully read the list of names on the chicken share coolers. If your name is not on the list do not take a chicken. There are three types of chicken shares which can create confusion. We have the delivery dates carefully planned out to make sure all of you get the chickens you ordered. If you take a chicken when it is not your delivery week that means someone who ordered that chicken will not get theirs. We sent out a calendar to the bi-weekly and monthly chicken share members to let you know when to expect your chickens. If you did not get the calendar or need another copy please contact the farm. If you know you will be gone during a chicken delivery week please let the farm know and we will send your chicken another time. Thank you for your cooperation. MONTHLY CHICKEN SHARES BEGIN THIS WEEK, THE WEEK OF JULY 16. LAMB SHARES: The first lamb share delivery will be the week of July 31 to August 3. Look for a cooler labeled lamb shares and separate sign in sheet for the lamb shares. If you can’t pick up your lamb that week PORK AND BEEF SHARES: These shares will start later this year because we have very little in stock from the winter. We will send you an email once we have the dates set. Thank you for your patience.
3
GRILLED ONION SALAD 2-3 lbs onions 2 Tbsp olive oil Kosher salt 1 teaspoon mustard 2 teaspoons minced shallot 1 teaspoon salt 1 Tbsp minced rosemary 1 garlic clove, minced 3 Tbsp white wine or cider vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil Peel the onions, then cut in half from root to top. Slice the halves into thick wedges, making sure to keep some of the root end attached; this will help keep the onion wedges from completely falling apart on the grill. Coat the onions in the 2 tablespoons olive oil and some salt. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill the onion wedges on each side until you get nice grill marks, about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how hot your grill is. After you've achieved grill marks on the second side of each onion wedge, turn the grill down to medium-low (or move some of the coals away from the grill grate), cover and roast for 15-20 minutes to soften the centers of the onions. While the onions are cooking, make the dressing. Put the mustard, minced shallot, garlic, salt, rosemary, and vinegar in the bowl of a blender, and purée for several seconds. With the blender on a low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Once the onions are cooked, remove the onions from the grill and slice off and discard any tough little root ends, and any outer skins that have become too dried out by the grill. Toss the onions with the dressing and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The salad improves with time, as the dressing flavors blend and penetrate the onions. Great to make ahead. Will last several days chilled.
from www.simplyrecipes.com
The onions in your share are called Ailsa Craig and are a "fresh" onion. These are sweeter and milder than a storage onion and need to be stored in your fridge. Ailsa Craig's can't be dried for long term storage. If you like raw onions these are perfect for slicing onto sandwiches or into salads.
VOLUNTEERING AT YOUR SITES: Thank you for being so willing to volunteer at your pick up sites. Your efforts make sure the sites run smoothly and create a pleasurable experience for all members. Your time also makes sure the site hosts and site coordinators are not left with a lot of extra work each week. If you have to cancel or change your volunteer shift please contact your site coordinator and not the farm. You can find your site coordinator's contact info on the website at www.roxburyfarm.com click on CSA Membership and then on your community. 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! LOST AND FOUND: One of the members who attended the garlic day left their soft- sided cooler at the farm. If this is yours please let us know and we will send it to your CSA site.
4
Sesame Noodles with Cucumber 8 oz linguine (or pasta of your choice) 3 T tahini 1 t chili flakes 1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley 2 T water 1 T soy sauce 1 T honey 2 lemons 1 cucumber 2 cloves of garlic 1 fresh onion salt and pepper to taste 2 T salted crushed peanuts (for garnish)
Cook the pasta al dente, according to the manufacturer's directions, and strain and blanch well to cool. Make sure that all the pasta has cooled before you set aside, or it will tend to stick together. In a large bowl combine the tahini, chili, water, soy, honey, and juice from the lemons. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chop the parsley, crush the garlic, and slice the onion and cucumber on a bias. Add to the tahini mixture, and stir to coat. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and gently fold to coat, being careful not to overstir. Top with the chopped peanuts if desired. This pasta is beautiful served up in a large bowl, or plated individually.
from www.laraferroni.com
Warm Green Bean and New Potato Salad 1 pound red new potatoes Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with 2 inches salted water. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high; add potatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, mashing potatoes slightly, until golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm. Add bacon to skillet. Cook until bacon is browned, about 3 minutes. Add green beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add to potatoes along with lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. from www.marthastewart.com
Harvesting triticale with the combine.
Garlic drying in the greenhouse.
July 16, 2012 - pickup week # 6
www.roxburyfarm.com
Letter from a farmer The longer I farm, the more patterns and rhythms I notice. By looking at our weekly to do lists (that never seem to get finished) or reading the farm updates from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York we can identify the time of year without looking at the date. This summer other CSA newsletters from the area and the farm updates are the same as our experiences: no rain, irrigation night and day, more cucumbers, summer squash, and zucchini than anyone knows what to do with, and weeds. Yes, it is mid July. The warm weather has produced a bumper crop of vegetables especially those aforementioned cucurbits. All those veggies mean we spend more time than we usually do in early July harvesting, washing, and packing. We delivered so many vegetables we were pretty much out of the harvest boxes by the end of last week which doesn't normally happen until mid August. We aren't complaining, we are happy when we have a full truck load of vegetables going out to all of you. It just means we have less time for other jobs. The farm work has a rhythm and timing that is important to follow or things get out of control. One example is weed control. Our weed mantra is once you can see the weeds you are too late. Our goal is to kill the weeds just as they germinate before we can even see them. Most of this is done with different cultivation tools on our tractors and with a hand hoe. Once we can see the weeds it means hand pulling. If we time our cultivation and hoeing just right it is quick and easy work. On Friday, four members of the crew hoed an acre of broccoli and cauliflower in about three hours. In comparison it can take four people those same three hours to hand weed just one bed of salad mix on their hands and knees because we didn't control the weeds with the tractor at just the right time. Weeding by hand is very precise work. A tiny blade of grass in June can become a massive swath of grass in July if it wasn't removed in June. We learned this the hard way last week, cutting out giant grass plants from the onions. Or a tiny pigweed plant that was less than an inch tall in June is now a four foot tall weed that requires clippers to cut through its thick stem. We went through the potatoes and winter squash on Thursday to do just that. A handful of pigweed plants escaped the tractor cultivation and were on the brink of producing seed. One pigweed plant can produce 300,000 seeds. This gives a farmer nightmares. Increasing the amount of weed seeds in our soil is not something we want to do. Last Sunday, when we wrote our weekly to do list we were overwhelmed by the amount of weeding that needed to be done. We didn't think it could be done. Through hours of hard work by the crew and a few cool nights that slowed down the summer squash and zucchini we made a big dent in the weeding last week. We did one last weeding of the onions, tomatoes, winter squash, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, hoed broccoli and cauliflower, hand weeded the parsnips and almost all of the first planting of fall carrots. There are of course more weeds on the list for (con’t p. 2) this week but we feel like it is possible now.
Harvesting Chioggia beets early morning.
Broccoli field after cultivation and hoeing.
2 (letter con’t)
Having the weeds under control before we go into August is important. August is for harvesting. The storage onions are ready to harvest by mid August and our afternoons for a week or so are spent pulling onions out of the ground and putting them in the greenhouse to cure. We will also start harvesting potatoes in late August. Irrigating night and day also keeps us from getting other work done. Jean-Paul prefers to irrigate over night because less water is lost to evaporation under the hot sun. But, to keep up with this drought (we haven't had rain for about 5 weeks) we have to irrigate during the day, too. We figure we have been irrigating about 18 hours a day for the last couple of weeks. This is just to keep the plants alive; it would be better for the plants to get twice the amount of water we are giving them. We go through our 300 gallon diesel tank in less than a week to keep the irrigation going. Along with the weeding, irrigation, cultivating, and the regular daily harvest the crew also finished the garlic harvest. We had to get the garlic in because if we waited too much longer the stems would be so dry the bulbs would break off in the ground and we wouldn't be able to harvest them. We filled our garlic drying greenhouse full with our best garlic crop yet. After a couple of weeks of drying we will clip off the stems and leaves and start delivering garlic in the shares. We will save about 500 lbs of garlic to plant for next season's crop and you will get the rest. The grain harvest also started last week. So far between break downs of our 1952 combine that required Dave to rebuild part of it JP, Dave, Steve and Mike harvested 2000 lbs of wheat, 3000 lbs of triticale, and 2000 lbs of oats. This is a hot and dusty job. There are more oats to harvest this week after the latest repair job is finished. Our barn shelves are filling up with our own grain seed which is a good feeling. We will trade some of our wheat and triticale for rye seed from Hawthorne Valley Farm. Steffen at Hawthorne Valley grew a biodynamic variety of rye this year and we are excited to seed it this fall for a cover crop and to grow for our own seed. Our weekly harvests are changing over from greens and zucchini to the fruits of summer: peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, and eggplant. On Saturday night, we ate our first dinner of tomatoes and sweet corn. There might not be enough tomatoes for everyone this week but it will happen soon. Sweet corn will be in your share this week along with bell peppers. The eggplants are struggling but we hope to have a couple of good harvests from the plants before we lose them to Verticillium. The crew has pulled through a couple of hard weeks: not only with the work, heat, and drought but also with Lyme disease, heat exhaustion, back pain, a flu bug hitting most of the crew, and a jaw infection that requires a root canal this week. The crew members who were healthy worked harder to make up for the missing people and the sick crew members did their best to work as soon as they could. We hope that as you read this newsletter we are all breathing a sigh of relief; there is an 80% chance of rainfall for this afternoon (Sunday, July 15). A rainy Sunday afternoon is a gift we welcome, especially this summer. Crossing our fingers and toes for the sound of rain drops on our roofs this afternoon… ~Jody
COMING NEXT WEEK: sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots or beets, onions, salad mix, head lettuce, chard, basil and parsley FRUIT SHARE: Peaches CHICKEN SHARES: Please carefully read the list of names on the chicken share coolers. If your name is not on the list do not take a chicken. There are three types of chicken shares which can create confusion. We have the delivery dates carefully planned out to make sure all of you get the chickens you ordered. If you take a chicken when it is not your delivery week that means someone who ordered that chicken will not get theirs. We sent out a calendar to the bi-weekly and monthly chicken share members to let you know when to expect your chickens. If you did not get the calendar or need another copy please contact the farm. If you know you will be gone during a chicken delivery week please let the farm know and we will send your chicken another time. Thank you for your cooperation. MONTHLY CHICKEN SHARES BEGIN THIS WEEK, THE WEEK OF JULY 16. LAMB SHARES: The first lamb share delivery will be the week of July 31 to August 3. Look for a cooler labeled lamb shares and separate sign in sheet for the lamb shares. If you can’t pick up your lamb that week PORK AND BEEF SHARES: These shares will start later this year because we have very little in stock from the winter. We will send you an email once we have the dates set. Thank you for your patience.
3
GRILLED ONION SALAD 2-3 lbs onions 2 Tbsp olive oil Kosher salt 1 teaspoon mustard 2 teaspoons minced shallot 1 teaspoon salt 1 Tbsp minced rosemary 1 garlic clove, minced 3 Tbsp white wine or cider vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil Peel the onions, then cut in half from root to top. Slice the halves into thick wedges, making sure to keep some of the root end attached; this will help keep the onion wedges from completely falling apart on the grill. Coat the onions in the 2 tablespoons olive oil and some salt. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill the onion wedges on each side until you get nice grill marks, about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how hot your grill is. After you've achieved grill marks on the second side of each onion wedge, turn the grill down to medium-low (or move some of the coals away from the grill grate), cover and roast for 15-20 minutes to soften the centers of the onions. While the onions are cooking, make the dressing. Put the mustard, minced shallot, garlic, salt, rosemary, and vinegar in the bowl of a blender, and purée for several seconds. With the blender on a low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Once the onions are cooked, remove the onions from the grill and slice off and discard any tough little root ends, and any outer skins that have become too dried out by the grill. Toss the onions with the dressing and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The salad improves with time, as the dressing flavors blend and penetrate the onions. Great to make ahead. Will last several days chilled.
from www.simplyrecipes.com
The onions in your share are called Ailsa Craig and are a "fresh" onion. These are sweeter and milder than a storage onion and need to be stored in your fridge. Ailsa Craig's can't be dried for long term storage. If you like raw onions these are perfect for slicing onto sandwiches or into salads.
VOLUNTEERING AT YOUR SITES: Thank you for being so willing to volunteer at your pick up sites. Your efforts make sure the sites run smoothly and create a pleasurable experience for all members. Your time also makes sure the site hosts and site coordinators are not left with a lot of extra work each week. If you have to cancel or change your volunteer shift please contact your site coordinator and not the farm. You can find your site coordinator's contact info on the website at www.roxburyfarm.com click on CSA Membership and then on your community. 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! LOST AND FOUND: One of the members who attended the garlic day left their soft- sided cooler at the farm. If this is yours please let us know and we will send it to your CSA site.
4
Sesame Noodles with Cucumber 8 oz linguine (or pasta of your choice) 3 T tahini 1 t chili flakes 1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley 2 T water 1 T soy sauce 1 T honey 2 lemons 1 cucumber 2 cloves of garlic 1 fresh onion salt and pepper to taste 2 T salted crushed peanuts (for garnish)
Cook the pasta al dente, according to the manufacturer's directions, and strain and blanch well to cool. Make sure that all the pasta has cooled before you set aside, or it will tend to stick together. In a large bowl combine the tahini, chili, water, soy, honey, and juice from the lemons. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chop the parsley, crush the garlic, and slice the onion and cucumber on a bias. Add to the tahini mixture, and stir to coat. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and gently fold to coat, being careful not to overstir. Top with the chopped peanuts if desired. This pasta is beautiful served up in a large bowl, or plated individually.
from www.laraferroni.com
Warm Green Bean and New Potato Salad 1 pound red new potatoes Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with 2 inches salted water. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high; add potatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, mashing potatoes slightly, until golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm. Add bacon to skillet. Cook until bacon is browned, about 3 minutes. Add green beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add to potatoes along with lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. from www.marthastewart.com
Harvesting triticale with the combine.
Garlic drying in the greenhouse.
