CSA News for the Week of August 12th

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables and fruit. Next week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

 

 





This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

• Green Peppers
• Heirloom and/or Red Tomatoes
• Popcorn
• Watermelon or Cantaloupe
• Zucchini (for members who pick up at the farm this week)
• Leeks
• Parsley
• Gold and Red Beets
• ‘Superior’ Potatoes
• Cucumbers 
• Yellow Onions

 

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

• Peaches
• Blackberries
• Blueberries

 

Crop Report

If there's one thing that's true about farming, it is that no two seasons are ever the same. Each year there are unfamiliar biological concepts to study, new engineering problems to solve and unexpected weather patterns to deal with. The constantly changing landscape of this profession is what makes farming such fun, but it's also what can seem so maddening sometimes! We all know that weather patterns can vary dramatically from year to year, and the last couple of years have been no exception. Last summer we endured week after week of searing heat, while for much of this summer we have watched in puzzlement as daily high temperatures struggle to reach 80 degrees. Peppers and melons could really use more heat than they are getting right now, but we are finally beginning to pick both of these crops in numbers large enough to distribute to all of our members this week. The growth of tomato plants has been slow this year, so we won't be able to overwhelm you with tomato abbondanza just yet! Like you, we are looking forward to the sight of a kitchen countertop piled high with tomatoes, and I promise that it will happen. Now let's all keep our fingers crossed for some real heat!

 

Have a great week,

Peg



Despite the cool weather there are lots more where this one came from!

 

In the Farm Kitchen

We've still got lots of potatoes yet to dig, but we can tell already that this year's potato crop will produce record yields. This week we dug a variety called Superior. It's a russet-type potato with white flesh. We like it for baking and for making oven fries, but it also works well for steaming, boiling and mashing.

Making popcorn on the stovetop is a little more work than the microwave version, but the results are well worth the effort. Start by removing the kernels from the cob. I like to work over a dish towel, pushing the kernels off with my thumbs. (The towel prevents the kernels from bouncing all over the place!)  Cover the bottom of a pot with vegetable oil. Add one layer of kernels to the bottom of the pot and cover with a lid. Place the pot over medium heat. Be sure to remove from heat as soon as the popping stops. Add salt to taste.

 

 

This week marks our first bell pepper harvest. Most of the pepper fruits are still in their immature or "green" stage. Given enough time and warmth, green peppers that are left on the plant will eventually turn either yellow, orange or red, depending on the variety. The fact that green peppers are simply immature colored peppers is one of those interesting things I never stopped to consider before I started farming. Another curious thing about sweet peppers is that the immature stage of some varieties is a color other than green. For example, we grow a variety called Islander that starts out purple in its immature stage and slowly matures to a bright orange. This week members will receive one green pepper and one that is either purple or lime green.

 

 

 

 

This Week's Featured Recipe

 

Roasted Beet Salad with Blueberries & Oranges

6 medium beets with beet greens attached

1 large orange

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim greens from beets. Cut off and discard stems. Coarsely chop leaves and reserve. Wrap each beet in foil. Place beets directly on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool. Peel beets, then cut each into 8 wedges. Place beets in medium bowl.

           

Cook beet greens in large saucepan of boiling water just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Cool. Squeeze greens to remove excess moisture. Add greens to bowl with beets. Cut peel and white pith from orange. Working over another bowl and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments. Add orange segments, blueberries and onion to bowl with beet mixture. Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, and orange peel in small bowl to blend; add to beet mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Serve.

 

 

Save the Date--CSA Picnic at the Brodhead Farm on September 7th

Interested in learning more about how we grow your food? Please join us at the Brodhead farm on Saturday, September 7th for a CSA picnic and walking tour from 3 until 6. Pack a picnic supper (don't forget plates and utensils),  bring your lawn chairs or a blanket, and come enjoy some time on the farm with Peg, Matt, Jen and Jeff and your fellow CSA members. Water, lemonade and brownies will be provided. The walking tour will start around 3:30. We'll conclude the tour in the tomato field where you'll have time to do some picking! (More details to come as we see how the tomato crop shapes up.) The farm address is 16228 Skinner Road in Brodhead, WI. Please RSVP to jen@sandhillfamilyfarms.com so we know how many will be attending.

 

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... carrots, bell peppers, eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, melons, plums, raspberries, basil and more!