Saturday, November 5, 2011

Week 15 Vegetable CSA - September 7

Broad Branch Farm Field Day
Sunday, September 18
Organic Lunch, Farm Tour, Fun for Kids
Lunch Ticket Deadline – Wednesday, September 14

Farm News
This farming is a moody sort of business.  One day we’re hot, worn down, hoping for rain – the next day cool and bright, energized and relieved.  We've finally gotten our first signs of the coming Fall weather.  And these are days we live for – it’s what keeps us going through the summer when the heat and humidity are sometimes unbearable. 

We started this past Saturday morning setting out hundreds of bok choy and kohlrabi transplants and the heat was bearing down on the plants and our bodies.  But before we finished, a front had moved in and the cool northern winds had begun to blow.  We weren’t hot anymore and neither was the garden or the livestock.  And we got a nice rain out it with no damaging winds.  Now the weather is marvelous but cool.  

The last few days have been some of the best of the season.  These days in the garden are what I consider perfect – I don’t want to be anywhere else.  The bounty of food, the breeze, the crystal clear sky, our girls with their bright faces  thrilled to be together in the garden.  These are good days. 

But they are long, too.  So much work to accomplish and it all needs to be done NOW. The planting this week: 650 cabbages, 500 bok choy, 500 kohlrabi, seeded radishes, and turnips. And we’re not done. We try to fit this planting in with the harvesting and the livestock chores.  It’s too much and we can’t get it all done but we are trying.  The Field Day is almost upon us.  Be sure to get your lunch ticket purchased by next Wednesday, September 14.   We’re all excited to show off the farm and have a day of fun.

The food is beautiful this week with new greens and those perfect beans.  Enjoy.

Gorgeous Peppers Today
In Your Box Today

Tomatoes – The tomatoes still look strong but it will be interesting to see how much they slow down from these very chilly nights.  You may also notice a flavor change.  Tomatoes like warm days and nights.  Cool temperatures and rain produce a less flavorful tomato.  They are still very good though and we’ll keep them coming in your box as long as the weather allows.  We picked 86 pints of those sweet little Sungold cherry tomatoes for the boxes today so everyone gets a pint.  Check out our weekly email for last week’s recipe for our Poeppel Family Pasta Sauce.  It’s an easy delicious sauce using the entire tomato.
Onions var. ‘Copra’  - Our favorite onion today.  These are cured and can store in a cool dry place for months.  No need to refrigerate these onions.
Green  Beans –  The beans are still going strong but I didn’t see a lot of flowers during the harvest.  Sure the cool weather has also slowed them a bit but for this week, it’s beautiful perfect beans.
Salad Mix – We love growing greens and this salad mix is a beauty.  Today you have a blend of arugula, green baby romaine, ‘Freckles’ baby romaine (green leaves with red speckles), red leaf lettuce, and a gorgeous new green for us called ‘Red Rain’ – the purple leaves.   Flea beetles put a few holes in the leaves of arugula and ‘Red Rain’ but the flavor and tenderness of the greens is outstanding.  Dress these flavorful greens lightly with a simple homemade vinaigrette
Peppers – All sweet peppers today in a range of gorgeous colors.
Kale var. ‘Red Russian’ – Nice big bunches of the ‘Red Russian’kale picked early this morning.  These cool nights call for homemade soups and stews and kale fits right into these type of recipes.  Chop kale leaves and stems and add to a simple stir fry.
Recipe

Braised Red Russian Kale & White Beans
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1-2 c homemade chicken stock
1 bunch Red Russian Kale, stems and leaves chopped but kept separate
1 can organic cannellini beans
1 cup diced tomato
3 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion and garlic in 1 tbs. olive oil over low heat.

Sauté onion in 1 T olive oil until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté a minute or two.  Add kale stems and broth, simmer gently until stems are almost tender. Add chopped kale leaves and simmer 5 more minutes stirring gently.
Add  washed and rinsed cannellini bean and diced tomato.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley.
 

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