Week 14 - Sept 25th, 2013

We have radishes!  They are at a perfect stage right now.  Enjoy them raw with a little salt or experiment with cooking them.  Don't forget you can use the greens as well!  We have included an excellent radish greens soup recipe at the end of the blog for you to try out. 

Mushroom share folks... as promised we have a special treat for you this week!  In addition to your shiitake you will find a decent amount of Chicken of the Woods mushrooms.  These are a beautiful saprophytic polypore that we usually find on dead oak.  These can get a little tough if you get them when they are too mature but the ones in your box are at a great stage.  You can saute them with a little butter and add them to a cream sauce (or just eat them plain).  As with any wild mushroom we give you, make sure you cook them before eating them.  Enjoy!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Onions
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Romanesco Cauliflower
Radishes

Isn't this cauliflower cool?!  You can use it as you would broccoli or any other type of cauliflower.  Or just keep it in your fridge and look at it every once in a while :). 

One last reminder that the Mushroom Workshop is this Sunday.  Let us know if you would like to sign up and we will give you the CSA Member Discount!

Your Farmer's

Bryan and Katelyn


RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

Radish Raita
http://www.mostlyeating.com/radish_raita

Spicy Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower and Tomatoes
http://in.gredients.com/2012/12/17/daily-recipe-spicy-roasted-romanesco-cauliflower-tomatoes/


Radish Leaf SoupForgotten Skills of Cooking

3 tablespoons butter
5 oz potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup onion, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of water or stock of your choice
1 cup whole milk
5 oz radish leaves, chopped

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions, and toss until well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. When the vegetables are almost soft, but not colored add the stock and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked. Add the radish leaves and boil with the lid off for 4-5 minutes, until the radish leaves are cooked. Do not overcook or the soup will lost its fresh green color. Puree in a blender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

WEEK 13 - Sept 18th, 2013

Thanks to those of you who came out to our first annual Herbal Turtle CSA Potluck!!!  We had a blast and it was great to have the opportunity to talk with you one-on-one and discuss where and how we grow your food.  By the way... the band that played was called "Gravy Train".  Let us know if you would like to book them for anything and we'll get you their contact info! 

Don't forget... We are hosing a mushroom workshop Sunday Sept. 29th!  We are offering a discounted rate for CSA members so if you are interested please let us know!

It feels like fall! The rains finally came (we danced in them for a while) and the temps are dropping. The moisture is great news for the shiitake. Unfortunately the cooler night time temps slowed them down and we did not have enough ready to go around today. We have really been struggling with those shrooms this season!!! We will be including a special treat for those of you with mushroom shares to make up for missing a few weeks. Thanks for your patience.

Katelyn and I are running around like crazy lately! Jenn is back in school and Lynnette just left for Vermont to work for Americorps! We are super excited for her but now it's just Kate and I so if we are a few minutes late for delivery... it's not because we are lazy!

The cool weather crops are looking great. In the next few weeks you will start to see beets, radishes, turnips, carrots, winter squash, kale, peas, beans and cauliflower.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:
Green Beans
Garlic
Cilantro
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers (bell and belcanto)
Hot Peppers (banana, hot chili, jalapeno)
Egg Plant

We are counting on 1 more week of tomatoes.  Not sure how many we will get now that the weather has cooled down that but hopefully you will have had your fill by then!  By October we will be done with the warm and into our cool weather crops.

Your Farmers,

Bryan and Katelyn

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

http://honestcooking.com/coriander-chutney-recipe/

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/rustic-grilled-greek-eggplant-dip.aspx

Week 12 - Sept 11th, 2013 - Better make some salsa!!

Tomatoes!!!!  We have tomatoes coming out our ears.  We loaded you up this week and at the end of this newsletter we re-posted our fresh salsa recipe.  It is perfect for this box since you have an abundance of tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and onions.

The CSA potluck is THIS SUNDAY!  We are really excited to have you out and get to know you better.  We will also have some produce available for you to take home if you would like it.  Things like tomatoes for canning and large zucchini for baking.  Please feel free to bring the whole family!  We only ask that you don’t bring your dogs.  We love dogs but not everyone shares that feeling (including our chickens).  Also, it may become an issue with so much food around.  The last event we had this year, our own dog ate ALL the cookies while we were giving the farm tour.  I love cookies. 

Please let us know if you plan on attending so we can get a head count and give out directions!

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Tomatoes
Eggplant
Green Beans
Onions
Cilantro
Sweet and Hot Peppers
Rosemary
Swiss Chard
Cucumbers

We will be having a mushroom inoculation workshop on Sunday, Sept 29^th!  The cost is $75 ($60 for CSA members) and it will include a presentation, farm tour, lunch, hands-on inoculating experience and a shiitake log to take home.  Let us know if you are interested in attending!

Your Farmers,

Bryan and Katelyn

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

Molly Lynn’s Fresh Salsa
1 pound fresh tomatoes
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded or not (depends on how spicy you like it)
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
small to medium size handful of cilantro
juice of 1 lime
Salt to flavor
Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with chips or over tacos.

WEEK 11 - September 4th, 2013

Not only does your edamame make a great snack, it has also been working hard to fix nitrogen back into our soil.  That's one busy little plant!  In the picture you will notice a bunch of tiny ball-looking things on the roots of the plant.  Those are actually nodules formed by a bacteria called rhizobium.  The rhizobium invades the root and multiplies with in the cells.  It is actually the bacteria that fixes the nitrogen but only with the help of a legume (soy, peas, alfalfa, etc.).  Fascinating relationships beneath the soil! 

You will notice an invitation/reminder card in your box regarding the CSA potluck on the 15th.  That's next Sunday!  We are very excited to have you out to the farm!!  Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect and so we can give you directions.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Cabbage
Edamame
Green Beans
Red Norland Potatoes
Tomatoes
Garlic
Cucumber
Bell Peppers
Belcanto peppers
Eggplant

We are sorry to report that the shiitake did not do well this week.  In fact we pretty much went blank!  If you have a mushroom share with us we will try to double up in the next week or two.  Unfortunately this week we just don't have any shrooms...

The tomatoes are still coming strong but will begin to taper off over the next week or two so enjoy them while they last!   The next few weeks look like they will be full of peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers and beans.  We also have more kale, beans, peas, radishes, cauliflower, beets, carrots, spinach, and head lettuce coming down the line! 

Your Farmers,

Bryan and Katelyn


RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

Baba Ganouj
The New Moosewood Cookbook

a little oil for the baking sheet
1 medium (7 inch) eggplant
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper and cayenne, to taste
olive oil and freshly minced parsley for the top

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lighly oil the baking sheet
2. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, and place face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until very tender. Cool until it's comfortable to handle.
3. Scoot out the eggplant pulp, and discard the skin. Place the pulp ina food processor or blender, and add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini and salt. Puree until smooth.
4. Transfer to an attractive serving dish, cover tightly, and chill. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil and parsley just before serving.