CSA Week 5 and Farm Stand Updates

While we are happy to have another short reprieve from the heat on Wednesday and Thursday, we have been watching the chance of rain in the forecast slowly evaporate (pun intended!). Melissa and Maddie and Catherine have been working tirelessly to get irrigation on as many fields as possible, but it has been so dry and hot, and our fields are so sandy that it takes constant water to keep our plants happy. Also, as you might imagine, there are many pressing planting, seeding, weeding, trellising, mowing and pest control tasks pulling us in many different directions, so we still haven’t been able to reach every area with irrigation yet. Hopefully some rain materializes to buy us a little time to tackle the remaining irrigation set-up!

In spite of the dry conditions, a lot of crops are coming along nicely. Our high tunnel tomatoes and peppers are lush, the onions and carrots out in the field are thriving, and the winter squash look promising. The PYO flower field is getting close to ready for picking too - PYO Flower CSA members should get an email in the next week or so with an update about opening!

In the CSA this week:

• Fresh onions - We grow a white variety (Ailsa Craig) and a red variety (Red Long of Tropea). These fresh onions are sweeter and milder than cured onions, and they should be kept in the fridge.

• Celery - Our celery tends to have a more concentrated flavor than what you find in the grocery store (especially true this year with the lack of rain!).

• Zucchini

• Summer squash

• Cucumbers - We have been battling aphids in our high tunnel cukes, so we are eagerly waiting for field cucumber production to pick up. In the meantime, cukes will remain limited, but you should see some of the thin skinned varieties mixed in to the bin!

• Carrots - If you’re wondering what to do with those carrot tops, see the recipe for carrot top pesto below!

• Garlic Scapes - Last week for these!

• Cabbage - Savoy, Caraflex (conical shape), and Green

• Lettuce

• Kale

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Green beans - These are in a section of field that we haven’t yet reached with irrigation, so the plants and beans are little stunted. We are hoping to set up some irrigation on them today to boost production, though it may be a little late to get them to size up better.

• Herbs: Members will have a choice of parsley, dill, dill flowers, cilantro, sage, chives, thyme and basil (Genovese and Thai).

Some herb harvesting information:

• Parsley and cilantro: Pick only outer stems and leave the center stalks to continue to grow.

• Basil: please pinch off leaves from the tops of the plants.

• Dill, Sage and Thyme: harvest stems at branching points

• Chives: cut stems high enough that a 3-4 inches of plant remain at the base, and do not cut all of the stems on a plant.

• Please do not clear cut herb plants or harvest from beds that are not yet open.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Fennel

• Beets

• Chard

• Flowers - Snapdragons and some mixed mini bouquets

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic

• Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. NEW: Additional varieties now available, all grown by Charley Baer but these are not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.

In addition, at the end of the week we may have a few tomatoes!

Roasted Zucchini

By Lidey Heuck from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 medium zucchini)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano, thyme or rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• Chopped fresh basil, parsley or mint, for serving (optional)

• Zest and juice of half a lemon, for serving (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees, placing a sheet pan on the middle rack to preheat for at least 10 minutes.

2. Place the zucchini in a large bowl. Add the oil, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; toss well. Dump the zucchini onto the preheated sheet pan, and, working quickly, spread into an even layer.

3. Roast for 15 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the zucchini are browned and tender.

4. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest and juice if desired. Season with more salt and pepper and serve hot or warm.

Carrot Top Pesto

by Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes

Thanks to field crew member Adrienne for sharing!

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed carrot top greens (about 40g), tough stems removed

•  1 cup packed baby spinach (about 40g)

• 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup (63g) roasted unsalted cashews

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 cup (118ml) extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Rinse the carrot top greens to dislodge any dirt. Pick out and discard any dry, yellowed, or otherwise unappetizing looking leaves. Discard tough stems.

2. While the food processor is running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula. Pulse until smooth.

Holiday Week Farm Store Update

OPEN today! Thursday 11am- 6pm

CLOSED Friday July 4th

OPEN Saturday 9am-3pm: Farm Store and CSA

The road is clear (no construction!) today and the farm store is bursting with produce so it’s a great time to stock up before the weekend! We are closed tomorrow for the 4th of July but we will be open again on Saturday for our regular farm store and CSA pick-up hours.

Available Thursday and Saturday in the Farm Store:

• Flowers - Snapdragons and mini mixed bouquets

• Herbs - dill and parsley bunches

• Scallions

• Zucchini and Summer squash

• Cucumbers - regular slicers and thin-skinned seedless varieties

• Carrots

• Beets

• Cabbage - Savoy, Caraflex (conical shape), and Green. All tender and perfect for slaws!

• Fennel

• Garlic scapes

• Radishes - purple and daikon

• Lettuce - Red leaf and green oak

• Curly Kale bunches

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Mustard Greens

• Arugula

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic

• Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. NEW: Additional varieties now available, all grown by Charley Baer but these are not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.

CSA Week 4, and we are open during road work!

All of the hot and dry weather last week in theory meant it was a good time to accomplish some tractor cultivation as well as hand weeding and hoeing. Because it has been so dry, though, a large percentage of our time was spent working on irrigation. We also had a backlog of seedlings to transplant at the end of the week, as we held back on planting leading up to the heat wave so that the new plants didn’t fry in the field. In spite of all of the other demands on the farm (as well as the need to stay out of the fields in the worst of the heat!), we did manage to get some weed management work done! Catherine spent almost 2 full days on the cultivating tractors. Any time that she wasn’t harvesting or arranging flowers she was meticulously cultivating everything that the tractors could fit over. The rest of the crew also worked on taming the weeds that had been thriving during earlier rainy periods, which now seem like ages ago!

This week there is road work on Barrett’s Mill Road, but we will remain open, so please don’t be deterred! There are some beautiful flowers and veggies to enjoy. They are currently allowing cars coming in from Strawberry Hill Road and Lowell Road, but if you are coming from Rte 2 you may be directed to take a detour during high traffic periods.

We will be closed for the holiday on July 4th, but we will be open regular hours Saturday the 5th (9am - 3pm)!

In the CSA this week:

• Zucchini or Summer squash - These are just starting to produce, so they will be limited for now.

• Slicing cucumbers - from our high tunnel.

• Carrots

• Beets

• Garlic Scapes - Use just like you would regular garlic cloves. They’re a little milder, so if you like garlicky flavor adjust accordingly!

• Cabbage - Savoy, Caraflex (conical shape), and Green

• Fennel

• Radishes or Salad turnips - Radishes have gotten spicy in this heat! This will probably be the last week of radishes until late summer. We’ll likely have salad turnips on Wednesday and radishes on Saturday.

• Lettuce

• Kale

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Mustard Greens - These spicy greens become milder (but still flavorful) when lightly cooked.

• Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: Members will have a choice of parsley, dill, cilantro, sage, chives and basil.

Some herb harvesting information:

• Parsley and cilantro: Pick only outer stems and leave the center stalks to continue to grow.

• Basil: please pinch off leaves from the tops of the plants.

• Dill and Sage: harvest stems at branching points

• Chives: cut stems high enough that a 3-4 inches of plant remain at the base, and do not cut all of the stems on a plant.

• Please do not clear cut herb plants or harvest from beds that are not yet open.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Swiss Chard

• Scallions

• Thin-skinned cucumbers

• Flowers - Snapdragons

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic

• Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. NEW: Additional varieties now available, all grown by Charley Baer but these are not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.

Charred Cabbage With Miso Browned Butter

by Andy Baraghani, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 medium green or savoy cabbage (about 2 pounds)

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon white miso paste

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Cut the cabbage in half through the core then cut each half into 4 wedges, keeping the core intact.

2. Heat oil in a large cast-iron or high-sided skillet over medium-high until glistening. Working in batches if needed (you don’t want to overcrowd the pan), add the cabbage to the pan, cut side down. Using tongs, press down on the cabbage pieces to encourage browning until deeply charred on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. If the pan looks dry in between batches, add another tablespoon or two of oil. Transfer cabbage to a serving platter.

3. Turn off heat, wipe out any cabbage bits from the pan and let the pan cool for a few minutes. Add the butter and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the butter has browned and smells nutty, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon pepper and the miso. When combined (it won’t be a smooth sauce), stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add salt, if needed.

5. Spoon the miso butter sauce over the cabbage and top with scallions and more pepper.

Best Fennel Salad Recipe

by Sylvia Fountaine from Feasting From Home

Ingredients

• 2 medium fennel bulbs- trimmed and cored (about 1 lb)

• 2 cups thin-skinned cucumbers, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup fresh dill

• 1/8–1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, more to taste (***Meyer lemon is really nice here, or sub rice wine vinegar)

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

• 1–2 teaspoons sugar or honey (see notes)

Instructions

1. Trim the ends off the fennel bulbs, cut in half legnthwise and remove their core with a sharp knife.

2. Using a mandolin, shave the fennel bulb paper thin and place it in a large bowl. Use a cut-resistant glove to protect your fingers. (Or finely slice as thin as possible with a chef’s knife). You should have about 6 cups packed.

3. Shave the cucumber and onion with the mandolin and place in the bowl.

4. Add the chopped dill and zest the lemon over the salad.

5. Toss in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and sweetener and toss well.

6. Taste and adjust salt, honey, and lemon to taste, adding more as needed.

Notes

Lemon: If you use regular lemons, you’ll need a little more honey or sugar, but if you use Meyer Lemons, you’ll need less sweetener.  This salad also works nicely with a mild vinegar like rice wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.

Feel free to soak the onions in salted water first to take the “bite” out of them.

CSA Week 3 and Farm Stand Updates!

The farm crew arrived at 6am Tuesday morning to bring in the harvest before the heat really set in! We successfully brought in greens, radishes, cabbage, carrots, fennel, scallions and more before it showed any signs of wilting. The crew headed home early and we diligently irrigated the rest of the day to try to keep crops in the best shape possible for future harvests. While Wednesday is supposed to be cooler, it will still be a little hard on these beautiful greens under the CSA tent, so we may need to get creative and bring out pre-bagged greens from the cooler as needed to get folks their greens as fresh as possible. Fortunately, in the farm store we have a new glass door refrigerator purchased with a grant from the Town of Concord’s Economic Vitality department so store customers will find crisp radishes and greens stored safely there when they come to shop!

In the CSA this week:

• Carrots

• Garlic Scapes - Use just like you would regular garlic cloves. They’re a little milder, so if you like garlicky flavor adjust accordingly!

• Cucumbers - From our high tunnel!

• Cabbage - Savoy, Caraflex (conical shape), and Green

• Scallions

• Fennel

• Radishes- purple or red to choose from. The radishes are getting spicier in this heat!

• Mini daikon radish

• Lettuce

• Bok choi

• Kale

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Mustard Greens - These spicy greens become milder (but still flavorful) when lightly cooked.

• Arugula

• Yukina Savoy - May be eaten raw or lightly cooked.

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Peas: Snow peas, sugar snap peas, and shelling peas

• Herbs: Members will have a choice of parsley, dill, cilantro, sage, and chives. For parsley harvesting, please pick only outer stems and leave the center stalks to continue to grow.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Summer squash and zucchini

• Swiss Chard

• Kohlrabi

• Beets

• Flowers - Snapdragons: New colors now available from our first field planting!

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic

• Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. NEW: Additional varieties now available, all grown by Charley Baer but these are not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.

Arugula Salad With Radish, Fennel and Mustard

By David Tanis, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• Salt and black pepper

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

• 2 teaspoons strong Dijon mustard

• 3½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad:

• 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly sliced

• 1 small watermelon radish, peeled, very thinly sliced

• 5 ounces sturdy or wild arugula

• 3 large eggs, boiled 7 minutes, chilled and shelled (optional)

• 6 small red (or purple!) radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced

• 1 (1-inch) chunk of peeled horseradish, for grating (optional)

Preparation

1. Make the dressing: Put the shallot in a small bowl or small jar with a lid, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice, zest and vinegar, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add mustards and stir to dissolve. Add olive oil, and whisk (or cover and shake if making in the small jar).

2. Prepare the salad: Put sliced fennel and watermelon radish in a salad bowl or on a large platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dress lightly with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Add arugula and toss well, keeping some of the slices on top. Add more dressing to taste, but don’t overdress. Add a pinch of salt and toss again.

3. If using the eggs, cut them in half, give them a speck of salt and arrange over the salad. Garnish with red radishes and grate a little horseradish over the salad, if desired.

Easy Roasted Carrots and Crispy Kale

By Yossy Arefi from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• ½ pound fresh kale

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and black pepper

• 1 pound carrots

• Lemon wedges, for serving

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remove and discard the fibrous kale stems, then thinly slice the leaves and place in a large bowl. (You should have about 6 lightly packed cups.) Drizzle in 2 tablespoons oil and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Use your hands to massage the oil into the kale, then set the bowl aside while you prepare the carrots.

3. Peel the carrots then slice them on the bias into 1-inch pieces and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the carrots to evenly coat, then spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the carrots start to caramelize on one side.

5. Flip the carrots and push them to one side of the pan, then spread the kale on the other side. Bake for 10 more minutes, then gently stir the kale. Return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the kale is crisp in parts and charred in some spots.

6. To serve, stir the kale and carrots together, spoon them onto a serving plate, then squeeze the lemon over top.

White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip

by Melissa Clark, NY Times Cooking

We’ve shared this recipe many times! It is a perfect dip for the carrots and cukes we’re enjoying this week, and does not require turning on the stove! We found that where it says “more to taste”, we definitely prefer it with more! (We also add more garlic scapes than suggested).

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste

• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste

• Ground black pepper to taste

• 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

Preparation

1. In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

Farm Store closed Tuesday due to heat!

Since we don’t have a climate controlled farm stand and the temperatures are too high for our staff to safely be working in the afternoon, we are closing the farm stand all day on Tuesday and sending field crew home early. We will send out a list Tuesday evening of what we will have available for the week in the farm stand and CSA.

The store and CSA hours for the rest of this week (Wednesday - Saturday) are the same as usual. Stay safe and cool these next couple of days! We are looking forward to a reprieve from the heat on Thursday!