We love many things about September including cool mornings, slow weed growth, cooking early fall vegetables, and a bustling farm full of families home from vacation for the start of the school year. However, we do miss summer members of our farm crew! The picture above is missing teachers who provided critical help on the farm this summer including Dave, Kathleen, and Juliana. Erica and Rebecca also teach but have been helping out on the farm when they can so we snapped a photo last Saturday while we could still generate a crowd! September also brings fun agricultural events in town. We particularly enjoy the annual Ag Day Farmers Market which is coming up this Saturday September 10th from 10 am - 2pm on Main Street in Concord Center. Many Concord farms will be there selling vegetables, fruit and flowers. It is a fun day full of enthusiasm for agriculture in town! We will have a farmers market stall as part of the Ag Day festivities. In addition, we will be open here at the farm stand for our farm store and CSA distribution. We are also looking forward to hosting a farm tour as part of the Farm and Garden Fair on Sunday September 11th at 1:30pm. We will show folks around the fields and around our new greenhouse. For more information about the Farm and Garden Fair this weekend visit the Concord Food Collaborative website.
In the CSA:
- Garlic- The garlic has been curing in the farm stand and is now ready for eating or storing! We will be distributing much of the garlic hanging in the CSA as well as have it available for sale in the farm stand. In addition, we will save some to plant in the fields in late October for next year's crop!
- Spaghetti Squash- To cook, cut in half and bake with either water or oil on the pan. When you scrape the inside out with a fork it looks just like spaghetti and tastes great with your favorite spaghetti toppings!
- Potatoes- Because our potato crop was not as good as we would like, we have purchased certified organic red potatoes from Hutchins Farm down the road in Concord. We will resume harvesting our own potatoes in later weeks as well as purchase additional storage potatoes from Hutchins Farm.
- Red Russian Kale- So nice to have salad greens again! This is a sweet, tender variety of kale that is great in salads and sandwiches but can also be lightly cooked.
- Radishes
- Collards
- Carrots
- Napa cabbage
- Baby bok choi
- Tomatoes
- Beets- red ace and chioggia
- Green and purple peppers
- Sweet Red, Yellow, Orange peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Eggplant
CSA PYO:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Tomatillos
- Husk Cherries
- Dragon Tongue Beans
- Hot peppers - jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, ancho, habanero
- Sunflowers
- Par
- Cilantro
- Dill flowers
In the store: Except for potatoes, everything available in the CSA will also be available in the store. In addition, we will have arugula, salanova letttuce mix, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and sweet corn from Verrill Farm.
Farm store hours:
- Tuesdays & Thursdays 11am - 6pm*
- Wednesdays and Fridays 2pm - 6pm
- Saturdays 10am - 3pm*
*Hours in bold with an asterix are also CSA pick-up hours.
Garlic
Spaghetti Squash
How to Make Cabbage Kimchi
By Emily Han at thekitchn.com
Makes 1 quart
What You Need
Ingredients
1 medium head (2 pounds) napa cabbage
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt (see Recipe Notes)
Water (see Recipe Notes)
1 tablespoon grated garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons seafood flavor or water (optional, see Recipe Notes)
1 to 5 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (or chopped hot peppers)
8 ounces radish, cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Equipment
Cutting board and knife
Large bowl
Gloves (optional but highly recommended)
Plate and something to weigh the kimchi down, like a jar or can of beans
Colander
Small bowl
Clean 1-quart jar with canning lid or plastic lid
Bowl or plate to place under jar during fermentation
Instructions
- Slice the cabbage: Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips.
- Salt the cabbage: Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands (gloves optional), massage the salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit, then add water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours.
- Rinse and drain the cabbage: Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times and drain in a colander for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting, and set it aside to use in step 5.
- Make the paste: Meanwhile, combine the garlic, ginger, sugar, and seafood flavor (or 3 tablespoons water) in a small bowl and mix to form a smooth paste. Mix in the gochugaru, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons).
- Combine the vegetables and paste: Gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage and return it to the bowl along with the radish, scallions, and seasoning paste.
- Mix thoroughly: Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated. The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!
- Pack the kimchi into the jar: Pack the kimchi into the jar, pressing down on it until the brine rises to cover the vegetables. Leave at least 1 inch of headspace. Seal the jar with the lid.
- Let it ferment: Let the jar stand at room temperature for 1 to 5 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine may seep out of the lid; place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow.
- Check it daily and refrigerate when ready: Check the kimchi once a day, pressing down on the vegetables with a clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it's best after another week or two.