Now that the rain has slowed we are back to weeding, hoeing, and tractor cultivation to control the weeds that flourished in the rain. The crew has been weeding and hoeing lettuce, fall carrots and beets, and fall brassicas. There is more to weed this week but the good news is weed growth slows with the shortening days so this is our last big weeding push. Last week we brought in our storage onions and began our winter squash harvest. We saw a lot of damage on the onions from the intense July rains, reducing yields and forcing us to set aside a large portion for fresh eating because many of the onions will not hold through the curing process. The spaghetti squash harvest was much better - we’ll be harvesting the rest of the squash varieties in another week or two, so we’ll find out soon if the others also held up to the challenging July conditions! We are still seeding fall crops that have a shorter growing season like spinach, radishes, and greens, and we still have a few lettuce successions left to transplant, ensuring a plentiful harvest to supplement storage crops after the frost (which is often mid September). Thinking ahead is the name of the game, but we are making sure to stop and enjoy some of these beautiful August days while they last. That means caprese salads, family cherry tomato picking, and this week’s addition, watermelon slices!
In the CSA this week:
CSA pick up hours are Tues/Thurs 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. Face masks are required under the CSA tent during the first hour of each day. Please note we do our best to predict what will be available each week, but conditions change and there may be slight variations in what’s available!
Salanova lettuce mix - It’s back! Earlier than ever!
Watermelon! We grow a small ice box variety called starlight. We pick them when they are ripe in the field so they are all ready for eating. They do have seeds, and are red with great flavor. Unfortunately the plants do have a disease that will mean a shorter season than usual this year, but the fruit is completely safe (and very tasty!) to eat.
Fresh onions - There will be fresh onions this week because we have some yellow and red onions that were planted for storage but they are not possible to cure because they got too much water in the July rain. They should be stored in the fridge as they are not cured.
Colored peppers
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Lettuce
Arugula
Kale
Carrots
Cucumbers
Summer squash/zucchini
CSA PYO:
Handwashing sinks are provided at the entrance to each PYO field. For the sake of food safety, please wash hands before picking. The barn bathroom and wash area sinks in the barn are for employees only (we do now have a green porta-potty restroom by the tree behind the red barn for customer use with a portable handwashing sink just beside it).
*Please note that we close down the PYO fields for lightning storms.
Cherry tomatoes - All varieties are plentiful this week as it is now peak season!
Edamame - Pick the plumpest pods.
Hot peppers - jalapeño, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax, fresno and aji rico varieties are all producing. Signs in the field indicate what to look for in terms of ripeness, as well as how spicy varieties are.
Green and purple Beans - Please hold the plant while carefully picking the largest beans.
Herbs- parsley, dill flowers, basil, sage, thyme.
PYO Flower CSA:
The flower field is in full bloom! We will offer picking until our first frost (often mid September) however after another 2-3 weeks the selection will decrease. Picking is available any time the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Varieties blooming now include: zinnias, marigolds, snapdragons , statice, gomphrena, celosia, decorative basil, frosted explosion, cosmos, ageratum, rudbeckia, bachelors button, ammi, scabiosa and more! Please pick stems above the first branching to encourage future growth. Picking is available for Flower CSA members as well as to the public for purchase by the bouquet.
In the farm store:
In addition to the items listed in the CSA the farm store this week we will also have flower bouquets, leeks, celery, green and purple peppers. We also have eggs from Codman Farm and honey from Double B. There are no mushrooms available for the month of August, but we will have Fat Moon Mushrooms back in the stand again in September. We might have sweet corn from Verrill Farm later this week - if so it would be here for Friday and Saturday. The heavy July rains and the birds have unfortunately been wreaking havoc on their harvest!
We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. Masks are required during the first hour of each day. Staff will continue to wear masks in the first hour of each day but will not be required to for the remainder of the day in keeping with our customer policy. We are keeping a chalkboard list of items available outside the store and our Shopkeepers would be happy to shop for anyone who is uncomfortable entering the store. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.
Ratatouille
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ripe red tomatoes (6 medium or 4 large)
1 medium eggplant (1 pound), diced into ½-inch cubes
1 large red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (about 8 ounces), cut into ¾-inch squares
1 medium-to-large zucchini (about 8 ounces), diced into ½-inch cubes
1 large yellow squash (about 8 ounces), diced into ½-inch cubes
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, more to taste
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
To prepare your tomatoes, remove any woody cores with a paring knife. Then, grate them on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl (this is easiest if you hold the tomato at a diagonal), and chop any remaining tomato skin. Or, blitz the tomatoes in a food processor until they are broken into a frothy pulp. Set aside.
On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly coated. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer across the pan, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.
On the other baking sheet, toss the bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Place the eggplant pan on the middle rack and the other vegetables on the top rack. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and caramelizing on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and use a wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula to stir any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, or as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
Once 15 minutes are up, remove both pans from the oven, stir, and redistribute the contents of each evenly across the pans. This time, place the eggplant on the top rack and other vegetables on the middle rack.
Bake until the eggplant is nice and golden on the edges, about 10 more minutes (the eggplant will be done sooner than the rest). Remove the eggplant from the oven, and carefully stir the eggplant into the simmering tomato sauce.
Let the squash and bell pepper pan continue to bake until the peppers are caramelized, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Then, transfer the contents of the pan into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon olive oil, the fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Crumble the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it into the pot. Season to taste with additional salt (I usually add ¼ teaspoon more) and black pepper.
Serve in bowls, perhaps with a little drizzle of olive oil, additional chopped basil, or black pepper on top (all optional). Like all stews, this ratatouille’s flavor improves as it cools. It’s even better reheated the next day. Ratatouille keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 days, or for several months in the freezer.