Fall Mushroom CSA sign-ups now open!

We are now accepting sign-ups for the 2023 Fall Mushroom CSA from Fat Moon! The CSA starts Tuesday, September 19th and includes one pound of Fat Moon’s fresh, organic mushrooms each week for 8 weeks. Sign-ups will be open until September 14th or until the CSA is full.

Sign-up

The cost of the CSA is $127. Sign-ups are available here on our website.

Schedule

The Fall mushroom CSA begins Tuesday, September 19th. For the first 6 weeks of the CSA mushrooms will be available for pick up at the farm stand any time the farm store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. After the farm store closes for the season on October 28th, mushroom pick-ups will be during the Vegetable CSA hours, Wednesday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm.

Mushrooms

The mushrooms are grown by Fat Moon Farm in Westford, MA and they are certified organic. Over the course of the CSA, expect to get a taste of varieties like Shiitake, Blue Oyster, Yellow Oyster, Chestnut, Lion's Mane, King Trumpet, Black Pearl, and Pioppino. For more information including variety descriptions, recipe suggestions, instructions for storing and more, visit Fat Moon’s website page: Make the Most of Your Mushroom CSA!

CSA Week 12 and Farm Stand Updates

Last week we joined the many farms on the east coast that have experienced heavy rains and flooding. Due to our sandy soil the water receded within 24 hours, but it was not without causing damage. We had worked hard to seed fall spinach, daikon radishes, pac choi and other greens Thursday afternoon, anticipating rain Friday to help them germinate but instead the open beds were either flooded or had running water wash away the tops of the beds. We have yet to see if any seeds survived the event, and while we will continue to seed more beds of these crops, they will likely make an appearance in the CSA and farm store later than planned. Other more established fall crops like sweet potatoes and late carrot and beet successions were also temporarily flooded, but we are hopeful these crops will bounce back! The more immediate damage affecting us is the loss of a bed of arugula planned for this week’s harvest. A full bed, covered to protect it from flea beetles, was pummeled by rain, breaking the leaves and making them un-harvestable. Fortunately, our crop of the hour, tomatoes, are still doing great and are reaching their prime. This is in large part due to most of our tomatoes now being grown in our protective high tunnel, but even the field tomatoes and cherry tomatoes seem to have survived the event with only a moderate increase in split tomatoes!

In the CSA this week:

• Scallions

• Sweet colored peppers or eggplant- Members will have a choice between the two again this week.

• Tomatoes - Slicing and heirloom types.

• Potatoes - Yellow or Peter Wilcox which are purple with white flesh. Both of these varieties were hit hard by the Colorado Potato Beetle earlier this year so they are smaller than usual in size.

• Green and purple peppers

• Uncured garlic

• Carrots

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Kale

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry tomatoes

• Edamame

• Hot peppers - One per membership to spice up your cooking this week.

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, parsley, dill, dill flowers, cilantro and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have seedless watermelon, tomatillos, dragon tongue beans, seedless and pickling cucumbers, summer squash, and at the end of the week we will also have flower bouquets. We will have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The flower field is open to both Flower CSA members and the public this week for picking by the jar. The first of 4 varieties of sunflowers we seeded in the flower field are now blooming. Other varieties currently available for picking include zinnias, bachelor button, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic & Herbs

Posted on September 16, 2020 by The Original Dish

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs cherry tomatoes

• 3 heads garlic, ends trimmed+discarded

• 4 sprigs fresh oregano (or other herbs like thyme)

• 1 ¼ cups olive oil

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 15 cracks fresh black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Add the cherry tomatoes, heads of garlic (cut-side down), and fresh oregano to a large 12” cast-iron skillet. Cover with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss well to combine.

3. Roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and caramelized.

Notes:

• Skillet size and cook time will vary if you cut this recipe in half or double it. Use a 10” skillet for about 40-45 minutes if you cut the recipe in half and 2 (12”) skillets for 1 hour if you double it. You always want a fairly even layer of cherry tomatoes to fit the bottom of the skillet.

• All ovens are different, so use your senses to tell if the tomatoes are done – they should be soft, caramelized, and blistered.

• The heads of garlic essentially turn into roasted garlic. To use it, squeeze out the soft garlic cloves and discard the roots/skins.

• The olive oil becomes infused with tomato and garlic flavor. Save it for drizzling over eggs, dipping bread into, making sauces, tossing with pasta, etc.

CSA Week 11 and Farm Stand Updates

It has been an all-star farm crew this year! We were lucky enough to have 4 returning crew members as assistant growers this year, Sarah, Siobhan, Anna and Carmella, along with returning part-time crew members Rebecca, Dave, and Sue. We also had a great crew of new-to-farming college students Lily, Brooke, Adrian and Leah helping us plant, weed, and harvest this summer. There will be a smaller farm crew soon when the college students all head back to school so this week we will focus on weeding fall crops with a big group to get us in good shape to finish out the season! We will also be planting more lettuce, salanova and escarole (and covering to protect from deer!), harvesting more garlic, and seeding fall greens including spinach.

In the CSA this week:

• Seedless watermelon - These are a red watermelon with just a few white seeds and no black seeds.

• Eggplant or Sweet colored peppers - Members will have a choice each day.

• Scarlett frills mustard greens - These purple spicy greens are back! If you prefer a milder flavor then lightly cooking them is the way to go (see recipe below).

• Potatoes - yellow or red

• Tomatoes

• Green and purple peppers

• Uncured garlic

• Fresh Onions or scallions - There will be one of these two items available each day

• Carrots

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Kale

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry tomatoes

• Edamame or Dragon Tongue beans- Members will have a choice of one of these items. The Dragon’s Tongue beans are cream colored and speckled with purple. When they are small and tender they can be prepared just like green beans. Once they get a bit larger you can “shell” them.

• Hot peppers - One per membership to spice up your cooking this week.

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, parsley, dill, dill flowers, cilantro and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have seedless and pickling cucumbers, summer squash, and sunflowers. We will not have flower bouquets this week. We will have sweet corn from Verrill Farm at the beginning of the week (we do not yet know if they will have another delivery for us later this week), mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The PYO Flower garden is open only to Flower CSA members this week while we wait for more flowers to bloom. We will re-open to the general public next week. The first of 4 varieties of sunflowers we seeded in the flower field are now blooming. Other varieties currently available for picking include zinnias, bachelor button, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. The next planting of snapdragons is just beginning to bloom. Please pick flowers above branching points. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Garlic-and-Greens Spaghetti

by The Food Network

• 16 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 medium onions, halved and sliced

• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste

• Kosher salt

• 12 cups torn mustard greens

• 12 ounces spaghetti

• 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to over-brown the garlic or it will taste bitter.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic chips to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil into a small bowl to use as a dip for crusty bread, if desired. Add the onions and red pepper flakes to the oil in the pan; cook, stirring, until the onions are light brown, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt.

2. When the onions are almost done, add the greens to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, remove the greens, shaking off the excess water; add them to the skillet with the onions (set the pot of water aside). Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Return the cooking water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and reserve about 1 cup cooking water; drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the cheese and toss. Add the greens and some of the reserved pasta water and toss, adding more water as necessary to keep the pasta from clumping. Top with the garlic chips.

CSA Week 10 and Farm Stand Updates

This week our agenda includes weeding, weeding and more weeding! Our fall crops are looking good, especially once they are freed from the purslane, velvetleaf and galinsoga weeds that have been taking off lately. Carrots are the top priority, but we’ll also be weeding fall beets, sweet potatoes, broccoli and rutabaga whenever we get the chance. When we’re not weeding and harvesting, we’ll be working on mulching our strawberries and fixing our deer fence (right now it is acting as a light suggestion to stay out, which the deer are ignoring!). While we try to get our deer fences more functional we’ll be covering all of our lettuce plantings, as the deer have already decimated a few varieties. They also love beans, edamame and sweet potatoes, but those are slightly lower priorities than the lettuce as they can still produce after they’ve been munched on. Lettuce that has been munched on is not usable. While we may see less lettuce in a few weeks because of the deer, we’ll start to have mustard and arugula back in the rotation (and there will still be some lettuce, just limited).

In the CSA this week:

• Yellow Potatoes - this variety is called Golden Globe and has yellow skin and yellow flesh.

• Tomatoes - We’ll have slicers, as well as possibly some heirlooms to choose from.

• Peppers - Mostly green.

• Celery

• Uncured garlic

• Fresh Onions - Red Long of Tropea

• Carrots

• Zucchini and summer squash

• Slicing cucumbers

• Pickling cucumbers

• Kale

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry tomatoes - There are a wide variety available to pick and they’re all good! If you have a harder time finding your usual favorite type or color, check out something new - last week the red varieties were picked heavily but the orange and yellow varieties (were plentiful

• Dragon Tongue beans and green beans - The Dragon’s Tongue beans are cream colored and speckled with purple. When they are small and tender they can be prepared just like green beans. Once they get a bit larger you can “shell” them.

• Sunflowers

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, dill and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have flower bouquets, seedless cucumbers, eggplant and colored peppers. We hope to have sweet corn again from Verrill Farm (they had problems with birds eating their corn last week!), mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The PYO Flower garden is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Shopska Salata (Classic Bulgarian Tomato and Cucumber Salad)

adapted from a recipe by inpatskitchen, from Food52.com July 24, 2013

INGREDIENTS

• 1 slicing cucumber

• 1/2 large red onion (or 1 Red Long of Tropea onion)

• 1/2 large green bell pepper

• 2 tomatoes

• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup finely crumbled sirene (Bulgarian feta cheese). Regular feta in brine also works great!

DIRECTIONS

1. Half peel the cucumber by paring every 1/4 inch or so to create a striped pattern and then slice it into 1/2 inch rounds. Toss them into a medium mixing bowl.

2. Chop the onion and bell pepper into a 1/2 inch dice and add them to the bowl.

3. Seed the tomatoes and dice and add them to the bowl along with the olives and parsley.

4. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and add it to the mix. Toss the vegetables until they are coated with the dressing. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

5. Now place the salad into an appropriate size serving bowl and shower the top with the feta. Chill before serving.

Mustard Potato Salad with Celery

by David Leite

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 pounds small baby yellow or fingerling potatoes

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 fresh bay leaf

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 3 celery stalks, diced (reserve any tender leaves)

• 2 tablespoons minced shallot, about 1 small shallot (Red Long onions are a good substitute for shallots!)

• 6 cornichon pickles, diced (optional)

Instructions 

1. Pierce each potato with a paring knife and place them with the garlic and bay leaf in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm) and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until almost tender, 15 to 25 minutes.

3. While the potatoes cook, in a large serving bowl, whisk oil, vinegars, mustards, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper—no sense in doing more dishes than you need to. Mix in celery, shallot, and cornichons, if using.

4. When the potatoes are almost tender, drain them in a colander. I like them a little underdone at this point because they'll continue to cook after you drain them. Fish out one of the garlic cloves and use the back of a fork or your whisk to mash (it'll be warm and soft). Add the mashed garlic to the dressing and stir to incorporate.

5. Cut each potato in half (they'll be hot to the touch) and immediately add to the prepared dressing. Give them all a good mix. Continue to mix the potato salad occasionally as it cools.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CSA Week 9 and Farm Stand Updates

We are relieved to trade in the heat and humidity from last week for some beautiful sunny and cooler weather for a few days. Overall, this has been a much cooler and wetter summer than last year, so we haven’t had a chance yet to build up our tolerance for truly steamy days! It should come as no surprise that weather patterns impact the growing season, but this season has been a clear contrast with last season. Many of our lettuces and greens have fared well (when they aren’t getting eaten by deer and flea beetles!), and we’ve seen some nice lush growth on most of our field crops. We’ve also seen some very lush and healthy weeds as a side effect! Without as much heat, the fruits of plants like tomatoes, peppers, squash and eggplant have matured slightly slower than last season. We’ve also had trouble getting into some fields because they were too wet (an uncommon occurence with our sandy soils!), and we’ve seen more plant diseases. However, while there may be some drawbacks for crop production with this weather, we are well aware that our working conditions this season are more comfortable than last year’s, and are certainly far more comfortable than what many farm workers (and other outdoor workers) in other parts of the country have been enduring this year!

In the CSA this week:

• Tomatoes - We are excited to have tomatoes this week, but want to remind folks that, just like in prior seasons, for the first few weeks of tomato season, availability is limited. This week we’ll have 1 per membership, but we expect to have more in the coming weeks!

• Watermelon - Red flesh with seeds.

• Peppers - Mostly green, but we may also have a sprinkling of purple peppers as well.

• Celery

• Uncured garlic

• Fresh Onions - Ailsa Craig or Red Long of Tropea varieties.

• Beets

• Carrots

• Zucchini

• Slicing cucumbers

• Pickling cucumbers

• Kale or Cabbage

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry tomatoes - There will be several varieties to choose from, including Sungolds, Cherry Bomb, Sunpeach, Yellow Mini and Red Grape. We still have a few other varieties to look forward to, including some of the popular larger “cocktail” varieties.

• Snap beans - Both green and purple.

• Sunflowers

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have flower bouquets, summer squash, seedless cucumbers, eggplant and later in the week, colored peppers. In addition we will have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The PYO Flower garden is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

By Jennifer Segal from Once Upon A Chef

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small red onion, diced

• 1 pound zucchini (2-3 medium), cut into ½-inch chunks

• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, plus more for garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the red onions and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and pale purple in color, 7-8 minutes. Do not brown.

2. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until the zucchini are cooked but still crisp and the tomatoes have started to collapse, creating a little sauce. Stir in the fresh basil, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more fresh basil if desired.

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

INGREDIENTS

• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

• 2 green peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

• 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

• 1 mildly spicy chili (such as jalapeño), roughly chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted

• 1/4 pound tender green like baby spinach

• 1/2 cup basil leaves

• 1/4 cup parsley

• 1 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar

• 2 teaspoons salt

• Freshly ground white pepper

• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 cups water

• Ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, greens, basil, parsley, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 cup water in blender and puree until smooth. Check seasonings, and add more water if you feel it needs it. Let chill in refrigerator. To serve, divide into six bowls, and garnish each with a dollop of Greek yogurt, two ice cubes and a drizzle of olive oil.