This week the rain has brought much relief, and the cooler days lately are greatly appreciated by the vegetables and yours truly.  As I write you now, it is storming, watering in the first batch of fall carrots and beets, and … rutabagas!  It is a little incredible to me to think that it is only the 8th week of share, meaning we have about 16 weeks of harvest left.  On the immediate horizon are sweet peppers and watermelons.  If I haven’t recommended it before, any members that can should check out the Carlisle Farmers Market at the intersection of Hanover & High each Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm.  I have a stand there, which I share with The Green Room restaurant’s gluten free bakery, and the market has everything you could need for groceries each week (meat, cheese, bread, flowers, mushrooms).  You also get to meet the friendliest bunch of farmers around and enjoy live music as you shop around.  


Featured Recipes:

Composed Summer Salad for One
3 or more sliced garden-ripened Heirloom Tomato or Several Cherry Tomatoes
2 Slices Sweet Red Pepper
4-5 Slices Fresh Cucumber or a Few Lightly Steamed Fresh Green Beans
2 or 3 Ounces of your Favorite Cheese, at room temperature
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Sprig of Basil
Thick-sliced Whole Grain Bread

Artfully arrange vegetables and cheese on a plate. Drizzle on some extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and garnish with lemon basil. Serve with whole-grain bread. Makes 1 very easy, very satisfying lunch or snack.

(From: A-Z Cookbook, pg 177)

Bok Choy Slaw
2 Cups shredded Bok Choy(about ½ head)
1/3 Cup grated Carrot
½ Cup minced Green Onion
2 Tbsp minced Fresh Mint
2 Tbsp minced Fresh Cilantro
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
1 Tbsp Rice Wine (such as Sake or Mirin)
2 tsp Honey
1 tsp toasted Sesame Oil, plus more to taste
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1. Combine bok choy, carrot, onion, mint, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss well.
2. Mix the vinegar, peanut oil, rice wine, honey, and sesame oil in a small bowl until well combined. Pour the dressing over the bok choy mixture; toss. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Serves 2-4.

(From: Farmer John’s Cookbook, pg 259)

Chard Utopia   Spanakopita – chard style
Serves 8-10

2 cups minced onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
In a large frypan sauté together in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 min
2 ½ pounds Swiss chard
Stem and finely chop it, add to frypan and cook until wilted

4-6 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon flour
Sprinkle in, stir, and cook over medium heat, 2-3 minutes.  remove from heat.

2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
Pepper to taste
Mix in.

1 pound frozen phyllo pastry sheets – thawed
Place a sheet of phyllo in an oiled 9x13-inch pan.  Brush or lightly spray sheet with olive oil.  Repeat 7 times.  Spread half the filling evenly on top.  Add 8 more sheets of oil phyllo.  Cover with the rest of the filling and follow with remaining sheets of phyllo, oiling each, including the top sheet.  Tuck in the edges and bake uncovered in preheated oven at 375F until golden and crispy, 45 minutes.

An addendum to the post below: 

At 4pm on July 19 I invested in drip irrigation for the farm.  The rain started at 7:30 pm that evening, and as of this morning we had an inch and a half of rain .... and it's still raining!   The rain gods ask for much, but it's easy enough to give.  Thank goodness for the relief of rain, I can feel the vegetables relaxing in the fields.

Patience

As the Rolling Stones say, “You can’t always get what you want.”  That is how I am feeling about the heat and lack of rain that we have been experiencing in the last month.  Of course, without rain I do believe we are being spared from other crippling blights like fungus and disease, so this is not meant to be a complaint.  Rather, it is a recognition that some things we must wait for, and in the meantime must continue forward as though we may never get it.  But I believe patience will pay off in the end.  So, this week I am installing irrigation on the farm.  A simple system, it uses hoses with holes spaced throughout that let the water drip slowly out, hence its name, drip irrigation.  With such a wet spring I was hoping to avoid irrigation but there is no denying that without some drip lines we won’t have fall roots, and I must have fall roots.  Here is a funny anecdote from my time spent on Fulton Farm in Chambersburg, PA: our irrigation source was a pump in the Conococheague Creek that pumped water up to a storage tank that we could then access when we needed, letting gravity bring it down to the vegetables.  Now that pump was always breaking, and there were hours upon hours of effort spent by half the farm crew just attempting to get it functioning.  This happened periodically throughout the summer, and without fail, each time the pump was fixed, it would rain!


Featured Recipes:

Great Green Vegetable Pasta
Serves 4-5

1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
½ cup milk (optional if using cottage cheese)
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
Stir together in a bowl and set aside.  Or for a smooth texture, puree in blender.

12 ounces fusilli, linguini, or spaghetti
In large soup pot of boiling water, start cooking according to package directions.

2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups zucchini, sliced
2 cups green beans
¼ cup green onions
Stir in broccoli 6 minutes before pasta is done; boil 3 minutes.  Stir in zucchini and green beans slowly; boil 2 minutes.  Stir in peas and green onions slowly; boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Drain well and return to soup pot.  

2 tablespoons butter
Toss with pasta and vegetables until melted.  Add cottage cheese mixture; toss gently to coat.  Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.  Garnish with tomato slices.  

Summer Squash Bake
Serves 6

6-7 cups yellow squash, shredded or chopped
1 small onion, minced
Combine with enough water to cook or microwave until tender, 3-4 minutes (shredded zucchini may be used without cooking).  Drain.  Set aside.

1 can condensed cream soup
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 cup carrot, shredded
Mix together in a separate bowl.

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2-3 cups herbed croutons or herb stuffing mix
Mix together in a separate bowl.  Put half into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan or a deep casserole dish.  Add the squash mixture and top with the reserved croutons.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Taking Care
These early summer days are full of tender care for the vegetables in the fields.  Without much rain, irrigation is needed to keep them going, and plants like tomatoes need pruned to ensure their fruits are sweet and desirable.  Fruiting is constant, so I pick eggplants, summer squash, cucumbers, and beans every other day.  This affords me time to really get to know the plants, working with them as individuals and in groups, monitoring the insect and disease pressure and taking joy in their vigorous growth.  There are also alarming discoveries, such as the tomato hornworms I discovered on the tomatoes this afternoon.  While they are in no way threatening the health of the crop, they are absolutely disgusting creatures!  And I assure you, I enjoy many insects!  These, however, are huge and blend in with the tomatoes until the instant you see them, hanging bloated from the bottom of  leaves, munching away on your prized heirlooms.  Needless to say, I took no mercy on them this afternoon (crushed all I could find), and will be rounding them up as often as I can. 

 Featured Recipes:

Summer Squash Crabcakes
4 Cups summer squash, grated, do not peel
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2-3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 T mayonnaise
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together.  Form into patties.  If too moist, keep adding breadcrumbs until they can be formed without too much stickiness.  Then coat each side of the cakes with breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil until browned, then flip and fry on other side.  Top with a slice of your favorite cheese and serve on a bun with tomato and lettuce.  

Ratatouille

½ cup olive oil
¾ cup thinly sliced onions
2 cloves garlic
4 julienned green peppers
2 ½ cups peeled, diced eggplant
3 cups summer squash in ½ inch slices
2 cups peeled, seeded, quartered tomatoes
salt and pepper
olive oil

Put olive oil in a deep skillet or heavy casserole.  Saute onions & garlic until golden.  Remove the onions and garlic from the casserole and combine in layers with green peppers, eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper to each layer, and sprinkle the top with olive oil.   Simmer, covered, over very low heat 35 to 45 minutes.  Uncover and continue to heat 10 minutes longer to reduce the amount of liquid.  Serve hot or cold.
Source, Joy of Cooking

Parsley Butter Sauce (perfect for fish or chicken)
Makes about 1 cup

3 Tablespoons green onions, minced
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup fish, chicken or beef stock
½ cup creme fraiche
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon coarse mustard
2 Tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Combine green onions, vinegar, wine, stock and creme fraiche in a pan, bring to a boil and reduce to about half, or until sauce thickens slightly.  Reduce heat and whisk in butter and mustard.  Season to taste.  Just before serving, stir in the parsley.  
Source, Nourishing Traditions

Week 5: Independence

As a single farmer, I tend to feel a lot of independence. I set my own hours and work for myself, and each vegetable planted into and harvested from this soil passes through my calloused hands . The farm sits on top of a hill, and the breeze moving constantly through lends itself to wishes of the freedom of flight. Yesterday two bald eagles flew right overhead, soaring over the farm and then over the forest, and I thought of course of their symbolism of our country. But then again, I am not a bird, and the farm does not exist in a vacuum. Without the interdependence of the Community Supported Agriculture business model, through which each of you partnered with me to start Piney Mountain Orchard, I could not share the fruits of my labor. We live in an exciting moment in time, when local foods are celebrated and local businesses are supported. Independence from the corporate food structure, from factory farms, now that is something we should each celebrate as we bite into our heirloom cucumbers, romaine lettuce, or snap beans this week. I hope that each of you enjoys both the independence of the breeze and the positive dependence of family, friends, and farm fresh food this holiday of holidays. And may the fireworks be mighty!

Featured Recipes:

Chilled Cucumber-Mint Soup

4 Cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 cups)
1 to 2 Cups Water
2 Cups Plain Yogurt (or 1 Cup Yogurt and 1 Cup Sour Cream)
1 Clove Garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tbsp Fresh Dill or 1 tsp Dried Dill
1 Tbsp Honey
1 to 2 tsp Salt
2 Green Onions or Scallions, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
Combine the chopped cucumber, 1 cup water, yogurt, garlic, mint, dill, honey, and 1 tsp salt in a blender or food processor. Puree the ingredients, adding more of the water until the soup is a consistency you like. Season with more salt to taste. Transfer the soup to a large bowl and chill for several hours. Garnish each serving with chopped onions/scallions. Serves 4-6.

Source: Farmer John’s Cookbook

Squash and Basil Salad

3-4 medium Summer Squash, julienned
2-3 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped
3-4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
1-2 Tbsp Garlic Scapes, chopped OR add some minced garlic to the dressing below:
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
¼ Cup Olive Oil
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
¼ tsp Sugar
Toss together first four ingredients. Combine last 5 ingredients and pour over the salad. Mix. Chill 1 hour and serve. Best if served within one day. (May be added to lettuce and chopped green onions) Serves 4-6.
Source, Simply in Season
 

Chard Pie

2 Tbs olive oil
1 ½ c. chopped onion
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 bunch chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
6-8 eggs
2 c. milk
1 tsp salt
2 8-inch deep-dish pie crusts
2 c. grated cheddar or Swiss cheese
Optional: chopped ham, cooked bacon, diced tomatoes, chopped basil, blanched peas, green
beans
1-2 tbls chopped fresh dill
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium flame in large skillet. Add onion and garlic, cook, stirring, until tender. Add chopped greens and cook, stirring, until they wilt. Turn off heat. Beat eggs, milk, and salt in bowl. Spread chard mixture in bottom of pie shells. Add cheese. Pour egg mixture on top. Add any of the optional ingredients if desired. Sprinkle with dill. Bake at 400 degrees until pies are set, about 30-40 minutes. Makes 16 slices.
Source, From Asparagus to Zucchini