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

Summer Sets In

Let me tell you, it is hot out there these days. I find myself working inside during the hot sun- shining hours of midday, and daydreaming of poolside siestas. Out in the fields I spotted a baby eggplant and the tomatoes are sizing up, so July will bring us a bounty indeed. We could use some rain, so if anyone knows a weather man put in a good word please. My work right now is transitioning the ground from spring crops into cover crops, and preparing ground for the fall root crops (beets, carrots, turnips) and fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower). With the breeze moving through the past few days I can almost imagine the fall, but the sun reminds me that summer is just settling in.

Featured Recipes

Garlic Spinach Dip

2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
! tsp Oil
8 Cups Fresh Spinach, chopped
8 Oz Light Cream Cheese, softened
¼ Cup Milk
1/8 tsp Salt
Dash Tabasco Pepper Sauce
Sauté garlic in oil until soft. Add chopped spinach to fry pan, one handful at a time. As it wilts you can add a little water as needed to prevent sticking. Place the cooked spinach and garlic in a blender or food processor. Add cream cheese, milk, salt & Tabasco and blend until smooth. You can serve immediately or heat through for a warmer dish. Garnish with chopped tomato or shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Serve with tortilla chips or toasted pita wedges. Makes 2 Cups.

Curried Greens

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced peeled carrots
1 cup diced peeled beets
1 cup vegetable stock or canned broth
1 tsp. curry powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbs. arrowroot dissolved in 2 Tbs. water (to thicken sauce)
1 lb. collard greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, 5 minutes. Add carrots, turnips and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer until carrots and beets are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add dissolved arrowroot and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Add collard greens, and cook until greens are bright and tender, 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Farm of flowers
This time of year is truly satisfying.  I try to get most everything planted on or before the solstice (the longest day of the year) which is Thursday, so the fields are really filling up, and my favorite fruiting vegetables are finally starting to flower.  Yes, this means your tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and squashes are gearing up to set fruit!  You will notice in this share the start of it all -- sugar snap peas, summer squash, and berries!  Everything continues to grow well, and the big news on the farm this week is that I invested in a new rototiller, a BCS.  It is a fine machine that could outlast me if I care for it properly - I will do my best.  That being said, it is my birthday on Thursday, and I’m going to celebrate by acting on some folk wisdom my grandma told me this weekend, that her grandfather always planted cucumbers on the longest day of the year.  
In the Share this Week
Napa cabbage, head lettuce, mesclun mix, sugar snap peas, summer squash, bunching onions, kale, parsley, carrots, spinach, blackberries

Featured Recipes:

Sauteed Summer Squash Serves 4
Source, The Joy of Cooking
• 3 cups diced summer squash
• 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 cup minced onions
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
Cook onions in oil until golden brown. Add squash, salt and pepper. Cover and cook the squash until tender, about 6 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the lid and cook an additional 3 minutes to evaporate juices. Serve and sprinkle with any of the following:
• Chopped basil or parsley, grated parmesan, chopped garlic, grated lemon zest, or drizzle with tomato sauce

Kale Souffle
Softened butter to grease dish
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 2/3 cup milk, warmed
Salt and pepper
Pinch cayenne
5 egg yolks
1 cup cooked and finely chopped kale, at room temperature
1 cup grated gruyere or swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill
7 egg whites, at room temperature
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter sides and bottom of an 8-cup soufflé dish or deep, round baking dish. Sprinkle buttered areas with parmesan. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook over low heat for several minutes, stirring often. Whisk in milk until thickened; season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Stir in kale, gruyere, and dill. Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with egg beater until firm peaks form. Fold a quarter of the whipped egg whites into kale mixture, then gently fold in the rest. Do not overmix. Gently spread mixture in prepared pan. Place in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake until high, golden, and barely set in the center, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately!
Serves 6.
Source, From Asparagus to Zucchini

Peanut Sauce -- I recommend making this peanut sauce and stirring it into steamed napa cabbage and snap peas (or any greens), then serving over rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, hot pepper sauce and garlic until well mixed. Gradually stir in water until texture is smooth and creamy.

Source, allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-peanut-sauce/)

Week 2: Green Beginnings

Rainy Days

Greetings members!  For some of you, this is your first week of official pick up  - welcome to the 2012 season of your Community Supported Agriculture farm.  I am taking advantage of the rainy day to catch up on paperwork and get the newsletter out, but the rain didn’t stop me from planting basil and parsley, fennel and lettuce this morning.  At some point, though, the mud took over and I felt it was the right time to step inside and take a break from working the fields.  The rain is great for the garden; we were about due for an inch and the rest of the week looks like lovely weather.  Some of the information below will look familiar because I am repeating a few things for those who are starting with their shares this week.  Have fun with your vegetables -- it’s nearly all greens this week, but there are baby cucumbers and squash in the fields -- and be sure to consult the chart below if you need ideas on how to best store and enjoy the harvest. 

 Featured Recipes:

This is a great recipe that uses up many greens, if you are having some left over or want to make a large meal for guests:
Room in the Fridge Curried Greens Soup
http://www.farmerdaves.net/no-room-in-the-fridge-curried-greens-soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bunch garlic scapes, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 cups broth (veggie or chicken), plus water if needed
• 1-3 tablespoons mild Jamaican curry powder (or your favorite Indian curry powder or Thai curry paste)
• Up to 5 bunches/heads of greens, washed and chopped. You can use spinach and kale , plus tatsoi, cilantro, and pea tendrils from the CSA share
• Washed and chopped root vegetables, such as hakurei turnips, radishes, or golden beets
• Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

Directions:
In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Sautee the onions until translucent, then add the garlic scapes and root veggies and sautee for about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, curry powder, and  broth. Add the washed, chopped greens, a little at a time. As the greens in the pot wilt, add more greens, and water to cover as needed. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and any other seasonings, to taste.


Kale Chips

Original Recipe Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Here is a Variation, provided by my friend Dan, who is working with me on the farm this week:
Line pan with aluminum foil (lightly oil foil)
Replace olive oil with soy sauce
Enjoy!

Week 1: A Member’s Field Guide

WEEK 1: A MEMBER'S FIELD GUIDE

Good morning!

I just got inside from morning chores - getting everyone fed and watered - and now sit down to write the newsletter over a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and kale! We made it to the first week of the share and there are truly some treats for you. But let’s back up. It was so nice to meet many of you last week for the preview. It always feels more real when I get to show others around the farm, and it’s a great time to taste test the vegetables as they grow up. I hope you find the table below helpful as you navigate through the contents of your share - this time of the year it’s a lot of greens, so I will focus on that in our recipes section.




Farmer Bio -- Megan Rulli

I grew up in Enola, Pa, and spent most of my free time through childhood and adolescence dancing, ballet mostly but also jazz, modern, and tap. After high school I attended college in Erie at Mercyhurst College, starting out as a dance major but later switching my studies to Religion and History. At Mercyhurst I became absorbed in environmental activism and really enjoyed it, working in defense of forests and to get a renewable energy fee established at the school. However, by the end of college I was ready to put my activist leanings into some more grounded efforts and decided to take an internship at an organic farm. This took me to Wilson College’s Fulton Farm, where I spent a season; the next year I joined the farm staff at Weaver’s Way Coop’s three urban farms in Philadelphia, learning to grow and prosper in small places. That fall I learned of an opportunity to farm a friend’s land in Erie and jumped at the chance strike out on my own, starting a 30 member CSA for the 2010 season as part of Wild Winds Farm. As my farming partner Annie and I were planning for the 2011 season, we both got exciting other offers - she to start up an aquaponics program in downtown Erie, me to come home and farm my parents’ newly acquired Piney Mountain Orchard acreage. So we went for the new opportunities and I moved back to Central Pennsylvania thanks to the openness of my generous parents. Today the farm includes a little over a half acre of vegetable production, a small greenhouse, seven chickens, three sheep, one goat, one puppy and many barn cats. Ralph and Diane, my parents, are always helping with the farm, whether to water the greenhouse or plow and mow the fields. It is a family effort and I hope all the hard work we put in is evident in the tasty delights at your kitchen tables.






CSA Shares 101

For some of you, this is your first time as a member of a Community Supported Agriculture farm. Welcome to a happy relationship between farmer and customer, where you get to take ownership in the farm because you invested early. I will be offering extras throughout the season, and if there is a time you need more of certain items please just ask. If you like to juice collards daily, for example, I can make sure that you get a heaping bunch each week it’s available, even if its not included in the traditional share. You are also welcome out any time for a visit, just let me know when you’d like to come by. But let’s get down to some more helpful details concerning the share:
1. Vegetables are field washed. This means I bring them in from the fields and soak and wash them in cold cold water. I recommend washing them again before use, because although I do not use harmful chemicals, there is a good chance there will be a little dirt left over and even a bug or two from time to time.
2. Getting the most use out of your share. I once attended a whole workshop on how to best use all the veggies in a share from a veteran CSA member. She said it took her a few years to get her routine down. Through this newsletter I will try to give you useful storage tips, but one thing she said has stuck with me. She would take home her share and wash and prepare it in the way she liked to use the veggies. She chopped her lettuce and prepared a large salad immediately, or sliced greens so they were ready to cook. And if something looked too large to use in a week, she got right down to preserving it for the winter. It will take a few weeks, but give yourself time to adjust to fresh produce and all its uses. Try new things!
3. Understanding and using the vegetables through delicious recipes - Each week I will feature 1-3 recipes, depending on the space available. My hope is that you can use these for ideas in your cooking each week, and perhaps even use the newsletter when considering your grocery shopping. The trick too is learning to substitute similar items to make full use of your share, for example garlic scapes instead of garlic.
4. Books I recommend - Here are some cookbooks that I can’t get enough of, which are designed for seasonality and ease of use.
Simply in Season - Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
The unbeatable seasonal cookbook, including a guide to different vegetables in the front and labeled pages to make it easy to use all your ingredients - divided into spring, summer, fall and winter sections. Wide variety.
Moosewood Cookbook - Mollie Katzen
This is a handwritten vegetarian cookbook full of easy recipes. A classic.
Nourishing Traditions - Sally Fallon
This book is so much more than just a cookbook, it is also a nutritional guidebook and source for rich ferments, superfoods, and preservation. Many interesting uses for your vegetables.
Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables - John Peterson
A cookbook by a CSA farmer full of treats. Will be referenced throughout the season.
From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce - Madison
Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition
Another cookbook put out by the CSA community. A great resource.
5. Picking up Your Share - Your share will come in a waxed box most weeks. I get these from the restaurant I work at on the weekends, but the supply is not endless. Please bring back your box each week so I can reuse them. You could also bring your own bags and leave your box behind. Each box will be labelled per share.



Featured Recipes:

Sautéed Radishes with Radish Greens or Arugula (serves 2-4)
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 lb radishes, quartered
• 4 cups radish greens or arugula
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• Black pepper
Melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add radishes, stirring constantly, until they are tender but still crisp, probably about 5 minutes depending on size. Transfer to bowl to cool. Return skillet to stove. Put the greens or arugula in the skillet with wash water still on leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just wilting, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice and radishes to skillet. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Source: Farmer John’s Cookbook
 
Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing (serves 4)
Dressing
● 3 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
● 3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
● 1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
● 1 Tbs. brown rice syrup
● 1 Tbs. roasted sesame oil
● 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
● ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salad
● 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
● 1 small red bell pepper, sliced (about ½ cup)
● 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
● 3 green onions, sliced (about ¼ cup)
1. To make Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in bowl.
2. To make Salad: Toss all ingredients with dressing in serving bowl.
Source: Vegetarian Times