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Looking up the valley from the hills behind the farm.
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News from the farm...
What have we been doing in the past week...The big project was mulching. We used the new tractor and a borrowed bale buster to mulch everything we could, eggplant, peppers, 1/2 acre of winter squash and dahlias. Usually this is an "all hands on deck" back breaking job done over the course of a few blazing hot days. This year, two people casually mulched just under an acre in a couple of cool mornings. Mechanization isn't all bad.
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One of things we do every Monday morning is take a field walk around the farm. This is a time that is set aside specifically for teaching our apprentices about what we, as farmers, are seeing as we walk around the farm, or how to see with the eyes of a farmer. We scout for pests and diseases. We note where there is consistently wet soil that indicates poor drainage. We see what is doing well, what might need more attention. We make lists of what needs to be weeded, trellised, mulched, harvested, mown down, sown to cover crop. We tend to feel overwhelmed by the end of the walk, but then our awesome crew heads out and gets tons of stuff done and all is well again.
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What's Available This Week
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Carrots and beets, lots of cucumbers and summer squash, bags of super convenient, triple washed and ready to go lettuce mix. Tender head lettuce: red leaf, green oak leaf, red butter (farmers' fav), & romaine. Yellow onions. For herbs, we have cilantro, basil and Italian parsley. Rainbow Swiss chard and last of the green kale, A few snap peas (sorry, we wish we had more, believe me!) Beautiful mixed flower bouquets. Tomatoes will be in the store next week. We will have about 5 ripe tomatoes at market on Saturday. We are hoping for some warmer weather to really get them going.
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John's Recipe of the Week
John Loyd is our dear friend, neighbor, CSA worker member and a gourmet Southern cook. His delightful cooking observations and delicious recipes offerings appear here each week.
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A GOOD WAY TO DRESS YOUR SALAD – I tend to drown my salads and have learned that if you put the dressing in the bottom of a bowl, then put the greens in, and toss everything at the last minute, the results are much better.
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A great way to add protein is to toss legumes into your salads. Things like some garbonzos, and other beans. Nuts also.
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HOUSE SALAD DRESSING – BLUE MOUNTAIN INN – The inn is in the Catskills, in Woodstock NY. Makes 1 ½ cups.
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1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
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1 tablespoon French coarse-grained mustard
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½ teaspoon finely chopped shallot
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1 small garlic clove, minced
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1 tablespoon fresh dill or ¼ or so of dried
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1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley, washed and dried
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1 cup extra virgin olive oil
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In a blender or processor combine all dressing ingredients except oil. Season with salt and pepper and blend until combined well. With the motor running, add the oil in a stram, blending until dressing is emulsified.
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We have some extra hands on the farm this summer, cousins from Louisiana! One of their jobs is to scout the potatoes for potato beetles and their larvae. This picture attests to the great job they have been doing.
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Thank you for being there for us week after week and eating what we grow. Enjoy the good food and nourishment!
Your farmers, Vanessa and Alex
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