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News from the farm...
We have made it to September and we are grateful! Some how or other, work on the farm always gets easier after September 1. I'm not completely sure why. There is still a lot to do. We are still working the same number of hours. But now it feels like we are going just slightly downhill. Maybe it is that we are done harvesting squash and cucumbers 3 times a week and the crops we are harvesting are just a little be lighter? Maybe it's that the weeds slow down. Or maybe we are reacting to all the plants just slowing down and turning their "attention" downward towards their roots and winter rest.
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Hazelnut harvest in on (see above photo) and this years crop is looking good, abundant and with good sized nuts. When the nuts are ripe, they loosen from their husks and drop to the ground. We come along and pick them up, either by hand or using device like something used to pick up golf balls. It is a labor intensive process. We'll go over our hazelnut orchard two or three times. We are blessed that we don't have squirrels and chipmonks out here competing with us for these nuts, because they would definitely win.
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PLEASE NOTE: As part of the getting easier, starting this Saturday September 5, the pick up times at Cecilia's Kitchen will be shorten by half an hour. NEW pick times will be from 9am until 11am. This half an hour might not seem like much but it is will make a big difference to our hard working crew.
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What's Available This Week
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Peppers!! Red bell peppers, red, yellow and orange Italian peppers, orange lunch box, peppers, shishito peppers. We have peppers in abundance right now and they are easy to freeze: Remove the stems, seeds and membranes; cut them as you like, then spread on a tray so they're not touching each other; freeze till firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. We are offering a good deal on them over in the store.
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Lots of different kinds of winter squash and potatoes. We have sweet, red and yellow onions. Green kale, red kale and lacinato kale. Collards and chard. Cilantro and a good amount of basil. Heirloom, red, cherry and cocktail tomatoes. We are still short on lettuce. Right now just lettuce mix and romaine. But sun is forecast for the next 5-6 days so I hope next week to have better news on that.
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Below: Below: Speaking of our crew, here are some of them, Sam, Ashley and Julianna, planting, you guess it, lettuce! As soon as they are done, they'll be moving to hand weeding all those crops in the back ground!
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Charlie is ready for the fields to dry out so he can get back to work.
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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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“First we eat, then we do everything else.” M.F.K. Fisher
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TYPES OF KALE – You’ll note that we have several types of kale in our store. They are interchangeable with some differences worth noting. Black/Lacinato is the most robust and needs to be sliced. Use it in salads and soups. Red kale is tender, sweet, good raw and in sautés. Curly, which is slightly bitter, is nice for salad, chips, smoothies and stir-fries.
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KALE CHIPS – It’s been some time since we have talked about kale chips. Here is a straight up recipe and one that is jazzed up. Online you can find recipes on air frying and microwaving.
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For both recipes, stem about ½ bunch of kale, tear into pieces and wash and dry. Be sure it is truly dry.
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Put kale in a bowl and add just a bit (like ¼ teaspoon) of oil, olive or vegetable. Gently massage until the oil is in every bit of the kale.
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Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
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Turn the oven to 300. Convection is ok too.
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Bake 10 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake 15 minutes longer or until it is crisp.
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Remove and let the chips rest for a few minutes. Salt if you like.
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For the jazzy recipe. At the point you are finished massaging, add all or some of these.
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1 Tablespoon garlic powder
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¾ Tablespoon of chili powder, New Mexican if you have it
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½ Teaspoon smoked paprika
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These garden spiders love to hang out in our tomato tunnel. They help to control insect pests and provide opportunities for some of our crew members to practice facing their fears.
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Love the flowers. Honor the vegetables. Let the weeds go!
Your farmers, Vanessa and Alex
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