Weekly CSA Newsletter: June 18-24, 2006(Week #2)
In This Issue:
- This week's share may include: ...
- Pick-Your-Own Crops and Information
- What are... Garlic Scapes?
- Introducing the Trade Box
- Notes from the Field
- Why I joined the CSA
- Recipes
- Upcoming Events
- CFO Contact Information
1. This week's share may include
- Lettuce
- Napa and/or Savoy Cabbage
- Kohlrabi
- Scallions
- Kale
- Baby Greens
- Garlic Scapes
- Salad Turnips
2. Pick-Your-Own Crops
- Strawberries (limited quantities — check out Land's Sake in Weston
- for more PYO strawberries!
- Snow Peas
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Epazote
- Perennial Herbs
All shareholders are invited to pick your own from 9 AM to 7:30 PM on Sundays and from 3 PM to 7:30 PM on Thursdays. Please visit the PYO station near the red shed for locations of crops and all PYO tools and materials.
3. What are... Garlic Scapes?
The flower stalk of hardneck garlic, scapes are one crop that you'll rarely see in the grocery store. We harvest them when they are tender and delicious. Slice up the whole stalk and use it like garlic, either raw or lightly sautéed. A real treat in pasta or potato salads, frittatas or other spring dishes.
4. Introducing the TRADE BOX
Many of you are aware that all of the produce left over at the end of our CSA distributions, along with additional vegetables that we harvest fresh, is donated to our hunger relief partner organizations here in Waltham, Cambridge, Somerville and Boston. So you shouldn't worry if you can't pick up your share one week, or if you just don't like radishes - everything that we harvest finds a home.
But, just to add some additional choice to our CSA shares this season, we're introducing the 'Trade Box', which is a spot for you to drop off something you don't want and, hopefully, pick up something that someone else doesn't want but you enjoy. You don't have to put something in to take something out each time - we hope that over the course of the season folks will take some and give some.
5. Notes from the Field
Someone at last week's pickup mentioned that the story about the goose eating the cauliflower was a funny one. Yup, real funny. I've got a couple of better ones this week.
Meryl and Jen went over to our Lyman Estate Field to harvest spinach for the first distribution on Sunday. It was pretty early in the morning, probably about 8 AM. When they got there, they saw 6 parent geese and 27 baby geese munching on the arugula. When they ran after them to chase them away, the flock of geese parted to reveal a ground hog, who had been sitting contentedly in the center of the group, eating away. Now you know what happened to the arugula.
Meanwhile, our third planting of carrots was invaded by two giant mama snapping turtles on Tuesday morning. After trying out some sample holes that apparently just didn't feel right, the two turtles dug deep nest holes in the carrot beds and laid 10-12 glistening white eggs in each hole. The internet says the eggs should hatch in 50-60 days (also about the planting-to-harvest window for carrots in a warm year). That should make for interesting cultivating.
Otherwise, things are going fine on the farm. We're set back a little by the (still more) rain the first week of June, and the fact that cold soils have not encouraged the growth of our warm weather crops. So far we're 9 inches over the average rainfall for this time of the year according to the National Weather Service, which seems about right to me. Luckily for us, our soil dries out quickly and we can usually get back on it within a couple of days to start cultivating, planting and preparing beds again. We do have one field that is still soaking wet, and probably will be for another couple of weeks, which means we've had to shift some crops around to accommodate the wet weather. We're grateful to have the option.
You should be seeing chard, beets, and (hopefully) carrots some time in the next few weeks. We're working on replacing a planting of watermelon and muskmelon that succumbed to another kind of maggot during the rain last week. When nighttime temperatures are up in the 60s instead of the 50s, crops should start to take off and grow like crazy. In the meantime, I'll try to keep the stories coming.
Amanda Cather, for the farm staff
6. Why I Joined the CSA
by Marie Colantoni Pechet
This is my first year as a member. As to why I joined...I heard of the Waltham CSA for a few years and knew a few members, but still hesitated.
Then this year, I subscribed to Boston Organics and was happy with the food I received from that organization. There are a few similarities...food is great and wholesome, and you don't know what you will be getting.
It then seemed logical to take the next step, and get closer to the source of our food. I love that there is such a short time between picking and eating, that we can see how the food is grown, and that it is local.
I am looking forward to this growing season!
7. Recipes
Fusili with Kielbasa and Garlic Scapes
Laura Bethard Serves 4
- 1 pound Kielbasa sausage, cut into small slices
- 1 1/2 c. Peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes
- 1/3 c. Chopped garlic scapes
- 1 c. Sliced Kalmata olives
- 2 tbsp. Chopped chives
- 1 tbsp. Chopped parsely
- 1 tbsp. Chopped fresh oregano
- to taste Salt and pepper
- 1 pound Fusili pasta
Put on a pot of water to boil for the pasta
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the kielbasa slices. Add the garlic scapes and saute a few minutes, until the scapes turn bright green.
Add tomatoes, olives and herbs, then turn flame to low. Simmer while you are making the pasta.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Drain. Toss the pasta into the skillet and mix with the kielbasa mixture. Serve it forth!
This was really popular at my house and very fast; the whole process took about half an hour. Enjoy.
Farm Dinner for Four - Sunday June 11, 2006
by Stephanie and Paul Thurrott, Kerry Hawkins and Jeff Giles.
We are continuing our tradition of having a "farm dinner" on Sunday nights. We split a share between 2 couples and cook a nice dinner together on Sundays after the pickup, then split up the remaining veggies. I can send in our "menus" for the next week's newsletter if you want. This is what we made last night...
Cheese before dinner
Salad: Lettuce, endive, escarole and radish tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Steak au Poivre: From the Alton Brown show on Food TV — delicious!
Turnip and kohlrabi fries: We peeled the kohlrabi but not the turnips, cut into 1/3" strips, tossed with olive oil and salt and baked at 400 for about 40 minutes, turning once. We added the thyme right before serving.
Greens: We used all of the kale as well as the kohlrabi and turnip greens and also added the oregano and chives. We removed the stems from the greens and boiled them in salted water until tender, then squeezed out the excess water and chopped them. Then we sauteed onions until browned and tossed them with the greens and herbs just until heated.
Broccoli: Boiled until tender, then tossed with butter
A little chocolate after dinner
We saved the bok choy, spinach and mint for later in the week.
8. Upcoming Events
- Third Sunday Gathering: June 18 at 4 PM. Bring tea-time treats to share and questions for the farm staff. Meet at the picnic table.
- Shareholder workday: June 18 at 1 PM. Bring your family for the afternoon!
- Thursday evening fieldwork (ongoing): join us in the field between 5 and 7 PM to close out our work week. All welcome.
9. Contact Information
To reach us: Farm Staff: csainfo@communityfarms.org Meg Coward: megcoward@communityfarms.org Volunteer Coordinators: volunteer@communityfarms.org Newsletter Submissions: soosting@yahoo.org CFO Board of Directors: board@communityfarms.orgCommunity Farms Outreach is a nonprofit organization dedicated to farmland preservation, hunger relief, and education.
