Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - 2009-8

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter - Week 8   

Notes From the Farm

Sorry for the delay in getting this newsletter out. Fruit members, this is a break week, we will resume peaches next week. Note smaller boxes this week as summer crops are all just about to come in - cucumbers, beans, corn all in the next week or two, thanks for your patience!

This week the farm is swinging into summer big time. I took a short break to visit my mother in North Carlina with the kids over last weekend, and in the six nights I was gone, things grew like crazy. Its amazing the changes that happen every day on the farm and there is nothing like being away for more than a few days to make me appreciate this.

Valentin ran the show in my absence, making critical decisions like what was ready to be picked for the Tuesday harvest! Thanks to him for keeping the ball rolling (and to the rest of the harvest crew who happily come out every harvest to pick and process).

 

More Notes:

 

The flowers are in full swing this week. We have beautiful snapdragons and statice and offer them in convenient 'bundles' at $10. We don't have the time or labor to make bouquets this year, but the bundles can be easily coaxed into bouquets once you have them. The glads are really kicking in and I really want you to check them out, so this week i'm offering 8 stems (instead of the usual 5) for $10. Regular stems are also on sale: 12 stems for $10.We will have flowers at the farm (friday) and on the truck sunday to purchase, but its best if you order ahead (just email or call). When you get them, cut the bottoms and put them in water asap. change the water and trim the bottoms every day or two and your flowers should last 1-2 weeks.

Upcoming boxes will contain little bags of basil - perfect for a sauce or dressing, but not enough to make pesto. For pesto quantity, please call or email. If you visit the farm, we also offer pick your own basil at a greatly reduced price - its very labor intensive to pick!

 

Questions and Answers

Some of you asked how these compare to the flood of glads hitting city market last week - which are selling for something like $10 for 20 stems. Quite simple, there is NO comparison! our glads are HUGE, thick stemmed and freshly picked. Their grown without chemicals here on our farm, hand weeded and planted with loving care. The flowers at the supermarket are still glads, but they are thinner and smaller, they are grown in chemically intensive monocrop mega farms in places like equador where cheap labor and lax regulations mean easy business conditions. They were picked days and days or a week or more ago and they are probably coated with pesticides. 

Please send me your questions, let me know what you want to know!

  
Send me your questions! Need a recipe? We have a recipe page on the website, or try  allrecipes.com. Want to know when a certain vegetable is coming in? confused about something in your box? email me! 

This Week's Box

Artichokes - we'll have even more of these as the season continues...
Cauliflower - we'll have Orange & Purple cauliflower 1st, and white cauliflower later. The orange cheddar variety is partictularly delicious.
Romanesco - this green, fractal/spiral vegetable is in the same family as cauliflower and cabbage, but has its own unique appearance and flavor. 

Broccoli - a little bit coming in now, the big crop arrives in september.Cabbage - purple and green now coming in.

Beets
-  cylindrical beets this week - the last beets we will have for a while - great for canning, or just store in the fridge.

Chard, Collards or Kale - bunched - always plenty of greens, look for extras this week, take as much as you want from the 'extras'. (I found the collards hiding in the cabbage, that was the mysterious greens some of you got last week!)

Head Lettuce - red curly - this may be the last of the head lettuce, there is one more patch, but they look like they may never size up - going from baby stage to seeding directly in the heat of summer.

Salad Mix - still coming in

Onions - We are picking thru the onions to get the largest ones. We'll have more later in the season.
Garlic
- hard neck variety this week, a little smaller heads than the soft necks, and with a slightly different flavor - can you tell the difference?

Herbs - Cilantro and Dill this week, the last we will have for a while (except dill heads which are available for canning all season by special order).  

 

Fruit

 

None... Fruit break this week! We will have peaches next week (or possibly the week after)

Coming Soon (1-3 weeks)

Carrots - returning intermittently over the few weeks, then the fall crop will kick in and we'll have carrots for the rest of the season.
Cucumbers - we have a huge crop of these coming in over the next few weeks
Squash - More on varieties as i assess the field

Bulb Fennel - sizing up, ready this week or next.

Beans - we have purple, yellow and green beans this year - these are just starting this week, we'll have an abundance in the next few weeks. Great as a side dish sauteed in butter.

Eggplant  -starting to come in from the hoop house

Peppers - hot peppers trickling it now

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Farm Festival Events

In a few weeks, we will be hosting a day of tours, workshops and eating! The day starts early and CSA members are invited to come camp on the farm the night before so you be here in the morning.  The date for the event is Saturday, August 22; the preliminary schedule of events is:

• 8am-10am  - Early Tour/Harvest - Tour the fields with the farmer (me) and help harvest crops for the day's meals; We'll harvest salad, cucumbers, beans, squash and whatever else is needed for the days meals. Learn how we harvest the veggies and see where and how we wash and process produce from the field. Plan on getting muddy (at least your shoes). $10 suggested donation.
  

• 11am-1pm  - Cooking workshop with Valentin & brunch - We'll prepare the food we harvest and then enjoy a light brunch - we will transform the morning's harvest into lunch and have some pre-prepared dishes as well. $10 suggested donation.
• 1-2pm - I'll lead a tour through the fields and talk about the farm, the season and plans for the future. No charge.
  
• 5pm-8:30pm - Cooking workshop with Valentin & Dinner - We will continue to prepare and process produce from the morning and previous harvests and prepare dishes for the dinner, which will also be accompanied by dishes prepared in advance. $25 suggested donation, or $20 for dinner alone (starts around 7pm).
  

We are still finalizing the menus for the two meals we will be preparing (more info soon), but there will be plenty to eat and drink. The meals will be heavy on the veggies, but we will have some (local, natural) meats and cheeses as well. We'll have iced herbal tea and water to drink, and coffee with dessert after dinner.  We are asking for donations to cover our expenses and pay Valentin for his cooking workshops; I strongly encourage you all make the time to visit during the event, even you can only come for the morning or evening. Its the perfect excuse to come visit the farm at the peak of the harvest. I also need to know in advance how many are coming to the day's events so we can plan the food. The cooking workshops are limited to 12 participants, and the meals are also limited in number. Please email or call if you plan to come.