Farm News, October 17, 2017
Farm News
Tonight (written Monday), we’re expecting our first frost. The crew put in a solid days work of picking peppers, cutting lettuce and bok choy for the week. Lauren and I spent most of the morning setting up irrigation lines to cover the peppers, lettuce, bok choy, radishes, salad mix, and arugula that we will need for the next few weeks. I’ll go out and turn on the wells at some time around midnight. For a frost, the sky is almost always clear and still, and all I can hear is the tat, tat, tat of the sprinklers putting out water, which is much warmer than the air. If it does get cold enough to freeze the water on the plant leaves, we’re counting on a neat trick of physics: as water freezes, it releases a tiny bit of heat that keeps the leaves from freezing, even as ice formats on the plant. Of course at some point it will get cold enough to just freeze everything solid, but this trick works well down to 28 F or so, and can buy us up to a month of extra growing time.Our other trick for keeping crops alive between the first frost, which is survivable, and the first freeze, which is not, is to cover them with a light white blanket we call row cover. The only problem with row cover is that it can be hard to keep it in place in high winds. And invariably, the first cold front frigid enough to cause a frost usually barrels in like a freight train, so we must wait until the winds die back after dark to finish covering some of the greens we can’t protect with irrigation. Luckily, the first frost is occurring well into fall, and with fewer crops in the ground, tonight Elliott, Lauren, and Hannah put on their headlamps and made short work of getting the covers out.The result is, with a little luck, we will have plenty of peppers, lettuce, and greens for the next few weeks, and even some tomatoes from a late planting we put into a heated greenhouse. Add to that some great beet, carrot, potato, sweet potato, garlic, and butternut squash crops, there is a whole lot of food to go around.We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,Paul and Rebecca, for Elliott, Bailey, Lauren, Hannah, Justin, and the field crew
Featured this week:
Gilfeather Turnip: if you eat only one more turnip in your life, make sure it’s a Gilfeather. These are actually rutabagas, with a sweet, mild flavor, developed by a Vermont farmer who carefully guarded his planting stock by only selling turnips with the top “neck” lopped off so nobody else could propagate them. I guess a few roots escaped intact, because nowadays they are commonly grown by small organic farms in the Northeast, but don’t seem to be available anywhere else. Trust us, they are really yummy and taste very different than a store-bought rutabaga. Great mashed alone or with potatoes, roasted, or cubed into soups and stews. They will store for months in your fridge crisper drawer.Red Cabbage: the first of our fall red cabbage; is great shredded into salad, or mixed with green frilly kale, onions, and lemon juice for a very tasty and nutritious winter salad substitute for those yucky bagged salad mixes you find in the box stores. Eat local! Will store for months in the back of your fridge, just waiting for you to appreciate its crisp sweetness, lovely red color, and its power pack of antioxidants and vitamins.Also available: arugula, baby red kale, tatsoi, salad mix, rainbow chard, curly green and lacinato kale, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, red, Chioggia, & golden beets, garlic, carrots, parsnips, celeriac, Red Torpedo and yellow storage onions, leeks, radishes, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, baby bok choy, fennel, escarole, head lettuce, mixed sweet peppers, green bell peppers, assorted hot peppers, potatoes, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, collards, Purple Top turnips, green cabbage, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, fresh turmeric, and baby ginger!Pick Your Own at the farm: After a long season, the late flowers and beans have succumbed to frost, but the parsley and perennial herbs are still going strong.PYO Hours: The PYO patch is open 30 minutes before and 30 minutes beyond barn distribution hours. Pick your own patch is also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays during our Farm Stand, from 2:30 to 6:30 pm.
Recipes, suggested by Rebecca Batchie; also see the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Apple Bok Choy Salad
By Joel Fuhrman via Epicurious6 cups finely chopped bok choy1 large apple, shredded1 large carrot, shredded1/2 cup chopped red onion1/2 cup unsweetened soy, hemp, or almond milk1/2 cup raw cashews or 1/4 cup raw cashew butter1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1/4 cup raisins1 teaspoon Dijon mustardCombine bok choy, apple, carrot, and chopped onion in a large bowl.Blend soymilk, cashews, vinegar, raisins, and mustard in a food processor or high-powered blender. Add desired amount to chopped vegetables. Serves 4.
Toasted Farro Salad with Roasted Leeks and Root Vegetables
By Elizabeth Stark 2 leeks2 medium turnips, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into 1/2 inch-thick half moons1 large rutabaga, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into 1/2 inch-thick half moons¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, dividedSea salt, to tasteGround black pepper, to taste¾ cup dry farroZest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons juice¼ cup minced parsley, divided2 tablespoons minced dill, divided¼ cup crumbled farmer's cheesePreheat the oven to 400° F. Move oven shelf to the top third of the oven. For easy cleanup, line one large and one small baking sheet with parchment. Trim the dark green section from the leeks, and halve lengthwise. Immerse leeks in water and shake out any sand and excess water. Trim the roots, and cut each half into 3-inch segments. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the leeks with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Spread the leeks out on the small baking sheet. In the same bowl used for the leeks, toss the turnip and rutabaga half moons with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Spread out on the large baking sheet. Slide both baking sheets into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the turnips and rutabagas. The leeks should roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until quite soft with browned edges. Roast the turnips and rutabagas until edges are nicely browned, 30 to 35 minutes total. Meanwhile, cook the farro. Set a large pot of salted water over high heat to boil. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the dry farro, and, shaking the pan frequently, toast just until farro browns slightly and is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add farro to the salted water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until farro still has a little bite. Drain, toss with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 3 tablespoons minced parsley, and set aside. Toss the farmer's cheese with 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest, sea salt, pepper, and a tablespoon each minced parsley and dill. To plate the salad, toss the farro with the roasted turnips and rutabagas. Top with roasted leeks, crumbled farmers cheese, and remaining dill and parsley, and toss gently. Serves 4.