Farm News, June 12, 2018
Farm News
Seems like we’ve finally arrived at some Goldilocks weather: not too hot, not too cold, and a little on the dry side. Just in time for peak strawberry production, which should occur this week! Good picking to be had for the next 10 days, but don’t put it off, because strawberry season is short, and by the third week of June, will be winding down. Plenty of yummy berries out in the field for pick your own this week.The other star of spring is snap peas. It’s one of those crops where you can really taste the difference compared to mass-produced peas picked from far off places and shipped to New England. The extremely cold spring made getting them planted a bit of problem this year, and the crop is a late and a little light, but they are coming in now, and should hit a good stride next week.We wrapped up the last of the big plantings this spring, as we tucked in the sweet potatoes and winter squash seedlings, and planted the last of the melons. Now it’s time to hit the weeds! Those tiny seedlings that pop up after we water in a crop turn into green monsters in just a few weeks this time of year, as the long days with the sun high in the sky are like rocket fuel to the dirty dozen weed species that bedevil us here at the farm. On the top of our list is galinsoga, which appeared about 5 years ago on our farm, and within a few years threatened to take it over. We have been cultivating like crazy, and hoeing and hand pulling to tamp down the threat, but galinsoga is a tough adversary, capable of growing tree like root systems and of setting mature seeds in a just a few weeks that practically germinate as they fall off the mother plant.But fear not, we have a great crew this year, and they are busy bringing in some beautiful salad and cooking greens, keeping the farm weeded and watered as we enter yet another dry period.We hope you enjoy the farm and the produce,Paul and Rebecca, for Elliott and the Fort Hill Farm Crew
Featured this week
Strawberries! quite possibly our most popular crop over the years. Probably don’t need to go over how to eat or store them, since most folks just cut off the green top and eat them the first night. Or, you can give the yummy recipe below a try. If you have any berries left, they will store in the fridge for a few days, but eat promptly as ripe berries don’t hold well. Strawberries available as PYO quarts or pre-picked pints in the barn or Farmers' Markets.Garlic scapes: These are the flowering stems of our topsetting hard neck garlic. Viewed with suspicion in the past, they have become very popular due to their great garlic flavor and many uses. Cut off an inch or two of the thin ‘whip’ at the end of the flower, and the rest is good to chop up. Sauté in oil and then add cooking greens. Make pesto (recipe below) and add to pizza or over pasta. Scapes will store for at several weeks in your fridge crisper (and can last for months!). They are a unique source of garlic flavor and will tide you over until we have fresh garlic available in about three weeks.Fresh Herbs: Cooking just isn't the same without fresh herbs, so now the party is just getting started ... Italian and curly parsley, cilantro, thyme, sage, oregano, chives. We overwintered our patch of perennial herbs from last season, so we can offer them much earlier than usual. Some herbs are available in the barn, others are available for PYO only. Please pick only the herbs with signs, as some young herbs are still growing!
Also available:
arugula, salad mix, spinach, rainbow chard, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, micro greens, radishes, scallions, baby bok choy, 5 varieties of head lettuce, frozen baby ginger, intermittent kale coming in
Coming Soon:
fennel, red beets
Pick Your Own:
Strawberries are sweet and the weather has been great for picking! They will be peaking later in the week. We'll also have some nice ripe berries pre-picked in the barn.Fresh herbs are now open for PYO!PYO begins 30 before and goes 30 minutes beyond barn hours.
Recipes, suggested by Rebecca Batchie; also see the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Strawberry–Graham Galette
Recipe by Claire Saffitz, via Bon Appetit7 graham crackers (about 3.7 ounces)3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling5 tablespoons sugar, divided2 large eggs1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled, divided1 pound strawberries, hulled, sliced1 lime (1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated zest and 1 teaspoon fresh juice) 1⁄2 cup very cold heavy cream
Place a rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°. Place graham crackers in a large resealable plastic bag and zip it up, pressing out most of the air. Using a wine bottle or rolling pin, firmly roll over crackers several times, crushing them into fine crumbs (some larger crumbs are okay).
Measure out 1 cup crumbs (which should be almost all of them) and transfer to a medium bowl. Add salt, 2⁄3 cup flour, and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Mix with a fork to combine, then add 1 egg and 6 Tbsp. melted butter.
Mix with fork until dough forms, then knead with your hands inside of bowl until no floury spots remain and dough is smooth. It’ll be a little soft and slightly oily, which is fine!
Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and place dough on top. Lightly flour top of dough, then cover with another piece of parchment.
Using bottle or rolling pin, roll dough into a round (it doesn’t have to be perfect!) about 12" in diameter and 1⁄8" thick. Periodically peel back parchment and dust with more flour to prevent sticking. Slide entire sheet of parchment paper onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. sugar over surface of dough, leaving about a 2" border. Pile strawberries into center of dough and arrange in an even layer, leaving the same 2" border.
Sprinkle strawberries with 1 Tbsp. sugar and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. butter.
Using a microplane or fine grater, grate zest of about one-half of lime over strawberries.
Cut off half of lime with no zest and squeeze juice over strawberries. Save the other half for later.
Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with fork until no streaks remain. Brush egg wash around border of pastry (you won’t use it all).
Using edges of parchment to help lift, fold empty border of dough up and over strawberries, working your way around in roughly 2" sections, overlapping folds as needed. Press all the way around to secure folds and keep dough in place. It might crack or tear in places, but don’t worry! Just pinch it back together.
Brush top of border with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar.
Bake galette until crust is browned around the edges and juices from strawberries are syrupy and actively bubbling, 40–45 minutes. If some juices escape and end up on the parchment paper, don’t worry—the parchment will prevent the tart from sticking. Let cool at least 20 minutes.
Beat cream with a large whisk in a medium bowl until voluminous, thick, and starts to hold tracks of whisk. Hold whisk upright and look for the “peak” of cream that forms on the end. It should droop and slump over—these are “soft peaks,” which are what you want!
Grate zest from remaining half of lime over cream and serve with tart.
Do Ahead: Tart can be made several hours ahead. Let sit at room temperature. Once fully cooled, droop a piece of plastic over top.
Green-Basted Grilled Chicken
By RebeccaMix together a large dollop of Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto (recipe follows) along with a handful of chopped cilantro, a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice, and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. Rub onto chicken and refrigerate, allowing the chicken to absorb the flavors for up to eight hours. Grill as usual. The skin should be crisp, with no signs of greenery!
Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto
By Farmers Paul and Rebecca2 cups garlic scapes, whip removed, chopped into 1 inch pieces2 cups basil leaves2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a high quality grade)1 cup grated Parmesan cheese2 tsp lemon juice3 TBSP pine nuts (can sub walnuts)Combine garlic scapes, basil, olive oil, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until well blended. Add Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, blend a bit more.Mix into pasta (reserve some to put over the top of the pasta), or on top of fresh Italian bread. Top with freshly ground black pepper.