Farm News, June 26, 2018

Farm News

Last night we received our first irrigation worthy rain in three weeks, so I am sitting down with a sense of relief that we have at least a two day reprieve from irrigating.  This is great for our crew, because we have gotten behind on the weeds, and the harvests are starting to ramp up.  So it’s good news to have one less task to attend to!  It’s been a great year in the strawberry patch, and we will continue to have fruit this week.  Snap peas are sweet and crisp, and the main patch is kicking into high gear this week.  We’ve almost got all the garlic scapes clipped.  These are the flower buds of our hard neck garlic, and we have to remove them, so the plant will put its energy into making a nice fat bulb for us to pull in early July.  Lucky for us, the garlic scapes are super charged with garlic flavor in a green veggie package, and give us what we crave three weeks before the main bulbs appear.Tomatoes are starting to ripen up in our greenhouses. They are the first seeds to be sown around Christmas time (hmm… does that make them last year’s crop?), and we have spent months training them up strings in our greenhouses. Needless to say, it is very satisfying to see ripe fruit!  Did you know that most of the “organic” tomatoes available in grocery and big box stores are grown hydroponically on huge farms outside of the country, picked when rock hard, and shipped thousands of miles? Not ours.  We grow them here on our farm in compost and mineral amended soil, wait until they are fully ripe, and get them directly to you.And to top it all off for tasks, we are still in full-on planting mode.  We are working hard to get the last plantings of sweet corn in the ground, and the fall crops of broccoli, cabbage, and kale transplanted. Elliott is doing some major mental gymnastics trying to work out the puzzle of which crop grows in which field. A lot of factors influence that decision: what crop grew there last year, what cover crop was in the ground, and what type of irrigation will we use to water it.  Rebecca and Hannah are busy seeding the last of the fall carrots and beets and putting in weekly seedings of salad greens.  We’ll be planting in the field right into mid-September, but once we get through this week we should be over the major planting hump, and into the pickin’ and grinnin’.We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest!Paul and Rebecca, for Elliott and the Fort Hill Farm crew

Featured this week:

Zucchini:  coming in strong and early this year.  Everyone loves spring greens, but likes it even better when there is some “hard” veg to cook with. Grill, sauté, stuff, and grate into breads and cakes, or see recipe below. 

Chinese cabbage: Since I am all about cabbage these days, (Rebecca speaking here), I’m excited about the first cabbage of the year! This crop took a little extra time getting to size this year, but still made a nice crop.  Chinese cabbage is great for stir-fry or shredded into salad. Please see the classic Chinese Cabbage recipe here http://recipes.forthillfarm.com/?page_id=448. Store in your fridge crisper for up to 3 week

Snap Peas: everyone's favorite! The main crop is in now, after a rocky, late start from the cool spring. Enjoy these ephemeral gems while they last! For longest lifespan, remove from pint containers and store in a bag in your crisper drawer.

Also available:

arugula, salad mix, rainbow chard, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, micro greens, radishes, scallions, head lettuce, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, red beets, snap peas, fennel, carrots, strawberries, fresh herbs, frozen baby ginger, intermittent kale coming in

Coming Soon:

Cucumbers

Pick Your Own: 

Strawberries continue this week, but get them while you can! We're very pleased with the patch this year and grateful for the good conditions. We'll also have some nice ripe berries pre-picked in the barn.Fresh Herbs: Italian and curly parsley, cilantro, thyme, sage, oregano, chives, and we've added dill this week. 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! ...... and NEW for 2018: CSA members may pick 1 small PYO bunch of herbs (mixed or not) each week for FREE! One bunch per share. PYO only. Please see samples in the barn for bunch size.PYO begins 30 before and goes 30 minutes beyond barn hours.

Recipes, suggested by Rebecca Batchie. For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database.

Glazed Grilled Carrots

Recipe by Jeff Gordiner via The New York TimesCarrots get very exciting on the grill. I found the sugar to be a bit too much in this recipe. We’ve also taken a cue from our Westport market crewmember, Jon Clemente, and just added butter, balsamic vinegar, salt, and a pinch of thyme … deelish.2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon dark brown sugar½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary½ clove garlic, cut into paper-thin slices1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the carrots10 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut in half lengthwiseSalt1 scallion, thinly sliced In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, rosemary, garlic and ginger until combined. Whisk in 2 tablespoons oil so dressing emulsifies; set aside.Heat grill to low. Coat carrots with oil and season with salt. Grill carrots, covered, turning as needed to prevent burning, until nicely charred and fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.When carrots come off the grill, toss them immediately in the prepared dressing. Once they're coated, use tongs to transfer the carrots to a serving platter and garnish with green onion. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the remaining dressing over the top. Yields 4 servings.

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Recipe by Ellie Krieger via foodnetworkCooking spray2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)1 tablespoon olive oil1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs1/8 teaspoon saltFreshly ground black pepper 1). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.2). Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.3). Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.