Farm News July 10, 2018
Farm News, Week 7
For gardeners and market farmers, July is the month that Mother Nature’s minions wake up, yawn and stretch, take a look at all the plants we’ve been plopping into the ground for the last three months, and decide it’s time to get their cut.The numbers of ways a veggie garden takes a hit can be staggering. Pests like the potato leafhopper that fly up all the way from their overwintering grounds in Louisiana just to wreak havoc on our potato patch. Colorado potato beetles crawl in from the wood edge, start munching leaves, get busy munching leaves, and find a stout partner to raise a big family. We have more Mexican bean beetles than you can shake a stick at, and broken tassels on the corn mean that there are some corn borers lurking in the stalks. We deal with the bugs by first trying to confuse them: we rotate the crops around the farm and promoting lots of diversity on the farm so there are plenty of “good” predatory bugs (like lady bugs) to keep the pest bugs in check. We also buy in very specialized natural enemies like the parasitic wasps that hunt down some pests like the bean beetles and the corn borers and lay their eggs inside the larvae. (Maybe “Alien” wasn’t such an original movie after all….) And when we need to tip the balance in our favor, we have a few natural pesticides like the pyrethrins (produced by chrysanthemum flowers) and BT (a soil bacterium that controls many caterpillar pests), which we use when pest levels get too high. And then there are the weeds, which were just these cute little plants we tried to ignore while we were busy harvesting the spring crops. Just a few weeks of hot weather and some timely irrigation, and suddenly they are literally in your face. A few years ago we invested in a very fancy Dutch hoeing machine called the “Hak” which has made the farm much cleaner than in past years. You will occasionally see Lauren way up in a seat being driven around the farm by one of us on the hunt for weeds to kill. But we can’t Hak them all, so now it’s time to break out the hoes and weeder knives and cut the weeds down to size. The crew put in some hard hours cleaning up the lettuce, winter squash, melon, onion, and pepper patches in last week’s heat wave, and their hard work shows because most crops on the farm are looking really clean.It’s a daunting list of headaches, but what most organic growers find is that if you treat the soil well, choose adapted varieties, and add lots of diversity to the mix, you can manage to stay ahead of the weeds enough to get a good crop and also share a bit with the beasties too. The bonus is that healthy plants grown in rich soil, picked at just the right time, is a difference you can taste!Hope you enjoy the farm and the veggies,Paul and Rebecca for Elliott and the Fort Hill Farm Crew
Featured this week:
Cucumbers: The harvest from our first planting of cukes is starting to peak now. How ironic that we farmers pine for the fresh scent, crispiness, and unique taste of cucumbers during the long winter months, only to be vexed by the boom that only a cuke or (zuch) could produce. Be on the lookout for the less productive but thinner-skinned and yummy Asian burpless cuke too. Keep in a cold, humid place—a loose plastic bag inside your fridge crisper should do. Eat within one week, as these are not coated in yucky wax. Purplette onions: first onions of the season, very pretty and pulled fresh. Remember what they say: good things come in small packages. This is a small planting of Purplettes, and we're hoping that the Red Torpedos size up soon. Tear off tops and store in fridge crisper for up to a month.
Also available:
arugula, salad mix, rainbow chard, escarole, radicchio, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, micro greens, radishes, scallions, head lettuce, garlic scapes, fresh garlic, kohlrabi, red beets, carrots, fresh herbs, frozen baby ginger, zucchini, slicing and Asian cucumbers, bunched carrots, Chinese cabbage, curly green and lacinato kale, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes
Coming Soon:
Corn! Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage
Pick Your Own:
We are opening up the Flowers in earnest, after a "soft" opening at the end of last week. Although not every variety has begun, it sure is starting to look lively out there. Sunflowers have begun! We will offer more as they open up.Fresh Herbs: Italian and curly parsley, cilantro, thyme, sage, oregano, chives and dill. Feel free to mix and match for your bunch.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.
Cucumber Tomato Salad with Zucchini and Black Olives in Lemon Balsamic
Recipe from Allrecipes Ingredients2 large cucumbers, diced1 zucchini, diced1/2 red onion, thinly sliced3 large tomatoes, diced1 cup chopped black olives2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves3 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest1/2 lemon, juiced1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste1/2 teaspoon white sugar1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil DirectionsIn a large salad bowl, mix together the cucumbers, zucchini, red onion, tomatoes, black olives, basil, and thyme. In a separate bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, sugar, and white pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour the olive oil slowly into the dressing mixture, whisking to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad, and serve.
Creamy Cucumber Soup
Recipe by EatingWellIngredients1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil2 cloves garlic, minced1 small onion, diced1 tablespoon lemon juice4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided1½ cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepperPinch of cayenne pepper1 avocado, diced¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish½ cup low-fat plain yogurtDirections
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3¾ cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining ¼ cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.
Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.