Farm News, August 7, 2018
Farm News
A fine case of the hot and muggies has set in, and it almost seems like we are farming on a different planet compared to the dry, dry months of May and June. While it makes weeding and planting - and just generally being in the field - difficult, most crops are doing well. We have a bumper crop of tomatoes this week and have lowered the price too, so make sure to get your share now! We'll be selling discounted flats of saucing/salsa tomatoes in the barn as supplies allow. Tomato production generally takes a big dive in the first week of September so now is the time to enjoy our cherry, heirloom and beefsteak varieties. Sungolds, everyone's favorite cherry tomatoes, are in full fruit, so we are going to open them to pick your own at the farm. It’s also the first week to pull out the old digger and get some fresh spuds into the mix. And don’t forget to grab a watermelon! We have a sweet, crisp red variety this year that is very tasty. If yours isn’t great, let us know and we will replace it next time we see you.With some of our land harvested for the season, we need to mow down the old crops and prepare beds for our fall lettuce, spinach, and greens crops. Some of the land we will sow into soil building cover crops, growing fertility for next year.But it’s not all coming up roses out there, and we are seeing some decreases in production from zucchini and cucumbers. We have some new plantings of these crops looking to pick up the slack soon. It stands as a good reminder that farming is getting harder all over the world, and New England is no different. Climate change caused mainly by increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere from all our driving, heating, and electrifying has caused freak weather patterns worldwide, from hot dry winds and fires in California to massive floods in the Philippines. Here in New England we are experiencing a jet stream pattern I have never seen in thirty years of intensely watching the weather. The jet stream plunged so low it actually dipped into the gulf and has been doggedly pumping tropical air into New England for over two weeks. Meteorologists were dumbstruck by it as well. It’s a warning of more dire things to come, and because farmers live at the whim of the weather, freak weather patterns like this have me downright afraid of what we will see in the next decade. It’s got me trying to do figure out how we can reduce fossil fuel use on the farm, and it also makes me happy to see the 42 solar panels on our roof happily cranking out electrons for the coolers in our barn.We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,Paul, for Rebecca, Elliott, and the Fort Hill Farm Crew
Featured this week:
Red Watermelon: Who doesn't love watermelon in this heat?! It's a good crop this year, and they are ripe and ready to eat (see recipe below). Store in the fridge if you must for up to a week. Red Gold potatoes: This early spud kicks off our potato harvest, the first of many! They are light red potatoes with a hint of yellow in the flesh. Store for at least a month in a dark, dry place at room temperature. Do not refrigerate spuds!
Also available:
sweet corn, arugula, salad mix, tatsoi, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, microgreens, head lettuce, garlic, chioggia, gold, and red beets, carrots, rainbow chard, radicchio, fresh herbs, zucchini and yellow summer squash, slicing cucumbers, curly green and lacinato kale, heirloom, beefsteak, & plum tomatoes, sun gold and red cherry tomatoes, trickles of eggplant, red cabbage, tender sweet cabbage, Ailsa Craig and Red Torpedo onions ...
Coming Soon:
eggplant, green bell peppers
Pick Your Own:
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes! Everyone's favorite PYO crop is ripe for the picking ... look for the wooden sign to designate picking rows and pluck the ripest, sweetest orange cherries.Everything's coming up Flowers! - pick up a Flower Ring in the barn for bunch size. New Sunflower varieties are opening every day!BEANS: A new planting of wax beans are in, and we expect to have a new planting of green beans ready soon.Fresh Herbs: Italian and curly parsley, thyme, sage, oregano, chives and dill (cilantro returning soon). Feel free to mix and match for your bunch.Some herbs are available in the barn, others are available for PYO only. Pick up an Herb Ring in the barn for bunch size. Please pick only the herbs with signs directly in front of them, 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.
Roasted Tomato Jam
By Amanda Hesser via Food522 cups sugar3 pounds ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced (1/4 inch)Large pinch saltGrated zest of 1 lemonJuice of 1 lemon1 cinnamon stick½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed2 dried red chiles Pour 1/3 of the sugar over the base of a 12-inch braising pan or other baking dish. Layer half the tomatoes, overlapping the slices, in the pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar, and top with the lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, and chiles. Top with the remaining tomatoes, followed by the rest of the sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the pan, uncovered in the oven and let cook for 1 hour. The tomato juices should simmer actively. Check every 20 minutes, spooning the juices over the top tomatoes, and removing the chiles if they char. Continue roasting and checking every 20 minutes -- the tomato juices should begin to gel at 2 hours, but it could happen a little sooner or later. Test the juices by spooning a little onto a plate, letting it cool, and running your finger though it. If it holds the line, the jam is ready. Remove the jam from the oven and let cool. I eat this jam fresh so I put it into jars and keep it in the fridge. Makes: about 3 cups
2-Ingredient Watermelon Sherbet
From the thekitchn.comI know watermelons don’t need a recipe, but this is just too easy and deelish. 6 cups (1-inch) seedless watermelon cubes (2 pounds; from 1/2 personal seedless watermelon)1 cup sweetened condensed milk1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Arrange the watermelon in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours.Combine the frozen watermelon, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Move the soft sherbet to an airtight container and freeze until solid, approximately 2 hours. Makes 1 quart.Recipe NotesMake ahead: Watermelon cubes can be frozen up to 1 month in advance. Just store in a freezer zip-top bag until ready to use. Storage: This sherbet will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Crispy Smashed Roasted Potato Recipe
By Susie Middleton via Fine Cooking 12 to 15 baby red or yellow potatoes (about 1-1/2 oz. each; 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)2-3/4 tsp. kosher salt1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilBoil the potatoes:Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 tsp. kosher salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t overcook. The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your countertop. As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.Flatten and cool the potatoes:Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Repeat with all the potatoes. Don’t worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil. Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature.Roast the potatoesRemove the pan of potatoes from the refrigerator, if prepared ahead. Heat the oven to 450°F. Alternatively, if you have a convection function, turn it on and set the temperature at 400°F. Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp. salt and pour the olive oil over them. Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes if using a convection oven, 30 to 40 minutes if roasting conventionally, turning over once gently with a spatula or tongs halfway through cooking. Serve hot.Make Ahead TipsDo the busy work—boiling and flattening the potatoes—up to 8 hours ahead. Let potatoes cool completely, and store them on the pan, lightly covered, in the fridge. Then all you have to do at the last minute is coat with oil and salt and roast. Servings: 4 as a side dish.