Farm News June 20, 2017

Farm NewsJune is in some ways the toughest month on our farm. We have the CSA and several farmer’s markets to get up and going, coolers to clean out and start up, and big plantings of seedlings still going out into the fields. To top it off, the weeds start growing like crazy this time of year, and in wetter seasons like this one it can be tough to find the right window to cultivate. Sometimes you literally turn around and overnight, find you are late in getting to a task.One that often slips behind us is tomato trellising. We have two methods. For the first early tomatoes, we hang a string down from a wire running the length of the greenhouse, and twirl the tomatoes up towards the ceiling. The tomatoes we grow in the large high tunnel needs trellising at a time when we are usually in a labor crunch, so we do a quick and dirty California weave, which means putting a tomato stick every two plants, and running a twine on either side to hold the vines up. Fast and effective, but not particularly pretty.Crops are mostly on the upswing. Strawberries are producing tons of berries; lettuce, spinach, chard and green kale in abundance; lots of salad mix and arugula; pretty baby beets in the barn, and carrots in the field within a week of digging. The only dark cloud I see is in tomato land. We have avoided tomato drama for the past several seasons, but our early tomatoes have faired poorly in the early spring muggy weather.  On the up side, the tomato plants are looking good in the big high tunnel.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed….We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,Paul and Rebecca, for Elliott, Bailey, Lauren, Justin, Hannah, Adam, and the field crewFeatured this week: Escarole: a cousin to lettuce, very bitter raw but mellows to a deep, satisfying flavor when cooked. Try some escarole and beans from our recipe database ala Ginny Bucciaglia, very healthy and tastes great! Stores like lettuce.(Rainbow) Swiss Chard: versatile cooking green, great sautéed with scapes, garlic, and onions, or try recipe below.  Also available: arugula, baby red kale, tatsoi, scallions, head lettuce, radishes, bok choy, escarole, lacinato and curly kale, rainbow chard, pea shoots, sunflower sproutsPick Your Own at the farm: Strawberries are in droves!  Get 'em while the getting is good and the picking is easy. Some berries you'll pick this week will be a new variety that we are excited about.PYO Hours:  The pick your own patch is open 30 minutes before and beyond the barn distribution times. PYO patch is open in all weather except thunderstorms. PYO is also open to the public on Tuesdays during our Tuesday Farm Stand.Coming soon: kohlrabi, fennelRecipes, suggested by Rebecca BatchieFor more recipes, see our database at http://recipes.forthillfarm.comChard and Garlic Scape Pesto with FarfalleBy Rebecca Batchie, inspired by Ginny Bucciaglia6 garlic scapes1/3 – ½ cup olive oil2 bunches Rainbow Chard1lb farfalle or similar pastaPecorino RomanoSalt and freshly ground pepperBring salted water to boil. Thinly slice chard stems and chop chard leaves into 1” pieces. Sauté stems in a bit of water until tender and then toss in the leaves; add desired salt and cover. Roughly chop the scapes and blend with olive oil in a blender until mostly blended. If pesto is not bulky enough for blending, add a cup or so of chard (at whatever stage of cooking). Throw in the pasta to cook al dente. When chard is almost done and the water has burned off, add ¼ cup of the pesto to the pan and sauté with the chard until done. Stir in the remaining pesto with the pasta, then mix in the chard thoroughly. Top the pasta with pecorino, adjust for salt and pepper, and devour.