Farm News August 2, 2022
August has rolled in, with more heat and humidity on the way. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that cooler, drier air from the north will often sweep in with no rain. I remember as a kid nearly every cold front in the summer ushered in a line of thunderstorms. Not so much anymore. These days we spend a lot of time talking about rain, which is in a forecast but never materializes. Weather forecasts are just that, a guess on what might happen. I cringe whenever someone says, “It’s supposed to rain on Friday.” The clouds will do whatever they damn well please, and we’ve seen enough lines of showers dry up and disappear somewhere in eastern New York to know that we should keep irrigating until we get a soaking rain.
Calin finds the first ripe cantaloupe. These are a bit small this year but quite tasty. Remember: Good things come in small packages.
We’ve been able to keep up with irrigation, and although we’ve been able to meet the water needs of most of our crops, Elliott and I have lost a fair bit of sleep starting and stopping pipes and setting up the big travelling gun units late at night and early in the morning. In fact, we’ve been so up to date on water that we are finding we aren’t letting the weeds we’ve hoed and pulled dry out enough; they tend to re-root where we’ve left them in the crop pathways. Some drought resistant weed species like purslane and crabgrass become real zombies that we end up hoeing over and over.
It’s a fine time to Pick- Your- Own flowers, herbs, beans, and Sungolds.
But our efforts are paying off! The pick your own flower patch is booming. They are on sale and looking very pretty. The dahlias are just starting and should be in full swing by the end of the month. We will have beans early in the week for picking; they do go over fast in the heat and can be a bit unpredictable. Pick while you can! Cherry tomatoes are rolling in now. We’re opening a row in the high tunnel for pick your own, you can fill up a pint in no time. In fact, tomatoes of all kinds are entering peak harvest. We’ve put them on sale and will also be selling trays of seconds as they become available. This week’s corn is looking quite good, and barring black bird or raccoon or scary ear worm disasters, we are shooting to have corn through Labor Day.
Emily braves the Sungold jungle that is Greenhouse 5. It’s a high summer, and the crop is booming!
It's been a great carrot year so far. Sweet and crunchy and coming into the harvest shed by the barrel. We sow a large crop to come in for early August, strip the tops, and store them for the month of August, when the heat can make carrot growing challenging. They stay sweet and crisp in the cooler, and we wash and sort them for sale just as we need them. In other underground crop news, the new potatoes are ready to dig, and we hope to have them in the mix next week.
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Paul and Rebecca for the Fort Hill Farm crew
Featured veg:
Fresh Young Ginger: We decided to go EXTRA early this year do to our thriving crop in the greenhouse, so juicers rejoice - you've been asking and it is here! No peeling, no fibers, just pure flavor and joy to use. This can be a tough crop to grow in CT, and we are always grateful when the plants start to happily bush out in early August after the long wait since February. Prices will be higher because we are pulling the crop very early... there will be plenty of ginger in the coming months at the regular season’s price.
Head Lettuce: In the summertime heat, we used to just grow 2 kinds of summer crisp (Batavian) lettuce. They were so boring that even our wholesale accounts wouldn’t take any! When our household well froze about 7 years back, Sunny Valley dug us a new one, and it just happened to be way more bountiful than the other 2 farm wells. In short, we tapped the farm into it, and now, with a lot of care and attention, we can keep our lettuce well hydrated (and sometimes just cooled with a brief shower during the hottest days) enough to have decent success with non-Batavian varieties. So we are happy to present most of our spring and fall varieties all summer long, along with 3 lovely summer crisps: Green butterhead, red butterhead, dark red summer crisp, pink summer crisp, green summer crisp, romaine, and red leaf – if you don’t see one of them, it’s because it didn’t survive the heat!
Also available:
Head lettuce (7 varieties!), salad mix, pea shoots, carrots, red and French Breakfast radishes, scallions, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, cilantro, basil, parsley, dill, chives, radicchio, frozen ginger, red, Chioggia, and gold beets, Ailsa Craig and Red Torpedo fresh onions, garlic scapes, summer squash, cucumbers, red and Tendersweet cabbage, garlic, hints of the first eggplant and peppers, heirloom & beefsteak tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes
Coming Soon:
watermelon
Pick Your Own:
~Sungolds!:
everyone’s favorite is ripe for picking in our high tunnel
~Perennial Herbs:
oregano, sage, and thyme
~Flowers:
Flowers are in full swing and on sale!
~Green and Wax Beans:
very nice pick out there
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Ginger-Garlic Tofu
Recipe by BY Rene Ortiz via BonAppetit
Faye sometimes makes a similar recipe for our potluck, and it’s a real crowd pleaser. The main difference is that she roasts it for baked-in flavor –yum! Add a little Sriracha for a nice kick.
Ingredients
4 Servings
¼ cup Chinkiang (black rice) vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 14-oz. blocks extra-firm tofu, drained, each sliced crosswise into 4 pieces
2 Tbsp. palm sugar or 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 4”-piece ginger, peeled, cut into thin matchsticks
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
Fresh cilantro leaves (for serving)
Preparation
Step 1
An aged vinegar made from black glutinous rice and malt, Chinkiang vinegar can be found at Asian markets.
Step 2
Place tofu on a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels; place several layers of towels on top and press gently to remove liquid. Place tofu in a shallow baking dish.
Step 3
Bring vinegar, soy sauce, and palm sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour over tofu and turn to coat. Let stand at least 1 hour to marinate.
Step 4
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
Step 5
Drain tofu, reserving marinade; pat tofu dry. Add tofu to skillet and cook until golden on all sides, 5–7 minutes (remove ginger and garlic if they are in danger of burning). Add reserved marinade to skillet and cook until marinade is reduced and glazes tofu, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer tofu to a platter, spoon pan juices over, and sprinkle with cilantro.
Step 6
DO AHEAD: Tofu can be marinated 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry
From BonAppetit
Ingredients
4 servings
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced across the grain into bite-size strips
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
6 scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced crosswise
12ounces green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise (about 4 cups)
Steamed white rice, chopped toasted cashews or peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or thinly sliced fresh chiles (for serving; optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Toss chicken, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce in a medium bowl. Stir vinegar, wine, and remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce in a small bowl. Have all your other ingredients prepped and ready to go (once you start cooking, there isn’t a stopping point and you’ll need them handy).
Step 2
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet (not nonstick) over high. When oil is shimmering and slides quickly across surface of pan, add scallions and ginger and cook, tossing, until scallions are browned and softened, about 2 minutes. Add green beans and a pinch of salt and cook, tossing often, until green beans are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer green bean mixture to another medium bowl.
Step 3
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over high. When oil is shimmering again, add chicken mixture and arrange slices in a single layer in skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until chicken is browned and caramelized on first side, about 1 minute. Toss and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink and cooked through, about a minute or two longer. Pour in wine mixture and green bean mixture and cook, tossing briskly, until sauce is thickened and all ingredients are coated, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and taste, then season with more salt, if desired.
Step 4
Divide stir-fry among plates. Serve with rice alongside, if using. Sprinkle with desired toppings.