Farm News August 16, 2022
We got a break from the heat this week with some cool nights and dryer air, but the change in weather was pretty stingy in the rain department. We continue to see rain in the forecast four or five days out, only to have said rain mysteriously disappear as the fronts change. My pet theory is that as we continue to cook our planet, the hotter air holds more moisture and less of the atmospheric water gets released as the gentle rains I remember 4 or 5 decades ago. Now when it rains, it really pours down in amounts that are difficult for the farm to manage. Feast or famine…
Picking corn is either a very satisfying or downright strenuous event, depending upon one’s state of mind. Faye lands on the positive side (here and just about always).
On the bright side, we continue to keep up with irrigation, and the crops are doing well. It’s been one of the best melon years we can remember, with sweet cantaloupe and red and yellow watermelon coming in by the bin. We should have plenty of melons for the next week or so, but the harvests will taper towards the end of the month. Tomatoes are pouring in like crazy, with sale prices for firsts and 16-pound flats of ripe seconds available at the farm for just $32. Cherry tomatoes on sale too! We dug into the Satina potatoes, and they look super too.
The tiniest of carrots get some love from this crawling crew. The goal is to have carrots into winter!
On the pick your own front, we have wax beans, cherry tomatoes, flowers, sunflowers, and herbs for the picking at the farm. Also check out our new mini farm store. Elliott has been gathering local farm products from our farmer friends around the state. We have cheeses from Cato Corner, yogurt and ricotta from Calf and Clover Farm, Seacoast mushrooms, Popcentric Pops, Ridgway Farm maple syrup, honey from Peter Sadlon, Goat Boy soaps, Oiu Charcuterie fine salamis, and local meats from Howling Flats Farm. Elliott will get us some write ups soon, and in the future, we hope to add more products.
More fun in the melons … Although it’s another physically demanding thing to haul in 2000 plus pounds at a time, twice a week during the season.
We’re still busy planting fall lettuce, spinach, broccoli, fennel, escarole, basil, and greens crops. Corn crop looks good for this week. We should have corn through the first week of September, which isn’t too far off! The katydid’s started their nighttime chorus a few weeks ago, and when I was a kid that was always my cue that the start of school wasn’t too far off. We affectionately dub them the “back-to-school bugs.” Now they serve as a reminder that the summer goodies won’t last forever, and winter squash and sweet potatoes will be filling the barn in a few months.
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Paul and Rebecca for the Fort Hill Farm crew
Featured veg:
Cantaloupe: Growing melons in the northeast is a dicey proposition, so we are always grateful for any good fruit we can get. Usually these come in before the red watermelon, but maybe the usual is a thing of the past … This is perhaps our finest cantaloupe crop! Most are sweet and flavorful, but there are always a few duds in the mix. We can’t see this, so just ask for a replacement if you get one. Most are also ready to eat; if it’s a bit green with less scent, give it a few days at room temp to ripen. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Satina Gold potatoes: this potato has wonderful yellow flesh and flavor, similar to Yukon Gold. We find them equally tasty, and unlike Yukon Gold, they don’t drop dead when the first leafhopper bug appears. They are now a resolute farm and customer favorite. We love them for their distinct satiny texture (note the name); they’ve become a farm staple, fair and square.
Also available:
Head lettuce (7 varieties!), arugula, salad mix, pea shoots, classic carrots and rainbow carrots, red and French Breakfast radishes, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, cilantro, basil, parsley, dill, chives, rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, radicchio, frozen ginger, red, Chioggia, and gold beets, Ailsa Craig and Red Torpedo onions, summer squash, cucumbers, red and Tendersweet cabbage, garlic, jalapeño, poblano, & shishito peppers, green bell peppers, hints of the first eggplant and sweet peppers, heirloom, beefsteak, and plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, red & yellow watermelon, fresh ginger
Coming Soon:
sweet peppers
Pick Your Own:
~Sunflowers:
bring joy and are ready to come home with you
~Sungolds:
everyone’s favorite is ripe for picking in our high tunnel
~Perennial Herbs:
chives, oregano, sage, and thyme
~Flowers:
Flowers are in full swing and on sale!
~Green and Wax Beans:
A new planting of Wax is in; Green beans will be ready end of the week
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Summer Skillet
By Rebecca Batchie
As nine-year-old Luca gets pickier and pickier with meals, I was more than a little excited when he heaped this on his plate, declaring, “Mom, you’re the best Food Machine.” This makes a good amount of leftovers. Note, my skillet is 18” wide, you may need to size down if your pan is smaller. I couldn’t decide on the herbs, so I left them out entirely, but basil, rosemary, or oregano would be great here. You can also add some corn near the end if you are craving a sweet note.
1 large Ailsa Craig onion, rough chop
5 medium potatoes, cut into roughly 3/4” pieces, sliced less than 1/4” wide
2 medium-large zucchini, quartered lengthwise & sliced into 1/4-1/3” pieces
1 large tomato, rough chop
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat the largest skillet you own to high, add olive oil, and sauté the onions until edges are brown and cooked 2/3 of the way through.
Remove them, add more oil, and add the potatoes to the pan with a generous helping of salt, stirring every few minutes or so, letting them brown without burning, and covering to let some steam cook them through. Remove.
Add more oil and the zucchini (with salt) to the pan, letting it brown a bit on both sides. Add the chopped tomato and cook until it disintigrates onto the zucchini.
Add back the onions and potatoes, mix together, and taste for seasoning. This is great as part of a hearty breakfast or dinner.