Farm News June 13, 2023

Our Farmstand is in full swing:

Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM

Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm

*************************************************

When you farm in the northeast, you expect late freezes, freak early-April heat waves, and month-long stretches of time with no rain, all of which pretty well describes the growing season so far. What we never predicted was a three-day stretch of smoky haze that blotted out the sun and made it very difficult to see the ridgelines of our valley.  I’ve grown accustomed to hearing about wildfires in far off places like California and Australia, but I can’t remember ever being affected by fire and smoke before. The smoke enveloped us and made working in the outdoors unpleasant for all, and impossible for some. We really didn’t have the option to just stop working in the fields at this point in the season, so we dusted off our Covid approved N95 masks and made the best of it.

Danniella and Miranda give some love to the basil in the high tunnel.

Transplanting in the fields is still going strong, with the last big planting of melons, winter squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes all making it into the ground.  The weeds are making their presence felt, with impressive growth rates despite the cool and smoky haze.  Harvests are picking up as well. The crew continues to bring in some very nice bunches of lettuce, spinach, kale, and chard. Tomatoes are starting to trickle in from the greenhouses.  Garlic is looking great this year, with the small flower heads, or scapes, popping out of the plant.  We pluck these off so the plant will channel energy to the bulb. The beauty is that scapes are a great stand-in for garlic cloves and particularly make an amazing pesto.

CJ and Brendan, brothers in life and in transplanting radicchio too.

We are happy to report that strawberries are finally in peak production.  We’re now moving into the mid and late season varieties, and there are plenty of berries to be had for little effort.  We are especially grateful to everyone who braved the smoke and came out to the farm and markets last week … the strawberries wait for nobody!  Right now, there is an excellent pick of strawberries out there, and we’ll update conditions on Thursday and Friday as well.

We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,

Paul, for Rebecca and the Fort Hill Farm crew

Featured veg:

Strawberries!  Did you know that Strawberries are the number one crop for pesticide application? We are pleased to be able to offer certified organic strawberries. Although the crop started off slow this year, last week it shifted into high gear and is going strong. But don’t blink – Fort Hill long timers know what a fleeting blip small farm-grown strawberry season is. See the yummy recipe below. They will store in the fridge for a few days, but eat promptly, as ripe berries don’t hold well. You can also wash, top, quarter, and freeze them quite easily.

Garlic scapes:  These are the flowers of our topsetting hard neck garlic.  Viewed with suspicion by folks in the past, they have become very popular due to their great garlic flavor and many uses. Cut off an inch or two of the thin ‘whip’ at the end of the stem, and the rest is good to chop up. Scapes make the BEST pesto. Sauté in oil and then add cooking greens or pasta. Grill or roast whole for a treat. Throw on pizza. Scapes will store for at several weeks in your fridge crisper (and can last for months!). They are a unique source of fresh, green garlic flavor and will tide you over until we have fresh garlic available in about three weeks.

Also available:

Head lettuce, salad mix, arugula, pea shoots, red and French Breakfast radishes, spinach, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, baby bok choy, escarole, fennel, scallions, kohlrabi, cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, the very first heirlooms and cherry tomatoes

Pick Your Own:

Strawberries:

There’s an excellent pick of berries out there! Check Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Recipes

Suggested by Rebecca Batchie

For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database

---

Strawberry Spoon Cake

Adapted from Jerrelle Guy’s recipe in the New York Times

INGREDIENTS

• Yield: 4 servings

  • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing

  • 10 ounces/290 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 2 cup)

  • 1/2 cup/115 grams packed light brown sugar

  • ½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1cup/130 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

  • Optional: basil ribbons, fresh ginger, cardamom

  PREPARATION

  1. Step 1

     Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch (square or round) baking dish with butter. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

     Using your hands or the back of a fork, mash the berries to release all their juices, and stir in 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

     In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, milk and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter (it’s not much) to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners.

  4. Step 4

     Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before spooning into bowls. Serve warm with ice cream.