Farm News, July 20, 2021
Despite the sticky weather, we’re sleeping somewhat better lately, now that we have the garlic safely hung in a shade-covered greenhouse. Wet weather and wet soil make this big task more challenging, and we had to dodge frequent showers and storms to find a few dry windows to pull, bunch, and hang the crop. It’s a tough job, and when the sun does come out, it’s a hot and sweaty one as well. It’s a bit of a race to get the garlic in just at the right time to maximize bulb size, but before the bulbs split their wrappers. The crew did a great job getting it all in on time.
Rejoice, rejoice! The garlic is in! They’re smiling, but this is hard work.
Now that our first big bulk harvest it behind us, we can concentrate on planting the fall crops. We’ve got a way to go before we park the transplanter, as we put in weekly plantings of lettuce and salad mix, and work to get the fall broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, fennel, escarole, and spinach seedlings in the ground. We’re also planting summer cover crops in the now-empty garlic, strawberry, and pea patches. It’s important to keep roots growing to feed the soil microbes that make all the growth above ground possible.
As the saying goes, it takes a village to pull, shake, band, haul, hang, then clip and clean the garlic. Shell and Connor each bring a load in. (Note the only cloudy day of garlic harvest.)
On the crop front, the sweet corn is finally here. Our first variety produces smaller ears that pop out early, and it’s a race against the raccoons, which have been having a party in the patch for the past week. There are so many things you need to get just right to get an organic sweet corn crop to maturity- variety selection, fertility, timing, and weed, varmint, and insect control- that it’s truly a labor of love!
We hope you enjoy the farm and the produce,
Paul and Rebecca for the Fort Hill Farm Crew
In other farm news… our only Black Copper Marans hen, Swanie, successfully hatched 2 chicks in the last 24 hours! The chicks are from mixed breed parentage, so we’re not sure what they will turn into. Luca is doing his best to keep her fed and happy.
Featured this week:
Sweet corn: This is our earliest variety, and we must say that it is a bit of a disappointment. We're not sure what happened, aside from the war with the raccoons and typical corn pests. Normally we are over the moon happy with our corn’s flavor, but it is variable this time, so let us know if it’s not right. Best eating for sweet corn is as soon as possible, but if you have to store it, the fridge is best for up to 3 days.
FRESH ONIONS!
Ailsa Craig onions: these big fresh sweet onions are great sliced thick, brushed with olive oil, and cooked on the grill; also yummy sliced thin on sandwiches and burgers, caramelized, or use in any recipe that calls for sweet onions. They store best in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or dried on a shaded countertop.
Red Torpedo onions: an heirloom onion from the Mediterranean regions of France and Italy. Like many long names, the original “Red Long of Tropaea” changed to “Red Torpedo” when it made it way to the USA. They are pretty and taste great. We’ve found that they store particularly well (for onions), both in the fridge and on the counter for up to 2 months. Try them in the Kimchi recipe below.
Also available:
Salad mix, arugula, 8 kinds of head lettuce, pea shoots, fresh carrots, Rainbow carrots, French Breakfast and red radish, salad turnips, scallions, Chinese cabbage, Red conehead cabbage, Tendersweet cabbage, red beets, Chioggia beets, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, fresh garlic, basil, parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, oregano, sage, thyme, radicchio, Purplette fresh onions, Heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes, Sungold and red cherry tomatoes, slicing cucumbers, Asian cucumbers, summer squash, and the first eggplant and hot peppers
Coming Soon:
cantaloupe
Pick Your Own:
Flowers: * please get a flower ring from the barn for bouquet size.
The blossoms are in full swing now! Please be sure to leave behind the buds below that are on their way.
Perennial Herbs: * please get an herb ring from the barn for bunch size.
Chives, Oregano, Thyme, and Sage
Green and Yellow Wax Beans:
… are picked out for now, with little regrowth. Please stay tuned for the next bed to come in.
PYO Hours: 1:30 - 7PM. (PYO begins 30 minutes before and goes 30 minutes beyond barn hours.)
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Quick Kimchi
From BBCGoodFoods
Ingredients
1 Chinese cabbage (or Tendersweet if you want)
3 small garlic cloves, crushed
1in piece ginger, grated
2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
2 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce or chilli paste (see below)
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
8 radishes, coarsely grated
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks or coarsely grated
4 spring onions, finely shredded
Method
STEP 1
Slice the cabbage into 1” strips. Tip into a bowl, mix with 1 tbsp sea salt, then set aside for 1 hr. Meanwhile, make the kimchi paste by blending the garlic, ginger, fish sauce (if using), chilli sauce, sugar and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
STEP 2
Rinse the cabbage under cold running water, drain and dry thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl and toss through the paste, along with the radishes, carrot and spring onions. Serve straight away or pack into a large jar, seal and leave to ferment at room temperature overnight, then chill. Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks - the flavour will improve the longer it's left.
Mexican Street Corn
From LetsDishRecipes
Ingredients
6 ears fresh corn on the cob, husked
Vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Preheat grill for high heat. Brush corn with vegetable oil. Grill corn, turning every 2-3 minutes, until slightly charred on all sides. Cool and cut corn kernels off cob.
In a medium bowl, combine corn kernels, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder and cayenne. Garnish with queso fresco and chopped cilantro.