Farm News, September 7, 2021
BRING YOUR MASK! Due to the everchanging pandemic conditions, we are requiring masks for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, while visiting in the barn. Masks are not required outside the barn. Thank you!
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The sweltering Atlantic lobbed another tropical water hose at us last week, dumping over six inches of rain in about a 24-hour period on the farm. Our soils had plenty of moisture already from Hurricane Henri, and at one point in the deluge the entire farm seemed to have an inch of water on the surface, which is something I have never witnessed before. While none of this is helpful in growing crops, we were fortunate in that the rain came over a 24-hour period, and the soils at Fort Hill sit on 120 feet of gravel and cobbles, which makes the farm one gigantic leach field. Within a day, the water had drained, and we resumed planting, cultivating, and harvesting operations. Farmers on more poorly-drained ground were reporting damage from standing water in the field, and from flood waters contaminating crops. Most importantly, both storms brought only modest winds. On the whole we feel very lucky, but also very exposed. We know that one of these days we’ll get a direct hit, one that no amount of preparation can save us from. These monster storms are Mother Nature’s way of saying it’s too hot. The Atlantic Ocean, and particularly the bit right off Connecticut and to our our north, is one of the most rapidly warming areas of ocean on the globe, offering potent fuel to future storms. Maybe it’s enough to make us begin decarbonizing our economy in earnest. Or maybe it will take dozens more hurricanes and enormous wildfires. As a nation we don’t appear to be quick learners.
We just keep trying to thwart Pythium and other factors that make spinach so hard to grow - here by solarizing the ground before planting.
The funny thing about this growing season is that it will go down as a “wet year.” While that may be true based on total rainfall, the distribution and intensity of that rain fall made it feel to us like a drought-deluge combo that made for some really tough growing conditions. With a lot of sweat and effort, and a bit of luck, we’ve made it the last push of the season in good shape.
Much to Paul’s chagrin, it’s time to mow the fast-growing Sun Hemp cover crop, before it turns into stringy and unmowable mess.
The exit of storm Ida ushered in some cool, clear, fall-like air right on September 1. Most years, flipping the calendar from August to September does nothing to change the weather, but this year the difference was noticeable. We’ve got some pleasant temperatures in the forecast as we get down to the fall bulk harvest in earnest. We’ll be bringing in the first round of winter squash this week and will grab the pumpkins too since they don’t fare too well when stored in the field. It’s time to start digging spuds in earnest, and by the middle of the month we’ll dig into the sweet potatoes and wrestle them from the ground, and the ginger harvest is looking great this year as well.
Brendan and Julia pick the first of our organic pears!
For now, the summer harvest continues, seemingly on momentum from the hot July and August days. The tomato vines are looking a bit tired but still ripening some tasty fruit, and we’ve got a solid week of corn left. The pepper and eggplant harvest is going strong. All this harvesting leaves us precious little time to put the fields to bed, but we’ve been sneaking in cover crops when we have the time, so they can get enough heat and light to put a green blanket on the fields before cold weather sets in. That’s still a long way off, so for now it’s time to grab a barrel and a bucket and head back out for another harvest.
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Paul and Rebecca for the Fort Hill Farm Crew
Shell, Nadia, and Alisa plant the cold frame with fall kale.
Featured this week:
Carnival Squash: This kaleidoscopic Acorn variety is both a thing of beauty and a practical fall staple. As for all winter squash, prepare by cutting in half, scooping out the seeds, oiling the cut edges, and putting face down in a baking pan with a quarter inch of water in it. Bake at 375F until a fork slides in easily. Acorn squash will store for a few more weeks at room temperature. Butternut will store for a few months. Baked in oil and salt, the seeds can be a nutritious snack.
Dark Red Norland potatoes: a classic that I’ve been impatiently waiting for, this is our favorite waxy potato for salad potato. It’s yummy almost any way you cook them, baked and smashed or roasted… leave the skins on for a striking effect. Store for at least a month in a dark, dry place at room temperature. Do not refrigerate spuds!
Also available:
Salad mix, arugula, limited head lettuce this week(-try the salad mix!), pea shoots, carrots, red radish, limited salad turnips, scallions, Red cabbage, Tendersweet cabbage, Chinese cabbage, savoy cabbage, limited red, Chioggia, and gold beets, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, radicchio, red and yellow onions (at the Farmstand only), Satina, Blue, and Red Gold potatoes, German Extra Hardy garlic, Heirloom, beefsteak, and plum tomatoes, Sungold and red cherry tomatoes, sweet corn-(get it while it lasts!), fresh edamame- (get it while it lasts!), watermelon, escarole (it’s back!), green bell peppers, sweet peppers, mixed Italian and Asian eggplant, hot peppers, leeks, fresh young ginger
Coming Soon:
Sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes
Pick Your Own:
Flowers: * please get a flower ring from the barn for bouquet size.
There are still a lot of flowers out there, despite the deluge of rain. Don’t miss the Dahlias, some of which are short and hiding behind the other flower rows.
Perennial Herbs: * please get an herb ring from the barn for bunch size.
Chives, Oregano, Thyme, and Sage
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
Lebanese Potato Salad (Salata Batata)
From PlantBasedFolk
Ingredients
1 ¾ lbs. Potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup Parsley chopped
1/4 cup Shallots (scallion) finely chopped
1 tbsp Dried mint (fresh is good too) finely chopped
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Lemon juice fresh
1 Pinch Salt & Pepper
1 Clove Garlic (optional) crushed
Instructions
Cut potatoes into even bite sized chunks (with skin or off). Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Boil potatoes until cooked, then drain and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl add potato, shallots, parsley, mint, garlic. Add olive oil, lemon and seasoning to taste, and serve.
Kale and Wild Rice–Stuffed Winter Squash
Adapted from Epicurous
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil
2 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup wild rice
2 cups wild mushrooms, medium chopped (optional)
a few pinches each: dried thyme, rosemary, sage, and/or marjoram
1 shallot, chopped fine
pinch cayenne
6 Tuscan kale leaves, ribs removed and leaves chopped fine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Zest of 1 lemon
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano
Method:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Step 2
Rub a bit of oil inside the squash and season with salt and pepper. Place the acorn squash cut sides down on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 3
In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, 1 3/4 cups of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes.
Step 4
Swirl a bit of oil in a medium skillet and heat it over medium heat until shimmering. Sauté the wild mushrooms until well browned (if using). Add the shallot and a few pinches each of dried thyme, rosemary, sage, and/or marjoram, and sauté until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pinch of cayenne (optional). Add the kale and sauté just until the leaves begin to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked rice, Dijon, and lemon zest and stir to mix well. Cook for 2 minutes more, adding some oil if the rice seems too dry. Stir in the parsley, walnuts, and Pecorino Romano.
Step 5
Remove the squash from the oven. Spoon the rice filling into each half and serve hot.