Farm News, November 9, 2021
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Please note our newly adjusted Fall Farmstand Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM (closing an hour earlier)
Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 pm (opening 1 hour later)
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What a difference a week makes. A very large and very cold air mass from Canada crashed our extended summer party and brought us back to late-fall reality. We knew the frost was coming, and we had picked all the peppers and eggplants and brought in the last of the potatoes. We put a four-layer frost blanket on the remaining ginger and set up pipes to try to save the dahlias in the flower patch and our last planting of arugula. We noted the predicted low of 28F, drained all the water in the barn and in our equipment, and then fired up wood stove for the night. The prediction was a bit off, as our actual low was 22F, and while most of the crops we needed to protect did fine, the flowers did not. Frost irrigation can work down to 28F, but not in the low 20’s, and we awoke to a scene out of the movie Frozen: lots of ice on dead plants. It’s a “circle of life” kind of thing, and while the dahlias are done for this season, we will dig the tubers soon and store them safe and sound over the winter to replant in the flower patch next spring.
Dana captured this icy scene of the flowers and herbs.
On the positive side, frost brings out the best flavors in our kale, collards, and spinach. It’s amazing to watch these crops freeze solid overnight. As long as we don’t touch them until they’ve been warmed up in late morning, they are good to go. The cold weather also sweetens up the carrots and parsnips we have left in the ground, and we’ll be tucking them away in the cooler in the next week or two. So we spent as much of our mornings as we could in warm greenhouses washing ginger, leeks, lettuce, and spinach, and sorting butternut squash and sweet potatoes. In the afternoons we harvested greens in the field and weeded the chickweed out of next year’s strawberries. The crew also got a thick blanket of leaves and straw on the garlic cloves we planted, and they are now sprouting roots and getting ready to push up in the spring.
Zak and Faye spread straw on the leaf-mulched garlic beds. What a sky of blue!
It’s a bittersweet time for all of us here on the farm. We’ve still got a bunch of great fall produce to bring in and get onto everyone’s plates for the holidays. But the finish line for the 2021 field season is in sight. Many of our crew are moving on to new opportunities and locations after Thanksgiving. Most of them have been with us a long time, and we’ll miss this bunch a great deal. Lauren Hendersen-Tamowski has been on the farm for seven years, and for the last 3 seasons has been the key person managing our crews and fields. Lauren has a full set of tools on her tool belt and is well on her way to starting her own project. Lauren will be here through the end of the year, and we are excited to watch Lauren develop a cooperative farm in central New York.
Adam hauls in the ginger.
Shell and Erika process ginger in our winter wash station, otherwise known as Greenhouse 3.
Adam Quattro has been working at the farm since high school, and seven seasons later he has decided to head west to Colorado to work in the ski resort industry, and we presume also to shred some snow in his down time. We’ve practically watched Adam grow up and hope he stays warm and happy in the mountains. Emma Homans is heading back to Vermont after working with us for two seasons. Emma did a great job helping us manage the greenhouse tomato crops this season and the New Milford Farmers market, and we will miss her attention to detail and can-do attitude. Olivia Binzen started working on the farm during her college summers and then worked for us for two seasons after graduation. Olivia’s artistic flair is evident all over the farm and will be a great reminder of her time here. Liv is headed out west to Oregon to try out life in Portland.
Old greenhouse with sunlit mountain backdrop, ala Faye.
We will complete Part 2 of our update on the crew and rest of the season in our last 2021 Farm News next week, but please remember there is plenty of Fort Hill veggies to be had beyond that newsletter! The New Milford and Chappaqua farmers markets are open through November 20. The Farm Stand is open through November 23. After Thanksgiving, we will be taking on-line orders for farm pickup only, and we will attend the Thursday Westport winter market through early January.
We hope you enjoy the farm and the harvest,
Paul and Rebecca for the Fort Hill Farm crew
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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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Featured veg:
Red Maria potatoes: These large, round, ruby red spuds have a contrasting pure white center and make up our last potato dug from the field. They have notable flavor and are waxy, making them tasty for potato salads, roasting, and you name it. Give Red Maria a try more simply or in the fabulous recipe below!
Also available:
Salad mix, head lettuce, pea shoots, red radishes, salad turnips, red and green cabbage, Chioggia beets, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, parsley, chives, oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, radicchio, Dark Red Norland, Satina Gold, Blue Gold, Magic Molly, Kennebec and Fingerling potatoes, German Extra Hardy garlic, escarole, leeks, celeriac, collards, parsnips, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, fresh young ginger, limited apples from our certified organic, no-spray orchard
Coming Soon:
Gilfeather Turnips
Pick Your Own:
Flowers: are done for the season after a good, long run
Perennial Herbs: * please get an herb ring from the barn for bunch size.
Chives, Oregano, Thyme, and Sage for all of those fall recipes
PYO Hours: (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
Twice Baked Feta Potatoes with Za'atar Pesto
By Yotam Ottolenghi
INGREDIENTS
2 baking potatoes (500 g or 18 oz.)
2 sweet potatoes (500 g or 18 oz.)
60ml / 4 tbsp olive oil
50g / 1.75 oz. Greek-style yoghurt
60g / 2oz. spring onions, plus 2 tbsp extra sliced
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp dried oregano
100g / 3.5 oz. Greek feta, roughly crumbled
100g / 3.5 oz. lancashire cheese or mature cheddar, roughly grated
Salt and black pepper
CRISPY ONIONS (optional, or use store-bought)
500ml /17oz. sunflower oil
1 onion, thinly sliced on a mandolin (180g)
1 tbsp corn flour
ZA'ATAR PESTO
1 large lemon
3 tbsp. za’atar
20g /.7 oz. coriander, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
40g / 1.4oz. pine nuts, lightly toasted
90ml / 3oz. olive oil
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Place the potatoes onto a medium, parchment lined baking tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Bake for 50 minutes, turning them over halfway, or until cooked through the center and nicely browned on the outside. Remove from the oven then turn the heat up to 220C / 430F.
3. Once cool enough to handle but still warm, use a small knife to make a slit down the center stopping short about 1½ centimeter (5/8 inch) from the ends. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from the insides, leaving about ½ centimeter (.2 inch) of flesh attached to the skins (careful to not tear the skins). Add both the sweet and regular potato flesh to a large bowl then add the yoghurt, spring onions, cumin, chilli, oregano, both cheeses, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper and mix everything together to combine, mashing the potato slightly with the back of the spoon. Spoon the mixture back into the skins then drizzle the top with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Return to the oven for 20 minutes more, until nicely browned on top. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, if making from scratch, fry the onions. Heat the sunflower oil in a medium, high-sided sauté pan on a medium high heat. Just before frying, toss the onion together with the corn flour in a bowl. Test the oil is hot enough by adding an onion ring to the oil; it should sizzle immediately. In two batches, fry for about 5 minutes per batch, using a slotted spoon to move it around a little, until nicely golden. Transfer to a plate lined with absorbent paper and sprinkle lightly with salt. Once cool, strain the sunflower oil into a heatproof container, discarding the solids, and reserve it for another use.
5. Make the pesto. Finely grate the lemon to give you 1½ teaspoons of zest. Then, top and tail the lemon and use a small sharp knife to cut away at the skin and pith. Segment the lemon by sliding your knife between the membranes to release the segments. Roughly chop the segments then place into a serving bowl with the lemon zest and set aside. Add the za’atar, coriander, garlic, pine nuts, 1/8th teaspoon of salt, a good grind of pepper and 2 tablespoons of oil to a food processor and pulse a few times until you have a coarse paste. Add to the lemon bowl and stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
6. To serve, divide the potatoes between four plates and spoon over some of the pesto. Sprinkle with the crispy onion and extra spring onion, serving the extra pesto and crispy onions in separate bowls alongside.