Farm News July 16, 2024
Our Farmstand is in full swing
(PYO & Farmstand Hours):
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm
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Summer continues to send up a great harvest for our hard-working crew to bring in each morning. The harvest takes more and more of our energy each day (a very good thing!) and we often find ourselves putting off must-do tasks like trellising the pepper patch and mowing done crops. Sinking even lower on the list are cosmetic tasks like mowing the farm, which can lead to the unfortunate loss of stray irrigation pipes that get lost in the tall grass.
James and CJ stand proud of their (partial) haul of Tendersweet cabbage. We got it all in while it was in great condition for prime storage capacity.
We are seeing some great broccoli this year. This spring brought the kind of “goldilocks” temperatures that broccoli needs to make a nice head. If it gets too cold early in the season, the plants panic and put up a little mini head called a “button,” and if it gets too hot, the heads are of poor quality. Because we’ve had some broccoli crop heartbreaks before, we have upped our production of sprouting broccoli, which is much less fickle about spring temperatures and makes a tastier crop as a bonus.
Summer squash, zucchini and cukes are doing well this year. We’ve put zucchini and slicing cukes on sale this week. My mom made a very simple and tasty sauté of summer squash and onions this week, and the hot weather means its great time for cucumber salads of all kinds. The crew also started bringing in red torpedo and big, sweet Ailsa craig onions, which are my favorite for grilling. Tomatoes continue their impressive performance.
Not a pretty picture, indeed, but worth showing what happens when we aren’t able to protect the basil from the July influx of beetles (note the healthy basil underneath).
Corn is here! Our first pick of sweet corn is from the variety Sweetness, and it is true to its name. We know lots of you are waiting for this news and wanted to check in with you about organic corn. For us this crop is a labor of love, and I’ll detail all the steps it takes to grow top quality sweet corn organically next week. Not all our ears are perfect, but each one is a bit precious, so we ask you to not peel down the husks to peek. We do our best to bring you large, full to the tip, undamaged ears, but if you do see a bug, or get an ear that’s not quite filled to the top, we ask you to give thanks and blessings to the organic corn growing gods, cut the bit that’s damaged off, and enjoy. On the off chance you do get an ear that’s slipped past our Corn Inspectors and is extensively damaged, we will refund or replace your corn. That’s it, grab a pot of hot water, some butter and salt, and enjoy!
On the pick your own front, the blueberries continue to impress. Big, sweet blueberries are available for just a little work. Flowers are kicking into high gear, and we’ve got a nice selection of herbs as well.
It’s high summer! We hope to see you at the farm or a farmers’ market soon,
Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew
Danniella bunches some dill flowers for pickle making.
Featured veg:
Fort Hill Farm Simmer Sauce: We are featuring this front and center because it is ON SALE … to the tune of Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO)! There is even a case discount for those of you looking for locally made, organic gifts or the many who love sauce but don’t want to turn on a burner in this heat. Made with our beautiful, perfectly ripe heirloom plum tomatoes and packed with herbs, this flavorful sauce can dress pasta or serve as a rich, flavor-boosting base for anything involving tomatoes. Stock up, because these prices are certainly temporary!
Red Torpedo onions: an heirloom onion from the Mediterranean regions of France and Italy. Like many cumbersome names, the original “Red Long of Tropaea” changed to “Red Torpedo” when it made its way to the USA. They are pretty and taste great. After such a good growing spring for Purplettes and Cippolini this year, we are hopeful that it continues for our other fresh onions. We have found that these store well, both in the fridge and on the counter, for up to 2 months.
Sweet Corn: …is here! It’s very sweet. It’s also organic. Bugs in organically grown corn are par for the course, and we ask that you not look for perfection, but instead just cut away any munched parts on an ear and enjoy. Sometimes we can do the cutting for you, which essentially removes just a few bites at most from each ear. If storing for a few days, put in the fridge (with husks on).
Also available:
Head lettuce; salad mix; pea shoots; curly and lacinato kale; rainbow chard; baby bok choy; purple, red and French Breakfast radish; cilantro, parsley, dill, basil; escarole; scallions; red beets, chioggia beets (and limited gold beets); Chinese cabbage; garlic scapes; zucchini, zephyr, and Patty Pan summer squash; Asian and slicing cucumbers; heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes; sungold and red cherry tomatoes; conehead, red, and Tendersweet cabbage; rainbow and orange fresh carrots; broccoli; sprouting broccoli; German Extra Hardy garlic
Coming Soon:
cantaloupe
Pick Your Own:
Blueberries:
The blueberries continue to ripen and sweeten, but they won’t last long!
Perennial Herbs:
There are HERB RINGS provided to establish the bunch size.
Chives and Oregano: trim long lengths from the base of the plant, leaving 1” behind
Sage: clip 4 - 6 inches from the largest stems
Thyme: clip 4-6 from the perimeter of the plant
Flowers:
Already there is a full selection of blossoms out there. Be sure to use the flower ring provided to establish the bunch size.
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Blueberry Corn Salad
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod
Servings: 8
Ingredients
4 cups fresh sweet corn (4 large ears sweet corn, kernels removed)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 seedless cucumber, diced
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
In a large serving bowl, combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno.
To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and stir until combined.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Feel free to add avocado and/or crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco. You can use frozen corn, but fresh is best for this salad. If you don’t like cilantro, use basil instead
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