Farm News August 20, 2024
Our Farmstand is in full swing
******
(PYO & Farmstand Hours):
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 8 am - 12:30 pm
******
As we plan our week at the farm, we spend a lot of time pondering weather maps and forecasts, trying to decide what each day is best suited for. Dry and clear days are great for hoeing, cloudy days allow transplants to get off to a strong start in the field, showery days are great for lettuce and kale harvests, and in heavy rains we usually retreat to a greenhouse to plant, harvest, trellis, and weed the crops. We also must make decisions about irrigation. The forecast for Sunday was ¾ inch of rain, so on Friday we rolled the dice and stopped the sprinklers.
Julia L. and Natalie B. pack the early morning kale and chard harvest.
One thing we lose sight of in our digital world is that forecasts are just educated guesses on what might happen based on what’s happened in the past, and the forecasters and their computer models could not have anticipated what unfolded on Sunday. We watched as a procession of storms brought three inches of rain to New Milford, but we were stunned by the rains that fell just 10 miles away. Due to a phenomenon we had never heard of known as “training thunderstorms” (so called because thunderstorms beget a chain of thunderstorms like a train, one after another, focused in a small area), storms dumped over a foot of rain on Southbury, Oxford, and other towns just to our east, causing widespread damage. That much rain on a farm in August is devastating, as crops that have taken a season to grow can be destroyed in a matter of hours. While we feel fortunate to have dodged this bullet, we feel a lot of sympathy for the folks who experienced loss in the hard-hit areas, especially for the tragic loss of two people swept away in the flash floods.
Three stages of cover cropping. Mature Sunhemp on the left, with 4 day old Sunhemp (it's that quick to germinate!), and freshly prepped beds ready to plant.
These weather events are hard for farmers to bounce back from, and it makes us feel particularly vulnerable. I did some checking, and Sunday’s unnamed, run of the mill thunderstorms dumped more rain on Oxford than the hurricanes that caused the great Connecticut floods of 1955. It’s further evidence that human created climate change is bringing us weather that is beyond our comprehension. Terms like “100-year flood” are becoming obsolete, because they are based on climatic conditions that no longer exist.
Now that the wet, unstable air has moved off, cool fall-like weather has taken set in, giving our crops some time to dry out. We are grateful for our high tunnels, which protected our tomato, ginger, and fall cucumber crops. Spared the brunt of the storms, our fields are pumping out sweet peppers, eggplants beets, cucumbers, lettuce and all types of greens. Our sweet corn is still standing, and the winter squash continues to ripen, the fall carrots continue to size up, and flower patch looks great. I’m trying to stop and feel some gratitude for the bountiful harvest have, because even in a good year it is fleeting, and each passing year seems to increase the chance that it can be quickly washed away.
We hope to see you at the farm or a farmers’ market soon,
Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew
I wasn't fast enough to catch the double Farm-bow on Monday evening, but here is a nice single ROY G. BIV.
Featured veg:
Edamame: We so look forward to this ephemeral late-summer harvest, as fresh Edamame is not something you see every day. Simply pluck the pods from the stems, steam them for five minutes, salt and squeeze the beans from the pods into your mouth. It’s fun and delicious! Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Summer Leeks: We’re pulling early the tasty member of the onion family that adds that unique onion-esque but not quite onion-y flavor. We often get requests for leeks at this time of year (see the simple summer leek recipe below), and my, they are looking tasty! Clean carefully, as soil sometimes soil gets tucked into the leaves. (I like to slice in half lengthwise and run the ends under cold water as I fan them out.) Store in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Also available:
Head lettuce; salad mix; arugula; pea shoots; curly and lacinato kale; rainbow chard (limited); purple, red (new patch starting) and French Breakfast radish; cilantro, parsley, dill, basil; red beets, chioggia beets and gold beets; Tendersweet and red cabbage; garlic scapes; zucchini, zephyr & patty pan summer squash; slicing cucumbers; heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes; sungold, artisanal, and red cherry tomatoes (ON SALE!); carrots; sprouting broccoli; German Extra Hardy garlic; Ailsa Craig and Red Torpedo onions; jalapeño and shishito peppers; Sweet Red Italian and orange snacking peppers; Classic Italian, Graffiti, and Rosa Bianca eggplant; baby bok choy; sweet corn; Blue Gold and Satina Gold potatoes; Red and Yellow watermelon; fresh ginger
Coming Soon:
Fennel
Pick Your Own:
Green beans: still some nice beans to pick
Sunflowers: on sale! 2 / $1
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes:
Open for PYO! Stop by the barn for containers and head to the high tunnel to pick.
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:
Bouquets on SALE! 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
Sweet Leek Carbonara
Recipe by Jamie Oliver: “Often I triple the leek base and freeze it for quick cooking another day.”
Ingredients
2 large leeks
4 cloves of garlic
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 knob of unsalted butter
olive oil
12 oz. dried spaghetti
2 oz. Parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus extra to serve
1 large egg
Method
Trim, wash and finely slice the leeks. Peel and finely slice the garlic and pick the thyme leaves, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.
Once sizzling, stir in the leeks and 400ml of water, then cover and simmer gently over a low heat for 40 minutes, or until sweet and soft, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
When the leeks are almost done, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water.
Toss the drained pasta into the leek pan, then remove from the heat and wait 2 minutes for the pan to cool slightly while you finely grate the cheese and beat it with the egg (if the pan’s too hot, it’ll scramble; get it right and it’ll be smooth, silky and deliciously elegant).
Loosen the egg mixture with a splash of reserved cooking water, then pour over the pasta, tossing vigorously (the egg will cook in the residual heat).
Season to absolute perfection, going a little OTT on the pepper. Adjust the consistency with extra cooking water, if needed, and finish with a little stroke of cheese. Fantastic served with a glass of cold Italian white wine.
* * * * * * * * * *