Wednesday, September 5, 2012

BGF News 9/4/12



In this week’s box:
Beans: Mix or Maxibel (filet-type)
Fingerling Potatoes: Rose Finn
Hot Peppers: Wenk's Yellow Hots & Georgia Flame
Mini Cabbages: Super Red (purple), Gonzales (tiny, green) or Storage 4 (slightly ruffled, green)
Sweet Peppers: Islander (purple to orange), Ace (Green to Red), Golden Marconi (Long green to yellow)
Tomatoes, slicers
…plus whatever else we can find to add to the fun!

For those with the Egg option [full]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)
For those with the Herb option: basil: lemon, nasturtium, tarragon

Featured Recipe(s) (see below):  Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans
Sautéed Cabbage
Precipitation in the past week: 5 drops

What’s up on the farm?

It was a week of much tilling, weeding and worm patrolling at the farm. Most of the retired beds have been tilled and are being prepped for the winter. The fall field crops are all seeded as are a few of the cold weather, high tunnel crops. The rain from a couple weeks ago really brought on another flush of weeds, so the crew has been had at work keeping those under control. The "worm" patrol really has nothing to do with worms, but caterpillars. We are having a veritable explosion of tomato horn worms in the high tunnels and in the field. These little beasties have some of the most effective camouflage you can imagine and appetites the size of dinosaurs. They range in size from a tiny 1/4" up to the size of an adult man's thumb and are nothing more than fleshy green tubes of tomato eating teeth. Just one good-sized caterpillar can strip a tomato plant down to just stems overnight! So our hunt for them is never-ending right now. Yesterday the crew found five one-gallon buckets of the little nasties, which were promptly fed to the chickens, which is the farm version of poetic justice.
So, on to something more pleasant. The fall sowings of greens are mostly coming along nicely and I think you might see the first of those in next week's delivery. The exception to this is the salad, spinach and head lettuce. The combination of sudden high temps and dry surface conditions made for an almost complete failure of the first sowings of those crops. We have re-sown them, but will still be about a month away from harvesting those.

Farm Crawl is coming! Our 6th annual Farm Crawl will take place on Sunday, October 7th from 11-5. If you are unfamiliar with this fun, family-friendly event you can learn more about it at www.farmcrawl.com. Every year we invite CSA members not only to come out and tour the farms, but also to be part of the BGF team. So here is your chance for 2012. In the past, individuals/families have helped out with greeting visitors, sharing information, helping out at the chickens, parking and other various tasks. And, even better, you can still "Do the Crawl"! We are asking for volunteers to come for a 2 hour shift, so there is still time to visit the other farms. . If you (and/or your family) would be interested in helping out at the please let us know.

The Tall Farmer Update: Sean is still at Mercy Hospital. He is getting stronger and eating better and hopefully the little complications that keep popping up will come to an end. We hope he will be moving to a rehab unit at Mercy sometime this week.

A little detail on your produce this week:
Cabbage: Store dry, unwashed cabbage in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable bin. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy or yellowish, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh inner
leaves. Cabbage can keep for more than a month. Once it’s cut, seal it in a plastic bag and continue to refrigerate for several weeks. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. Peel away a few of the outer leaves, then cut the cabbage according to your needs with a big, sharp knife, and then chop, sliver, or grate. Our favorite way to eat raw cabbage is as a "walking salad" which is to simply spread peanut butter over a leaf of cabbage, sprinkle with your favorite dried fruit, roll it up into a tube and enjoy. This is a kid-pleaser for sure!

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm.

That’s about it this week, if you have any questions or comments be sure to let us know. 

Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and Blue & Luci)


Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

1 lb fingerling potatoes cut in 1 inch pieces or once lengthwise (just wash, no need to peel)
1-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 tbs of your favorite fresh herb: chopped parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill, ect.
3-4 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat potatoes with other ingredients and spread out on a shallow baking dish. Roast until tender, 40-45 minutes. Makes 2-4 servings.

Adapted from a recipe in From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-fresh Seasonal Produce

Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans
Serves 4
           
2  waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1  tablespoon salt
8  ounces cavatappi  (or other pasta)        
8  ounces green beans, trimmed and halved          
1/2 cup pesto        
 Pepper

Peel and cut 2 waxy potatoes into 1-inch cubes; place in a large pot of water; bring to a boil.

Add 1 tablespoon salt and 8 ounces cavatappi or other short tubular pasta; return to a boil; cook 2 minutes.

Add 8 ounces trimmed and halved green beans. Return to a boil; cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes.

Drain; toss with 1/2 cup Pesto; season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Source: unknown

Sauteed Cabbage
 Serves 4           
2          tablespoons unsalted butter
1          small head cabbage, coarsely chopped
2          pinches caraway seeds (or fennel seed)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add cabbage and caraway seeds.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: unknown

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