BGF News 10/8/2013

Volume XXI, Number 19

In this week’s box:

Carrots: Bolero, St. Valery, Amarillo & Rainbow

Cherry Tomato mix

Head Lettuce: Bronze Arrowhead (red) and Concept (green)

Kale Mix: Red Russian, Beedy's Camden, Toscano & Vates

Potatoes: Desiree

Scallions

Sweet Peppers

Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

and perhaps one of the following:         

            Broccoli florets

            Broccoli raab

            Mini Bell Peppers (small, sweet, red, yellow & green) bagged to differentiate from hot peppers        

            Okra: Burgundy           

            Tapestry Salad Mix

For those with the Cheese option: we are experiencing a one week delay, expect a special cheese delivery next

            week (sorry for the inconvenience!)

For those with the Egg option [full & half]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: sweet basil, lemon thyme, par-cel

For those with the Honey option: final delivery next week, liquid honey only 

Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Warming Winter Kale & Potatoes

Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup

Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Scallions & Mozzarella

Precipitation in the past week: 0.39”  

   
What’s up on the farm?

This past week was a whirlwind of harvesting and preparation for Farm Crawl. We had a passel of family in for the weekend from Chicago, Denver and Australia and they were a helpful lot. Nearly the whole farm was mowed, trimmed, buffed, polished, tidied and tucked…there's nothing like inviting more than a thousand of your closest friends, neighbors and folks you've never seen before to come to your farm on a cold, rainy fall day. And what a day it was! Despite the weather, we had more than 1,280 people at BGF on Sunday. The other seven farms reported similar attendance and were similarly amazed at the enthusiasm of the crowds. If you were among the hearty "Crawlers", thanks for coming out to enjoy the rural countryside, if you weren't able to join us, you can put it on your calendar for next year, first Sunday in October!

Now back to your regularly scheduled program (farm)! Now that the big excitement is done, we are back to the seasonal tasks at hand. We will start clearing the warm weather crops from the high tunnels later this week and then the last rounds of sowing and transplanting will begin. We won't start the big clearing jobs in the field until we get a hard freeze, and we aren't seeing much sign of that in the immediate future.

The end is near! Next week is the final delivery of the Summer 2013 CSA season. It hardly seems possible that we started on this veggie adventure 20 weeks ago, but there it is. Please make a special effort to remember your empty box next week so you aren't stuck with it for the winter. We will pack your produce in bags so there wont be an empty box for you to worry about. If you are interested in joining us for the Winter season, you can read more details below.

The Winter CSA is scheduled to start on Tuesday, November 5^th. For those of you new to the group, we offer a separate season extension for the months of November & December.  The schedule is a little different as we do bi-weekly deliveries, with a larger produce volume at each delivery.  This works well because the cool weather produce has extended storage ability.  There will be a total of four deliveries spaced every other Tuesday on the following dates: 11/5, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17. Delivery locations will be the same as they are now. The base membership for produce is $240.  Add-on options include: eggs @ $16 (four deliveries) and preserves @ $12 (two deliveries).  We have to limit the number of members we can accommodate for the Winter membership due to significant challenges provided by the weather.  We will open the sign-up period to our veteran Winter CSA members first and then any open slots will be made available to current CSA members on a first come-first served basis.  If you have participated in the Winter CSA in the past, you have until Tuesday, October 15th to send us an email indicating your interest and option choices.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Carrots: remove greens and store roots in a plastic bag in the produce drawer of your refrigerator. No need to peel (most of the nutrients are just beneath the skin) just a quick scrub and they are ready to enjoy.

Head Lettuce: We like to wrap heads in a clean dish towel and then place in a plastic bag in the produce drawer. They can last several weeks that way.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

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)

Warming Winter Kale & Potatoes

Serves: 4

1lb potatoes
8oz kale
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onions, chopped
salt to taste      

1. Boil the potatoes until tender, cool in cold water and cut into thick slices.
2. Wash the kale, drain and remove the stems and midribs. Stack the leaves up and shred quite finely.
3. Saute the onion in the hot oil in a large skillet until it just begins to brown. Add the kale and toss it until it just begins to wilt.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir fry for 5 more minutes.
5. Add the potatoes and cook until they are heated through. Season to taste and serve.

Recipe Source: Riverford Organic Vegetables Website  <www.riverford.co.uk>

Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup

1 c. diced carrots, celery, and onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 cans garbanzo beans (15.5 oz.), rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes (30 oz.) (or chopped, fresh tomatoes)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. ground coriander
salt and pepper, to taste
3 c. herbed tomato sauce
3-1/2 c. water
2 c. fresh kale greens, chopped

Saute carrots, celery, and onions in small amount of water until soft.  Add garlic, saute an additional minute.  Add garbanzo beans; stir.  Add diced tomatoes with juice and herbs and spices.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and water.  On high heat, bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.  Add kale.  Cook, stirring as needed, an additional 10 minutes.  Remove bay leaves before serving.  Sprinkle individual servings with shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Recipe Source: The Rosemary House

Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Scallions & Mozzarella

3 garlic cloves, minced

extra-virgin olive oil

3 large heirloom tomatoes (the gnarlier the shape and crazier the color, the better)

kosher salt

bunch of scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise

bunch of basil, torn into large pieces

5 or 6 oz of fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), or one large piece cut into 1″ squares

1 lb pasta (I used fresh spinach spaghetti, but plain penne or linguine would work just as well)

 sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring pasta water to a boil in a large pot, add a healthy dose of kosher salt, then cook the pasta according to package directions. When it reaches al denté, drain. While  the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.

Chop the tomatoes into big, 1″ chunks. Over medium heat, swirl a tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan. Cook the minced garlic until it starts to turn golden, then add all the tomatoes and their juices. Let cook for 2 minutes, then add scallions. Let cook for a couple minutes just until the scallions start to get a bit soft. Sprinkle vegetables with kosher salt, then add basil (reserving a few sprigs) and cooked pasta.

Add fresh mozzarella, kosher salt and pepper, another drizzle of olive oil to get all the pasta strands lightly coated, and give it all a big toss. Serve in bowls garnished with a few sprigs of basil and freshly-grated parmesan.

Recipe Source: http://camillestyles.com/

BGF News 10/1/2013

Volume XXI, Number 18  –  October 1, 2013

In this week’s box:

Basil: Genovese or Large Leaf  (probably the final hurrah)

Braising Greens: Tatsoi & Mizuna

Cabbage: Gonzales (mini, green), Storage 4 (large, green) or Super Red

Eggplant: one last time!

Leeks: Carentan

Sweet Peppers: Ace (green/red), Golden Marconi (long, pointed, green/yellow), Islander (purple/orange) or      Sunray (green/yellow)

Sweet Potatoes: Beauregard

Tomatoes: asst, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

and at least one of the following:                       

Broccoli florets

Broccoli Raab

            Mini Bell Peppers (in plastic bag)         

            Okra: Burgundy

            Tapestry Salad Mix

                       

For those with the Egg option [full]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: lemon basil, garlic chives, sorrel

Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Garlic Rosemary Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

Braised Mixed Greens

Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

Precipitation in the past week: 0.08" (better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick)

What’s up on the farm?

Warm days, cool nights and some occasional rain, I guess fall is really here. With that, come some other season-specific markers. We are starting to see flights of geese moving across the skies. They're not all headed the same direction yet, but they are definitely on the wing, as are the pelicans, which are always fun to see flying high overhead. The trees are just starting to change around here. Mostly some light yellows showing, though there is the occasional shock of red where a Virginia Creeper vine has climbed a tree and is singing out in all its scarlet glory. Our chores have changed with the season as well. The chickens are going to bed at a very civilized 7:15 now, as the sun sets and aren't rising until nearly 7am. This allows us more flexibility in the evenings and to actually eat breakfast before doing morning chores. Many people are dismayed at the diminishing daylight hours, but we celebrate it!

We spent a number of hours last week harvesting sweet potatoes and what a harvest it was, the best yield we've had to date. The crew even found a moustache-shaped tater amongst the crates, you can see the evidence on the farm's FaceBook page. So today you get to say your first hello to the sweet potatoes. They have cured for about a week, so they should be all ready to enjoy. We plan to send them out to you again for the final delivery, so go ahead and enjoy these soon. You also get to try out your hellos on a new braising green mix. Mizuna & Tatsoi are both Asian greens that are mild and really shine as a lightly cooked greens mixture, but can be enjoyed raw as well.

And now for the goodbyes…this is likely the final appearance for the basil and eggplant. They are both very sensitive to cold and the coming temps will do them in. They've had a good run this year and we hope you have enjoyed them. The okra is also about to call is quits. Since mid-summer we have sent okra out to nearly the whole CSA membership, but not quite. We are still hoping to get some to everyone, but these tropical crops are living on borrowed time.

Speaking of time, most of ours right now is focused on harvesting and Farm Crawl! The weather is supposed to be perfect on Sunday, a crisp, clear fall day and we will be ready! We hope you will pack up your friends and family (but leave those "fur-kids" at home) and come Crawl with us!

Farm Crawl is this coming Sunday, October 6th from 11am-5pm.  Details can be found at www.farmcrawl.com

The end is near! We have recently gotten several questions about the end of the summer CSA season. We anticipate the final delivery will be Tuesday, Oct 15.

The Winter CSA is scheduled to start on Tuesday, November 5^th. For those of you new to the group, we offer a separate season extension for the months of November & December.  The schedule is a little different as we do bi-weekly deliveries, with a larger produce volume at each delivery.  This works well because the cool weather produce has extended storage ability.  There will be a total of four deliveries spaced every other Tuesday on the following dates: 11/5, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17. Delivery locations will be the same as they are now. The base membership for produce is $240.  Add-on options include: eggs @ $16 (four deliveries) and preserves @ $12 (two deliveries).  We have to limit the number of members we can accommodate for the Winter membership due to significant challenges provided by the weather.  We will open the sign-up period to our veteran Winter CSA members first and then any open slots will be made available to current CSA members on a first come-first served basis.  If you have participated in the Winter CSA in the past, you have until Tuesday, October 15th to send us an email indicating your interest and option choices

A little detail on your produce this week:

Sweet Potatoes: Keep unwashed sweet potatoes in a cool, dark place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard or cool basement, and use them within two to three months. Do not store in the refrigerator; cold temperatures can darken sweet potatoes and adversely affect their taste. Scrub sweet potatoes gently before cooking. Peeling is a matter of preference. If you will be puréeing or mashing sweet potatoes, bake or boil them whole and then remove the skins. Our favorite way to eat them is the simplest, just bake until soft, split open and top with butter, cinnamon, honey and a pinch of salt. Delightful!

Broccoli Raab (rapini): Although it has broccoli's name, broccoli raab is not related to broccoli. Lots of broccoli-like buds appear here and there but a head never forms. The stems are generally uniform in size (hence cook evenly) and need not be peeled. Clean it as you would other greens, removing the bottom portion of the stems which appear tough (sometimes the stems are tougher than other times depending on the age of the rapini). They stems can be removed up to where the leaves begin, and sautéed before adding the leaves to the pan. This vegetable is a source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium. To maintain crispness, refrigerate, unwashed, loosely wrapped in a plastic bag or wrap for up a week. The leaves, stems, and flower heads are cooked (broil, stir-fry, braise, saute, or steam) and eaten just like regular broccoli and have a flavor similar to broccoli but much more pungent. It is quite tasty with a nutty flavor and has a slightly bitter taste.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

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)

Garlic Rosemary Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Crispy baked sweet potato chips brushed with garlic-infused olive oil and sprinkled with fresh rosemary and sea salt.

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 medium sweet potato, very thinly sliced (using a mandoline slicer or food processor is best)

1 tsp. rosemary, minced

coarsely ground sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position rack in the center of oven.

Whisk together olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. Brush two baking sheets with half of oil mixture. Place potato slices on sheets in a single layer and brush tops with remaining oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt.

Place baking sheets on center oven rack. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until edges begin to curl and brown. (Note that the baking time depends on the thickness of the chips--even a slight difference in thickness can impact the time, so keep an eye on them!) Allow chips to cool completely on baking sheets.

Notes: Make the garlic oil mixture before you start slicing the potato for a more intense garlic flavor.

Recipe Source: http://ohmyveggies.com

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon
Makes 3-4 servings as a side dish

1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
2 T olive oil
2-3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used 2 T for the cabbage in these photos, but next time I'd use even more lemon)
generous amount of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
lemon slices, for serving cabbage (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Cut the head of cabbage into 8 same-size wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Then carefully trim the core strip and stem from each wedge and arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leave some space around them as much as you can.)

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice (use the larger amount of lemon juice if you like a lot of lemon like I do.) Then use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully, then brush the second side with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Roast cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Then turn each wedge carefully and roast 10-15 minutes more, until the cabbage is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.

Recipe Source: www.kalynskitchen.com

Braised Mixed Greens

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for finishing

1 small onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, 1 slivered, 1 halved

1 lb greens, such as chard, broccoli rabe, spinach, kale, washed and chopped

A few leaves or a few handfuls of sorrel, 5 or 6 lovage leaves or a handful of chopped cilantro and parsley

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups cooked beans (borlotti, cannelloni, etc), home cooked or canned

3 to 4 slices chewy country bread

Shaved parmesan or crumbled gorgonzola

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once the onion starts to soften a bit, after 3 or 4 minutes, add the slivered garlic. Cook for a minute more, then add the greens and any herbs. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. 2. As the greens cook down, turn them in the pan to bring the ones on top closer to the heat. Once they've all collapsed, add ½ cup water or bean broth, lower the heat and cook. Partially covered, until tender. Depending on the greens as long as 20. Just make sure there is some liquid in the pan for sauce. When the greens are done, add the beans, heat them through, then taste for salt and season with pepper. 3. Toast the bread and rub it with the halved garlic. Arrange on plates and spoon on the greens and beans. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the cheese, if using, and serve.

Serves 3 – 4

Recipe Source: http://www.treehugger.com

Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

1 pound pasta, whatever shape you like (but chunky ones will match up better with the rabe)
1 bunch broccoli rabe, heavy stems removed, remaining stems and leaves cut into 1- to 2-inch sections (I attempt to match my pasta in length)
1/2 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
About 1 heaping teaspoon Kosher salt (or more to taste)

To serve: Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Bring a huge pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the broccoli rabe. It will seem like too much for the water, but with a stir or two, the rabe should wilt and cook alongside the pasta. Drain rabe and pasta together and pour into serving bowl. In the same pot or a tiny one, heat the olive oil with the garlic, pepper flakes and Kosher salt over moderate heat, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the garlic becomes lightly golden. Pour mixture over pasta and toss to evenly coat. Shower with freshly grated cheese and eat at once.

Recipe Source: www.smittenkitchen.com

BGF News 9/24/13

Volume XXI, Number 17  –  September 24, 2013

In this week’s box:

**all new rain freshened vegetables this week!**

Chard

Choi

Cipollini Onions

Hot Peppers

Peaches: native white Iowa peach

Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

Turnips: Hakurei (white) & Scarlet Queen (pink)

and perhaps one of the following:         

            Broccoli florets

            Mini Bell Peppers (small, sweet, red, yellow & green) bagged to differentiate from hot peppers        

            Okra: Burgundy           

            Tapestry Salad Mix

For those with the Cheese option: Cheesemaker's Choice + bonus "hiccup cheese"

For those with the Egg option [full & half]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: Sweet basil, savory & oregano

For those with the Honey option: choice of liquid or comb

Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Farmhouse Turnips

Beans 'n Greens, Italian Style                                    

Braised Bok Choy

Precipitation in the past week: 1.33”  YAY!

What’s up on the farm?

Obviously the big news from the farm in the past week was the rain! We received 1.1" last Thursday, along with some rather alarming winds and a few bits of hail. When all was said and done, the rain was perfect, the winds were mostly non-damaging and the hail was negligible.  We had a lot of peaches on the ground and the salad mix was a bit beat-up, but well worth the beautiful rain. Between the rain from the past weekend and Thursday's storm we had 1.5" all together and it has made a huge difference already. The new crops we had sown are all germinating well and the earlier crops are putting on nice growth, even the grass is greening up. The dogs weren't so excited about the storm and got to ride it out in the back porch, although after one particularly impressive clap of lightning Luci found her way to the living room. She is pretty sure she would make a great house dog, we are not convinced.

We have been processing (peeling, pitting, halving, freezing) pears and peaches like mad people this past week and are finally feeling like we have an adequate stock of fruit for our jamming purposes, (also known as "The Freezers are Full!) However, we still have one peach tree that is just now ripening, so we decided to share a little taste with the membership this week. These are the small, white peach that is native to Iowa. They are not the same as the big, succulent, golden beauties from warmer states, but we enjoy them nonetheless and we hope you will too.

So what else is up on the farm this week? Autumn is truly in the air! The trees are starting to show their fall color and the birds and other wildlife are indicating that the seasons have indeed changed. We hear lots of turkey and pheasant calls and have seen the Bob White quail start to "covey-up". Many of our summer birds have already left for warmer climes and many of our year-round flocks are changing into their winter plumage.

We've had several visitors touring the farm recently and we also picked up some students from Central College who are volunteering at BGF for their Service Learning courses. It is the 3rd year we have worked with Central students and faculty and we are huge fans of this program. If you visit us during Farm Crawl, you will have the opportunity to meet some of these friendly, enthusiastic folks.

The end is near! We have recently gotten several questions about the end of the summer CSA season. We anticipate the final delivery will be Tuesday, Oct 15. We will be offering Winter CSA shares that will begin bi-weekly deliveries on Tuesday, Nov 5th. Details on that next week.

Farm Crawl is just 12 days away! Sunday, October 6th from 11am-5pm.  Details can be found 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 2013. 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 two 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 farm please let us know. 

A little detail on your produce this week:

Peaches: these little beauties are very fragile and will go from not-quite-ripe to over-ripe in a heartbeat. You can speed ripening on the countertop or slow it in the refrigerator. Their flavor is best at room temp or slightly cool, but not cold.

Cheese Share members: Lois had a stray mold visit a recent batch of robiola so her "hiccup" in production is your gain as she sent the batch to be distributed to you. You will likely find some blue mold on the robiola, you can enjoy it as is, or scrape the offending spots off. It is a perfectly safe mold, just not one that normally belongs on this type of cheese.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

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)

Farmhouse Turnips
modified slightly from a recipe in the cookbook "Greene on Greens"
serves 2 generously or 4 as a side dish

3 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, minced
1 bunch turnips, with greens
about 1/2 C tomato puree or finely chopped fresh tomatoes,
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
[if not using turnip greens, use 1 to 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley]

Cut green tops from turnips and set aside. Trim top and root away from turnip bulbs and scrub (no need to peel), then cut into half-inch wide slices, then cut the slices into sticks, kinda like french fries.

Go through the turnip greens, discarding any discolored leaves, and coarsely chop the rest for use in the recipe.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the turnips, tomato, sugar and allspice. Mix well. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Stir the chopped greens in for the last 3 minutes or so of cooking, so that they wilt but still keep their color. [If not using the greens, just mix in the chopped parsley at the end, or sprinkle on top when serving.]

Recipe Source: http://www.writerguy.com

Beans 'n Greens, Italian Style
Serves 2

1/2 lb Chicken Italian sausage
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion or some leeks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped or some sliced green garlic
1 bunch broccoli raab, chopped, or the leaves of kale, chard, beet, turnips greens or a combination, chopped
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Hot pepper flakes or 1 hot pepper seeded and minced

Put sausage in a large, heavy skillet. Add ½ cup water, cover and put over medium high heat. Cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 to 6 minutes longer, until water evaporates and sausage is light browned and has no pink in the center. Lower heat when water evaporates completely and turn sausage once or twice to brown evenly. Set aside. When cooled slightly cut into I inch pieces.

While sausage cooks, put oil in a 12 inch sautepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until softened slightly. Add greens and stock. Increase heat to high. Add beans, salt & pepper to taste and hot pepper flakes, if desired. When mixture comes to a boil, stir well, cover and reduce heat to medium. Add sausage pieces. Cook about 4-5 minutes.

Recipe Source: adapted from http://www.writerguy.com

Braised Bok Choy (or Endive, Escarole or Radicchio)
Adapted from "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman
Serves 4

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 bok choy, trimmed at base and cleaned
¼ C minced prosciutto or dry-cured ham (optional)
½ C chicken, beef or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium or large non-stick skillet that can later be covered.
Add the bok choy and cook, turning once or twice, until they begin to brown.
Add the ham, stock, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat, turning occasionally, until very tender, about 20 minutes (or up to 45 for endive, escarole or radicchio).
Drizzle with lemon juice or vinegar and serve.

Recipe Source: http://www.writerguy.com

BGF News 9/17/13

Volume XXI, Number 16  –  September 17, 2013 

In this week’s box:

Basil: Genovese, Large Leaf or Thai Magic

Greens: Collards/Mustard Mix or Kale Mix

Eggplant: Orient Express (long, thin, dark purple), Listada (purple/white striped), Ping Tung (neon                                  purple) and/or Rosa Bianca (rounded, purple, fading to white)

Garlic: Northern White

Pears: Bartlett (a little fruity bonus this week)

Potatoes: Mountain Rose

Sweet Peppers: Ace (green/red), Golden Marconi (long, pointed, green/yellow), Islander (purple/orange) or      Sunray (green/yellow)

Tomatoes: asst, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

and one of the following:                      

Beans: mix      

Broccoli florets

            Mini Bell Peppers (in plastic bag)         

            Okra: Burgundy

            Tapestry Salad Mix

                       

For those with the Egg option [full]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: purple basil, orange thyme, mountain mint

Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Roasted Potatoes with Tomatoes, Basil, and Garlic

BGF's Favorite Kale Salad  

Romesco Sauce

Precipitation in the past week: 0.24" (finally! And looking forward to more this week!!) 

What’s up on the farm?

It actually rained on the farm this week. On Sunday, thunder rumbled, lightning flashed and rain fell from the sky in a measurable amount. The soil even stayed wet for more than 20 minutes! The reality is that it was only 1/4" of rain, so not enough to make a significant difference for established crops, but the crops that we re-sowed late last week will greatly benefit from it, even more so if we get some more later this week. It also made a big difference in the attitudes of the farmers and crew! The crew has even sworn that if it ever rains again, they won't even complain about it… we'll see how that pans out as it looks like we will be harvesting for today's CSA delivery in the rain.

So what else have we been up to, besides praying for rain? The past week has been mostly about weeding and harvesting (isn't this what most of our weeks are all about?) We are at the height of the fruit harvesting season and even though most of our fruit trees are quite young, some few are of production age. This year for the first time we harvested Asian pears, Whitney crabapples, pawpaws and Wealthy apples (from a new tree) though most of these produced less than a dozen fruits, it was still exciting. From some more established trees we are now harvesting white Iowa peaches, pears and Wealthy apples. The peaches and apples, while numerous for one household still didn't produce enough to supply the CSA, however the pears are another story. We have 2 young Bartlett pear trees and this year they went all out!  So while it isn't enough to can or make a pie, we wanted to share a little taste with everyone. We hope you enjoy this tasty little treat and we will all look forward to more fruit in the years ahead.

We also spent time this week re-sowing some of the fall crops that didn't germinate well due to the heat and lack of rain. These crops include beets, turnips, spinach and salad. We are hopeful that this rain will help speed them along to production.

So now let's go back to the weather, what does this recent change in the weather mean for the farm? Well, a few things. The first is that the fall crops now have a chance of actually producing something before the end of the season. They love these cooler temperatures and the rain will make a real difference. The change will mean something else for the warm-weather crops. Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and basil are not so fond of the cooler temps. This will slow down their ripening and with the tomatoes, it will begin to dull their flavors. Basil is super sensitive to cold, and we are seeing a little leaf discoloration on some of it. The flavor is still fine, but it isn't as pretty and vibrant green as before. So what does that mean for you? You will likely start seeing smaller numbers of these items in each delivery and especially with the tomatoes, you will taste the difference. Our best suggestion is to start using them in cooked recipes which will really bring out their flavor, rather than fresh eating. We think they are still better than the standard grocery store tomato, but their best qualities are changing.

And finally, a little note of novelty. A couple of weeks ago we shared that we were the recipients of a fuzzy little black rooster who's crowing had outlawed him from his city home. Well, it turns out that that rooster had 2 more brothers in that little flock of four, who were also banished to the country when their crowing indicated that they weren't likely to produce eggs. So now BGF is the host to a small and exclusive Home for Wayward Fluffy Roosters. Our little black "Darth Vader" now has bronze "Alexander" and white "Sally" (or Sully) to keep him in crowing company. Mornings are like Roosterpalooza around here!

Farm Crawl is Sunday, October 6th from 11am-5pm.  Details can be found 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 farm please let us know.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Pears: These fruits are all ready to be eaten, depending on how soft you like your pears. They will continue to ripen in the days ahead, refrigerate to slow the process, leave on the counter to speed it up. Test for ripeness by gently squeezing and by color (light green is more crispy, yellow is juicy and succulent).

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

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)

Roasted Potatoes with Tomatoes, Basil, and Garlic                    

Servings: 8

2 pounds red potatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped    

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a baking dish, toss the potatoes, tomatoes and garlic with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the rosemary.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally, until tender.

Stir in basil right before serving.

Recipe Source: www.allrecipes.com

BGF's Favorite Kale Salad  

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons dried cranberries
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
3 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, (if using salted, cut down on the 1tsp salt above)
Parmesan cheese shavings

Place cranberries in small bowl; add balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, honey oil and salt and allow to soak several hours (overnight is even better).

Place kale in a large bowl, add cranberry mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and sunflower seeds just before serving.

Recipe Source:  adapted from an epicurious recipe by Dan Barber

Romesco Sauce
for Crostini, Pasta, or as a vegetable dipper
4 large roasted yellow, orange, and or red peppers
1/2 cup toasted almonds
2 cloves garlic
1 ripe tomato
1 tsp salt
2 thick slices from a baguette
1 tsp paprika
½ cup or less olive oil
Fresh basil leaves if available
2-4 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
Whirl everything in a food processor. Serve with vegetables such as carrot sticks, lightly steamed broccoli and caulifower florets, etc. Bread and crackers work well too.

Recipe Source: http://www.mariquita.com

BGF News 9/10/13

Volume XXI, Number 15  –  September 10, 2013 

In this week’s box:

**all new-pre-cooked vegetables this week!** (just kidding, it only feels like it)

Arugula

Beans: mix

Cherry Tomatoes (Golden Rave, Juliet, Blondkopfchen & Black Cherry)

Hot Peppers: Wenk's Yellow Hots (lt yellow to bright orange) and/or Georgia Flame (dark red)

Sweet Onions: Ailsa Craig

Sweet Peppers: Ace (green to red), Golden Marconi (long, pointed, green to yellow), Islander (purple to orange)          or Sunray (green to yellow)

Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

and perhaps one of the following:         

            Broccoli florets

            Cucumbers: Suyo Long (Asian-style, long & bumpy) or Diva (English-style, torpedo-shaped, smooth)

            Mini Bell Peppers (small, sweet, red, yellow & green) bagged to differentiate from hot peppers

            Melons: Cream of Saskatchewan or Moon & Stars      

            Okra: Burgundy           

            Summer Squash: Sebring (yellow zucchini) or 8-Ball (small, round, green)

            Tapestry Salad Mix

For those with the Cheese option: Plain Chevre and Cracked Black Pepper Chevre

For those with the Egg option [full & half]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: sweet basil, curly cress, lemon balm

 Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Arugula & Cherry Tomato Pizza

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella

Precipitation in the past week: 0.00”  (thanking our lucky stars for even more irrigation!)

What’s up on the farm?

Boy, we are good and ready to kiss this hot weather goodbye! It was a bit alarming when we read the water meter for August. Over the course of the month, we put more than 60,000 gallons of water on the ground, drip by drip. Thank goodness drip irrigation is the most efficient method of watering, but holy cow that is a heck of a lot of water and we are just barely keeping up with it. Some of the new crops are doing pretty well with the current situation, like head lettuce, arugula and broccoli, mostly crops that were transplanted last month. The direct seeded crops are struggling more, as the soil moisture is dissipating before the seed coats can soften enough and the tiny first roots start growing. Most challenged seems to be carrots, spinach and turnips. We finally installed tiny 180ۜ° sprinklers on the salad beds to try and keep the beds moist enough to germinate and grow, as we just couldn't keep up with hand watering those beds with the heat and wind. The germination on the first sowing was wildly uneven, which is why only some of you will receive salad this week. The salad greens that germinated earliest need to be cut, but there just wasn't enough that took off early for everyone to get some, so we will put that on the "perhaps one of the following" rotation list and we will continue to work through the membership list on a weekly basis until everyone gets some or until the salad really takes off and we can hit the whole CSA at one time.

The beans and summer squash are likely coming to an end, as the plants are just too stressed to continue, no matter how much water we pour on them. We thought the melons were done too, but a few more fruits miraculously appeared in the beds so we are sending them out in a few random boxes this week. We are also sending out the gleanings of the cucumber beds that we cleared this past week. They aren't beautiful, but they should still taste good as we bid them farewell for the year.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Really nothing new this week, just a reminder to store arugula like other greens, bagged in the produce drawer.

FYI, cheese share members, the black pepper chevre is amazing stuffed into little peppers or tomatoes and roasted!

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

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)

Arugula & Cherry Tomato Pizza

Pre-baked pizza crust/shell (you can also use english muffins, pita, Italian bread, tortillas or make your own)
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
3 cups Arugula from your garden -- coarsely chopped
15–20 Cherry Tomatoes from your garden -- halved
2 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Olive oil
Pinch Kosher salt
Fresh ground Black Pepper, to taste
Optional toppings: Pine nuts, Olives, Feta Cheese, chopped fresh Basil from your garden

• Take the pizza crust and brush with olive oil. Warm pizza crust per package instructions. Remove from oven.
• Cover with parmesan cheese. Bake for 2 minutes until cheese is lightly brown.
• While the cheese is melting, toss the arugula, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and optional toppings together. Season with salt & pepper.
• Gently cover the pizza with the topping while crust is still warm. Serves 4 as a light lunch.
Recipe Source: www.sloatgardens.com

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella

4 to 6 servings

2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/4 cup minced red onion (or sweet onion)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemon balm or tarragon

1 teaspoon sea salt, preferably gray salt

Several grinds black pepper

Panzanella Croutons, recipe follows

2 cups trimmed arugula

Wedge Parmesan, for shaving

Drain the tomatoes in a sieve to remove excess liquid while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Add the croutons and toss well.

Divide tomato mixture among 4 plates. Top each serving with an equal amount of the arugula. With a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan over the salad. Serve immediately.

Michael's Notes: I've used basil and tarragon here, but you can use any herbs you like. Parsley and marjoram come to mind as good alternatives.

Panzanella Croutons:

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6 cups crustless cubed day-old bread (1/2-inch cubes)

Sea salt, preferably gray salt, and freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and preheat a cookie sheet in it.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with the cheese and toss again while warm to melt the cheese.

Bake, stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 8 or 9 minutes. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Michael's Notes: I use a serrated knife to remove the crust from day-old bread, then switch to a chef's knife to cut the cubes because it doesn't tear the bread. Also note that I recommend grating the Parmesan finely so that it will stick to the bread better.

Recipe source: FoodNetwork.com Michael Chiarello

BGF News 9/3/2013

Volume XXI, Number 14

In this week’s box:

Basil: Genovese and/or Large Leaf

Beans: Mix (green & yellow)

Greens: Collards/Mustard Mix or Kale Mix

Eggplant: Orient Express (long, thin, dark purple), Listada (purple/white striped), Ping Tung (neon                                  purple) and/or Rosa Bianca (rounded, purple, fading to white)

Scallions

Sweet Peppers: Ace (green/red), Golden Marconi (long, pointed, green/yellow), Islander (purple/orange) or      Sunray (green/yellow)

Tomatoes: asst, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

and perhaps one of the following:                     

            Broccoli florets

            Cucumbers: Suyo Long (Asian-style, long & bumpy) or Diva (English-style, torpedo-shaped, smooth)

            Okra: Burgundy

            Specialty Beans: Maxibel (green filet) or Marvel of Venice (yellow, Romano/flat)          

            Summer Squash: 8 Ball (round, green) or Sebring (yellow zucchini)

                       

For those with the Egg option [full]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: Thai Magic basil, thyme, parsley

Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Ratatouille’s Ratatouille

Crispy Kale

Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs

Precipitation in the past week: 0.08" (we're starting to get rather desperate, but still hopeful) 

What’s up on the farm?

Well this week is certainly an improvement over last, cooler temps and a tiny fall of rain will certainly help everyone/thing here on the farm. The crew was on early starts all last week, trying to beat the worst temps of the day and we tried to stay away from the most physical tasks, but still, it was challenging to get much accomplished amid shade and water breaks. We aren't very excited to see 90's back in the forecast for later this week, but we are holding out hope that it will cool back down and rain again eventually.

We have been witnessing an interesting drought indicator here in the gardens. Everyday when we turn on the various irrigation lines, we get our own small version of "Dancing Waters" in Las Vegas. If you've never been, these are the "animated" water jets that are choreographed to music. Here, there is no music, and to call it choreographed might be overstating it but with each additional day without rain, the tiny (and not so tiny) fountains that shoot up to spray into the air are increasing. With their natural water sources dwindling (or gone) all the nasty little furrys that live in and around the gardens can smell the water in the irrigation lines and will bite through the plastic to make their own little drinking fountains. Isn't that cute? Grrrrrr! Can't say that I blame them, ok, I blame them, but I do understand their situation but it sure isn't helping my mood to imagine I hear Celine Dion singing the Titanic theme song every time I turn on the irrigation!

We do have one "furry" that we are rather excited about. With the new popularity of urban chickens, there are often some unfortunate discoveries of a new chick that starts crowing as it grows up. Most municipalities frown on backyard roosters and such was the case for our niece & nephew's new chickens. So we were able to offer "Farm Camp" to Darth Vader a little black silkie rooster. If you've never seen one, they look less like a chicken and more like a teddy bear. You can see a very similar bird here: black silkie He's pretty darn cute, so far he's hanging out with a few of our broody ladies, but before long we'll see how he does in the big pasture with the rest of the flock.

It looks like this week will bring the end of the cucumbers. They had a good run this year but the vines are nearly dead and we will go ahead and clear them our of the high tunnels this week to make space for fall crops. It will take longer than usual as our large settlement of Golden Orb Weaver spiders is mostly in the large tunnel cukes, so we will likely need to try a little relocation plan before the vines go out to the compost pile.  The tomatoes definitely took a break due to the high temps. There are still plenty of fruit on the vines, but not much happened with ripening last week, so you will notice a smaller number of tomatoes in your boxes this week. We hope to see another increase in the weeks ahead.

We will need to do some re-sowing this week of fall crops that just couldn't stand the heat, but others seem to be doing ok. The kale is doing well enough to start harvesting a bit for today's delivery and it looks like arugula will be returning to the boxes soon as well.

Upcoming events: Just a heads up that Farm Crawl is only a month away (10/6). If you haven't attended this free, 8-farm open house in our area, you should check it out. Details can be found at www.farmcrawl.com

A little detail on your produce this week:

Asst. Greens- (Collards/Senposai/Calaloo or Kale Mix) just like chard, store these leafy greens is a plastic bag in your produce drawer.

Romano Beans- also known as 'Italian string beans' or 'Italian pole beans' or 'Italian flat beans'. They're broader than "every day green beans" and have flat pods. They cook in a flash. And they're more tender, more velvety, more green-tasting, more alive-tasting than other beans. Store like other green beans.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

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)

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.
Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.
On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.
Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.
Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.
Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.
Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

Recipe Source: http://smittenkitchen.com

Crispy Kale Recipe

The biggest secret to getting the kale super-crisp is to dry them in a salad spinner. If there is moisture on the leaves, the kale will steam, not crisp. Also, do not salt the kale until after they have come out of the oven. If you salt beforehand, the salt will just cause the kale to release moisture…thus steaming instead of crisping. Have fun with this recipe, I sometimes mix the salt with Cajun or Creole seasoning.
4 giant handfuls of kale or other hearty greens, torn into bite-sized pieces and tough stems removed (about 1/3 pound)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the kale leaves into a salad spinner and spin all of the water out of the kale. Dump the water and repeat one or two times more just to make sure that the kale is extra dizzy and dry. Use a towel to blot any extra water on the leaves. Place the kale on the baking sheet.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the kale leaves and use your hands to toss and coat the leaves. Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes until leaves are crisp. Take a peek at the 12 minute mark – the timing all depends on how much olive oil you use. Just use a spatula or tongs to touch the leaves, if they are paper-thin crackly, the kale is done. If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 2 minutes. Do not let the leaves turn brown (they’ll be burnt and bitter) Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Recipe Source: http://steamykitchen.com/

Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs

Serves 2 (easily multiplied)

1 baby eggplant, sliced in half lengthwise

Fresh herbs - I used (no parsley!), rosemary, sage, thyme, about a tablespoon per half
Garlic - 1 clove per half
Salt
Good olive oil (yes, I used the really good olive oil)

Preheat oven to 450F. Cross-hatch the flesh of the eggplant with a sharp knife but do not pierce the skin. Whiz the herbs, garlic, salt and olive oil in a mini food processor and then press the paste into the grooves. Drizzle with oil. Place in baking dish and put into hot oven for about 30 minutes or until soft.

Recipe Source: http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com