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

BGF News 8/27/2013

Volume XXI, Number 13  –  August 27, 2013

In this week’s box:

Beans: mix or Maxibel (green, filet-type)

Beets: Chioggia &/or Golden

Chard (Swiss Cheese-type)

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

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

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

Shallots: Ambition (tan) and/or Prisma (purple)

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

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)

            Okra: Burgundy           

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

For those with the Cheese option: feta & chevre (Cheesemaker's Choice flavors)

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

For those with the Herb option: sweet basil, tarragon & bronze fennel

 Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Shakshuka

Roasted Beet and Barley Salad

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

What’s up on the farm?

 

It isn't often that the biggest focus on the farm is also the featured story on the news, but this week we are all about the heat and the drought. We are doing our best to keep crops, creatures and crews all adequately hydrated, but it is a challenge. All of those nice little new crops coming up are all cool-loving plants and they are not at all amused by these temps. We will see how many of them survive the coming week and what re-sowing is required. Our best ally right now is the nighttime temps which remain cool enough to be helpful, but we are certainly all looking forward to more seasonable days as well. We are shifting the crew's work schedule an hour earlier, to try and beat as much of the heat as possible and the animals are getting additional waterers and as much shade as we can provide. Other than that, all we can do is keep running the irrigation and hunker down until it passes. As Jill's dad likes to say, "One thing is for certain, the weather will change."

We are hoping that another thing that changes is the insect pressure in the large high tunnel, there has been an explosion of chard-eating critters in there, so we salvaged what we could for today's delivery and we are going in with a mission to remedy the problem tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy our new featured product, Swiss-cheese chard ;)

In the meantime, the melons are mostly done for the season and the cucumbers are showing the same signs, both brought down by the scourge of the organic gardener, the cucumber beetle. The edamame bed is cleared and will soon host head lettuce. Last week's cleared onion bed is now home to the Brussels Sprouts and we also sowed radishes and re-sowed some daikon and arugula that was slow to germinate. So crops are coming and others are going and we are ALL waiting for the rain!

On a side note, this past week was our most recent Gang of 4 work day, this time at Grinnell Heritage farm and Jill made a big batch of Mezair (cutting board salsa) to take along. It was a big hit and we were reminded how much we like it again. So this is a reminder that if you haven't already, make a point to try this quick and easy fresh salsa while the tomatoes are still full of flavor and bountiful! Recipe in the August 13th newsletter

 

A little detail on your produce this week:

Really nothing new this week, but the shallots are now fully cured, so store like you would onions and enjoy for the next several months.

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)

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

This is "THE" tomato sauce recipe. At the height of tomato season, use any assortment of your favorite meaty tomatoes. During the rest of the year, use a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes in place of the fresh ones. This sauce freezes beautifully, so make extra!

2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes (meaty varieties are best)

5 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half

Salt

To blanch the tomatoes, cut a small x in the end opposite the stem.
Punge the tomatoes in boiling water just until you see the skin start coming off (it will take less than one minute). Remove the tomatoes and plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off, remove the cores and seeds and cut them up into coarse pieces.
Put the prepared tomatoes into a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomato..
Stir from time to time, mash any large piece of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Remove the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. (But don’t throw it away – enjoy the sweet, soft onion deliciousness on bread! )

Recipe Source: http://flamingobear.com, based on the original recipe from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

SHAKSHUKA
serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 large bell pepper, deseeded and sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juices (or 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes (meaty     varieties are best)
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups crumbled feta
6 large eggs

cilantro (parsley or basil is good too), hot sauce, pita bread (or any bread really), for serving
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and tomatoes, cook until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so until fragrant, then stir in the spices. Season with salt and pepper, and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the feta cheese.
Gently crack in the eggs evenly around the pan over the sauce. Top them with a little more salt and pepper, then simmer until the eggs are just set, about 10 minutes. Serve with lots of pita bread to mop up the sauce.

Recipe Source: http://www.thetarttart.com adapted from Melissa Clark for the New York Times

Roasted Beet and Barley Salad
This salad takes a bit of time to prepare, but it keeps pretty well. It will get dry over the course of time. Be prepared to add more lemon or olive oil or even yogurt on day 2 and 3.
4 medium or 6-8 small beets, scrubbed
1 c pearled barley, rinsed
4 oz goat cheese, divided
1/4 c. shallots, minced
1 bunch swiss chard (and/or beet greens), cut into thin ribbons (including stems)
Juice from 1-2 lemons
2 T olive oil, divided
salt and pepper

• Heat oven to 400ºF
• Cut the roots and tops off your beets. Place them on aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap them in the foil, forming steam-proof packets and bake for ~45 min to 1 hr, or until tender when stabbed with a fork
• While the beets bake, boil the barley
• In a small saucepan, bring 2 1/2 c  salted water to a boil. Add the rinsed barley, reduce the heat and simmer until the barley is tender and has absorbed the water, ~40 min
• At the same time, saute shallots in olive oil until fragrant, add chard and saute until wilted, remove from heat.
• Move the barley to a large bowl, add chard and, while warm, add 2 oz crumbled goat cheese, stirring to distribute and melt
• After the beets are just cool enough to touch, peel them (the skin will rub off easily) and chop into bite-sized pieces
• Add the chopped beets, lemon juice, and olive oil to the barley mixture
• Allow to cool a little, then season with salt and pepper and stir in the remaining 2 oz of crumbled goat cheese

If you have colored bell peppers (not green) they are lovely chopped and added to the salad with the beets.

Recipe source: a BGF amalgamation of online recipes

BGF News 8/20/2013

Volume XXI, Number 12  –  August 20, 2013

In this week’s box:

Basil: Genovese and/or Large Leaf

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

Cabbage: Storage 4 or Gonzalez

Edamame

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

Leeks

Potatoes: Desiree

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

and at least one of the following:                       

            Broccoli florets

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

            Melon: Cream of Saskatchewan, Athena (sm cantaloupe) or Moon & Stars (dk green w/ yellow spots)

            Okra: Burgundy

            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: purple basil, sage & salad burnet

Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Aromatic Leek and Potato Soup

Colcannon

Edamame, Tomato and Basil Salad

Precipitation in the past week: 0.00" (we're starting to get a bit desperate)

What’s up on the farm?

A couple of weeks ago, looking at the crops that were coming on, we had decided that this week's delivery would be a bit of a "Fall Preview" box. The evening temperatures were so lovely and cool that a hot, hearty recipe or two sounded pretty good. So here we are, with the "Fall Preview Box and temps are warmer than they have been for a month! Ah well, best laid plans and all that. To add to that, normally we wouldn't give you edamame two weeks in a row, or in the same week as beans, but when the edamame is ready, it has to be harvested, as do the beans, and since the later sowing of it was very popular with the deer, this will likely be our last shot at edamame for the season, so we hope you will enjoy them all! Besides, there are few things that make the farmers happier than nice full boxes, even though the crew refers to packing them as "Vegetable Tetris." The last of the melons is going out this week as the vines are succumbing to the lack of rain and the heat will likely finish them off by week's end. Everyone should have gotten at least a little taste of one melon or another, so now we will just have to look forward to a better season for them next year.

The whole farm has really been enjoying the moderate temperatures over the past weeks. It is so much more compelling to do heavy work like digging potatoes or composting beds in 80° rather than 95°. So we really took advantage of the conditions and got some big jobs done. The activities this past week focused mainly around harvesting long season crops (potatoes & onions) putting them up to cure, clearing/prepping those beds and re-sowing for more fall crops. We are down to just two remaining potato beds and one last bed of onions to come in. Recently sown or transplanted crops include broccoli, napa cabbage, chard, choi, and turnips. The new fall crops have also been appreciating the weather, the soil is warm enough that (with lots of irrigation) the seeds germinate quickly and then aren't stressed by a blazing sun which is often a challenge with fall sowing. It sounds like the stretch has come to an end as of today, though. We will have to be very attentive to all those new plantings now, with the temps headed back into the 90's. The crew too has gotten used to the comfortable temps and no one is very excited about the returning heat. Speaking of the crew, at the end of this week we have to bid farewell to one of our veteran members. Chelsea has been with us for several summers now and next week she returns to her "day job" as a college student at Simpson. We will miss her sunny disposition, willing disposition and mad salad harvesting skills. Good luck this year, Chelsea, we'll miss you!

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 (ok, Jill's) favorite ways to eat cabbage is either to spread a single leaf with peanut butter and roll up for a walking snack. Or for small cabbages, pull apart the leaves and sauté them in butter until wilted…divine!

Leeks: Loosely wrap unwashed leeks in a plastic bag and store them in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for at least a week. Cut the leek about 1 inch above the white part, where the leaves begin changing from dark to light green. (Save the unused greens; they’ll give great flavor to your next vegetable stock.) Fan the leaves under running water to dislodge any dirt collected there, then pat thoroughly dry. You can julienne a leek by cutting it lengthwise, or slice it crosswise.

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)

Aromatic Leek and Potato Soup
4 large boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large leeks, cut in half, cleaned, and sliced into long, thin strips
4 cups (1 quart) water
1 cup buttermilk, or 1 cup low fat or nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until light and thin
Garnish:
S & P to taste
1 cup minced fresh herbs: parsley, chives, cilantro, chervil, dill, or a mixture
In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, leeks, and water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, cover, and turn the heat down to med-low. Simmer until the potatoes are tender enough to cut with a spoon, and the leeks are equally soft. This should take about 40 minutes. In a blender or food processor (or julia’s favorite: with an immersion blender!), puree the vegetables in the cooking water, doing this in batches if necessary, then return to the saucepan if you’re not using an immersion blender. Add the buttermilk or yogurt, and heat hte soup slowly over low heat, uncovered, until just warmed through. Season with S & P, and serve warm, sprinkled with the fresh herbs. Or, chill the soup, covered, and serve it cold. Serves 4.

Recipe Source: Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw

Colcannon

You’ll find this classic dish on the menu at any real Irish restaurant. It’s a recipe that takes two staples of the island, potatoes and kale (or sometimes cabbage), and transforms them into a dish truly worthy of the word classic.

Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds medium boiling potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)

2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste

1 1/2–2 pounds kale (15–20 large leaves) or cabbage

1 cup chopped leeks or scallions

1 cup half-and-half or milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Put the whole potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and boil until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash. Put in a heatproof dish and keep warm in a 200°F oven.

2. Meanwhile, put the kale in a pot, cover with water, and bring to boil. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook until the kale is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (There you go Mrs. Nesbit, it’s in the directions. Don’t worry, everyone will do it this way now that it’s spelled out exactly.) Drain and finely chop the kale.

3. Place the leeks or scallions in a small pot, cover with the half-and-half, and cook over low heat until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Add the kale to the warm potatoes and mix well. Add the halfand- half with leeks or scallions. Add pepper; season with salt.

5. Spoon a little of the melted butter over each serving and serve hot.

Recipe Source: unknown

Edamame, Tomato and Basil Salad

1 cup shelled edamame

1/2 cup cherry or teardrop tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredient in a bowl. Serve immediately or chill for a couple hours before serving.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups (4 heaping-1/3 cup servings)

Recipe Source: http://robinsbite.com