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/