BGF NEWS - June 11, 2024 - VOL. 52, NO. 2

In this week’s box:

Choi-Beijing Express
Daikon
Garlic Scapes (the green, curly things)
Golden Oyster Mushrooms
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Lemon Balm
Peas- Snow or Sugar Snap

Swiss "Cheese" Chard
Tapestry Popcorn

and perhaps one of the following: (see **NOTE below)
Broccoli
Cauliflower: Japanese

Herb It! option: will start in a few weeks as the annual herbs mature

Featured Recipes:  

Napa Cabbage & Mushrooms (use Beijing Express & oysters)

Garlic Scape Refrigerator Pickles

Vietnamese Pickled Carrots and Daikon 

The Great Chard E'Scape **see recipe below**

What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: Trace

It's been a week of progress on the farm! 

I feel like we touched every inch of crop soil that is under cultivation this year.  On Wednesday the crew cleared the big high tunnel of early season crops and replanted to warm weather crops like cucumbers, basil, peppers and celery. 

We also got the last of more than 400 dahlia tubers planted, plus sowed more beans, edamame and fennel. After that we grabbed our cultivating tools and hit all the planted fields. Thousands of weeds were evicted from the crop ground (insert villainous laugh here). We finally look more like a vegetable farm again and less of a weed farm. We even managed to get the potatoes hilled twice.

Hopefully we will get at least one more hilling before they get too tall. Speaking of potatoes, we've also been scouting the potato plot every few days for the dreaded potato beetle larva, and boy, have we found them! This is about the worst that we've had them in recent years. Since we are chemical-free, the way we manage them is to pick them off by hand and drop them into soapy water. We have about 3,500 row feet of potatoes, so it takes some time to inspect every plant, but it's worth it!

Gross, nasty things!

They ate every leaf off this plant

We managed to miss all the rain last week, which is how we were able to get so much field work done, but it also means we had to start irrigating our crops. We only have part of the system in, since we hadn't needed it earlier, and the unirrigated crops are getting jealous and threatening a walk out. So we'll spend some time later this week getting the rest of the lines run and giving everyone a good soak. Maybe we'll also get lucky and it will rain!

A couple of notes about things in your box this week. You may have noticed in the box contents list above that we included Swiss" Cheese" Chard. No, it isn't an actual cheesy vegetable, our chard plants were damaged in a hail storm earlier this season. The leaves are perfectly good, they just have cosmetic damage (hail holes) so we hated to just compost them so we decided to send them out and hope you can forgive their "holiness". 

On a more fun note, we are also sending out popcorn this week. This is the first time we've included our Tapestry Popcorn in the CSA delivery, but we had a record-breaking harvest last fall and wanted to share the bounty. It's been in cold storage all this time, so it pops beautifully. It's one of our favorite crops (and treats) and we hope you enjoy it! 

And finally we are sending out the first of the broccoli and cauliflower in some boxes this week. The early season weather was hard on the plants and they are heading out while the plants are still too small. This means the heads are also small, especially on the broccoli. Never fear, there should be more to come.  We grow a variety of cauliflower that may be unfamiliar to some of you, it's a Japanese variety and it's form is more open than traditional cauliflower, making it a cinch to cut into small florets. It's also extra tender and sweeter than other varieties. We love it and hope you do too!

A little detail on your produce this week:

Broccoli/Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If soaked in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.) Slice the juicy, edible stems and use them wherever florets are called for. Peel particularly thick skin before using.

Daikon: Trim the tops and roots. Peel if you like (though not necessary). Daikon will last up to 2 weeks stored in the fridge in plastic bag or wrapped in damp towel in fridge. 

Garlic Scapes: One of our favorite crops of the year. These curly green things are the emerging flower stalk from a hardneck garlic plant. We remove them to redirect more of the plant's energy into the bulb, but it also provides us with a delightful fresh garlic treat. These keep very well in a plastic bag in your produce drawer and can be used in any recipe calling for garlic. They would be perfect in last week's garlic salt recipe, make a great pesto and can be minced and added to room-temperature butter, which is then stored in log shape, in the freezer for a last minute dollop of goodness for vegetables, breads or meat.

Herbs: Generally, except for basil, set unwashed bunches of fresh herbs (with stems) upright into small jars filled with 1 to 2 inches of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Rinse fresh herbs right before use. To release their scents and flavors, rub them between your hands before mincing or chopping. If you have no idea what to do with fresh herbs, there is one great default answer "compound butter." Finely mince leaves and knead them into a stick of room temperature butter. Roll the butter into a log in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Then simply slice off the amount you need to add delicious, ready-to-use flavor to vegetables, bread or meats.

Oyster Mushrooms: To maximize the shelf life of raw mushrooms, refrigerate them in a paper bag; do not wrap in plastic or store in airtight container, as this will speed spoilage. Properly stored, raw whole mushrooms will usually keep well for 4 to 7 days in the fridge. To use, trim off the stems as they are tough and either discard them or save to make a vegetable stock. Please be sure to cook all mushrooms before consuming.

Peas: We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside). Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack. Peas keep best in their plastic container in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

Popcorn: Good for microwave, stovetop or air popper (stovetop is our favorite). Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-6 months or in the freezer for up to a year.


A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..." These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time. We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item. On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.


Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes, photos or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That's about it for now.
If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)






The Great Chard E’Scape
1 big bunch Swiss chard
1 tbs olive oil
5-6 fresh garlic scapes (or more to taste) or 1-3 cloves minced garlic
Sea salt
Optional: Seasoned Rice Vinegar

Cut garlic scapes into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic scapes. Trim large stems from chard leaves. Cut stems into 1” pieces. Add stems to skillet. Stack chard leaves and roll into a tube. Cut into ½” strips. As scapes and stems just begin to soften, add leaves to skillet. Cook until leaves wilt. Sprinkle with salt to taste. A little shake of seasoned rice vinegar over the top is very tasty!

Great served over pasta with red sauce or as a side dish. Leftovers are tasty in eggs the next day.

Recipe Source: Blue Gate Farm

BGF NEWS - June 4, 2024 - VOL. 52, NO. 1

In this week’s box:

Asparagus

Garlic Scapes (the green, curly things)

Golden Oyster Mushrooms

Head Lettuce, assorted varieties

Kale Bouquet, assorted varieties

Misome (bunched small, dark green, spoon-shaped leaves)

Peppermint

Spinruts: Hakurei (baby Japanese salad turnips)

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Snow Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

Herb It! option: will start in a few weeks as the annual herbs mature

Jam It! option: Blueberry Lemonade & Mulberry Peach

Spice it Up! option: Ramp Salt

Featured Recipes:  

Microwave Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

Japanese Turnips Sauté

BGF Favorite Kale Salad (see recipe below)

BGF Garlic Scape Pesto (see recipe below)

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past month: 4.3"

Welcome to the first delivery of the 2024 CSA season and the start of weekly newsletters!

The boxes feel a little light at this time of the season and you will notice the abundance of greens and not quite as much variety as we expect later in the season. This is part of the joy of eating fresh, seasonal foods. As the season continues the weight and variety of the contents will increase with the arrival of heavier crops including beans, tomatoes, potatoes and squash. One thing that does remain somewhat consistent is the presence of some cosmetic damage caused by our local insects. This is an indication that we are truly a chemical-free farm. We try to keep the insect population under control, but they are simply a fact of life in a naturally grown system. We hope you can overlook some minor leaf damage and we will do our best to keep it to a minimum. Also we do our best to provide you with clean produce, but you may find a little dirt here and there or, yikes, possibly an insect. We do wash the produce and sort it to the best of our ability, but we are processing a significant volume and it is possible that at some point you will find a little “nature” in your box. If and when it happens to you, we apologize ahead of time and hope you will forgive the oversight. Remember, while we do clean the produce, it is always good practice to wash your vegetables before using.

A bit on our efforts be more mindful producers. Over the years we have tried to minimize our use of plastics and single-use products both in our field practices and in the packing shed/kitchen. We use long-term reusable totes for your CSA deliveries both for sanitation and low waste. You'll notice they have the name "Grinnell Heritage Farm" stamped on the sides. When our friends from GHF "retired" from farming a few years ago, we purchased their CSA totes. They met a need that we had, filled a need that GHF had and allowed us to not buy new plastic. We are continually looking to reduce our plastic bag use and we've switched over to twist-ties or rubber bands on products that we used to bag like chard, kale, herbs and lettuce bouquets. We haven't yet found a good solution for our baby greens like salad mix and arugula or things like green beans but we're always looking. So how can you help us on this journey?

Clean & Return to Us
Plastic pint/quart containers
Plastic or paper berry boxes
Half pint, pint and quart glass canning jars

Please don't return plastic produce bags or twist ties, we can't reuse those in the packing shed but we encourage you to wash and reuse them in your own home. The less waste we create, the less we have to clean up later. Do you have questions or suggestions on our use of packaging materials (or anything else)? Please let us know!

A big thank you to our pick-up site hosts: Peace Tree Brewing Co - Des Moines and the Grand Theater in Knoxville. Over the course of the season please consider supporting these independent, local businesses who offer us a great place to deliver your produce.

So what have we been up to this week in addition to preparing for CSA delivery #1?

Sowing, cultivating, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting, planting, cultivating again. Repeat until October.

Last year at this time we were bemoaning the drought conditions that would worsen and then hold until about 6 weeks ago. Just this past week we finally re-entered the territory of "Average" soil moisture for the first time in about two years. While it was definitely a relief, the persistent rains in the past month and a half brought their own challenges. We were very behind sowing and transplanting the warm-season crops. And now that we are finally drying out, we are very weedy, as it was too wet to cultivate too. So now we are playing the catch-up game! Luckily, our  farm crew was up for the challenge and we had help from some of our favorite alumni crew members one day last week. Thanks to all their efforts we are mostly caught up with crops and now we are working on our cultivating game. Here's a little snapshot of the past few weeks on the farm:

A little detail on your produce this week:

Asparagus: Keeps best stored upright in a glass with about 1" of water, in the refrigerator. Delicious raw or cooked.

Garlic Scapes: One of our favorite crops of the year. These curly green things are the emerging flower stalk from a hardneck garlic plant. We remove them to redirect more of the plant's energy into the bulb, but it also provides us with a delightful fresh garlic treat. These keep very well in a plastic bag in your produce drawer and can be used in any recipe calling for garlic. They would be perfect in last week's garlic salt recipe, make a great pesto and can be minced and added to room-temperature butter, which is then stored in log shape, in the freezer for a last minute dollop of goodness for vegetables, breads or meat.

Herbs: Generally, except for basil, set unwashed bunches of fresh herbs (with stems) upright into small jars filled with 1 to 2 inches of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Rinse fresh herbs right before use. To release their scents and flavors, rub them between your hands before mincing or chopping. If you have no idea what to do with fresh herbs, there is one great default answer "compound butter." Finely mince leaves and knead them into a stick of room temperature butter. Roll the butter into a log in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Then simply slice off the amount you need to add delicious, ready-to-use flavor to vegetables, bread or meats.

Oyster Mushrooms: To maximize the shelf life of raw mushrooms, refrigerate them in a paper bag; do not wrap in plastic or store in airtight container, as this will speed spoilage. Properly stored, raw whole mushrooms will usually keep well for 4 to 7 days in the fridge. To use, trim off the stems as they are tough and either discard them or save to make a vegetable stock. Please be sure to cook all mushrooms before consuming.

Peas: We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside). Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack. Peas keep best in their plastic container in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

Turnips: keep best if separated from their greens. Greens are stored in a plastic bag and can be cooked like mustard or collard greens. Trimmed roots can go into a lidded container or zip-close bag. These aren't your grandma's turnips. These are a sweet, Japanese salad variety that is particularly tasty for fresh eating. They will still work great in cooked dishes, but we love to eat them raw, often right out of hand, like an apple. One of the farm crew's favorite mid-field snacks.

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.  

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..." These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time. We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item. On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes, photos or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That's about it for now.
If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)

BGF's Favorite Kale Salad  

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

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

Place fruit 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

BGF Garlic Scape Pesto
1 bunch tender scapes, cut into pieces, and processed in a food processor until finely chopped
Add the following and process until well blended:
1/3 cup olive oil (add more if you like a thinner pesto)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

optional, toss in some basil for additional pesto flavor if you have it.

This can be served now or frozen for future use. I freeze it in small (1/2 c.) zip-top plastic bags, flattened. Then you can just break off whatever amount you need.

BGF NEWS - July 19, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 7

In this week’s box:

Basil: Genovese or Lettuce Leaf

Carrots: Rainbow Mix

Choi: Beijing Express

Cucumber: asst

Golden Oyster Mushrooms

Green Top Onions: Candy

Head Lettuce: asst

Purslane

Summer Squash: asst

 and at least one of the following: (please see **NOTE  after "A Little Detail..." below)

Beans: Provider (green) & Carson (yellow) Mix

Broccoli: Belstar or Imperial

Cauliflower: Snow Crown or Song

Eggplant: Orient Express
Okra: Bowling Red and Candlefire

Snap Peas

Snow Peas

Herb It! option: Basil: Sweet Thai, savory, garlic chives

Bread Share: Tavern Fare 

Featured Recipes:  
Purslane, Cucumber and Feta Salad

Carrots Moroccan Style

Oyster Mushrooms and Greens Saute

Cucumber and Sweet Onion Salad

Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.15"

Well, it certainly feels like July on the farm this week! We are spending lots of time watering all the things; plants, animals and humans alike. In between all that hydrating we've gotten some big seasonal tasks crossed off the list. 

The tomatoes are finally all trellised, which starts by pounding in more than 700 posts. That isn't anyone's favorite day, but with some help by The Tall Farmer, we got it done! Then all the plants are woven to the posts with twine. We start with 2 levels of twine and add more as the plants grow taller. It's more work than using tomato cages, but we find it much easier to harvest and our plants are healthier with this method.

The other huge task was harvesting this year's garlic crop. All 3,600 heads are pulled by hand (or dug with a garden fork if they are stuck) and stacked in bundles of 10 in the field. 

Then each bundle is wrapped with a twine loop and carried to the utility vehicle. Once full, we drive them to the packing barn and hang them from the rafters and loft railings where they will stay until they are fully cured. It's a huge amount of physical work in challenging conditions (the loft was about 115° yesterday) but mid-task popsicles help and the knowledge that we love garlic and only have to do this once a year!

Amid these big projects we've also been cultivating, clearing spent crops, harvesting and sowing fall crops like: turnips, carrots, daikon, choi, lettuce and more broccoli. The transplants we sowed a couple of weeks ago are growing like champs (all except the broccoli, which is why we sowed more). Most will be ready for planting in another week or so.

You'll notice in the box contents at the top of the newsletter, the list of "Perhaps one of the following..." is getting really long. That is an indication of the new mid-season crops starting to produce, but we aren't getting enough to include in all the boxes yet. We are excited this week to add beans and broccoli to the list. We look forward to both of those crops producing for many weeks to come! We learned a new recipe this past weekend from our friend Dana at Scattergood Friends School. She tossed cauliflower florets in olive oil with a bit of salt and oven roasted them until they were moderately browned and tender. As they came out of the oven, she sprinkled them lightly with a good natural cheese powder. They were absolutely delicious! I think the same could be done with broccoli with equally tasty results. Give it a try!

A little detail on your produce this week:

Basil hates the cold and will turn black with exposure. Keep long stemmed basil in a glass/vase of water on your counter top (out of direct sunlight). Stems that are too short (trimmings/tops) should be placed in a plastic bag, with a dry paper towel. Then put inside of a paper bag (for insulation) and put in the warmest part of your refrigerator (usually the door) or on the top shelf towards the front.

Beans: Fresh beans are an easy "store." Just leave them in their plastic bag and keep them in the produce drawer. Can last up to 2 weeks.

Broccoli & Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If you soak broccoli or cauliflower in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.)

Carrots: These "mid-season" carrots are a little different than the candy-sweet gems of cool weather carrots. They are a little more strongly flavored, a little earthy. This makes them perfect for cooking and more complicated recipes, as some might not love them for fresh eating. Remove the leafy green tops, leaving about an inch of stems. Refrigerate dry, unwashed carrots in a plastic bag for two weeks or longer. Peel carrots or scrub carrots well with a stiff brush just before using. Trim off any green spots, which can taste bitter. When slicing or chopping carrots for cooking, be sure to make all the pieces relatively the same size; this will ensure an evenly cooked dish. Greens can be added to soup stock for flavor.

Cucumber: Store unwashed cucumbers in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable crisper bin for about a week. Keep cucumbers tucked far away from tomatoes, apples, and citrus—these give off ethylene gas that accelerates cucumber deterioration. You can do a lot of fancy things to the skin of a cucumber, but when it is young, fresh (and unwaxed), it really only needs to be thoroughly washed. However, if the skin seems tough or bitter you can remove it; if the seeds are bulky, slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop them out.

Eggplant: prefers to be kept at about 50° F, which is warmer than most refrigerators and cooler than most kitchen counters. Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not in plastic) to absorb any moisture and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Used within a week, it should still be fresh and mild. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.

Okra: These lovely, dark red, horn-shaped vegetables are a warm weather treat. Extremely cold sensitive, store in their plastic bag in the warmest part of your fridge, or place the plastic bag in a small paper sack and store in the crisper drawer and use within the week. Traditional southerners will cut into rounds, bread in cornmeal and fry, but our favorite version is our dear friend Annie's method, "All I do is rinse off the pods and lay them in a saucepan with a little water in the bottom. Ten to fifteen minutes is all it takes...twenty if the pods are really big and "woody" feeling. I put salt on them and eat as finger food. It reminds me of young sweet corn."

Peas: We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside).  Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes.  They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack.  Peas keep best in their plastic container in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

Purslane: Considered an invasive weed in many gardens, purslane is a valued green in many parts of the world.
The plant is rich in vitamin E, vitamin C and beta carotene, and quite high in protein. Most noteworthy of all, it is considered a better source of essential omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy plant. Enjoy raw or cooked in any recipe calling for greens. Store in a paper towel-lined plastic bag in your crisper drawer and use within a week.

Summer Squash/Zucchini: Refrigerate unwashed zucchini and summer squash for up to a week and a half in a perforated plastic bag or in a sealed plastic container lined with a kitchen towel. These do not need to be peeled to use, just slice them up and go!

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.  

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..."  These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time.  We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item.  On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.

That's about it for now.

If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.

Best from the farm,

Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)

Luci & Sky