BGF NEWS - June 7, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 1

In this week’s box:

Asparagus

Basil Tips (asst. varieties)

Golden Oyster Mushrooms

Green Garlic

Head Lettuce, assorted varieties

Kale Mix  (large mixed leaf bundle)

Komatsuna (bundle of uniform green leaves)

Spinruts: Hakurei (baby Japanese salad turnips)

Tapestry Salad Mix

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

Snow Peas

For those with the Herb It! option: Herb share will begin in a couple of weeks as herbs mature

For those with the Jam It! option: Lime Berry Jam & Blackberry Peach Jam

For those with the Spice It Up! option: Roselle Sugar

Featured Recipes:  
Bok Choy and Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

Roasted Sweet Turnips with Thyme

BGF Favorite Kale Salad (see recipe below)

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.8"

Welcome to the first delivery of the 2022 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 last year, 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? 

All the major transplanting is done, with the tomatoes going in late last week. We will continue to do succession plantings of head lettuce, but other than the final planting of Minnesota Midget cantaloupe, we are done with transplanting for a few weeks. With the late start to spring, we are a bit behind in our direct seeding, with the 2nd sowings of both beans and edamame to go in the field as soon as the soil dries out enough to do so. 

The crazy spring weather also threw a huge wrench in the asparagus crop. It started 2 weeks later than normal and is ending 2 weeks earlier. So please enjoy your asparagus this week as there won't be more until next year.

Cultivating is the main activity right now. We've been working hard at keeping the weeds at bay with all of the tools we have available, depending on the crop and the conditions. 

Everything from fingers to Yankee Weeders, stirrup hoes and walking tractors are put to hard labor.

This past weekend we even got the first round of hilling done on the potatoes.

A bright spot to our recent moisture has been a huge flush of golden oyster mushrooms in our timber! 

This is the 5th year we have been able to offer wild-harvested mushrooms as part of the CSA and we hope you are as excited about them as we are. 

Finally, we want to introduce our other bright spots and recent additions to our farm family. We've had serious issues in the past couple of seasons with rabbits, ground squirrels and other small critters eating huge numbers of our young crops. Meet the solution, Wallace & Gromit. They may have to practice a bit but we're all sure having fun!

 We hope you enjoy this first delivery and are looking forward to this season as much as we are.

Thank you for making it all the way to the end of a very long newsletter! We hope you also enjoy the weekly online format. One of the goals for it is so you can go to the blog/newsletter at any time and search for specific vegetables, that should allow you to see any archived recipes for that item. It also allows us to include photos and links to more recipes and information. 

As we mentioned in the recent newsletter, in addition to the regular BGF Facebook page, we also have a Facebook page for CSA members. You can find it here: Blue Gate Farm Community. If you have a Facebook account we encourage you to post recipes, photos and questions about your weekly produce box adventures. If you don't have an account, don't worry, you can still see/read anything on the page, but you won't be able to post anything. We will keep an eye on the page and try to answer questions in a timely manner, but really this is to encourage the "Community" aspect of CSA and to provide you all a venue to share and connect with each other.

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. 

Basil: The basil is growing nicely and needed to be pinched back to encourage future stems, so you are getting a wee taste of them today to whet your pallet for more. FYI, 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.

Choi (a.k.a. - pac choi, bok choy or pok choy) is a member of the cabbage family and is a traditional Asian stir-fry vegetable.  Both the stems and leaves of choi can be used and are especially tasty in cooked recipes.  If cooking them, separate the leaves and stems, and begin cooking stems first to avoid overcooking the more tender greens. You can also use the leaves like any green-leafy vegetable and the stems like celery.  We tend to use choi leaves as a sandwich wrap, or just roughly chop the whole thing and sauté with garlic and/or onion.  Cook until stems are tender and dress with a little seasoned rice vinegar. Store choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your produce drawer.

Green Garlic: is immature or "teenage" garlic and should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 5-7 days. Wrap the green garlic in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic bag; or for a non-plastic alternative, stick the green garlic in a tall glass with some water in the bottom. You can use all of the tender white and light green parts in recipes calling for fresh garlic. Dark green leaves can be frozen and saved for stock, or used to add flavor to a soup (pop them in whole, like a bay leaf).

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. They also dry very nicely for future use.

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 (you can add them in with your Braising Greens Mix).  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 large GREENS will keep best if wrapped in a cotton or linen towel and then 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

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 NEWS - June 22, 2021 - VOL. XLVII, NO. 4

In this week’s box:

Basil tips, asst varieties

Chard, large bunched leaves with colorful stems

Garlic Scapes, curly green bundle

Head Lettuce, assorted varieties

Komatsuna: bundle of dark green, spoon-shaped leaves

Oregano

Purslane: bundle of succulent green leaves with reddish stems.

Snow Peas

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

Broccoli:(Gypsy) small, early heads

Sugar Snap Peas

Summer Squash:  8 Ball (green,round) or Patty Pan(scalloped white, green or yellow)

 For those with the Herb option: Herb share will begin next week!!

Featured Recipes:  

Komatsuna with Basil

Garlic Scape and Basil Vinaigrette

Purslane Salad with Yogurt Dressing

BGF Confetti Pasta *see recipe below

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 2.6 glorious inches!

Finally after weeks of complaining about the lack of rain, my rant has ended! This weekend we got two separate rains totaling more than two and a half inches of liquid gold! Both times we were right on the edge of severe weather that could have wreaked havoc on the farm, but all we saw was a quick dose of pea-sized hail on Friday. Thanking our lucky stars! So now I'm feeling a bit better about the crops but the weather craziness does continue to make me shake my head. Within the past month, we've had record cold temps, record hot temps,  unseasonably dry conditions and now after a stretch of extra warm weather for June, we are back to unseasonably cool temperatures tonight. We were forecast to get down to 49°, which is cold enough to affect cucumbers and basil and to at least make peppers and tomatoes a bit uncomfortable. I have to admit, those of us who make their living based on the soil and weather are having a challenging growing season.

But it's not all worrying! This is probably the best season for peas that we've ever had and the head lettuce coming out of the fields is beautiful. And I promise there are things other than greens that will be appearing in your boxes soon! In fact, the first of the summer squashes are heading out in today's delivery. It is just a few to begin with, but they are the harbinger of the mid-season crops and we're always thrilled to see them! The basil is growing nicely and needed to be pinched back to encourage future stems, so you are getting a wee taste of them today to whet your pallet for more. We spotted the first of the cabbages starting to head up today and the potatoes are blooming, which lets us know that there are baby potatoes underground. Peppers are setting fruits in the high tunnels and in the field and we even saw a few green tomatoes today while we were pruning the plants in preparation for  trellising later this week.

Pruning tomatoes

'Farao' cabbages

Potato blossoms

Crew Corner: Hannah

I count it a privilege to have worked on Blue Gate Farm for six years in the employ of an AMAZING BOSS!  I am also very blessed to have my sisters work by my side.  Their upbeat attitudes, laughter, and encouragement can pull anyone through a rough day! 

Through the years I’ve worked here, I have been discouraged to see a vegetable crop fail since I witness first-hand all the effort it takes to get the plants to produce.  I have learned to take it in stride.  Often, with little change on our part, that same vegetable thrives in production in subsequent years.

 One of my favorite things to do each week is pack CSA boxes.  I love the sight of all those nourishing vegetables neatly origami’d inside their boxes. Thank you, CSA members, for your ongoing support - which makes this job a reality!    

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.

Broccoli: Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak broccoli, 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 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.

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.

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: This succulent plant is a valued green in many parts of the world, though here in the US, it is mostly known as an invasive weed. It 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, it is also ideal for juicing and green smoothies. Makes a terrific replacement for lettuce on tacos. Store in a paper towel (or cloth)-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.

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. Large leaf greens can benefit by being wrapped in a linen or cotton towel inside the bag if excess moisture is a concern.

** 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)

Indigo, Luci & Sky

Blue Gate Farm Confetti Pasta

1 lb pasta (we like penne rigate, or other bite-sized hardy pasta)
1 bunch swiss chard leaves, washed (can substitute most greens)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs minced garlic or garlic scapes (more or less to taste)
Pasta sauce (we like a simple red sauce with garlic and herb with this recipe)
Feta Cheese, crumbled (can substitute with Parmesan)
 
Cook pasta to package instructions or to taste. As pasta is cooking, start warming sauce. Remove large stems from chard and slice crosswise into small pieces. Cut leaves into thin strips, chiffonade-style (stack leaves and roll into a tight roll, then cut crossways into thin strips.) Pour olive oil into a skillet and heat over medium-high, add garlic and sauté until slightly softened, being careful not to allow garlic to brown. Add stems first, cook for about 1 minute, then add greens and sauté lightly, ensuring that garlic is distributed throughout leaves (2-3 minutes.) Remove from heat and cover to retain warmth.
 
When pasta is ready, assemble in a serving bowl or in individual pasta bowls. Place pasta in bowl, sprinkle with garlic and greens mixture and top with red sauce, garnishing with feta cheese (if using a serving bowl, you can toss all ingredients together.)
 
This recipe is also good topped or tossed with grilled or herb-roasted chicken or a medium spice sausage.