Steffen Schneider has been the Farm Manager of Hawthorne
Valley Farm since 1992. Before that he was the dairy farmer at a
pioneering biodynamic farm in Wisconsin. Altogether, Steffen has
over 20 years of active farming behind him. He has brought a
wealth of experience and a deep, common sense to this land, a
gentle and rhythmic nature to his work with the animals and
a determined and strong sense for the development of the business
enterprises that surround the work with the land. We are all
grateful for the leadership qualities he brings to Hawthorne
Valley Farm.
Dear CSA Members,
I am enjoying one of my favorite times of the year right now - when summer is trying to hang on but the days are markedly shorter and signs of autumn are everywhere: mist in the early mornings, leaves beginning to change color and dropping to earth. You also will have noticed a change in your vegetable share with summer crops like beans, sweet corn and tomatoes waning and making room for fall crops like kale and leeks.
I hope you have been enjoying the fruits of this season and also the many great contributions in this newsletter. You've learned about many facets of this farm and also gotten to know some of the many exceptional people that make it all work. My role on the farm has changed somewhat over the last couple of years from one of very hands on in all aspects to one of stepping back a bit to make room for younger energetic farmers, while I take on more general management functions for the farm and the whole enterprise of farm, dairy, bakery, green market and store.
During the months of May through early September though I am very much involved in the day to day workings of the farm. My main task is to secure enough winter feed (in the form of hay) for our livestock. In other words I spent a lot of hours on tractors cutting and then baling hay.
While the cows set up a very strict daily rhythm on the farm (the heart beat ), the activity around the produce is more oriented in a weekly breathing (every Wednesday we harvest your shares) and the haying is completely dependant on the weather patterns (more or less unpredictable like our moods maybe).
So keeping this in mind one of my weeks might go as follows: after listening to many weather forecasts and checking dozens of maps on the internet we have decided to go ahead with harvesting. During this time one of my favorite words to hear is "Canadian High", which almost always means great weather with low humidity perfect for haying, in contrast to "Bermuda High", which means hot and humid weather less enjoyable for hay making.
So Laura and I would head out one late morning after the dew has burned off the plants, we have checked and greased our equipment and then spent the rest of the day cutting grass, sometimes maybe even a second day if the weather is stable. On the third day we would come back to collect the now dry hay. Laura rakes it into wind rows and I would bale it up into round bales. So after a good day's work up to 100 bales might dot a particular part of the landscape. This year we've made upwards of 1100 bales, which equals almost 300 tons of feed.
It has always struck me as miraculous in pondering the cow's tremendous ability to transform and refine matter. There you have this huge amount of dried grass and it will all pass through the amazing digestive tract of these ruminants and will emerge as milk and even more importantly as "black gold" or manure. And so turns the fertility cycle on the farm…
Steffen Schneider
Anticipated October 7th
- Arugula
- Kale
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
- Turnips
Turnips with Bread Crumbs and Parsley
4 small turnips (about 3/4 pound), peeled
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook turnips 15 minutes and drain. When turnips are cool enough to handle, cut each into 8 wedges. In a large skillet cook turnips in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until almost tender and golden on the edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, zest, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until turnips are tender, about 5 minutes. Serves 2. Gourmet, January 1994, at www.epicurious.com
Sautéed Turnips & Carrots with Rosemary-Ginger Honey
This hearty side dish is wonderful with grilled or pan-fried chicken. It was inspired by a recipe from Rosemary Barron's cookbook Flavors of Greece.
3 tablespoons dried currants
1/3 cup hot water
3 tablespoons honey
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoons minced rosemary
2 ¼ pounds white turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
wedges
3 medium carrots, cut into 1 1/2- by- 1/4-inch sticks
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Italian frying peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1. In a small bowl, soak the currants in the hot water. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, ginger and rosemary and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the turnips until just tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a shallow dish. Add the carrots to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the turnips in an even layer and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, undisturbed, until lightly browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cover the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the currants and their soaking liquid to the vegetables
and cook until the liquid has thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the
honey mixture, stir well and simmer for 1 minute. Season with
salt and pepper and add the vinegar. Stir and transfer to a bowl.
Serve hot or warm. by Marcia Kiesel for Food & Wine,
October 2004 at www.foodandwine.com
Garlicky Potato and Baby Spinach Gratin
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 ounces baby spinach (4 cups)
1 garlic clove, minced
One 1/2-pound baking potato, peeled and sliced, on a mandoline,
1/16 inch thick
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter an 8-by-12-inch baking dish. In a glass measuring cup, combine the cream with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
2. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the baby spinach and minced garlic and cook over moderately high heat, tossing, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
3. Spread the potato slices in the baking dish and cover with the spinach. Pour the cream over the top and shake the dish to distribute evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the top and bake for about 20 minutes, or until browned, bubbling and the potatoes are tender. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
--Mohammad Islam for Food & Wine, September 2004 at www.foodandwine.com