Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter
327 Route 21C
No.
8
Until now, all the letters have come from
the farmers, apprentices and managers here at
Rachel
Dear CSA members:
Growing fruit is a
challenging business and crop yields can range from all to nothing. Many years we have written you with news of
crop failures or shortages. Stories of
frost, hail, disease and bugs. That’s farming. But every once in a while a year
comes along when nature is more co-operative and all the fruit does well. This
happily seems to be one of those years.
Our strawberry crop
bested last year’s best and some of you came to the farm to enjoy it first
hand. The blueberries and raspberries, two of our pick-your-own crops that are
not in the fruit share, are also heading for “best ever” status. The apple crop
is in beautiful shape and plentiful after a scary spring frost that in the end
killed off just enough of the blossoms to leave us with slightly fewer but
larger apples. Our only bad news is that it may take another year to get a
cider mill up and running. Sure, we’ve had a little disease and insect damage
but we’re not complaining. For growing organic fruit, it’s been pretty darn
good.
By tradition,
farmers aren’t supposed to talk this way. We complain. It’s too wet, it’s too
cold, it’s too dry, the market is soft. Farmers never, ever say things are
really good. So as CSA members we are letting you in on a little secret. Yes,
we are having a good year. But don’t tell anyone. When we farmers have a good
year we automatically begin to worry what we might have done wrong. What
critical management mistake is about to reveal itself? What wacko weather event
is lurking over the horizon? Did all our hard work actually succeed in consort
with Nature? Should we breathe a sigh of relief or hold it in until December?
I think we will allow ourselves a breath of
respite and thanks. Sometimes the frost thins the apples instead of wiping them
out. Sometimes it really does rain just the right amount. Sometimes the sun
shines and the hail doesn’t hit. We are always ready for the hard times; we’ve
been through them enough. But right now there is a beautiful sunset, we had a
good day’s work, the birds are singing and it’s time to turn in.
Don & Marnie
Looking Forward to
Next Week
Anticipated for Aug 4th
§
Basil
§
Broccoli (for some)
§
Cucumbers
§
Lettuce
§
Mini onions
§
Rainbow chard
§
§
String beans
§
Summer squash &/or Zucchini
SAVE THE DATE!!
Despite the heat
we're having now, autumn isn't too far around the corner, and with it comes our
annual HVF Fall Harvest Festival to
be held on Saturday, October 8.
We would not only love
to have you spend the day with us but would also love to have you lend a hand
by signing up for a volunteer shift and/or baking for our Dessert Café.
As the event draws
closer, we'll provide more details, but for now, we just wanted to remind you
to mark your calendars.
While the wild stuff is
equally at home in your lawns or gardens, the dandelion greens in this week’s
share are the cultivated Italian cousin, better suited for the salad bowl or
sauté pan.
Potato Salad with Dandelion Greens
1 pound potatoes
1 bunch dandelion leaves, washed and roughly chopped
finely chopped shallot
Olive Oil & Lemon Juice dressing (see below)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Note: It’s important to use evenly sized new
potatoes. You can either scrape them or
peel them.
Cook the potatoes in
boiling, salted water. Try to cook these perfectly so that they just fall off
the blade of a knife when you stick it into the potato (you don't want the
potatoes raw but you certainly don't want them falling apart either). As soon
as the potatoes are cooked, drain them and put them into a bowl. It is very
important to add your dressing at this stage, while the potatoes are still
steaming hot (by allowing them to cool down in the dressing the flavors
penetrate the potatoes). Add the
dandelion greens and shallots. Mix well
and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver
for www.foodnetwork.com
Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing
2
tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mix
together all the ingredients.
Herb And Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
2
tablespoon red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
Mix
together all the ingredients, adding the shallots last.
Pasta with Dandelion Stems
1/2
pound linguine
2
tablespoons olive oil
2
ounces pancetta coarsely chopped (or use bacon, ham, or prosciutto)
Dandelion
stems from 2 pounds of greens, cut into 1½- inch pieces
2
garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1
Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Crushed
red pepper
Salt
Freshly
grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook the linguine in a large pot of boiling
salted water until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the
olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat until crisp.
Transfer the pancetta to a plate. Add the dandelion stems to the skillet and
cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until lightly
browned, about 2 minutes.
3. Drain the linguine. In a large warmed bowl,
toss the pasta with the dandelion stems, lemon juice and a large pinch of
crushed red pepper. Season with salt and serve; pass the Parmesan cheese alongside.
Food & Wine March 1998