CSA 2016 Week #12 Busy Days

Hi All,
Sorry I have not been able to get a newsletter out recently. Life has been exceptionally busy and there just haven't been enough hours in the day. I am sure many of you can relate.
The end of the summer seems to stack up with all sorts of activities whether it is vacations, family visiting, gearing up for the start of school or special events. For us, we were gifted with a visit from Willy's side of the family for the last week or so. Whenever family comes to visit during the summer months, they know to expect to spend a bit of their time working at the farm. Fortunately, Willy's mom is an amazing weeder. She and Willy's sister tackled the final weeding of the onions and made a significant dent in that project. We also spent a lot of time cooking some great family dinners and enjoying the bounty that August offers up. Our niece and nephew got to experience their first real wildfire (yay?!) and got to run around in the woods, enjoy a little paddle boarding on the Wenatchee River and the thrill of finding that perfect Leavenworth, WA. t-shirt to take back home to Wisconsin. All told, it was a good visit.
We also spent a lot of time preparing for and hosting our first ever farm dinner. The LCFM fundraising Farm-To-Table dinner was amazing. Good food, good wine, great people and a perfect August evening. I was happy to host but also happy to get it over with as I was feeling a little bit stressed over having so many people in fancy clothes walking through the farm. A big Thank You to everyone who helped us mow, weed whip, hang lights and clean up the joint. I wish it could look this good all the time :-)
So, no newsletter for the last two weeks but hopefully my excuses are good enough for you to forgive me.

It looks like the weather is going to flip for a little while now. We are keeping tabs on the nightly minimums since this is really what is going to affect the CSA. For a moment, the forecast was predicting some pretty cold nights (in the 30's) which is a big no bueno for this time of year although very normal. However, as of today, it is looking a little better with predicted lows in the 40's...much more civilized. If you haven't made pesto yet, do it soon. The first thing to go when the weather starts cooling off is the basil. If you need extra, let us know. Bulk is available for purchase at a reasonable price.

Hopefully you figured out that there were Kohlrabi in your box last week. If you haven't ever tried one before, they are pretty yummy. Peel off the outer skin and eat them raw with dip or hummus. They also make a great coleslaw or can be roasted with other veggies.
Same goes for the Daikon Radishes. They are purple all the way through which makes them lovely in a salad. But they are also great cooked and can be roasted or stir fried in slices or chunks.
And, I hope you enjoyed the head lettuce. That is one of my favorite varieties as it has so many beautiful colors and is a lovely texture.

For today, I am going to make my best guess at what are in the boxes and may modify the list as the day goes on. For now, the following are what are planned for the boxes.....
We started to harvest a new bed of beans and the current plan is to put some into the boxes. Woohoo!

In Your Share This Week:
Kale/Collards/Chard, Pak Choi, Carrots, Potatoes, Kohlrabi, Garlic, Sweet Onion, Tomato, Zucchini/Patipan, Cucumber, Basil/Dill, Eggplant and probably a few surprises (Beans?!)

Recipes:
Ratatouille
10 Easy Zucchini Recipes- I included this link because it had some ideas I haven't come across before. However, don't click on any of the side bars...lots of ads and I can't vouch for the validity of their content.

CSA 2016 Week #9 Half Way

Hello Everyone,
We made it to the 1/2 way point of the season. This is the time of year when everything starts to get heavier. Potatoes, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers...etc...
Willy dug the very first of the potatoes yesterday and we will be putting them in the boxes today.  I hope you enjoy them. They are delicious. I think my favorite way to eat potatoes is to lightly fry them in oil (who doesn't like things fried in oil!) but they also make good bakers and roasters as well.  We leave potatoes dirty since they keep much better this way.
We are also starting to dole out the first of the sweet onions. I live for sweet onion and tomato sandwiches. It is my go-to lunch of choice in the summer time. Sweet onions don't store as long as other varieties so you will want to eat them in the near future (like the next month). We will start giving you storage varieties closer to the end of the season that are appropriate for long term holding.
And you probably noticed that we are starting to harvest tomatoes. I didn't think there would be enough for the boxes when I wrote last week's newsletter. Imagine my surprise when I went to harvest and started filling flat after flat. Amazing. What a gift, especially since we are STILL waiting for the cherry tomatoes to produce (very unusual to have large tomatoes first).
I hope you enjoyed the beans over the last three weeks. We are going to take the week off from beans and will probably come back to them again one more time before the season is over. We are transitioning from one planting into the next and should start harvesting from the new beds in the next week or so.
Lots of eggplant this time of year. Some of you probably don't love eggplant. I am sorry about that. Our family happens to love it. If eggplant isn't your favorite, it  can always be blanched and frozen in vacuum seal bags and stored for winter when it makes a very great addition to soup when pureed and used with tomatoes as a base. You won't even taste it but the soup will be thicker and heartier. For now, I have included a few recipes that will hopefully get you excited to eat these true summer beauties.

For those of you with extra time on your hands, Laura will be on vacation starting this Wednesday and running through next Thursday. If you feel like spending an hour or two at the farm during that time to help with harvest etc,,, we will gladly compensate you with some extra produce. I can't speak highly enough of Laura and how much we appreciate all she does at the farm (and beyond!).

Other than that, one last reminder that there is still time to purchase tickets for the Farm to Table dinner on Tuesday August 23rd. Everything, including the food, service and wine, is being donated for this event so all proceeds benefit the Leavenworth Community Farmers Market. This has been a big project for our small dedicated board and we are all anticipating a great evening of good food.

That's it for now. Have a great week and enjoy these last couple weeks of 'official' summer.

In Your Share This Week:
Eggplant, Zucchini, Tomato, Potatoes, Garlic, Sweet Onion, Radishes, Chard, Cucumber, Beets or Carrots, Basil?, and probably some other good stuff.

Recipes:
15 Easy Eggplant Recipes
Easy Eggplant Parmesan
How to Freeze Eggplant- The graphics are coarse on this page, but this is exactly how to do it.

2016 CSA Week #8 Some of the good stuff

Good Morning Everyone!
Sorry to have missed the newsletter last week. I usually miss about one a season due to a lack of time. I guess last week was it.
This week is going to be great. We are finally (finally!) transitioning into the quintessential crops of summertime. There are about a hundred eggplant that are ready to harvest, the cucumbers are starting to pile up and we started pulling some of the sweet onions.  Tomatoes are starting to ripen although there won't be enough for the boxes this week. And finally, Willy started to sneak just a few potatoes to see how they are coming along. It will still be a little while before they make it into the boxes but it was good to see that there are actually some potatoes living underneath those rows of plants out in the field....sometimes you wonder....
It is the peak of bean season right now. That little bit of heat we had really pushed them and they are coming off the plants by the handful.  Enjoy them while you can. I like to freeze a few for wintertime but lately I have been eating them sauteed with fresh onion, garlic and some finely chopped zucchini...YUM!

The farm-to-table dinner is coming up quick. We are doing our best to plan ahead for the big night. This will be the first time we have ever hosted this type of dinner and it is filling my stomach with butterflies. The food and wine will be excellent and hopefully, the farm will look its best.

Not much else to report. Still weeding, seeding and harvesting. We are definitely keeping an eye on the weather and I for one am curious to see what type of fall we end up with. All told, this summer has been like no other (they never really are the same!).

Have a great rest of the week!


In Your Share This Week:
Beans, Onion, Garlic, Zucchini, Cucumber, Eggplant, Cilantro, Kale, and probably a few other surprises. We are taking a week off from carrots and beets.


Recipes:
Buttery Garlic Green Beans
Zucchini Kale Pesto Pasta

2016 CSA Week #6 Maybe Summer Now?

I just checked the weather forecast and it is looking like it is actually going to move into the mid-80's for a week. Woah...finally. Still waiting on a couple of things to start producing....like those fickle cucumbers. A little heat is all that they need so hopefully this week will be enough to give them a little nudge. Same goes for the eggplant.
There are lots of green tomatoes but no ripe ones yet. This is pretty typical. They usually don't really start ripening at our farm until sometime in August. Once they start, we should have them for quite a while.

Willy is pulling all of the garlic off the field. The rain has been slightly problematic for this since it can hurt the curing process. However, this year, with the new building we have a large outdoor covered area that we can let the garlic sit and dry out a bit before cleaning it.

Not too much to really report. Everyone is tired right now but that is pretty normal. The days are still long and Willy and Laura have been getting to the farm very early and staying until late in the afternoon/evening. It is still planting season so they are doing their best to get things re-sown for late summer and fall harvest. Only a couple more weeks until we run out of time for planting so this part of the year is particularly fast-paced and slightly frantic.

We are starting to price out the cost of an additional high tunnel. They are very useful tools especially when dealing with erratic weather. Hopefully next season we may be able to add a 3rd one to our operation which will help give us a jump-start in the spring and another safety net for the fall.

Also, a quick note...in August our farm will be hosting its first Farm To Table Dinner. This dinner is a fundraiser for the Leavenworth Community Farmers Market and will help to raise funds for implementing a SNAP/EBT program at the market. All wine is being donated by Budreaux  Cellars and all food is being prepared via donation by Watershed Cafe. We will be donating produce along with the space. It should be a great event. Fliers went into the boxes this week.

Hopefully you had a great week and enjoyed the rain that came our way. This summer is very reminiscent of the ones I experienced growing up in Northern Wisconsin so I can't help but love the weather even if it isn't entirely awesome for farming (or going to the beach).

In Your Share This Week:
Arugula, Cucumber, Zucchini, Fennel, Carrots, Beets, Garlic, Kale, Basil and maybe a surprise or two

Recipes:
Do you remember the fennel and arugula salad recipe from a couple of weeks ago? Well this is the time to try it out. Also, fennel is great in creamy soups.

Fennel Soup

Carrot Fennel Soup

Fennel Arugula Salad

2016 CSA Week #5 Slow Motion

This week sort of stretched itself out a bit in my head. Our kiddos went to their first overnight camp ever and were gone from the house for 3 nights. It was a strange experience to finally see these little chicks fledge. The house felt extremely quiet and there was, of course, extra time available for weeding and farm work :-)
This week, we all finally finished off re-weeding the onion beds. It was a relief to reach the end of this long-standing project. We planted about twice as many onions as usual so the weeding took about twice as long. Many hands played a part in keeping these little guys from getting swallowed whole by rampaging amaranth, morning glory and various other wild plants. Now.....for the leeks and shallots!

We have had a very cheerful bunch of farm helpers this season. Jeanne is back at it again weeding salad for probably her 5th (6th?) season. She's like a garden angel....showing up like clockwork and always bringing treats for Comet the dog or snacks for the kids. Colleen is also back at it, helping on an every-other week schedule or as her busy summer allows. This is her second season at Tierra and I am still amazed that she takes the time to drive up valley all the way from Wenatchee to spend time at our little farm. Emerson is a near-permanent fixture at the farm now....seriously, I don't know what we would do without his company.He puts everyone in a good mood. Mijanou is always a pleasure to have around.  McCarthy and Taylor pop in from time to time and offer interesting conversation, Jenny and Ty somehow find a way to fit in a few hours to help each week even though their life is hectic, Jesse is new and has only just started to get his fingers dirty. Shreve reminds us that we should really get out and climb once in a while. Ruby who brings a smile along everytime she helps out. Carol is helping me for the 4th (5th?) year in a row at Plain Market and Jen is my company at the Leavenworth Market.  And then there's Laura who is the anchor in this mish-mash crazy crew. It takes a village to raise a farm and I am thankful for every last minute of help that we receive.

In other farm news, the beans are starting to flower as are the second planting of sugar snap peas. It will be a little bit before they are available for harvest but it is always a good sign to see those flowers. We mulched and weeded the cucumbers this week. I pushed hard to include the first cukes in this week's box. They won't be huge and there won't be a lot of them yet but it will at least give you a taste of what's to come. Again, we are starting to see lots of flowers which is a really good sign.

Steve Foley checked on the bees and they seem to be doing okay still. Lots of pollination happening right now. The lavender is awash in buzzing.

That pretty much sums up the week.  I hope yours was a great one.

In Your Share This Week:
Head Lettuce, Salad, Chard, Beets, Shell Peas, Cukes (kind of!), Garlic, Fennel, Zucchini, Basil and probably a few other surprises

Recipes:
Use those beet greens! 

Roasted Beets and Braised Beet Greens

Garlicy Sauteed Swiss Chard

The 10 Best Leafy Greens for Smoothies

Raw Garlic Salad Dressing

2016 CSA Week #4 And the Wind Keeps Blowing....But Things are Still Growing

Well, it seems as though we are having a 'cold summer' this year.  The great news is that nothing is on fire yet....even after making it through the 4th of July. The bad news is that this wind is just wreaking havoc with plants at the farm....nothing that is permanent or fatal but certainly the effects can be noticeable. Some of the taller squash leaves have tattered and torn edges and the kohlrabi have an incredibly unusual shape due to being whipped in circles as babies. All told though, things seem to be moving along on schedule. Actually, looking at last year's newsletter (when it was super hot and we were way ahead of normal) we aren't too far off from what we were putting in the box this time last year. I found this surprising given that this season is a much different beast than the last two. Turns out, that it is just me who feels like things are moving slowly....to the plants, they are maturing right no time.
Another good side-effect of the cooler weather is that we are having a great pea year. Last season,the shelling peas were tough and mealy from the heat. This year, the pods are green and the peas are sweet. You will see them in this week's box and probably next week as well.
We did end up putting a few in the box last week...to my surprise. So, I hope you figured out how to open them up and use them since I didn't include any information about them in the last newsletter.

For future reference, shelling peas are also known as English Peas. The shells are tasty but too fibrous to really eat. So each shell must be opened to be enjoyed. This is a great job for kids. Save the shells though and use them for making a broth or soup stock. They give a nice sweet flavor when simmered in a broth. Strain and remove the shells before using the broth and then add  the shells to the compost. Shelling peas can be frozen for later use. After the peas are removed from the shells you can lay them out on a cookie tray and then place them in the freezer. After they have frozen, remove the tray from the freezer and then roll the peas into a ziploc freezer bag. This is a nice way to save a little summer for another day.

One last update from the farm, the eggplant inside the high tunnels are now loaded with flowers. I would expect that within 2 weeks you will see the first eggplant making their way into the boxes. Same goes with cucumbers. The first little babies are showing up out in the field. Expect to start seeing these in the next two weeks as well.

In Your Share This Week:
Salad Mix, Carrots (No Beets this week), Kale, Garlic, Shelling Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Basil, Pak Choi, Arugula and maybe a Hungarian Wax Pepper just for fun! Looks like Zucchini and Fennel next week but I am including some Fennel recipes to get you thinking....

**Also, the basil is not washed. We debated over this for quite some time but decided to give it to you 'as is' mainly because it stores much better. Wash as needed by swishing in cold water.

Recipes:
13 Fennel Recipes- This is more eye-candy than anything but thought I would share for inspirational purposes....
Arugula Fennel Salad

How to Buy, Store, Shell and Cook with Fresh Peas-more information for you on shelling peas

How to Dry Basil- In case you end up with too much basil for fresh eating, here is some info on drying the basil for later use (spaghetti and pizza this winter!)

2016 CSA Week#3 The Weather Rollercoaster

Good Morning!
Hopefully you had a great week and got a chance to beat the heat for a little bit. The farm crew made it up to Lake Wenatchee on Monday and escaped the worst of the afternoon sun for a couple of hours. Looks like we will start to cool down again after today and will go back to a pleasant temperature for both working and playing.
The weather plays a huge role in the abundance and availability of many of our summer crops. The cool and wet weather we had at the beginning of April and again last week have both played their part in delaying several crops including cucumbers and zucchini.  However, this little bout of heat was enough to wake everything back up again and those plants that had hunkered down to survive the wind and rain are starting to put on some new growth. With any luck, there may be zucchini  in  two weeks....and once it starts it is unlikely to stop!
Tomato set looks good in both high tunnels and the cherry tomatoes are loaded with future goodness. The first of the Japanese eggplant will start coming off by the end of the week (not enough for boxes yet...) and the pepper plants inside the high tunnels are covered in fruits.All in all, progress is being made toward a good future harvest.
It looks like the shelling peas aren't quite ready for harvest this week....which is pretty typical for this type of summer (the last 2 years were incredibly early given all the extra heat we had). Hopefully by this time next week we will have enough to include them. If not, then within 2 weeks for sure. They are super satisfying to harvest and really yummy to eat.
We started to pull carrots from the first of our outside beds and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season. As crops get added in, expect to rotate semi-regularly between beets and carrots in the boxes. Same goes for kale and chard. We tend to rotate between the two (and maybe even some collards) as the season progresses. This year we are growing several varieties of both to keep things interesting.
AND! the first of the full-sized garlic has come in off of the field and will be included in today's box. This is a little early for us but the bulbs look great and Willy is excited to include them in the shares.

Enjoy your 4th of July holiday! It is shaping up to be mild and pleasant.

In Your Share This Week:
Salad Mix, Beets, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Garlic and probably a few surprises.
Per tradition, the 3rd box is always a little bit smaller. It is the calm before the storm...the vegetable storm!

Recipes:
Gingered Carrot and Kale Ribbons

How to Roast Garlic