C.S.A. Week 9

We’ve been given bits and pieces of history about our place since moving here, some in writing, some by word of mouth. The site of what was the first settlement of Cornish, our house has weathered the changes of time here. It stands in what use to be known as the Brier neighborhood, home to Ashland Cole who came west from Biddeford in 1775 to become one of the most prominent men in Cornish at the time. It was written he was the only Justice of the Piece in town and thus presided over conflicts as Judge, counselor, or attorney, as needed. One of my C.S.A. volunteers added details to my knowledge of Ashland Cole, explaining he would hear cases in the front room of our house, now used as our dinning room. Cole would excuse himself after hearing the case, to consult the advice of his wife, who would always be listening in the back room around the other side of the large center chimney. Cole would then go with her decision. He must have been a wise man indeed.

A few weeks back, we were given, from another C.S.A. member, excerpts from a book titled, “Almuchicoitt” which takes the reader on a stroll up the Pequawket Trail. Several pages detail life around our own “Hosac Pond,“ which has since been re-named “Haley Pond.” The pages brought a smile to my face immediately as the author details what must have been the well known “medicinal properties” of Hosac Pond, the aborigines and early settlers came to use. The author writes about “the curative agents embodying the healing virtue of Hosac”. Kyle and I have joked half serious since coming here that the water in the pond must be magical. We stubbornly refuse to have our soil tested thinking it may break the spell of our good growing that we unabashedly attribute to the irrigation running out of “Hosac”. Anyway… We did have a friend here who flew his drone around the farm. He begrudgingly agreed to slow down out of racing mode to take some slow footage of our place. I’ve posted the video below. Be sure to keep your eyes on that special pond.

• Classic or Annina Eggplant

• Carmen and Corinto Sweet Peppers

• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

• Heirloom big tomatoes

• Scarlet Nantes Carrots

• Envy Soy Beans

• Some sort of head lettuce

C.S.A. Week 8

It’s now Corn and tomato season in Maine. We grew corn and tomatoes when we interned at the Earle Family Farm. These plants were two of my least favorite to grow. The corn always felt like a battle with the crows. We would plant the seed in careful rows, and set up tall posts around the garden with bird scare balloons tied to them. Inevitably, the crows would come before the seed could get a chance to germinate, and clever birds that they are, would walk down each row picking every seed out. After multiple plantings finally yielded some success I wondered how any corn survived on other farms. Commercial growers use chemically treated seed to prevent soil born pathogens, which in turns makes the seed unappetizing to the crows. Tomatoes lived in the greenhouse and felt like their own outrageous production. Here we are in Cornish six years later with our greenhouse full of tomatoes. I have developed a meditative type of enjoyment in pruning and trellising the tomatoes, watching them go from 6 inch seedlings to enormous vines, their growing tips brushing against the top of the tunnel. We don’t grow corn anymore, although we did try. We had one successful year, and then every season following, it seemed the porcupines and racoons came. They would smell the ears just before they ripened and rip them, shamelessly off the stalks, leaving a decimated mess for us to sort through. We leave the corn growing to the experts now, Tom and our friends at Hancock Family Farm. I decided any plant requiring trellising was overbred and a waste of time.

In the share:

• Sweet Corn -From Earle Family Farm

• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

• Heirloom Tomatoes

• Jersey Green Cabbage

• Marketmore Cukes

• Rover Red Radishes

Bonus: summer squash/zucchini if you want….

Recipes from Joyce again, Thank you!

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

An easy-to-prepare gazpacho filled with flavor and packed with vitamins

originally from Self Magazine

serves 8

cal: 120 per serving

Ingredients

6 large heirloom tomatoes, all varieties and colors, or a mix of cherry tomatoes and heirlooms to total 5-6 cups, diced into 1/4 in cubes.

1 med red onion

1 med cucumber cut into 1/4 in cubes, seeded if necessary

1 red bell pepper cut into 1/4 in cubes

1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1/4 in cubes

1/4 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, dill, parsley etc all work well), roughly chopped

2 T red wine vinegar

1 lemon juiced

1/2 T Tabasco, or to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 tsp aged balsamic vinegar (used as garnish)

2 cloves finely minced fresh garlic (optional)

Preparation

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, with seeds and juices, onion, minced garlic if using, cucumber and peppers. Add fresh herbs, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and Tabasco. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Using your hands, or a potato masher, squish veggies into a juicy soup, leaving a few big pieces. Add oil in small increments, tasting as you go. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Dilled Cucumber and Tomato Salad

personal recipe

serves 8

cal: not many

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each

2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped red onions or shallots

    * hint: if onions are ever too strong let them soak in cold water for 10 minutes after slicing

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 T sugar

1 T fresh dill

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Preparation

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. In a smaller bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables and refrigerate for several hours. Toss again before serving.

Spanish Tomato Bread

personal recipe

showcases the flavor of vine-ripened tomatoes!

Ingredients

1/2 Baguette sliced on the diagonal about 1/4 in thick, 12-16 slices

2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and sliced lengthwise in half

assorted tomatoes fresh from the garden, sliced

Extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground peppers

Preparation

Toast the baguette slices so they are lightly brown on both sides. When cool enough handle rub one side of each piece with the cut side of a garlic clove, discard garlic when done. Top with tomato slices, slightly squish the tomatoes with fork tines so the juices start to soak into the bread. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  If you have leftover bread, make avocado toast the same way.

C.S.A. Week 7

We have two big trees, an oak and an ash that stand together to form an arch at the start of the walk way by our barn that takes you from our yard out to the field. I find I am always looking up at the trees. These two are both big old trees. The ash is a bit tired looking, with several limbs having been taken off in its past, It wears the scars of a saw, while the jagged edge remains that hints of a storm. Usually its tallest branches get covered in tent caterpillars by late summer, causing it to look even more haggard than it deserves. The opposing oak, in contrast, seems to be increasing in girth and breadth to an enormous degree every year. Joni’s kiddie pool is often set up in the shade of the oak, and I have been looking up at its impressive branches even more, sending silent wishes for it to stay standing in good health. Trees will tell you a lot about the land. As many forests are frequently tampered with by human hands, it requires looking closely at the health of those that remain.

In the Share:

• Valencia Heirloom Tomatoes

• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

• Goldie Husk Cherries

• Prelude Fennel

• Carmen and Corinto Green Sweet Pepper

• Provider Green Beens

• Azur Star Purple Kohlrabi

Grilled Fennel

• Rinse your bulb under cold running water;

• Cut off the stalks and the feathery fronds from the bulb;

• Trim off a very thin slice from the base of the bulb and remove any of the outer tough layers if they appear to be blemished. You can use a peeler to remove any spots;

• Place the bulb upright and simply slice it lengthwise.  When grilling, it is important to leave the inner core in place as this will prevent the fennel bulb from falling apart.

Once you have washed and trimmed your fennel, slice it into 1/2 inch slices lengthwise.

rush lightly with olive oil and place directly onto the grill. Both an indoor or outdoor grill works great with this recipe.

Grill for about 3-5 minutes of each side or until lightly charred. The fennel cooking time will vary as it depends on the size of your fennel bulb. The end result should be a soft and tender bulb.

Remove from the grill and squirt with the lemon juice of 1/2 a lemon.

Season with sea salt and a grinding of pepper to taste. A sprinkle of Italian parsley and you are done.

C.S.A. week 6

I was reminded of a piece I heard on the radio a couple of years ago, as it is currently resurfacing in the news. Several Maine Dairy Farms are prohibited from selling milk after their product tested very high in levels of PFAS. PFAS are chemicals now banned for use in the United States, but were used in things like stain resistant clothing, spot cleaners, shampoos, and more. These chemicals are referred to as forever chemicals and they build up in the environment and the human body. These chemicals ended up in the milk. Starting in the 80’s, dairy farmers were encouraged by the state of Maine to spread Sludge from mills and state sewer processing plants. It seemed like a win-win, effective fertilizer and a good way to mitigate some of the waste costs associated with sludge removal. Come to find out, the sludge contained high levels of PFAS which don’t break down, and thus were absorbed by the cows grazing and eating hay from the contaminated fields. The PFAS then made their way into the cows milk and onto store shelves.

. The sludge may seem like an obvious wrong turn now, but the truth is, as human beings we are always a bit behind the curve. It takes years to figure out that something which has a positive may also have a delayed negative.

This brings me to the last point, although you are not receiving any root crops this week, you don’t need to peel our vegetables, ever. Except Kohlrabi of course. Eat the skin, it’s often the most nutritious part of the plant.

In the share:

• Sweet Corn -From Hancock Family Farm in Casco, ME

• Tomatoes

• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

• Eggplant

• Green Leaf Lettuce

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini/Squash

Simple use of corn

-Shave off the kernels into a bowl, add cherry tomatoes halved, basil sliced small, and some olive oil and balsamic. Mix, serve. No cooking required! Feta is a bonus.

Moroccan Style Eggplant

Thanks again to Joyce for sending this recipe my way originally from feastingathome.com

ingredients

• 2 lbs eggplant- Japanese, Chinese or fairytale

• 10 garlic cloves

• 2 fat shallots, quartered

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons ras el hanout(you can look up how to make this)

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (or sub fennel seeds)

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 4 medium tomatoes (or 1 lb cherry tomatoes)

• large lemon zest pieces, from one lemon (use a veggie peeler or sharp knife)

preheat oven to 375F

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise (no thicker than 3/4 inch) and place in an ovenproof baking dish along with the whole garlic cloves and shallots.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, ras el hanout, and caraway seeds.

Pour over the eggplant and toss well to coat. Cover with foil and bake 20 mins on the middle rack.

After the first 20 minutes, lower heat to 350F and uncover. Add the tomatoes, zest and give a toss.

Continue baking 50-75 minutes, uncovered, checking every 20 minutes, giving a gentle stir, until the eggplant is meltingly tender and creamy. Depending on the eggplant size, the time may vary. Please be patient here and check more often if eggplants are very small.

Once the eggplant is very tender, and edges are crisp,  pull out of the oven, cover lightly with foil until ready to serve. Garnish with the olives, fresh herbs and optional chili flakes.

Serve warm or at room temp.

C.S.A. Week 5

I was able to sneak off the farm today while Kyle spent the day with Joni, here hanging out. Went up the Baldfaces with two friends and had a beautiful day in the mountains followed by a dunk in the Cold River and then ice cream. I love the drive up rt. 113 through Evans Notch. I always marvel at the sweeping fields full of potatoes and corn that belong to Green Thumb.. Today the potatoes were all in flower, making for a beautiful early morning scene. I imagine how different that kind of farming life must be. Long straight rows, deep, rock free river valley soil, planting the same crop year after year, big yields, mechanized equipment, and big buyers. Its an impressive site, although distant from the type of farming we are doing here in Cornish. If you travel further north up the notch(beyond the Baldface trailhead), you will come upon Brickett Place. It’s one of the original homesteads of the area, erected around 1830, and it is now an historic site maintained and recently renovated by the Forest Service. Here you can glimpse the shadows of farming past. Old apple trees left unpruned for years lie behind the house shaded in by big hardwoods and tall grass. Stone walls follow the trails up for miles hinting at pastures for grazing animals.. The struggles of the original settlers are not hard to imagine, with horse and wagon for travel, rock removal and land clearing to push back the edge of the wilderness.

In the Share:

• Green Sweet Peppers

• Basil

• Red Fire leaf lettuce

• Beets

• Green Beans

• green onions

• Broccoli

• cucumbers

• zucchini/squash

Recipe again thanks to our CSA member. Original version from thekitchn.com

this recipe is so easy and uses what ever vegetables you have at hand. Mix up the colors and cut them to a size that will cook crisp/tender in about 2 minutes.

Instructions

1. Make a garlic-lemon butter. Mince and mash 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt together to make a paste. Transfer to a small bowl, add 4 tablespoons of softened butter and zest from one lemon, and mash together until combined; set aside.

2. Sauté the shallot/onion in butter. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add one medium shallot, chopped and sauté until softened and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Cook the pasta. Add 12 ounces dried, short pasta such as penne rigata and 4 cups of hot water, and  2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat back to medium-high, uncover, and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir the pasta occasionally, loosening noodles that stick to the bottom or sides of the pot.

4. Stir in the vegetables and cook until tender. Add 3-4 cups of diced veggies; zucchini, carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and peas all work well. Stir and cook uncovered until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the cooking liquid has reduced into a starchy sauce, about 2 minutes.

5. Finish with the tomatoes, cheese, and garlic-lemon butter. Stir in the 1/2 cup cheery tomatoes, halved, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated and garlic-lemon butter. Once the cheese and butter is melted, the cooking liquid should be significantly reduced, leaving only a silky, buttery sauce. Serve in bowls garnished with red pepper flakes, basil or dill, and more Parmesan cheese if desired.

C.S.A. Week 4

Things in the natural world come in cycles and these cycles all play off of each other. I’ve learned not to waste too much energy on one thing, in any particular year, as it generally will pass. Two years ago on our farm, we began seeing our beets disappear, the roots would be gone and just the tops left lying wilted in the aisles After beefed up fencing failed to stop the mystery culprit, we borrowed a game camera, and caught squirrels on tape stealing our beets and dragging them up nearby trees. I had never heard of such a thing in my short farming career and proceeded to do some research. It turned out they were having a population explosion, due to the previous years bumper acorn crop(think cycles again). A total drop off in nuts the following year, left their larger than normal numbers desperate for food. My reading indicated squirrels much prefer nuts and seeds, but they will begin to forage for other things, when left no other option. I began to take notice of the bodies of dead squirrels littering the highways, and read a newsletter put out by the USDA that commercial apple orchards in Maine were suffering huge losses due to squirrels stripping their trees. Sure enough a cold winter without food stored led to a huge drop in numbers. Satisfyingly enough after that I went almost a whole year without seeing a squirrel. Now, two years later ,with the ground stocked in un-stashed nuts, the chipmunks having their boom. Although I said I’ve learned not to worry, I am keeping an eye on our beets and have acquired two barn kittens who hopefully will turn into protective hunters to patrol our property.

For those of you new to a CSA don’t worry, just like the cycles of nuts and squirrels, the farm will cycle too, and before you know it we will be out of summer squash and peas and into onions and tomatoes.

• Head Lettuce

• Green Cabbage

• Fennel

• Green Beans

• Snap Peas

• Summer Squash/Zucchini

• Radishes

• Purple Cauliflower

• Green Beans -please try these raw, as is, they are so good.

Lettuce and Radishes came from friends at Hancock Family Farm. They are certified organic. As they were swimming in extra lettuce and radishes we ran over and filled some bins…

Spring Salad (thanks again to Joyce for sending this our way, the recipe is from forksoverknives.com)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries (21 oz.)

• 6 cups frisée and/or mixed spring greens

• 2½ cups cooked and cooled wheat berries (1 cup dry)

• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (1 cup)

• 2 cups sugar snap peas, halved diagonally

• ½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced (⅓ cup)

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

• Sea salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Set aside ½ cup sliced strawberries for the vinaigrette. In a large salad bowl combine Friese, remaining strawberries, wheat berries, fennel, snap peas, red onion, and 2 Tbsp. of the mint.

2. For vinaigrette, in a small food processor or blender combine reserved strawberries, the remaining 1 Tbsp. mint, and the other remaining ingredients. Cover and pulse until smooth. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat.

C.S.A. Week 3

The farm is really starting to feel like it is sprouting connections to the surrounding community this year. A combination of people seeking out good local food in the midst of global uncertainty, and just the slow ripple effects of time spent here. We were, and still are, fortunate to have formed a strong relationship with the Earle Family Farm. Two years of interning there, and then collaborating for the summer and winter C.S.A.s, have left us knowing many of the long-time Earle Family Farm supporters. Our original connections seemed primarily localized in the Conway area thanks to the Earle’s, as well as the fact that both Kyle and I worked in the Conway area after our internship in order to finance our Cornish farm habit. As our place has developed and gained momentum, we find ourselves localizing and forming relationships closer to home. Although we are sustaining the bonds in Conway, it feels good to be serving the more immediate radius, meeting people and sharing what we do here, as we think we have a pretty special spot.

The recipes below are thanks to a new C.S.A. member who has been keeping me in good company volunteering her Tuesday mornings to work here, for a number of weeks now. Ironically I have a strong distaste for cooking much beyond a simple roast or stir fry, and prefer to eat almost all our vegetables as they are, straight up and raw. That being said, I would gladly welcome any recipes people are willing to share, just email me…

In the Share:

• Broccoli

• Summer Squash/Zucchini

• Sugar Snap Peas

• Red Round Radishes

• Green Onions

• Kale

• Bibb Lettuce

Sesame Broccoli

Originally appeared in the AMA Cookbooks for Healthy Living

serves 4

cal:46

Ingredients

    1 tablespoon sesame seeds

    1 lb broccoli, trimmed and cut into stalks and florets

    4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

    1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Put the sesame seeds in a small, dry non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often until lightly toasted, 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to boil. Add broccoli, cover and steam until tender, 7-9 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with the soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.

Summer Succotash

Originally appeared in the AMA Cookbooks for Healthy Living

serves 4

cal:113

Ingredients

    1 c fresh or thawed frozen edamame or shelled fresh peas

    1 small yellow squash, coarsely chopped

    1 strip lean bacon

    1/2 small white or yellow onion, chopped

    1 c fresh corn kernels, cut from 1 ear of corn

    2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley

    1/4 tsp salt

    1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

In a small pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to boil. Add the edamame or peas and squash, cover, and steam until nearly tender, 5-6 mins. Remove from the heat, drain and set aside.

In a large non-stick frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly browned 2-3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel and drain. Add the onion and the corn to the pan and saute over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the edamame mixture and continue cooking until the vegetables are warmed through, 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Chop the bacon and stir into the vegetable mixture along with the parsley, salt and pepper.

C.S.A. Week 2

We’ve been at our spot in Cornish since the fall of 2014. It’s been a slow journey building our farm, adding garden space and infrastructure each year, bit by bit. I am always wondering where we are going with it? Will the farm survive? What will we be doing in 5, 10 years? Farming has always felt like a risky path. We are perched precariously at the mercy of the land, the weather, the bugs, and then finally the consumer. This year people are flocking to small farms in search of safe reliable food, which temporarily removes that last variable, the consumer. Its an amazing relief to know the food we are growing is essentially sold. We can focus on what we do best, coaxing the land into producing for a few short months until winter dormancy takes over once again.

In the share:

• Broccoli

• Garlic Scapes -From our friends at Patch Farm -certified organic

• Snap Peas

• Romaine Lettuce

• Baby Summer Squash/Zucchini

• Baby Carrots

• Kohlrabi

C.S.A. Week 1

The C.S..A. timing always feels like a funny contrast to the farm season. By the time the C.S.A. starts, we have been farming since mid-March. The C.S.A. jumps in just at the start of us having enough items harvestable on a regular basis beyond the greens we have been taking to the early farmers’ markets. It coasts along with us, as one by one, in ever faster succession, things ripen in the garden. There is a period of time in mid-July when every time we turn around, it feels like there are red tomatoes on the vine, orange peppers loaded on heavy plants, and purple bean flowers that elongate into edible pods seemingly overnight. Then in August, when the days are shortening, we bring in good crops like onions and squash to cure and dry for winter storage. September brings cool nights and we stop worrying about weeds for the year, instead focused on cover cropping areas of the garden that have been harvested bare. The C.S.A. ends here, and we continue through October harvesting thousands of pounds of root crops to live in our cooler. The greenhouse will switch gears to winter greens, and we will take a brief pause before starting up our winter cooperative C.S.A.

In the Share:

• baby beets

• new fire head lettuce

• bibb lettuce

• bok choi

• swiss chard

• purple scallions

Sautéed Swiss Chard

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, sliced

• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon of whole coriander seeds (optional)

1. Prep the chard stalks and leaves: Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Either tear or cut away the thick stalks from the leaves.Cut the stalk pieces into 1-inch pieces. Chop the leaves into inch-wide strips. Keep the stalks and leaves separate.

2. Sauté garlic and crushed red pepper flakes: Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan on medium high heat. Add garlic slices, crushed red pepper, and coriander seeds (if using), and cook for about 30 seconds, or until the garlic is fragrant.

3. Add Swiss chard stalks: Add the chopped Swiss chard stalks. Lower the heat to low, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add the chopped leaves: Add the chopped chard leaves, toss with the oil and garlic in the pan. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Turn the leaves and the stalks over in the pan.

Serve immediately.

C.S.A. Week 14 September 25th/26th

This is it, the last week. Thank you to all our members for participating in this year’s share. We hope to see you all next year. What will we do all winter!? Besides enjoying some much needed relaxation and winter hiking and skiing once the snow comes, we’ll be busy over the next couple of months or so packing away storage food. We’ll be attending the Bridgton Maine farmers’ market for as long into the winter as we have food available. We’re also looking forward to taking part in a collaborative winter C.S.A. that has provided shares to about 100 members in the Mount Washington Valley over the last several years. The winter share is almost more exciting than the summer. There is something really special about participating in a cooperative arrangement with other local farmers. It’s also an unbelievable feeling to trudge through snow and ice to find cold hardy greens safe and sound in our high tunnel in the dead of winter. If you want to learn more, check out www.foothillfarmalliance.com We are the contacts for the group, so please reach out with questions. Have a fabulous winter and thanks again for a wonderful season!

In the share:

• Broccoli

• Head Lettuce

• Joan Rutabaga

• Cippolini Onions

• Yellow Onions

• Butternut Squash

• Potatoes

• Kale

Optional: Elderberries

Rutabaga

1) Do as the Swedes—and Finns—do. In England, the rutabaga is called a swede, or Swedish turnip. —boiled and mashed, sometimes with carrots. But in the next Scandinavian country over, Finns make a slightly jazzier version, called Lanttulaatikko. This casserole adds milk, eggs, nutmeg, molasses and bread crumbs to the rutabaga.

2) Add fruit. With its slightly sweet, slightly earthy flavor, scrumptious-sounding recipe for smashed rutabagas with ginger-roasted pears. Sandy Smith, who blogs at Eat Real, tosses rutabaga with caramelized onions and apples.

3)Put it in a soup. a creamy rutabaga chipotle soup. It calls for a lot of heavy cream, but I suspect it would still be good with quite a bit less. Chow does something similar, but with smoked paprika instead of chipotle, in this rutabaga bisque.

4) Make fries. I've heard of sweet potato fries and carrot fries. Apparently you can make rutabaga fries, too. Stephen Smith, a diabetic who loves to cook, devised a healthy recipe for rutabaga oven "fries" baked with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, or other flavors (the garam masala version sounds particularly good).

C.S.A. Week 13 September 18th/19th

It seems the first frost of the year is always right around the same time as Common Ground Fair weekend, the third week in September. The forecast predicts a potential frost tomorrow morning, and a seemingly definite frost Thursday morning. We were busy, today, harvesting the bulk of our potatoes, pulling in just about 1,000 pounds for winter storage and sales. We have a bit more to go, but that is the bulk of them. Any green tops remaining will die back in the frost but the potatoes themselves will be fine, protected under the soil, until temperatures get very cold. After harvesting, we spent the afternoon setting up row covers for any remaining cold sensitive crops in the field to preserve them a little longer. The first frost is often followed by a warm up, and if we can keep things like peppers, eggplant, and lettuce going for the farmers’ market, its worth it. The row covers simply keep the frost from settling on the surface of the plant in the early morning hours, which would cause their cell structures to expand and break. Things like kale, rutabaga, carrots, beets, and celery root improve in flavor after a frost so you will see those in the share next week.

In the share:

• Green Cabbage

• Kohlrabi

• Speckled Amish Bibb Lettuce

• Tomatoes

• Delicata Squash

• Carrots

• Leeks

• Peppers

C.S.A. Week 12 September 11th/12th

Our big fall jobs are being ticked off one by one. Monday we pulled all of the tomatoes from the greenhouse to make room for our winter greens. The tomatoes plants give us a lot of “green matter”, an essential element to creating a hot compost pile, so pulling these is always closely followed by the building of our yearly compost pile. The green matter gets chopped up and layered in with a years worth of horse and sheep manure, bedding, wood ash, and minerals. As the green tomato vines decompose they really help get the compost temperature up high. We will monitor the pile to document that it hits over 135 degrees for 3 consecutive days, we will then turn it, and repeat 2 more times. This is in accordance with organic standards, the temperature and time requirement to make sure all potential harmful pathogens are killed. With our pile built, today we forked in last year’s compost and fertilizer into the empty tomato beds and replanted them to spinach and kale. We will, with fingers crossed, harvest fresh greens out of the tunnel into February. We did set up a time lapse camera in the tunnel as we were ripping out tomatoes, but found out 3 hours later it only recorded for 10 seconds. Anyway, it would have looked pretty cool.

In the Share:

• Colored Sweet Peppers

• Eggplant

• Bibb Lettuce

• Red Round Radishes

• Tomatoes

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Butternut Squash

• Cipollini Onions

C.S.A.Week 11 September 4th/5th

The garden has been shrinking steadily over the past few weeks. Garlic is out hanging in the barn, onions are out drying in the garage and every other available space possible, the many successions of green beans have been turned under, and the list goes on. A carpet of green oats have replaced all these crops looking like a soft green blanket ready to protect the ground for winter. Holding steady in the garden are all of our fall crops that we sell throughout the winter, softball sized beets, fingers crossed thick straight storage carrots, baseball bat sized leeks, and potatoes are still in the ground. Next week we will be pulling out all of the tomatoes from the high tunnel in order to prep those beds and replant to winter spinach and lettuce. Although the tomatoes could go weeks longer, the greens need this pre-cold temperature to put on some good growth so we can harvest in those bitter cold months.

In the share:

• Sweet Corn (From Earle Family Farm)

• Leeks

• Purple Viking Potatoes

• Edamame Beans

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Round Tomatoes

• Beet Greens

• Flat Italian Parsley

COLD CORN SALAD

Kyle made his own version of this a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. We really encourage you to leave the corn in this dish raw. DONT COOK IT. When its fresh corn, its so much better this way. Enjoy…..

• ¼ cup shelled edamame

• ¼ cup corn

• 1 small red pepper (diced)

• 5 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)

• add extra virgin olive oil

• add Lemon Juice

• add Basil for taste

• salt & pepper

C.S.A. Week 10 August 28th/29th

In the Share:

• Edamame Beans

• Green Beans (for the last time!)

• Mixed Peppers

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Tomatoes

• Carrots

• Basil

• Kale

How to eat Edamame : Simply place the beans as is in a pot of boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain the pot and let the beans cool. Now pop out the beans from their shells. Salt to taste.

PESTO

• 3 cups packed fresh basil leaves

• 4 cloves garlic

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend to a smooth paste. Add parsley if desired.

C.S.A. Week 9 August 20th/21st

The summer squash is officially done for the season. Just like the peas, it feels like it takes forever to grow and the next thing we know its producing like crazy, fast and furious. Then, suddenly, the plants look old and tired and it’s time to turn them into the ground and seed some oats so the field has a nice green blanket in time for winter. Each part of the farming season has its own excitements and aspects to look forward to, but there is really nothing more satisfying than incorporating decaying plant matter back into the ground. It’s the point where the vegetables have done their job, they have produced beautiful food for us, and their responsibility to the farm is over, job done!

In the Share:

• Eggplant

• Elderberries(Frozen)

• Beets

• Tomatoes

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Green Beans

• Cipollini Onions

• Potatoes (From Earle Family Farm)

What to do with Elderberries: The berries will come off the stems much easier once frozen. Elderberries are a very popular health tonic, but can also be used in pies, jellies, and syrups. Also delicious lightly cooked with a drop of maple syrup to sweeten.

Balsamic Glazed Cipollini Onions

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4-5 Cipollini onions, trimmed and peeled

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 3/4 cup store-bought low-sodium chicken broth or stock

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

   2. Heat olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add onions, stem side down, and cook, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and continue browning on opposite side, about 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

   3. Add vinegar and sugar; cook, until slightly syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, thyme, and garlic; bring to a boil. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until onions are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes.

C.S.A. Week 8 August 14th/15th

As part of our participation in our winter CSA cooperative, we have been touring all of the farms involved. Most of the other farms have a number of interns every season, and its a good education as well as a social event to get together monthly at each of the farms. A bonus is every tour is followed by a potluck, and the food this time of year is always a worthy spread. Monday night we toured the Earle Family Farm. Kyle and myself, of course, are very familiar with the Earle Farm, having spent two years living and working there. Although the farm is not in official market production this year, there is always much to learn walking the property with Tom, as he has spent almost his entire life there, and at least 30 years developing it into the farm it is today. He always talks about how way back before his time you could see right down from the farm straight to Conway lake, as New England spent many of its early years completely cleared. But the trees are persistent, and they grew back. Years ago, Tom worked the winters with horses to log and recreate several fields that have been used both for grazing and gardening. Homer, our dog, grew up as a tiny pup on the Earle Farm, and he was the perfect picture of exuberance Monday night frolicking those same fields of his puppy hood.

In the share:

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Tomatoes

• Summer Squash/Zucchini

• Green Cabbage

• Purple Top Turnips

• Leeks

• Green Peppers

• Kale

Summer Risotto

Grilled Zucchini with Mint:

• Mint - 1 sprig, sliced in chiffonade

• Zucchini - 2, halved and scored

• Cooking oil - as needed

• Red pepper flakes - 1/4 tsp

• Salt - to taste

• Pine nuts - 2 Tbsp

Summer Risotto:

• Leeks - 1 1/2 lbs, sliced

• Diced tomatoes (14 oz / 397 g can) - 1 can, drained and rough chopped

• Corn - 2 cobs, kernels of ((~1 cup))

• Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp

• Arborio rice - 1 cup

• White wine - 2/3 cup

• Chicken stock - 3 1/2 cups

• Salt - 1/2 tsp

• Cherry tomatoes - 1 cup, halved

• Creme fraiche (opt) - 3 Tbsp

Leeks/ Diced Tomatoes /Corn / Mint - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)

1. Zucchini - Slice in half lengthwise and then score (i.e., use a paring knife to make shallow crosshatch marks). Brush with some oil.

Make

1. Preheat oven to 425F (218C) degrees.

2. Heat a saute (that you have a lid for) over medium-high heat. Add oil and then leeks to heated oil with a dash of salt. Saute until softened, ~3 minutes. Next add rice stir until rice gets a golden hint. Add in white wine and stir until absorbed.

3. Stir in tomatoes and chicken stock and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.

4. While risotto is baking, heat up a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to grill pan and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until zucchini is tender but still a bit crunchy. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, salt, pine nuts, and mint. (You can also do the same thing on a grill over direct heat - heated to medium-high.)

5. Halve cherry tomatoes.

6. When risotto is done, stir in corn and creme fraiche (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper and top with cherry tomatoes. Enjoy with grilled zucchini.

C.S.A. Week 7 August 7th/8th

We reluctantly set up irrigation last week as plants have gotten big, and the sky has stayed clear. Usually we set up irrigation in June, but with the intensely rainy spring there has been no need. To be fair, we did have hoses running out to our greenhouse and have been watering that off the house well since the plants went in, as the greenhouse receives no natural rain water. We did really enjoy the 2 months off from watering the rest of the garden. We set up a gas pump down by the pond, and although not a big deal, it is just one more chore added to the weekly list, refilling and keeping everything on some kind of watering schedule. We primarily use drip irrigation. A large line runs from our pump to “header lines” at the top of every garden, and then each bed has 1-2 drip lines running down the length of it. The drip irrigation does a much superior job to sprinklers, using much less water and soaking deep down to the roots where the plants need it. This time of year especially, drip is preferred, as wet leaves from overhead irrigation can lead to mold and fungus problems on the plants.

In the share:

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Tomatoes

• Summer Squash/Zucchini

• Green Sweet Peppers

• Kohlrabi

• Carrots

• Bibb lettuce

• Cucumbers

Cherry Tomatoes/Corn Salad

(We don’t grow corn, ask us why if you want to know, but we’re sure you can find some to go with our delicious cherries!!!)

• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons lime juice

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the basil, oil, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper; shake well.

In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

C.S.A. Week 6 July 31st/Aug 1st

We have been at this spot in Cornish building our farm for just about five years now. Its been a slow process of expanding gardens and adding infrastructure we need to make our farming lives easier and more efficient. This list of finished projects is proudly growing longer, and although it has felt like slow growth in the moment, looking back it really feels amazing what we didn’t start with. This summer a relatively minor but important project has been our wash station. Every Wednesday and Friday we harvest a significant amount of food, and having a shady well set up space for cleaning and packing the food is essential. After several years of just using a spot in the yard or an unattractive tarp setup next to the garage we decided to turn an overhang off of the back of animal barn into our new space. This was a sitting porch we found we rarely used. We ripped up the porch floor boards last fall and were able to repurpose them into the wall of our tractor shed, and Kyle spent a couple of long days digging out the dirt and adding buried drainage pipes leading away from the wash station and into a now underground pit lined with landscape fabric and filled with crushed stone. The wash station itself also got dug out, lined and filled back in with stone, so we have a dry area to work on that can handle absorbing a lot of water. Like many big projects much of the work becomes invisible in its finished state, as now all the drainage lines have been covered over with soil and re-seeded to grass. The final touches will be made this fall, adding an adjacent door that will lead to our walk in cooler for easy access, and some permanent hosing coming down off the walls into wash buckets.

In the share:

• Eggplant

• Broccoli

• Cucumbers

• Green Cabbage

• Basil

• Green Beans

• Kale

• Cherry Tomatoes

C.S.A. Week 5 July 24th/25th

The sugar snap peas really outdid themselves this year. We seeded them in the garden on May 12th. They have produced peas in abundance and now stand over 7 feet tall, having easily outgrown our trellis system. Apparently the weather when the pea seeds germinate, not what we are experiencing currently, is what most influences their health and productivity. So we can look back and thank the cold wet spring for at least one big success this year. The peas are on their last legs now, so this will be the last time you see them in the share this summer. Really the more we read and experience, the more we learn that the temperatures during the start of a plant’s life is a big determining factor in its health and appearance later. Soil temperatures in particular, as opposed to air temperatures, are even more important in the beginning stages of the plant’s life. When we are starting plants in our seed house in early March, we use heat mats to warm the soil to around 70 degrees, where as the air temperature at night often falls to 40. The other big experiment on the farm currently is the use of a “Flame Weeder”. We have been trying to find a more perfect system for keeping the aisles between our plants weeded. For our first several years of farming we tried living aisles, where we seeded clover or some other kind of low growing green and used the weedwhacker to keep them to a manageable height. We have found our soil holds a irritatingly persistent supply of crabgrass seed that makes its grab on the land about this time every year, easily outgrowing and smothering the clover. The crabgrass quickly creeps sideways into the garden beds. Last year, we used our walk-behind tiller to cultivate the aisles, keeping them bare, often the strategy of larger farms, but with a tractor. This left us tilling more frequently than we would have liked, and much of the crab grass would re-root several days later. The flame weeder is a simple torch wand connected to a propane tank. We walk the aisles preferably when the weeds are small and heat them up to the point where the cells in the leaves expand and die, much like experiencing a frost. So far, so good, but check back for an update later.

In the share:

Cherry Tomatoes

Broccoli

Sugar Snap Peas (for the last time)

Green Beans

Red Fire lettuce

Summer Squash/Zucchini

Basil

Cucumbers

Purple Top Turnips

How to Freeze Green Beans

Before getting started wash the beans with cool tap water. Then, working with a small handful of green beans at a time, line up the stem ends. Using a sharp chef's knife, slice off the stems. Repeat with remaining green beans. If you want, you can also trim off the tapered tail ends.

Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Allow 1 gallon of water per pound of green beans. While you're waiting, fill a large bowl with ice water. Working in batches, carefully lower the green beans into the boiling water. Boil the beans for 2 minutes. Cool the beans quickly by plunging them into ice water. After the beans have cooled, drain them from the ice water.

Pack the drained beans into freezer containers, jars, or bags. Shake each bag or container to compact the beans. Add more beans, leave 1/2 inch headspace. If you're using containers, wipe the rims dry. Seal the bags or containers according to the manufacturer instructions, pressing out as much air as possible. If necessary, use freezer tape around the lid edges for a tight seal.

Braised Turnips in Mustard Cream Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

11/2 pounds turnips (preferably small turnips), peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2/3 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the turnips and cool, turning occasionally, over medium heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the stock and the cream. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer until the turnips are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the cover, raise the heat to high, and cook until the liquid in the pan reduces to a glaze, about 2 minutes. stir in the mustard and chives and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.