News from the Farm

This past week was a big one on the farm: we finished planting the 25-acre and we finished starting all of our summer crops. What does that mean exactly?

It means that we have a huge sense of satisfaction and an incredible sense of completion at the end of this week. Our 25-acre is our winter storage vegetable powerhouse. It includes all of the onions, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets, celeriac, winter squash, and garlic that supports our 7-month Winter CSA. (Our Winter CSA is available for purchase now! Check out more info HERE.) 

It also means that we have finished seeding and transplanting into the 25-acre all our summer crops: kale, lettuce, beets, carrots, cabbage, corn, summer squash, and more.

And, finally, it means that we have planted our last succession of transplants that will take our summer CSA into October: basil, napa cabbage, kohlrabi, fennel, green onions, varieties of lettuce, asian greens, and yod fah.

The feeling of getting your entire CSA started, planning for the food that will feed your community throughout the whole 20 weeks, is a feeling of success tempered by hope underscored by a large feeling of exhaustion. 

photos by: Alison Holland (tomatoes); Nat Leder (corn & alliums)

Green tomatoes growing strong; knee high corn on the 4th of July!; freshly weeded onions!

 
This week we also spent some time in our tomato houses pruning and training the tomato ladies. We are continuing to keep a sharp eye out for white mold, but are also reveling in the glory of how many tomatoes we have on the vine. A very, very small amount are starting to blush, but we couldn’t be more pleased with the number of green tomatoes we have just waiting for the right time to start showing the true colors.

All of this indicates the turning point in our farming year. Now we turn to weeding and harvesting. We will get to transplant that last succession of summer vegetables, and will probably direct seed a few more successions of lettuce mix in the 2-acre, but, really, from here on out it is all hands on deck weeding and harvesting. 

Until it is time to start our Winter CSA greens and then we start the seed, plant, weed, harvest cycle again.

Our Full Diet CSA has openings!

Full: not lacking or omitting anything; complete; containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space.

Diet: the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture, a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community’s farm and the growers and consumers provide mutual support and share in the risks and benefits of food production; a way to bring fresh, organic produce, grains, eggs, dairy, and meats directly from our farm to your table each week. 

Are you interested in elevating your CSA game? Our Full Diet CSA is a unique, seasonally based eating experience that brings you closer to your food, your farmer, and your Central Oregon community. It is a year round, weekly CSA that starts end of July. All pick ups are at the Farm Store, 71290 Holmes Rd.

Are  you a current Summer CSA member, but still interested in joining the Full Diet CSA? Not a problem! You can remain on the Summer CSA until the Full Diet starts, probably the 3rd or 4th week of July. 

The Full Diet CSA is 100% from our Farm and includes vegetables, grains, milk, dairy, eggs, and meat plus other value-added goods and bonuses. This is a tiered CSA based upon household size. Space is limited so sign up today!

Find out more on our website and click on the button below to ask any questions!

Veggie ID: Cucumbers

 

Basic Info: Cucumbers are in a family known as cucurbits that includes melons, squash, pumpkins and gourds. They are classified as either slicers or picklers. Pickling cucumbers  have thin, lighter skin than slicers. These are the three cucumber varieties we have right now. 

To store: Place cucumbers in a sealed plastic bag or tupperware in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to a week. 

To prep: Slicing cucumbers are often peeled. Pickling cukes are not. If the seeds are bulky, slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop them out. Scoring the skin of a cucumber with a fork or zester gives it attractive stripes. Slice, dice or cut into chunks according to recipe.

Vegetable CSA Harvest List

We think our foundation vegetables this week will be:  Great question! This week it will be a guess for all of us 😉 We will let you know on Wednesday how many other items you will get to select.

We have been keeping an eye on the hoops and 2-acre garden and have a pretty good idea of what is out there and ready to be harvested, but this is a Sunday estimation of what we will be harvesting on Tuesday. Also, because we have a market style CSA, this isn’t a guarantee of 1 of all these things for everyone. Instead, this will be the variety of what will hopefully (fingers crossed) have for you to choose from this week.)
 

Other Vegetable Options will probably include:

Arugula
Asian Greens
Basil
Beets
Broccoli
Carrots
Chard
Cucumbers
lettuce

Fennel
Kale
Napa Cabbage
Radish
variety herbs
Yod Fah
zucchini
lettuce mix
cucumbers

Meat CSA

This week our Meat CSA features PORK!!!! Your CSA will be variety pork cuts as we split whole animals into 5 (small) and 10 (large) pound shares. 
Here are a few of my favorite things to do with the various cuts that come from an hog:

Bacon: save your bacon for BLTs, or, if you can’t wait that long (maybe a month), check out the kale salad recipe below that uses bacon, or cook your bacon for a breakfast treat.
Ham Steaks: I love to eat my ham steak with cheese and crackers and pickles, or make a ham sandwich and go hiking, and put it in a breakfast sandwich. Don’t forget you don’t have to cook the ham, it has been smoked and cured.
Pork Roast: pulled pork sanwiches are always a win!
Shoulder Steaks: pork carnitas
Chops, bone in or boneless: pan fry and eat immediately when the fat is still delicious and warm
Hocks: make bean soup with our beans (slow cook the beans, some herbs, the hocks, and some onions, maybe a potato or two)
Shanks: osso bucco
Baby Back or Spare Ribs: grill em up!
Keep an eye on our Instagram stories for a tour of what the options are on Wednesday around 11 am. 
 

Recipe Corner

Every week I try to send along a few recipes that utilize the meats and vegetables in your CSA share. This week, is smattering of stuff showcasing the variety of what we have for you to choose from this week!

Raw Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Adapted from Just a Taste
(The kale and the dressing are the best parts of this salad. Feel free to ad-lib the rest to suit what the CSA and your fridge provides you with.)

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch kale, washed and dried
1/3 cp toasted nuts
1/3 cup crispy chickpeas
1/3 cup grated parmesan
6 slices baco
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Strip the leaves from the stems of the kale, roll up leaves, and cut into thin strips. Place the kale in a large bowl and add the toasted nuts, chickpeas, and cheese.
  2. Cook the bacon in a sauté pan. Reserve all drippings and leave crunchy bits in the pan. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
  3. Return the sauté pan to medium heat, and add 3 tablespoons of reserved bacon drippings back to the pan. Add the shallots and sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Chop up the bacon, add it to the bowl of kale and nuts, and toss all ingredients with warm dressing. Serve immediately.
Savory Zucchini Bread with Cheddar and Herbs
Adapted from Umami Girl
(As we continue through Zucchini season, here is another fun way to utilize this prolific summer producer.)
 

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
a few good grinds pepper
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 1/4 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 medium shallot, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, minced chives, or whatever other herb you have around
1 tablespoon fresh dill
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350F with a rack in center. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper.
  3. Add the zucchini, cheeses, shallot, and herbs and toss to separate and coat with flour.
  4. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  6. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
Carrot Top Pesto with Oven Roasted Carrots
adapted from The Endless Meal
(This is a classic. It is not unheard of to just make the pesto and use the carrots for something else entirely!)

 

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch carrots
1 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the Pesto:
All your carrot tops
1/4 to 1/3 salted toasted cashews
1/3 cup mild olive oil
lemon juice
garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Chop the carrots into 2-inch lengths, put them on a baking sheet, and toss them with the oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the carrots for 20 minutes.
  2. Place the carrot top pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Start out with parts of all ingredients and blend and add things until the flavor and consistency is what you are looking for.
  3. When the carrots are done, toss them with desired amount of pesto.
  4. Serve extra pesto with chicken, pasta, or as a sandwich spread. Really anything you would put basil pesto with. 
photos by: Natalie Leder
Can’t wait to see you on Wednesday! Don’t forget it is a meat week!

The Farm Crew