Farm to Folk Newsletter July 29,2008
Farm to Folk is a member of the Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign. Here is a link to the BFBL newsletter:
http://www.drake.edu/news/dbletter/buyfreshbuylocal/
Berry Patch:
This week's delivery will be blueberries.Now harvesting : blueberries, red and black currants, gooseberries .
Blueberries picked only Saturday mornings 8 -12,
please bring your own container (ice cream pail)
Pick your own hours are Monday - Saturday 8 -12
Full Circle Farm:
Remember to pre-order your grass-fed beef and they will deliver each Tuesday.Grains of Wisdom:
Mary Beth will be delivering pre-ordered breads.Meet the Members
This week we introduce Kate Skalak, a new member and volunteer at Farm to Folk. Kate, a Davenport, Iowa native, is a senior at ISU studying Mass Communication and Food Science. She found Farm to Folk through a search of the Local Harvest website (www.localharvest.org) and originally contacted us to job shadow, learn what we are doing to promote local foods, and find out about volunteer opportunities. We jumped at the chance to gain another volunteer and she has been helping out with all aspects of the distribution each week. She sees organic foods becoming more prominent in the marketplace and is emphasizing organics in her studies.
Kate works at the University Conference Center. In her leisure time, she enjoys playing basketball and soccer, running and snowboarding. Cooking is another passion and at Farm to Folk she finds pleasure learning about new fruits and vegetables as well as meeting and visiting with members and producers.
Iowa Fresh Produce:
Hello all-Seems we are still in unsettled weather for the near future..... we received another .4" of rain overnight. Now some years, at this time of year, that would be viewed as a Godsend or a crop saving rain. BUT this year...... only .4" BARELY worth the effort to stoop over and empty the gauge... Hopefully this means that the rains won't be quite so harsh. Seems every time I've had enough dry weather to plant any seeds lately I just get them in and then a
pounding rain either washes them away or buries them under more silt from higher up on the hill....much more of this and we'll be flatlanders for certain!
The 30 day forecast is out now as well. Indications are it’s to be cooler than normal. So fair goers and outdoor enthusiasts will be happy but at the cost of the summer veggies ripening slower. The first cukes and zucchini were picked yesterday and normally should come on strong. We'll just have to wait and see how "cool" the cooler than normal temperatures are as both are
a good barometer for cool weather( 1 cool day and productivity goes down until it warms up again) Tomatoes are now are a mature green stage with a few just starting to turn.
Finally I have heard a buzzing in my ears that wasn't from mosquitoes- the bumble bees finally have made an appearance! Other rogue bees seemed to have picked up for the absence of the honey bees as well...... For a while I was worried about that as they play such an important role. Toads seem to be getting fatter each week too...... ( I just wished they were fatter yet as
there are still plenty of mosquitoes and flies to go around!)Our prairie chickens apparently hatched a partial brood this year. I still have yet to see them but I noticed in the nest the other day that a couple eggs still sat whole amongst the shell halves of those that hatched.
For Tuesday:
Green bean
Bell pepper
Carrot
Onion
zucchini (perhaps it will have to wait until next week)
For some of you, you have probably heard this before but for any that haven't- try grilling some green beans. They're FANTASTIC! Just wash and butt the beans and place on a piece of aluminum foil that has a dollop of olive oil added to it..... Add onion slices, salt and pepper to taste, and wrap with a second piece much like you would making American Fries on the grill... I place them on the warming rack in the grill where they take approximately 30-40 minutes.....they taste like the green beans you get at a Chinese restaurant and a favorite here.
Bruce
Small Potatoes Farm
Hello Everyone,Deliveries
Deliveries will include carrots, onions, and beets for sure. With our storm and weather situation, we are assessing everything else on a day by day basis. I hope most all can get a pepper or two as well. If it doesn't rain too much, I'll dig some mid-season 'Keuka Gold' or 'Kennebec' potatoes.
Greens Share will be delivered in separate bags – choice of lacinato kale, red Russian kale or collards.
Happenings
I know many of you enjoyed Stacy as stand-in updater. It is true, she is a better writer than I, but alas we have our separate jobs.
The labor front is looking up. We have found two part-time employees. Both are very good workers and seem to really like the farm and the work. We remain hopeful they'll remain through the season.
We've taken down our pea trellis, been weeding, hanging garlic, pulling onions, thinning chard, working on delivery vans, trellising tomatoes and taking row covers off of winter squash.
Remember all of Stacy's good news last week (the short paragraph toward the bottom) about beans, peppers and greens? Well, most of it was undone by the storm of Sunday night. I've never seen such a storm. We had sustained hail, some very large, and sustained winds between 50 and 100 miles per hour. Although it left only 1.5 inches of rain, our total for the week went over seven inches.
Our power was out until Monday night, making the house unusually quiet. A tree took out the power line and two poles three houses down from us. Monday and Tuesday we cut up trees and limbs and finished all but one giant walnut.
A tree broke and landed in the chard field and most of the peppers blew over. It seems the greens have finally had all they can have and are dying in the lower areas. The beautiful beans were hit hard by the wind, but seem to be too wet, too, in portions of the field. Replantings are back under water. Things just don't look too good around here. I took some pictures and put them up on the website http://www.smallpotatoesfarm.com/July_2008.html.
We'll continue to do the best we can. Thanks for the supportive emails.
In the Kitchen
I've been making what Rick calls a meatless pot roast. Cut up carrots, potatoes, beets, and onion and place in roasting pan. Add diced tomatoes (we've been using canned ones from last season) and half a cup of vegetable boullion, salt and cracked pepper. Roast at 350 for about an hour. We eat the vegetables with rice, but of course this would be great with a roast too.
Rick put up a recipe on the website for Caldo Verde, a classic Portuguese soup that can be a great way to use greens from the greens share.
Most Notable Event
Our best tree on the farm, a beautiful 75 year old fruit-laden walnut was torn from the ground on Sunday.
What Stacy's Mom is Doing
Stacy's mother has a new idea for labor for us. She has deduced young Mormon missionaries are required to do hard field labor and has contacted the neighborhood Mormon church. Her second suggestion was the Bethel Mission in downtown Des Moines. When asked how the homeless would travel to the farm, she said to the effect, "They really want to get those people working, so they'll find them a way out there."
To Read
From Steve B., "This is an outstanding story that was on Nightline earlier this spring that is a summary/interview of the author of the book "In Defense of Food". Great edification of organic natural food and locally grown food. I thought you would like to see it and perhaps even include a link to this story in your next email update to... [fellow members]. It is about 7 minutes long.
Check it out at: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4757669&page=1"
Rick, Stacy and Matilda
Recipes
From Ada Mae Lewis
Here is a recipe I tried using the red currants from the fruit
share. It is a cold fruit soup. I served it over lemon ice cream
and it was to die for. I'll add the link to the recipe on line below.
Peach and Red Currant Soup
Peaches and Red Currants are a "marriage made in heaven". This soup may also be made with yellow peaches or a combination of different types of peaches.
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 lbs. white peaches
* 1 lb. red currants, washed and drained
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 organic lemon
PREPARATION:
1. Peel the zest of the lemon with a zester. Halve the lemon and press
it. Remove seeds and pour the juice into a saucepan.
2. Add the sugar to the lemon juice and bring to a boil.
3.Plunge half the currants into the syrup and take the pan off the heat as as soon as they burst. When the soup is tepid, filter the juices over a pan, lightly crushing the currants.
4. Peel and halve the peaches. Remove pit and cut into 1/2-inch thick
slices. Remove the rest of the currants from their stalks. Discard
stalks, add the currants to the peaches and the shredded lemon peel to the currant juice. Allow to chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator
before serving. Serves 6.
http://frenchfood.about.com/od/soupspotages/r/cspeachcurr.htm
Peach Salsa
This is a recipe contributed by Amy Edmondson. She enjoyed this with chicken and fish while staying with friends in St. Louis.
2 cups peeled, diced ripe peaches
1 medium onion, chopped (½ cup)
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ to ¾ teaspoon minced jalapeño or serrano chili
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup minced fresh mint
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
Combine all ingredients and let stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve with chicken or fish. Makes 3 cups.
From The Artist in the Kitchen: A Cookbook by the St. Louis Art Museum copyright 1993
See you Tuesday!
Marilyn, Corry and Deb