Farm to Folk Newsletter     September 16, 2008

 “A little extra info from the farms to the folks”

website: www.farmtofolk.com

Berry Patch   

 Pick your own hours this week: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings 9 -1.  Now harvesting  several varieties of apples: Honey Crisp, Earligold, Gala, Mollie's Delicious, Zesta, Nova, Red Cort, and more blackberries, red raspberries, elderberries.

Paul's Grains  Check their website for products and prices, then email your order to Marilyn.  They may deliver again in Sept if there are significant orders.
 

Full Circle Farm  will deliver this week.

Grains of Wisdom no bread this week.

Meet the Members 

Had we been guests at Cedar and Chris Johnson's wedding, we probably could have guessed they would eventually end up members of Farm to Folk. You see, they had a potluck meal at their wedding reception. So what's the connection, you ask. The principles behind the potluck and Community Supported Agriculture are more alike than you might think. If Wikipedia can be trusted, the etymological origin of the word "potluck" reveal it was "food given away to guests," derived from "whatever food one is lucky enough to find in the pot." In other words, the potluck was created from whatever food happened to be available that was put in the pot. Sound familiar? If you're still having difficulty linking the notion of the potluck and CSA, it might help to know that potluck meals also share the responsibilities and costs (and pleasures!) of food procurement and meal preparation among a large group of people who are, primarily, eaters and fellow citizens. In addition, potlucks draw on local and family food cultures, knowledge and experience. Thus, it is no surprise we find Cedar and Chris, potluck extraordinaires, in our company. But they didn't start out on this path. Ironically, they met at the food line at the University of Northern Iowa cafeteria where Cedar served up large quantities of commodity food with a bright smile, while Chris ate it up.

Cedar grew up in an environmentally-aware family with a particular aversion to the application of agricultural chemicals. Chris grew up on an acreage surrounded by sheep. Today, Cedar is employed by Practical Farmers of Iowa where she works with youth and membership services. Chris is a doctoral student in computer science at ISU where he is also a part-time lecturer. Despite his strong ties to the virtual world, Chris wants to teach young and less young students alike the value of using computers to address issues in the real world. He also wants to live a balanced life, which for him means getting his hands dirty once in a while. But Cedar and Chris seem to disagree on the best way to do that. Chris thinks this can be achieved by working the soil on occasion. Cedar, on the other hand, thinks sheep are the answer. As we parted company, Cedar exclaimed enthusiastically (with another bright smile), "I can't wait to have sheep one day!" The couple is expecting their first child in October. We expect the sheep to arrive shortly thereafter.

Iowa Fresh Produce:

Hello all-

Well this certainly had been a season of "firsts" Not only was it the first
time for a complete bust on Spring cole crops  it was the first time my
dependable little tractor let me down for an extended period of time. It was the first time water ran over the tops of blooming peas..... Nick also is experiencing 'firsts"- his first homecoming dance he cared to go to., a first in that he can now find dress pants to fit ( with no booty and 32X34 size its still a challenge!)... I haven't sat down with him and had one of those extended "father /son talks"  and not so sure I will. How do you tell an enthused young kid that his best years are about behind him. Yup that 'lil  4 yr old boy that had carried a 3' overgrown zucchini up from the field and announced that "we needed to get out there and pick them" is going to graduate this year (knock on wood!) So he's changed and yet he hasn't as he still prefers that managerial role to good hard work!

The season is beginning to wind down here. We are just beginning to pick on the second to last planting of beans and barring a frost will have the last 3 beds to look forward to picking probably the latter part of next week. Tomatoes are getting blight in them now- this wet year wreaked havoc on them for me as I had purposely spread out the planting this season and it seems each planting succumbed to some sort of inclement weather.  After losing ½ the cherry tomatoes early on when we lost the plastic on the greenhouse the other 1/2 is about to its hiatus. We should be able to bring them at least once more -if I have enough green baskets to go around. Otherwise be sure to wear something to distribution with pockets. Fall spinach is slowly coming along as well as bok choi, radishes etc. Its always a guess this time of year as to when to plant because the weather can become so unpredictable this time of year. Too hot and they won't germinate and too cold and they are so slow to grow.

 This week we'll be bringing:

peppers
tomatoes of some sort
cherry toms
leeks
onions
carrots
the remainder of the personal melons- these will probably be   the yellow ones for the most part

 As harvesting consumes less time each day I am slowly whittling down all those projects. Seems that the list grows faster than I can mark jobs off.

BUT that is NOT a first!

Driving down to Ames last Tuesday I was really surprised to see how
radically different the  field crops had changed in just a couple of days.
Now there are whole fields of soybeans turning yellow , the corn for the most part is  drooping its ears( a sign  that the ears have reached maturity) and even some of the trees are beginning to turn. I imagine in another 10 days or so a drive over to the Des Moines river valley or to the Ledges might be on the agenda.

Enjoy your weekend,

 Bruce

Small Potatoes Farm

Hello Everyone,

      Deliveries

      We will be bringing potatoes, carrots, summer squash, peppers, some eggplant or beans, tomatoes, garlic and cucumbers. Potatoes this week are again 'Desiree'. In addition, we'll bring a melon.

If you recall, our first planting was ruined by heavy rain and we tried to sneak in a second. It appears we were successful. We have a variety of mostly Asian melons, with some cantaloupe – a ratio based on leftover seed. I sure hope they are ripe inside. I think the smell test is the best - wait for a nice fragrant smell.

      Greens share will be kales and mustard.

      Happenings

      I've been collecting acorn squash that have physiologically matured, but are not quite ripe from dying vines. I'm tempted to deliver some of them next week. Tillie and I had one a few days ago, and while not totally sweet, we found it to be very good (and a good change). The winter squash field, in such dire straits from the rain, has turned out to be a good producer, despite the many setbacks. There was a discussion about just tilling it in a couple months ago.

      I've been trying to get as many cover crops planted as possible. I've run out of cereal rye, the latest cover I can plant and have moved over to oats. I've been really pleased with the sorghum-Sudan grass I tried as a summer cover this year. It is a tremendous producer. It also has some anti-nematode properties. This was the first year I've seen root nematodes in the carrots, surprising since we have such a long rotation.

 
      We are in fast (panic?) mode with our field day and member potluck approaching. If you are interested in visiting our farm and another local CSA, please come to the field day. It will be a little farmer-orientated (efficiency systems and post-harvest handling), but might be of interest. A fund-raiser meal follows. The menu:

      - Four variety garlic tasting
      - Brochette and Lovage Tisane
      - Gazpacho and Mustard Ice Cream
      - Pork and Garlic Ragout
      - Fresh corn polenta
      - Fire roasted summer vegetables
      - Berry Cobbler w/ Rose Geranium Cream

      The next week of course is the potluck (Sept. 20). Bring a chair, service and something to eat. Go to our homepage and click on events for more information about both.

      In the Kitchen (by Stacy)

      Rick is on a pie baking frenzy. So far this week an apple, a pear and an elderberry-apple. The neighbors have been dropping off fruit galore.

      I told Rick I would come clean and let you know that he was right and I was wrong about arugula.  All these years I'd held to the idea that I did not like it so I never used it.  We had a dinner party the other night and I thought salad would be appropriate, but having no lettuce I made a kale/arugula salad for Rick and company.  I decided to try it myself and it was fabulous.  I've had several arugula salads since.  I can't bear one more "I told you so..." or "Think of how many arugula salads we've missed..." so I am making this public admission and sending out a recipe w/ arugula to wipe the slate clean.  Here is Lynne Rossetto Kasper's Crusty Potatoes with Wilted Arugula.

      1 1/2 lbs. small yellow or red skinned potatoes ('Desiree')

      Extra-virgin olive oil

      8 cloves garlic cut into 1/2 inch dice

      2 tbs. water

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      1 cup finely chopped young arugula

      1/4 medium onion minced

      1/3 cup white wine vinegar (we don't have this so I used about 1  tbs. of balsamic)

      1.  Simmer potatoes until tender enough to be pierced but not falling apart. Drain and cool.  Slice potatoes about 1/2 inch thick.

 Lightly film bottom of 12 inch sauté pan w/ olive oil.  Add garlic and water and warm over medium-high heat, then turn to low, cover and cook 20 minutes or until garlic is soft but not browned.  Remove garlic with slotted spoon and reserve.

      2.  Turn heat to high and add potatoes, sprinkle w/ salt and pepper, turn gently to coat with oil.  Then spread out in single layer and sauté until golden brown on the bottom.  Turn and take to golden brown on other side.  Add arugula and onion and cook over medium high heat 1 to 2 minutes, turning frequently.  Arugula should wilt and begin to crisp. 

      3.  Quickly add vinegar and scrape up the glaze at the bottom of the pan, taking no more than about 30 seconds.  Immediately turn out of pan onto a serving plate.  Sprinkle with the reserved garlic, taste of seasoning, and serve at room temperature.

      Have a great week,

      Rick, Stacy and Tillie

 Recipes

Jill Colver submitted this recipe.   

Roasted Butternut and Spinach Salad

Pair hearty winter squash with a monounsaturated fat and you've got the ultimate waistline-slimming meal

By Miriam Rubin

45 minutes + cooling time

SERVINGS: 4

3/4 lb precut butternut squash cubes (3/4") or 1/2 med butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
(2 c) 1 lg red bell pepper, cut into 3/4" pieces
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt, divided 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 tsp honey
1/4 sm red onion, chopped (about 1/4 c)
4 c loosely packed baby spinach (4 oz)
1 sm Gala or Golden Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 c thinly sliced radicchio
1/2 c unsalted sunflower seed kernels (MUFA)

 
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.

 2. Toss squash and bell pepper with 2 teaspoons of the oil, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of  the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper in medium bowl. Arrange in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until tender and lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes.

 3. Whisk lemon juice, honey, and remaining 4 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in large salad bowl while squash roasts. Stir in onion. Add spinach, apple, radicchio, sunflower seeds, and squash mixture and toss to combine.

 Nutritional Info Per Serving: 238 cal, 5 g pro, 25 g carb, 7 g fiber, 15 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 338 mg sodium

Arugula and Couscous Salad

from Nan Heginger - submitted by - "my family tried this recipe for the first time this week and we love it! Must sit overnight and then has great flavor and the arugula is not strong. Spinach works too."

1 1/2 cups couscous

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch arugula (or spinach), leaves washed thoroughly, spun dry, and shredded fine (about 2-4 cups)
3 large green onion tops, sliced thin
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, or to taste

Cook couscous according to package directions (without the fat or salt) and let cool completely. Stir in lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in arugula, scallions, and dill and chill salad, covered, at least 2 hours or overnight.  Makes about 6 servings as a side dish.

See you Tuesday!

Marilyn, Corry and Deb