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Farm
to Folk Newsletter September 30, 2008
“A little extra info from the farms
to the folks”
website: www.farmtofolk.com
Coming events!
Saturday Oct.18: Second annual Farmer Appreciation Potluck This event is done in cooperation with the
Ames Slow Food group to show our appreciation to the local farmers that feed us
and take care of the land. Appetizers/butter making demo at 5, dinner at
6. A short program will follow with an
update on Farm to Folk.
Sunday September 28: Octagon Art Festival will take place in downtown Ames. This is downtown
Ames largest event to take place in the Main Street
Cultural District! More than 110 juried artists from Iowa and 8
surrounding states will be participating with unique, hand-crafted artwork
for sale. A children's craft area will offer hands-on experiences, and
food vendors will provide tasty cuisine. Two stages will be filled all day long
with live music and performing arts entertainment. Prepare to surround yourself
with art at the Octagon Art Festival! Admission is free for festival visitors.
Marilyn’s booth of woven items will be in front of Wheatsfield right
next to the children’s activity area.
Buy
Fresh Buy Local newsletter: http://www.drake.edu/news/dbletter/buyfreshbuylocal/
Berry Patch Farm
Free hayrides Saturday and Sunday 1 - 5PM
Now harvesting several varieties of apples. Quantity discounts!
SALE PRICE NOW on RED
RASPBERRIES!
Honeycrisp, Jonafree, Earligold ,Gala, Macoun, Nova mac, Lura Red, Nova,
RedCort, Cortland, Jonathon, and more
Fall red & gold raspberries, blackberries, pumpkins and gourds
Full Circle Farm will deliver this week.
Grains of Wisdom will deliver this week.
Nick Wallace will deliver this week.
Iowa Fresh Produce:
Hello all-
Is anyone wondering IF I am color blind or if those were just
the "other green bean"? I had
begun picking the wax beans first and by the time I got to the green beans the
mists /rain slowed the harvest to
finally a halt. I did manage to get them picked Tuesday just before departing
for Ames. Hence
the reason you got wax beans instead this week. Rather than try to hold those
beans over you won't be receiving any this week as I doubt the next patch will
be ready by Tuesday.
Work has begun once again on the green house as I framed out
windows and doors this week. That will allow the North end to be closed .
Hopefully we'll find time to get some plastic and then drape that over the
framework soon as frost is imminent one of these days. That takes several people to accomplish
however and with my main assistant ( Nick) busy on the grid iron all week long,
weekends are the only time that is allocated to those two person tasks.
This week you'll find:
peppers
eggplants
onions
carrots
spinach
an
eclectic mix of tomatoes
"grower's
choice"
will be bringing some sunburned peppers for
cleaning and freezing for later on if
you'd like
Hm? "grower's
choice" reminiscent of school days
and 'cook's choice' when you'd look and
were never quite sure what it was on your plate. There may be enough for all
shares or perhaps we'll just set it there for you to decide upon as we are beginning to glean various crops.
Enjoy the beautiful Fall weather
Bruce
and for the record- I
once owned a "grey" suit that I would normally wear a grey or green
dress shirt with. One time I decided to put on a blue shirt for something different for which I was
chastised for. Apparently wearing a sky blue shirt with a green suit is a
fashion faux pas. Good thing all colors go well with blue jeans *S*
Small Potatoes Farm,
Hello
Everyone,
Deliveries
We
will be bringing 'Elba' potatoes, carrots,
summer squash, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, lettuce or spinach, sweet turnips,
cucumbers and parsley. Maybe some beans and winter squashes. Remember, this is
our last regular delivery. If you signed up for the regular and/or greens
share, the last delivery will be Sept. 30th. If you have an extended share,
deliveries will continue until we have nothing left to deliver.
Send Marilyn a note if you'd
like a bag of basil for processing.
Greens
share will be red Russian, winterboer kale, mustard and some collards and or
chard.
Happenings
The weather and sun has us in their
seasonal clutches. The main result of their influence is an insatiable appetite
for snacking and the oppressive weight of tiredness during the afternoon.
Tillie has perfected reaching and grasping and puts all edible and non-edible
items into her mouth. She seems immune to the seasons so far, but will surely
miss fresh tomatoes and fruit as they are among her favorites.
Iowa State
is finishing collection of data at the farm for the season. The last bug traps
line the borders of our farm like sentries. I suspect they will collect a lot
of bean leaf beetles as they are moving from the drying bean fields for
succulent fare such as our lettuce.
Thanks so much for all who came out to
the potluck last weekend. It was a really nice day and a nice gathering. Since
we moved it earlier in the calendar year, the weather is much nicer and there
are more things to see. The downside is all the other events vying for the last
great summer weekends. I just happened to catch part of the news and realized
both the Latino festival and Beaverdale's annual celebration was going on.
Minburn even had a band.
What
Stacy's Mom Is Doing
Stacy's mother seems determined to buy a
condominium in her development that is up for sale. She feels this will be a
good investment as the price has fallen dramatically. She has told Stacy the
only impediment to the deal is Stacy's refusal to move into it. It could be a
'part-time' home for her and the baby. The new spin on the condo negotiations
is that this could be a 'vacation' home. The appeal is that I could finally
afford to take us all on vacation.
What's
Happening In The Kitchen
Canning. Freezing.
Abby Chungath was at the potluck Sat. and
sent a bunch of great recipes to us. Thanks Abby. Here are three that have
ingredients from this coming delivery. I will eventually get them all on the
website. Have a great week.
Rick, Stacy and Tillie
Beautiful
Beet Soup
from "Gardeners' Community
Cookbook" a Smith & Hawken book compiled by Victoria Wise
3/4 lb. trimmed beets
3/4 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut
into 1-inch chunks
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh dill
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup half-and-half
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper
8 fresh mint leaves
Sour cream or yogurt, for garnish
4 thin slices lemon, for garnish
(optional)
1. Place the beets and 4 cups of water in
a pot and bring to a boil. Adjust the
heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook until fork tender all the way through,
30 to 50 minutes depending on the size and age of the beets. Drain through a colander set over a bowl,
reserving
the liquid. Set both the beets and
liquid aside to cool.
2. When the beets are cool enough to
handle, peel and cut them into 1-inch chunks.
Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, place the potatoes, onion,
dill, and broth in a pot and bring to a boil.
Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes
are fork mashable, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside to
cool without draining.
4. Transfer the potato mixture, including
the liquid, the drained beets, and 1 1/2 cups of the reserved beet cooking
liquid, to a food processor. Blend until
smooth. Stir in the half-and-half, lemon
juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve hot or chilled, garnishing each
bowl with 2 mint leaves, a dollop of sour cream, and a lemon slice, if using.
Black Raspberry and
Beet Brownies with Chocolate-Sour Cream Topping
from "Gardeners' Community
Cookbook" a Smith & Hawken book compiled by Victoria Wise
Makes 18, 2" squares
Oil, for greasing the pan
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room
temp.
4 small trimmed beets, cooked, peeled,
and pureed (about 1/2 lb)
3/4 cup black raspberry jam
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a
saucepan or microwave bowl and heat until
melted. Add the beets and 1/4 cup of the
jam and whisk to smooth. Set aside.
3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add
the salt, and beat until foamy. Add the
sugar and vanilla and whisk until blended.
Whisk in the chocolate-beet mixture, add the flour, and continue
whisking until blended into a batter.
Pour the batter into the baking pan.
4. Gently melt the remaining 1/2 cup jam
without boiling it and drizzle over the top of the batter. Use a knife to make swirled pattern, lightly
cutting through the batter. Bake for 25
to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
5.
Prepare the topping, if using.
6. Remove and cool the brownies. Spread the chocolate topping, if using, over
the top. Cut into squares and serve at
room temperature. Will keep, wrapped in foil,
in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Chocolate-Sour
Cream Topping:
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients in a small
bowl and whisk to smooth. Use right
away.
Sloppy
Salsa Joes
from "Kid Favorites Made
Healthy" by Better Homes and Gardens
1 lb. lean ground beef, OR 1lb. veggie
ground meat-substitute
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped yellow summer squash
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1 16-oz. jar salsa
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
6-8 kaiser rolls, split and toasted
1. In a large skillet cook ground beef
(or veggie meat), onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until brown. Drain off fat. Stir in zucchini, yellow summer squash, mushrooms,
and sweet pepper.
Cook, covered, over low heat for 5 to 7
minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in salsa, basil, parsley, and
rosemary. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until
most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve
on toasted rolls.
See you
Tuesday!
Marilyn,
Corry and Deb
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