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Vegetable List
Chioggia Beets Swiss Chard Bell Peppers Dante Peppers Mini Bell Peppers Butternut Squash Sungolds Tomatoes Notes from the Farm Chioggia Beets smell like rain... I love everything about Chioggia Beets. I love the taste, the look, the greens, the smell. These beets are some of the genetically oldest cultivated beets in the beet family, discovered by outsiders in northern Italy sometime 2 or 3 hundred years ago... we seem to have started growing them here in the States sometime in the late 1800s. The most obviously unique thing about them is the candy-striping. When you cut into them you'll see they are ringed white and pinkish red. The thing that sets them apart is their earthiness, there is a smell, a taste, that is notably bold, more so than other types of beets, and this has everything to do with their levels of geosmin. Geosmin is an organic compound, C12H22O, to be precise, that give beets their beety flavor. Chioggia beets have very high, relative to other beet varieties, levels of geosmin... which is cool to know on it's own, but cooler to link it to the smell of the woods after it rains. You see, when it rains, or after it rains, dead bacteria in the woods (and other natural places) release geosmin in the air. That fresh, almost three dimensional, smell is geosmin. It's wonderful in the woods, and it's wonderful on your dinner plate. We almost always roast beets, or shred them in a cheese grater, because it helps keep the sugars in place. Steaming and boiling will leach some of the flavor, but there is a time and place for those cooking methods too... and fortunately, no matter how you cook them, there will be more than enough geosmin to go around... Recipes Beet Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Mint Vinaigrette Bunch of beets, trimmed 1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (about 5 ounces) 2 tablespoons minced shallot 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint 1/4 cup walnut oil or olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place beets on sheet (if using both light- and dark-colored beets, place them on separate sheets to prevent discoloration). Sprinkle beets lightly with water. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until beets are tender when pierced with fork, about 40 minutes. Cool on sheet. Peel beets. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Place in resealable plastic bag; chill.) Using cheese slicer or knife, slice beets very thinly. Slightly overlap slices on 6 plates, dividing equally. Sprinkle with cheese, then shallot, salt, and pepper. Whisk vinegar, mint, oil, and sugar in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over beets. Sprinkle with chives. Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Chard 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1” pieces 2 tbsp. olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 8 oz. pappardelle 12 tbsp. unsalted butter 1 cup walnuts, toasted and lightly crushed 3 cups chard, chopped Heat oven to 425°. Toss squash with oil, and salt and pepper to taste; spread out in a single layer on a baking tray and bake 25 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse; set aside. Heat butter in a 12” skillet over medium heat; cook until milky foam settles at the bottom of the skillet and turns nut brown. Toss in pasta, squash, and walnuts; add chard and toss until just wilted. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Japanese-Style Swiss Chard and Sesame Salad 1 Large bunch Swiss chard (1 pound 3 oz.), stripped of stems (about 14 cups) 1 large clove garlic 2 tbsp. sesame seeds 1⁄2 tsp. red pepper flakes Pinch of salt 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1 to 2 tsp. sesame oil Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt heavily. Rip the Swiss chard into large pieces and boil for one full minute in the water, until tender at the stem. Shock the Swiss chard in ice water, and drain, squeezing lightly to remove excess water. In a large mortar and pestle crush the garlic clove and then add the sesame seeds, pounding to crack and release their fragrance. Add the red pepper flakes, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil and pound until combined. Add half of the Swiss chard and pound lightly to infuse with the aromatics. Add the rest of the Swiss chard, if it fits, or pour everything into a bowl and muddle the seasonings and greens until fully coated. Transfer the salad to a serving dish and chill before serving.
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Vegetable List
Mokum Carrots Swiss Chard Beatrice Eggplant Flat Leaf Italian Parsley Bell Peppers Brussels Sprouts Sungolds Tomatoes Long Pie Pumpkin Notes from the Farm I have three thoughts... Long Pie Pumpkin might be the best all around squash, Parsley is woefully misunderstood and underused, and the Balsamic-Red Onion, Chard & Gorgonzola Tart my daughter made last week is maybe the best thing I've eaten all year... Long Pie Pumpkin, or Nantucket Pumpkin, or Nantucket Squash is easily my favorite winter squash. It is reliably moist, sweet, flavorful and versatile. It has a long cavity, like delicata, and is classified typically as a pumpkin, but, pumpkins are just squashes, and most commercially available pumpkin pies are made out of butternut squash anyway... getting hung up on using pumpkins for pumpkin things and squash for squash things is kinda like saying red and green apples are completely different... I mean, they have their differences, but at the end of the day, and apple is an apple, and a squash is a squash. You can peel and cube it, cut it length wise and roast it, steam and blend it... there is no wrong way to go with Long Pie Pumpkin. It's been a few years since we've grown it, we used to grow tons of it, and I think maybe, just maybe, we over did our Long Pie Pumpkin fixation... so we grew some more this year, and really, I had forgotten how much I loved it. Parsley is second only to salt as the secret weapon for well trained chefs. Parsley is often seen as a garnish, and it's a good garnish, but more than that, Parsley tastes fresh. Cut up fine, like really fine, and sprinkled over any dish, and that dish becomes instantly more fresh tasting... somehow... it's amazing. Fresh parsley is one of the most consumed herbs in commercial kitchens because of the way it makes food simply taste more fresh. Cut it up, leaf and stem, and cooked, fold, wilt or apply fresh to your meals, you won't be able to pinpoint the flavor, but it'll ratchet all the flavors of the dish up two and a half notches. And finally, while we were all mingling during the CSA pickup, Addie, farm daughter, was in the kitchen making a Chard Tart. I found a recipe, and told her to give it a whack... and she whacked the ever-livin' bejeezus out of it. The combinations of sweet caramelized red onion, bitter greens, sharp sour cheese, and buttery crust, make a tremendous unified flavor that is hard to describe. The only substitution we made was with a homemade pie dough crust instead of the puff pastry, otherwise, followed to a T. I've included the recipe below, and I'd recommend you give it a go... just to say you did, and that you weren't out-cooked by a 10 year old... Recipes Balsamic-Red Onion, Chard & Gorgonzola Tart 3 Tbs. olive oil 2 small red onions, halved and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar 1 small bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces All-purpose flour for rolling 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17-oz./530-g package), thawed [we make a buttery pie dough] 1/4 lb. (125 g) Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 1 egg, lightly beaten Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a fry pan over high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and season with salt and pepper. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn a deep brown, about 10 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the onions to a bowl. Return the pan to medium-high heat; do not wipe the pan clean. Warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and add the chard. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, tossing the chard to coat in the oil, just until beginning to wilt, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the onions, toss to combine and let cool. On a floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch (25-by-35-cm) rectangle. Fold over 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each side of the dough to create a border. Fold the dough gently in half, center it on the prepared baking sheet and unfold. Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Distribute the chard and onion mixture evenly around the tart and top with the cheese, leaving the borders uncovered. Brush the borders of the tart with the egg. Bake until golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve. Serves 4. Homemade Parsley Salt Recipe 2 cups chopped Parsley ½ cup Maldon sea salt crystals (or some other sea salt) Place the herbs and salt in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse grind. Be careful not to make a paste or puree, though. The salt will preserve the Parsley and provide a delicious ante-upped seasoning. Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Paprika Maple Aioli 2 cups medium brussels sprouts 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 garlic clove minced 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare the brussels by rinsing, removing the stem and cutting in half. Spread them out on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until crispy and browned. In the meantime, grab a small bowl. Combine the mayo, maple syrup, smoked paprika, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix and set aside until brussels sprouts are roasted. Serve the crispy brussels sprouts with the aioli on the side. Vegetable List
Chioggia Beets Mokum Carrots Swiss Chard Silver Queen Sweet Corn Baby Leeks Ride The Bull Red Onions Hot Peppers Tomatoes Delicata Squash Notes from the Farm I feel like hot peppers are a little misunderstood. I mean, yes, hot peppers are hot, and when eaten alone, are questionably enjoyable... but, they do have a place, and a good place, in almost any dinner dish. Hot peppers can make food spicy, but they don't have to... used sparingly, hot peppers can make a dish taste three dimensional, without adding any noticeable heat whatsoever. Hot peppers are in many ways are more similar to salt than they are to bell peppers... they are a flavor enhancer. The heat of peppers comes from a film coating the cavity. They are related to tomatoes, and the easiest way to understand the hot film, is to picture it as the juice in a tomato, they both kind of envelop the seeds and fill the space in the center... in tomatoes it's juice, in peppers it's a fine film. If you really don't like the heat of peppers, the easiest way to reduce it is to cut the pepper in half, and rinse it out under hot water while rubbing the insides clean getting rid of any inner seeds or ribs. If you like heat, don't do that. Next, take your peppers and dice them up fine, like really really fine, and put them in a little tupperware container for storage. You can use it fresh for a day or two, stored in the fridge, and then put the rest in the freezer and pull it out to use as needed... it freezes fine without any kind of blanching or other preparation. A quarter teaspoon in the pan with some olive oil, the way you would with garlic, before starting a braised Chard dish, will bring it to life. Prepared hot peppers, again, just a quarter to half teaspoon, in Corn Chowder is unreal. This hot pepper preparation is great for eggs and tuna salad and tomato sauces. It is amazing added to onions and peppers, caramelized and put on any kind of meat or fake meat or just on their own... It wasn't that long ago that Garlic was seen as an exotic, kind of objectionably strong, flavor only for the bravest of eaters. Garlic is now ubiquitous, and me telling you that caramelized garlic and butter is amazing in a savory oatmeal isn't a crazy suggestion... and if you give it a minute to think, you can picture the taste, and you are thinking that, besides the fact you've never tried it, it probably tastes pretty good... my hope is that we all can get there with hot peppers... Hot peppers don't need to dominate a meal, in most cases, they are best used sparingly and to the point of your eaters not even noticing a hot element was added. Plus, take a hot second and google the health benefits of eating hot peppers regularly... turns out they are astoundingly good for you. Also, leeks are very closely related to garlic, but are much more like a mild onion. You don't need to pair leeks with potatoes... yes, leeks and potatoes are amazing, but leeks are amazing with anything... I like them best on their own... and this variety of Baby Leek are exceptionally tender. We hope you enjoy. Recipes Sauteed Green Apples and Leeks 3 baby leeks 2 teaspoons unsalted butter 2 large green apples, such as Granny Smith, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced Split leeks in half lengthwise, and trim the bottoms, leaving a little of the root end intact so they stay together. Wash well, and dry. Cut leeks into thin strips about 2 inches long. In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter. Add leeks, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan, and set aside. Melt remaining teaspoon butter, and add apple slices. Turn heat to high, and cook until apples are lightly browned and soft, about 3 minutes. Return leeks to pan, and toss together to combine. Serve immediately. Caramelized Corn with Red Onion 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels shaved from the cob (about 3 cups) 1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices Pinch of sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, leaves In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the corn, onion, sugar, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the corn is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Delicata Squash with Hot Pepper Glaze 1/4 cup hot pepper jelly 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 2 medium delicata squashes, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-thick wedges, seeds discarded 2 teaspoons coarse salt Freshly ground pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir jelly, oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Place squashes in a large bowl; add jelly mixture and salt. Season with pepper, and toss. Divide squashes between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast until squashes are tender and bottoms are golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately. Easy Hot Pepper Jelly2 medium red bell peppers 2 hot peppers 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup water 1½ cups granulated white sugar 1/2 1.75-ounce box SureJell Low Prepare 6 small jars with lids. If canning the jelly, follow your favorite process/directions and sterilize the jars and lids. Remove the stems and ribs from the bell peppers and discard. Finely chop the peppers and add them to a deep, medium saucepan. Cut the cherry peppers in half and remove most of the seeds. Chop into a fine dice and add to the pan with the bell peppers. (Take care when cleaning and chopping hot peppers. Wear gloves and/or be sure to wash your hands very well in warm soapy water, a couple of times. Do not touch your eyes!) Add the vinegar and water to the saucepan. Place exactly 1½ cups granulated sugar in a small bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of sugar from the bowl and combine with the fruit pectin in a separate small cup. Pour the sugar/pectin mixture over the peppers and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that does not stop boiling when stirred on high heat; stir constantly. Add the remaining sugar and return to a full boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Be careful it does not boil over. Remove from the heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon and discard. Immediately ladle the jelly into the prepared jars and fill to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe the rims of the jars and add the lids. Process in a hot water bath if canning. Vegetable List
Brussels Sprouts Some Kind 'O' Kale Ride The Bull Red Onion Bell Peppers Dante Hot Peppers Mini Bell Peppers Tomatoes Cherry Tomatoes Salad Turnips Notes from the Farm Today is the end of the road for some of our members... summer members... it is, after all, the end of the summer. Eating seasonally is not normal anymore for most folks, in and around where we live. I mean, we all have our things, squash in the fall, radishes in the spring, summer tomatoes in august, corn on the cob in summer... it's good to have these totems, I have them, but I also eat oranges anytime I get an itch for one... when I was a boy, we didn't get our first oranges until Christmas... this world. Barbara Kingsolver wrote a pretty great book 12 or 13 years ago, Animal – Vegetable – Miracle, about her family's journey though a year of eating seasonally and locally... it has it's gaps, but is largely charming, and very illuminating. As it turns out, when you can get anything you want, whenever you want it (presupposing means), limiting oneself to eating seasonally is super tricky. We are not a full diet CSA, we don't give you everything you need to get by in a week, but we try and give you some pillar ingredients to ground the meals you are making. Local, seasonal, on your dinner plate. Normalcy is not the 2020 way, but we did the best we could to try and bring a little bit of normalcy to your week... normalcy and hopefully a little seasonal grounding. Thank you summer folks for your commitment to us, we hope you enjoyed the ride and hopefully we'll see you around the bend... and don't forget the Maldon Salt Crystals... Recipes Tomato Confit 3 lb. medium, ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 6) 2 tsp. kosher salt 2 tsp. sugar Freshly ground black pepper 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled 6 sprigs fresh thyme 6 bay leaves, preferably fresh 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; meanwhile, cut a shallow X into the bottom of each tomato. Set a medium bowl of ice water by the stove. Gently drop the tomatoes, 2 or 3 at a time, into the boiling water and cook just until the skin loosens, 20–30 seconds. Immediately transfer to the ice water using a slotted spoon or spider. Using your hands, peel the skin off each tomato (it should slip off easily at the X; if it doesn’t, return to the water for about 10 seconds more). Remove the peeled tomatoes from the ice water immediately; repeat with the remaining tomatoes. Slice each tomato in half crosswise, then use your fingers to gently squeeze out the seeds into a bowl. Discard the seeds and juice, or reserve for another use. Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Arrange the tomato halves, cut-side up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (it should be just large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer). Sprinkle evenly with the salt, sugar, and pepper. Distribute the garlic and herbs on top, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 30 minutes, then gently turn the tomatoes so they are cut-side down. Bake for 1½ hours, then turn again. Continue cooking until the tomatoes are completely soft but not falling apart, about 1½ hours more. Let the tomatoes cool in the baking dish, then transfer to an airtight container and pour the oil and herbs over the top. The tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Dressing Maldon salt 1 lb. dry penne pasta 2 cups fresh basil leaves, torn 1 cup (7 oz.) cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup (5 oz.) diced cucumber 1⁄2 cup chives, cut into half-inch pieces 1⁄2 cup (3 oz.) diced red onion 1⁄3 cup (½ oz.) mini sweet peppers, thinly sliced 1⁄3 cup (1¾ oz.) roasted, salted sunflower seeds 1⁄4 cup (1½ oz.) roasted, salted pepitas 1 cup (6 oz.) crumbled feta cheese 1⁄2 cup buttermilk 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste 1 1⁄4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1 tbsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce, such as Crystal brand 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh garlic 1 tsp. chile flakes Freshly ground black pepper Fill a large pot with salted water, and bring it to a boil. Add the penne, and cook until just al dente, about 10 minutes (the pasta will further soften as it soaks up some of the dressing). Drain, discarding the cooking liquid, and rinse the pasta well under cold running water. Drain well. Transfer the penne to a large serving bowl, and add the basil, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chives, red onion, peppers, sunflower seeds, and pepitas. Toss well and set aside. In a medium bowl, add the feta, buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, hot sauce, garlic, and chile flakes; mix well. Add the dressing to the pasta, and toss to coat. Season with kosher salt and a generous amount of black pepper. If desired, squeeze a little more fresh lemon juice over the top of the pasta salad, then serve immediately. Brussels Sprouts Gratin 1⁄2 cup panko-style bread crumbs 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 1 tbsp. minced flat parsley 2 tsp. lemon zest, 1 lemon 1 1⁄2 oz. grated gruyere cheese, divided 1 1⁄2 tsp. Maldon salt, plus more to taste 1⁄2 tsp. pepper, plus more to taste 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, rinsed, peeled and quartered 6 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced 3 slices bacon, chopped 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tsp. flour 1 cup heavy cream 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 oz. grated parmesan Make the gratin topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine panko, butter, parsley, 1 1⁄2 tsp. lemon zest, 1 oz. gruyère, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently and set aside. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and bacon, stirring frequently until the bacon is rendered and the shallots begin to caramelize, about 7-9 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and garlic and cook until they are just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice and remove from heat. Make the Mornay sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux and cook until it smells toasted and the color is a light brown, about 30 seconds. Add thyme and cream, stirring vigorously with a whisk to avoid lumps. Heat to a simmer, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the sauce through a strainer. Return the sauce to the saucepan and, over very low heat, add remaining gruyère and parmesan, stirring until the cheese has melted. Season with 1⁄2 tsp. salt and 1⁄4 tsp. pepper. Pile the sprouts into a 10-inch oval gratin dish. Pour the Mornay sauce over the sprouts and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top. Cover loosely with a sheet of tin foil and bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 12-15 minutes until the top is nicely browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Vegetable List
Napa Cabbage Montauk Sweet Corn Lacinato Kale Ailsa Craig Sweet Onions Parsley Bell Peppers Shallots Sungolds Bumble Bee Tomatoes Tomatoes Watermelon Notes from the Farm In northern New England (and everywhere else for all I know) the concept of a family farm is a simple designation of a small business that separates it from more industrialized farming. Pinelands is a great local example of family farm that evolved over time into a agricultural business with a capital B. The Gillespie family owned and ran that farm for decades (centuries? I have no idea) and they slowly grew, modernized, increased scale until they became the local production behemoth that is now owned by Pinelands... but if you ever go to visit, or pick strawberries, on Mayall road in New Gloucester, you'll see under the Pinelands sign, Gillespie Farm. And if you go in and talk with anyone, you'll see it's an amazing farm, run by a group of amazing farmers... we love Gillespie farm... but that's neither her nor there. We used to do business under the name Alma Farm. It was just a name, we kinda picked it out of a hat. Gina and I were newer together, and it was both of our first entry into business ownership, so we didn't want to commit too much of ourselves, ceremonially, into the business name. When we moved to Casco, we made a decision in heart and mind, to rename our farm... Hancock Family Farm. The name, and new logo, came with some real specific intention. One of our dearest mentors, Tom Earle, named his farm the Earle Family Farm. He farmed the land he grew up on, his parents lived on the land, he farmed with his wife and daughters, it was a community farm, and it truly embraces the family farm concept. We love him and his farm, and wanted, in part, to pay homage to him. We also were a family now, committed, married, children, and living in my historic homeland. The new name came with a new logo, which we very purposely borrowed from the West Oxford Agricultural Society, you may know it as the host of the Fryeburg Fair. If you head to the farm museum at the fairgrounds, or at the waterwheel near the entrance, you'll see the old WOAS logo... ours is fully a copy of that logo. We felt like we owed it to ourselves to walk in line with the agricultural tradition of the area, and the WOAS is as traditional as it gets. But when it comes down to it, we are a business, legally a corporation, but the organizing philosophy of our farm is family. This year, my mom has been an integral member of the farm, we wouldn't have made it without her. Our girls, 10 years old, have been farming hard. If you've picked up green beans, fairy tale eggplant, okra, blueberries, or watermelons, it was picked by them. They farmed hard this year... it was super fun to have them on board. We are a family that farms, not a family that lives and works on a farm. Everything we do is about the wholeness of our family & community, and we've been fortunate to be able to make a living doing it... although, I think even if we couldn't make a living, we'd still do it... we'd just have to farm harder, because, ultimately, once you've tried it, the idea of walking away from the family farm is crippling... I haven't tried on the idea of ending the farm yet, but I can imagine it's like losing a family member, and that's the real essence of it... a family farm is the totality of the family, the generations, the work, the familial dynamics... as it turns out, A Family Farm is greater than the sum of it's parts... and I feel fortunate to have stumbled into one. Recipes Caramelized Corn with Shallots 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels shaved from the cob (about 3 cups) 4 large shallots, cut into 1/4-inch slices Pinch of sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, leaves In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the corn, shallots, sugar, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the corn is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Sweet Onion Sandwiches 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt Freshly ground pepper 4 large rustic rolls, sliced in half 12 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, thinly sliced 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced 1 bunch arugula, washed and drained In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture on each of the halved rolls. Place Gouda on four halves, and top with sliced onion and arugula. Top with remaining halves. Vegetable List
Aji Amarillo Baby Bell Peppers South Florida Sweet, Corn Cucumbers Fairy Tale Eggplant King Kale Ailsa Craig Onions Peppers Spoon Spinach Sungolds Pink Bumble Bee Tomatoes Verona Grape Tomatoes Salad Turnips Some Kind of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash Notes from the Farm Week to week, we really have no idea what is going to be in the share. We have never really been able to plan it well. We generally know what to grow, what seasons overlap, what do not overlap, and kind of make a rough sketch of a flow of vegetables... But if you asked me today what was going to be in next week's share, you'd get a stare, blank and into the middle-distance. And if you had asked me last week, what this weeks share would be like, I wouldn't have told you there would be Baby Bells, or Fairy Tale... I would have stared blankly, and then lied, lied straight to your face. The thing that makes this so much fun on our end, is that it's like riding out a storm, landless, knowing we have no option but to provide food for the members. We are bailing for our lives, and having the time of our lives doing it. Sometimes I start talking and think to myself “I wonder what's going to come out next”, I'm not nearly as thoughtful as I'd like to be, and I think the farm has suited me well, because it too is always waiting to see what it provides next... The journey is the surprise, it's surprising, daily, like a jack in the box, but with corn. A Walk Through The Food Fairy Tale Eggplant: It's like regular eggplant, only sweeter, and don't peel it. We love it roasted and dipped in peanut or cream sauces. Aji Amarillo: This is the national pepper of Peru. It packs a lot of punch, fruity and hot. It's an easy google and worth the minute or two to find a great Peruvian recipe. Recipes Simple Roasted Grape Tomatoes 1 pint grape tomatoes 3 sprigs fresh thyme or oregano 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 garlic clove (optional), smashed Coarse salt and ground pepper Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with thyme or oregano, olive oil, and garlic, if using; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are very soft and skins have split, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with crackers or crostini. Date-Stuffed Baby Eggplants For the Bell Pepper and Eggplant Relish 1 medium Italian eggplant (about 10 ounces), halved lengthwise 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1 medium red onion, diced 3/4 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar), drained 2 tablespoons white vinegar Zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes For the Stuffed Eggplants 16 (3-inch) baby eggplants (about 2 pounds) 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 scallions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup basmati rice 1/4 cup cooked freekeh 2 tablespoons date paste 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes Pinch of ground ginger Pinch of ground cinnamon Pinch of ground cardamom 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 pound ground lamb 1/2 cup tahini 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice Make the bell pepper and eggplant relish: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush eggplant all over with 2 tablespoons oil and season with a pinch of salt. Place cut-sides down on one half of a rimmed baking sheet. Place garlic cloves and onion in the center of a 12-inch piece of parchment-lined foil. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to combine. Wrap to enclose and place on the other side of the baking sheet. Bake until eggplant is very tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Add cooled eggplant and roasted garlic and onion mixture, along with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and remaining ingredients, to a food processor; process until smooth. Make the stuffed eggplants: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss eggplants with 1/4 cup oil, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing every 5 minutes, until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium. Add scallions and garlic and cook until softened. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place rice in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Swirl water to rinse rice and drain. Repeat process 3 to 4 more times until water is clear. Cover rice with clean water and soak for 30 minutes, then drain. In a medium bowl, combine cooled scallion and garlic mixture, freekeh, date paste, tomato paste, spices, parsley, and mint. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Stir in lamb. Once eggplants are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut a slit in each eggplant from top to bottom, taking care not to cut all the way through. Carefully open each eggplant and fill with about 1 tablespoon lamb mixture. Place stuffed eggplants in a baking dish large enough to hold eggplants in a single layer and bake until filling is thoroughly cooked, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine drained rice, 2 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until rice is just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain rice in a colander. Whisk together tahini and lemon juice until smooth in a small bowl. Thin with 1 to 2 tablespoons water, if necessary, and season with salt. Transfer rice to a serving platter and top with eggplants. Serve with tahini sauce and bell pepper and eggplant relish. Crostini with Kale and Parmesan 1 baguette, sliced 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Coarse salt and ground pepper 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 pounds kale, preferably Tuscan, stems removed, leaves sliced into 1/4-inch-thick strips 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 small wedge Parmesan Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic over medium-high until garlic is fragrant. Add kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 cup water; cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated, 12 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Toss with lemon juice. Top crostini with kale. With a vegetable peeler, shave Parmesan onto top. Vegetable List
Cucumbers Beatrice Eggplant Napa Cabbage Bunch 'o' Parsley Bell Peppers Dante Hot Peppers Radicchio Spoon Spinach Sungolds Tomatoes Some Kind Of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash Notes from the Farm I work outside every day, and I'll tell you right now, there aren't 4 seasons, there are 12... I mean, I'm just going to go along with the Gregorian calendar, which I also think is a little silly, but I don't have it in me to challenge both the seasons and the calendar superstructure simultaneously... so, seasons, what's up with that? It's a total abstraction, but on the first of every month, there is a monumental sea-change. Weather is weather, and climate is climate, but nothing happens in a vacuum, and participant bias is foundational to any experience. July is not August and lumping them together with parts of June and September is absolute nonsense... , mashing that train-wreck of a shoehorned posse of months into a loose concept of Summer, well, it's ridiculous. From a straight farm perspective: May is the set up, days are cool, sometimes warm, nights are cold and the fields are clean. June is warmer, but it's a hollow warm, like the Earth hasn't heated up yet. The air is warm, the water and wood is not. We are planting and hoeing with the idea that this will be the perfect season, we have all the energy, we have all the resolve. July brings first summer... the real heat and long days, warm nights and warm water. In July we start harvesting in earnest, we are hoeing thinking we can stay ahead of the weeds, the bugs start their biblical marches, and it becomes clear we cannot do it all, but we're still bailing as fast as we can... and we wear the heat like a weighted vest... in July, we are not ready for the heat and humidity, our bodies respond slowly and with registered contempt. In August, the wheels come off. August is second summer. Cool at night, still getting those scorchers, but not quite as sever. The seasonal fatigue is setting in, but the coil is adjusted to operating in the unending heat, and our team efficiency is really cooking. August is when we start to see the Give-An-Eff meter running low... if we don't get to weeding, we don't get to weeding... this is the last of the really warm weather and we're going to lean back when we get a minute. August means more sideways afternoons and taking time to cook the food we've been growing. September is the beginning of the Nostalgia months. Riding out the farm year with nice days and cold nights, first frosts and winter squash, low light and quiet roads. September is still for swimming and ice cream, but less often, and the sweaters are out. September is for looking back at what was, this season, all the seasons, forever & ever. There is no one summer, as far as I can tell, and we are at the start of maybe the nicest month of the year in Maine (not that I don't love them all, but let's be honest...), and we're leaning back a bit... this is where the real fun begins. A Walk Through The Food Beatrice Eggplant: Just like any Italian style eggplant, but it doesn't reduce as much, doesn't need to be peeled or salted. Napa Cabbage: It's not like cabbage at all. Originally from China, it is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world now. We like it sliced thinly and used as a salad or lettuce substitute. It's great cooked and stuffed or made into a quick Kimchi. It's flavor, texture and freshness are hard to beat... hence the widely grown nature of it... Radicchio: Radicchio is not an entry level vegetable, and unless you're super familiar with the flavor, we recommend cooking it, not eating it fresh. Radicchio has a very European flavor (which is a farm euphemism for bitter... if you ever hear a farmer say European, they mean bitter). Don't be brave or creative with this one, go to the internet, ask the internet. It's one of my favorite all time vegetables, top 10 easily, but it turn evil on you if you don't treat it right. Spoon Spinach: It's an asian green, great mild broccoli flavor, wonderful as a fresh salad, in sandwiches or burgers. Recipes Radicchio-Cabbage Slaw with Honey 3 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground pepper 1 medium head napa cabbage (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips 1 small head radicchio, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips Whisk together honey, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until well blended. Season with pepper. Toss together cabbage and radicchio in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss to combine. Cover, and refrigerate at least 5 minutes. Just before serving, toss again. Eggplant Caponata Crostini 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons golden raisins 2 tablespoons pine nuts 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes 1/2 cup tomato paste 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more if needed 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/3 cup white-wine vinegar Coarse salt 8 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette Fresh basil leaves, for garnish In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; cook stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and sugar; cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 1/3 cup water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar (up to 1 tablespoon), as desired. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side. Top grilled bread with caponata; garnish with basil leaves. Caponata can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container; let cool completely before storing. Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanuts and Ginger 2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch long), peeled and grated 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil coarse salt and ground pepper 1/2 medium napa cabbage (about 1 pound), cored and cut into bite-size pieces 1 red bell pepper (seeds and ribs removed), thinly sliced 1/4 cup chopped fresh, cilantro 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, ginger, and oils until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and peanuts. Add dressing to taste, and toss to combine. Serve. Vegetable List
Nufar Basil Oh Boy, Beets! Rainbow Carrots Romanesco Cauliflower Anthem Sweet Corn Cucumbers Orion Fennel Muir Head Lettuce Sungolds Salad Turnips Some Kind Of Zucchini And/Or Summer Squash Notes from the Farm I'm not a hundred percent sure what it is about corn that makes so many people so happy... but it does... Corn makes people happy. It's a thrilling vegetable. And really, it's rare in the vegetable world... veggies are a lot of things, thrilling is not typically an adjective folks use unless they're being hyperbolic... I mean, lets be honest, it's just corn... I mean, Corn doesn't win the Superbowl. Corn hasn't sold out Madison Square Garden. Corn won't win a Nobel Prize or become a Poet Laureate. Corn is just corn... and it's temporary... but it is thrilling. When we put the corn sign out on route 11, the dynamic of the farmstand changes immediately. Folks come to get it, they want to know what kind it is, how it's growing this year... they tell stories about picking corn as a kid, before dawn in Concord Mass, to get it to the Boston Markets... stories about their granddad's corn, that he saved and planted, until one year when he didn't make it through the winter, but they kept the jar of his seed just in case someone in the family got the itch... stories about the best way to cook it, in milk, with butter, on the grill in the husk, on the grill husked, baked, broiled, steamed, soaked & microwaved... We get stories about the best ear they've ever eaten... I've met very few people that don't have a top five corn eating moments list, about the farm or farmer that grew it, about the company of friends and family, the camping trip, during a point deep in covid isolation, that first or last ear with a loved one. Corn hits like a primordial gong... BONG... it kind of resonates equally and instantly through the entirety of the universe... and any vegetable could do that... but corn does that, and that's what makes it so special. We take growing corn very seriously because we know the potential gravity of the corn eating experience. Growing organic corn is a bit tricky, and we don't always get it right, but we try, and we put more energy into corn than any other crop on our farm... for you, for us, for everyone. Corn is important. Corn is the staff of life... and it's thrilling. A Walk Through The Food Romanesco Cauliflower. Just like cauliflower, but green and pointy. We love this variety for it's rich nutty flavor. Don't be scared, it's really just the same as the white stuff, use it the same. Brined roasted cauliflower is a treat if you've never tried it... ask the internet, it'll know how. Orion Fennel. Fennel gets a bad rap. It's not just licorice flavored celery... although, it can taste like licorice flavored celery. It's been described as “the most versatile vegetable” by, now disgraced chef, Mario Batali... when caramelized in a pan, it has the flavor of sweet onion. It adds subtle a roundness to the flavor of most any ground meat. It was a staple crop of Italy and Italian food, until relatively reticently, when modern celery was introduced as a bland alternative. Try making fennel salt with the stocks and fronds, the way you'd make fresh celery salt... you won't be disappointed. Salad Turnips. Salad turnips are the sweeter, smaller, more palatable cousin of the more well known turnip varieties. They are kind of like sweet radishes. You can eat the tops, just ask any nostalgia driven country song, and the roots are great fresh or cooked. The turnip was THE staple crop of Europe, until about 1500, when potatoes made their way from the Americas and unseated the turnip... I mean, potatoes are good, and arguably better tasting than turnips, but the replacement of one for the other lead to widespread malnutrition and general malaise. I'm not really going to get into it, but the turnip is 10 thousand times more nutritious than potatoes, and yes, they are not potatoes, but they are delicious... and we hope you enjoy them. Recipes EASY FRESH CORN POLENTA 8 medium ears sweet corn 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (divided) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons vegan or dairy butter 1 teaspoon fresh parsley (more to garnish) Shuck the corn and slice the kernels off the cob into a large sauce pot. Milk each cob by sliding the back of your knife up and down to remove any remaining juice and corn (do not skip - this step is crucial). Then discard the cobs. Add just enough water to the pot to cover the kernels. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir and cover. Place over high heat until a gentle boil starts. Reduce the heat to low, keep covered and simmer for 8 minutes. Strain the corn, discard the water and set the pot to the side. Add the corn and pepper to a food processor and process until almost smooth (or your desired texture). Return the corn to the pot and add in the remaining salt, butter and parsley. Cook over low heat, while constantly stirring for 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if desired. Serve warm with more parsley and pepper to garnish. Fennel and Potato Bake 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, plus more for pan 2 medium fennel bulbs, (8 ounces each) 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled Coarse salt and ground pepper 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese 1/2 cup heavy cream Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Trim fennel bulbs; halve, and core. Slice bulbs and potatoes very thin (1/8 inch thick). Add potatoes to prepared dish in three layers, alternating with two layers of fennel; season each layer with salt and pepper, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Asiago, and dot with 1/2 tablespoon butter. (Omit cheese from final layer.) Pour cream over top. Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup grated Asiago; bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Vegetable List
Booya Broccoli Savoy Cabbage Cucumbers Orient Express Eggplant German Extra Hearty Garlic Muir Head Lettuce Red Tide Head Lettuce Pint o Peas Bell Peppers Sungolds Some Kind Of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash Notes from the Farm The crust is really the most nutritious part of bread... I always thought it was a lie concocted by exasperated parents... it's not. And it's a shame, I feel like there is an inherent distrust, a collective sideways looking set of eyes, that colors the dinner eating experience. At the farm, our customer conversations have led us to the fact that new vegetables are more often met with skepticism than enthusiasm... myself included... it's a self preservational impulse I suppose... culinary isolationism. In all cases, vegetable varieties have been cultivated, curated and selected for thousands of years. That puts 60 to 80 generations of people behind us that have eaten the same food... some cultural group of people, somewhere, liked that vegetable sitting in front of you at any given meal. To some ancestral stream, Okra was the most cherished food... or Collard Greens, or Fennel, or Hot Peppers... But somehow, as a kid (and maybe too often as an adult), a new food is slid across the table to me, and my immediate impulse is NO. I mean, I've gotten better at hiding it as an adult, but the 8 year old skeptic inside is resolute... not this time, I'm not falling for it again. And I'd like to think I'm different... food is my livelihood... but I'm not. What I have done over the years is to try and minimize the culinary conflict. None of the food we grow needs to be peeled (except the ones that do). We choose varieties of eggplant, beet, carrot, turnip, and cucumber that have delicious skins that do not have to be peeled. I don't want to have a delicious food hidden in a bitter package that might accidentally make it through and ruin my dinner... The vegetable varieties we grow have been selected for flavor, hard stop. Unfortunately, after World War 1, there was a breeding movement to make food more beautiful, shippable and uniform. Slowly the newer varieties of Tomatoes and Eggplants, Broccoli and Beets infiltrated our homes... they looked good, they tasted medium... and medium tasting vegetables have unfortunately become a beloved norm. There are other vegetable varieties out there in the world that have classic looks, get bigger, present well... but we're not interested in economic advantages of an elegant pre-masticated vegetable... we don't want it to look good in a cooler or at a farmers market, we want it to taste good in your mouth. And not everyone is going to love every food, but I can say, without reservation, at least food you get from us, that you don't need to peel your vegetables (unless you do [kohlrabi por ejemplo]). And when met with a grumpy partner or kid or parent reluctant to enjoy a new food, you can remind them that 80 generations have eaten the same food, that it isn't an accident or new at all, and that the crust really is the most nutritious part of the bread... and it's all true... A Walk Through The Food Savoy Cabbage: Savoy may be our favorite cabbage, and is the best true cabbage for fresh eating. It is light, crisp and tender. It's a wonderful slaw cabbage. It is also wonderful grilled or broiled with olive oil, Maldon's and caraway seed... sliced into wedges, rounds or just halved. Cucumbers: This week we're giving you one of every cucumber we grow. Silver Surfer, Marketmore, English Burpless, Picklers. They are all a bit different and all have their virtues... and in the end, all are cucumbers. You'll be getting more of each of them, but this is the beginning. Recipes Hoisin-Glazed Eggplant 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 orient express eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-thick slices and scored Salt Heat grill to medium. In small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce and 1 tablespoon oil; set aside. Halve eggplants lengthwise; slice a bit off the skin side so they lie flat, and score both sides in a crisscross pattern. Brush both sides of eggplant halves with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt. Grill until charred and tender, 4 to 7 minutes per side. Brush both sides generously with reserved hoisin mixture; grill each side again just to glaze, about 1 minute per side. Serve hot. Buttered Savoy Cabbage 1 savoy cabbage (2 pounds), halved, cored, and cut crosswise into 1-inch strips, thick ribs removed 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Place cabbage in a large skillet with 1 cup water (skillet will be very full). Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet; simmer until cabbage is very tender, tossing occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes. Pour out any water remaining in skillet. Add butter; season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Vegetable List Boro Beets IMPERIAL Broccoli Lacinato Kale Muir Head Lettuce Red Tide Head Lettuce Pac Choi Pint 'o' Snap Peas Green Bell Peppers Dante Hot Peppers Some Kind of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash Notes from the Farm Before farming, I'd never really thought much about head lettuce. In 2006, I left my public schools job, and teamed up with my buddy Sarah to work on a farm in North Yarmouth. I didn't know anything about the farm, or farming, but Sarah was already working there and she vouched for me and them. Meadowood Farm grew 8 acres of vegetables and 4 acres of flowers... I don't really know what they do now, but I know that they're still at it ,and are still one of the longest running farm booths at the Portland Farmers' Market. At Meadowood, I mostly hoed... I only hoed... I was not skilled labor. I would help with other tasks as asked, but they correctly slotted me in the blunt object category of farm worker, and I worked to be the best blunt object I could be... and I tried to pay attention. They did so many things so well... one of them, maybe most impressively, was to grow great head lettuce. From seed to market stand, they were lettuce maestros. We would set the planting furrows with a Valley Oak wheel hoe, drop trays, pull plugs from trays, drop seedling plugs, and plant with care... over and over again, every Monday, hundreds and thousands of heads. We'd harvest in teams, Bruce mostly cutting, the rest of the team cleaning and crating the lettuce, covering it from time to time with burlap to keep it out of the sun. We'd wash it in two (at least I think it was two) large tubs... one dunk and than another, and into short plastic trays with water... leafy greens are no different than flowers. Flowers in an empty vase are fleeting, lettuce is no different than a mixed bouquet, lettuce requires water to maximize it's flavor and keeping ability. They grew beautiful varieties of speckled boston, green leaf, read leaf, escarole... it was amazing. Beautiful food for the people... affordable, stunning, nutritious, underestimatable... I was hooked, I would be a lettuce farmer. My first gig running a farm, in South Tamworth NH, included my attempt to replicate that Meadowood lettuce protocol... and I did pretty good. I added a third bucked to the two bucked wash system, and I grew an embarrassing variety of lettuce, too many varieties, and I was excited about it... and I can laugh now at the number of times I was shut down by customers, mid sentence, because my lettuce enthusiasm was maybe a hair & a half too extreme. We did the same wheel hoe system, we marketed it the same, it was a good time to be a lettuce farmer in the greater Mount Washington Valley... but it didn't last. After a couple of years, Gina and I went out on our own and created Alma Farm (Changed to HFF when we moved to Casco). Alma Farm was tractor powered, and even though we did almost all planting, harvesting and weeding by hand, we were tractor centric... the Ford 4100 set the systems... and modernized our approaches to all kinds of farm tasks, including growing lettuce. We abandoned the single row, wheel hoe furrowed, lettuce system for tractor set beds. The tractor system made three rows per bed. We used a modified 3 Point Hitch Cultivator... it did the job. After some growing pains, we got pretty good at it. With the tractor, we could make straight(ish) rows and beds. It made it easier to plant, weed and harvest, and took up much less room not having a walking path between each row. The single bed, three tine, three row protocol stood for eleven seasons... it was maybe the most consistent feature of our farm over that time period. Any farmer that has come to work with us learned our system. They could probably all tell you, errorless, the entire process, seeding to sale, without hesitation. We take growing, harvesting, washing and storing lettuce seriously... like crazy seriously. You see, lettuce is the perfect vegetable. Lettuce is to farming, what the Cucumber Roll is to the Sushi Chef... it's so simple, so understated, but requires obsessive attention to do it well... and even when we do it well, it doesn't mean we'll do it well again... and sometimes we don't... sometimes we grow terrible lettuce... but we always look to grow a perfect bed of lettuce. This year, either by necessity or monotony, I tried a new system for growing lettuce. Gina has been suggesting for years that we use the Water Wheel Transplanter to plant the lettuce... which might as well have been a suggestion to trade in my daughters for robots... it was a nonstarter. We had our lettuce system, furrows and tractors, hand planting and spacing... and I loved it... but she was right, there was a better way... she was very, very right. We made these raised beds using our Mulch Layer... the Mulch Layer is the thing that makes those planting rows for everything in the main field. If you don't use any plastic on the Mulch Layer, you just get these nice raised beds. Then we let it set... the weeds started to grow, and we torched it with a Flame Weeder... it kills the emerging weeds and makes for a nice clean growing bed... and then we loaded the Water Wheel Transplanter with organic fish/seaweed fertilizer, the lettuce and a lot of deep breaths. The Transplanter has wheels on it that poke holes at desired distances, the crew sits on the back and plugs plants in the holes, one foot apart in this instance... and we can do two planting rows at a time... one raised bed, two rows... it was already a little unnerving. They were planted out and we waited... but not for long... About one month after planting out the lettuce seedlings, we harvested them today... and they are the most beautiful heads of lettuce I've ever cut. Something about the raised bed, the spacing, the season, the crew, everything, made these perfect. We didn't need to jump around to find the right heads, we cut right down the row, skipped maybe one or two heads, and I've never been happier cutting lettuce in my life. I know, this is ridiculous, it's lettuce, I get it... but it's more than that... lettuce might be the most significant crop we grow. Head lettuce is the still point of our turning farm. We are not serious farmers... we keep terrible records, we make half hearted attempts at solving problems, quickly abandon crops that look like they're on the sad side of questionable. We tend to take a global approach with our farm, worrying more about the greater whole than the specific singularity... this whole operation is held together with cosmic bailing twine... except for a few things, there are a few things that ground our farm, hyper focused singularities... lettuce is one of those touchstones. This is my 15th season farming, and I finally grew a perfect bed of lettuce... and I could not be more excited to share it with you all. A Walk Through The Food Boro Beets: It's a beet, you eat it... but it's a fresh beet, so you don't need to, and shouldn't, peel it. Fresh beet's skin isn't set up, so there's no difference between the meat and the flesh. Also, the greens are still pretty good and good to eat. Beets and Chard are genetically the same plant, Beta Vulgaris, one was selected for tops, one was selected for bottoms. So you can eat beet greens like chard, and honestly, you can dig up and eat chard roots like beets... Imperial Broccoli: Fresh broccoli is a different kind of food... and broccoli doesn't keep well, you don't want to know how they keep it looking good in stores, so eat it up sooner than later. Lacinato Kale: This is a great version for Kale & White Beans... it's heartier, richer flavor holds up well to heavy cooking. It can be made into marinated Kale salads, and can be used any way kale is used... but it's also the most common variety found in northern Italy... so it's a good excuse to dust off your inner Dianne Lane, and explore the world of Tuscan Kale. Pac Choi: A classic Asian head green. It is classically stir-fried, but there are many other ways to use it. AND, the stem is the best part! We use it as a celery substitute for chicken & tuna fish salad. We also like making Bourgeois Ants On A log. Take the stems off the plant, keeping the leaves connected to the stems, fill with Almond Butter & Dried Cranberries, dust it with Maldons Salt... amazing! Recipes Broccoli With Olives 1 head broccoli, cut into medium florets 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 cup pitted and slivered Kalamata olives (easily found in the pickle isle) Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Put broccoli in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and steam until just tender, about 7 minutes. Briefly plunge into ice-water bath. Drain; pat dry. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add half of the broccoli, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in half of the olives. Cook until heated through. Transfer to a serving dish; cover. Repeat with remaining oil, broccoli, salt, pepper, and olives. Combine batches. Serve immediately. Beet Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Mint Vinaigrette bunch of beets 1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (about 5 ounces) 2 tablespoons minced shallot 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint 1/4 cup walnut oil or olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place beets on sheet (if using both light- and dark-colored beets, place them on separate sheets to prevent discoloration). Sprinkle beets lightly with water. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until beets are tender when pierced with fork, about 40 minutes. Cool on sheet. Peel beets. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Place in resealable plastic bag; chill.) Using cheese slicer or knife, slice beets very thinly. Slightly overlap slices on 6 plates, dividing equally. Sprinkle with cheese, then shallot, salt, and pepper. Whisk vinegar, mint, oil, and sugar in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over beets. Sprinkle with chives. White Bean and Kale Stew 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 stalks celery, diced Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 can (15 ounces) whole tomatoes, chopped (juice reserved) 1/2 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and diced 1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained and rinsed 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into small pieces 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and season with salt. Cook vegetables, stirring, until tender, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium high and add tomatoes and their juice. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add 7 cups water, potatoes, and beans, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, then stir in kale. Cook, covered, until tender, about 2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan. |
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