Farm Newsletter Week 10 August 22-27, 2022

Farm Newsletter Week 10

August 22-27, 2022    |    “B” Week

Amy was making all kinds of unique flavors of pesto at this weekend’s Pesto Fest. My favorite idea was adding lemon zest!

What’s in the Box this Week?

GOLDEN BEETS (1 QUART) ~ These have a beautiful golden yellow color. They can be eaten raw or roasted. Store the beet roots, with the rootlets (or “tails”) attached, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks. To prep: Just before cooking, scrub beets well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or a veggie peeler, then grate or cut them according to the recipe. To remove the skins, you can roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will slip right off. To freeze: Boil or bake beets until done. Cool them in ice water or let them come to room temperature. Remove peels. Trim the beets into 1/4 inch slices or keep them whole (if they are small). Place in Ziplock freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze.

KENNEBEC POTATOES (1 QUART) ~ Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for two weeks at room temperature. Light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. Don’t put them in the refrigerator, as low temperatures convert the starch to sugars. To prep: Scrub well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. Peeling is a matter of preference. In soups, the skins may separate from the flesh and float in the broth, but when baked, pan- fried or roasted, the skins acquire a crisp, crunchy texture.

GLOBE & HEIRLOOM TOMATOES (6) ~ You will receive two heirloom and 4 globe tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes will have cracks and weird shapes to them. They should be eaten on the first or second day, as they have a very low shelf life — but incredible flavor!! To store: Do not refrigerate tomatoes. Store them at room temperature out of the sun stem side down. Putting them in a paper bag will accelerate the ripening process. Heirloom tomatoes will have strange shapes and cracks. These are highly perishable and should be eaten within 1-2 days.

CHERRY TOMATOES (1 pint) ~ Store these at room temperature on your counter. Wash before eating. Eat them out of hand or try roasting them.

FRESH CELERY ~ Farm-fresh celery often includes skinnier stalks than what you’d find at the grocery stores. They are celery flavor bombs! To store: You can wrap your celery tightly in foil and place it in the fridge. This will keep it crisp for weeks. If you don’t want to use foil, try chopping the celery into smaller stalks and putting them in a bowl of water in the fridge. To prep: Rinse well. Cut a half-inch off the base. Cut the tops off the celery. Save these for your freezer scrap bag and make broth later! You can also save the tops and use them for salads, for dried herbs, or DIY celery salt. To freeze: Freezing celery is not recommended.

POBLANO PEPPERS (2) ~ These are often used for stuffing with cheese. They have a mild heat to them — think Tejano cuisine! To store: Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks. You can also dehydrate peppers for long-term.  To freeze: Wash and dry. Keep whole, or cut into bite-size pieces and place in Ziplock freezer bag.

This is a sweet frying pepper — the Jimmy Nardello variety. They look hot, but are totally sweet!

JIMMY NARDELLO PEPPERS (2) ~ These skinny peppers are also known as Italian Frying peppers. They LOOK hot and spicy, but they aren’t! They are totally sweet! To store: Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks. To prep: Cut in half and remove the seeds from the inside. Slice, chop or mince.  To freeze: Wash and dry peppers. Freeze whole or cut into bite-size pieces and place in Ziplock freezer bag, removing as much air as possible.

EGGPLANT (1) ~ Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not plastic) to absorb any moisture, and keep it in the veggie drawer of your refrigerator. Or store unrefrigerated at a cool room temperature. Use within a week and it should still be fresh and mild. To prep: Eggplant is usually peeled. The flesh will brown when exposed to air. To prevent browning, coat in lemon juice or keep submerged  in water. To use: Brush 1/2-inch to 1-inch slices of eggplant with olive oil or melted butter and broil or grill until brown. It also makes an excellent baba-ganoush dip.  To freeze: Peel and cut into slices 1/3-inch thick. Blanch for 2 minutes in steam. Cool immediately in cold water. Package in layers with each slice separated with two pieces of wrap.

Grab my Eggplant E-Book here for other suggestions for recipes using eggplant.

RED ONIONS (3) ~ Store these cured onions in a cool, dark place — not the fridge. And keep them away from potatoes. You can freeze onions simply by chopping to size and then throwing them into a Ziploc bag!

SWEET CORN (6) (not organic, non-GMO) ~ To store: Refrigerate sweet corn as soon as possible with husks on. The longer you wait to eat it, the more sugar will turn into starch, and the corn will lose its \ sweetness. To prep: You can eat corn raw or cook it in the husks. Shuck the cob by pulling the husks down the ear and snapping off the stem. The silks will fall off as you cook the corn. Rinse under cold water. If you see a green worm, just cut out the damaged section — the rest of the cob is still edible! To cut the kernels off the cob, stand the cob upright on its base and run a sharp knife from the tip of the ear down to the base. To cook: Steam corn in 1-2 inches of water for 6-10 minutes, or drop ears into boiling water for 3-6 minutes. Season with butter or salt. You can also grill corn in the husk — place the corn in its husk in water for 10 minutes — then place on grill for 15 minutes. To freeze: Blanch on the cob for 3-5 minutes, rinse under cold water, and drain. Cut off the kernels with a knife, and then pack it into airtight freezer containers.

 WEEK #10 ADD-ON SHARES: Week “B” 

Odd-numbered weeks of our CSA season (week 1,3,5) are called “A” weeks. And even-numbered weeks (week 2,4,6) are called “B” weeks. If you have any kind of non-veggie, bi-weekly share, you have been assigned to either “A” or “B” week for the season. If you get a cheese share, it always comes on Week “A.”

Danielle Kuhl posts another famous fruity cocktail drink.

WEEK 10 FRUIT SHARE:

ZESTAR APPLES (Quarry Hill Orchard)  ~ Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Since these are early season apples, they are best eaten within 4 weeks.

BARTLETT PEARS (Quarry Hill Orchard) ~ Pears are picked unripe and ripen best at home off the tree. You should always purchase pears that are firm to the touch. A ripe pear will be ready at home when the skin around the neck gives to slight pressure. Note: Cut pears will turn brown when exposed to air. Coat them with lemon juice to prevent this. To store: To ripen pears, place in a loosely closed paper bag out of the fridge at room temperature until the skin responds to a gentle pressure at the neck of the fruit. After pears have ripened, store them in a plastic bag in the fridge in your crisper drawer.

ICEBOX MELON: (Bench Farms, St. Rte 2) To store: Refrigerate right away. They do not ripen off the vine or emanate a ripe smell. Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, and chunks or slices should be kept in an air-tight container. Eat melons within a week. To prep: Using a big knife, cut melon t in half, then cut into quarters or slices. To use: Use in salads, or eat it raw in slices. Blend watermelon, water, and sugar or honey for a refreshing aqua fresca.

We’re growing a new green called Amaranth which will be ready for you soon.

Ice Cream Flavor of the Week:

Blackberry Swirl from Knueven Creamery.  Note: be sure to stop and pick up your ice cream from the Knueven milk truck at your pickup site! They will be located either right before or after your veggie pickup. Your farmers will not be passing this out in their delivery line.

Coffee Flavor of the Week:

 Dog Days of Summer: Maddie & Bella Coffee Company

Josiah devours a canary melon this week.

FARMER KURT’S FIELD NOTES

It was great seeing some of you at Pesto Fest this Saturday! I love this event every year, because the pack shed smells so good. Imagine the sound of 10-15 food processors going at the same time, and that garlicky-basil scent swirling around you.

Well we have officially turned the corner and are now heading into the second half of our CSA season. I can’t believe how fast this season feels. Taking that mid-season vacation really helped. That being said, I feel like I need a day off again. Our days are very full. No major projects to report this week — kind of the same old, same old. Our days are now a routine of picking sweet corn (every other morning) and tomatoes. Mondays and Wednesdays are heavy harvest days for us, when the crew is trying to get all the product picked for the two CSA packing nights. To give you some perspective, we pack about 210 boxes for Sylvania/Elmore on Mondays, and 200 for Perrysburg/Port Clinton on Wednesdays. That’s a lot of food when you have 8 different items in the box!

The fields look beautiful. Corinna and I walked the fields together, and even she said so. There are lots of beds that look bare, but are actually holding seed inside, waiting to germinate. Jed and I seeded 5 rows of red Scarlet Queen and white turnips. There’s one giant row of Tokyo Bekana — which is a lime-green lettuce head variety that you guys liked so much last year. Our amaranth is looking great — really excited to introduce that to you this year. I’ve got dandelion greens that are taking off. My kohlrabi we transplanted last week looks good. I just cultivated it to remove the weeds. And the cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbages are looking really strong. Things are lining up for the fall weeks. The next few weeks will feel like tomato/pepperpalooza. Seems like we always have a few weeks like that every year. So buckle up and get those freezer bags ready.

Pedro harvests tomatoes.

My crew harvested 2 beds of really weedy beets last week. It was so bad, I had to chop the tops off first so they could see through the tall grass. But the yield was still good. You’re getting some of those this week with the golden beets. This week, they’ll go to work on a bed of carrots that was taken over with weeds. Likewise, I chopped the tops off the “grass” there too to salvage them. And I’ll have them pick through to see what they find. Then final fall/winter beds of carrots went in, and I caught the weeding window just right. Looks like a very strong crop so far. I tilled under the first cilantro crop — it didn’t germinate well enough, and then the purslane weeds took over. I tried seeding a new batch. We’ll see.

Cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts for the fall…

My boys started “cleaning” the trailer of cured onions this week. I showed you how they use a special onion topper machine to do that. It really makes your eyes sting when you start doing a few batches! We also weeded the beans — not sure I’ll have enough to give to everyone. But we’ll see. At least they’ll be in the online store. They are just starting to flower.

I’m working very hard to get those bulk tomatoes to you this week and next. My crew was just finishing up harvest when I drove away to Perrysburg site last week — so I ran out of time to get them into boxes. Hoping to get the timing down better this week.

Kris Bergman showed up this week to help volunteer. Here she is with Dani cleaning some garlic. We’re always looking for volunteer help!

My wife and I took Wednesday evening off — we actually left our packing crew all alone — to do a date night at Twin Oast with the the Ottawa County Improvement Foundation.  Many thanks to Rebekah Zimmerman from Trailblazers Growth (CSA member and Corinna’s life coach) for inviting us to hang out with other local businesses (and drink some good beer). And kudos to the Wednesday crew for getting it all done without us needing to be around! That’s a testament to a good team.

Speaking of team, thanks to our volunteer Kris Bergman and the Koepflers for coming out this week to help bag corn. On Monday, I was feeling really stressed about getting everything done, and I said a prayer to God to provide. Wouldn’t you know it, Kris Bergman comes strolling into the pack shed around 4:30 PM saying she had a sudden urge to come volunteer and thought she’d drive out! What a big help that was. This job of bagging corn takes about 90 minutes for 2 people to do. So if I can take this off my packer’s plate each Monday, it gets them out of here at a decent hour. I could still use some help on each Wednesday of September. If you want to come out for one of those days, please email Corinna!

Fro left to right: Jose, Kurt, Polo, Pedro, and Asunsion (Jesus)

I took the harvest crew to Cocina Carlos last Sunday to treat them for dinner. We ate our meals so fast! We were starving after a long day in the field. LOL. I’m going to start trying to give them Saturdays off. Trying to watch my budget as we head into the second half of the season, and like most businesses, labor is the biggest expense. They are so happy here. They are already asking about next year… if they will be asked back. Every weekend, I take them to a Walmart so they can go shopping. I do some paperwork and time cards in the car while I wait. This week, they wanted to go to Burlington Coat Factory and buy some clothes and get some shoes for their kids back home.

Kurt adjusts the seed plates on his vacuum seeder, as he seeds daikon radishes.

Jed starts school this coming Monday. This means we’ll become one of those parents doing an hour commute twice a day. With Jed getting out at 2:15 PM, we should be able to make it back in time for packing the truck to Sylvania and Perrysburg on Tuesday/Thursday. That was my biggest worry. But it’s definitely going to make our workflow interesting for the second half of the season. He’s very excited! When they picked up his schedule on Friday, they toured the school building. The lunch room has a big bay window that looks right out onto the Toledo airport runway. How cool is that?!

An update on Harley! Many of you are asking how doggie training is going. And I’m happy to report that Harley is now “mostly off leash.” (She does have an occasional exploratory trip into the golf course next door — mostly when her buddy Ginger is in town.) And we didn’t even have to install an electric fence! She still likes to chase the chickens until they collapse in exhaustion (and are covered in saliva). I’m still trying to get her to stay out of the packing shed — which is a big no-no. But unfortunately, she follows Corinna around everywhere she goes – yup, Corinna is officially the Alpha. Corinna also seems to think that Harley should get to sleep inside the house every night, “so they can be close to each other.” Ah yes. Well, so it goes.

~Your Farmer, Kurt

10 Ways to Use Your Pesto

If you attended our Pesto Fest event this weekend, OR if you’ve been listening to our advice this season on how to use all those greens… you’ve been producing a lot of pesto. (One of our top vegetable exit strategies).  

But what in the world are you going to do with all of it now that you’ve made it? (I mean, there’s only so much pasta you can eat!)

Pesto can be a great exit strategy for a large variety of greens and herbs during the CSA season: carrot tops, turnip greens, basil, beet tops, spinach, kale, radish greens, etc. 

Plus pesto can be made quickly and thrown into the freezer for use months later! (BONUS!)

Often we associate pesto with pasta…but this does not have to be the case! I love having pesto on hand all the time to throw some flavor and nutrition into other favorite dishes (ssssshhhhh… don’t tell anyone).

Here are 10 ways you can use up your pesto stockpile!

1. Top your eggs, or your entire breakfast. Drizzle some pesto over your scrambled eggs, or add to a quiche or frittata. Make your waffles or pancakes more savory, skip the sugar, and add some pesto to the batter.
2. Make a dip, or add to one. Mix pesto with hummus, sour cream, greek yogurt or guacamole for  a change!
3. Make a dressing or a sauce. Thin your pesto with a little more oil and some vinegar to use on a salad, or whisk into buttermilk for a version of pesto ranch dressing.
4. Spread on a sandwich, flatbread or wrap. Dress up that usually turkey sandwich or make some gourmet grilled cheese. This adds a punch of flavor to your usual go to lunch.
5. Toss with your vegetables. Instead of oil or butter, use some pesto! Top your baked potato, corn, green beans, zoodles and more. Drizzle some on your roasted veggies for some added color and flavor.
6. Add to a soup. Pesto goes very well with bean soup or the traditional tomato! Use as garnish to dress up before serving.
7. Dress up your protein. Whisk with some additional oil, brush onto grilled meats like steak, salmon or chicken. You can also add to meatballs, salmon cakes or burgers!
8. Spice up your pizza. Substitute pesto for your usual tomato sauce, or try using half and half. Pesto has a stronger flavor than your traditional tomato, so much less is needed.
9. Spread on some garlic bread or toast for some added flavor, or add to your homemade bread if you’re making your own! If you’re wanting something lighter, make PESTO BUTTER! Use approximately ¾ cup pesto to 4-6 tablespoons softened butter. Mix together and you’re ready to serve!
10. Add to your favorite summer salads! Making chicken salad? Add pesto! Making your pasta salad? Add pesto! White bean salad? Add pesto!

So don’t be afraid to use pesto as an exit strategy for all those greens this CSA season! You’ll find plenty of uses over the next few months  and be happy that you’re getting those greens in!

We’re trying to grow dandelion greens this year…. on purpose.

WEEK 10 ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. The winner of the Shishito Pepper challenge was Martha Bradley! Thanks to everyone who participated! Looks like we didn’t have too many folks run into a hot pepper!
2. Sweet corn is available to buy in bulk in our online store! A bushel bag goes for $35 and includes 64 ears. We encourage you to buy your bulk corn in August, because the ears are bigger then. We only have a limited amount of space on our trucks, so if we sell out, just hang on tight and be ready to order next week.
3. You can now pre-order Canning tomatoes (25 lb) from the farm via email. To place your pre-order, please drop a comment into the pinned post in our Facebook group, or email me. Tell me how many 25 lb. orders you want and what type (Roma or Globe), and what your pickup site is. I will do my best to fill those orders as soon as possible. You may have to wait 2 weeks before you get it. I’ll send out an email a few days before your pickup to let you know they are coming. .Payment is expected at the time of pickup.You can choose from these two tomato canner products:
   1. ROMA TOMATOES — you’ll get 25 lbs of these classic, oval-shaped, paste tomatoes. These are best used for sauce and salsa, since they have a lower water content. Price: $30
   2. GLOBE TOMATOES – you’ll get 25 lbs. of the classic round tomato. These are best used for canning whole tomatoes. This will be enough to can 7-8 quarts (or 16 pints) in your canner. Price: $30

4. FIELD TO TABLE DINNER — reserve now! You can now place your reservations for our final Field to Table dinner, to be held on Sept. 10. You may arrive at 5 PM to stroll our fields and take one of our 3 scheduled tractor hay ride tours. Dinner begins at 6 PM. Dress comfortably — it may get a bit chilly when the sun sets. This event will be catered by Cork and Knife Provisions (Chef Joseph Jacobsen –formerly of Degage Jazz Cafe), and will be held outside in the middle of our field. It will be a sit-down meal, served by a wait staff. The menu include 5 courses.  Fizzitap Vintage Beverage Truck will also be in attendance, ready to serve you 2 fun mocktails from 5-8 PM at no extra charge. No alcohol will be served. However, you are encouraged to bring your own beer or wine. Tickets are $75/person. To place your reservation, head to this link to pre-pay. You may at that time also request a vegetarian option if needed. Tickets are first-come, first-serve. You are welcome to invite friends who are not in the CSA.

To place your reservation, head to this link to pre-pay.

5. You can order additional items from the Shared Legacy Farms online store. Our store link is super easy to remember: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/store. Just be sure to select the right pickup site that coincides with your pickup location. If the pickup option is greyed out or not available, it means you missed the window to order. You need to place your order 36 hours before your site. We harvest the product on Monday and Wednesday mornings — early. This week, the store will have: sweet corn, bulk sweet corn, cutting celery herb, parsley, celery, dinosaur kale, curly kale, sweet banana peppers, bell peppers, golden beets, candy stripe beets, jalapenos, Shishito peppers, ground cherries, red seedless watermelons, Gala apples, Canary melon, cherry tomatoes by the pint, basil, local maple syrup, and a few extra eggs from Jed/Josiah.

Brian Hammer made some fried rice with Sichuan fish fragrant eggplant and blistered shishitos.
Used slf garlic, onions, carrots, cabbage, eggs, eggplant, and shishitos. Vegetarian meals never tasted so good!

WEEK 10 CSA RECIPES

Members: You can download these recipes as a PDF. These recipes are designed to inspire you to use your box this week! Please check inside our private Facebook group to find your fellow members sharing ideas for what to make with their box! Share a photo and you might be featured in next week’s newsletter!

Grilled Parmesan, Garlic and Basil Corn on the Cob

Zuppa Toscana (Sausage, Bacon, Potato and Kale Soup)

Beet and Onion Salad

Grated Beet Salad

Peperonata 

Broiled Top Blade Steak with Herb-Flecked Tomato Salad

Grilled Eggplant with Cherry Tomatoes 

Rosemary Potato Skillet with Bacon and Fresh Corn

Grilled Eggplant Stacked with Indian Spiced Beef

Roasted Beet and Grilled Corn Salad 

Slow Cooked Stuffed Pepper Stew

Southwest Stuff Poblano Peppers 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Eggplant

Breakfast Burritos (freezer meal)

Grilled Cubanelles, Tomatoes and Scallions

Apple Pear Puff Pancake 

Frozen Melon Daiquiris