Farm Newsletter August 1, 2023
Farm News Crop Forecast
U-Pick Recipes Nuts and Bolts
Greetings!
What a relief this cooler weather is!
It blew in on Friday night, within ten minutes turning a steamy evening into a cool delight, after a hard, hot week. That worked great — we wanted to get out and apply some foliar fertilizers and probiotics, to help the plants rebound from the pounding they got in the midweek thunderstorm. Above 80 degrees the stomata are closed and don’t absorb the nutrients, so in the cooler temps we could get out and give them that TLC.
And this week pretty much everything on the farm looks fantastic. The crew has done an awesome job keeping up with the weeds, along with a couple visits from Saiding and his crew of talented Hmong employees. There are only a few minor signs of the crop pathogens that took hold back in early July, even after getting pummeled by big cold raindrops last week. There are infinite variations of spots and yellow or brown leaves, and there is very little of any of those variations to be found in the fields right now. That is a thing of beauty. And relief, as we head into the heavy harvest season.
A longer heat wave would have had more lasting consequences for pollination, fruit quality, plant health, etc….but it appears we dodged that one. We know a bunch of folks north of us got damaging hail last week, in ten minute flash storms that were going west then turned 90 degrees south. The rain and hail hit with a vengeance and returned to blue sky right away. Some of them have insurance, some of them don’t, finding the insurance system too clunky and ineffective, even for their grain operations. One old friend –who we’ve bought straw and seed and other things from over the years — keeps saying the price of supplies and inputs keeps going up and the price paid to farmers for raw crops staying steady. Like so many small and midsize farmers in the last 40 years, he is considering getting out. He’s no spring chicken, but has built an organic farm with great yields and ecological benefits, and has years of good growing left in him. But our drive for cheap food and the “importance” of profits for middlemen, at the expense of the profits of the producers, might mean he puts his skills into other trades where the work is valued more.
Looking at our fields makes us feel good, but hearing that from him is a real bummer, and another symptom of a big problem in our collective priorities. The interest in local food and supporting farmers is a huge step forward, but the whole system of distribution and processing also — of grain and of fruit and vegetables, headed for feed or to grocery stores etc — is so consolidated that too often it “can’t” properly pay small and medium sized growers. Even without hail and other extreme weather to contend with.
Local food systems do a much better job at paying fairly for farmer’s work, and we’re so fortunate to be valued in our community. The concept of CSA was dreamed up as a positive way to support farmers in a fair and just way. We are honored to have the support of folks like you in our CSA, and the various companies and institutions we supply. We also support the efforts of the many organizations and lawmakers who work to support small and medium sized farmers, and we hope you keep your eyes peeled for more opportunities to support us all too, to keep the food flowing.
Crop Forecast
The mid summer crops keep on cranking for us, and we’ve got more of them this week. A taste of tomatoes, and lots of eggplant, broccoli, sweet onions, summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers. Good greens and lettuce. We may give chard and kale a break.
Tomatoes we have 2 per share this week. Hopefully we will start with green bell peppers next week. Red peppers and hot peppers in a few weeks, as they ripen. In general a little stress — heat, cold, storm etc — is a good kick in the pants to encourage ripening of summer fruity vegetables. Last week should have been enough stress to get them going.
Along those lines maybe we’ll have watermelon this week! We’ll pick Tuesday morning to see if there are enough ready to go around. Hopefully there are — this week it looks like it would be reds, and maybe a few yellows. By next week we should have plenty of reds and yellows, and maybe a few cantaloupe and orange watermelon. We usually get a 5 week melon season.
Plus carrots, beets (no tops), fennel, and cabbage.
And baby leeks. These are like big fall leeks, but grown in clumps picked younger and smaller, like scallions. We do them just cuz they’re a fun subtle onion flavor to have in the summer veggie mix, and cuz some of you get all googly eyed when we put them out. We’ll pick storage onions next week and cure them, so you’ll see and smell them in the greenhouse for a couple weeks before they end up on the share table.
Garlic!! will be in the share for 6 weeks, starting this week. We do 1 head per full share , with more available to purchase on the spot for $1.25/head (4 for $5). Split shares should communicate about who gets it which week. Each split share should each get 3 heads in the share over the next 6 weeks. It will store for many months; many folks buy a few weeks supply to keep stocked , if they split a share and or use more than a head a week, like us .
Garlic is grown by setting aside the best heads and planting their cloves in the fall, at which point the clove becomes called “seed”, though it’s not a seed. Our mentor and friend Michael had saved “seed” from his favorite variety for 15 years, and he gave us a box of it 18 years ago when we moved and started farming here. In October 2005 we were busy planting garlic for him in Massachusetts and getting ready to move here, so we mailed it and Erin’s parents, grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins, and a few of their friends, all spent a day planting that bushel of seed for us, down next to the driveway. Michael didn’t know the name of the variety, but we’ve figured it’s a german hardneck type. It has big cloves, 4-6 per head, which means less peeling overall. It has way more flavor than most garlic bought in stores, so some people use less per recipe. However some people use the same or more of it, since it makes such a noticeable contribution. And as growers, we also love its reliability — it has weathered harsh winters, blown-off mulch, early spring snows after sprouting (like tulips); and most notably the 90 degree March and subsequent insect + disease infestation (2016?) that wrecked a lot of midwest garlic crops, forcing many growers to buy new seed. We culled out the sick ones and kept plenty of good ones to keep us planting.
We love that stuff. If you like quirky older films, watch ” Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers.” The title, and the enthusiasm of the subjects, are our favorite parts.
What’s for U-Pick?
Cherry Tomatoes! They look primed for an abundant long harvest. They are right in front of the parking area, you may have seen. The first week will have a small limit. Hopefully there’s enough for a bigger limit next week, and we expect to go unlimited later in the month.
Beans — still rocking. The next plantings are to the north, next to the cherry tomatoes, and are open and beautiful. We may start to mow the first plantings.
FLOWERS!! They keep smiling, and keep us smiling.
Cilantro, Basil and Dill are cruising along. The basil has downy mildew and its future is uncertain this summer so enjoy it while you can! We clipped a lot of thistle from the first planting — it is looking healthier than before and hopefully will stay that way a few more weeks.
Cilantro is now south of where it’s been, towards the road, (with a white sign as usual).
Also nasturtiums, anise hyssop and sage, parsley, thyme and oregano.
This spot in the newsletter will keep you informed, and always check the U-pick board when you’re here to see what’s available and picking amounts.
Nuts and Bolts
Bulk Produce for You
Check here each newsletter for what we have available for extra purchase.
An email for TOMATO BOX PREORDER will come out THIS WEDNESAY – Sorry for the delay! Too much fun to be had and haven’t gotten to it.
This week’s selection is : Broccoli, Carrots, Eggplant (freezes great once cooked), Lettuce, Summer squash, Zucchini and Cucumbers for $1.25 /lb, Lettuce Mix for $6 / lb . Garlic for $1.25 / head (4 for $5) ( no need to pre order garlic).
To place a bulk order, simply email us a day ahead of the day you’d like to pick it up. Orders can be picked up at the farm during our regular pickup hours, but it doesn’t have to be your share pickup day. Usually we can make an order on the spot, too.
Share Pickup Hours TUESDAY and THURSDAY 1:30-6:30 pm.
Change Pick-Up Day Form — Click here. Please fill out this form instead of emailing us. Thanks!
Where is the farm? 4151 320th Street West, Northfield.
Please Drive Carefully —Children are everywhere.
If You Send Someone Else to Pick Up Your Share — Please forward them the basic pickup video in this link , which was also sent in an email earlier in June. Then just tell them to introduce themselves to us in the barn, just so we know and we can show them around.
We love having all of you come to the farm! Thank you for making it such a great place to be!
Your farmers,
Erin and Ben, with Allia, Alexandra, Elliott, Emily, Kae and Karin
RECIPES
GARLIC PARMESAN ROASTED BROCCOLI
from damndelicious.net
- 24 ounces broccoli florets*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place broccoli florets in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
- Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tender.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon juice.
Eggplant Pizzas
from allrecipes.com
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 (14 ounce) can pizza sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Beat the eggs in a bowl. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Dip each eggplant slice in the egg, then drop the eggplant in the flour mixture one at a time, shaking the bag to coat the eggplant.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Place the eggplant slices in the skillet to cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned. Drain the eggplant slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Arrange the eggplant in one layer on a baking sheet. Spoon enough pizza sauce to cover each eggplant slice. Top each eggplant with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the mozzarella cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes.
Open Hands Farm 