CSA Report: Red Earth Farm

Monday, June 23, 2008

Thursday’s box, the third from Red Earth Farm CSA included a pint of snap peas, summer squash, zucchini, Red Tropea onions, a bunch of swiss chard, a bunch of broccoli and a few extras. I don’t know if the person packing the boxes made a mistake or if they were trying to get rid of some extra produce, but a bonus bunch of dandelion greens and a bunch of bok choi was in with the rest of my share.

I was sick for a few days last week so I still had a ton of vegetables from the last box to plow through. I’ve had to institute a first in first out system, labeling the produce and keeping a list on the refrigerator door so I know what to use first. So far it’s working pretty well. That means I’ve actually been consistent and remembered to cross things off as I go.

We’ve eaten a few good local meals with the veggies the past few week: grilled t-bone steaks from Meadow Run Farm with stir fried bok choi, a huge stir fry with green onions, snap peas, summer squash and baby bok choi over rice noodles, a zucchini and green onion frittata, zucchini and bacon fritters, and panini with roast beef and local cheddar from Oak Shade, caramelized onions and sautéed swiss chard.  And I finally found a way to enjoy radishes- thinly sliced on buttered baguettes.

My husband who is not much of a cook if a grill is not involved has fully embraced the eat local movement. Even though it’s not in season I picked up some corn at the supermarket for my 2-year-old son. I served it with the paninis last night, knowing my son isn’t a big lover of sandwiches. My husband saw the shucked corn on the counter and asked where it was from. When I said, “I don’t know. I just got it for Sam at the supermarket,” he replied, “It’s not local? I turn my nose up at your corn.”

Landisdale Farm, week three

Saturday, June 21, 2008

I nearly cried with joy today when I picked up the CSA share from Landisdale Farm.  There were zucchini.  True, five small zucchini…but it was something different.  And I’m happy to see the garlic scapes, even though I’m slightly garlic scaped out (I cannot believe I just said that).  But I cannot abide more lettuce, strawberries, and onions.  ¡No mas!

I accidentally let slip a “more strawberries?” at the Landisdale stand.  The poor chick behind the counter was bemused in the extreme.  I felt like I had to apologize for being sick of strawberries.  But six pints within three weeks from the CSA and another 12 pints-ish from my garden?  That’s brutal.  My freezer overrunneth with strawberries (and we are not much in the way of jam eaters).

We had the kale at its baby stage in week one (some of which I still have lingering in the fridge) and now we’re getting it in its adulthood in week three.  I’m a little ‘meh’ on the subject of kale.  I could eat tons of lacinato kale, but regular kale?  Well….maybe I’ve just never hit on quite the right recipe.  I do like kale in soup, but this is not exactly soup weather.  I may end up freezing all of it and using it up over the Winter unless someone has a suggestion for a great Summery kale recipe.  Ideas? Suggestions?

I took a look at what else Landisdale Farm is selling - they seem to have lots of other things other than strawberries, lettuce, onions, scapes, and kale, so I’m hoping next week will bring even more variety.  More strawberries next week may send me over the edge.

Clark Park market report, 21 June

I went a little crazy at the farmers’ market this morning.  I’d intended to not buy much, since it’s been a slow couple of weeks for cooking, but then I saw all the fruit and lost it.  The black raspberries are from the northernmost stand, the cherries and strawberries are from Keystone Farm, and the blueberries are from Eden Garden.  I also picked up some snap peas from Keystone and a cucumber, a couple of zucchini, some mixed-color carrots, and some lemon basil from Urban Girls. 

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Friday, June 20, 2008

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

Of course, I was super happy to be invited to make an herb bouquet from the children’s garden again this week, but I was even more thrilled that we got two quarts of pick-your-own sugar snap peas.  Wow.  I had forgotten what a delectible little veggie these were.  And, now that I’ve had my taste, I want more, more, more!

CSA report: Landisdale Farm

Monday, June 16, 2008

Week 2 of the Landisdale Farm CSA brought me the following:

• two heads of green lettuce
• two heads of Chinese cabbage
• two pints of strawberries
• two bags of spinach
• two bunches of red onions
• two bunches of swiss chard
• a handful of garlic scapes

Note: not pictured are the chard and spinach.

The strawberries have already been cleaned and frozen, and the chard was used up in tonight’s dinner.  I used up one head of lettuce on a salad the other night.  That leaves me with cabbage, spinach, onions, and scapes.  I have big plans for the scapes, but less of a plan for the cabbage and spinach.  Ideas? Suggestions?

Lancaster Farm Fresh #6

Friday, June 13, 2008

It’s a two box week for us, so we got…

2 head broccoli grown by Farmdale Organics

2 bunch cilantro grown by Back Forty Ranch (gave to my cilantro-crazy Dad)

2 bag snap peas grown by White Swan Acres

2 bunch asparagus grown by Elm Tree Organics

2 head freckles Romaine grown by Green Acres (gave to Mom.  Doesn’t ‘Freckles Romaine’ sound like a great gangster’s name?)

2# baby lettuce mix grown by Farmdale Organics (one bag to Mom and Dad)

2 bunch spring onions grown by Organic Willow Acres

2 head Napa cabbage grown by Green Acres Organics (one to Mom and Dad)

CSA Report: Red Earth Farm

The second CSA share of the season was a selection I was able to choose myself. This week, from the items available, I chose one bunch of swiss chard, a bunch of lacinato kale, Fuyo Shumi (baby pak choi), a bunch of beets and two quarts of shelling peas. (I love fresh peas.) From the buying club I ordered two blocks of cheese- Oak Shade Jack, and Oak shade Cheddar and Pequea Valley included a sample of their lemon yogurt.

The toddler was sick last week so of course I came down with what he had this week. Three days of fever seriously hindered my ability to cook so I still have last week’s pak choi, radishes and green onions, as well as some of the lettuce. The green onions will be used with the peas (recipe to follow) and the pak choi I’ll stir fry with dinner tonight but I don’t know what to do with the radishes. I don’t particularly enjoy radishes. I know some people enjoy snacking on them and they make pretty rosettes in crudités, but I’ve never seen (or tasted) the appeal. My husband doesn’t particularly like them either so any suggestions for how to prepare them to make them more appealing would be appreciated.

Now for the recipe. I found this recipe last year when I was looking for a way to prepare fresh peas I picked up at the farmer’s market. The America’s Test Kitchen cookbook told me that frozen peas were generally better than fresh and easier to prepare. I found that difficult to believe. After the shelling, how hard could it be? This recipe found at Food and Paper proved them wrong. Fresh peas are far superior to frozen. They still have crunch and barely resemble their mushy, frozen counterparts.

Peas with Green Onions, Basil and Parmesan

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas
2 green onions, white and light green parts, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
a pinch of dried pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces
parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Have all of your ingredients ready when you start…everything comes together fast, and you don’t want to overcook your peas.

1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and pepper flakes over medium heat.
2. Add peas and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
3. Add chopped green onions and cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and basil. Remove from heat, and stir to combine.
5. Divide between two bowls. Top with shaved parmesan cheese, and serve.

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, June 12, 2008

This week’s share had a nice surprise:  tons of herbs!  Oregano, chives, mint, lemon balm, lavender—we even got to try some edible marigolds, which were fabulous.  There were two varieties, tangerine and lemon, each of which provided a pleasant little burst of flavor and color into a green salad I prepared later that night.  I’ll definitly be adding these to my own garden next season.

CSA report: Landisdale Farm

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Sadly, I have used up nearly all of the CSA share from Landisdale Farm that I picked up on Saturday, so no photos for this one.  But here is what was in the box:

• two pints of strawberries
• four stalks of rhubarb
• two bags of spinach
• two bags of red kale
• two bunches of red bunching onions
• two heads of Red Sails lettuce

My husband ate most of the strawberries (and is now completely sick of strawberries - between those and the huge volume of strawberries coming out of our garden, well…it was strawberry overload).  I used almost all the kale in risotto that also used the last of my frozen butternut squash from last season.  The rhubarb got frozen for future use.  I used up about half of the lettuce in a massive salad after the dragon boat race Saturday night.  The red bunching onions got used in nearly everything I cooked this week!  I used a little of the spinach in my scrambled eggs Saturday morning, but I do have quite a bit left.  I guess I’ll have to come up with something great to use the spinach for by the end of the week!

Lancaster Farm Fresh #4 & #5

Saturday, June 07, 2008

My apologies for the long delay in writing, but I’ve been sick.  However…

Tada!!!
and…

Tada!!!

OK, from #4 farmshare…

2 heads of Romaine
2 bunches of radishes
Mustard Greens
Spinach
1/4 lb. pea tendrils
3.5 oz shittake mushrooms
6 oz. portabella mushrooms

And #5:

1 bunch asparagus grown by Farmdale Organics (Ellet and Sydney Sts)
1# baby lettuce mix grown by Elm Tree Organics
1 head Romaine lettuce grown by Riverview Organics
1 pkg cremini mushrooms grown by Mother Earth Organics
1 head broccoli grown by Farmdale
¼ # baby kale/baby mizuna mix grown by Elm Tree Organics
1 bunch cilantro grown by Back 40 Ranch

More later!!!

CSA Report: Red Earth Farm

This week was the first week of the Red Earth Farm CSA share for the season. We signed up for a partial share this season, since with a newborn in hand and a toddler underfoot I didn’t think I’d be able to preserve all of the extras we’d be unable to eat. My partial share included a bunch of pak choi, a bag of perpetual spinach, a head each of red leaf and green leaf lettuce, a bunch of radishes and green onions. Those with full shares also received salad mix, napa cabbage, a bunch of kale and a basil plant.

Red Earth Farm is also offering fruit, egg, herb/flower shares and yogurt shares this season. The herb/flower share is new this season and all flowers and herbs are organically grown on the farm. The yogurt share, also new, is a partnership with Pequea Valley Farm in Lancaster. The cows on the Lancaster farm are grass fed and hormone and antibiotic free. CSA members can choose from a plain share and a variety flavor share that includes two quarts of yogurt biweekly. The buying club through the farm is currently offering cheese from Oak Shade Cheese and medicines and other herbal products from Avena Botanicals.

Clark Park market report, 5 June

Thursday, June 05, 2008

I’d completely forgotten that the Clark Park Thursday market started up today, but then I saw people walking up the street eating strawberries…and then I saw the tents.  There’re definitely fewer vendors than on Saturday mornings, so it’s an easier market to miss (if, say, you were driving by instead of walking), but there was still a good amount of variety.  For non-farm stands, there’s Betty’s Tasty Buttons (wonderful chocolate) and Big Sky Bakery (mostly bread, but I think they also do cinnamon rolls). 

The farms there today were Eden Grove farm, which had spring onions, lettuces, asparagus, and strawberries; Quaff Valley Farm, which had lettuces, strawberries, radishes, and eggs; Mountainview Poultry, with chicken, turkey, and various poultry products; Landisdale Farm, with strawberries, snap peas, shelling peas, lettuces, kales, pac choi, and their usual selection of eggs and dairy; and Backyard Bison, with various kinds of bison products.

(I bought hot bison jerky stick things and asparagus.) 

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

While out in the field picking our allocated two quarts of strawberries, I realized that my son would have easily eaten his weight in the berries had no one been watching.  I had to explain to him how the farmers calculate the quantities-per-member, and that if we took more than our share, someone could be out of luck.  In other words, two quarts is two quarts, not two quarts plus whatever you can shove into your mouth while you’re out on the field.  Of course, this was after he had already gone on a mission to find the biggest strawberries in the lot and devoured several of them.  He had strawberry juice on his shirt, his mouth, his fingers…  absolutely shameless.

In any case, we’re fully embracing the CSA season over here—hope you all are, too!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Hooray for the first share of the season!  Our kitchen seemed happier to have the Blooming Glen Farm smell of fresh greens and spring onions tonight.  I’ve already packed salads for work lunches tomorrow and the strawberries are just about gone.  Though I have nothing special planned for the remaining loot, I’m sure one or two items will show up in our One Local Summer meal this week.  Happy farm season, everyone! 

Lancaster Farm Fresh #3

Friday, May 23, 2008

May 19 CSA share:

1 head buttercrunch or green butterhead lettuce
grown by Goshen View Organics

½ lb salad mix grown by Farmdale Organics

2 heads Romaine lettuce grown by Riverview Organics

1 bunch radishes grown by Farmdale Organics

1 pkg white mushrooms grown by Mother Earth Organics

1 pkg shitake mushrooms grown by Mother Earth Organics

1 pint strawberries
grown by Green Valley or Pleasant View Organics

1 lb rhubarb grown by a neighboring farm to Riverview Organics

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the full share because, well…  because we ate it.  Sorry about that!  However, I wanted to include this picture of the very local ingredients we had for Hot & Sour Soup.  From the share we used the shiitake and button mushrooms and the scallions.  That’s local tofu and local bean sprouts, too. 

Hot & Sour Soup
from the original Moosewood Cookbook (adjustments by M and me in parentheses)

1 oz dried black mushrooms (obviously, we had fresh shiitakes and buttons)
8 cups water (local!!!!)
3 Tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (for this we used some of the refrigerated white wine we’ve been storing our ginger in—YUM!)
1/2 cup plus 1 TB cidar vinegar
2 TBs tamari
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 cake (1/4 lb) firm tofu in thin strips
2 TBs cornstarch
2 beaten eggs (local happy eggs)
6 minced scallions (local…not sure how many we put in, but I think it was more than that—I do love my scallions)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp finely ground white pepper (we have black, so that’s what we used)

Chinese sesame oil
extra tamari to taste

(we added:
one pint contanier of mung bean sprouts ((local))
hot sesame oil, at the end, in each bowl)

For the directions, we skipped the first two, because they were for dried mushrooms.  You use two cups of the water to soak the ‘shrooms, but then you add the soaking liquid, so it all evens out.  I’ll just write out what we did:

1. Boil the water with the diced shiitake stems in it (softens them up and flavors the water).
2. Add the thinly sliced mushrooms, the wine/sherry, vinegar, tamari, salt, and tofu strips.  Lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Mix the corn starch in a bowl with 3/4 cup of the hot soup until smooth, then add to soup.
4. As the soup gently boils, drizzle in the beaten eggs.  (M. and I have found that it’s really important that the soup is boiling when you do this.)
5. Add scallions, bean sprouts, and pepper.  Cook only a few minutes more.
6. Top each serving with a drizzle of sesame oil and a drop or two of hot sesame oil.

You can keep yo’ mama’s chicken soup—this is my cozy-make-everything-all-better-happiness hot soup.  Hmmmmm…

p.s. next week, I’ll try to snap a photo of the farm share before the wild animals devour it!