Stony Loam Farm LLC

Greetings friends and members, 
I decided earlier in the day while we were out digging potatoes that I was going to try to not talk about the weather at all in this week's newsletter, but then as I sat staring blankly at the computer just now I realized it is a staple part of my weekly ramblings.  Suffice it to say that it has been really nice to have consecutive days without a drop of you know what.  And while the forecast may be a little dicey for the rest of the week, at least we've got these two days in the bank. 
 
Out in the fields there are a whole spectrum of issues related to the prolonged soggy weather and lack of warmth.  The most notable thing is the difference in the way things are growing in the high parts of the rows versus the low parts.  Our rows go with the contours of the land to prevent erosion, and as you travel down any given row there are high spots where the plants look great(honestly!) and lower spots where the plants are gone.  They've simply drown.  Take the Brussel Sprouts for instance.  In the highest part of the row they're almost three feet tall, huge, green and healthy.  As you get closer to the lowest spot they start getting smaller and smaller until finally there's just a gap until you begin to climb up towards the next high spot.  You can really see this issue as you drive around town in corn fields.  Not a good year for the low spots.  We also got some diseases related to the wet.  There are some molds, mildews and blights on leaves.  And our carrots have melted into the earth(Bacterial soft rot I think).  But as you'll continue hopefully to see in the pick-up stand there are plenty of success stories.  One of the advantages of doing a lot of different things is that there are always bound to be a bunch of things that are working.
 
We pleased to annouce that we're going to start offering you pork and beef from a neighbor's farm, Town Line Farm.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with them already, but for those of you who are not please check out their website: townlinefarmstand.com.  They''re going to have order forms available in the pick-up stand for you to pre-order selections from their list of available cuts and then they'll deliver to our pick-up spot every other week.  The forms are on the sign-in table at the farm and we'll be happy to try to answer any questions you might have. 
 
This week's share:  lettuce, greens, scallions, fresh garlic, new potatoes, fennel, squash, zucchini, cukes, arugula, radishes
 
U-pick: flowers, herbs, more peas and maybe, just maybe, green bean   

Roasted Fennel Recipe   Ingredients

• 2 fennel bulbs (thick base of stalk), stalks cut off, bulbs sliced
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar

Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F.
2 Rub just enough olive oil over the fennel to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line baking dish with aluminum foil. Lay out piece of fennel and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through and beginning to caramelize.
Serves 4.
You can also do this on the grill.

Greetings friends and members,
Welcome to Week Five of our summer CSA!  I'm a little bit at a loss for where to go with things this week, so bear with me.  I'm sure I'm not alone in my feelings about the weather.   Has anyone else noticed that it seems to rain nearly 100% of the time that there's a 50% chance of showers?  Math has never really been my thing but still something seems a little fishy here.
 
The good news is that it did finally dried out enough on Saturday morning to get a tractor back into the field and get some things seeded and planted.  It had been a few weeks and we really needed that dry slot, brief nonetheless as it was.  It's really been the same scenario in that regard all season:  waiting waiting for it to dry out, then rushing to get things done before the puddles get topped off again.  At least then when it does rain, we're somewhat happy that it's watering in the new transplants and seeds.  I'm sure you know the old expression about lemons and lemonade.  It's interesting and hopeful to note that at this point last year, which was one of the wettest summers on record, it had not yet started to rain in earnest.  It all started around the 15th of July.  I say "hopeful" because maybe this summer will be the opposite- we'll start to dry out and enjoy a beautiful and well deserved respite beginning on the 15th.
 
Another funny thing of note:  you know how seed packets have "Days to Maturity" printed on them?  I'm just wondering how exactly they calculate that.  (Again with the math!)  This year I was determined to have a few things earlier than usual.  One was zucchini and squash, so we seeded them ten days earlier than last season.  Despite this, we started picking them almost exactly ten days later than last year.   So much for planning.  The weather variable is clearly boss.
 
This week's share:  lettuce, greens, scapes and scallions, new Red Norland potatoes, baby carrots, french breakfast radishes, arugula, bok choy and a few more kohlrabi, squash, zucchini and maybe a few cukes
 
U-pick:  snap peas, herbs looking strong, first of the flowers.  Please read the early season flower guidelines below.  They'll be posted in the pick-up stand as well.
                            

Recipes

Roasted New Potatoes Recipe   Ingredients1 1/2 lb of new potatoes (red or yellow skinned), cleaned, cut in half or quarters
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced(or ~3 scapes chopped)r
1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Method1 Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated.
2 Spread potatoes out on a single layer of a baking pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6.
 
And here's a tasty-sounding suggestion from one of our members:

Asian Chicken Salad with Snap Peas and Bok Choy Bon Appétit  | May 2008

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
Ingredients

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
• 5 fresh cilantro sprigs plus 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 whole green onion plus 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 8-ounce package sugar snap peas
• 3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 English hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup ponzu*(substitute miso if need be) 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

PreparationFill medium skillet with salted water; bring to boil. Add chicken breasts, cilantro sprigs, and whole green onion; reduce heat to medium and poach chicken until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate; cool. Add snap peas to same skillet; increase heat to high and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute.
Drain; rinse snap peas under cold water to cool. Discard whole green onion and cilantro sprigs. Coarsely shred chicken. Toss chicken, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, snap peas, and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk ponzu, vinegar, oil, and ginger in small bowl. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
* Available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.
 

Hello Friends and Members,
 
Welcome to Week 4 of our season.  We hope everyone had a great Fourth of July celebration.  We took a quick trip down to the Cape for a Quickel family re-union and enjoyed a really nice weekend which even included a little bit of time on the beach.  It was a quickie but it sure helps just to step away for a day or two now and again.  We were only able to do so because our star employee Sylvia agreed to watch things around here, and we sure do appreciate her.  She is a most thoughtful and diligent worker and really helps us take care of the zillions of things to do day to day on the farm with a smile on her face regardless of the task.  If you see her stocking the pick-up stand we'd appreciate if you gave her a quick "hello" and "thanks".
 
Out in the fields things are a little sloppy still.  We do a lot of listening to the weather and watching it on the computer, but honestly lately there hasn't been much reason to tune in.  It's like a broken record.  On the plus side the rains we're getting don't last a real long time and have tended to come after good sunny and warm spells so that things get a good portion of day to grow before getting back to saturated. Surely we'll turn the corner on this pattern sooner of later, and hopefully for all of us it will be sooner.  Heck, summer is short enough around here so we better get down to business already!
 
This week's share will include more luscious lettuce, greens, the first squash, zucchini and patty pans(squash that look like flying saucers), scallions and scapes, beets and kohlrabi, bok choy, radish. 
 
U-pick looks to be a few more strawberries, snow peas and herbs, including basil, parsley, oregano, thyme and savory.  The snap peas aren't quite there yet.  They need to fatten up in order to get sweet, so please don't pick the skinny ones.  The flowers aren't far off either. 
 
Take care,
D, E and e
 
Recipes
This recipe was sent to us from a creative member.  It is based on a Rachel Ray creation, but has had an extensive Stony Loam make-over.  Seems like a good way to get some kids to eat their beets, too.  Enjoy!
 
One bunch beets
6 TBS olive oil
1 lb rigatoni with ridges or gemelli pasta (or what you have at home)
One bunch green onions, chopped
Handful of garlic scapes, chopped
One pint peas (out of the pod) and/or 1-2 squashes cut into rounds (or whatever other Loam veggies you want to add)
salt and pepper
1.5 cups ricotta cheese
zest and juice of one lemon
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
.5 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
 
Heat the oven to 375F.  Peel and quarter beets.  Coat the beets in a drizzle of olive oil and place in a roasting pan.  Cover the pan with foil and place in oven.  Roast the beets for about 30 minutes (test with a fork for softness), then remove and let cool for 15 minutes.
 
Just before the beets come out, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook al dente.  Heads up: you will need to reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta.
 
While the beets cool, heat 3 tbs of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the green onions and scapes for a few minutes until they start to soften, then add remaining vegetables.  Gently cook until everything softens (3-5 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper. 
 
Add beets to food processor/blender with the ricotta cheese.  Process until it becomes a smooth mixture.  Transfer to large pasta bowl and season it with 2 tsp zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper,  the parsley, and Parmigiano.  Add the starchy water, the hot pasta, and sauteed vegetables.  Serve immediately.
 
Grilled Summer Squash- A great idea for your next backyard barbecue.

2 medium summer squash 
olive oil, salt 
Dill or lemon pepper 

Slice squash lengthwise (into long strips). Brush each side of squash strips with olive oil and then salt. 
Place slices directly onto warmed grill. Remove from grill when squash is tender but still firm.  Place squash in serving dish and sprinkle with dill and/or lemon pepper.  Grilled summer squash are also good sprinkled with lemon juice, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes.

Hello friends and members,
 
Welcome to Week 3 of our summer season!  It's certainly been feeling a bit more summery out there and all our crops are showing marked appreciation of the warmth and humidity.  These days of sun and rain with temps around 80 degrees are really ideal for plants, and especially important are warm nights.  When nights are warm the plants just continue to grow 24 yours a day, whereas when it gets cold at night the plants shut down and then spend half the next morning waking up and getting started.  They miss out on half the growing time they have when it's warm!
 
Another funny thing about the weather lately is the hit or miss nature of the storms.  On Saturday I was working all afternoon at the "Pizza Farm" (as Eli calls it) and it was dry as a bone.  I tilled up some beds and seeded the next round of beans and was considering watering the flowers.  I decided to hold off because the sky looked somewhat threatening.  When I finished, I hopped in the truck and headed up the road to our land.  Just as I got to Spear St, about a mile, it suddenly started raining torrentially.  I spun the truck around and raced back to the Pizza Farm to close up the greenhouses before the rain hit.  But it never did.  I sat there for a bit before deciding that it must have just been a quick shower.  Then I headed home.  When I got back to Spear St there was a lake about six inches deep at the intersection and it was still absolutely pouring!  I can't believe the difference a mile makes.  And this line(Spear St) seems like a divider time and again: wet to the east, dry to the west.  
 
This week's share will include: plentiful lettuce, mixed cooking greens, scallions, garlic scapes, beets, kohlrabi, radishes, bok choy, maybe first squash, baby fennel
 
In the u-pick garden, strawberry season still going strong, snow peas, herbs, daisies
 
Some Recipe ideas for scapes and kohlrabi:
 
Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Method:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
 


ROASTED KOHLRABI Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)
1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but you'll likely use more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).


Enjoy!
D, E and e

Greetings Friends and Members,
 
Welcome to Week 2 of the summer CSA season, and Happy Summer to you!  Is it just us or is it feeling a little bit like we live on the Scottish Highlands lately?  Not that we've been to the Scottish Highlands, but we imagine that maybe they're a lot like what we've been experiencing:  cool, breezy and wet. We're certainly ready for some warm and sunny days, and that's just what's in the forecast for later this week thankfully.  There's even talk of the upper 80's!  Won't that feel good!  In the fields things are starting to dry out and hopefully that trend will continue as we've got a lot of plants waiting to be transplanted.
 
At the farm this week- weather permitting- we're happy to announce that there will be strawberries for picking.  Here are a few guidelines:
1.  Be careful to only pick ripe berries.  (Sorry if this seems obvious, but we've seen some things over the years...)  Before you pick a berry look at the tip and make sure that it's nice and red.  If it's still white, leave it for later.
2.  Please watch where you're stepping and keep eager young pickers treading lightly as well.  Our rows are somewhat sprawling in places, but careful stepping will be rewarding for us all.  Also there are old rows of berries toward the hedgerow where surprisingly nice berries have been seen.
3.  Be mindful of the amount to pick for your share size.  Hopefully there will be plenty to go around for all, and if it looks like there are more at the end of the week we'll bump up the limits next week.
 
Things to look for in this week's share:
Lettuce, mesclun, bok choy, scallions, chard/kale/collard greens, garlic scapes, baby turnips/beets/kohlrabi, radishes
 
U-pick: strawberries, herbs, daisies and maybe some peas
 
See you soon!
D, E and e



This week's recipe:

 
SWISS CHARD (OR OTHER WARM GARDEN GREENS) CROSTATA 

TOPPING
1 / 3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced

10 cups of greens, washed, trimmed and chopped: Swiss Chard, radish tops, spinach, fennel tops, wild asparagus, onion shoots, beet tops, pea leaves, sorrel, nettles, mustard greens and flowers.

Sea salt
1 / 2 cup feta cheese crumbled
1 / 4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and soften garlic and shallots.  Add greens in batches to pan and cook until they just start to wilt.  Season with salt. 

CROSTATA DOUGH
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 / 2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 / 2 cup ice water, more as needed
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

 Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.  Process dry mixture for 5 seconds.  Add the butter and process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture resembles medium sized crumbs.  With processor running, drizzle in the ice water and process for an additional 30 seconds, or until the mixture forms a ball, use additional water if necessary.  Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and place dough on it.  Flour the dough lightly and cover with another piece of parchment.  Roll the dough out to form a 14” circle.  Remove the top piece of parchment .  Invert the dough onto an oiled baking sheet and remove the other piece of parchment.  Cover the dough with aluminum foil and prick with a fork.  Shape the foil into a 12 1/ 2” circle so that there is 1 1/ 2” border of dough.  Spread pie weights on the foil.  Fold the dough border over the foil border, making an edge for a round tart, pinching the dough every 2’ or so.  Whisk together the egg and milk and brush this on the dough’s edge.  Bake the crostata shell with the foil intact for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and pie weights and spread the wilted green mixture on top of the crostata.  Sprinkle with the feta and cayenne pepper.  Cover the entire crostata with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes, or until pastry edges are nicely browned.  (SERVES 6)

 

Welcome members to the first week of our 2009 season!  We're so glad you're joining our farm for what we hope is another great season.  It's been a busy, busy few months, getting all our plants started in the greenhouse and then steadily planting them out in the field as the weather allows.  At this point most of our main crops are up and growing strong.  What we need now is a little more warmth and a little less wet!
 
For those of you who are joining us for the first time this year, here are a few things to note.  First, we do our best to send out a weekly newsletter letting you know any farm news, an approximate idea of what to expect in your share for the week and some recipe ideas.  This is usually on Sunday/Monday evenings.  Second, when you come to the farm, the pick-up stand is in the little red building out towards the greenhouses that has a sign on it reading "Farmstand".  Inside you'll find a sign-in sheet.  Please find your name and cross it off so we know who has come and who hasn't.  If you forget your share size, it is listed there.  Next to the table with the sign-in sheet, there is a bulletin board where U-pick crops and amounts to pick (according to share size) are listed, as well as a map pointing out where things are.  And one last thing:  it's a good idea to keep a pair of mud boots in your car on pick-up nights.  It is often quite muddy and our lovely clay soil can do a real number on nice shoes.  Come prepared!
 
Here's what to expect this week at the farm:
 
Mesclun mix:  a mix of baby lettuce and other greens
Lettuce:  Heads of oakleaf and boston
Radishes:  French breakfast
Bok Choy:  one of our favorites.   See recipes below for some ideas
Greens:   Rainbow chard, kale and collards
U-Pick:  Daisies-- take all you like!  Strawberries-- not quite ready, but check the sign in the stand for an update.
 We're looking forward to seeing both old friends and new!  Take care, D, E, & e

ABOUT BOK CHOI             Bok Choi (a.k.a. Pak Choi) is a member of the cabbage family.  This delicate green is traditionally used in Chinese and Korean cooking, and is eaten both raw and cooked….. 

Sesame Bok Choi
Great served with brown rice.  Makes 2 servings
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoon of unsalted butter
3/4 lb of baby bok choy
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
Bring broth and butter to a simmer in a deep heavy skillet.  Arrange bok choy evenly in skillet and simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer bok choy with tongs to a serving dish and keep warm, covered. Boil broth mixture until reduced to about 1/4 cup, then stir in sesame oil and pepper to taste.  Pour mixture over bok choy.


  Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry with Bok Choi Serve over rice.  (Serves 4) 3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded & chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest (grated peel)
14 oz. can coconut milk
1 lb. (about 4 cups) mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peppers, zucchini, onions, kohlrabi, etc.)
1 small bok choi, stems sliced and leaves left whole
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

10 fresh basil leaves, slivered

1.      In a food processor or blender, combine garlic, jalapeños, & lime zest.  Process to smooth paste.

2.      Heat large skillet or wok over high heat; add coconut milk & paste, stir well.  Simmer 1 minute.

3.      Add all vegetables and season to taste with salt & pepper.  Simmer ten minutes. 

4.      Stir in red pepper flakes, soy sauce, lime juice and basil.  Simmer five minutes and serve hot