Tangerini's Farm-CSA News

Dear CSA Members,

I love farming! It makes me feel like a kid most of the time. Who else starts to chuckle when they see a tomato horn worm. I'm the only person I know who does that or would admit to it.

They are like old friends you haven't

seen for a while. The ones that remind you that you are into the second week of harvest in the tomato house; that is when they show up every year. I thought maybe they would skip a year given the cool weather but oh no, not this voracious eater. He/she was right on schedule! Somehow their appearance gave me hope that this season will happen regardless of the weather.

As usual, I scouted them out by looking for tomato stems that no longer had their leaves. To pinpoint the actually location of these critters I looked on the black plastic to find the green-ist poop. Just above it was this very fat green horned worm.

When I first got chickens I would pull them off and give them to the chickens as treats. The chickens just looked at them in disgust an

d walked away. So now I just pull them off and .........

It was just Thursday morning when I was commenting to a customer that I hadn't seen a grasshopper all summer. Two hours later, while hooking up the potato digger, I saw a baby grasshopper hopping around. It reminded me again that it's almost time for the sunflowers to bloom. Next week, Japanese Beetles.

See you at the farm,
Laura

Eat your green beans!

Summer is finally upon us and with that comes the beans! This week in particular you will be getting Italian beans and green beans. Both are wonderful raw, cut into the fixings for a salad or even steamed as a side dish. However, if you longing for something cooler, how about a 3 Bean Salad?

Three Bean Salad
2 to 3 cups of green beans, cut into small pieces
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 large red onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 large garlic clover, minced
1 tsp dried basil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss well. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Can be made with other combinations of beans if you prefer.

Make Your Own Pickles

Did you know that you can pickle more than the "pickling cukes"? On Thursday, July 23rd at 7:00 PM we will be holding a Basics of Pickle Making class at the farm. Come watch and take notes. Please RSVP to the farm as there is a 10 person maximum.

In the meantime, why not try your hand at some refrigerator pickles? These simple recipes produce pickles with a lot of tang and flavor. You will need Bell Jars with lids and seals and should wash and sterilize them (run them through the dishwasher) before use. They should keep up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 lbs pickling cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)

1 T yellow mustard seeds

2 tsp whole peppercorns

1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill. Using mortar and pestle or re-sealable plastic bag and mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours. Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids. Store in refrigerator up to 2 months.

Ground Turkey Burgers w/ Slaw

One of the local meats at the farm this week is ground turkey. The recipe below makes use of ground turkey and the cabbage from this week's share. If you prep and make the slaw the night before, you can have dinner in a matter of minutes!

Barbecue Turkey Burgers with Creamy Cole Slaw

Burgers:
2 lbs ground turkey

1 small onion, minced

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 T soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced finely

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp Tabasco

Slaw:
3 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 large carrot, shredded coarse

1 small red onion, sliced thin

Bread:
six 6-inch pita loaves, split open to form pockets

In a small bowl stir together Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin, Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste until sauce is smooth. In a large bowl stir together turkey, onion, bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup sauce until combined well and form into six 3/4-inch-thick patties. If burgers seem too loose, add an egg to the mixture. Divide remaining sauce in half and put into separate bowls, half for brushing burgers on the grill and half for drizzling on cooked burgers. Chill sauce, covered.

In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Add remaining cole slaw ingredients and salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine well. Cover and chill.

Grill burgers brushing frequently with barbecue sauce, 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Drizzle burgers with remaining barbecue sauce and serve with coleslaw in pita pockets.

Meet and Greet

Have you had the pleasure of meeting Charlie Jacob?

Charlie is 20 years old and just finished his freshmen year at
Providence College. We have know him since he was in the seventh grade. In fact, he looked so much like our son Charlie on the soccer field that we couldn't tell them apart. While at St. Sebastian's School, Charlie played Football and Lacrosse. He also played the lead in Hamlet. When he really wants to get the crew going he starts his recitation of his Shakespeare character.

On the farm you'll see him hauling produce out of the fields or using the flamer to combat those nasty weed. Charlie enjoys golf, skiing, writing, and community service work. This September he will head to New Orleans to work with Katrina victims for several months.

Thanks Charlie, you are doing a great job!

Don't Forget...

to stop into the farm stand to check out these other local products!

From week to week, there will be local products and produce for sale in the indoor farm stand. Don't forget to check it out when you're there for your share pick-up!

Blueberry picking has started at the farm. Berries are $2.99/lb and are organically produced.

If you want full flats of Raspberries, Black Raspberries, currants or gooseberries please email me. Raspberries and Black raspberries will be $48.00/Flat w/ 12- 1/2pt containers per flat.

This week we'll be bringing in whole chicken as well as breast, leg and thigh sections. We will also be offering veal, ground beef and ground turkey. Check out the freezer when you come to pick up your produce!