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Field Notes
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 | | Farmer Dave shows the high tunnel to Lawrence High School students. |
Field Report
Everything in the field is growing beautifully after last week's hot weather. With the heat and growth and no rain, we needed to start up the irrigation pumps to make sure the plants did not get stressed. It was a pleasure to share our irrigation system with a group of over 40 students from Lawrence High School STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) Program. They are involved in this program for the summer and will be establishing their own irrigation system in a quarter-acre garden in Lawrence. Their morning on the farm last week introduced them to the realities of water "on the ground." The students came away with a better understanding of the math and science involved in irrigation, as well as the implications of different irrigation methods and how they affect plant growth and water conservation.
I was proud to show off the now red tomatoes in our high tunnel, and how the drip irrigation system will keep them growing strong through the summer. Not understanding where their food comes from, I had to explain to them why so many CSA members have been excited to be receiving tomatoes in their shares more than a month earlier than in past years. While the high tunnel was a big investment, tasty tomatoes this early are priceless.
Farmer Dave
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In Your Share - Week 3
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The following items will most likely make an appearance in your share this week (and as always, the contents of your share is ultimately determined by Mother Nature's harvest conditions):- Lettuce
- Hakurei Turnips
- Swiss Chard
- Beets
- Bok Choy
- Peas
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini, Kousa, or Summer Squash
- Cilantro or Dill
- Garlic Scapes
- And possibly more, depending on harvest conditions!
The first weeks tend to be more greens-heavy, and as the weather heats up, the variety of crops will increase accordingly.
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Fourth of July Pick-ups
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With Independence Day nearing closer and closer, some of you have already asked how the holiday will affect your pick-up schedule. In order to account for location closings (and the fact that you probably want to get home to your picnics!), we've made a few changes to our pick-up schedule, and we e-mailed it out last week. If you did not receive the e-mail and have questions about your pick-up schedule, please contact farm@farmerdaves.net.
If you need to change your pick-up day for the week of Independence day, you MUST e-mail us by Wednesday, June 27 and let us know (no exceptions!)
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CSA Q & A: Add-ons
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Q: I'm surprised that there are add-on produce items offered for sale, like peas or garlic scapes. I thought these would only be in the shares?
A: Over the years, many members have been asking if they could purchase bulk quantities of produce to can or freeze. The add-on function of the new computer system that we started using last year gives us the ability to offer bulk produce to you - our members - when it is available.
We are always trying to grow more of what the members want, and the addition of bulk add-ons, like the CSA itself, is member-driven. These add-ons will only be available in certain weeks when there is more than enough in the fields to provide for all of our shareholders. So, when we offer a bulk item that you want, please understand that there is a high chance it will only be available for a limited time, because there might only be enough to include in the shares themselves in subsequent weeks.
Q: I noticed strawberries and/or raspberries at some of the pick-ups or farmers markets. So, why hasn't the fruit share begun yet, if these items are available?
A: The fruit shares are offered as a 13-week share for August, September, and October (and are advertised and priced as such). Other than the melons, the fruit in our shares are all perennial crops. Much of the fruit we plant, we must care for for several years before the plants are fully mature and fully productive. Having bought our farm only 6 years ago, we are only now beginning to approach a decent level of our own fruit harvest.
With our CSA, we do not like to make any promises that we cannot keep. So, until we find that we consistently have enough fruit in July, we will not take your money for a longer season of a fruit share CSA. Yet, if we are lucky enough to have some fruit available earlier, we do want to offer it to you. And, whenever possible, we will begin the fruit CSA a week or more ahead of schedule.
While some of the berries are indeed ready for harvest in June or July, there is not yet enough fruit available to offer an ample share for all our fruit share members on a consistent basis. Therefore, we prefer to promise little and give much, rather than to promise the world and end up giving little if the weather doesn't cooperate. Starting the fruit share later in the summer, and offering early summer fruit for sale when available, seems to be the best way to offer all of our fruit without breaking any promises to our membership.
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CSA Member Tip of the Week
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This tip comes from Tammi, who picks up in Dracut:
"This is a tip I received from Farmer Dave when I first became a CSA member and really did not know how to work with the variety and quantity of fresh greens. He said to keep the preparation easy. Put olive oil and garlic in a pan and warm it. Wash the greens, chop them and throw them in the pan. Put a lid on for 3-5 minutes or til bright green. (I add a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper). Eat and enjoy! That kept me from getting overwhelmed when I was a new member. It's still my go-to strategy, and as soon as I smell the garlic sauteing, I feel relaxed. It sure helped when the spinach rained down upon us this early spring season : ). I don't always have the time to make long involved recipes and that's ok because the greens are delicious simply prepared. If I want to get fancy, I'll toast some pine nuts and sprinkle them on with some good hard cheese, grated over the top. Or I'll add red pepper flakes to the olive oil."
Thanks, Tammi! Got a tip to share? Send it on over!
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Storage Notes
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Some tips for storing your share this week:
- Greens do best when in the fridge and kept cold. If you find your greens are not lasting as long as you would like, try turning your refrigerator a degree or two colder - it makes a big difference!
- For root vegetables, such as beets, radishes and turnips, cut the greens off and store them separately from the roots. The roots will keep much longer, and you can cook the greens separately (just like you would spinach or Swiss chard!)
- Tomatoes will keep their flavor best at room temperature - store them on your countertop! Flavor declines in the refrigerator.
- Garlic scapes make a beautiful tabletop centerpiece stored in a glass of water (cut side down!).
- If you run out of space in your crisper drawers, try using some large tupperware-like containers. You'll find your veggies last a long time in those!
- If you're looking to wash your lettuce ahead of time and eat it over a few days, check out this video to learn how to store your washed lettuce.
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| Recipes of the Week | Hakurei Turnip and Garlic Scape Tacos
Adapted by Farmer Dave's from Trusted Earth Farm and Forage
Ingredients:
- 1 small bunch hakurei turnips
- 2 garlic scapes - diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- 6 small tortillas of your choice
- 3 oz queso fresco
- chopped cilantro to taste, if desired
- Salt & pepper
Directions:
Remove the turnips from their greens. Dice the turnips and mince the greens. Dice the garlic scapes. In another bowl crack your two eggs and whisk like scrambled eggs. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large pan. Once the butter has melted, add in the turnips and scapes - toss to coat them thoroughly with the butter. Cook for two - three minutes. Add the cumin, salt and pepper. Toss everything again to make sure it's all coated with butter and evenly seasoned.Cook another minute. Set aside - and in the still hot skillet - add your eggs and scramble quickly. Warm your tortillas. Assemble your tacos with the remaining ingredients! Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl Adapted by Farmer Dave's from The Food Network (Rachael Ray) Ingredients: - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic scapes, finely chopped
- 2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated
- 1/2 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced, a couple of cups
- 1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces, then cut sticks lengthwise
- Salt and pepper
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 cup seafood stock, available on soup aisle or, 1 cup clam juice
- 1 1/2 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1/2 pound vermicelli (thin spaghetti)
- 4 scallions, cut into 3 inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks
Directions:
Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, then add crushed red pepper flakes, garlic scapes, ginger, mushrooms, and bok choy. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and seafood stock or clam juice. Put a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil.
Add shrimp and noodles and cook 3 minutes. Add in scallions and cook 2 minutes, then turn off soup and let it sit 2 to 3 minutes more. Adjust salt and serve.
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 Groundwork Share-A-Share™ Update
|  Thanks to generous donations by you (CSA members) to the Groundwork Share-A-Share™ fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2011 for over twenty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.
For 2012, we'd like to continue to offer subsidies to those in need. We still have some individuals and families on a waiting list. Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by donating to Groundwork Share-A-Share.
To learn more about the program, click here. Thank you all for helping us keep this program going in 2012! |
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Contact us:
Farmer Dave's
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA 01826
(978) 349-1952
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