morning 11

Wellspring image
Elevated Eleven

 

Howdy members!  Welcome to week eleven.  I'd like to share a quick anecdote with you today to kick off this week's newsletter.  During my first season farming my boss had this annoying habit of singing the chorus to "Livin' on a Prayer" by Jon Bon Jovi, every time we were halfway done with anything.  ("Whoa-oh we're halfway the-ere, Whoa-oh, livin' on a pray-er" for those of you that don't have an immediate reference.)  Halfway done hoeing a bed, halfway to our needed harvest number, halfway done transplanting a crop.  This week, week 11, we are halfway through the 22 weeks of the 2011 season.  I have yet to sing "Livin' on a Prayer" to the crew, (actually, that's probably not entirely true, but not this week anyway) though it's only Tuesday as I write this.  Anyway, thanks for making the journey with us thus far, and I hope you're looking forward to the next half as much as I am.  So members, take my hand and we'll make it I swear - all the way to November.

 

share wk 11We are starting to turn a bit of a corner here on the farm - the transplanting is almost finished (except a few experimental hoop house items), the direct seeding of fall crops is in full swing (more spinach and arugula, as well as salad mix, other Asian greens and root crops like turnips), and we are prepping the hoop houses with cover crop and remaining compost to prepare them for some late season growing.  I'm hoping to have greens to sell to restaurants into December this year.  I've never done any winter growing so I'm reading a book by organic farming guru and winter growing expert Elliot Coleman, as well as checking out some University Extension materials online.  

 

Other items of note: We are harvesting our storage onions and shallots this week - they went in a bit late and therefor are not as big as I'd like them to be, but I think they are lovely anyway.  We'll be curing them in the coming weeks and starting to give them out soon after that.  Also, thanks again to all of you who attended the Taste of Wellspring last Saturday - I had a great time meeting the shareholders and everyone else who attended.  Finally, a word on WATERMELONS.  So, I certainly didn't plan it this way but like many things on the farm the crops have minds of their own.  Consequently, most of the melons are now ripening at the same time.  Which means you are getting two cantaloupe and one watermelon in this week's share.  I'm not suggesting that this is a bad thing, however it poses some interesting spacial concerns within the box.  So, the WATERMELONS are not going in the box.  They will be at your drop-site in a SEPARATE but similar looking cardboard box, with a sign on it that says, "WATERMELONS, WELLSPRING SHAREHOLDERS PLEASE TAKE ONE." So please, take one. 

 

 

 

What's in the Box and Where Does It Go? 

 

 

Crop                     Fridge?                      Notes/Variety

 

Garlic                           No                            Chesnock Red 

 

Green Beans                   Yes                  Provider and Masai 

 

Cantaloupe                    Yes    Emerald Gem, Delicious 51

 

Watermelon                    Yes                 Sugar Baby 

 

Sweet Onions                 Yes                Siskiyou Sweet 

 

Tomatoes                     No    Red and Pink Slicers / Heirlooms 

 

Hot Pepper                       No                              Serrano 

 

Green Pepper                   Yes           

 

Potatoes                            No                        Red Norland

 

Parsley                               Yes 

 

Thyme                                 Yes

 

 Cucumber                          Yes 

 

Zucchini                               Yes 

 

So, I think most of the crops are pretty recognizable this week - that's what's nice about peak season, everything is familiar!  

 

I'll just touch on a few items: 

 

Garlic - Yay!  Our garlic is curing up wonderfully and we have a lot of it, which is exciting.  Garlic comes in two varieties, hardneck and softneck.  Anytime you see braided garlic you can be sure it's a softneck variety - hardnecks have a thick woody stalk that doesn't bend very easily.  This particular variety is called Chesnock Red, and it's a hardneck.  It's also a "purple stripe" variety.  I found this on a website devoted to garlic seed: http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/index.htm. "

Purple Stripe garlics are ophios (hardnecks) and are usually vividly striped with purplish vertical stripes decorating the bulb wrappers, hence their name...Coloration is affected by growing conditions, particularly weather and sometimes they are strongly colored and at other times more white than purple. They tend to be rather rich in flavor and not overly hot, though some are milder, and store fairly well...Standard Purple Stripe garlics make the sweetest baking garlics of all. The first time I tried roasted Chesnok Red garlic, I thought someone had put some sugar in it - they are sweet. You can add roasted Purple Stripe garlic to vanilla ice cream and re-freeze it and it will have the taste and texture of butter brickle ice cream."

 

Green Beans - Two small bags of two different types of green beans are in this week's share.  The larger type is Provider, the same variety as last week only picked in a more premium condition.  The second, smaller variety (and quantity) is a real delicacy called Masai, which is a Hericot Vert style of green bean.  "Hericot Vert" is French for "green bean" and is a thinner, smaller style of bean.  Tender and yummy!  

 

 Cantaloupe - There are two varieties floating around out there now, and some of you may have one of each or two of the same.  We tried for one of each, but I'm not sure the quantity was there.  The one with the more obvious lines is called Caribbean Gold, and the one with more "netting" is called Delicious 51.  Both yummy, we think! 

 

Watermelon - Again, please remember to take your watermelon from the drop site.  This variety is called Sugar Baby and we are really enjoying them around the farm.  

 

Tomatoes - The hot house tomatoes are really coming on strong now, but we are anxiously awaiting the heirlooms in the field.  I think next week we will be able to start doling out the heirlooms and hopefully the cherry tomatoes as well! 

 

Green Peppers - These are a variety called King of the North. The red, yellow and orange pepper plants are loaded with fruit, now it's just a matter of ripening!  I think we will see these coming on strong next week as well.  For now, your standard green will have to do! 

 

Thyme - This is a Farmer Favorite herb - I love thyme in eggs, with meat, with caramelized onions, and in vinaigrette.  A good trick for fresh thyme is to hang it upside down somewhere in your kitchen and let it dry, then put it in a glass jar for later use.  It dries easily and will make you smile and remember your Wellspring CSA share during the cold winter months. 

Fabulous Fennel! 

 

Just another brief reminder about the upcoming cooking class, Fabulous Fennel.  Join KC Thorson and Libby Voss as they journey through a land of culinary delights starring that Mediterranean favorite, fennel. This Wednesday August 18th from 6 - 8 pm.  See our website: wellspringinc.org for details! 

 


 


Recipes

 

Now, I know you don't need suggestions on what to do with tomatoes, potatoes and french-style green beans, but if I were you and I had this box, I'd make a classic nicoise salad. I have many fond memories of ordering this dish at one of my favorite Minneapolis establishments called Barbette.  They make an excellent version with purple potatoes and quail eggs. There are quite a few versions out there, so I've just included some links to peruse.  I think that if you decide to embark on creating this masterpiece of a salad, you should choose your own variations. 

 




Salsa Verde (thyme and parsley) from the Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters

Here's what Alice Waters has to say about this sauce, "Salsa Verde, the classic green sauce of Italy, is a sauce of olive oil and chopped parsley flavored with lemon zest, garlic, and capers.  It adds lively freshness to almost any simple dish...Don't hesitate to experiment.  I make salsa verde more of less thick depending on what I am using it for.  I tend to use less oil when it's for roasted meats and grilled veggies and more for fish." 

Combine in a small bowl: 
1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley (leaves and thin stems only)
Grated zest of 1 lemon 
1 small garlic clove, chopped very fine or pounded into a puree 
1 TBS capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chipped 
1/2 tsp salt 
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste 
1/2 cup olive oil 

Mix well and taste for salt. Let the sauce sit for a while to develop the flavors. 

Variations: 
Other herbs, or combinations of herbs such as thyme, tarragon or chervil, can replace part or all of the parsley. 


Melon and Cucumbers with Pepper and Lime from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison 

1/2 honeydew or cantaloupe, cilled 
3 cucumbers
2 cups watercress or arugula 
juice of two limes 
salt and freshly milled pepper 

Scoop out the seeds, then slice the melon into narrow wedges and remove the skin.  Scrub the cucumbers or peel if the skin is thick; cut into sixths. Make a bed of greens on four plates and arrange the melon and cucumbers on top.  Spoon the lime juice over the top and season with a little salt and pepper. 

Very Much Marinated Potatoes from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen 

This looked yummy to me, and it utilizes many CSA box ingredients.  Especially if you still have some pesky scallions lying around.

"For this salad, the potatoes are actually cooked in their marinage, which gives them a very unusual flavor. (Potatoes are rarely cooked in anything but water.) The truck to this process is to get them sliced seriously thin (which means only a shade or two thicker than paper-thin.)  The ingredients for this dish are not unusual, but somehow the result equals more than the sum of its parts." 

6 medium potatoes
2/3 cup olive oil 
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
a generous dosage or fresh black pepper 
1 1/2 tsp salt 

3 scallions - whites and greens, finely minced 
1 small bell pepper, in very thin slices
1/4 cup finely-minced parsley
chunks of ripe, red tomato 

1. Scrub the potatoes. Slice them in half lengthwise, then in very thin slices. 

2. Combine potatoes slices, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to a shy simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just tender (20-30 minutes.) Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and chill thoroughly. 
 
3. Before serving, stir in minced scallions and pepper slices. Serve garnished with minced parsley and chunks of tomato. 
 
Hope you have a great week! Farmer A 


 
What's in the Box in Pictures (Photos by Angie)
 
Cantalope wk 11 Delicious 51 cantalope wk 11 Emerald gem

Cantaloupe - left photo is Delicious 51 variety and more golden skin is Emerald Gem variety
cukes wk 11
Cucumbers
garlic wk 11
Garlic
green beans wk 11
Green Beans - left side is the Provider variety you have gotten other weeks and right side is Masai
Green peppers wk 11
Green Peppers
onions wk 11
Onions
Parsley wk 11
Parsley
peppers wk 11
Peppers - red is Serrano variety and green is Jalepeno
Potatoes wk 11
Potatoes
thyme wk 11
Thyme
Tomatoes wk 11
Tomatoes (Heirloom are usually not as round - bottom left and top ones are Heirloom in photo)
watermelon wk 11
Watermelon - Sugar Baby variety
zuke wk 11
Zucchini (green) and Summer Squash (yellow)
hot pepper