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Pennypack Pickings
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July 10, 2012
Volume 10, Issue 17
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Share Duty
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Share duty opportunities are every Saturday from 8am - 12noon. Make sure to sign in and out in the Harvest House.
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Wanted
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Used refrigerator/freezer. Our old one is dying. Donations are tax deductable.
We will pick-up.
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Salad Frenzy
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by Nancy RosenthalWith all of the unbelieveable lettuce in the harvest house during pick-up and the hot weather, we are having a Salad  Frenzy at our place. It's no surprise I brought a huge salad to a friend's July 4th party. First I started with a little of the 2 different head lettuces, then I chopped up the Kohlrabi, and some tomatoes from my neighbors early producing plants, some black beans, corn and some pickled string beans. With a little more time I might have doctored up some tomatillo salsa (like the stuff they sell at Trader Joes) with 3 parts oil and 1 part acid (vinegar or lime juice) and used that as dressing, but the jar of dressing I had in the fridge was fine in a pinch. Days before our Independence Day Mexican Inspired Party Salad I was adding grilled eggplant, zucchini, onions and chicken to our salad and was finding it difficult to share. To help make the daily salad frenzy a little more spontaneous, I have been tearing up, washing and spinning dry half of my lettuce share and then storing it in a plastic bag in the fridge. This way, in just a few minutes with a few handfuls of lettuce a myriad of items can be added to create a delicious and quite beautiful salad. Next salad will have to include the cucumbers and salad turnips.
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Farming During the Dog Days!
We've just weathered a heat wave and the plants are doing fine. Farmer Jenn had both the drip and overhead irrigation systems running 24/7 and started that prior to the onset of the heat. This kept the roots well watered and cool when the temperature spiked. How do the farmers stand the heat? They begin their day at 6am completing the most strenuous work, harvesting and hoop house work, in the cool of the morning. More sedentary jobs, like seeding happen in the later afternoon after an hour break. After work, Farmer Jess arranges visits to local member's swimming pools. Many thanks to members who brought iced coffee, watermelon and popsicles! Farmer Jenny
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Notes from the Edible Classroom
Despite the oppressive heat, we had a fairly productive week in the EC. We transplanted several more cucumber seedlings, pulled lots of weeds and watered every chance we had! All in all, the plants look great.The mockingbird parents are watching over their brood, bringing food and squawking if someone gets too close to the nesting area. I am not going to take any photos of the babes for awhile because I believe it is too upsetting for the parents. If, as the babies grow, the parents let me get closer, I will take a few photos, but for now I think we need to keep a respectful distance from the nesting area. The sandbox has proven to be a most fertile ground for the slug hunters! Just the other day, one determined slug hunter found 7 slugs in a matter of minutes. As we sat and watched the slugs, we realized we had lots of questions about slugs. We wondered, how do they move? What do they eat and how do they have babies? A quick search on Google led me to thehumorwriter.com. Here are a few facts from the site: slugs move using a "long and strong foot" (no toes attached!), slugs are vegetarians and they are invertebrates (no backbones). As to the question of how do slugs have babies, the answer is both simple and not so much. Slugs are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs. After mating, a slug will lay eggs in a damp place, like the sand box! Baby slugs look just like their parents, only smaller. For those who want more info, this site gives a good description of the mating process www.madsci.org. One of the areas I am paying special attention to right now is the sweet  potato bed. Many of the plants are blooming and they are beautiful. The flower resembles a morning glory and the plant itself is quite "viney". Next time you pick up your CSA, share come over and have a look. You can see the flowers, but we won't harvest the sweet potatoes several weeks - although we might take a peek as they grow...Stay cool and don't forget the sunscreen!Diane
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Summer Calendar
Children's Programs - SAVE the DATES
July 18 & 25, August 15 & 29
Little Seeds and Little Sprouts will be offered through the summer and be held at Meadowbrook Farm. More details in the next Pennypack Pickings.
Adult Programs
 Canning and Pickling with Marisa McClellan
Tuesday July 24, 6pm-9pm, $40 Whether you're a new canner or experienced preserver, this class is for you. Learn or refresh your knowledge of boiling water bath canning with local canning teacher and cookbook author Marisa McClellan. In this class, you'll learn the cold pack method of pickling and best practices for homemade chutney. Featured recipes will be Dilly Beans and Peach Chutney. Register now...  "Wildman" Steve - Hunt for Wild Elderberriesat Pennypack Ecological Trust
Sunday, August 12, 4pm, $20/adult $10/child
Join "Wildman" Steve Brill as he leads one of his world-famous foraging tours of Pennypack Trust in Huntingdon Valley, PA, a walking tour sponsored by Pennypack Farm.
We'll be looking for familiar wild blackberries, much better-tasting than any commercial varieties, and common elderberries, less known but great in jams, muffins, and pancakes. Black cherries, a native species with a flavor of cherry and grapefruit, may also bear abundant fruit. And we may even find lemony mayapples. Register here  Preserving the Wild Harvest
Thursday, August 16, 7pm-830pm, $20 Learn to use and preserve wild and not so wild edibles with David Siller. Turn your favorites into sauces, preserves, chips, pickles, leather, etc. Participants should bring: notebooks and tastebuds. Register here |
Hosted by the College Settlement of Philadelphia
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