this week's 
HARVEST  LIST
 
Gorgeous veggies
This list may change, but here's our best guess of what you'll be getting in your share this week. 


Beets
Buttercruch lettuce
Green Leaf lettuce
Greens mix
Kale
Kohlrabi
Raddichio
Radishes
Scallions
 
Register for tomato tasting


A second BioBlitz was held on June 3rd at Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm. This 24-hour study enlisted the efforts of 26 scientists who worked round the clock performing a biological survey to record all the living species found within the Preserve. 


With Rushton Farm's sustainable agriculture operation amidst the larger nature preserve, the site offers an exceptional opportunity to study the relationships between its many habitat types.


Results will be compared with those found in the June 2015 BioBlitz, as well as with future studies which are planned at a nearby conventional (non-organic methods) farm.
 
Led by Heather Kostick, a graduate student at University of Pennsylvania, the BioBlitz is just one of many research projects taking place at Rushton Woods Preserve and Rushton Farm. The organic practices of the farm adjacent to 80-acres of carefully managed woodland, meadow and stream habitat combine to create an extraordinary example of a healthy, productive, ecosystem.


Rushton's unique setting and conservation programs attract students and scientists from the region, the country, and internationally.
 


Scientists looking for insects in a crop field  during the June BioBlitz at Rushton Woods Preserve.
A margined leatherwing was among the many insects surveyed during the 24-hour period. They are excellent pollinators.



SAVE THE DATES! 


 
Friday, July 1st               
Tuesday, July 19th
Friday, August 5th               

Friday, September 9th
 
Back by popular demand! Come enjoy the sunset and listen to WCT's Eric Hetzel and his band, The Hetzel Brothers. Sit back and enjoy the farm with the farmers and fellow CSA members.  Stay after your pick up or just stop by! We will have beer and refreshments. Hope to see you there!
 
 

KEEP US IN  

THE LOOP!

Rushton Farm Staff

Email is our primary means of communicating all CSA matters, so please
contact us if your address changes, or if you'd like a family member's address to be added to the CSA mailing list.  
WHEREABOUTS
RQP sign


Rushton Farm is located within the 85-acre Rushton Woods Preserve on Delchester Road, just south of Goshen Road in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. 



Address: 
911 Delchester Road Newtown Square, PA 


Fred de Long - Director of Community Farm 
Noah Gress - Field Manager
Chelsea Allen - Field Manager
Eliza Gowen - Outreach Coordinator
Todd Alleger - Agroecology Project Coordinator 
Molly Clark - Rushton Farm Apprentice 
Fabien Richard - Student Research Apprentice 
Katie Pflaumer - Student Research 
Apprentice from the University of Pennsylvania   
 
ARCHIVES
See prior email communications from Willistown Conservation Trust, including recipes and past issues of the Wild Carrot.
Go to the archive.   


Week of June 20, 2016 | Volume IX  |  Issue No. 5



IN THE BAG Tidbits from the staff

Hot Sun at Rushton 
The Sultry Days of Summer
 
Last night at 6:34 pm summer officially arrived. It arrived as heat steadily rose in waves from the fields. It arrived as harvest was adjusted for early morning and late afternoon to avoid the heat. It arrived as Fred sat in his air conditioned truck watching Noah pull the lettuce out of the field hoping the harvest was done (thankfully it was!).
 
Summer solstice was celebrated with a strawberry or honey full moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac the name "strawberry moon" originates from the collection of strawberries of the Native American Algonquin tribe. The arrival of this moon represents the true beginning of the harvest season and with it the bounty of summer.
 
The last time a strawberry moon occurred on the summer solstice was 1967. That was "the summer of love". As the hot sultry days of summer begin I have great hope that this will be a "summer of love" as well. In such a tumultuous time you can always find hope in the fact that the summer season has begun with a lucky omen.
 
Yes we are a superstitious lot at Rushton Farm.



Join Us for Tomato Tasting on July 30, 3016.
 
-Fred


THE DIRT Notes from the field



Which variety is your favorite? Find out on July 30!

Register today for the Tomato Tasting.




The wonderful thing about a farm in summer is that you can escape from the outside world and celebrate nature and food all in one setting. You can also share this landscape with like minded community members. On July 30th from 5 to 7 we will celebrate the farm and the food it provides a t the 9th annual Tomato Tasting. Enjoy a summer evening at Rushton Farm with tomatoes, beer and wine. Try the many varieties of tomatoes presented in multiple ways. Tickets are $25 for CSA members and $35 for non-CSA members and registration is by advance registration HERE. Hope to see you there!
-Rushton Farm Staff 


RECIPES  
Beautiful Kohlrabi



Kohlrabi and Māche Salad  


3 medium kohlrabi (2 pounds total)
1/2 small red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 ounces māche (lamb's lettuce; 4 cups) or other small tender lettuce


Equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer


 
Peel kohlrabi. Slice very thin with slicer and put in a bowl.  
 
Slice onion very thin with slicer, then rinse in a sieve and pat dry. Stir into kohlrabi.  
 
Stir together lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper, then stir in oil and capers. Pour over vegetables. Toss with māche, then serve immediately.
 
  - Maggie Ruggiero






Kohlrabi and Kale Salad  


4 cups kale, chopped
1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled and julienned
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans



Red wine vinegar dressing
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper



Combine kale, kohlrabi, carrots, dried cranberries and pecans in a large bowl.



In a small bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.



Mix dressing with salad until well coated.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
 
 
  -
Kristy Hegner 

 

About Us

  

Rushton Farm is part of Willistown Conservation Trust's Community Farm Program.  donate nowWillistown  Conservation Trust is a non-profit organization working to preserve and manage the open land, rural character, scenic, recreational, historic, agricultural and natural resources of the Willistown area and nearby communities, and to share these unique resources with people of all ages and backgrounds to inspire, educate and develop a lifelong commitment to the land and the natural world.
 
To learn more or to find out how you can get involved visit

  

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Willistown Conservation Trust | 925 Providence Road | Newtown Square | PA | 19073