Summer Newsletter
Week 17
Greetings!

 

This morning was a little bit of a scare with the cool weather.  I live very close to the lake in Gordon Square and it was 45 when I left the house this morning.  That means that an hour south of Cleveland the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler. That's pushing a frost, particularly in low lying areas.  


 

Fortunately, the coldest reports I got was 37 in Fredricksburg and Hartville.  No killing frost damage yet.  


 

Hopefully this week warms up some overnight and let's cross our fingers for some cloud cover into late September and early October to keep the nights warmer.  I'm guessing the next full moon will bring clear skies and possibly frost....let's hope I'm wrong. 


 

Anyhow, this week still has a few tastes of summer left in it.  For the larges, we had scaled this week back a little to try to make up some ground on the budget from the really large weeks of 11, 14, 15, and 16!  


 

And a quick preview of what I have to write about:

- Pig Roast this weekend

- Salmon run

- Turkey talk

 

Thanks

Trevor 

Trevor's Corner

Pig Roast this Weekend.  If you haven't been to our Customer Appreciation Picnic, you should really try to make it out with us this weekend. Check-in starts at 1 PM with activities available for the kids immediately, including face painting, pumpkin painting, and apple bobbing.  At 2 PM we have the egg toss competition and 2:30 is the Sack Race.  Clark, Adam, and I will carve the pig at 3 PM and we'll all eat lunch! 


 

It looks like the weather will be great so please bring the family and join us.  We do suggest that you register first so we can have enough tables, etc.  

 

The registration link is: Customer Appreciation Potluck  

 

Salmon RunAs Wow, we had a good response to this year's salmon club.  In fact, we sold out of the whole pallet in just a day!  

 

I talked to Heidi, our fisherlady, and she is going to cut more fish for us from her inventory.  We don't have a date yet on the second pallet of salmon, but likely late October or early November.  Preorders are available online now. at http://csalogin.freshforkmarket.com 


 

About the salmon:  Heidi has been fishing the Nushagak River outside of Dillingham, Alaska, for 20 years.  She started when she was 15!  The general area is referred to as the Bristol Bay.  


 

These are wild caught Sockeye salmon.  Heidi grades them out by hand and each center-cut filet portion is flash frozen and vacuum packed.  The shelf life is about a year on them.  I'm still eating my salmon from last year's supply.  

 

We are selling the second pallet mostly by the case as that seems to be what was in demand most.  The price is $165 per 10# case.  $7 portions are also available still online.  


 

Please preorder your salmon for deliver in late October or early November.  We'll email you about this delivery schedule once Heidi is confirms with us the shipping date.  Order at http://csalogin.freshforkmarket.com  

 

 

Thanksgiving Turkeys: FAQs We have been getting a ton of questions about Thanksgiving Turkeys.  Here is a quick FAQ to answer your questions:

 

1) When do I need to order my turkey?  In all honesty, we likely won't sell out.  I'm raising a lot of turkeys this year.  What we don't use in our Thanksgiving packages will be used to make turkey patties and turkey breast lunchmeat.  That being said, PLEASE RSVP your turkey early.  There is a lot of administrative work that goes on in our office to make sure we fill your Thanksgiving order properly, including confirming your pickup location and order.  The more time we have the better!  

 

Package 1 and the Heritage Birds will likely be the only two items to sell out before Thanksgiving.

 

2) How big of a turkey should I get?  My answer:  As big as it will fit in your oven!  What is wrong with some leftovers?  In all seriousness, you can always cook half the bird or just freeze the cooked meat afterwards.  


 

We do suggest usually 1.25# of turkey per guest.  That's pre-cooked.  By the time you trim the bones out and everyone selects whether they like dark or white meat, you end up having about the right amount.  So a 12 person party needs a 16# bird or bigger. 

 

3) What is the difference between a tom and hen?  In flavor, nothing.  In fact, I meant to change the wording on those this year.  Tom (male) is usually larger than the hen (female).  Tom turkeys come in around 20# and up (historically they have been larger) and the hens between 14 and 17 lbs.  In terms of flavor, they taste the same and cook the same. 

 

4) Fresh or Frozen?  I can guarantee there isn't a quality difference between fresh and frozen turkeys (at least the one's we freeze).  However, the Thanksgiving turkeys we buy ARE FRESH.  In fact, we "harvest" them the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving and you get them the next day.  Crazy huh?  Yeah, Mike and I don't sleep those days as we are constantly shuffling trucks to the processor.  

 

5)  How long will  the turkey last in my fridge?  A fresh turkey kept cold will be fresh for 7 to 8 days after the kill.  I suggest rinsing the bird when you get it home with cold water and putting back into a clean bag.  Place the turkey in the back of your refrigerator (coldest part).  

 

If you are planning on cooking your bird the weekend or week after Thanksgiving, you will be fine.  

 

6) How happy are your turkey's right now?  I've been practicing my clucks, my purrs, crackles, and yelps, and from what I can gather in conversation with the birds, they are really happy.  

 

I do play around some with the turkey call in my truck, but I can't translate!   The birds are outside and having fun.  At Leroy's farm, they are running around in the corn stalks  (see last year's almanac article about Leroy's birds HERE on Page 37) and at Aden's farm we actually had to move most of the Heritage birds to a deer pen up the road.  The Heritage Birds were all flying out of the pen and roaming the farm, roosting with the hogs and on fences near the cattle. 


 

All of our turkeys are pasture raised (outside all the time) and fed a supplemental diet of non-gmo grain mixture.  No birds receive antibiotics or hormones.  

 

I think you will find these slow growth birds to be quite tasty.  

 

7) How do I pre-order my turkey?  Turkey preorders can be placed online at http://csalogin.freshforkmarket.com.  

 

More Details about our Thanksgiving offerings here:  http://freshforkmarket.com/thanksgiving/

 

You may also download an order form at:  http://freshforkmarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2014-Thanksgiving-form.pdf 

 

Winter Season.  The Fresh Fork Market winter session starts the week of November 3rd.  For those who have done it before, you can attest to the fun.  We start with 3 consecutive deliveries then start every other week schedule to skip the holidays.  The winter season is 15 deliveries and it lasts until mid-May.  There is only one size bag (essentially the summer large bag) and no vegetarian or vegan options available (such options wouldn't be a fair value in the winter).  The bag comes out to $45 per delivery, which is every other week.

 

We've been working hard to get ready for the season.  A few weeks ago I made an impromptu drive to upstate New York to buy an automatic bean snipper. This machine trims the tails and tips off of green beans and wax beans at a rate of 1,000# per hour!  This made is possible for us to buy Jonas Hershberger's 6,000# of beans last week.  Yeah, we put a few beans away already.   Here are a few photos of it in action.  

 

We've also been using the corn husker and cutter that I bought last fall to process sweet corn. We've already put about 15,000# of sweet corn into the freezer for the winter. 

 

Other frozen vegetables include peas, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and diced heirloom tomatoes.  Clark Pope and some of our other producers have been working hard as well to "put up" tomatoes into sauce and other preserves for you this winter. 

 

Full details about the winter season and registration can be found here: Winter Season Details  

 

What's In The Bag?
Small Omnivore 
1 package chicken Italian sausage
6 ears sweet corn
1 bunch carrots with tops
2 ct colored peppers (red or purple)
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 quart concord grapes
1 bunch curly kale
1-2 eggplant, depending on size
1 quarter peck Bartlett pears

Small Vegetarian
Small bag, leave out the chicken Italian sausage, add:
1 bunch daikon radishes
1 head cauliflower
1 quart tomatillos

Small Vegan
Same as small vegetarian

Large Omnivore
1 package chicken Italian sausage
6 ears sweet corn
1 bunch carrots with tops
2 ct colored peppers (red or purple)
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 quart concord grapes
1 bunch curly kale
1-2 eggplant, depending on size
1 quarter peck Bartlett pears
1 bulb fennel with tops
1 bunch daikon radishes
1 cantaloupe
1 quart tomatillos


Large Vegetarian
6 ears sweet corn
1 bunch carrots with tops
2 ct colored peppers (red or purple)
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 quart concord grapes
1 bunch curly kale
1-2 eggplant, depending on size
1 quarter peck Bartlett pears
1 bulb fennel with tops
2 bunch daikon radishes
1 cantaloupe
2 quart tomatillos
1 head cauliflower

Recipes
Charred Eggplant Dip

Ingredients:

Eggplant

Garlic

Salt and Pepper

Optional:  roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar

 

Eggplant dip has become a new favorite of mine this fall.  I can snack on it on the road and it is great spread on a sandwich or in a wrap like  a condiment or hummus would be. 

 

Start by washing your eggplant.  Literally sit the eggplant on top of the burner on your stove.  I know this works with a gas stove, not sure how to do it on electric.  Another option is to use your gas grill or to put the eggplant under the broiler in the oven. 

 

On the stovetop, turn the eggplant every few minutes over the flame until the flesh inside becomes very soft.  You should be able to squeeze the eggplant easily and determine.  The skin should be charred and flaky. 

 

Let the eggplant cool some and peel off the skin and/or squeeze our the flesh.  

 

On a cutting board, mince a small amount of garlic.  You can always add more garlic later if you want more.  Mince it finely, add salt to extract more flavor and scrape it against the cutting board with your knife.  Add the garlic, some salt, and a little oil to the eggplant.  Mash it with a fork until smooth or put it through the food processor or blender. 

Roasted Eggplant Stack
Ingredients:
Eggplant
Salt and Pepper
Sunflower or Olive Oil
Tomatoes, slicers or cherry
Optional:  balsamic vinegar, ,minced garlic

Slice your eggplant into evenly thick slices. Salt on both sides and let them drain on a cookie sheet on a rack.  Allow 1 hour for the salt to draw out the moisture and bitter notes.  Rinse under cold water and dry.  

Oil a cookie sheet and place your eggplant on it.  Brush the tops of the eggplant with oil and sprinkle with salt (you can also drizzle balsamic vinegar on too or add minced garlic).  You can also do this on a rack to promote faster cooking and less sticking.  Roast at 400 degrees for approx 25 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are. 

Slice cherry tomatoes, toss with oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast on a foil lined cookie sheet  (to make cleanup easier).  You can also do the same with sliced tomatoes.  You want to roast to dry them out some.  This isn't necessary but it concentrates the tomato flavor. 

After each component is done, assemble the eggplant pieces and tomatoes into a stack.  You may also insert cheese between each layer as well and/or basil.  It's your creation.  Serve room temperature.  This may also be assembled onto a sandwich.  
Braised Kale
Kale
Onion and/or garlic
Hot Peppers or Pepper Flakes
Oil
Vinegar, orange juice, or some acid
Honey
Salt and Pepper

I usually make this in big batches, so if you need extra kale, just ask at the back of the truck.

Remove the kale from the center vein.  Wash and shake dry.  A little water is needed so don't worry about spinning it or drying it. 

Cut hot peppers into very small pieces.  Cut the onion into a large dice or quart slices. Mince garlic.  Saute the peppers and onion in oil.  When they become a little soft, add the greens and garlic.  Over medium heat in a covered pot, cook (stirring or turning occasionally) until the greens start to wilt.  Add salt, pepper, a couple tablespoons of vinegar or orange juice, and a few tablespoons of honey.  Stir well and remove lid.  Reduce heat and let them stew for a while (this depends on how much moisture is in there and how many bunches of greens you cooked).  The dish is ready when most of the liquid has cooked off and you won't need to drain the greens.  

Serve the greens hot as a side dish or for breakfast with a fried egg on top. 
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Concord Grapes

Concord grapes are a  lubrusca varietal of grapes.  This means they are native North American grapes, as opposed to old world wine grapes such as Merlot that are considered a Vinifera variety.  

Concords are more tolerable to cold winters and are therefore hardier.  The damage from last winter wasn't nearly as severe on the concords as it was on the wine grapes (which were almost a 100% loss).  

I enjoy concords just as a snack.  The trick is learning how to squeeze the seeds out between your teeth and spit them out.  If you don't have a place to do that, just swallow them.  I haven't died yet.  

For those looking to make jams and jellies, we will have more concords coming in a few weeks for that purpose.  

Daikon Radishes

These large radishes are popular in Asian restaurants and becoming popular at more "new american" restaurants.  They are great pickled, served raw (shaved on a salad, made into slaw, etc), or roasted.  Roasting with salt, pepper, and oil brings out their sweetness.  Also, try incorporating them into a stir fry.  

Daikon radishes will last a long time in the refrigerator if you remove the tops, wash with cold water, and store in a plastic bag with a moist paper towel.  

Fresh Fork Market | 800-861-8582 | [email protected] | http://www.freshforkmarket.com
PO Box 609612
Cleveland, OH 44109