Community Supported Agriculture

In This Issue
Farm Notes
CSA Member Appreciation Potluck!
Late Fall Shares!
Aji Dulce Peppers
Recipe of the Week
Groundwork Share-a-Share

Tuesdays

Choice Style
3:00pm - 6:30pm

Pre-Boxed
3:00pm - 7:00pm

Farmer Dave's Farm
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA
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Farm Notes: 

Hayride fun at last year's potluck!
  

The cooler nights and shorter days are a reminder that we have now passed the autumnal equinox. As its name suggests, the day and the night are of equal length. This allows for more sleep, but also a slow transition away from all of the summer crops we have been enjoying for the last months and towards more variety as we add the fall items of broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, and much more. This has been one of the coolest years in a long time.  This coolness seems to be speeding the transition into fall.  Last Friday we got very close to the damaging 32 degree mark which would spell the end to the outdoor summer crops.  This would have been one of the earliest frosts I can remember. Hopefully we will not see a killing frost for weeks to come.  Some years we have been frost free right until the end of October. Ah, the uncertainties of growing in New England.  Luckily, we have some tomatoes and peppers still growing in our protected high tunnel greenhouses and are certain to enjoy them for weeks to come.  Every year we have been planting more and more of the frost tolerant crops so that the bountiful harvest continues regardless of a frosty night.


 

Before the days grow too cool, please come to the farm to enjoy a fun filled potluck with all of us on the farm on September 28 (details below).  Meet your farmers, your interns from various countries around the world, and your fellow CSA members from throughout the area.  I will kick off the day with a walking tour of the farm, showing how we grow the myriad of crops. Then we will have ongoing hayrides, apple picking, talent show, a hay castle for kids, games, corn on the grill, and a potluck dinner in the barn. Bring your favorite dish and get ready for an afternoon of fun on the farm. 


 

Hope to see you there!


 

Farmer Dave


 

  

This Sunday - CSA Member Appreciation Potluck!

 

Please join us this Sunday, September 28th from 1:00 - 6:30 p.m. for our 2014 CSA Member Appreciation Potluck! It will be fall fun at its finest and a great chance to mingle with your fellow CSA members!  Here's a small sampling of all the excitement that we're planning.

 

  • Apple picking!
  • Hayrides!
  • Games!
  • A Member Talent Show!
  • Food!
  • Tractors and Classic Farm Equipment!
  • Meet your Farmers!
  • Tour the farm and see where your fruits and vegetables grew up!
  • And Goats!

 

The potluck is all about showing our love for all of our CSA members.  We know that you are a diverse and talented bunch of people and we'd love to incorporate that into our annual festivities.  So, for the first time this year we're introducing an annual CSA member talent show!  Do you have a special family-friendly talent that you'd like to share with your fellow CSA members?  Are you a musician? Magician? Juggler? Comedian? Dancer? Fire breather? Hula Hooper? Balloon animal maker? Puppeteer?  We would LOVE LOVE LOVE to feature your talent at the potluck.  Email Ginger at [email protected] to participate.

 

This event is free and open to all CSA members and their families! The only requirement is that you bring a potluck dish (at least 10 servings) and the recipe to share.

 

If you pick up on:

You are encouraged to bring a:

Monday

Appetizer or Finger Food

Tuesday

Main Dish

Wednesday

Side Dish

Thursday

Dessert

Friday

Dessert

 

 

If you are planning on joining us at the potluck please R.S.V.P. to [email protected] with the number of people attending and what potluck dish you think you might be bringing!

 

We'd also love some volunteers to help with the following items. Contact Ginger at [email protected] if you'd like to help with any of these:

  • Participating in the CSA Member talent show.  Are you a musician? Juggler? Expert Hula Hooper? Magician?  Share your family friendly talent with your fellow CSA members!
  • Cooking extra food, with extra produce we'll supply 
  • Photographing the event
  • Managing the potluck table (clearing away empty dishes, putting out more food, etc)
  • Clean-up crew. 

We hope to see you there!

 

-The Farmer Dave's Team

 

 

 

Register for the Late Fall Share by October 1 and get a free Farmer Dave's T-Shirt!

Now that fall is just around the corner, it's time to start thinking of where you will get your weekly local produce after the vegetable and fruit shares end (the last day of pick-ups is the week of October 20 - 24). Here is some information about our Late Fall Share, and a couple appreciation gifts, too!

 

When?

 

Our Late Fall Share runs for 7 weeks, from October 27 through December 12. 

 

What are some items that might be in the late fall share?

 

Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, celeriac, turnips, winter squashes, spinach, winter greens, leeks, apples, and lettuce. 

 

How much produce?

 

The quantity of produce in the Late Fall Share runs somewhere in between the small vegetable share and the regular vegetable share. We pack them in the yellow CSA crates, but the boxes are often not completely full. Each week there are between 8-15 different kinds of produce.

 

Since some of the produce in the Late Fall Share is ideal for storage, some households find that they can store the produce through February!)

 

Where can I pick up a late fall share?

  • Burlington (Mondays 4:00 - 6:30 pm)
  • Lanesville (Mondays 3:30 - 6:30 pm)
  • Reading (Mondays 3:00 - 6:30 pm)
  • Dracut (Tuesdays 3:00 - 7:00 pm)
  • Lawrence (Tuesdays 3:00 - 7:00 pm)
  • Tewksbury (Wednesdays 2:00 - 6:30 pm)
  • East Somerville (Wednesdays 3:00 - 7:00 pm)
  • Union Square (Wednesdays 3:30 - 6:00 pm)
  • Home Delivery by Metro Pedal Power on Wednesdays (Somerville, Cambridge, many neighborhoods in Boston)
  • Home Delivery by Farmer Dave's on Mondays (North Andover, Andover, Methuen, Windham NH, Salem NH)
When do I need to sign up?

We will have registration open until we fill up. Everyone who registers and pays in full by October 1 will receive a free Farmer Dave's short sleeved T-shirt as a thank you gift (to be distributed before Thanksgiving).

What is the cost of the late fall share?

The Late Fall Share costs $275 by credit card (or $266.75 with the pay-by-check discount) if you are picking up at one of our locations. Delivered to your home or office, the cost of the share is $350 if delivered by Metro Pedal Power (Somerville, Cambridge, Boston) or $345 if delivered by Farmer Dave's (Andover, North Andover, Methuen, Salem, Windham NH). 

Share the Bounty with Friends, and Reap a Sweet Reward!

We are trying out our first ever referral program with the Late Fall Share! If a new member signs up for the Late Fall Share and enters your name in the "how did you hear about Farmer Dave's" question upon check-out, we will give you a free 1 lb-jar of local honey! There is no limit on the number of jars you can earn, so spread the word and get your friends to take the plunge! (The referral bonus only applies to brand-new members who have never had a share with Farmer Dave's before). The honey will be distributed before Thanksgiving. 

How can I sign up?

 

Register online, or contact us at [email protected] for a paper registration form. Pick up a registration form at your CSA pick up, or call us at (978) 349-1952. We're happy to help!

In Your Share: Week 16
The following items will most likely make an appearance in your share this week. 

Ultimately, Mother Nature has the final say; however, this week, we are planning and hoping to harvest the following. 



Vegetable Shares
  • Aji Dulce Peppers
  • Fennel
  • Hakurei Turnips
  • Celery
  • Cauliflower or Romanesco
  • Broccoli
  • Beans
  • Leeks
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Tomatoes
  • Herbs
  • And more!
Fruit Shares
  • Macintosh apples
  • Honeycrisp apples
  • Raspberries
  • And possibly more!
Aji Dulce Peppers

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These small peppers, though they look similar to habenero or scotch bonnet peppers, are actually NOT spicy. They are a sweet pepper. 

They can be used for traditional sofrito or to make pickled peppers. Good in casseroles, stews, soups, omelets, rice and pasta dishes. Yummy in ratatouille or chili. You can substitute them for any kind of sweet pepper. 

To use, rinse gently under running water. To seed, cut into pepper from bottom, then separate sides to pull out core and seeds. Slicing peppers from the inside makes cutting through the skin easier.


Recipe of the Week 

 

Crispy Carrot-Broccoli Fritters with Yogurt-Dill Sauce
Recipe adapted by Farmer Dave's from Cooking Light

Ingredients:



 

  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups broccoli, cauliflower, or romanesco florets
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded or cut into thin matchsticks
  • about half a cup of all purpose flour
  • 1.5 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced leek
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
Directions:

1. Place 4 cups water, broccoli, and carrots in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 4 minutes; drain. Pat broccoli mixture dry with paper towels; finely chop. Place broccoli mixture and flour in a large bowl; stir to coat. Add cheese, salt, pepper, onions, and egg to broccoli mixture; stir to combine.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup broccoli mixture into a dry measuring cup. Pour mixture into pan; flatten slightly. Repeat procedure 7 times to form 8 fritters. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Combine yogurt and dill in a small bowl. Serve yogurt mixture with fritters.



 


 

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 2013 for over thirty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.

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 2014!  

 

Contact Us:

Farmer Dave's CSA
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA 01826

(978) 349-1952