Community Supported Agriculture

In This Issue
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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Tis the Season to Enjoy       
Farmer Dave writing farm notes in front of the plums.

  

Tis the season of long days. 
Tis the season to make hay. 
Tis the season of much work. 
Tis the season to pull carrots. 
Tis the season to eat plump peaches. 
Tis the season to eat well. 
Tis the season for which we wait. 
Tis the season of that sweet corn. 

Tis the season to enjoy. 

The apricots and now plums are ripening slowly on the trees. The first peaches seem to be ripening rather early especially given the long cold winter. Further to the north of us there is almost no peach crop this year as they hit some critical low temperature this winter which wiped out the all the buds. Luckily we have a beautiful harvest to share. Our Hill Orchard is our only field that does not have any irrigation. A good soaking rain would help the peaches to plump up nicely before harvest. Without a good rain the peaches will be a little smaller, but hopefully the flavors and sweetness will be more concentrated. The blueberries are now at their peak. The raspberries did have a lot of cold damage from the harsh winter and so we are harvesting few. The carrots are finally sizing up well enough to be pulled. The high tunnel tomatoes are providing us a beautiful July harvest of one of my favorite fruits/vegetables. The field tomatoes are just now beginning to ripen and will provide plenty of tomatoes for the rest of the summer. The first field of transplanted corn has now all been harvested, mowed, ploughed and reseeded with a new crop. The second field of corn is ready for this week. We try to seed a new field of corn every week or two so that we have a continual harvest of corn all summer.

Summer's sweet bounty is upon us.

Cheers,

Farmer Dave  

 
Join us for Garlic Day         
Garlic

Celebrate summer by enjoying the sweet smell of ... garlic? Why yes, garlic! We are harvesting our garlic patch and couldn't think of a better way to do it than to share the experience with you.  

 

Where:
Farmer Dave's
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA

When:
Saturday, August 1st 9am - 12pm

 

 

Farmer Dave will kick off the event in our field with a demonstration of how he grows garlic, followed by an hour-long harvest of our crop. Pulling up garlic from the field is easy, satisfying work, perfect for all of the little ones! We'll wrap up the day with some light snacks in the barn and a fun garlic themed craft for the young and young at heart.

 

There are only 100 spots available for Farmer Dave's Garlic Day. Registration is required.  To register, please send an email with your name the size of your party to Ginger.

 

What you'll need: Work gloves, close toed shoes that you don't mind getting dirty (NO sandals or open toed shoes, please. This is vital for your comfort and safety.), sunscreen, water, a love of all things garlic and excitement about getting your hands dirty! The walk out to the garlic field is over uneven ground. Please keep this in mind for guests that may have mobility issues.

 

 We hope to see you there!

 
In Your Share: Week 8        
Summer squashes

This is what we are planning and hoping to harvest this week.  Ultimately Mother Nature has the last word so the actual contents of your share will vary.
  • Arugula
  • Beets
  • Carrots
  • Corn
  • Cucumbers
  • Kohlrabi
  • Sweet peppers
  • Summer Squash
  • Swiss Chard
  • Tomatoes
  • Basil
  • Scallions
  • Fresh Onion
  • and more!

Fruit Share

  • Blueberries
  • Peaches
  • and possibly more if we're lucky!

*Farmer Dave's does not spray fungicides on our berries. This provides what we believe to be a safer product for our members and farmers but means that we can only harvest in optimal (dry) conditions. If there is rain in the forecast we will not be able to harvest berries for our fruit shares because they would mold quickly once harvested. We also recommend that our members plan to use their berries within 48 hours of pickup. They will not last as long as store bought berries.  

Recipe of the Week     
Zucchini Logs Stewed in Olive Oil with Onions & Swiss Chard
 
From Deborah Madison

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus oil to finish
  • 1 onion, sliced a scant 1/2 inch thick
  • 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced (or 1 garlic scape)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
  • 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cut into logs 1 1/2 - 2 inches long
  • Sea salt and fresh pepper
  • 8 chard leaves, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup water or stock
  • Lemon wedges for serving
Directions
  1. Choose a good sized wide pan with a tight-fitting lid.  Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, and half of the oregano, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the zucchini, stir about to coat with the oil, and season with pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Lay the charge over the squash and season it with a few pinches of salt.  Add the water, cover the pan, and lower the heat.
  2. Cook gently until the zucchini is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove the lid, stir the chard into the squash- gently so you don't smash it- and add the remaining oregano.  Re-cover and cook for another few minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper, drizzle with oil, and serve.  Accompany with lemon wedges.

Have a great tip or recipe to share?  Email Ginger to have it included in our newsletter and recipe blog!

Groundwork Share-a-Share:
 
Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by  donating to Groundwork Share-A-Share. With the help of CSA members like you, Groundwork has been able to help subsidize the cost of CSA shares for families who would otherwise be unable to afford participation.

 

To learn more about the program,  click here.

 

Thank you all for helping us keep this program going in 2015!  

 

Contact Us:

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

(978) 349-1952