I've been privileged to live and work out at Lida Farm for three years and I am still in awe every single day of the landscape, the critters, the veggies, and the family that call this place home.
Most of our CSA members have had the opportunity to come out to the farm a time or two so you probably have an idea of what I'm taking about.
With my 7 year old flip-phone, I try to capture some of those quiet moments where a person can feel the simple poetry of every day life.
I'm not able to catch even a quarter of them, but here are a few. - Kelsey Wulf, Lida Farm Apprentice
Argo Surveying East
Bea's Kiss for Bruce Stringsteer
Misty Morning - Front Field
Pirate Pete the Cat in Milkhouse
Queen Bea
Kid's Treehouse
Kelsey and Bea the Milk Cow
In the box:
Early Sweet Corn: The small yellow variety is Sugar Buns (I hate this name) and the bi-color is Trinity
Cherry Tomatoes
Sweet Onion
Green Beans
Westlander Kale
Zucchini
Satina Yellow Potatoes
Basil: Please don't refrigerate basil...it's a sensitive herb and will go black. Best to treat like a cut flower: trim bottom and put ends into vase with water.
Fresh Oregano: Small bunch with band. You can let dry on your counter for a 3-4 days to get dried oregano if you don't get to it.
Man, it's been hot and stormy lately. Every night I go to bed, I'm kind of anxious because it's become so common for about a 60 mph wind blow in yet another inch of rain or two or three. What has the dewpoint been around here lately anyway? 80 degrees?
Thundercloud over Lake Lida
Our one saving grace lately has been the lake. We're lucky to have a little public beach on Lake Crystal just 4 minutes from our house. For the last two nights we did a few hours of farmwork just to get good and hot enough so the lake felt that much better. It's an age-old tradition in farm life (at least around here), which, as I was talking to grain operator yesterday, is maybe becoming a rarity as most production is now done in an air-conditioned cab. At least of few of us dirt farmer will carry on.
In the box:
Carrots
Norland Red Potatoes
Arugula: Oakleaf-shaped green with band
Red Torpedo Onion
Two Summer Squash
Two Peppers: Everybody got at least one purple pepper...some got one green and one purple. The purples are a bit tricky since they taste like a green one. I suggest using in a salad and not cooking as they loose their color when cooked.
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Bunch of arugula, washed, dried, and torn 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced Salt and freshly ground black pepper A chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano
In a serving bowl, drizzle the arugula with the oil, squeeze in the lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until well mixed and taste for seasoning. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin pieces of Parmigiano over the top.
(of food or drink) made in a traditional or non-mechanized way using high-quality ingredients.
"local artisan cheeses"
This is now also one of the food industry's most abused marketing terms. I read not too long ago about Tostitos introducing a line of "artisan" corn chips. What? Does Fritolay actually think there is any validity to this claim? Do people buying them think so? It all seems kind of silly.
As one who actually fit the definition a lot of days, I sometimes wish I were a little less artisan. I do walk out into a field with a broadfork in hand to dig carrots and wheel a Vermont Cart across a field to pull in cucumbers. Sometimes my kids are by my side helping me...it's all very artisan. Today, however, digging potatoes by hand, I really hated the whole experience. With six inches of rain in the last week, this was a dreadful process, kind of like trying to fish heavy rocks out of wet cement.
All told, however, I understand the desire to buy artisan in this very mass produced, plastic culture we live in. Scale matters. We actually do have some basic equipment such as a potato digger and undercutter we use (in much drier conditions) for harvest. These are powerful implements which help us with the heaviest crops, but are also very small scale in comparison to typical farm equipment to suit our 6-foot wide beds.
The power of small scale is all about quality. A mechanized bean picker pulls in all beans of all sizes and snaps some in half in harvest. It's 100 times faster, but when we pick by hand we can taste and sort out beans as we harvest into half-bushel baskets. There is a difference in quality because of this attention to detail, so don't let some food conglomerate or big farm operation tell you otherwise and certainly don't let them pawn off their stuff as artisan.
In the box:
Artisan Norland Potatoes - yes, by hand today :)
Green Cabbage
Cauliflower
Bunch of Beets: Check out recipe below
Alisa Craig Sweet Onion
Cucumber
Summer Squash: Everybody should have one Zuccchini, but most also got a yellow straightneck summer squash (use the same as you would zucchini).
Peel and grate 1/2 lb beets. Make a vinaigrette with minced shallot or onion, 2 t Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup sour cream and some chopped or dry dill. Add about 2 cups shredded cabbage and a chopped hard-boiled egg. Toss with the beet, garnish with fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper as you see fit.
Note: I really like this Bittman book for its veggie recipes. This book is all about flexible cooking and changing up recipes to use the ingredients you have on hand. Check it out.
I had been moping around the farm for the past two weeks, kicking the dirt and complaining about the lack of rain. As each day went by my blood pressure and stress went up just a little more. Then, last night, a whole half inch fell from the sky. I went and stuck my hand in the soil to find that it had soak inches into the ground, not just the surface. I could hear a big sigh of relief from the plants as every bit was soaked into the hard, dry ground. As incredible as the rain was, we were elated as my daughter ran in and told us to come outside and see the double rainbow.
All this happened about an hour before five police officers were killed in Dallas and a day after the fatal shooting in St. Paul. Combine that with all the other turmoil we've been witnessing and I think we've all had heavy hearts as it feels like the world is on fire. I was taught long ago that the rainbow was God's promise to never flood the earth again, but it's also a symbol of peace and reconciliation. In this time of growing tension, I think we need to remember that God cares for all his creation, both earth and people alike. I want to see yesterday's rainbow as a sign of hope. Just as he brought water to dry land he'll bring a hard rain down onto our troubles. Our responsibility to remember that we're all brothers and sisters in this kingdom, not enemies. Sorry for getting preachy...it's kind of on my mind.
In the box:
Napa Cabbage: Usually people aren't using a lot of Napa, so I put a recipe below. It is also fine to use as a salad like a cole slaw or simply
Broccoli
Frisee: Frilly small green. This is good mixed into a salad with lettuce
Small Romaine: Some got green, some red
Beets
'Hakurai' Salad Tunips: These look like white radishes, but they are much sweeter and tastier than any radish you'll find. Slice and marinate as you would radishes to nibble alone or in a salad.
Green Garlic: Use as you would dry garlic or let dry down on your kitchen counter.
Fresh Thyme: Small bunch with red band
Summer Squash: Use yellow summer squash or pattypan squash (flat ones) just as you would zuchhini. Try zucchini fritter - grate together with some onion and eggs and cook in fry pan.
Sweet Onion: Hey, it's about time I get an honest to goodness onion in the box.
Stir-fried Pork and Peanuts
from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix
Put 3 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola) in a large skillet over high heat. Brown 8 oz ground pork in the oil before adding 1 tablespoon each minced garlic and fresh ginger. Cook for 15 seconds. Add about 1/4 - 1/2 of a napa cabbage (shredded). Cook, stirring, until soft and slightly brown, 5 minutes. Add a handful of peanuts and cook a few minutes more (until slightly toasted). Turn off heat and stir in soy sauce to taste.
Lately I've talked to people about getting out to cultivate and they have this look like "I don't know what you're talking about." Certainly before the popularity of chemical herbicides in agriculture, more people would know exactly what I'm talking because you could drive down many a county road and see a tractor moving slowly through a corn or soybean field tilling the soil between the plants. In the organic world, cultivating is still our an important practice.
The timing of cultivating is really important. The trick is to go out when the weeds are still in the white thread stage (just after germination but before popping through the soil) or while still very young. If you wait too long (or a big rain keeps you out of the field), you will drag a bunch of big weeds through a field and not do a great job. For us at Lida Farm, I always talk about the hierarchy of weed killing: cultivate, wheel hoe, hand hoe, hand weeding. As you can imagine with four acres of veggies if we had to take out weeds exclusively by hand, we'd be sunk!
In the box:
'Farao' Cabbage
Kohlrabi: When in doubt, just peel, slice and serve with salt
Dino Kale: Big bunch with blue band. See recipe from one of our members in Detroit Lakes that he likes to do with kale. If you have a recipe you'd like to share, please send to lidafarmer@gmail.com...this makes my life easy and you're probably tired on my recipes :)
Green Leaf Lettuce
Garlic Scapes: Use where ever you use garlic...
Snap Peas: Edible pod so don't shell. Last week, we just sauteed in butter with salt and pepper - great.
Cilantro bunch
Basil
Kale w/Roasted Peppers & Olives
2 large bunches kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
12 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 4-ounce jar roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
Cut the kale into bite-size pieces, removing any tough stems. Rinse and shake dry.
Warm the oil and garlic in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Remove the garlic as soon as it browns (don't let it burn). Add the kale and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Uncover and add the sugar, salt, olives, and peppers. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid has evaporated.
Spoon into a serving dish; scatter the garlic over the top. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Officially we hit summer this week (the 20th on my calendar). It's exciting to leave one season behind and start a new one, but, on a vegetable farm, this transition gets pretty wild.
The big challenge is that this section of time through June and a bit into July is when we have to simultaneously harvest and weed while squeezing in new plantings. Weeds just explode this time of year as you all probably well know. Think about battling weeds over four acres...crazy.
At the same time we're really excited to see summer crops get growing. I just saw blossoms on cucumber and zucchini plants a few days ago, so I know they are just around the corner. cherry tomatoes are blossoming too. I also get the feel that members also can't wait for these summer crops to appear. Sure, a spring box full is greens is OK, but a summer box with some substantial heft is much appreciated.
In the box:
Green Onions
Parsley
Basil
Green Leaf Lettuce
Red Lettuce
Radishes
Bok Choy: See video below for recipe
Spinach: Definitely not as pretty as I'd like after last week's hail.
Garlic Scapes: Green curled things...these are the tops of the hardneck garlic. Chop or mince and use where ever you'd use garlic. It's a bit more mild than garlic cloves.
Westlander Kale: Big bunch with blue band. This could also be used in a frittata
Snap Peas: Yes, you eat the pod.
Lida Farm Frittata
Finished frittata - cut into slices and serve
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt/Pepper
About 2 cups of Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Garlic Scapes, Spinach
Basic Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Chop veggie or mix of veggies of your choice and saute in frying pan over medium heat until crisp-tender or wilted. Beat 6 eggs together with Parmesan in bowl. Add veggies to mix and add to another ovenproof frying pan over medium-low heat. Drop temperature to low and let cook undistubed for 5-10 minutes until bottom is firm. Next, transfer frying pan to oven and bake until top is dry/not runny. You can garnish with parsley or green onions.
Another CSA season is starting, marking the beginning of our 11th season delivering produce to members' doorsteps. The passage of time has compressed the interval between the end of the season and the beginning. When I was a younger man, it seemed like the nine months jn the "off season" between October and June took a long time. This past nine months since the last box in October, 2015 zoomed past me as quickly as Christmas break in high school. Instead of lamenting time under the bridge, however, I absolutely celebrate a new beginning and a new season. It often brings not just new growing experiences, but also a re-connection with CSA members and farmers market customers.
The season so far is shaping up well. We have planted crops in good time and cultivated a number of crops 2-3 times already. We had a challenge with the soil being really dry through May which had us moving irrigation around (a first for us since I rarely irrigate and I've never had to do so in May). A lot of crops are looking pretty good; I'm especially excited about the peas and potatoes so far.
I'm sitting in the kitchen writing this blog right now because of the morning's rain. We were hit with a little hail even which I'm sure put a few holes in the Romaine lettuce.
In the CSA box:
Broccoli: A variety called Packman, this came in earlier than we wanted due to the cold temps in May which caused the plants to set a head prematurely, which makes for small heads.
Swiss Chard: This is great with eggs in the morning (saute and include them), but, hey, chard is even better with bacon! See recipe below.
Mizuna: A mild Asian green. This can be eaten in a salad and used as a cooking green in such dishes as pho or many other Asian dishes.
Radishes
Green Onions
Arugula: The green with a band with oakleaf-shaped leaves
Romaine Lettuce
Red Leaf Lettuce
Spinach: Loose greens in the box.
Parsley Bunch
Sauteed Swiss Shard with Bacon
Ingredients Olive oil, for pan 1 cup bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice 2 cloves garlic, smashed Pinch crushed red pepper flakes 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock Kosher salt
Directions Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil and add the diced bacon, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, remove from the pan and discard. At this point the bacon should start to become brown and crispy. Add the Swiss chard stems and the stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated. Add the Swiss chard leaves and saute until they are wilted. Season with salt. Recipe courtesy of Anne Burrell
We've been busy trying to get a new season started here at Lida Farm, so much so that I've not updated this blog since February.
We have cole crops, greens, potatoes, and other cool season crops planted. The cold snap last week was a real scare, but we lost few plants, although twenty-some degrees does damage even cold hardy plants a bit so it takes time for them to recover. I'm feeling really good about what's in the ground, but there's always a long list to get done to ready the place for a new year.
Besides the farm, I've also been busy with a new initiative to start a food co-op in Detroit Lakes. As a local organic farmer, I believe a food co-op (owned by its members) would be a huge asset in growing the local food economy and good food movement in our community. I've seen first-hand how co-ops have helped local farmers and businesses in the Twin Cities when working for Mississippi Market for three years.
As a member of the Manna Co-op board, we have a building identified and a lease on-hand ready to sign. However, we need at least 300 members to make this a reality (our goal is 500). As of yesterday we're at 101. Please consider joining as a founding member at http://www.mannafood.coop/ or come to Lakes Area Farmers Market opening day (May 21) from 10-2 to sign up in person . The cost is $150 and you will receive a number of benefits, including monthly member discounts.
Please contact me with any questions you may have at 218-770-4398 or lidafarmer@gmail.com
Now that MPR started their winter member drive this week, it's about time for us to sign up new and returning members for our 2016 season. All details are at the CSA info page on this website.
Is a CSA Right for Me?
All told, the magic of any CSA is eating and cooking with the season. I have found that CSA does not work for everybody. In my experience, these are the types of people for whom a CSA arrangement works:
You cook from scratch: The number one reason people do not sign up for a second year in a CSA is because 'it's too much food.' We are constantly thinking about the right portions for any veggie in the box. For example, we will put in about a pound of beans (enough for a meal or two), but not some crazy amount just because we have a lot. If you aren't in the habit of cooking, look out because it just keeps coming. A lot of folks on the fence will sign up for every-other-week deliveries, so that would be eight deliveries over four months.
You are a bit adventurous: We are always thinking about the right mix of crops to fill out the season. We make sure everybody receives the staples you'd expect like sweet corn, tomatoes, and green beans. These staples are 80% of the veggies we grow, but we do sprinkle in some items which you may not be familiar with like fresh fennel, herbs, and some greens. Sure, you will receive standard green leaf head lettuce, but one week you may get a pretty red oakleaf lettuce or red butterhead. I do want our members to 'live a little' and try some new things...this is part of the fun. We supply a good mix and we will never send out a box with only 'weird stuff.'
You are committed to making it work:Being a CSA member isn't like joining the army; it's not that much of a commitment. However, a box is coming every week or every other week no matter what for four months and it needs somebody to take care of it. We don't want to leave veggies on your doorstep to wilt in the sun for three days because you are out of town. We simply ask that you pay attention and communicate so things work for everybody. You will receive an email from us each week and invitations to some events over the season, including the 'rules of the road' about returning your box (keeps some stuff out of a landfill) and other logistical details. We're pretty flexible and we simply ask that you make it work on you end.
You are willing to share in the risks: The philosophy behind CSA is that both the farmer and the eater are sharing the risks of the season together. We haven't missed a weekly box in over ten years of being CSA operators, but there is always the risk that a tornado will hit the farm and we're out of commission for the season. This is a risk we take together. Members are our insurance policy. If the growing season is good, you receive greater abundance than if the growing season is bad. We can't control mother nature.
It seems but a week ago that I was planting seeds in the greenhouse and now we've just delivered the last box. Overall, this has been one great summer growing season and we appreciate all of you who have been along for the ride. We had consistent rains through early August which helped establish good crops and no crazy weather: no tornadoes, huge winds, or bad hail.
This time of year, like many, we feel like eating high calorie foods and sleeping. It's the fall where our bodies ready themselves for winter. At least for us, after five months of vegetable growing every day, we're spent.
Even Coffee Doesn't Help Sometimes
Don't worry, Lida Farm's never sleeps for long. A vacation over MEA weekend, and we're looking towards some winter growing. After a winter's rest, we get just as excited as ever for spring planting and we'll be be ready to roll for yet another season!
In the box:
Long Pie Pumpkin: Oblong Orange Squash
Regular Pie Pumpkin
Acorn or Red Kuri Winter Squash
Fresh Sage and Rosemary
Yellow Onion
A couple Sweet Peppers: These plants just won't die off...
Parsnips: No, not funky carrots...you need to cook these.
Typically we've had a light frost by mid-September. Since I'm in the produce business, one would think that a frost would get me down, but quite the opposite. A frost in September marks a definitive transition from summer to fall crops. Brussel sprouts and other cole crops sweeten up with a little frost, vines die and expose the winter squash, and all those hot-season crops die. It's quite a relief.
At this point, we're stuck in a summer-fall limbo where I can't fully let go of summer stuff, which is just making me anxious. Still, there are only two other weeks of the CSA after this week, and I just have to move into all those wonderful fall crops out in the field. So, I'm trying to turn the corner into fall, frost or no frost. Enjoy a week of cooking some hearty meals with these roots and squash we included.
Green Cabbage: We almost always roast cabbage and use as a side with everything. Cut into wedges, toss with some oil and salt, and roast on baking sheet at a high heat, like 425 degrees.
Carrots
Pontiac Red Potatoes
'Sunshine' Kabocha Squash: I find this similar to a buttercup.
I know it's hot, but fall is in in sight. All those summer crops have already-sadly-reached their peak and are on their way out. The melon patch has been steadily taken over by yellowjackets, corn is turning brown in the field, and those tomatoes are starting to look a bit haggard.
Now is the time we should all start making like squirrels and start storing all that bounty of the year because, gulp, winter is coming. Many a customer at the farmers market hems and haws whether the day is perfect to can tomatoes, but, like today, I've had to inform them that "it's now or never." That's why we invite members to come out and pick tomatoes starting tomorrow (Sept 6) and Monday and runs through the week.
In the box:
Red Tomatoes
Golden Rave Yellow Romas
Melon Medley (Charatais, green/gray in color; Honey Orange, white; Sun Jewel, yellow)
Potatoes: Some received purple viking (best roasted or fried since boiling or mashing makes for a weird color), most others received yukon gold potatoes
Salad Mix
Fairy Tale Eggplant: these guys are little, but you work with them the same as any other eggplant
A Couple Onions
Celery: There have been problems with this celery having a bad core, but you should be able to still strip off the stalks
Green Pepper
Red Bell Pepper
Cucumber
Parsley
Sometime I feel like we live in the 19th century at Lida Farm. Last summer we milked a cow by hand. We harvest a lot of produce with big harvest knives. And I feel like we're always out digging with shovels more often than we should to for some reason. I call it modern-day peasant culture; some may like to market it as 'artisan' while others label our lifestyle just a waste of time.
Either way, I really felt like a medieval serf this week when we harvested our little patch of wheat by hand. To use a combine on a piece of ground 6 feet wide and 40 feet long would be ridiculous and it was too weedy anyway. I used our salad mix knife to cut the wheat and we threw it on a big tarp. Once it dries a bit more, we'll beat the stuff with a plastic baseball bat and begin to separate the wheat from the chaff in a high wind. Lord knows if this will be worth the time, but it's been a cool process.
Apprentice Kelsey as Ceres, Goddess of Wheat
In the CSA box: Watermelon: You received either a Sunshine yellow melon or New Orchid orange variety
Canteloupe Leek or Cippolini Onion: Most received a leek like last week, but I ran a bit short and a few received a Cippolini, a flat onion, which is my favorite and very flavorful. Red slicing tomatoes: Most of these are a Celebrity or Defiant varieties, which have been been performing great this year in the field. Yellow 'Golden Rave' Romas: These are best eaten fresh, instead of cooked as most romas. Bunch of Carrots Eggplant: A lot of people are always asking me about preparing eggplant. One simple way is grilling, try this recipehttp://www.domesticate-me.com/grilled-eggplant-with-fresh-mozzarella-tomatoes-and-basil-vinaigrette/ Green Onions: The onions with a band around them, not to be confused with the leeks Yukon Gold Potatoes Anaheim Pepper: This is the green pepper which is pretty straight and pointy. This is a hot pepper, but with less heat than a jalepeno Italia Pepper: Red and green like the Italian flag, this is a very sweet pepper, good for sauteing or eating fresh.
I love the world of sustainable agriculture. It attracts a great cast of actors few other fields can claim. Organic agriculture attracts serious foodies, left-wingers in search of utopia, Christian home-schoolers, reformed hippies, would-be hippies, people who like to wear plaid, feminist crusaders, and, well, people who just like to eat tomatoes that taste better than cardboard. It's a wild mix of passionate people who feel that agriculture holds a key to unlock many of the challenges which currently challenge us, including community dissolution, climate change, and healthcare to name a few. I believe organic ag holds an important place to improve our world as well, otherwise I wouldn't be spending long hours in a the blazing heat to make this work.
A great example of this attraction came last week when my friend Zach and I were getting ready to harvest our garlic crop on Sunday. It was a nice surprise when I found that a few folks who were traveling cross country caught up with Zach and decided to lend a hand for the day. I doubt the same crew would have helped on a plumbing job or cashiering at the local big box. Instead of just three of us digging up garlic by hand we had six, which makes a huge difference when pulling in over 1,000 heads.
Garlic Harvest 2015 with Zach, Ryan, Loren, and our cross-country roadtripping friends
In the CSA box:
Sun Jewel Melon: Yellow oblong things with white stripes. This is a Korean white-fleshed melon. It's ripe, but is made to be eaten when firm.
Roma Tomatoes
A Red Slicing Tomato
1-2 Heirloom Tomatoes: Some got a variety called German Pink (huge tomaotes) while others got Cherokee Purple variety (dark purple and green in color). These are not for cooking, but best eaten fresh.
Biscayne Pepper: A light green and long pepper. This is a sweet pepper.
Big King Arthur Pepper
Broccoli
Dozen Sweet Corn
Westlander Kale
Bunch of Carrots
Merino Garlic: This is still officially fresh garlic since it hasn't cured. You may find it a bit stronger than garlic which is completely dried down.
It's always a great time of year when sweet corn comes in. Even your Uncle Ed who calls all vegetables 'rabbit food' and eats only potatoes gets in the act of seaching the neighborhood for corn. Farm stands pop up on roadsides with hand-made signs like 'sweet corn, picked today.'
Although this has been a long-time American tradition, the corn business is changing a bit now that GMO sweet corn is becoming more popular because it's easier to grow. At this time, most sweet corn is still non-GMO (http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/sweetcorn/) as people plant tried-and-true varieties. At Lida Farm, as certified organic growers, we are 100% non-GMO and pesticide free (all certified organic is non-GMO since GMOs are not allowed at all under organic standards). If you're getting a hankering for more sweet corn, we've started to put a few dozen at a time on the farm stand (open 24/7 til October).
In the CSA box:
Sweet Corn: I'm the guy who is alway on people's case about not over-boiling sweet corn...one minute and turn off the heat. Still, I really like roasted or grilled sweet corn: http://www.food.com/recipe/grilled-fresh-sweet-corn-on-the-cob-in-husks-66038
Green Pepper
'Islander' Purple Pepper or 'Blanco' White Pepper
Big Sweet Onion
Swiss Chard
Yellow Beans: See recipe below
Red Tomatoes
'Orange Blossom' Tomato
1 small red or sweet onion, finely diced 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar Kosher salt 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 15 -ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed 3/4 pound green and/or wax beans, trimmed and halved 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives Freshly ground pepper Directions
Soak the diced onion in cold water, 10 minutes.
Whisk the vinegar, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then whisk in the olive oil. Drain the onion and pat dry, then add to the dressing. Stir in the white beans.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the green and/or wax beans and cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the beans, then plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again, pat dry and add to the salad. Marinate at room temperature, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.
Before serving, stir the parsley and chives into the salad and season with salt and pepper
This week we took possession of a beautiful Jersey cow we named Beatrice. Our cow from last year, Peanut, just couldn't get pregnant, so we had to make the decision to bring her to the butcher.
Our new Jersey, Beatrice
It's been quite a while now since we dried up Peanut and stopped milking, so it's been a chore getting back into swing of things. At this point we're milking two times a day with portable milking machine I picked up a few days ago; it's almost a necessity since she's giving five gallons of milk a day!
With all the other stress we have going on with the other many moving parts of the farm, one would rightfully ask, "Why are you milking a cow? Don't you already have enough to do?" Well, yes, we certainly do have enough to do already, but a milk cow is a real cornerstone for a small farm like ours. The operative word is "complementary"...the cow complements the other activities on the farm and the other enterprises we operate.
These are the major resources a family milk cow brings:
Manure: We manured our entire 2 acres where we grew produce last fall and winter with manure from Peanut. We didn't have to haul it down a highway or pay anybody for the material or service. Last year's back field was a disaster, really lacking fertility and tilth. What cured it? You guessed it...manure.
Animal feed: Other animals like milk just as much as humans. Whether milk that went bad or whey from making cheese, any excess we can't use goes to our layers, broilers, dog, and pigs, especially the pigs...they will kill for milk. This cuts down feed bills and makes for a healthier animal. This doesn't even count the calf we'll raise with the cow. Last year's calf brought in some much needed money in the middle of the winter after going to auction.
Any dairy product you can imagine: We drink milk, make cheese, half and half, whipping cream, cream cheese, sour cream, butter milk, kefir, butter...need I go on?
Companionship: A family milk cow is different from other livestock. She becomes a member of the family, spending time every day brushing her and talking with her. Sorry, pigs, I don't feel the same way about you :)
Beauty: I always say, we only do pretty produce, but, really, we aspire to make as beautiful a place as possible. There's nothing more beautiful than a Jersey grazing on a dewey early-morning pasture or head down at sunset. Ah...that's why we do this.
In the box:
Tomatoes! Hey, they have finally come in. Everybody got a pint of cherry tomatoes and a 1-2 early varieties. The orange variety is called 'Orange Blossom' and the yellow variety is called 'Taxi.'
Beets: A mix of either traditional red with Chiogga (Bright red on outside) or Touchstone Gold
Celery: This is the best celery I've ever grown. MN celery typically gets tough and stringy, but this isn't that way...the ribs are big and full of flavor (sorry, California, your celery tastes like water).
'Westlander' Kale
A 'Red Long of Tropea' and a 'Alisa Craig' or 'Walla Wall' Sweet Onion
As I write this in our porch, I'm looking over the front field. It's a beautiful site as swallows dive over the nicely trellised tomato plants and green sweet corn. The sun is out, but it's pretty cool for a day in July with a nice breeze. Even with all this beauty around me, I'm still in that July state of mind, what my former mentor called the 'heart of darkness.'
July is a time when small weeds turn into 4-foot tall monsters overnight and produce harvest is something you need to do each and every day just to keep up. It's the time that can really wear out market gardeners like me when every hour is consumed with the battle against the weeds or trying to keep up on cucumbers. I've been doing this enough in my life to know, however, that things will begin to slow down in August when we give up on pulling weeds and planting new crops. I should at least slow up enough to stop and watch these birds near my house for a spell. Should we all keep things in perspective.
In the box: 'Imperial' Broccoli: A lot of these heads turned out to be huge. Fennel: This one can throw people for a loop, but it's great sauteed with other veggies. Here's a recipe from Simply Recipes: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/caramelized_fennel_and_onions/ A couple Cucumbers A couple Yellow Summer Squash: Cook up and use however you like your zucchi done. A smattering of Lettuce: I scraped the fields to find a mix of lettuces to fill the boxes this week. Sweet 'Alisa Craig' onion Green Beans 'Norland' Red Potatoes
A few days ago we experienced one of the best moments of the year: eating the first tomatoes. They were orange Sungold cherry tomatoes in the high tunnel, and, man, they were good. I'm not letting you know this to torture you, but let you know that they are coming soon.
Rainbow at Lida Farm after Yesterday's Rain
The challenge with packing 50 boxes each week, however, is that you need a really large quantity to make sure something can get to each of you. At this point there's probably 6-7 pints of cherry tomatoes and that's about it, certainly not enough to supply the CSA this week, but, I hope, next week.
In the box:
Napa Cabbage: This is a monster cabbage. These were so big we did some serious trimming back in the field and they still took up most of the box. One thing we do is make into an Asian salad. Allrecipes has a video recipe similar to what we've made before (sorry you have to watch an ad first): http://allrecipes.com/video/3111/napa-cabbage-salad/detail.aspx
Kohlrabi
'Alisa Craig' Sweet Onion: This one is pretty mild as far as onions go
Parsley
Summer Squash: Every one has at least one Zucchini and some have Yellow Summer Squash. One recipe idea that I love are using the summer squash to make fritters. Grate the summer squash and mix in with 2-3 eggs plus salt and pepper and some chopped onion. Fry in a pan til each side browns a bit and firms up, like a pancake. You can dress with cheese and/or salsa. I like these for breakfast.
Cucumbers: First time for cukes in the Friday box! There are two kinds here. The light green/white ones are fully grown out pickling cukes and the dark green are a slicer variety called 'Marketmore' I've found the skin on the pickling cukes to be a bit tough and bitter at times, so I suggest you peel them.
'Provider' Green Beans; You know it's summer when these guys arrive.
Sometimes I've found that people sign up for a CSA or take stuff home from a farmers market and it ends up going bad on them, not necessarily because the veggies weren't fresh, but because they didn't know how best to store the food.
We grow a lot of variety of produce. With all that diversity, you learn that different plants like different conditions. Not everything likes to sit in your crisper drawer in your refrigerator. One such a plant is basil I get a lot of questions about to keep basil from turning black. Bottom line: Don't Put into the Fridge....it will go black. I made this video to explain a couple ways to store basil in this weeks box:
Also find this week's farmcast where I explain about different produce in the box:
As we approach July 4th, all of us reflect on our nation and its history. For many, our minds turn to our founding fathers, the Revolutionary War, and the Declaration of Independence. My mind, of course, goes to farming.
At the time of independence, we were a country of farmers. Part of the myth of our founding was that we were a nation of yeomen, freemen who farmed small plots of ground. We all know that we were also a nation of plantations and slavery, but, mainly due to the writings of Thomas Jefferson, that's not the ideal we were handed down. This Jeffersonian ideal of democracy built on the free association of hard-working free people remains an inspiration to many, myself included. The yeoman farmers of yesterday were not serfs under the thumb of some Lord or Duke, but free and independent operators with a stake in their local governments and development.
If small family farms were the bedrock on which our democracy was based, we have been in trouble for a long time. For my entire life-I was born in 1977-family farms have been in retreat. I clearly remember the farm crisis of the 1980s when Willie Nelson took the stage at Farm Aid and America's attention was turned to farm families' struggles. Farm auctions and foreclosures blanketed the evening news. Although the attention waned with time, the trend of family farm loss continued. Instead of being a nation of independent yeoman farmers, it's hard not to feel like we've become a nation of farmers on contract to our overloads of Tyson, Smithfield, Cargill, and Monsanto.
Despite this doom and gloom, at least those of us in the sustainable agriculture communtiy still have hope. There are many more farm operations like our own making a living today because people like you chose to buy your food directly from the farmer It may sound Pollyanna-ish, but I firmly believe these simple choices are making a real difference in keeping that dream of family farm alive.
In the Box:
Garlic Scapes: These are the tops of garlic which can be used in substitute for green onions or garlic. See recipe below for an idea.
French Breakfast Radishes
'Farao' Green Cabbage
Snap Peas: Don't shell these...just eat the whole thing
'Lacinato' Kale: Dark green with a blue band
A couple small heads of lettuce
Broccoli or Cauliflower: Most of you got cauliflower, but we had to substitute in broccoli in some boxes
Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the campanella pasta (or desired shape).
While it's cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel).
Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes.
When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove and set a different burner to low heat. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes and bacon. Add the egg mixture and stir feverishly for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and creamy. Don't let it overcook or it will be gloppy. Sprinkle the Romano cheese in, a little at a time, and stir to combine. Don't add it all at once or it won't mix throughout the pasta as well (since it will clump).
