Greetings from a fall like Dancing Hen Farm. Welcome to CSA Week 14. Week 14 is not an egg week.
First let me apologize for not sending out a newsletter last week. Some weeks are busier than others and last
week was one of those hectic weeks and before I knew it, it was time to write
Week 14's newsletter! Speaking of where
does the time go. Here it is already after
4! I am only halfway through my chore
list for the day. I guess cleaning will
have to wait, again.....
What a difference a day (or even several hours) makes! Yesterday was hot, hot, hot and oh so
humid. This morning, around daybreak
here on farm, we were still hot and humid and then a cold front came blowing
trough. Unfortunately, it blew through
dry and we did not get the good soaking rain our plants and animals could
use. It did however bring clear blue
skies, lower humidity and cooler temperatures.
Today really feels as though fall is on its way and from looking at the
forecast, we may need jackets and maybe even a blanket on the bed later in the
week.
In the fields, I have to say, our tomatoes continue to
produce. We are harvesting lots of
heirlooms, cherries and red slicers. We anticipate
our tomato harvest to continue until we get a killing frost. Our tomatillo planting is also doing
well. Fennel will most likely continue
to be available for several more weeks. We
have lots of greens in the field and they should enjoy this week's cooler
temperatures. We have had a nice little
break from lettuce and salad mix, but the plantings are looking good and will
become more plentiful as the season progresses.
Our new plantings of Asian greens, including mustard, are growing nicely
and we should be harvesting them in the upcoming weeks. The first of the winter squash and sweet
potatoes are hitting the boxes this week.
Summer squash is starting to wind down.
In the kitchen we are still in tomato mode. We continue to eat tomatoes at least 2 meals
a day, if not 3. I am not sure if I have
passed on a favorite recipe of mine using chard, cherry tomatoes and eggs? If not, it is makes a good quick dinner and here
is the link http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/polenta-fried-eggs-greens-and-blistered-tomatoes/ . This
just reminded me of another favorite egg and tomato dish, Shakshuka. I guess traditionally, in Israel, Shakshuka
is served for breakfast. However here on
farm, we generally have it for dinner, with a nice crusty loaf of artisan bread
to soak up the juice. Also, since we
love our greens here on farm, we sometimes change the recipe a bit by adding
some chard or kale to the tomatoes. If
you are not familiar with Shakshuka, here is a good write up and a basic
recipe http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/07/summer-2010-travel-blog-shakshuka/ .
In the kitchen, I am also in preserving mode. Recently, each weekend has been dedicated to
canning tomatoes and this weekend has been typical. Yesterday I made and canned tomato sauce. Today my sister and I canned tomatoes. As I type, I have a pot of sauce cooking down
on the stove and will can it later this evening. I tend to make plain sauce and add spices,
garlic, onions and peppers, later, when I use the sauce. I flash freeze peppers and dry spices for
this very reason and generally we have onions and garlic in our cellar until
spring each year. I really love putting
food up and only wish I had more time to spend in the kitchen on this
task! I used to pickle quite a bit, but
found I was the only one eating the pickles, so now I generally just make a few
freezer pickles for a midwinter treat.
This year I did make some zucchini relish and other than more tomatoes,
I am also hoping to make and can some applesauce this fall. I also would love to be able to can some of
our sungold tomatoes. So, I am in search
of a good recipe for canning (maybe pickled?) cherry tomatoes, so if anyone has
a good recipe, please pass it on.
We will again have a limited amount of freezer pork
available this fall. We anticipate pork
being available the beginning of November.
If you are interested in freezer pork, please contact us for more details
and pricing. We sell our bulk pork by
the half and whole. A whole hog will
yield 125 to 140 pounds of meat and will require a at least 7 cubic feet of
freezer space for storage.
So now it is after 5!
Where does the time go? My sauce
is processing in the canner. Farmer Don
is still in the field, turning some plots over in our lower field for some late
season plantings and cover crops. I need
to get some chicken in the oven for dinner or we will be eating at midnight! Soooooo
as Farmer Don would say: "be
safe, be well and enjoy those veggies"
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