- Romaine Lettuce
- French Green Beans
- Tongue-of-Fire Shell Beans*
- Assorted Tomatoes
- Asian Cooking Greens
- Green Curly Kale
- Red Beets
- Yellow Potatoes
- Shallots
- Sweet Peppers
This Week's Fruit Harvest:
- Peaches
- Blueberries
- Paula Red Apples
Farm Journal
Monday morning
It's the day I've been looking forward to for weeks, and it's finally here. I put the finishing touches on three butter-and-jam sandwiches and stuff them into lunch bags as the kids scurry around searching for matching pairs of shoes. "No, not your chicken coop shoes," I gently admonish the little one. "School shoes are for school and farm shoes are for the farm." She reluctantly retreats to the mudroom and comes back with an acceptable pair of shoes, her eyes bright with excitement. "Can we start walking to school now?!"
Two weeks ago it seemed to my kids that this day might never come. The novelty of long, unstructured summer days had worn off by the end of July, and I spent most of August in a desperate bid to keep them entertained. Two weeks ago the whole family was at the farm we are fixing up in Wisconsin. I was busy priming and painting doors, and the girls were having trouble entertaining themselves. "What can we do now?" they asked for the fourth time that morning. "Why don't you go out and chase the cows?!" I replied in an exasperated voice. I turned back to my painting and wondered how we were going to manage until school started.
Ten minutes later Matt walked into the room. "Um, honey, there's something I think you should see." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this new distraction, but I followed him out the door without saying anything. He directed my attention to the far pasture at the back of the farm. I squinted to make out what he was pointing at. And then I saw them. My two five-year-old girls were doing exactly as I had told them to do. Their long blond hair was streaming out behind them as they ran straight at the herd of cows resting under an oak tree. I could just make out the sound of their whooping and hollering as the bewildered cows, black and white specks on the green pasture, scattered in all directions. The girls certainly didn't look bored any longer. Matt looked at me in amused disbelief. "What the heck are they doing?!"
"Well ... they were bored and I was frustrated, but I didn't think they'd take me literally," I offered by way of explanation. I started out in the direction of the far pasture to retrieve the girls, calculating the number of days left until the start of school. Would the day ever arrive?!
And now it's here. Monday morning. Clean shoes have been found, lunches have been packed and kids have been delivered safely to school. I walk back along the road, enjoying the silence and trying to decide which of my long-postponed projects I should tackle first. In the end, I opt to start out slowly. I take my time feeding the chickens before heading out to pick green beans. Maybe I'll even have the time to make some peach jam later this morning.
Happy First Day of School, everybody!
Monday morning
It's the day I've been looking forward to for weeks, and it's finally here. I put the finishing touches on three butter-and-jam sandwiches and stuff them into lunch bags as the kids scurry around searching for matching pairs of shoes. "No, not your chicken coop shoes," I gently admonish the little one. "School shoes are for school and farm shoes are for the farm." She reluctantly retreats to the mudroom and comes back with an acceptable pair of shoes, her eyes bright with excitement. "Can we start walking to school now?!"
Two weeks ago it seemed to my kids that this day might never come. The novelty of long, unstructured summer days had worn off by the end of July, and I spent most of August in a desperate bid to keep them entertained. Two weeks ago the whole family was at the farm we are fixing up in Wisconsin. I was busy priming and painting doors, and the girls were having trouble entertaining themselves. "What can we do now?" they asked for the fourth time that morning. "Why don't you go out and chase the cows?!" I replied in an exasperated voice. I turned back to my painting and wondered how we were going to manage until school started.
Ten minutes later Matt walked into the room. "Um, honey, there's something I think you should see." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this new distraction, but I followed him out the door without saying anything. He directed my attention to the far pasture at the back of the farm. I squinted to make out what he was pointing at. And then I saw them. My two five-year-old girls were doing exactly as I had told them to do. Their long blond hair was streaming out behind them as they ran straight at the herd of cows resting under an oak tree. I could just make out the sound of their whooping and hollering as the bewildered cows, black and white specks on the green pasture, scattered in all directions. The girls certainly didn't look bored any longer. Matt looked at me in amused disbelief. "What the heck are they doing?!"
"Well ... they were bored and I was frustrated, but I didn't think they'd take me literally," I offered by way of explanation. I started out in the direction of the far pasture to retrieve the girls, calculating the number of days left until the start of school. Would the day ever arrive?!
And now it's here. Monday morning. Clean shoes have been found, lunches have been packed and kids have been delivered safely to school. I walk back along the road, enjoying the silence and trying to decide which of my long-postponed projects I should tackle first. In the end, I opt to start out slowly. I take my time feeding the chickens before heading out to pick green beans. Maybe I'll even have the time to make some peach jam later this morning.
Happy First Day of School, everybody!
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
This week's fresh shelling bean is called Tongue of Fire. Fresh shelling beans are basically dried beans that are harvested just before the pod turns papery and the beans inside dry out. At this stage the beans still have some moisture in them, which gives them a creamier texture and sweeter taste than dry beans. Fresh shelling beans do not have a long shelf life. Keep them in the refrigerator and try to use them in 3-4 days if possible. Unlike dry beans, they do not need to be soaked, and they only need about 30 minutes of cooking time.
There are many different types of Asian cooking greens. Many of these greens, while widely unknown in this country, are closely related to the more familiar bok choy and Chinese cabbage and can be used in similar ways. The name of the Asian vegetable in this week's share is Hon Sai Tai. It has purple stalks and dark green leaves, both of which are tender and have a very mild mustard flavor similar to bok choy. It is a great addition to stir fries and asian-inspired soups, but remember that it doesn't need a lot of cooking time because it is so tender.
Some of you who pick up your egg shares at the farm may know that the egg production of our hens has declined significantly in the last several weeks. The decline started during the stretch of 90-degree weather we experienced in July. At this point, production seems to be picking up slowly, and we are hopeful that the hens will be back on track soon. In the meantime, we will not have quite enough eggs from our own flock to fill the egg shares. In the next several weeks, some of you will receive eggs from Chris and Tania Cubberly over at Tempel Farms. Their hens are raised just like ours--on pasture and with certified-organic feed.
Freshly washed eggs--a beautiful sight!
Hens enjoying leftover tomatoes from the farmers market
This Week's Recipes
Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... seedless grapes, garlic, eggplant, tomatoes, shell beans, cabbage, peaches, plums, lettuce, tat soi, green beans, peppers, red onions, carrots and more!
