Volume XVI , JOURNAL VII
September 26, 2012
Blue Heron Farm Journal
So what’s happening on the farm this week?
Hi Everyone – week 16- Big thank you to the crew who came out and helped with tearing out the tomatoes and cucurbit plants and all the black plastic, drip line plants…it was amazing to clear this field last Sunday! Thanks to Sarah, Erika, Joe, Rudd, Isabelle, Eva, Jack and Luke! Thanks also to Gail, Sophie, Eva and Diantha for all the help you give us on a weekly basis! We got all the winter squash picked today and there will be plenty for you to have over the next few weeks. We have been slowly putting fields to bed and preparing for winter. It is looking like we will be closing the morning of October 10th.
The last CSA pickup will be October 10th (Wednesday) with a potluck dinner, music and possible bouncy house (Sadie’s request). We will provide drinks, plates, cups, silverware. Bring friends and family:) It will be our annual hoedown with dinner starting at 5 and music and bouncy house starting at 4. To celebrate the end of the season and hopefully – the closing of this wonderful land with all of you 😉 So there will be no pickup on Monday the 8th, pickup will be on the 10th – with bags/boxes packed for you to take home after dinner. Those who are delivery shares – let us know if you are coming up and we will have your share ready for you. those who can not make it up – we will deliver as usual on thursday the 11th your final share of the season.
As you can see the ram lambs have made it up to the veggie farm and they love all the attention they have been getting from all of you. We do have 6 lamb shares left – whole or half, available mid December, They will be $10lb hanging weight. Last year’s lambs were about 40-45lbs hanging weight. We processed chicken last week and we have a few of those left, they are frozen and are $6 lb average weight 3.5lb. Annie and her calf Annabelle are doing quite well together and Maggie, the big sister, loves Miss Annabelle and keeps an eye on her when Annie is not around. We have milk for sale $5 1/2 gal or $8 gal. Let us know if you are interested we can have it available at pickup.
PYO cherry tomatoes can be anytime – as long as the plants are not wet – feel free if you are a CSA member to come and pick. Tomato season is just about done, but you will still receive a few tomatoes in your share until the end of the season. there will be green tomatoes available for anyone interested.
Thanks again to all of our amazing volunteers each week! We couldn’t do this without you!
Have a great week. -Your farmers, Adam, Christine, Sadie, Delia, Mandy, Harley and Sophie.
Our blog is at: www.blueheronfarmvt.com or on Facebook- check us out and/or leave a comment.
You can also get a hold if us via phone 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com
What’s in the share this week: heirloom Tomatoes, Red Potatoes, Green and yellow Beans, PYO Cherry Tomatoes, PYO Ground Cherries, Arugula, Cilantro, dill, Lettuce Mix, Winter Squash(please note: this is a tentaive list, what folks get on Monday maybe slightly different than what folks get on Thursday)
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Eggs for sale We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
Yarn for Sale
Yarn is available in our natural color "Island Oatmeal", "Earth", and "Snow." Worsted Weight, double twist, soft, 240 yds, 4 ounces, Greenspun/Certified Organic (no petroleum products used in cleaning the wool) by Green Mountain Spinnery here in Vermont. Yarn is in the farmstand. 17.00 skein.
Recipes
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arugula_pesto/
2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
1/2 cup of shelled walnuts
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.
2 Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.
3a Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
3b Mortar and pestle method: Combine the nuts, salt and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.
Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.
Serve with pasta, over freshly roasted
potatoes, or as a sauce for pizza. Yield: Makes 1 heaping cup.
potatoes, or as a sauce for pizza. Yield: Makes 1 heaping cup.
Delicious Baked Acorn Squash http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/delicious-baked-acorn-squash/?print=1/#sizeFP
Prep Time Cook Time
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Servings 6
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Difficulty Easy
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Ingredients
- 2 whole Acorn Squash (you can use any winter squash except for spaghetti squash)
- Kosher Salt To Taste
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) Brown Sugar
- Pure Maple Syrup
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Halve each squash, then scrape out the seeds and stringy membranes. Place the halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle each half with salt.
Next add a generous tablespoon of butter to the center of each squash followed by 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar. Next drizzle squash with maple syrup.
Pour 2 cups water in the bottom of the baking pan.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until squash is golden brown.
In the last 5 minutes of baking, turn on the broiler and allow tops to get a little more brown and the butter/sugar mixture to bubble.