Week 4: Hi everyone!

Hi everyone- these usually come out weekly – this season has us running by the seat of our pants.. we will be better at this going forward. We usually include recipes, happenings on the farm, whats in the share and annoucements 🙂
Volume XIII, JOURNAL 1,2,3,4  July 9, 2018   Blue Heron Farm Journal
So what’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 4: Hi everyone!
Hi everyone. Adam here. I wanted to address a few things that may have crossed the minds of some CSA patrons. You may have felt like shares have been a little light in these first few weeks of the CSA. We understand. We have not had everything ready as soon as planned that we would like to bring to you. One thing we want you to know is that you will indeed be getting the full measure of the summer’s bounty, just a little later than expected or planned. We have had one of the most difficult starts to the growing season in our 14 years farming. This is why many crops are coming in a bit late. We have been contending with drought and record heat, a difficulty finding adequate labor, injuries, and at least one crop failure. We wanted you to know these things not to provide an excuse, but to let you know how it’s going for us, your farmers. So what can you expect very soon? Green beans, more lettuce mix, zucchini and summer squash, cucumbers, carrots, hopefully beets, broccoli, cabbage, and other greens. A little farther out, we will have potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and herbs, and a few surprises I’m sure. So, please bear with us. We will certainly make the CSA choice worth your while, even if it takes 20 weeks instead of 18 to do it. Those of us who know us and have been with us for several years know this will pan out. For those who are new, we hope you will stick with us and have faith and simply support your farmers. Thank you. Also, we  will be better sending out journals too;)

The heat did a number on the lettuce, arugula and sugar snap peas. Lettuce we have another crop that will be ready next week (the two crops were supposed to overlap, but this one bolted with the crazy heat.) The peas may have some markings on them but they are fine and super sweet to eat.  This may very well their last week due to the heat.  We are watering them and crossing our fingers but not holding our breath. Arugula got a little too hot under its protective sheet of remay and bolted. The cucumbers and squashes loved the heat and we will have tons very soon – pickling and full size cukes.

The white turnips in your share are amazing fresh eating – slice them up and put them in a salad – dip them in hummus or eat them like an apple like Sadie our daughter does;) You can roast them which will make them sweeter;) They are a japanese turnip called hakerei.

Two big investments we used your CSA money this year was putting in a town line water and now refiguring our drip line/irrigation system and finally fixing and recovering our largest hoophouse. The water coming out from the yard hydrant is 90 psi! we are so thankful for all these years of Roy’s waterJ Now we can water multiple fields at a time and water overnight.  We hired Mike and his crew from Vineripe and they did their hardworking, fast magic and BAM our hoophouse is repaired and covered.  Mike and his crew do this type of work day in and day out. Not every 4 or 5 years like these farmers;)

We just want to say we have a very generous group of CSA members! Because of you, we were able to provide Food for Thought, the summer lunch program for island children who are at risk of going hungry this summer with school being out, enough sugar snap peas for over 100 kids to enjoy last week! Big families got a whole pound each and the small families got a half pound! Close to 50 lbs of peas were bought by the CSA member donations!  Like you all have experienced, farm fresh sugar snap peas are amazing and nothing like the store bought ones. And other CSA members have donated shares when they are away that we give to families in our community. Thank you!

A new member to our crew is Molly, she is with us to the end of September.  She comes fresh from a year aboard teaching english in Spain and is originally from Delaware. She has volunteered and worked on a few organic farms around the world.  We are so glad she is here and the girls are smitten by her.

We are always looking for extra help on Monday mornings, just email is or text Christine at 617-276-4728.

Enjoy the sunshine 🙂 And do a little rain dance.

We look forward to farming with you this season.

Peace, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie, Delia and Molly

What’s in the share this week:

This  list is what is in a  full share this week.  Things may change between Monday and Thursday and Individual and Salad share will get differing amounts and may not get everything on the list. hakerei turnips, pea tendrils, garlic scapes, Sugar Snap Peas, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Napa Cabbage, Maybe brocolli (next week green beans, cucumbers, lettuce mix hopefully)

 

Eggs for sale We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown eggs– with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen.  The eggs are $6.00 a dozen.  $3.00 half dozen

**CERTIFIED ORGANIC whole CHICKEN AVAILABLE

Recipes:

Sesame Snap Peas
1/2 pound snap or snow peas, trimmed and strings discarded
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 scallion, sliced thinly on diagonal
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted lightly
Salt as needed/wanted
Slice snap peas into 2 or 3 sections with a sharp knife. Saute in a pan with the oil on med high heat until bright green. (it’s ok if some of the peas come out). When serving, sprinkle with the scallions and sesame seeds. Add Salt if desired.

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
1/2 lb sugar snap peas

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs shallots, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
S & P to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut off rough edge of peas and a bit of the string along the side (your preference how much). Spread peas onto baking sheet so that they are in a single layer. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with shallots, thyme and salt.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Servings: 4

SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH HAZELNUT BUTTER AND SAGE

2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Blanched Sugar Snap Peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper

1. Toast hazelnuts over medium heat in small skillet, shaking pan often to promote even cooking, until just fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Heat butter over medium heat in medium sauté pan until it browns to color of brown sugar and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Take care not to burn. Add peas, sage, and nuts; toss to combine. Cook until just heated through, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.

Pea Tendril Pesto – Edible Portland

This intensely flavored, neon green pesto recipe is inspired by one that appeared in the New York Times. Add up to a half-cup of additional fresh herbs or alliums, including garlic scapes, chives, mint, arugula and parsley. Like most pestos, all amounts are approximate, so adjust according to your own taste. Try this pesto on a piece of toast with a sliced hardboiled egg; added to boiled potatoes with chopped green onions; or thinned with pasta water and tossed with wide-cut fresh noodles.

1/2 cup walnuts, raw or toasted
3 cups pea shoots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Sea salt to taste
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. To toast the walnuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts on baking sheet and roast until golden, about 10 minutes. Check by letting them cool and then breaking a walnut in half. The inside should be golden all the way through.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine walnuts, pea shoots, Parmesan and garlic. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add salt to taste. With motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Blend until well-combined and you reach your desired thickness. Scrape pesto into a bowl and use immediately, or store in a jar with a thick covering of olive oil and use within three days. You can also freeze in ice cube trays.

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 cups

Like most green leafy vegetables, pea shoots – the young tendrils and leaves of the garden pea plant – are incredibly nutrient-dense. You can start looking for them at farmers markets or Asian markets in the spring and early summer.

Two cups of raw pea shoots have 10 calories, zero fat, 35.5% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, 15% of vitamin A, 8.75% of vitamin E, 132% of vitamin K, 10.5% of folate, 5.75% of thiamine, 7% of riboflavin, and 4.75% of vitamin B-6. They’re also chock-full of phytonutrients and antioxidants.

Pea Shoot Salad with Soy Vinaigrette http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/05/17/top-ten-pea-shoot-recipes-in-season-now/

For the soy vinaigrette, blend 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil, 1 teaspoon of dark sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of unseasoned rice wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Pea Shoot Salad with Coconut Curry Vinaigrette and Toasted Sea Vegetables

For the coconut curry vinaigrette, blend 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of curry powder. Sprinkle your salad with crumbled, lightly toasted nori, to taste.

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