Hi Everyone,
News from Ted at Windflower Farm below. Also, a great piece attached from Just Food on Caring for Your Share that we thought you all might find useful.
We look forward to meeting our B Week members tomorrow (and to seeing our weekly members as well)!
Best,
CBCSA Core Group
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News from Windflower Farm
2nd Distribution, Week of June 13, 2016
Hello from a cold and blustery Windflower Farm!
This week’s share:
Leaf Lettuces – two heads
Garlic Scapes
Swiss Chard
Scallions
Happy Rich
Bok Choy
Spinach
Potted Basils or parsley
My son, Nate, tested a delicious recipe that is comprised of items from this week’s share. You’ll find it below.
My nephew, who worked with us here for several years, is now in his third year of farming on his own. He visited recently, not to glean farming tips – he has already learned everything I have to teach – but instead to spend time with a woman he dates who works for me here. Still, we shared a few moments together, farmer-to-farmer. And during those moments he shared the observation that farming is an emotionally charged enterprise. We put a lot of ourselves into the crops that make up our shares, I agreed. I chalked up the emotional roller-coaster ride he’s on (something akin to a CSA farmer’s performance anxiety) to a farmer’s working relationship with the weather, that most highly unpredictable of partners. We agreed that the weather this spring has indeed been challenging. In performing a quick online search for occupations affected by weather, I was somewhat amused to find that Wiki-Answers doesn’t even place farming in the top ten. The work of meteorologists and sightseeing pilots were numbers one and two on the list, as they are undoubtedly affected by the weather. The truth is that nearly everyone’s work is somehow affected by the weather.
The better question is, what occupations are utterly dependent, day-in and day-out, on prolonged good or at least moderate weather for their success? None of us would doubt that farming ranks high on that list. And the weather here this spring has not been good: cold, windy weather has prevailed, but it has been interrupted by a week of hot weather and a period of more than three weeks without rainfall. As I write, all of our greenhouses are buttoned up so tight you might think it’s the middle of April. I mention this because crops are developing more slowly than usual this year. And I want you to be forewarned that the salad greens phase of the season will be longer than normal. I want to temper your expectations, but I do not want you to give up hope. We have taken several steps to mitigate against bad weather. Many of our crops, including most of our salad greens and our squashes, cucumbers and melons, are growing under a protective layer of fabric, which reduces wind and cold and evaporative losses. And others grow under protective greenhouse-like tunnels. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and our earliest cucumbers. And then there are the cool-weather crops – onions, potatoes, cabbages and garlic, to name a few – that actually thrive under these conditions. Although I have not been able to relax this spring, it is because we have taken these proactive steps that the emotional roller-coaster ride is a little more fun.
Have a great week, Ted
Sautéd Greens with Figs
(Adapted from “Simple Garlicky Greens” on p. 40 in Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas, Sterling 2012)
1 bunch each of chard, kale, and broccoli rabe (Happy Rich), or your choice of other greens
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 to 2 garlic scapes, diced
¼ cup sliced red onion
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup Turkish figs, quartered
¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
½ tsp salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Destem and rinse the greens, and cut into strips. The broccoli rabe can be included as stem and all, cut into bite-sized pieces. Heat the coconut oil in a stir-fry pan and add the diced garlic scapes, red onion, and pine nuts, cooking for about 3 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for about 3 more minutes, then add the remaining ingredients, stirring frequently, and cook a final 3 minutes, adding water or broth if needed to keep the greens moist. Recommended to serve with rice, quinoa, or potatoes.
Central Brooklyn CSA 