CSA Harvest #13~ the halfway there delivery!!

Good day!! Wow how the time flies! This will be the 13th week into your adventure of eating locally grown food through the CSA program. On our end we have to keep reminding ourselves that we still have 13 more weeks to go!
At this time of year the weeds try to make their last valiant attempt to get as tall as they can and produce their seeds before the killing frosts of fall come. We struggle to keep them at bay, to keep everything watered and harvested.
I always want the farm to look nice and presentable but in the end I have to remember that we are not being paid by the hour.. we are paid by how much we can harvest and effectively market. Of course our main market is to all of you through the CSA, then comes farmers market and now we have opened a farm stand here at the farm! This will be open Sat from 3-8pm and Sunday from 10-7 pm. We have already met some great folks who happen to just be traveling through. Many are local people who would not other wise seek out organic food. They are full of questions about the odd looking heirloom tomatoes and remark on the weird looking hard neck garlic. The farm stand has given us a chance to reach out to folks who do not normally go to farmers market or enroll in CSA programs.. we can still educate them about the benefits of eating locally produced foods! It was great when we even saw people coming back later in the day to buy more corn and tomatoes because they said it was so good they needed to get more!

Potluck Time at Big Lick Farm~~~~~ We hope you will all be able to attend our 2nd Annual Farm Open house/potluck!! The date will be Sunday September 6th after 1 pm. We will have some great music from our neighbor Shasta Ray! Please let us know if you will be attending or not.. and if so with how many people.




CSA Harvest This Week:

Bartlett Pears~ To fully ripen place in paper bag to keep it dark. Keep in cool place 'til ripe.

Summer Squash

Hakurei Turnips~ a "gourmet" turnip. Greens also edible!

Arugula (last of it until new planting ready)

Garlic

Red and Yellow Onions

Sungold Tomatoes

Tomato Medley (Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Brandywine, Green Zebra, Sweet Cluster)

Luscious Sweet Corn

Basil

French Fingerling Potatoes

Rainbow Chard

Cucumber Mix

Jalapenos




Hakurei turnips are a Japanese variety noted for their tenderness and mild flavor. Here are some preparation ideas!


Curried Hakurei Turnips

One chopped onion
2 tablespoons oil
5 or 6 hakurei, peeled and sliced thin (all the recipes said to peel them but it seemed sort of pointless, since they were so tender throughout)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
one lemon, cut into wedges

Sauté the onion in the oil for a few minutes until translucent. Add the turnips, the curry powder and salt and cook until everything is tender. Squeeze some lemon juice over the dish before serving and serve with extra lemon wedges.


Sauteed Hakurei Turnips and Braised Greens

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 Bunch Hakurei Turnips with greens
1 lb Greens such as Chard, Mizuna or Braising Mix
2 tsp oil, divide
½ cup water, apple juice or white wine
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Method:

1. Cut the greens from the turnips. Wash and tear all the greens into large pieces and remove the stems. Cut the turnips into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sautee the turnips stirring or tossing occasionally until they are crispy outside and tender inside. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a warm plate.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
4. Add the washed and wet greens, and add to pan in batches. Stir and mix as they wilt.
5. Add the wine or other liquid and cook until it is mostly evaporated.
6. Plate greens and arrange the warm turnips on top.


Rainbow Chard Recipe Ideas:

Rainbow Chard Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
serves 4

About half a large bunch of rainbow chard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

Wash the chard well and let dry. Fold the leaves in half and slice away the tough stalk. Discard or compost. Cut the leaves in half, lengthwise, then slice into fine ribbons. You should have about 4-6 cups of finely sliced chard.

Put the walnuts in a small, heavy frying pan over medium heat and toast for about five minutes, shaking to keep them from burning. Add the raisins to the pan right at the end just to warm them through.

Whisk the sugar, olive oil, wine, and orange juice together and taste. Adjust to taste and add salt and pepper.

Toss the raisins, hot walnuts, chard and dressing all together. Distribute among individual salad bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top.


Enjoy!!

Suzie, Asinete, M.A, Violet and Robin!