News and Blog

Josh Viertel, Slow Food USA President, is coming to Indy this weekend to speak at the Slow Food Indy annual meeting.

Please join us for the annual meeting and potluck this Sunday, 1PM at the State Fairgrounds Grand Hall (across from the Pepsi Coliseum).

This is a free event but please bring a dish to share as well as your own dinnerware.

Calling all friends of Balanced Harvest Farm & CSA, lovers of art and especially lovers of vintage vegetable crate art!  As many of you know our market truck is a red 1965 International Harvester with a wooden refrigerated box built on the back.  Ever since we started the truck project we have searched for an artist who could paint the sides of the refrigerated truck body in a style resembling vintage vegetable crate art.  Well, we’ve found him - local artist Tim Levandoski – and you are all invited to come to the Carmel Farmer’s Market this Saturday, July 17^th,  to watch Tim begin transforming the big white wall formerly known as the truck body into a rolling billboard and a beautiful piece of art.  The market is located at One Civic Center in Carmel just north of Carmel Drive on the west side of Rangeline Road.  The market is open from 8-11:30 and we hope you’ll stop by and enjoy the experience and the Market! 

On a sad note, if you have not already heard, our dear friend Kelly Funk, wife of John Ferree and co- owner of Seldom Seen Farm, was struck by lightning last week while working in the fields.  Kelly is in the ICU at Methodist Hospital.  Her care at the hospital has been outstanding, but there is no quick fix for the injuries she sustained.  Her recovery is expected to be long, sometimes slow, and expensive. They are welcoming emails, cards, voice mails, face book posts website comments, etc.  However, flowers are not allowed in the ICU, and for the time being they’re only allowing immediate family to visit. 

This Saturday, July 17^th we at Balanced Harvest Farm will be donating 25% of our farmer’s market sales towards Kelly’s recovery. We will also have a donation can in our booth at the Carmel Farmer’s market for anyone who would like to contribute. Our Slow Food Indy chapter will be hosting some fund raising events for Kelly as well including a Lobster Dinner on August 22^nd.   If you or anyone you know would like to attend or support this event here’s a link where folks can purchase tickets. Please forward the link to others who might be interested too.  Also, the Kelly Funk Recovery Fund has been set up at Huntington Bank. An online link should be available by next week.

Please keep Kelly, John, and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Until next time…  hope to see you at the market!

Eat well & be well,

Todd & Kathleen

Holland self propelled Celery & Onion transplanter

It was a long winter filled with equipment updates, repairs and the endless quest to find replacement parts for some of our antique equipment.  This was the winter of the Holland self propelled Celery & Onion transplanter.  It’s a wonderfully simple machine that saves countless hours of transplanting that previously had to be done on our hands and knees.  The original machine of this type was designed and built in Holland, MI by Ben Poll along with his two brothers, Henry and Louis. In 1927 the brothers quit farming and began the Holland Celery Planter Company. The more modern transplanters, like ours made in the 1950’s, haven’t changed much.  Work that previously took us 1.5 hours to complete can now be done in 10-15 minutes and truth be told the quality is better when using the planter than when done by hand.  Mr. Poll’s son Howard, who I believe is in his 70’s, still makes parts for the transplanters and was a huge help in providing advice and supplying replacement parts for our machine.   I’ve already begun my wish list for 2011 and it includes transforming this machine from gasoline powered to electric, if this is your area of expertise and you’d like to help just let us know.

Finally a spring we can enjoy!

After 2 years of cold, persistent and torrential rains we finally have a decent spring season! Needless to say Kathleen and I are thrilled to have a more normal planting season underway. I say “planting season” but the truth is here on Balanced Harvest Farm we plant throughout the spring, summer and early fall.  The last seeding will take place in September and those crops will be harvested next spring. 

Overall the veggies look great.  Some of our early plantings did not germinate quite as well as expected, but all the transplanted veggies look wonderful.  The poor germination was in part due to heavily crusted soil following a big rain a few weeks back.  Those of you who’ve been with us for a while have endured my complaining about the Carmel Clay (I believe they really did name our area for its clay).  We have wonderful silt loam soil mixed with clay and when the conditions are right it can turn as hard as cement.  Well, that’s an exaggeration but it does seem as hard as cement when you’re trying to get seeds up or to cultivate.  The issue really is that the soil gets hard and then clumps as you cultivate.  Seeds like soft soil and uniform conditions and the clay just doesn’t provide that sometimes.  Like most springs we have some veggies ahead of schedule, some on schedule and some behind.  Overall we’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made and the condition of the farm at this point. 

Since it warmed up things have really begun to grow, some just right and some too fast.  The early season greens don’t like hot (warm is fine, hot is too hot).  Our early planting of broccoli rabe (rapini) and cilantro have already gone to seed, which means the plants put all their energy into making seed, making the plant itself inedible, but we still have time to replant before the long days of summer hit. The weeds are growing, we’re busy hoeing & weeding and there’s lots more planting to do!

2010 CSA

First distributions for our CSA members will begin next week on June 14^th. For those of you that are scheduled to pick up At Ferrin’s Fruit Winery…you may be aware that the sadly the Ferrin’s have decided to close their winery and store.  We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We should have a replacement pick up site in Carmel announced later this week. We are focused on a nearby site with ample convenient parking. 

Farmer’s Market

We will be at the Carmel Farmer’s Market each Saturday this season. Please stop by and see us!

Slow Food Indy Father's Day Spit Fest

On June 20th Chef Chris Ely is roasting a pasture raised hog at Dave Randle's Farm in Lebanon, Indiana and SFI is hosting a local foods pot-luck side dish competition. First prize is 2 Tickets to Jack Johnson at Verizon Wireless Music Center on Friday, July 23rd & 2nd prize is a Gift certificate from Goose the Market!  Buy your tickets now on BrownPaperTickets.com

As you probably know, Groundhog Day was this past Tuesday and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Now we’ve got another 6 weeks of winter to look forward to. Even though the best sources of farm weather predictions say we’ll  continue to experience 90 days of below normal  temperatures, we’ve decided to “Think Spring” and share some of our plans for the upcoming Balanced Harvest Farm & CSA season with you. While the below average cold may seem like bad news, the good news is they are also predicting below average precipitation, which with our land, is a very good thing.

Todd has been working on the crop plans and seed orders for 2010. He's been excitedly poring over stacks of seed catalogues gleaming with colorful pictures of all the vegetable growing possibilities. Todd is never swayed by a beautiful picture, though. It’s the taste and texture that matter most. Besides our usual varieties, we intend to add a few more “Ark of Taste” crops to our growing plans this year as well.

Since we won’t be distributing CSA shares at the farmer’s markets, we plan to spend some time at our various pick up locations. CSA members will be able to meet your farmers and talk to us in person. Of course, member or not, you can always find us at the Balanced Harvest Farm stand at the Carmel Farmer’s Market from the end of May through the end of Sept. So please drop by to say “hi”, share a recipe or two and take the time to get to know YOUR farmers.  Most importantly, hang in there... spring is coming!

Eat well & be well,

Todd & Kathleen

In this Newsletter:

1.     Several 2010 CSA pick up sites are nearly full. Don’t be left out!

2.     Todd will present at IUPUI and Altum’s

3.     We encourage you to join Slow Food USA

1.     Several 2010 CSA pick up sites are nearly full. Don’t be left out!

First we’d like to say “thank you” to both our returning and new members for understanding the importance of supporting local agriculture, for seeking out certified naturally grown produce to feed your families, and for appreciating the significance of food that is grown with integrity and respect for the land and the community. We appreciate your support. For those of you who’ve been thinking about joining the Balanced Harvest 2010 CSA now is the time to act. Our Thursday and Saturday locations are just about full and Sunday & Tuesday locations are quickly catching up. If you’d like to become a member for the 2010 season don’t procrastinate - join now.  Not only does knowing you're “in” help us plan accordingly, it ensures that you will receive a share of the freshest locally grown produce available - It’s peace of mind for both of us!  

2.     Todd will present at IUPUI and Altum’s

In a program themed “Food For Thought” Local food. Global Impact, presented by IUPUI Office of Alumni Relations on Saturday, March 6^th , Todd will be presenting on behalf of Slow Food Indy & Balanced Harvest Farm. His topic is “Slow Food, Not Fast Food: You Are What You Eat.”  This daylong conference will also include such topics as “Frankenfoods: The Ethics of Bioengineered Food Products”, “Food Connections: Re-Learning Community and Sustainability”, “Gardening in an Urban Setting: What You Should Know Before You Plant” and “Ethics of Consumption: Taste is Personal, Political or What?”  Conference details and registration are available online.

On Saturday, March 13, 11am, Todd will speak at Altum’s on the topic: “Potatoes in a Trash Can and Other Fun Facts of Vegetable Gardening”. 

Sunday, March 14 you’ll find Todd at Perk Up in Broad Ripple presenting the principles of Slow Food as well as the methods used in the production of Certified Naturally Grown crops on Balanced harvest Farm.

3.     We encourage you to join Slow Food USA

If you want to have an impact on our food culture in central Indiana, meet other “local food” minded folks, take farm tours, eat great food and learn a lot, then Slow Food Indy is the organization for you. Join Slow Food USA and choose Slow Food Indy as your chapter. Not ready to join yet? No problem. You don’t need to be a member to attend events. So, please come and check it out!

The next upcoming Slow Food Indy event: Brogarten- authentic German baking talk, demonstration and tasting will be held on Sunday, March 28^th at Perk Up in Broad Ripple. More information should appear soon on the SFI website.

Slow Food Indy’s got some exciting events planned for 2010. Hope you’ll join us!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact us at BalancedHarvest@hotmail.com or (317) 815-9863.

I’d like to offer our sincere thank you to the members that in the past week have been contacting us with words of praise and expressions of thanks for the CSA experience.  Most weeks we’ll get an email or two from members telling us how participating in the CSA has helped them or benefited their family in some way but this past week the huge number of contacts received and discussions held has been overwhelming. Your feedback encourages us, guides us and inspires us.  We especially enjoy the stories of kids that now eat their vegetables because they’re from their farm.  Kathleen and I believe that if children eat well when they’re little they are far more inclined to return to eating well after they have strayed from good food during the teen years that are almost always filled with junk foods, soda and fast food (yikes!)  We’ve experienced this with our own daughter and now at 23 she’s returning to good food and even asked for our help with planting a large backyard garden this spring; needless to say we are thrilled by her interest. 

Kathleen’s brother Martin and his family are visiting this week, they live in NJ.  His daughter Katie is 9 years old and their son, Matthew is 6.  Katie seems to be quite interested in helping on the farm and was planting cabbage and late season peppers within a few hours of arriving.  Kids and farming have a lot in common.  Farming is all about the future, kids are all about the future.  Both require faith that tomorrow will be a better day and is sure to be filled with wonderful things, exciting experiences and abundance.

On behalf of Kathleen and myself I say “thank you” to you for helping us make our dream of Balanced Harvest Farm & CSA come true.  Your financial support makes Balanced Harvest Farm possible; your words of thanks and encouragement keep us motivated; your commitment to good food makes us proud to grow your food, and our personal interactions with you warm our hearts. 

I’m proud to be your farmer,

Todd

How to care for your produce

Remember to refresh your vegetables as soon as you get them home.  Refreshing is placing them in cool or cold water and allowing them to soak for 15-20 minutes. Tip: If you re-cut the stems of your squash before soaking, you will extend its storage life. (This will also perk up your squash if you’ve left your squash in the car awhile before getting to your kitchen.) After your veggies have been soaked, shake off the excess water and place them in a plastic bag and DO NOT close the bag tightly.  Leaving the bag open a bit allows the vegetables to breathe and the moisture to circulate.  This reduces the chance that they will become slimy.  Refreshing applies to most of your share items EXCEPT the shallots & potatoes.

What to expect in your share this week

Here’s what we anticipate the shares will contain this week although your share may vary slightly:

Baby heirloom Green Mountain or Fingerling potatoes, Chioggia Beets, Lettuce Mix, Squash (yellow, Cocozelle, patty pan), Cucumbers, Shallots, Celery - great flavor use the leaves and stalks. Chop finely and use in cooking (may also be used raw but might be a little tough at this stage).

Note: Your baby potatoes will need to be refrigerated at home because they are fresh not “cured” for storage and will spoil rapidly if left at room temperature. The shallots are partially dry but still should be kept in fridge also.

Reminder: Please return your box each week in exchange for your next share. 

Share Pick-up Arrangements

If you need to designate someone other than yourself to pick up your share, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance of the person’s name who will be receiving your share. 

If you’ll be unavailable to pick up your share at your designated date & time you may pre-arrange to pick up at one of our other locations.  Please notify us 1 week in advance of your desired pick up location. You can contact us by phone at (317) 815-9863 or by email at BalancedHarvest@hotmail.com.

Shares that are not picked up at designated date and time will be donated or composted.

Recipes

Stuffed Squash Boats

1 large squash

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 Tblsp. olive oil

3/4 lb. very lean ground beef or turkey

1 garlic clove, chopped

3/4 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

3/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup vegetable broth

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut stem and flower end off squash. Cut squash in half lengthwise, Using spoon scoop out and discard seeds. Remove most of the squash flesh leaving an even 1/2 inch of flesh attached to the skin. Chop removed flesh and set aside.

Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan and saute chopped onions and peppers until softened; remove to large mixing bowl. Add ground meat to hot pan and cook until starting to brown. When meat is about half cooked add garlic and reserved chopped squash flesh, and continue to cook until meat is well browned, breaking it into small pieces. Remove mixture to a large bowl.

Add cooked rice, chopped basil, parmesan cheese, and vegetable broth to meat and vegetable mixture, and gently combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Choose a baking dish just large enough to hold the squash. Stuff squash with meat/rice mixture, mounding it up, until all stuffing is used.

Put squash halves into baking dish close together so they hold each other stuffing-side up. Carefully pour wine around base of squash. Bake until squash is tender-crisp, and filling is hot and slightly browned, about 45 mins. Serve hot.

Squash Cake

4 eggs

¾  c oil

2 c sugar

3 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

2 c shredded zucchini

1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple

1 c chopped walnuts

1 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat eggs, oil sugar and vanilla until thick. Beat in remaining ingredients.

Bake in 9x5x3 loaf pan for 1 hour.

Please check “Great Resources” on our website for more recipes.

This week on the farm…

When I was young I remember older people remarking that “time flies”.  Now that I’m older (turning 49 this week- yikes!) I’ve come to believe only the bad days go by slowly; the weeks, months and years fly by at an accelerated pace.

This past week we began seeding fall crops such as fennel, cardoon, root parsley and transplanting broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage.  Yes, we’re working towards autumn and we still haven’t picked a tomato yet!  Speaking of tomatoes, they’re looking good and beginning to grow larger and turn from green to a whitish green color, which is the first sign that we’ll soon begin picking them.  I’m hoping we’ll begin picking them in about 2 weeks; keep your fingers crossed.  Since we’re talking about tomatoes its worth pointing out that the tomatoes you see in the markets now are either grown in greenhouses locally or are shipped in from further south.  Some local growers might have a ripe tomato or two but it’s very doubtful that anyone local has field ripened tomatoes yet.  The same goes for cantaloupes- they’re from further south in Indiana, not from our region yet. 

Here’s a tip worth trying:  Basil hates being in the refrigerator; it’s too cold.  When you get home with it, remove the bunching twine or twist tie, give it a quick rinse under the faucet and wrap it in a wet paper towel or, my personal favorite, a damp kitchen towel and place it on your kitchen counter out of direct sunlight.  Wrap it so the entire bunch is enclosed in the towel.  Each time the cloth begins drying dampen it again.  Not only will your kitchen smell like basil but your basil will last 6-7 days with no problem.

Till next week,

Todd

How to care for your produce

Remember to refresh your vegetables as soon as you get them home.  Refreshing is placing them in cool or cold water and allowing them to soak for 15-20 minutes. Tip: If you re-cut the stems of your squash before soaking, you will extend its storage life. (This will also perk up your squash if you’ve left your squash in the car awhile before getting to your kitchen.) After your veggies have been soaked, shake off the excess water and place them in a plastic bag and DO NOT close the bag tightly.  Leaving the bag open a bit allows the vegetables to breathe and the moisture to circulate.  This reduces the chance that they will become slimy.  Refreshing applies to most of your share items EXCEPT tomatoes, herbs, green beans and potatoes.

What to expect in your share this week

Here’s what we anticipate the shares will contain this week although your share may vary slightly:

Baby heirloom Green Mountain or Fingerling potatoes (Apple Family Farm pickups – you will not receive these until next week)

Chioggia Beets - A pre-1840 Italian heirloom variety. They’re sometimes called Candystripe or Bull's Eye because of the alternating concentric rings of red and white inside. The beet leaves can be sautéed or cooked like other greens. The roots can also be grated raw for a very tasty and attractive addition to salads. Note: Chioggias sometimes crack a bit while still in the field. You may notice a black edge at the crack. This blemish does not affect the interior quality.

Cippolini Onions (try these on kebabs)

Squash (Straightneck, Cocozelle &/or Early White Bush Scallop Patty Pan)

Cucumbers (Marketmore)

Large Sweet Onions (Ailsa Craig),

Culinarian Shares:  You will also receive Mint.

Note: Your onions & baby potatoes will need to be refrigerated at home because they are fresh not “cured” for storage and will spoil rapidly if left at room temperature.

Reminder: Please return your box each week in exchange for your next share. 

Share Pick-up Arrangements

If you need to designate someone other than yourself to pick up your share, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance of the person’s name who will be receiving your share. 

If you’ll be unavailable to pick up your share at your designated date & time you may pre-arrange to pick up at one of our other locations.  Please notify us 1 week in advance of your desired pick up location. You can contact us by phone at (317) 815-9863 or by email at BalancedHarvest@hotmail.com.

Shares that are not picked up at designated date and time will be donated or composted.

Recipes

Pickled Cucumbers

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

½ sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 Tblsp. Chopped fresh mint

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1 Tblsp. sugar

¼ tsp. salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine cucumber and onion in a bowl. In a 2^nd bowl whisk together remaining ingredients stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over cucumber and onion slices; toss to coat well. Let stand for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Note: Can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

1 bunch beets, trimmed to about ½ inch above root

1 Tblsp olive oil

1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

3 Tblsp. olive oil

2 Tblsp. Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. chopped lemon thyme, optional

Salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place beets on a roasting pan, drizzle with about 1 T olive oil and cover with foil. Roast in middle of oven until fork tender, about 40 – 60 mins.

While beets are roasting, toast walnuts in a small fry pan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they become golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl.

Unwrap beets. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then cut into bite sized pieces.

Whisk together remaining ingredients (except goat cheese) in a small bowl.

Pour dressing over beets, tossing to coat. Allow beets to cool to room temperature or chill if preferred.

Just before serving, arrange beets on salad plates, top with crumbled goat cheese and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Note: Beets may be roasted and tossed with dressing 1 day ahead, then chilled and covered. Keep toasted walnuts, covered, at room temperature.

Please check “Great Resources” on our website for more recipes.

This week on the farm

Marketmore cucumbers…

As I mentioned these are my favorite cucumbers. I’ve been growing this variety as far back as I can remember, in my case that’s back to the early 1970’s.  Marketmore is a long straight cuke with a very small seed cavity that is always sweet, never bitter.  Right now you must be saying “yeah, yeah where are the cucumbers?”  Well by the weekend we should begin picking a reasonable amount of them.  My hunch is that a week or so ago the bees didn’t pollinate them very well and like most things this year they are growing slowly.  I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do.

I mentioned a small seed cavity in the cucumbers and that made me think of squash.  Both are members of the cucurbit family and they share a few common traits.  Of those traits something we dislike very much is large seeds, they’re not really edible, they leave a huge hollow spot in the fruit when you remove them.  Being from the east coast and from an area of Italian and Middle Eastern immigrants we were taught to value the small squash and cucumbers. However when we arrived in Indiana we found out that most folks here wanted a larger size fruit- live a little learn a lot. The varieties we grow are wonderful eaten at either the large or small size.  We’ve searched and tested countless varieties in order to supply you with larger size fruits that have extremely small seed size and seed cavities hoping to provide you with the best of both worlds. We hope you agree that they are amazing and tasty.

Till next week,

Todd

How to care for your produce

Remember to refresh your vegetables as soon as you get them home.  Refreshing is placing them in cool or cold water and allowing them to soak for 15-20 minutes.  After they’ve soaked, shake off the excess water and place them in a plastic bag and DO NOT close the bag tightly.  Leaving the bag open a bit allows the vegetables to breathe and the moisture to circulate.  This reduces the chance that your veggies will become slimy.  Refreshing applies to most veggies except tomatoes, herbs and green beans.

What to expect in your share this week

Here’s what we anticipate the shares will contain this week although your share may vary slightly:

Standard Shares: Squash (Straightneck, Cocozelle & maybe Early White Bush Scallop Patty Pan), hopefully a cucumber or two, Large Sweet Onion, a bunch of Red Tropea (torpedo) Onions & Lettuce Mix (Tennis Ball, Grandpa Amires, Green Cos Romaine).

Culinarian Shares:  the above plus Mint and Basil.

Reminder: Please return your box each week in exchange for your next share. 

Share Pick-up Arrangements

If you need to designate someone other than yourself to pick up your share, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance of the person’s name who will be receiving your share. 

If you’ll be unavailable to pick up your share at your designated date & time you may pre-arrange to pick up at one of our other locations.  Please notify us 1 week in advance of your desired pick up location. You can contact us by phone at (317) 815-9863 or by email at BalancedHarvest@hotmail.com.

Shares that are not picked up at designated date and time will be donated or composted.

Recipes

Green & Yellow Squash Ribbons with Basil

1 green squash

1 yellow squash

12 basil leaves, chiffonade (roll leaves tightly and slice into ribbons)

3 T olive oil

1 T fresh lemon juice

½ tsp finely grated lemon zest

Celtic sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim ends of squash. Using a vegetable peeler, shave squash into long, wide strips. When you get to the center (where the seeds are) turn the squash and peel from the other side until you get to center again (use all flesh/discard seeds).

Put squash ribbons in a bowl. Add basil.

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and zest to make a vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Toss ribbons with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat them (you won’t need all of the vinaigrette). Season to taste with salt & pepper and serve.

Veggie Kebabs

Simply brush veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then grill (or marinate first).

Veggies cut into 1 inch pieces such as: onions, green squash, yellow squash, mushrooms, bell peppers

Crumbled feta cheese for garnish (optional)

Marinade
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed with side of knife

Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl, stirring to blend.

Place prepared vegetables in a zip-loc bag. Pour in the marinade, seal the bag, and turn over to coat everything. Marinate in the refrigerator 1 hour.

When ready to cook, remove vegetables from marinade and thread onto skewers. Leave a little space between the vegetables for air to circulate. Grill over medium heat until all vegetables are golden and tender.

Serve warm, garnished with crumbled feta, if desired.

Please check “Great Resources” on our website for more recipes.

This week on Balanced Harvest Farm…

Hope you all had an enjoyable 4^th of July weekend.  Kathleen and I spent our 4^th at the Broad Ripple Farmers’ Market and then savoring the much needed rain.   It was a “perfect” rain; not too much, not too little- just right. We were a bit concerned because we hadn’t begun staking and tying up the tomatoes yet and there’s always a chance that the rain will be preceded or followed by high winds. As I said it was a “perfect” rain and there was no wind and no damage to the tomatoes- hallelujah!  On Sunday we drove out to western Indiana to pick up a load of tall wooden tomato stakes and 10,000 feet of twine for the tying.  We’ll cultivate to remove any weeds and sidedress the tomatoes with certified organic fertilizer one more time before we begin driving stakes and tying.  As soon as they’re staked we’ll begin laying down a thick layer of straw mulch to prevent weeds from growing and to conserve moisture.  Although organic production rules allow a farmer to use plastic mulch, we don’t believe they should.  After all plastic is a petroleum product; it isn’t sustainable and does nothing to build up the soil to enhance the current crop or future crops.  We feel that sustainable farming is all about making the soil better.  Better doesn’t always mean cheaper, faster or easier- better means better.

It’s amazing how fast things grow after a rain and wow, have things grown.  Last week I was rambling on about squash and promised to tell you more about them this week. This week your shares will contain one or more types of squash.  The yellow straight neck squash variety is Prolific Straight Neck, the green squash is Cocozelle, a very old Italian variety and the patty pan squash is Early White Bush Scallop. All three varieties are open pollinated, heirloom and I believe among the tastiest summer squash available.  The yellow squash has a delicate flavor, smooth skin, beautiful light yellow color and is perfect steamed.  The green squash has remarkably small seed cavity, small seeds, and is excellent at a larger size than most green squash. No it’s not a zucchini, it’s a Cocozelle- same family but different.  The Cocozelle has a wonderful nutty flavor and a texture that hold up well in baking such as in a stuffed squash.  The patty pan has a flavor that is totally different from the other two summer squashes; I think it is the tastiest of all.  The patty pans are a little slower growing than the yellow or green so it might take another week before we have an adequate supply for distribution.  In this weather you never know what will happen.  If it stays warm like it is today, we’ll have plenty for everyone!

Next week I’ll update you on Marketmore cucumbers…

How to care for your produce

Remember to refresh your vegetables as soon as you get them home.  Refreshing is placing them in cool or cold water and allowing them to soak for 15-20 minutes.  After they’ve soaked, shake off the excess water and place them in a plastic bag and DO NOT close the bag tightly.  Leaving the bag open a bit allows the vegetables to breathe and the moisture to circulate.  This reduces the chance that your veggies will become slimy.  Refreshing applies to most veggies except tomatoes, herbs and green beans.

What to expect in your share this week

Here’s what we anticipate the shares will contain this week although your share may vary slightly:

Standard Shares: Squash (Straightneck, Cocozelle & Early White Bush Scallop Patty Pan), hopefully a cucumber or two, Large Sweet Onion, a bunch of Cipolina Onions & Lettuce Mix (Tennis Ball, Grandpa Amires, Green Cos Romaine).

Culinarian Shares:  the above plus Purslane and mint.

Reminder: Please return your box each week in exchange for your next share. 

Share Pick-up Arrangements

If you need to designate someone other than yourself to pick up your share, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance of the person’s name who will be receiving your share. 

If you’ll be unavailable to pick up your share at your designated date & time you may pre-arrange to pick up at one of our other locations.  Please notify us 1 week in advance of your desired pick up location. You can contact us by phone at (317) 815-9863 or by email at BalancedHarvest@hotmail.com.

Shares that are not picked up at designated date and time will be donated.

Recipes

Green Squash with Tomatoes and Mint

1 T olive oil

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, sliced

1 or 2 green squash such as Cocozelle, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices

About 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes

1 T bottled capers, drained

Celtic Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground Black pepper, to taste

2 T finely chopped fresh mint

Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden and softened.

Add garlic and squash and cook, stirring, until lightly browned.

Stir in tomatoes with juice and capers. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender.

Remove lid and cook until most of the liquid evaporates.

Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Stir in mint and serve.

 Purslane Pesto

I got the idea for this after seeing Victoria Wesseler’s Greek Style Purslane Pesto on Going Local.

1 cup purslane leaves

1 clove garlic

1 Tablespoon toasted walnuts (or any nut you have available)

¾ tsp fresh oregano or ¼ tsp dried

¾ tsp fresh marjoram or ¼ tsp dried

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

¼ cup Kalamata Olive oil

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, divided

Celtic Sea Salt, to taste

Put first 6 ingredients in food processor and blend until finely chopped.

Add olive oil and process until smooth.

Add about ½ the feta cheese and process until smooth.

Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the remaining feta cheese.

Season to taste with Celtic Sea Salt.

We had this tonight with Brown Rice Pasta and Grilled Shrimp and also spread some on crusty baguette – yum!

 Please check “Great Resources” on our website for more recipes.

Wow, it’s almost the 4^th of July! We hope you have plans that include both fun and relaxation.

Balanced Harvest will be part of Food Independence Day at Earth House on July 2^nd. Please join us, Slow Food Indy and others for the 7:30 pm screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary film, The Garden.

Click here for more information on this and other upcoming Slow Food Events

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend,

Todd & Kathleen

This week on the farm:

Sun, warm weather and good growing days, at last!

YES! Finally, it’s summer and the weather matches the date on the calendar.  Perhaps it’s even been a little too warm recently.  The current drop in temperature is quite a welcome change.

By now you should know farmers are NEVER happy with the weather.  It’s always- too cold, too hot, too dry, too wet, too windy, not windy enough.  Add to this list “not enough hours in a day” and that’s what farmers talk about with each other when we meet at the farmer’s markets.  It’s not that we’re too picky it’s just that when you are held hostage by so many factors outside your control something is always bound to be wrong.  The joke of this is that the above mentioned “too” conditions might be perfect for one crop and all wrong for another.  For example it’s been too hot for the lettuce and greens and just right for tomatoes, squash and cucumbers.  These plants have grown more in past week than they have in the 5 weeks since they were sown in the soil.

This week we’re between spring and summer crops.  It’s a bit like waiting for a baby to be born.  Each morning and afternoon I look under the cucumber vines and the squash vines to see if they might be ready.  As of today they are not ready, but VERY close.  I’ll tell you more about the heirloom varieties of squash & cukes (cucumbers) we’re growing next week.  The feedback we normally get is “I never knew a squash had a taste” or “I never eat squash, but I sure love this squash, it has a nutty flavor”.  As soon as these crops are ready they’ll be on their way to you.

Heirloom Varieties of Onions & Shallots

The Onion variety you’ll be receiving is Ailsa Craig.  It’s an English heirloom from the British Isles. This onion in better growing conditions would have achieved a massive size. However our current crop was in the water too long (yes, it’s the “too” thing again!) and failed to develop the necessary root system to grow to the larger size.  Hopefully the remainder of the crop will develop better, the taste is amazing and that’s what really matters after all.

Green Shallots- these shallots don’t store very long because they are not dry like the shallots you buy in the store.  If you’ve never used shallots before, many people describe them as a cross between an onion and garlic- very tasty.  You can use the entire green shallot- the root ore bulb and the green tops.  The tops are perfect added to a salad, on a sandwich or in place of a scallion.

How to care for your produce

Remember to refresh your vegetables as soon as you get them home.  Refreshing is placing them in cool or cold water and allowing them to soak for 15-20 minutes.  After they’ve soaked, shake off the excess water and place them in a plastic bag and DO NOT close the bag tightly.  Leaving the bag open a bit allows the vegetables to breathe and the moisture to circulate.  This reduces the chance that your veggies will become slimy.  Refreshing applies to most veggies except tomatoes, herbs and green beans.

 What to expect in your share this week

Here’s what we anticipate the shares will contain this week although your share may vary slightly:

Standard Shares: Swiss Chard, Baby Beets – these babies are great just boiled, peeled and served with a little butter (the leaves are edible, too. Try sautéing them like chard), Red Radishes, Heirloom Lettuce Mix (Tennis Ball, Grandpa Amires, Green Cos Romaine), Large Sweet Onion, Green Shallots (both tops and roots are edible)

Culinarian Shares:  the above plus Purslane (add this to your salad as a great tasting source of Omega3 Fatty acids) and Tatsoi.

Tatsoi is most often eaten raw but can also be combined with other greens and prepared in cooked foods.  It can be mixed with other lettuces to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of salad. The leaves can be added to soups - Try adding the shredded leaves at the end of cooking; the heat of the broth will cook them sufficiently.

 Reminder: Please return your box each week in exchange for your next share. 

 CSA Share Pick-up Arrangements

If you need to designate someone other than yourself to pick up your share, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance of the person’s name who will be receiving your share. 

If you’ll be unavailable to pick up your share at your designated date & time you may pre-arrange to pick up at one of our other locations.  Please notify us 1 week in advance of your desired pick up location. You can contact us by phone at (317) 815-9863 or by email at BalancedHarvest@hotmail.com.

Shares that are not picked up at designated date and time will be donated.

 Recipes

Pickled Beets

1 bunch small beets

1 onion, thinly sliced

¼ c sugar, or to taste

1/3 c vinegar

Trim beets ½ inch above the stems. Place beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 30 mins or until tender (poked with a fork beet should easily slide off). Drain beets reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Allow beets to cool, then peel them. Place beets and onions in a dish with a lid.

In a small bowl combine reserved cooking liquid, sugar and vinegar.  Pour mixture over beets and onions and refrigerate, stirring occasionally.  Best if left to marinate for several hours before serving.

Chard & Onion

1 T EVOO

1 bunch chard, chopped, stems removed (or if you want to use stems too just par-cook before adding with leaves)

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

Salt

½  tsp cumin seed

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook stirring occasionally until just beginning to brown.  Add cumin seed and cook about 1 minute more until fragrant.  Stir in chard and cook just until wilted about 1 min.  Add salt to taste and serve. 

To make Chard & Onion Quesadillas you’ll need the above plus:

4 tortillas, preferably whole grain

½ cup shredded cheese (blend of cheddar & jack is good)

Spicy Guacamole, sour cream and Salsa, for serving, optional

Prepare Chard & Onion as above, set aside.

Lay 2 tortillas on a work surface.  Sprinkle cheese over the tortillas.  Divide the chard-onion mixture evenly over the cheese. Top with the remaining 2 tortillas.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the first quesadilla and cook, turning once, until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 2 mins.  Transfer the quesadilla to a large plate and repeat with the remaining quesadilla.  Cut each quesadilla into quarters.  Serve with Spicy Guacamole, sour cream and/or Salsa, if desired.

Chard Stems with Parmesan Crust

1 bunch chard stems

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheet with the oil and set aside.

Cut stems into 2 inch pieces. Blanch chard stems in a pot of boiling water until crisp/tender, about 2 minutes; drain.

In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, cayenne, salt and pepper, and mix well. In a second shallow dish, lightly beat the egg.

Dredge each chard stem first in the egg and then in the Parmesan mixture, coating evenly. Arrange well spaced in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, then turn over and bake 5 minutes longer, or until crisp and lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

 Please check “Great Resources” on our website for more recipes.