July 6th, 2009 Newsletter
This week on Balanced Harvest Farm…
Hope you all had an enjoyable 4th of July weekend. Kathleen and I spent our 4th 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.