week 18

one bag: Lettuce Basil Arugula

Lacinato Kale one last Tomato

in another bag: Onions Garlic Potatoes

Variety Peppers Summer Squash Eggplants

Okra Sage and a Fairy Winter Squash

Just to quickly reiterate the plan here – there will be no veggie deliveries for the next two Tuesdays. We will miss our gardens, and we hope you miss our produce, but we'll be back to share whatever this Autumn has to offer. I'll drop a line out to you as a reminder when we return.

I love that somehow, as all the summer greens begin to turn earthward, we can coax a dark succulent green from the garden one more time. The kale this week is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it. After the break, we will (God willing) have turnips and radishes and more good greens, along with the sweet potatoes and more squash. If it frosts while we're away, the peppers, eggplant, and basil will be gone, but the arugula will carry on through the first couple cold snaps.

It's time to start praying for rain again. Sometimes I think the NOAA weather predictions keep rain in the forecast just so we don't fall into despair. It was amazing that the last round missed us. But it did. So, it's dusty now, and slow, but good for drying out the field corn and beans. There's always a up-side, somewhere.

If you are struggling with your arugula, allow me to suggest you try it on pizza. As I was packing bags this morning, I was imagining a pizza, with grilled vegetables – like eggplant and patty pan squash, sliced thin and grilled before the pizza baked. The last thing to go on the very top would be a handful of sliced arugula. Cooking mellows the taste.

You can even grill pizza. A friend introduced me to this concept and it's wonderful. Start with your dough (if you've got time – make your own – it's not hard) rolled out and a hot grill. Put the dough on the grill, covered, for just a few minutes. Take it to the kitchen and dress the grilled side (NOT the raw side) with all your pizza fixings – don't load it up too much – and then put it back on the grill for about 5 minutes more. This time, obviously, the 'raw' side is going to go onto the grill. OH, so good.

Even though I hope you will come along with us into the Fall for as long as you like, I just want to take a second and thank you for sharing this season with us. You have been wonderful eaters. Thank you for not complaining about too many tomatoes, for enjoying eggplant, week after week. It is a joy to share our abundance with you. I hope your freezers are all stocked with some goodies for winter, and your memories stocked with good memories of the flavors of summer.

See you soon! Paul, Coree, Lulah and Levon

Red Springs Family Farm

week 16

one bag: Lettuce Basil Cilantro Arugula

Sage Cucumber

in another bag: Onions Garlic Okra

Variety Peppers Summer Squash Eggplants

And the first Winter Squash plus a few Tomatoes

We did an experiment with our winter squash this season, and it failed. What we did was try to contain the sprawling squash in the patch of field corn. In years past, we have rather successfully planted squash and corn together. We noticed that the squash set its best fruit when it crawled out from under the shade of the corn, but it still held some ground under the corn and kept down some weeds, so it worked out alright. This year, we put a little more space between each corn plant, and tried to keep the squash IN. If we persist in this experiment, we're going to have to put even more space between each corn plant, because it has grown quite obvious that winter squash wants more light than we've been giving it. We learn a lot from reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. Farmer Boy, in particular, is a sort of an informal farm manual for Upstate New York a couple hundred years ago. Evidently, corn was planted VERY farm apart – so that the horse team could be driven between the rows, going both ways. After a certain amount of cultivation was done, the pumpkins could go in between the corn. It must have been beautiful to see. But it would take A LOT of room to grow enough corn that way.

So – these lovely squash are from Long Hungry Creek Farm. Enjoy.

There's something about sage and squash that really worked together, in my opinion. And the sage gets really big about now, just when the squashes are harvested. I like to gently fry a few leaves in butter as a tasty garnish. It's hard to go wrong with that combination.

We're thinking hard about planting garlic now, and will probably begin digging up sweet potatoes later this week.

The little patty pan squash are like tender buttery morsels out in the garden. It's a thrill to find them each time I harvest, though inevitably a few hide out and manage to sit on the vine until they become more like small alien spacecraft. They make a fine zucchini bread, now that it's gotten cool enough to want to bake again.

One of our favorite treatments for squash is Vegetable Fritters – very satisfying flavor, forgiving recipe, and easily doubled (from Simply In Season):

1/3 cup flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper 2 eggs Mix to form a smooth batter. Add...

3 cups shredded summer squash 1/3 cup onion or 2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp fresh herbs – your choice Add to batter and then drop onto a hot greased skillet by the spoonful. Fry until golden on both sides and enjoy.

Have a great week!

week 13

Red Springs Family Farm 8/26/14

Green Beans    Variety Peppers       Summer Squash

Eggplants        Garlic          Lettuce       Flat Leaf Parsley

Basil        Cilantro       Tomatoes

Cantaloupes & Watermelons

Here's the story on the peppers this year. Paul went out of town on business in the late spring, and I geared up to maintain the gardens without him. Just as he left, a big project that was not directly related to the garden fell right into my lap, so I did not accomplish my original goal of “keeping up.” When Paul came home, we were overjoyed to see him again, and the garden weeds were a bit further along than we usually let them grow. We set right to work on it, and salvaged the peppers and eggplants from weeds that were literally threatening to drown them. Once the weeds were gone, the peppers had to re-cover themselves with leaves before they set fruit. They are finally coming on, and looking good too.

This may be the last of the watermelons and cantaloupes. The vines are regenerating a little now, so there may be another little flush later. We'll see. These cantaloupes are Edisto. We're pleased with them and hope that you will be too. Watermelons this week are the heirloom Moon & Stars variety. It's an old timey one with big flavor and thick rinds. The leaves are spotted like the fruits.

The green beans this week would never win a beauty contest. The bean beetles seem to be thriving in the heat and humidity, so much that they've moved off the leaves and onto the beans themselves. Blanch them and toss them in a salad. The bean beetles didn't eat too much.

Tomatoes have reached their peak. The heat following the rain led to some heavy cracking and accelerated the blight on the leaves. There's still plenty of tomatoes out there, but we're seeing the beginning of their decline. If you want any tomatoes to can or freeze, please let me know now so I can pick and save some for you.

This week's basket is begging to be made into ratatouille. I've had many different flavors of success in my attempts with this dish. It's always good – but sometimes it's extraordinary! Since I don't have marjoram – I use basil, and some recipes call for rosemary. Yum. I also change the proportions of squash/pepper/eggplant according to what is most abundant. Here's one recipe framework, from foodnetwork.com. Try it out and see what you think...

2 eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices 2 large summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice Pinch crushed red pepper
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet or baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast until the vegetables are soft and pliable, about 20 to 30 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle transfer them to a cutting board and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the onion, crushed red pepper and season with salt, to taste. Saute until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and season again with salt, if needed. Cook until the peppers are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables to the pan along with the vinegar, marjoram, and thyme. Toss well to coat and add 2 to 3 more tablespoons olive oil, if needed. Taste to check the seasoning and transfer to a serving platter or bowl. Enjoy!

week 11

Red Springs Family Farm 8/12/14

In one bag: Potatoes Golden Treasure Sweet Pepper

Carrots Garlic Onions

In the other bag: Lettuce Cucumber

Basil (green & purple) Cilantro Parsley

And then there are Tomatoes Cantaloupes & Watermelons

Well, that was a great rain. Our road is washed out and rough, but it's worth it, one hundred percent, to have refreshed the garden ground. I rinsed the muddy veggies once for you – they will need a slightly more thorough washing this week because of the rain.

There's another planting of green beans flowering now, and a second planting of squash, patty pan this time, about to flower. The next corn planting is making silks and new eggplants are fattening up. Fall crops are looking better and there's lots more that need to be planted now. Change is a-foot in the garden. It always is.

These first golden sweet peppers are just a sign of things to come. The plants are loaded and still blooming. There will be red bells, too, as the season progresses. These yellow ones are our personal favorites. We hope you enjoy them too.

Carrots come in many shapes, colors and sizes. Usually, I pick through the harvest a little, pulling out the ones with extra arms and legs. There were so many in this particular picking that I left several of the more interesting ones for you to enjoy. They are fun food. Levon eats them like apples.

This week might be the end of the Halona Cantaloupes. It's been a nice run of them. There are more, different varieties out there. We'll see how they do.

Herbs feature prominently in your salad bag this week. If you are overwhelmed, I have two diverse suggestions: 1) put a little basil, parsley, or cilantro on EVERYTHING. Every salad, every sandwich. Throw a handful into biscuit dough. Put them in marinades for grilling, in stuffings and breading batter. Chop them coarsely for salad, and as fine as possible for marinades and batters. 2) Make concentrated dishes, such as pesto (which can be made with cilantro or parsley, or cilantro and parsley and basil mixed) or tabbouli. This uses lots of herbs all at once, and then they can be put to use in different dishes throughout the weeks. Pesto also freezes well. If you don't want to mess with nuts and cheese and garlic, you can also just chop the herbs, add olive oil and freeze that, as is, for later use.

We don't do much grocery shopping in our house. We try to start from the base materials of food and make what we need. I have played around with making mayonnaise before, with mixed results. The worst thing is usually that we don't use it, so it sets in the fridge, where space is precious, until we forget what it is and throw it to the chickens. Then, on those rare events that we want mayo on something – oh well! My newest solution to mayonnaise aspirations, especially on potato or pasta salads, is plain yoghurt. I'm sure it's better for us, and when tossed, salad-style, with olive oil and some lemon juice, the effect is just plain wonderful.

There's another pot of tomatoes to cook down on the stove right now, and a million weeds growing before our eyes in the garden. I can hardly stay in front of the screen for another moment.

Thanks for your good eating – stay well!

week 10

Red Springs Family Farm 8/5/14

In one bag: Cucumbers Yellow Crookneck Squash

Carrots Garlic Onions

In the other bag: Lettuce Basil

And then there are Tomatoes Corn

Halona Cantaloupe and Crimson Sweet Watermelons

Ten weeks marks the mid-point of our main season, and it feels just about right. The first flush of the summer fruits – cukes and squash, particularly, are slowing down. There are new vines beginning to bloom. Some of the fall crops are in the ground – broccoli and cabbages – we're hoping they can wait out the heat and put on some size before Fall arrives in earnest.

This sweet corn is spot on perfect this week. Thank you for partaking! There's another planting, quite a bit behind this one, but coming along nicely. So, there will be more corn, just not next week. There's no end in sight for the melons though. I think I've remarked before that we've never had such a wonderful melon patch, and it's holding true. This week, the larger Crimson Sweet watermelons are ripe, and the Halona cantaloupes are perfect. There are still jumbo Moon and Stars watermelons ripening in the field and two more varieties of cantaloupes that haven't started to turn yet. Plenty more melons to come.

Eggplants have gone on vacation, but they will return, hopefully with sweet peppers in tow.

Did you know that watermelon juice is yummy? Did you know that you can freeze cantaloupe puree and make delicious smoothies and sorbets later? Some folks even like to just eat the frozen chunks when they're not quite thawed. I'm not one of those people, but you might be.

Since it's election week, I just have to stand on my harvest basket for a moment here and make a statement. There are lots of ideas out there about how to vote. Vote with your religion, your principles, your political party, your friends, your family. It all boils down to this: it's a personal decision, and it matters. I think we should all vote, and I feel strongly that we are all voting every day – with our dollars.

Where your spend your money helps shape the world. Does your money enrich your community, or flow through long cyber-pipelines of large corporations and get spread in fraction of pennies to factory workers in South Asia? Probably both, of course, with a tendency to one direction or another.

The way I see it, eating is a physical necessity, but it is also a social and political action. How you choose your food helps to determine what this world looks like, probably in even more concrete and traceable ways than your average dollar at Wal-Mart. It's something to think about.

So, we thank you, during this election time, for voting not-so-much FOR us, but WITH us this season. We promise to do our best to bring your good food in exchange for your support. Now I'll get off my harvest basket and carry on...

If you want tomatoes for canning or freezing, let me know now so I can plan ahead to hold some for you. Also, if you would like extra basil for putting up pesto I'll be glad to make that available as the season progresses, too. Pesto is probably one of the easiest foods to “put up”. A food processor makes quick work of it. It just takes a LOT of basil. I don't think we've given what I consider a full pesto recipe's worth of basil in your bags as of yet, just to give you an idea.

Enjoy your veggies, have a great week, and please, pray for rain! Thanks.

Paul, Coree, Lulah and Levon

week 8

Red Springs Family Farm 7/22/14

In one bag: Eggplant New Potatoes Cucumbers

Green Beans Yellow Crookneck Squash

In the other bag: Lettuce Celery Basil

Carrots Garlic

And then another bag of tomatoes.

Sometimes the garden season feels like a flood, a wave, a marathon full of flavor, heat, fun, and lots of heavy lifting. We pulled the potatoes out of the ground and down the hill last week and have made a serious dent in the onions, too. Tomatoes are an on-going harvest. The plants are already spilling over the top of the cages and reaching for each other across the five or six feet rows.

Just want to let you know: your feedback is crucial. How many potatoes can you eat in a week? How many eggplant, tomatoes, green beans? Is this basket sufficient, a challenge, or not enough? Part of the joy of staying small is being able to really absorb meaningful feedback from YOU. Be kind, and share your experiences. Thanks.

Oh carrots - there will be plenty more of these. Even thought we had a nice carrot soup last week, I definitely recommend eating them raw. They are sweet and crisp and don't much resemble those long skinny things grown in the California sand and sold in plastic bunny bags. We don't grow long carrots because we have dense and rocky soil, but we enjoy growing short, stocky carrots that taste the way a carrot should.

Two words for next week's harvest: corn, and watermelons. Need I say more?

I dreamed a recipe, literally. After a busy night's sleep, I remembered grinding garlic and ginger with tamari and how beautiful and tasty it was. All Purpose Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: Take about equal portions of FRESH ginger root and FRESH garlic cloves and grind them to a mushy paste in a food processor. Add an abundant amount of tamari or soy sauce and blend some more. Add some lemon or lime juice and either coconut oil or olive oil (or both) and blend until emulsified.

We used this sauce to marinade thick slices of eggplant and yellow squash before they went on the grill. We slathered it on them while they were grilling as well. That worked wonderfully. We made more and poured it on steamed green beans, and then took what was left and dressed a cucumber salad with it. It was simple, versatile, forgiving, and even the kids loved it. Have fun!

For other taste sensations, here's a simple blended gazpacho, adapted from Martha Stewart:

1 cup small pieces white bread (torn from day-old rustic bread, crust removed)

1 small clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, plus 8 very thin rounds for garnish

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 peppers) jarred roasted red bell peppers

2 pounds tomatoes, cut into quarters 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Stir together bread, garlic, vinegar, and 3/4 cup cold water in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Process cucumber, roasted peppers, and bread mixture in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree half of the tomatoes in the blender, and transfer to the bowl with cucumber mixture. Puree remaining tomatoes, slowly adding oil while blender is running. Transfer to the bowl; whisk to combine. Stir in salt; season with pepper. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, about 30 minutes. Divide gazpacho among 4 bowls. Garnish each with 2 cucumber rounds.                                                                                   

Enjoy your week and your veggies!

week 7

Red Springs Family Farm 7/15/14

In one bag: Eggplant New Potatoes

Green Beans Yellow Crookneck Squash

In the other bag: Lettuce Tomatoes Cucumbers

Parsley Basil Garlic

Summer is picking up speed! The nice rain last night will help everything out. Lettuce has been taking a whipping in the heat lately, but everything else is doing great, especially since the weeds are (almost) under control.

Sweet corn is tassling – ears aren't filled out yet, but it all looks good. Paul is putting up the electric fence now since something came in and sampled an ear of field corn already. We'll save as much as possible for you!

The cucumber variety you're getting right now is called Shintokiwa. It's a nice smooth one. We'll have different varieties as the season progresses. Oh, and those stories about cucumbers making your skin nice and taking away wrinkles around your eyes – they're all true. If you don't just eat your cucumber this week – put them on your face.

And a word about our tomatoes.... there are more every week. Some varieties haven't even started ripening yet. You might notice that the tomatoes we send don't look like store bought tomatoes. There are funny shapes and interesting shades of pink, orange, purple and maybe red. Some never lose all their green. If you take the time to notice – their flavors and textures are diverse too. Most vegetables are like that. What makes it to the store is selected in part for its capacity to survive a long trip and rough handling. Since the food we grow rarely travels over 40 miles, every size, shape, color, and flavor is welcome in our garden, and we hope you will enjoy giving them a try in your kitchen, too. The dark orange/purples and pink tomatoes are some of our personal favorites.

Levon and I had fun digging up these new potatoes. When the soil dries up, we'll dig them all and then they will be a regular, or semi-regular, part of a basket. There are some beauties out there, and there's just nothing quite like a fresh potato.

The eggplant are still under attack. Any fruit that touches the ground (which is a lot of them) gets chewed on. There would have been at least twice as many in the harvest this week if there weren't so many chewed up. I don't know how many of you would have appreciated twice as many eggplant, but we're scrambling for some kind of deterrent or trap for the hungry beasties.

As it is, I've been trimming the chew marks off and roasting the eggplant on the grill for Baba Ghanoush. If you don't know what Baba Ghanoush is, I'm sorry. It's wonderful. Here's a hint: if you like Hummous (Middle Eastern chick-pea dip or spread), you will like Baba Ghanoush.

Here's how:

1 large eggplant 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
1 pinch ground cumin salt, to taste

Roast eggplant in the oven or on the grill until it is soft. Peel and then, using a fork or a food processor, mash the flesh with the remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste, and garnish with feta cheese, chopped parsley, and kalamata olives.

Enjoy your week and your veggies!