Box 6: Last of the spring!

What a great spring! We have loved filling up the boxes every week; there is something very satisfying about planting seeds, seeing plants grow to maturity, and then assembling everything into boxes. Not quite as satisfying as cooking the veggies, but still...  We have learned a lot in the process, and our first-season CSAers were wonderful to help us in the process. Thanks!

Clockwise from top: Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi,
 basil, cucumbers, green onions, cabbage.

The Last Box of Spring!

• Swiss Chard: any way you cook it, chard is a treat. Try it in a salad, or sauteed with garlic in a little olive oil.
• Kale: it's back! We weren't sure the kale would last until this week, but our unusually cool June is your gain.
• Kohlrabi: We had never grown this one before. We tried a variation of kohlrabi mashed potatoes this week, and it was a hit. Note: the peeled lower stem is crunchy and good in a salad.
• Basil: We love basil. Seriously. Add it to anything. Try a leaf or three on a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Instead of chocolate sauce, drizzle a balsamic vinegar reduction over the top.
• Cucumbers: It is a shame that our tomatoes aren't ready, or we would share our favorite gazpacho recipe. The cukes are still going strong: watch this space and our Facebook page; Ellie will be hosting a pickle making workshop later in June.
• Green onions!
• Cabbage: These are tiny, but they try so hard. Stuffed cabbage? Cabbage soup? Maybe just slaw: shred the cabbage; in a pot heat equal amounts of sugar and white vinegar (for one small head, maybe half to 3/4 cup each) and a teaspoon (or less) of celery seed. Heat just to simmer and dissolve the sugar. Pour over the cabbage, toss once, leave to cool. Serve with a side of pulled pork.

Look for the summer CSA email coming soon!

CSA Week 5: The Boxes are In!

Can you believe we are in week 5 of the CSA already? We will be sending out a survey to members in the next week or so asking you how we did, what you liked best, and what you would change for next Spring. We are also planning our Summer CSA! The summer session will start after a break, and will include things like beans, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and assorted squash. Look for signup information soon!

Now, onto this week's box.

This week's offering includes an herb bundle from our backyard herb garden: sage, rosemary, and oregano. The sage and oregano may take root if you place them in damp sand or potting soil; otherwise, use these as fresh herbs, or hang them to dry and use later.

Sage, rosemary, and oregano (left to right)

We also have another great set of veggies:

• Garlic! This time it is a garlic braid: hang this somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight, and you will have garlic for the next few months (less if you really love garlic.)
• Kohlrabi: Ok, we are willing to be that this is a new one for some of you. You can eat the bulb-like stems and leaves raw, chop and sautee them, or roast the fleshy part in the oven. OR, you can try this recipe for kohlrabi puree that uses the whole plant. Think mashed potatoes, but less potato-y. 
• Cucumbers! We were serious when we said that if any of you want bulk cukes for pickling, you should let us know... 
• Carrots! Ok, these are not as big as last week's--and this is about it for the carrots. 
• Swiss Chard: No beets this week, but we do have this beet cousin that is all about greens. Try it sauteed with lemon and Parmesan cheese. Don't forget to share recipes here or on FaceBook if you have a favorite! 
• Pak Choi (Bok Choy); Well, that about does it for our Asian friend. We tried it sauteed, grilled, and steamed. How about using some of that garlic to make a spicy stir fry?
• Basil: The bundle of herbs was just the tip of the iceberg. This is enough basil for a small batch of pesto, or a really good tomato sauce. Or, enough to make tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwiches for your friends (note to self: keep that idea around for summer when the tomatoes come in.)
• Onions! We still have spring onions coming in... we aren't done yet!

Next week is our last scheduled week for spring; we have had an amazing season, and can't thank you all enough for being part of our first shot at a CSA.

Oh! One last thing! EGGS! That is the egg carton in the center of the picture, above. Technically eggs don't grow in the garden, but they do come from our happy chickens--and the chickens did escape into the garden just today. 

CSA Week 4! With special guest veggies!

The whole idea of a totally self-sufficient farmstead with all of its own produce, animals, etc. is something of a myth. Here, I mean "myth" in both senses: in that it probably never existed as such and that the idea of a completely closed farm system is a powerful story. What is undoubtedly true is that most farmers are parts of tight farm communities. You bale my hay, I help you with threshing the grain--that kind of thing. When you sign on for the Oak Hill Farm CSA, you get our produce--but you also get linked to our farm community.

Our farm has been in operation since before the civil war. Back in the day, the spread was much larger and the north edge of the property included what is now Oleo Acres Farm. Tim of Oleo Acres worked for my grandfather in the 70s and 80s when this was a working dairy. Now, he and his wife Betty focus on "old time farming"--complete with a mule, two draft horses, and loads of heirloom vegetables. This week we are including 3 items from Oleo Acres in the box (beans, potatoes, and Stevia) . Oleo Acres uses the same chemical-free practices that we do, and they are right up the road from us. And, we like to give them a plug when we can.

Clockwise from upper left: Carrots, beans, cilantro, potatoes, cucumbers,
 kale, beets, pak choi, Stevia in the center.

In the box:

• Kale! We had kale in the box last week, and it is still growing strong. Some people like this raw; we like it sauteed with garlic until it is nice and wilty. As always, feel free to share your recipes!
• Carrots: The humble carrot. Carrot ginger soup, anyone?
• Beets. Ok, so by now you are thinking: did these guys corner the market on beet seeds? Our beets did unusually well this year, but we love beets and beet greens so we aren't complaining. If you are looking for something different, try a Moroccan Carrot and Beet Salad.
• Cilantro: We've heard from some of you that you hate cilantro. We've heard from others that you love cilantro. This week looks like the last of the cilantro for Spring, so enjoy it while you can! If you like it but can't use it now, you can always hang it in a dark, dry space to dry it--then you can use it all season.
• Pak Choi (Bok Choy): Another familiar plant to CSA members--did you know you can grill it? Olive oil, salt and pepper, on a grill with relatively low heat... that's what I'm talking about.
• Cucumbers! New for this week. And so it begins. Cucumbers just keep coming once they start. They are super versitile; try our friend Claire's recipe for 30-minute refrigerator pickles. SPECIAL NOTE: if you like making serious pickles and would like a box of just cucumbers (as an addition) later in the season, contact us.
• Potatoes: From Oleo Acres. New potatoes are delicious, and these just came out of the ground yesterday. We rinsed them, but you probably should give them a soak and scrub before eating them. These are great roasted: cut potatoes into bite-size chunks, toss in a roasting pan with salt, pepper, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic, bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, until they cut easily with a fork.
• Green beans: From Oleo Acres. If you grew up eating beans from a can, these are the real deal. Wash, snap off the ends, and cook as you please. We like these steamed, but however you like your beans these will be delicious!
• Stevia: From Oleo Acres. OK; this is a tiny bag with just a few leaves. It doesn't take much. Stevia leaves are sweet (as in 300X sweeter than sugar), and there are recipes all over the internet. If you are over 21 and enjoy an occasional cocktail, try 2 Stevia leaves in a glass with the juice of half a lemon and a shot of vodka. Add ice and shake to bruise the leaves.

Piglets Ahoy!!

Since one of our two sows had her litter of piglets late Monday-early Tuesday, we have had a flood of requests for photos; here is a closeup!

 See the entire photo album over on Google Plus.

Spring CSA Week 3: Community in Action

From top left: kale, garlic, beets, carrots, lettuce (two
varieties -- Black Seeded Simpson and Butter Crunch),
turnip greens, and pac choi. Enjoy!

Week 3 has arrived!

It's that time again! Scroll down for a list of all the veggies in your box this week and some suggestions on how to use them.

Hog-sized thanks are in order.

Thanks to all our shareholders for your flexibility this week in picking up your vegetables on a Tuesday instead of at your normal times. We're excited about traveling to our friends' wedding this weekend... but we're sorry it interfered with the normal veggie pick-up.

Thanks, too, to our friends Rodney and Terese. They came out to camp on Monday night (complete with campfire and guitar circle) -- and then stayed to help us harvest, wash, and pack the veggie boxes on Tuesday. I'm not sure we could have packed all 11 boxes in a single morning without the extra hands! Many hands made for light work, and many laughs made for light-hearted work.

The Balance of Farm Life

We even had time for a farm-fresh breakfast on the front porch -- eggs from our chickens; bacon from our beloved kneecap-biting former buddy Kevin Bacon; homemade biscuits (with Kevin Bacon's lard), home-made fig jelly, milk gravy, and a glorious champagne cheese provided by Terese. We know how to balance hard work with reaping the rewards :).

This Week's Bounty

This week we have for your munching pleasure:

• Kale: These greens are wonderful in a simple saute -- start with a clove of our chopped fresh garlic and a little chopped onion sauteing in a splash of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the kale (cut out any large stems), stir, and allow to cook down. As it starts to wilt, add in a little water (or vegetable stock for more flavor), cover, and turn down to medium heat. Cook to taste; some people like it with a little crunch left, some cook 'til its thoroughly wilted.
• Garlic: This will probably be our last week of fresh garlic -- you may have one more after we harvest, as we allow the heads to hang and cure. You'll notice that the heads aren't as clean as in previous weeks. As the garlic gets close to maturity, it's important to leave all the outer layers attached to help it last as long as possible. In past weeks I've stripped that outer skin to create a "prettier" garlic, but at this age it's time to start leaving the papery shell on the outside.
• Beets: We hope you all enjoy beets as much as we do; we have a bumper crop this year! We like them best roasted in the oven (without peeling the skins) to bring out the natural sweetness. These aren't your mama's vinegary pickled beets :).
• Carrots: You'll notice that some of our carrots aren't as "perfect" as the grocery store variety -- but these are normal for a home-grown crop. The wonderfully spiced flavor of fresh carrots was one of the most eye-opening experiences of growing my own food in the first year... it's still one of my favorite flavors. You can also use the tops as part of a salad (use sparingly as they can be bitter), as an alternative to parsley (they're in the same family), or to make carrot top tea. The tea is a diuretic and carminative that's good for gout, kidney and liver support, gas, and bloating.
• Lettuce: This is the last week of the lettuce season. With the onset of hot weather, lettuce grows tall and leggy (bolts) and turns bitter. You'll notice that the flavor is stronger this week than it's been in the past -- by next week they'll be inedible. You have two varieties this week: butter crunch, which just matured, and the black seeded simpson you'll recognize from previous weeks.
• Turnip greens: We planted these between two rows of cabbage as an experimental crop. It's rare to see turnips planted this time of year, but they help hold water in the surrounding soil and may turn out to be a nice companion plant for us. This variety is bred to emphasize greens over actual turnips, so you'll find plenty of greens but only tiny 'roots' instead of big turnips. The experiment was a rousing success for the early season (almost no weeds in that section, and nice wet soil without watering), but they've begun to crowd the surrounding cabbage so we've now pulled them for your munching pleasure.
• Pac Choi: Your friendly neighborhood pac choi is back. This is the first year we've grown it, and I think it's my new favorite vegetable. We should have pac choi for at least one more week if all goes well; it's reported to be heat tolerant and it's looking big and healthy.

The CSA so far has been an amazing experience. We thank you for the warm welcome we've had in the community -- we're making new friends and learning new things with every box. We thank you, too, for generously sharing your hard-earned money and supporting us in our start-up days. This old farm needs a lot of love, and you're helping us save a valuable resource for future Maclin generations -- and our larger community.

CSA Week 2: Springing forward!

Clockwise from bottom left: Pak choi, onions, garlic, radishes,
beets, kale, lettuce, arugula, cilantro.

Running a CSA turns out to be lots of hard work--but it is also amazingly rewarding. The plants themselves are easy. They are genetically programmed to grow. Harder than that is the timing: we don't want your first box to be twice as big (or half as big) as your last, and we do like to put out a diverse set of crops.

This week continues the spring greens theme from last week, with a few additions:

• Spring onions: they are getting bigger! We have another planting that is still too small to ship out, so you can expect onions as a regular item most weeks. 
• Baby garlic: Again, this is getting bigger; we will be harvesting all the remaining garlic in the next week or two and hanging it to dry. 
• Red globe radishes: We have enough radishes for another week or two assuming the plants don't bolt before then.
• Arugula: The heat is starting to get to our arugula, and the remaining plants are starting to bolt; this is probably the last week for this spring crop.
• Beets: Bigger and bigger! The red beets are some of our favorites; if all goes well, we'll have golden beets later in the season.
• Lettuce: This is black seeded Simpson, a loose leaf lettuce that makes a killer salad. 
• Pak choi: Same as last week--maybe the last bunch for the season. But we also have:
• Kale! New this week, this is the first of the kale; some is curly, some is flat.
• Cilantro: OK, some people hate it because it tastes like soap to them (it isn't their fault.) We love it in salsas but also in salads and soups. 
• SPECIAL ADDITION: Basil seedlings: Our thinning is your gain. You can keep these in a window indoors (well watered) but they will probably need a larger container. Or, plant them outside if you have the space.

Don't forget to share your favorite recipes with us and your fellow members on our page on the Facebook. Our squash and cucumbers are blooming, so look for those in the next couple of weeks.

Don't forget  1) Wash! Our produce is grown without herbicides or pesticides and we wash it all before it gets to you, but there is likely residual dirt. 2) Bugs! One reason  to wash again is to eliminate any lingering critters. You may notice holes in the leaves (of the pak choi and beets in particular). See above: no pesticides. That means that the little bugs get to nibble some, too. Enjoy the veggies--more to come next week!

CSA Week 1: In the box!

Clockwise from top left: onions, arugula, garlic, radishes, beets,
lettuce, pac choi.

So you've waited all spring for the first mystery box of vegetables to arrive--and now it is time! In the box for this week:

• Spring onions: Bigger than green onions but not grown-ups yet. Use like green onions (tops) or like any onion. These are yellow and mild.
• Baby garlic: This one is a treat! Don't try to store it for the long term (that garlic is coming later). Intense flavor is great in guacamole, soups, salad dressings, or anywhere you like garlic.
• Red globe radishes: OK, radishes are a standard spring crop--but other than slicing them in a salad what can you do with them? Try radish top soup or braised radishes for a start.
• Arugula! We love spring arugula for its peppery taste; of course you can mix it with lettuce for a salad, but it is also great with...
• Beets: There are more beets to come, and the first of the season are smaller than what will come later. Use the tops like swiss chard. Our favorite way to eat beets is roasted (wrap them in foil, 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, peel after roasting) with goat cheese and arugula (goat cheese not included!)
• Lettuce: This is black seeded Simpson, a loose leaf lettuce that makes a killer salad. 
• Pak choi: This mini-choi (also spelled bok choi) is great raw in salads, in stir-fries, or ust lightly sauteed (tablespoon of your favorite oil, teaspoon chopped garlic, add pak choi and sautee just until wilted, add a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar.)

Don't forget to share your favorite recipes with us and your fellow members on our page on the Facebook. 

In future weeks, look for more lettuce, beets, and arugula, storage garlic, kale, cucumbers, kohlrabi, and more! We'll post each week's box contents here along with some suggestions for cooking and serving.

Two last things: 

1) Wash! Our produce is grown without herbicides or pesticides and we wash it all before it gets to you, but there is likely residual dirt. Now, some people like a little dirt, but if you don't want that extra gritty flavor we advise washing everything before eating.

2) Bugs! One reason to wash again is to eliminate any lingering critters. You may notice holes in the leaves (of the pak choi and beets in particular). See above: no pesticides. That means that the little bugs get to nibble some, too. 

Enjoy the veggies--more to come next week!