CSA basket: Week of 9/7

Another hot week here on the farm. We'll be taking a few weeks off after this week for CSA distribution. Fall vegetables are almost here!

Expect the following this week:
Sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, corn, sunflowers, eggplant, bok choy, arugula, kale or chard, parsley.

CSA basket: Week of 8/31

We've got 2 more weeks of regular CSA pick-ups and then will take a week or two off to let those fall brassicas, fall greens, winter squash, beets and turnips get ready for harvest. Expect the following this week:

Potatoes, carrots, chard, kale, arugula, tatsoi cabbage, parsley, eggplant, peppers, onions (red and white).

CSA basket: Week of 8/24

The last week of August, always a turning point on a farm. Planting is done, weeding continues, people are getting back-to-school and back-to-work, September and fall are just around the corner. We are still enjoying the summer bounty for our harvests, but we'll soon move onto fall crops. Sadly, a rabbit - who I see run from the garden every single time I go out there - has eaten all of our final lettuce and spinach planting starts. And it's nibbled the tops of our carrots and beets. We can't seem to catch the critter (might be because it has since multiplied into hundreds of critters). But we did quickly plant some more lettuce and spinach, so we hope they will mature in time.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Corn, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, carrots, shallots, scallions, arugula, lettuce, radicchio, parsley, kale or chard, and possibly melons.

CSA basket: Week of 8/17

Summer is still here. We are weeding, finishing up our last planting of the season and desperately watering our thirsty crops. Hope you're not sick of tomatoes and eggplants!

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Corn, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, sweet pepper, hot pepper, onions, lettuce, arugula, parsley, kale or chard, radicchio, cilantro.

CSA basket: Week of 8/10

Evan Rio and big sister Seneca

Thanks for accommodating us last week with the schedule change... with the arrival of Evan Rio, we had to push back the harvest.

This week we're back on track and the tomatoes will continue to make you happy. Consider taking some of the saucing tomatoes to make a sauce (they are considered saucing because they have less water content so get to that saucy consistency faster than the heirlooms).

Not sure what to do with eggplant? Try this recipe for burnt eggplant, fry the eggplant and put it in a pasta sauce or on top of pizza, slice it the long way and baste it with a miso paste glaze and throw it on the grill, or make a classic ratatouille.

Expect the following this week:
Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, peppers (hot and sweet), sweet corn, green beans, lettuce, arugula, chard, parsley, basil, scallions, shallots, onions.

CSA basket: Week of 7/27

Tomatoes abound! And to those of you who came to our April work-ation - remember all those potatoes you planted? We've harvested some "new" ones for you (new, meaning small).

Also, several people have asked me how to keep their greens from going limp in the fridge. Our greens are cut fresh in the morning so are full of water content, then we store them with the stems in water so the leaf continues to draw water up, keeping itself fresh and crisp. If the leafy green has more water content than your fridge (i.e., it is more "humid" than your fridge), then the leaf can wilt and go limp (and since the greens are so fresh, they likely do have more water content). Greens are best kept in water like you would keep cut flowers or in a breathable (e.g., open, or one with a few holes in it) plastic bag. Here's a link to an earlier post on storing vegetables that might be useful.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, new potatoes, eggplant, peppers, hot peppers, green beans, kohlrabi, scallions, parsley, basil, cilantro, lettuce, kale, radicchio.

CSA basket: Week of 7/20

We are doing a lot of tomato care this week, making sure the plants will stay strong and healthy through September. And with no rain last week and no rain in the forecast this week, we are having to do a lot of watering. But summer's bounty continues! And it seems like we are having great luck with tomatoes, eggplants and peppers - the other CSAs around here have not yet included them in their shares.

Expect the following in this week's basket:

Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, kale or chard, arugula, frisee, basil, parsley, scallions, squash, cucumbers, green beans, garlic.

CSA basket: Week of 7/13

Thanks very much to Davoren Farm for contributing summer squash and cucumbers to our CSA!

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes (a tiny taste), green beans, lettuce, arugula, basil, cilantro/dill, parsley, kale, collards, frisee, radicchio, scallions.

Here's a recipe for a greens salad that will be perfect for the frisee and radicchio: http://longhauling.blogspot.com/2014/07/recipe-w-bitter-greens.html.

CSA basket: Week of 7/6

This week we'll be processing our first batch of chickens. We've raised them in the forest on organic, non-GMO feed from a NYS farm, and because they are "Freedom Rangers" they are quite good at foraging the forest floor for more protein and nutrients. If you reserved birds earlier this season, you'll get priority, but we'll likely have a few extra for sale during Friday's CSA pick-up.

Thanks to Davoren Farm, we have 2 varieties of summer squash for you this week: Zephyr and Costata Romanesca. Both are sweet and crunchy and good when they are small or even fairly large.

Expect the following in your baskets this week:
Summer squash, green beans, carrots, salad turnips, chard, lettuce, basil, kohlrabi, cabbage, cilantro, parsley, scallions, baby onions.

CSA basket: Week of 6/29

Summer's here and baskets will be a bit more colorful!

And other cute news on the farm: we've got 3 8-week-old pigs. They are happily rooting around in the woods.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Cabbage, green beans (just a taste), sugar snap peas or shelling peas, kohlrabi, bok choy or chard, hakurei turnips or radishes, kale, lettuce, arugula, basil, parsley, scallion, cilantro

CSA basket: Week of 6/22

We've tasted the first few ripe cherry tomatoes, a sign that they're growing well and will be abundant in a few weeks! Lots of greens this week, so keep enjoying those salads. We also have been making a very simple pasta sauce with them, see recipe here.

Expect the following this week:
Sugar snap peas, hakurei turnip, collards, kale, bok choy,arugula, lettuce, basil, parsley, cilantro.

Recipe w/ greens

Creamy greens pasta sauce
(adapted from here)

Ingredients: Greens (e.g.,  sorrel, collards, tatsoi, spinach, bok choy, kale, arugula), heavy cream, onions or leeks or garlic (or a combo), butter, s+p pasta

Preparing: Saute chopped garlic, onions and/or leeks in a few tablespoons of butter. Meanwhile, roughly chop greens of your choice. Add greens to pan and cook until slightly wilted (less cooking time for spinach, sorrel, arugula; more cooking time for tatsoi, bok choy, collards, kale). Add 1/2 cup to cup of cream and any herbs you want (e.g., tarragon, oregano). Let cream thicken for a minute or two. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

Eating: We like a squeeze of lemon juice on the pasta and some shaved Parmesan. Our favorite version of this is with sorrel, which has a lemony taste.

Dish history: We tried the original recipe (see here) because we had an abundance of spring sorrel and eggs. And then we used it for a supper served over homemade pig kidney tortellini. The strong lemony-creamy sauce paired well with the powerful kidneys.

CSA basket: Week of 6/15

Garlic scapes!

Somehow the varieties of peas we planted this year have resulted in sugar snaps ripening before the shelling. Expect a fun basket this week:

Sugar snap peas, garlic scapes*, lettuce, bok choy, kale, radishes, hakurei turnips, arugula.

* Scapes are the flowering stems of the garlic plant... they come only once a season, are mildly garlicky in taste and can be eaten raw or cooked.

CSA basket: Week of 6/8

A few days of sunshine and our shelling peas will be ready. And the garlic plants are scaping. June is here.

We are full of lettuce! You'll be getting quite a few heads this week. And likely last of the spinach
(spinach is a long-day plant that is starting to flower with so many hours of daylight).

Expect the following in your basket this week:
Lettuce, Tatsoi cabbage, arugula, kale, collards, spinach (we hope), radishes

~ ~ ~
Radishes are our favorite pickles! Use this recipe for quick pickles that just go right into your fridge: http://longhauling.blogspot.com/2011/08/recipes-with-radishes.html.

CSA basket: Week of 6/1

Finally, some rain! This always seems to happen: serious downpours just as the lettuce is big enough to harvest and the pea plants are getting heavy with pods. This soaking will really make the vegetables boom.

And now that we've arrived in June, with all of the transplants and seeds in the ground, it's time for garden maintenance: weeding, mulching and tomato trellising.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Radishes, kale, lettuce, spinach, braising mix, arugula, basil, chives.

1st 2015 CSA basket! Week of 5/25

We've been patiently coaxing the greens to grow, the peas to flower and the rain to pour down. And now that the radishes are fat and peppery, it's time for the first CSA basket of the season.

Pick-ups are from 4-7pm on Tuesdays or Fridays on the farm. We'll be up in the shed with baskets and coolers full of fresh produce.

Remember that eggs are always available ($5/dozen) and you can pick-up a compost bucket from us if you'd like to join our compost collective.

Expect the following in your baskets this week:
Lettuce, radishes, Swiss chard, parsley, chives, scallions, leeks, kale/collards

~~~

Here's a delicious collards recipe - no cooking necessary as it's a raw salad. Kale can be easily substituted.

Recipe w/ collards

Collard greens salad w/ ginger and spicy seed brittle

Found in Bon Appetit (April 2015) and copied exactly from this link:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/collard-greens-salad-with-ginger-and-spicy-seed-brittle-56389371

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, divided
• 3 teaspoons honey, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
• 1 bunch collard greens (about 10 ounces), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced

1. Whisk vinegar, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, and 1 teaspoon honey in a large bowl. Whisk in oils; season with salt.
2. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons honey, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Toast sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds in a dry medium skillet over medium heat, tossing, until sesame seeds are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add honey mixture and cook, stirring, until seeds stick together in small clumps, about 3 minutes. Scrape seed mixture onto parchment paper; let cool. Break into small clusters.
3. Toss greens and 2 teaspoons dressing in a large bowl; season with salt. Squeeze and rub collards with your hands to tenderize until glossy and darkened in color, about 30 seconds. Drizzle salad with more dressing and serve topped with seeds.

Dish history: We over-wintered our collards so started eating this fresh salad in late March.... also tastes great with kale. The key is massaging the greens in the dressing to tenderize them.

2015 Spring Workation @ Longhaul Farm

Thanks to all of you who came out to the farm for a hard day's work. We prepared a lot of space for planting, got all of our potatoes in the ground and finished off transplanting onions. We are looking forward to sharing the harvest!

Enjoy some pics from the day...

Almost back to work...

It has been a looooooong winter. It was even snowing big, heavy snowflakes yesterday... and that's no April-fool's-day-joke. But, the snow is nearly gone and we are back to work outside with any hint of sun. The greenhouse is in full swing, we have hundreds of tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings to re-pot, we'll be  hardening-off the onion family in our cold frame once the nights promise not to dip below freezing, and peas and radishes will be seeded in the vegetable beds any day now.  Feels good to be back.

Sign up now for our 2015 CSA season

We invite you to become a part of the Longhaul Farm community 

by joining us for our 2015 CSA season.

 

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? In CSA, a farm offers "shares" or memberships to the public. In return for your investment you receive a weekly box of freshly harvested produce throughout the growing season, from June to September.

What kinds of vegetables will CSA members receive? You will receive a variety of seasonal vegetables, from arugula to zucchini and everything in between. Please click here to see a list of vegetables we will grow.

When and where are pick-ups? Pick-ups are on the farm on either Tuesday or Friday afternoons (4-7pm), your choice.

Will Longhaul Farm’s CSA be different from other CSAs? We follow a similar model of CSA as most local, organic farms. The main difference between our CSA and others is that our CSA is small-scale, offering up to 30 memberships per season. That means we can provide more individual attention to you as members and collaborate on ideas for improvement.

What are your CSA membership options?

(1) Household share: Whatever is seasonal and harvestable, we share with you. The weekly box feeds 2-3 vegetarian adults or a family of 3-4 with mixed diets; includes a variety of 5-15 items. Household share price: $650.

--- Split shares are also available: You may split your share with a friend or neighbor. Or, if you’d like to split but don’t have anyone in mind yet to share with, we can do the pairing up for you. People split shares in 2 ways: (1) every-other-week pick-ups; or (2) dividing weekly pick-ups with each other. Split share price: $325.

(2) Community share membership: Receive a weekly household share of vegetables, plus anonymously subsidize a share for a family who doesn’t have the means to become a member themselves. Community share price: $1,250 ($650 for full share + $600 for the subsidized share).

******** Please reserve your share early – space is limited! longhaulny@gmail.com | (845) 424-6277 ********

You can also purchase naturally-grown, pasture-raised meat and eggs at Longhaul Farm: 

• Chicken: $6/lb – Reserve your chickens for $15/bird
• Turkey: $8/lb – Reserve your holiday turkey for $50/bird
• Pork: $375 for a quarter hog (cut list available upon request) – Reserve with a $50 down payment
• Eggs: $5/dozen – Available year-round

We offer two payment options: (1) full-pay: pay your CSA membership fee and/or meat reservation fees by February 15, 2015 – this option gives us the most freedom as growers because we can rely on early resources throughout the season; or (2) pay in installments: pay half of your CSA membership by February 15, 2015 and the other half can be paid in installments throughout the season based on an agreement we work out together.

Contact us to become a member or learn more:

e: longhaulny@gmail.com

p: (845) 424-6277

a: 69 S. Mtn. Pass, Garrison 10524

w: longhauling.blogspot.com