CSA basket: Week of 9/12

Expect the following in this week's basket (the second-to-last one of our season). We'll email all members when we will have our final basket of the season in October.

Expect the following this week:
Potatoes, leeks, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, lettuce or frisee, fennel or cabbage, tatsoi or spring raab, parsley, arugula, kale

CSA basket: Week of 9/5

The seasons are changing and the mood on the farm is settling. We'll have two more baskets after this week (next week and again in October) and then we'll start putting the farm to bed.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Potatoes, tatsoi cabbage or cabbage, frisee, arugula, kale or chard, parsley, basil, peppers, scallions, tomatoes, small onions

CSA basket: Week of 8/29

Expect the following in this last-week-of-summer basket:
Corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, scallions, arugula or lettuce, parsley, cilantro, chard or kale, melon.

CSA basket: Week of 8/22

Corn's here! Thanks to Davoren Farm for being the generous donor of our corn for the past 5 years!

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onions, cucumbers, melon, kale, parsley, basil, cilantro

CSA basket: Week of 8/15

More of the same summer bounty this week! We must admit, we haven't been out in the fields much during this uber-heat-wave. And we find ourselves longing for fall weather... and then catching ourselves, realizing we better not wish the rest of summer away... still a few more weeks!

Plus, Jason was busy laying down the porch in front of our stables. Eleven trips to the mason supply
store, 20 wheelbarrows full of dirt, 15 wheelbarrows full of rocks, 2 tons of gravel and 43 75-pound bluestones later, we have a stellar spot to cocktail on (bonus, it will help keep the stables clean!).

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cantaloupe, cucumbers, lettuce, parsley, basil, cilantro, lettuce, mustard greens, onions.

CSA basket: Week of 8/8

Check out the yellow jacket nest in
the bottom of my oregano plant
(said 6 stings later)

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, green beans or cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers (hot and sweet), basil, cilantro, parsley, lettuce, arugula, kale or chard, mustard greens

Cooking mustard greens: My favorite way to cook mustard greens is in coconut oil and with a little salt. That's it.

CSA basket: Week of 8/1

Back from fishing on vacation

We're back.

Even farmers take vacations... though we had never taken one in July before. The CSA was in good hands with our favorite, trusted neighbor who had volunteered with us for the past 4 summers. But to see the weeds when we returned! And now all of this rain (which we love, but would have loved a whole lot more if it came in April or May)!

Kids in the forest of tomatoes

We are in prime tomato season now. And we harvested 100 pounds of them before this rainy weather to spare them from splitting or water-logging. I pretty much put tomato on everything right now. Even my oatmeal in the morning (with a fried egg and some spicy kimchi or sriracha). Enjoy them while they last!

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Tons of tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, cilantro, kale, squash, cucumbers or green beans, eggplant, peppers, radishes, lettuce

CSA basket: Week of 7/18

Happy mid-season!

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Lettuce, basil, parsley, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash or cucumbers, green beans, cabbage or kale, radicchio or frisee, garlic

CSA basket: Week of 7/11

Expect the following in this week's basket:

Lettuce, frisee, chard, basil, parsley, eggplant, peppers, garlic, carrots, green beans, squash or cucumber

We're handing off some garlic early this year. It was harvested 2 weeks earlier than normal (remember that mild winter?) and we are giving you some heads before they are completely dry. That just means it's a bit harder to pull the cloves apart from the heads. But we are so proud of how big the bulbs are and are anxious to share.

CSA basket: Week of July 4

This is when we turn the corner on vegetable production! Summer solstice has passed and summer is here. We harvested the biggest heads of garlic we have ever grown, the onions are bulbing up, beets and carrots are ready, and the greens keep getting bigger and more nutritious. Oh, and sweet green beans and tomatoes are on their way.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Green beans (hopefully), lettuce, arugula, chard, kale, cilantro, parsley, basil, beets or carrots, garlic, scallions or baby onions, endive or cabbage.

Recipe for pestos

Pestos (not sure this is ever written in the plural) are a good way to turn herbs and greens into raw, nutritious foods.

The basics: something green + some protein + something sweet (just a touch) + something salty + something acidic + something oily + (optional) something spicy

The preparation is as simple as can be: Whirl everything together in a food processor. Usually I first whirl the greens, proteins and garlic or chili together; then add the oil; then add the parmesan and salt and acid. Then I add more oil to get to the perfect consistency (which is not-too-runny; not-too-thick; spreadable, but not soaking through; oily, but not too oily).

Here are our favorite pesto combinations:
Fennel fronds + slivered almonds + honey + parmesan + lemon juice + olive oil + garlic clove
Garlic scape + roasted pepitas + honey + parmesan + lemon juice+ olive oil
Cilantro + cashews + honey + parmesan + lime juice + olive oil + 1 hot chili
Basil + walnuts + honey + parmesan + lemon juice + olive oil + garlic clove

We've even made arugula pesto, kale pesto and turnip green pesto. The consistency is not as pleasing as the others, but they still are delicious, and if mixed with pasta or put on a pizza, you definitely don't notice.

Recipe w/ cilantro

Cilantro. You either love it or you hate it.

We love it. It's on top of almost everything we make all summer long; great with fish and meats; fresh in salads; necessary for tacos... and our favorite way to use it is as a sauce or chutney.

Ingredients: Cilantro (leaves and tender sprigs), scallions or white onion, mint (fresh), lime juice or white wine vinegar or rice vinegar (some acid), hot chilis or peppers (if you like spice), dash of sugar or honey, salt

Preparing: Whirl everything together in a food processor. In general our ratio is 2 parts cilantro to 1/2 part scallion or onion to 1/2 part mint (sometimes adding more mint). If the sauce/chutney is too thick for your liking, add some water (others might add a bland-tasting oil, too). If it's garlic season, consider adding a clove or two.

Eating: I dip my sourdough bread in this. We baste ribs, fish and steaks with this. I drizzle it on tacos or use it as a soup garnish. We mix it in eggs for omelettes.

Dish history: We love cilantro (see above). And when you plant cilantro, there comes a day when it all wants to bolt and start to develop its flowers/seeds. We have no other choice but to give big bundles of it in our CSA baskets and to harvest the rest for sauces.

Here are a few links to similar recipes for inspiration:
here
here
and here.

CSA basket: Week of 6/27

We see a few cherry tomatoes ripening and green beans growing. Summer's here...

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Lettuce, arugula, collards, kale, kohlrabi, peas, fennel, scallions, turnips, basil, parsley, cilantro

CSA basket: Week of 6/20

Happy summer solstice.

The garden is loving these long, warm days. But it is also wishing for some rain. Wish with us! 

Also: Yoga on the farm begins this Friday! Relax and renew on the farm when you pick up your CSA basket with yoga instructor, Krystal Ford. Classes are from 5-6pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. Childcare available.

Pea break

Expect the following in this week's basket:

Sugar snap peas, shelling peas, lettuce, arugula, tatsoi cabbage or collards, chard, fennel, Thai basil, parsley, cilantro, radish or salad turnip

Fresh note: Eat your shelling peas as soon as you can! If you don't plan on eating them within 2 days, shell them and freeze them for optimal sweetness. Store your sugar snap peas in a closed plastic bag. Store your greens in a breathable plastic bag. And don't throw away those fennel fronds... make fennel frond pesto (recipe here).

CSA basket: Week of 6/13

We've got a good one; expect the following in this week's basket:
Lettuce, bok choy, tatsoi cabbage or collards, kale or chard, arugula, garlic scapes, radish, salad or baking turnips, cilantro, parsley

Enjoy those scapes... it's the only time in the season we'll get them. They are the flower stem of the garlic plant that we have to break off so the garlic bulb starts to grow underground. The scape is crunchy with a mild garlic flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Coming next week... peas!

CSA basket: Week of 6/6

The greens are looking good this week. We like to make them in a veggie pasta, add them to omelets, saute them for a savory pie or empanada filling, or chop them up raw for a salad or taco toppings.

Spring taco w/ lots of greens

On another note... We are happy to collect your food scraps, yard waste, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. so that we can make compost! For the past five years we have hosted a "compost collective" here on the farm. We supply you with a clean bucket; you take it home with you, filling it all week with anything organic (meaning, anything that will decompose; i.e., it doesn't have to be organic-with-a-big-"O"). When you pick-up your CSA basket, you can exchange your full (or half-full, or barely-full... best thing is to bring it weekly) bucket for a clean one. Learn a bit more here.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Lettuce mix, lettuce, chard, collards, spinach, arugula or kale, radishes, scallions/green onions, chives, tatsoi cabbage (maybe)

Healthy collards

Healthy chard

2016 season begins! 1st pick-up on 5/31

The 2016 season begins with our first basket pick-ups on 5/31 and 6/3.

Well, to be honest... the season began for us back in February, when we started all of our onion, leek, shallot and parsley seeds inside of our house, in a sunny window. The mild winter allowed us to be working outdoors a few weeks earlier than we usually do, so we were able to do a lot of orchard work and beautification projects on the farm. Mid-March started the vegetable planting, with peas in the ground and kale, chard, spinach, lettuce transplanted.

Now, with our house cleared of soil, grow lights and seedlings; and with all of our 130 beds planted; and our greenhouse now just full of extra tomato, eggplant, pepper and cucumber starts, we are ready to begin our CSA distribution!

Remember, spring starts lean and green. But we'll soon boom into heavier and heartier baskets.

Storing greens so they maintain their freshness can sometimes be tricky... please take a look at this link with tips on storing vegetables.

You can expect the following in this week's share:
Lettuce, kale or chard, braising mix or arugula, chives, green onions/scallions, radishes.

A note: Those purple chive flowers are edible! Sprinkle them in your salads or soups.

Sign up now for our 2016 CSA season!

We are accepting memberships for our 2016 CSA season 

- only two (2) shares remain!

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.

(2) Split share: 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 in 2 ways: (1) every-other-week pick-ups; or (2) dividing weekly pick-ups with each other. Split share price: $325.

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

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

When and where and how often are pick-ups? Pick-ups are on the farm on either Tuesday or Friday afternoons (4-7pm), your choice. Our CSA season is typically from June to September.

Other happenings on the farm:

• Bread shares will be available again!
• We will be offering a Yoga share - details to come
• Take a look at our newest initiative - ecologicalcitizens.org

 

Contact us to become a member or learn more:

e: longhaulny@gmail.com

p: (845) 424-6277

a: 69 S. Mtn. Pass, Garrison, NY 10524

w: longhauling.blogspot.com

       i: @longhaulfarm