2017 CSA reflections

We are grateful for a successful 2017 season. Thanks to all of our members and neighbors for your support and for eating the bounty from our fields. Throughout the season, I handed out weekly reflections. I'm posting them here for posterity and public reference.

Looking forward to the 2018 season.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA basket - Week of 5/29/17

Welcome to Longhaul Farm's 2017 CSA season!

The first few weeks of harvest will be lean-n-green, full of the freshness you've been craving after a long winter of limited local produce.

Pick-up times are from 4:00-7:00pm on Tuesdays or Fridays. We are happy to accommodate a schedule change if you give us 24 hours notice.

Remember to store your vegetables properly: greens and herbs should be completely dry before you put them in an open plastic bag and into your fridge. We'll give other tips for other produce as the season progresses.

Please consider joining our compost collective! We'll provide you with a bucket, you take it home with you on pick-up days and fill it all week with food scraps, coffee grounds, old flowers, egg shells, leftovers or other organic material. When you bring your full bucket to us for your next pick-up, we'll provide you with a clean bucket. You'll be helping us make valuable compost for the garden; you'll be helping the environment by closing the nutrient cycle; and we'll be helping you divert the waste stream and reduce your carbon footprint.

--------------------

Finally, here are our favorite ways of preparing this week's vegetables:

Kale - kale chips (when very dry, chop kale, massage lightly in olive oil, sprinkle salt and transfer to a baking sheet; bake for 7-9 minutes on top shelf at 375) or kale Caesar salad (chop kale finely, massage lightly with olive oil, and prepare your favorite Caesar dressing; add homemade croutons and chopped hard-boiled egg on top)

Tatsoi cabbage - saute w/ coconut oil and add some salt + pepper (all brassicas work well with coconut oil)

Spring raab - chop roughly  (stems, leaves, flowers and all), saute w/ garlic and olive oil; consider adding splash of white wine, chopped olives, sausage, preserved lemon and crunchy bread crumbs and serve over pasta

Chives - pull the flowered stems and put them in a vase of water... pretty, and the flowers are a delicious edible garnish for salads or pastas; the non-flowered chives can be used as usual (chopped on salads, garnish for eggs or potatoes)

Radishes - quick refrigerator pickle or julienned garnish for tacos; if you have a delicious butter, consider dipping the radish (leaf and all) into it and sprinkle with salt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA basket – Week of 6/12/17

Ok, 50-degree days into 95-degree days does more than drive us people crazy. The vegetables are confused, the weeds are confused, and everyone now wants some rain (never thought I’d say that again this spring).

Thanks to those of you who have joined our Compost Collective. It’s never too late – you can pick-up a clean bucket anytime to start the process.

We got our 3 little pigs this week! Two are Old Spot-Tamworth cross and one is a pure Old Spot. We have placed them up in the woods underneath an oak tree – their favorite place to call home.

And we are also receiving our second batch of meat chickens this week. We are hoping to process our first batch the last week of June/first week of July, so if you reserved any birds they will be coming your way soon (and we’ll also likely have some to sell even if you didn’t reserve).

Regarding eggs: I’m sorry if I didn’t pass the message on, but we had a rough winter and all 35 of our layer birds were picked off by some hungry predators. We have a 5-month old batch up in the fields now who should be laying in the next few weeks. We’ll keep you posted when eggs will be available.

In the meantime!... we have duck eggs (half doz $6) and quail eggs (doz $8) available from Cat Rock Egg Farm. We’ll have them available for purchase during CSA pick-up times.

This week’s basket:

Bok choy, braising mix, garlic scapes, radishes/salad turnips, lettuce, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chard

What we love to do with these veggies:

Bok choy – chop up everything, stem and all (the stem’s the best part) and sauté with some flavorless oil and red pepper flakes and dress with sesame oil

Braising mix – sauté in coconut oil

Garlic scapes – this late spring treat is the flower stalk of the garlic plant – we break it off and enjoy it so the garlic bulb beneath the ground can fatten up. We like to make garlic scape pesto, or chop it up and garnish our salads, or grill it with some balsamic glaze.

Salad turnips (aka Hakurei turnips) – Best eaten raw. Or grilled, greens and all.

Radishes (and salad turnips, too) – Of course, great in salads or dipped in butter. But we also love a smashed radish recipe from two fellow CSA members, which I can’t find the exact link to. But the basic gist is to smack the radishes so they crack open a bit (with a cleaver or bottom of a heavy pan), soak in salt for 30 minutes, rinse, and then dress with soy sauce, sugar (or mirin), rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili oil or flakes (optional). There are tons of recipes online – find the one that suits you.

Chard – one of our favorite greens. So good in omelettes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA basket – Week of 6/19/17

Solstice is here – soon the days will start getting shorter. But with these shortening days, the garlic, onions and shallots will be fattening up. And the hopefully sunny heat will start to ripen the tomatoes that are already set on the vines.

Our laying hens have just started laying those tiny pullet eggs, so we should have some regular-sized ones available soon. In the meantime... we have duck eggs (half doz $6) and quail eggs (doz $8) available from Cat Rock Egg Farm. We’ll have them available for purchase during CSA pick-up times. Duck eggs are delicious for baking, pasta-making or even turning into an omelette. Quail eggs are perfectly soft-boiled at 2.5 minutes and are delicious on top of a salad or asparagus dish.

Peas are bulking up. In fact, we’ve got sugar snap peas in the basket this week. These are the type you eat the whole pod with the peas (the shelling peas will be coming next week).

You’ll notice your peas are in green “compostable” plastic bags. We are trying to commit to “no-plastic-that-takes-10,000-years-to-biodegrade” so have settled on these bags for your items. Although the say “compostable,” please do not throw them in the compost. They should go in the regular trash, and, yes, will end up in a landfill, but at least they will break down over a decade or so, rather than several millennia. Please leave the bags open when you are storing any vegetables in them (don’t knot them or twist them).

And remember, when storing your greens or herbs or lettuces, shake off all excess water and put in an open plastic bag or wrap in a dish towel and put them in the fridge. Dryness is key; moisture on the leaves starts the breakdown process.

Thanks to Davoren Farm for the extra garlic scapes this week!

Even farmers take vacations: we’ll be away the first week of August but will have our very trusted neighbor, Anya Ptacek, doing the harvest for you. And just a reminder – if you have any change of plans for pick-up, please give us 24 hours notice and we will accommodate.

This week’s basket:

Bok choy

Kale

Garlic scapes

Radishes/salad turnips

Lettuce

Parsley

Cilantro

Arugula

Sugar snap peas

What we love to do with these veggies:

Bok choy – try grilling it after you’ve brushed it with oil.

Kale – if you’ve already tried the kale Caesar salad or kale chips, try making a pasta dish with it: sauté garlic (even some scapes) and onion, reduce with some white wine, add a can of tomatoes (not tomato sauce) and the chopped kale. Then add a few special ingredients to your taste, anchovies, olives, hot pepper flakes, bacon, pine nuts. Be sure there is some liquid in this “green sauce” before adding it to the pasta (add a ladle of pasta water to it if it needs some juice).

Garlic scapes – did you try making the pesto? If not, we highly recommend it. Use your favorite basil pesto recipe and sub the scapes for the basil (we usually cut the top of the scape that would become the flower off before processing because it is not as juicy as the stem part).

Sugar snap peas – eat the whole bag on the car ride home.

Salad dressing idea – here’s my favorite salad dressing: In a pint-sized mason jar, add 1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp honey, ½ tsp salt, a few grinds fresh pepper, 2/3 cup white balsamic vinegar. Shake it all up well. Then fill the rest of the jar with olive oil and shake well to emulsify.

Salad additions – I add the following to my lettuce to make the salad worthwhile: always some chopped kale, many chopped herbs (especially basil – coming next week), sprouted lentils, toasted panko breadcrumbs, raisins, pepitas, slivered almonds, chia seeds, coconut shavings, sliced radish pickles (or other pickle),  soft-boiled egg, or grilled protein of your choosing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA basket - Week of 6/26/17

Summer is here, school's out, and the CSA baskets will be getting heavier. Lettuce and some nutrient-dense green (e.g., kale, collards) will continue to fill out the share, but peas and kohlrabi will be gracing your baskets this week, and green beans and beets will be joining soon.

A note on greens and nutrition. First, when you think protein, what pops into your mind? Beef? Eggs? Meat or dairy of some kind, right? Well, where do you think the cows, pigs and chickens get their protein from?... That's right: plants. Animals get sufficient protein in their diet by eating greens and grains, and you can, too! In fact, by eating greens and grains you will convert the sun’s energy into a useful nutrient more efficiently than if you eat a nice, juicy hamburger. This is eating “lower on the food chain” and not only does it supply adequate protein and energy, it also supplies no cholesterol, lower saturated fat, high fiber, high phytochemicals, and has been proven to prevent and even reverse disease.

Second, have you ever had the chance to compare nutrition facts of different greens? Did you know that bok choy is considered the most nutrient-dense green by some (because of the antioxidents and many micronutrients it contains)? And collards come in next, with kale and Swiss chard after that, and spinach a bit further down the list (lettuce barely even makes it on). Here's a chart to compare (but please note that there are so, so many other vitamins and minerals that are important for your diet besides the ones listed):

Veggie	Calories	Fiber	Protein	Vitamin A (%DV)	Vitamin C (%DV)	Calcium (%DV)	Iron (%DV)
Kale	49	3.6g	4g	333%	200%	15%	18%
Bok choy	13	1g	2g	149%	75%	11%	10%
Collards	32	4g	4g	308%	59%	23%	6%
Swiss chard	19	1.6g	3.3g	204%	50%	5%	22%
Spinach	23	2.2g	2.9g	250%	47%	10%	34%
Lettuce	15	1.3g	1.3g	247%	15%	3.5%	10%
Source: nutrition-and-you.com; all values are per 100g

x

And one more point on nutrition: I try to avoid the word "healthy" because of its subjective nature. For example, if you need more iron in your diet, then Swiss chard or spinach would be more "healthy" for you. But if you need more vitamin A, then kale or collards would be "healthier." Instead, I try to frame foods as "nutrient-dense" or not, or somewhere on the spectrum. And frankly, if you are eating whole foods (like foods you get in a CSA basket) and not too many (or any) processed foods (like foods you buy in bags and boxes with “ingredients” lists from a store), then you are getting a nutrient-dense diet. (But more on the nutrient density of produce in next week's handout.)

Kohlrabi is a special vegetable, the only one we produce that I think members ask, "What in the world is that?" Kohlrabi is in the brassica family and is a delicious, crispy, juicy bulb that tastes like broccoli stems (you don’t throw the broccoli stems away, do you?).

Scallions are here. Please use the entire plant! The green parts are great chopped thinly for garnish and the white parts can be cooked (like onions) or used as a garnish as well.

Shelling peas are a labor of love. The pod is fibrous and not particularly delicious, so you must open each and take out the peas. But you are in for a sweet treat!

So now that I’ve cried about the benefits of eating plants… we will be harvesting our meat birds next Wednesday. That means fresh chicken will be available on Thursday and Friday next week. Our birds are fed local, non-GMO, organic grain and we move them onto fresh grass to forage every 2-3 days. We sell them for $6/lb and they usually are between 3-5 pounds. If you’ve reserved birds, please be sure to come by. And even if you haven’t, we will certainly have extra to sell (email if you are interested).

This week's basket:

Bok choy or kale

Collards

Scallions

Kohlrabi

Salad turnips

Lettuce

Parsley

Arugula

Basil

Sugar snap peas

Shelling peas

What we love to do with these veggies:

Sugar snap peas - Slice the peas in their pods on a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Thinly slice some salad turnips or radishes. Add some orange segments and cilantro (or basil or mint) leaves. Then toss with a light vinaigrette and a few drops of sesame oil.

Shelling peas - Make your favorite pasta carbonara recipe and add some peas to make you feel healthy.

Basil - This is early in the season, so maybe not enough to make a big batch of pesto. But basil leaves in your salad are a special treat, and they are a great garnish on soups, pastas or rices (so don't cook them, just pick the leaves off and add them on once the dish is plated).

Parsley – If you find yourself with extra parsley, or don’t particularly care for it as a garnish or addition to your cooking, please make parsley pesto! Use your favorite basil pesto recipe and sub in the parsley (I also add a touch of honey in my parsley pesto).

Kohlrabi - You don't have to peel the bulb, unless you think the skin is too tough. Slice thinly (think potato chip), arrange on a plate and drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and some fresh black pepper grinds. You could also chop into 1/2-inch chunks, toss with oil, salt, sugar, arrange on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes until nicely caramelized.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA basket - Week of 7/3/17

Happy Independence Day holiday!

Last week I went on about nutritious greens. This week I'd like you to consider the "nutrient density" of your produce in general.

True or false: A carrot is a carrot is a carrot.

Answer: False.

I know many of you already know this. Because you've tasted that super sweet and juicy carrot once in a while, and you've tasted that bland or slightly bitter, kind of dry carrot, too. The quality of taste in vegetables has everything to do with the quality of the soil it is grown in. And furthermore, the nutrient density of vegetables helps determine quality of taste and thus has everything to with the quality of the soil it is grown in. Plants use the sun through photosynthesis to make sugar to feed the microorganisms that live in the soil who then help unlock the macronutrients and micronutrients plants need in order to be healthy, ward off pests and diseases, taste like they are supposed to taste, bear fruit the way they are supposed to bear fruit, and provide nutrients to the creatures higher in the food chain that eat them.

The macronutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur) and the micronutrients (e.g., boron, copper, cobalt, selenium, manganese, zinc, iron, iodine, etc.) that plants need also happen to be the same nutrients that we humans need. And so in order for us to get them from the foods we eat, the foods we eat have to get them from the soil they are grown in.

On Longhaul Farm, we conduct soil tests each year to assess the level of these nutrients in our soil. If we are deficient in any, we can add amendments that contain what's needed: manure, compost, seaweed, egg shells, kelp, greensand, gypsum and rock dusts. How does soil become deficient? From planting in it. Each year we plant vegetables, nurture them, harvest from them, and then in the fall we pull them or let them die in the winter frosts. Those plants have "eaten" from the soil all season, so sometimes the soil needs to have basic nutrients replaced.

Most farms usually only apply the classic N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) fertilizers to their crops - and that includes both conventional and organic farms. But we are committed to ensuring the essential micronutrients are also present.

So, you can test a carrot vs. a carrot vs. a carrot (using a Brix refractometer and some juice from each carrot) and determine which one is the most nutrient dense. Imagine if you could do this at the grocery store while deciding which produce to buy? (You might not have to imagine for long; there is work being done on devices that will do this for you.) You would find that the "organic" carrot isn't necessarily more nutrient dense than the "conventional" carrot (or the other way around); it all depends on the soil it was grown in and the kinds of amendments that were used. Knowing where your produce comes from is a good way to understand how nutrient dense your vegetables are, and thus, predict how tasty those carrots will be.

On a lighter note, summer squash is a new addition this week. There are so many ways to prepare this juicy fruit and if the crop does well there will be a whole lot more coming your way this summer. Frisee is also a new addition. It's "tres fine maraichere olesh endive," but we use the shortened name that many of you are familiar with. It's a slightly bitter green that is a great addition to salads because it bulks them up and keeps lettuce from going limp on you. Sadly, this is the last week for peas; but green beans will be in next week's basket.

Thanks again to Davoren Farm for letting us use some space to grow the cucurbit family of vegetables: summer squash, cucumbers, winter squash and melons.

In this week's basket:

Summer squash

Peas (shelling or sugar snap)

Kohlrabi

Radishes or turnips (regular turnips for cooking)

Lettuce

Chard

Frisee

Arugula

Parsley

Basil (regular)

Thai basil

Scallions

What we love to do with these veggies:

Summer squash - Since this is the first week of summer squash, I'm sure you'll be prepping it your favorite way. We like to cut them into 1/4-inch rounds, then cut the rounds in half, and sauté with good quality salted butter. Then toss in some torn basil leaves (or even shiso leaves if you have them and want to save the basil for something else). Eat while steaming hot.

Peas, kohlrabi, arugula, cilantro - Shell some peas (if you have shelling) or slice some peas (if you have sugar snap); matchstick some kohlrabi; pick the cilantro leaves off of the stems; add some arugula leaves (we don't even chop them); and toss this "slaw" with a mayo-based vinaigrette (consider adding some pickled red jalapeno or sriracha to the dressing if you like things spicy).

Turnips - These are the traditional turnips - the ones that are delicious roasted, sauteed or smashed with potatoes.

Frisee - Cut the head into quarters, trying to leave the bottom stem intact so that the leaves stay together and you just have four bunches to deal with. Lightly toss with olive oil and grill them until the leaves get browned a bit (but only the outer ones will; the inner leaves will cook by steam). When done toss with balsamic vinegar (even better if the vinegar is reduced) and salt and pepper. Serve hot off the grill.

Thai basil - This basil has a slightly anise or minty flavor compared with regular basil. It also withstands cooking, so make a Thai curry with it; add it to a clear broth soup; and it is also delicious with chicken. We like to add it to our bahn mi sandwiches.

Scallions - Slice them finely, both green and white parts, and add minced ginger, a bit of soy sauce, a bit of sherry vinegar, some flavorless oil (like grapeseed) and some salt to taste. Add hot pepper or hot sauce if you enjoy things spicy. Use this as a "sauce" on top of some grilled pork or beef or on a hamburger or veggie burger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 7/10/2017

Why does organic produce matter?

Organic produce means it is grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. That is good for the planet and good for all living things on it. But organic is not organic is not organic (just like a carrot is not a carrot is not a carrot). The organic produce you buy at Whole Foods is BIG "O" organic, meaning it is grown according to USDA organic standards, but is still grown in an industrial fashion: Mega-farms that mono-crop (grow only one type of crop rather than diversifying), rely on gas-guzzling machinery, and are beholden to spraying organically-approved pesticides. And organically-approved pesticides still kill... bees, butterflies, harmless beetles, along with the crop-damaging pests. So while supporting organic produce production at large-scale farms by buying at standard supermarkets is a very positive step toward helping the environment, you can do so much more.

And you are! You are supporting your small-scale local farm by joining this CSA, shopping at local farmers markets or even growing produce yourself. Smaller-scale farms can contribute to a more sustainable future by relying on human-power rather than gas-power. And by being able to concentrate more energy on improving the biological health of their soil, small-scale farmers will see less pest pressure on their plants and will not have to resort to harmful pesticides (organic or not).

New to baskets this week: fennel. Our fennel is MUCH smaller than the bulbs you are used to in the supermarket, but their taste is more intense. Because they are so small, the best way to use the bulb part is to slice thinly and add to salads. And don't throw away those greens!... They can be used to make fennel frond pesto (many of you have heard me talk about this before; recipe below). Also new this week are carrots. These carrots are a "rainbow" variety, which is why you see some white ones and some purple ones in addition to the orange. Some are the standard carrot shape, but you'll notice many are funny-looking. That happens when a carrot hits rocks or other debris in soil while it's growing; it starts to fork or bend. And the resulting carrot is modern-sculpture-like.

Another tough thing about growing carrots is that the seed takes 21-28 days to germinate. So you sow the seeds and wait nearly a month before you start to see any seedlings. We did that this year, and noticed that the "rainbow" variety we sowed did not germinate well; in fact, the red and orange carrots in the mix did not germinate at all. So carrot harvest is sparse so far, but there will be more to come as the season progresses.

Members! If you have good recipe ideas, please pass along and I will include in these weekly notes. Also, our website has a Recipes page: longhauling.blogspot.com.

In this week's basket:

Summer squash

Fennel

Carrots

Green beans

Kale

Tatsoi cabbage

Frisee

Basil

Cilantro

Parsley

Scallions

Lettuce

What we love to do with these veggies:

Summer squash - I'll admit it: I'm not big on summer squash. Last night I made these squash pancakes (https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/07/zucchini-bread-pancakes/) and they were a big hit with some cream cheese/sour cream/maple syrup (all whisked together) on top.

The “big” summer squash – Good for stuffing. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out some of the inside squash. Make a filling: use rice/bulgar/quinoa/other grain, sauté with some onion, garlic, carrot, herbs, the squash filling, add some cheese. Par-bake the squash shell: brush with olive oil and bake cut side down for 15-20 minutes at 375. Then add the filling into the squash, top with breadcrumbs and butter, and bake again for 30-40 minutes, until squash shell is to desired softness.

Fennel - You can pesto practically anything. Sub fennel fronds for your standard basil pesto recipe. Also sub walnuts or almonds for the usual pine nuts and add a bit of honey.

Carrots - There's so few and they're so sweet. Eat them on the car ride home (no need to peel these organic, fresh-from-the-ground-this-morning babies!). Also, use the carrot tops in this “seaweed” salad: http://longhauling.blogspot.com/2012/10/recipe-with-carrot-greens.html (originally from NYT’s Melissa Clark).

Frisee - Try the French classic: poached egg on frisee (bacon optional).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 7/17/2017

We are deep into summer and I'm reflecting on how powerful nature is.

We start out in the garden in March, making compost, prepping vegetable beds. The grass is still stunted and brown, there are no leaves on the trees, nearly all vegetation has yet to wake up. We as farmers feel under control with everything starting anew. Our little seedlings thrive in our healthy soil and the mulch we apply is sure to keep down those weeds, we think.

But when July hits us we are awestruck at the force of nature. Sure, our lettuce plants are huge and our tomato plants are reaching 6 feet… but those weeds! If we forget about a bed for just 2 weeks, other plants that we did not intend take root and flourish. Keeping on top of the weeding inevitably gets away from us and sometimes we have to dig under the foliage of lamb’s quarter or chickweed just to remember what we originally planted there. We are sure that if we were to leave our farm for just one season it would turn back into pasture and be barely recognizable as a productive vegetable garden.

And it’s not only the weeds in our garden that humble us. It’s the invasive vines climbing up almost every tree along the highway. It’s the Japanese knotweed, garlic mustards, black swallowwort, and dozens of others, seemingly taking over. My eyes can’t stop landing on them. I wonder when our disappearing “natives” – ash, hemlock, chestnut, red pine, white pine, birch – will finally disappear and future generations will think the Hudson Valley landscape is supposed to look like a forest of Tree-of-Heaven and wineberries. [The good news is, many of these “invasives” are edible or otherwise useful. And since they are taking over, it is actually beneficial to harvest them with abandon.]

So now it’s mid-summer in the Valley and I’m thinking about climate change. And I am not scared for nature. She is mighty and powerful, and if there’s anything I have learned as a farmer, it’s that she adapts. I am scared for us. Mother nature will take care of herself, while we humans fail to take care of her. And it is to our own peril. Because nature, she keeps growing and growing. And we humans, we’ll just be getting hotter and hotter and moving higher and higher. And more and more populations will be displaced due to drought and a lack of cultivable land, and more and more conflicts will result from just a few degrees increase in average temperatures.

… Speaking of hotter temperatures… new to the baskets this week are cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. There are only a few starting, and it is to the benefit of the plants that we pick the early ripe fruit so that subsequent fruit can set. So please don’t think we’re being stingy when we say “eggplant x1;” by September you will be begging us for more inventive recipes to make use of the abundance of these purple beauties.

We are also harvesting the garlic. Of course, it’s edible right now, but we cure it for you so that the cloves are familiar and peel easily for you. They’ll be added to your baskets in about a month. And we’re adding some cabbage to your baskets, along with radicchio. This radicchio doesn’t turn into a purple head like the ones you are used to seeing in the market; instead it grows more leafy and up right and resembles fire (hence its name, “Fiero”).

Again, we’d love to include any recipes that you all have been trying. Please pass along.

This week’s basket:

Lettuce

Kale

Collards

Cabbage

Radicchio

Basil

Cilantro

Parsley

Scallions

Chard

Tomatoes (only a few)

Eggplant (only a few)

Peppers (only a few)

Cucumbers

Summer squash

Green beans

What we love to do with some of these veggies:

Radicchio – We like to braise these greens in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Or grill them after brushing them in olive oil; finishing them with some balsamic glaze. And we like to even add it to our salads to make them a bit more interesting.

Cabbage – Cabbage goes a long way. You can thinly slice and make a fresh slaw for your grilled sausages or pulled pork sandwiches. In the slaw we add fennel or kohlrabi, carrots, cilantro, scallion. And then we make a fresh mayo (whisking up to 1 cup olive oil s-l-o-w-l-y into 1 well-beaten egg yolk), and whisk together a slaw dressing of mayo, rice vinegar, a touch of sriracha,some honey, and salt.

Green beans – Flash sauté them for just 3-5 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like them. Then toss with sliced almonds and your favorite summer herb (we like summer savory or thyme). Or you can try pickling them. I like refrigerator pickles, because the beans stay crispy. My general pickling recipe is 1.25 cups water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and some spices. Bring to a boil and then pour over the beans that are already in your canning jar (with a garlic clove, maybe some dill, or a hot pepper). These will last for a long time in your fridge.

Greens pie – When we have a lot of mixed greens to use, we will sauté them with garlic and onion, then add a bechamel sauce, and then bake these greens into a savory pie. Add a cheese of your liking, if so desired. We like to make our crust using the Alice Waters recipe or from the Cooks Illustrated cookbook, but frozen piecrust will work just fine! Serve the greens pie with a spicy tomato sauce or sriracha.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 7/24/2017

Ever heard of "carbon farming?"

Climate change is an important issue of our time. We know that too much carbon in the atmosphere has had negative effects on our air, average temperatures, oceans, land and subpopulations. But carbon is not the enemy.

A thoughtful, short (4-minute) video called "The Soil Story" made by the organization "Kiss the Ground" (kisstheground.com) explains that carbon is a natural part of our environment; it is a building block of life. However, it's concentration in the atmosphere and in our oceans is out of balance from what it is meant to be. This is largely a result of extracting carbon from deep within the earth's crust (i.e., fossil fuels), burning it and emitting it into the air. But agriculture also has something to do with it.

Conventional agriculture relies on industrial practices, with thousand-acre farms full of just one crop (i.e., mono-cropping) that are fed synthetic fertilizers to make crops grow in barren soil. One might even go so far as to call it "dirt" - dead soil. And not only is this soil lifeless, it is also emitting carbon back into the atmosphere when it is laying bare, burning in the sun. Over the past six decades, industrial and very large-scale farms have sacrificed the building of organic matter in soil and have sadly missed out on a revolutionary opportunity: to farm carbon.

Soil that is high in organic matter has the ability to sequester carbon from the air and atmosphere, helping return the earth's carbon cycle back into balance. In a sense, stewards of healthy, organic soil are carbon farmers. A seminal thinker in the bionutrient farming world has said that if all current agricultural land was converted to a culture of cover cropping and mulching (i.e., never leaving bare soil) then we could reverse the carbon damage we've done since the Industrial Revolution in just seven years.

So it's bare soil, devoid of life that is the culprit. Don't ever weed your garden again! (Unless you throw mulch down afterwards to keep the soil away from the burning sun.) Or support farms and businesses that have gotten into the business of carbon farming by growing healthy soil.

New to the baskets this week: beets. Everyone loves beets, especially if you prepare them well (which usually means roasting whole, without cutting off the top crown or root end). Beets are difficult to grow, as they require the highest pH of all vegetables. Frankly, beets are a weakness of ours, so please cherish the little bunches you receive and savor every last part (the greens are edible!). Tomatoes and cucumbers are also on board in this week's basket. And potatoes will be coming, too. We think a fresh potato rivals a fresh tomato. Tell us what you think.

Also, for next week Tuesday members (8/1): Jason and I will not be here. But our trusted neighbor, long-time farm assistant, and good friend, Anya Ptacek, will be doing the harvest and setting up for CSA distribution. She has done this before, so you are in good hands.

That said, please come during the scheduled pick-up time (4-7pm) and please sign/initial next to your name on the sign-in sheet so Anya knows who was able to come by for pick-up. If you'd like to make any schedule changes, please email me by Sunday (7/30) evening so I have time to get in touch with Anya. Thanks for your cooperation.

Please bring back baskets! We are out of our spare stash so we know some of you must be doubled-up!

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Summer squash

Eggplant

Peppers

Green beans

Carrots

Beets

Arugula

Chard

Parsley

Basil

What we love to do with these veggies:

Eggplant - slice into 1/2 inch pieces, lightly salt and let sit for 30 minutes (to remove any bitter taste). Pat dry and then fry in some oil. Then chop up some cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, any other herbs, and put this all on a pita with some tahini paste and tatsziki.

Beets - in the heat of summer, who wants to roast beets in the oven? So we often grate them, skin and all, on a cheese grater and then toss with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and parsley/basil. One little beet goes a long way when grated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA basket - Week of 7/31

Our family is on vacation this week! 

Summer squash

Green beans

Potatoes

Eggplant x2

Peppers x1

Cukes x8

Scallions

Radish

Radicchio

Lettuce

Arugula

Basil

Parsley

Cherry tomatoes

Tomatoes x 2 lbs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 8/7/2017

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Summer squash

Eggplant

Peppers (hot and sweet)

Green beans

Carrots

Beets

Kale

Lettuce

Radishes

Parsley

Garlic

Basil

Thai basil

What we love to do with these veggies:

Cucumbers - Grate a cucumber into plain yogurt (think, Greek preferred), add a finely minced garlic clove, some olive oil and salt. A great dip for some pita or bread.

Summer squash - Grate your summer squash with some beets. Add cumin, white balsamic vinegar, chopped herb (like basil or mint or shiso), olive oil.

Summer squash - A fellow CSA member suggested summer squash gazpacho. Plenty of recipes are on the internet.

Eggplant - Recipe from Plenty More. Put on a pot of water to boil for pasta. Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds and then quarter the rounds. Fry the eggplant in some grapeseed oil until golden. Meanwhile, toast some walnuts; slice 2-3 scallions very thinly; matchstick an inch of ginger and half a cucumber; saute some finely sliced shallot, minced garlic and a bit of the matchstick ginger. Add the eggplants and chopped walnuts to the shallots. Whisk together the following for the sauce: 2 T soy sauce; 1 T mirin; 2 T miso paste; 1 T sake; 1/3 c dashi. Heat gently with the eggplant mixture. Cook some soba or udon noodles. For plating, top the hot noodles with the warm eggplant sauce and garnish with the scallions, ginger and cucumber.

Green beans - Since there's just a few this week, peel them into thin slices with a vegetable peeler and add them to your standard salad for a little crunch.

Kale - Roast up the potatoes from last week. When the potatoes are just about done, add some chopped, oiled kale to the top, drizzle some red wine (or other) vinegar, and put back in the oven for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Cherry or sauce tomatoes - Cut the tomatoes in half if large. Roast at 300F after tossing with olive oil and adding some thyme sprigs and a garlic clove or two. After about 30 minutes, when tomatoes have collapsed, use them to top a hot or cold pasta dish. Pesto works well in here, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Longhaul CSA Week of 8/14/2017

Seeds are the beginning of it all. Right now in the season we are saving the biggest garlic cloves to plant in October as "seed garlic." We look for the plumpest cloves with no bruising because the better and bigger the seed, the better and bigger the plant that grows out of it. That goes for pretty much all the vegetables we grow.

Getting quality seeds is important for quality crops. We save seeds as much as we can. For example, we let a beautiful head of lettuce that is slow to bolt in the hot summer sun "go to seed." We forego eating this delicious head of lettuce and instead let it continue to grow in its place until it produces flowers that then turn into seeds. And then we wait some more until the seeds have dried on the plant; this happens in late fall. We do the same for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers: when we taste one that is so delicious, we don't finish it all. Instead we save the seeds for next year's crop.

Seed saving is an art that we are not yet experts in. So we also purchase seeds from companies that are employee-owned, cooperatively-grown, and committed to non-GMO: Johnny's Seeds and Fedco, both in Maine.

Johnny's and Fedco are mini players in the field of seeds. Monsanto is the largest global "proprietary seed market" (~25%) and the top 3 companies (Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta) account for nearly half of the global market. These companies are proprietary markets because they have engineered seeds with qualities to increase yield, profit and efficiency for farmers. What's not to love about that?

Well, many of these seeds are genetically modified (GMO). We hear a lot about GMO crops in the news and there is much public debate on their merit. Academic research has not provided conclusive evidence that GMO crops are either "good" or "bad" for our health. Some countries require labeling of GMO foods; some have banned use of GMO crops; ours does neither. Some GMO seeds are sterile (aka the "terminator seed"), but Monsanto has promised not to make these available. Some GMO seeds are spliced with pesticides and/or herbicides to make them resistant once they grow into plants so there will be higher yields.

So are you eating foods that are grown from GMO crops? Yes, if you eat non-organic meat, non-organic eggs, non-organic dairy or non-organic processed foods without the "Non-GMO Project Verified" label. Certified organic foods are not "allowed" to use GMO seeds or crops. BUT, if you buy regular-ol' lettuce, cukes, and onions from the supermarket and make a salad out of it, you are also not eating GMO foods.* That's because your typical garden vegetable is not GMO, even if it's conventionally grown. Only the following crops have GMO varieties on the market: corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, sugar beet, alfalfa, squash (a yellow crookneck variety), and papaya. So processed foods that come in boxes or bags at the supermarket are likely made with GMO corn or soy. And that hamburger you order at a restaurant is likely made from a cow that ate GMO corn-soy-alfalfa feed.

The debate on GMO seeds and crops is not settled. But being an informed and conscious grower and eater is up to all of us.

New to this week's basket: Sweet corn! Definitely not GMO. Definitely organic. Definitely delicious  and should be eaten the day you get it. Thanks to Davoren Farm for the corn, as always.

* Unless you put a salad dressing on it that is not organic and contains high fructose corn syrup or canola oil.

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Peppers (hot and sweet)

Green beans

Mustard greens

Arugula

Radicchio or chard

Lettuce

Radishes or hakurei turnip or kohlrabi

Parsley

Garlic

Basil

Cilantro

What we love to do with these veggies:

Green beans - Make the small jar of dilly beans you've been meaning to make. Heat 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 T sugar and 1 t salt. Pour this mixture over the beans, dill, a clove of garlic. Put in the refrigerator for a bit (and enjoy when you're not sick of green beans!).

Mustard greens - Saute in coconut oil and add some salt to taste.

Have a big salad with cherry tomatoes, chopped cukes, arugula, radicchio, lettuce, radish/salad turnip, parsley and basil. Add a boiled egg, grilled meat or some nuts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 8/21/2017

A neighbor gave us peaches recently. And in exchange I offered her some of our hot sauce and eggs. She took the hot sauce, but told us she has chickens and plenty of eggs. "And a few pet coyotes now, too."

True that.

Every year we grapple with these mangy beasts. They come for our birds in the winter. They come for them in the summer. They come for them at dawn and dusk. And, oddly enough, they come in the middle of the day, or while I am working 50 feet away in the garden, or 10 minutes after we've collected the eggs.

You think we would have learned after five years of losing birds to natural wildlife. But just the other day, our laying hens - who, you might recall, have just hit teenagehood and have starting laying nicely - were attacked in broad daylight, two days in a row, while we were outside in the garden. We lost a few. And sat there and scratched our heads - what went wrong?

Well, we were doing the same old thing and expected different results. We had our egg layers free ranging openly in the forest with no fencing of any kind. And the coyotes were laughing at us, marking their territory with abandon, and swooping in just at the right moments so we knew exactly what was happening.

We are, sadly, abandoning the "no boundaries" roaming the layers can do and have put up electric netting that will hopefully keep the birds in and the predators out. (But don't ask Jason about that first night after we put up the fencing and he had to chase down three pesky ladies who flew over the fencing but couldn't figure out how to fly back in.)

Our meat birds, you might have noticed, are in a cage in the middle of our field. We move them in that cage every day or two so they have fresh pasture. And we even add extra electric fencing once they get more mature so they have more foraging space. Our birds are alive and healthy - yay - but I hate the way it looks and feels. However, that cage has been a game changer for us with preserving chickens and turkeys. Our birds used to all be free range in the truest sense of the word: no fences, no netting, no boundaries they couldn't cross.

But I've been wondering if that whimsical, romantic idea of truly borderless birds could paradoxically be cruel. Although the birds are allowed to roam freely for their food, exercise at great lengths and feel wild, more-or-less, they are also open to threats from predators. So they have to smell fear in their comrades, see their sisters get taken away in the mouth of a coyote, or narrowly escape a diving hawk.

Let us farmers learn from our mistakes, be good stewards of our birds' safety, and learn to live with some boundaries (so long as those boundaries are wide and frequently rotated).

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Squash

Eggplant

Peppers (hot and sweet)

Melon

Potatoes

Beets

Green beans

Mustard greens or collards

Arugula

Lettuce

Parsley

Garlic

Onions

Basil

Cilantro

What we love to do with these veggies

Poached eggs in tomato sauce - There are a million varieties of this idea. Shakshuka, the North African version, is what we usually go for. Saute plenty of garlic, some onions, and some chopped tomatoes in a wide, shallow pan. We add spice to this tomato sauce, some people add peppers, you could also add chopped greens and herbs. Let this sauce simmer until it's good and tasty. Then make a few divets in the sauce and crack some fresh eggs in there. Cover the pan and poach the eggs until the yolks are yolky and the whites are firm. Crack some fresh pepper, top with chopped herbs, or give a sumac sprinkle.

Tomato stack - Toast a few slices of crusty bread with either butter or olive oil. Put this on a plate. Slice some heirloom tomatoes of various colors and sizes. Alternate stacking tomato slices, some bacon, and basil until the stack nearly topples over, sprinkling salt on each layer of tomato. Then crumble some blue cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer), sprinkle some more bacon pieces, and drizzle a balsamic vinaigrette over the entire thing. Eat with a sharp knife.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 8/28/2017

You might have wondered why we never distributed regular ol' green zucchini to you. Or big, fat, red beefsteak tomatoes. Or those huge, purple eggplant beauties.

It's because we have made efforts to purchase "open-pollinated" seeds. Open-pollinated means that seeds saved from the parent plant are viable and will produce offspring that are true to the original seed. The plants are pollinated either through self-pollination or through the aid of wind, insects and water. These varieties allow us as small farmers to save our own seeds and have confidence in the plants that will be produced from them.

Green zucchini, beefsteak tomatoes, and regular eggplant, however, are "F1 hybrid" varieties. F1 hybrids are created by crossing two different varieties for optimal qualities in the offspring. The second generation of these plants (F2) will not maintain the qualities of the parent plant. These are known as "inbred" plants and commercial production of these seeds must happen by a seed producer by crossing the inbred parents. Generally, plants from F1 seeds are very vigorous and have wonderful qualities that growers like: resistance to some pests and diseases, heat-tolerance, frost-tolerance, uniform fruit size, heavy yield, etc. So F1 crops are very desirable, and in fact, most vegetable varieties are dominated by F1 types. F1 seeds can be available as "organic" seed, too, meaning that the plants that the seeds come from were raised under USDA organic standards.

So that green squash we provide for the CSA - costata romanesca - is an open-pollinated variety. And those "ugly" tomatoes we have are open-pollinated, heirloom varieties - Cherokee purple, brandywine, black krim, Amish paste, and many more. But many of the brassica family plants - including our cabbages - are F1 varieties.

-----------

Over on the farm, we seemed to have fed a whole family of rabbits two beds of lettuce that were meant to be harvested these last weeks of August. But more lettuce is in the ground and those pesky critters have been out of sight.

New this week is delicata squash. It is a culinary favorite because you can eat the skin and its flavor is richer than the standard butternut. But we love the standard butternut, too! And you'll be getting some of these as well. Let these guys "cure" and continue to ripen in a sunny windowsill in your kitchen. We had to pick them from their vines because the green was already dying back, so they could use a few days of curing to sweeten their taste.

Also new to the basket is tomatillo. These green, tart fruits are in the tomato family, but often taste better cooked or at the very least chopped up into a salsa verde. Thanks to Davoren Farm for letting us use some growing space for these items.

We will have two more weeks of regular distribution (weeks of 9/4 and 9/11) and then we'll take a break for a week or two for a final distribution in late September or early October.

Happy Labor Day and back-to-school!

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Delicata squash

Melon

Butternut squash

Tomatillo

Eggplant

Peppers (hot and sweet)

Beets or carrots

Green beans

Watermelon radish

Kale

Chard

Lettuce

Parsley

Basil

Garlic

Onions

What we love to do with these veggies

Delicata squash - We like to eat the skin. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds (save the seeds and roast them, too,  after coating in oil, salt and sugar). Then slice the halves into 1/2 inch half moons, skin and all. Toss the half moons in oil, brown sugar, salt, a little cayenne or other warm spice, if desired. Line on a baking sheet and roast a t 375 until tender.

Tomatillo - We like to blacken these guys, along with some peppers (hot or sweet or both) on a cast iron pan with NO oil. Just high heat, shaking the pan every so often until the skins on all blister. Once you remove from the pan and cool slightly, chop all together for a smoky salsa. Add your favorite ingredients to the salsa: ginger, tomatoes, cilantro or other herb, pineapple, corn, etc.

Green beans - Those green beans keep on producing. Try different sauces with your sauteed or blanched for 5 minutes beans. Tahini sauce with lemon zest or sumac. Miso paste, mirin, soy sauce, ginger and some sesame seeds. Olive oil, cumin, coriander and parsley. Sour cream, lemon juice, olive oil and capers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 9/4/2017

Life force is powerful.

We spent our Labor Day with two friends harvesting our Freedom Ranger chickens. I'll spare the details on the process, but my reflections on the fact that we took 50 lives is worth ruminating on.

I've eaten meat for most of my life. And only in the past 5 years have I harvested the animals for my own meat consumption: chickens, turkeys and pigs. Actually playing a part in the production of meat has helped me gain a whole lot of respect for life, death and nature. It has certainly made me eat less meat and it has definitely made me waste less: bones and carcasses are used for broths and demi-glaces; trim is used for ground; fat is rendered into lard; offal is turned into culinary delicacies.

As an animal dies, its body will kick, flap and writhe as the last of its life force exits. These kicks and flaps are so powerful that an adult's bodyweight must be used to contain a 5-pound chicken from flapping itself out of its cone. I remember the first time it happened to me, trying to contain a dying bird and underestimating the power of these final forces. I remember watching some college students of mine doing it for the first time, seeing the shock on their faces as they adjusted to the power of life and death. It is sobering when life transitions to death.

I've taken the lives of hundreds of fowl, but that didn't make Monday's 50 any easier. And in a few months we'll take the lives of our swines and turn them into packaged cuts to consume. Pigs are harder to face during their final moments. It's their eyes, their intelligence, their size. But the responsible thing to do is to be there while they die. Together, Jason, our friend who helps with the process and I  put our hands on the pig to (comfort it?) feel the final force of life escape. The feeling I get is almost indescribable, because it has tiny bits of relief, grief, sadness, sobriety, joy, awe, fear and respect. And I really wish everyone I know could experience the complexity of this feeling because it sticks deep in your soul.

Whether it is a 5-pound fowl or a 300-pound swine, the life force of a living being is fierce and does not dissipate as easily as you might think.

-----------

Over on the farm, we are starting to see the tomatoes begin to slow in their ripening. The cooler days and definitely cooler nights are hinting of the coming frosts.

We do have some fresh chicken for sale - $6/lb for our 4-5-pound chickens who ate fresh grass, insects and GMO-free local grain while foraging in the sun and open air for their 13 weeks of life.

Next week is the final distribution (9/12 and 9/15) before we then take a break for a week or two for another distribution in late September or early October.

Please save-the-date for our fall Work-ation! Saturday, October 7. This year we'll start working in the garden at 9 and end the day with a communal lunch and some socializing. Families welcome! Come get dirty with us!

Happy back-to-school!

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Melon

Butternut squash

Tomatillo

Eggplant

Peppers (hot and sweet)

Potatoes

Kale or collards

Lettuce

Arugula

Parsley

Garlic

Shallot

Onions

What we love to do with these veggies

Marinated eggplant - In the classic Italian way, make some marinated eggplant to put on top of your salad. Grate a whole eggplant (don't worry, the peel will end up in your hands rather than being grated). Salt the eggplant and let stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze out the water and then boil the eggplant in 1:3 vinegar:water ratio for 2-3 minutes. Drain, squeeze out liquid and then toss with garlic, oregano and olive oil. Can be eaten right away, or let sit for 8 hours or more to let the flavors develop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 9/11/2017

Here's why we do what we do.

Seven years ago, Jason and I decided to move back to the states (from a 15-month stint in Patagonian Argentina), take up residence on family land, and start a farm. And - voilà - Longhaul was born and our first CSA season kicked off in 2012.

The farm season starts well before the first CSA distribution in June: our house transforms into a seeding station the last week of February and we are in the thawing soil by mid-March. Then for the next seven months, we answer to Mother Earth. She is the best boss I've ever had - powerful, reasonable, largely predictable, challenging, sometimes forgiving, respectable and generous. So, so generous.

But Jason and I have other calendars shaping our lives, too. The teaching semester starts in September - Jason teaching sociology and political science at Bronx Community College and Jocelyn teaching public health courses at William Paterson in NJ and in prisons through the Bard Prison Initiative. Teaching is demanding, as all you teachers out there know. But we knew we wanted to be in the classroom, as well as the fields. We've diversified our skills so we could diversify our incomes streams, so we could live a counter culture lifestyle and work for social change.

And our messaging about the importance of ecological balance, being a conscious consumer, being a civic engager, valuing your health, respecting the health of our environment and all of its inhabitants, eating for wellness, being a community member, standing up for justice, and joining a movement for sustainability, regeneration and equity is now being played out through our non-profit work at the Ecological Citizen's Project. The ECP is our attempt to join the movement that's already off and running, move it further forward, bring it back home to our neighbors and friends and encourage us all to be engaged citizens of our ecology, not just of whichever nation we hold legal standing in.

So this is why we do what we do... why we have a shorter CSA season than the rest of the local farms around here. With just the two (and two halves) of us, we put our farm to bed a bit earlier in order to dedicate time to our other work. So this week is the final regular distribution. We will take a break for a week or two for a final distribution in late September or early October.

Thank you for being wonderful members and neighbors, healthy and adventurous eaters, supporters of local production and ecologically conscious humans. Please look out for an email for our next distribution week!

This week's basket:

Tomatoes

Corn

Butternut squash

Tomatillo

Eggplant

Peppers (hot and sweet)

Potatoes

Kale or collards

Tatsoi or bok choy

Lettuce

Arugula

Cilantro

Parsley

Garlic

Shallot

Onions

What we love to do with these veggies

Corn chowder - Nothing beats a creamy corn chowder in the fall. Brown some corn kernels and diced onion in butter, then add some diced carrots, celery and potatoes. Sweat for a few minutes. Add a bit of white wine and let it boil off. Add bay leaf, herbs (oregano, summer savory, marjoram), chopped parsley and chicken stock. Simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender. Then stir in about a cup of cream and let the soup heat through. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, bacon bits, homemade croutons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Longhaul CSA Week of 10/16/2017

The bonus basket!

We've missed seeing you all and the few weeks off have already harkened to the long, lonely winter ahead. On the farm, we've been cleaning up, weeding, adding compost and manure, and today we did a major harvest to share all of the wonderful things still going strong in the garden.

We have finally figured out how to keep our turkeys alive (knock wood!!!) so will have some to sell for your Thanksgiving week meals. Our turkeys are bronze-breasted and have been fed organic, non-GMO, local grain and pasture their entire lives. They will typically be 16-23 pounds and we'll sell them for $6/lb. If you'd like to reserve one, please be in touch.

We also submitted soil samples to our favorite lab and have received the results.... drum roll.... Our soil has excellent levels of most of the macro and micronutrients we want in our soil: Phosphorus, Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium, Boron, Manganese, Cobalt, Molybdenum, Selenium and Silica. And we were slightly low in Potassium, Copper and Zinc. An easy fix, we'll be adding more greensand and kelp meal to our beds as we continue to close up shop for the season.

Don't know if I shared this previously, but here is the biochemical process of plant nutrition:

Boron activates Silicon which carries all other nutrients starting with Calcium which binds Nitrogen to form amino acids, DNA and cell division. Amino acids form proteins and tag trace minerals, especially Magnesium, to form chlorophyll which transfers energy via Phosphorus to Carbon to form sugars which go where Potassium carries them.

I hadn't remembered that process from when I learned about the Carbon and Nitrogen cycles in elementary school (ha ha). But I love it because it demonstrates how complex life is, how essential diversity is, and how important Boron is!

Yesterday I planted a few beds of garlic. We used mostly our seed garlic and have a few pounds of interesting local cultivars from some neighbors. To many farmers, planting the garlic in October is actually considered the start of the season. But for my own psychological health, I'd rather think of my farming self as going into a brief hibernation.

And we haven't just been working on the farm. Fall brings a new semester, so Jason is teaching again in the Bronx at BCC and I'm teaching at William Paterson in NJ and in prisons through the Bard Prison Initiative. And some of you may have seen or even participated in the Philipstown Community Congress forms this summer/fall. We have helped organize this initiative and we are now in the voting phase. If you live in Philipstown, you have hopefully received your ballot in the mail to prioritize initiatives you hope our community works on. You can learn more about this initiative or vote online at ecologicalcitizens.org/philipstowncommunitycongress. Please vote!

Thank you for a good season and for being wonderful members and neighbors, healthy and adventurous eaters, supporters of local production and ecologically conscious humans. Please don't be strangers this winter.

This week's basket:

Sweet peppers

Hot peppers

Parsnips or rutabaga

Tatsoi or bok choy or mustards

Chard

Lettuce

Fennel

Parsley

Cilantro

Leeks

Scallions

What we love to do with these veggies

Parsnip custard - We just did this one for a Cottage Supper Club and it seemed to be a big hit. We barely adapted this recipe: https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/Parsnip-Cr%C3%A8me-Brulee-Recipe

Roasted rutabaga - Cube your rutabaga and roast it in a roasting pan at 425 until golden, even browned and caramelized. Then toss with some fresh herbs.

Tatsoi, bok choy or mustards - At this point in the season, these brassicas are holy (read: they have a lot of holes in them). But they are still delicious. Please, please, please, try sauteing these greens in coconut oil and finish with soy sauce.

Braised leeks - I like to slice my leeks the long way into quarters, then braise on the stovetop in a little white wine and salted broth until tender, then I finish with lemon zest and cracked pepper.

Hot pepper sauce - Take a lot and make your own "sriracha" sauce! Even if the peppers are green, it will still taste spicy and sweet and delicious. Our recipe is on our website:

Ingredients: 1.5 lb. hot peppers, 3/4 c white vinegar, 3/4 c water, 5-10 cloves garlic or 5 scallions, 3 Tbsp. each salt and sugar

Preparing: Cut your hot peppers. For a hotter sauce, include seeds and membranes. Wear gloves   when you cut them! Blend or food process your peppers with garlic or scallions, vinegar and             water. Add salt and sugar and simmer in a wide pot for approximately 20 minutes. Once cool,      reblend for a few seconds to desired consistency.