FULL SHARE & YELLOW HALF SHARE PICK UP

This Week's Share:

summer squashes or zucchini
cucumbers
onions
broccoli
tomatoes
radishes or turnips
young salad mix

Letter From Ted & Windflower Farm

This has been the hottest day of summer thus far, with the temperature hitting 87 degrees. At last, it’s squash and sweet potato weather. It is Sunday, and because I snuck away yesterday for a day of sailing with my son Nathaniel, Jan tells me it’s my turn to water the greenhouses. Watering has once again become a time-consuming chore because our houses are again full, this time with the seedlings that, when mature, will fill your shares in September and October. Radicchio, fennel, broccoli, white, green and orange cauliflower, red cabbage, lettuces and other greens, squashes, and two downy mildew-resistant varieties: a cucumber and a basil.

Field seeding carries on: fall roots are going in, as are herbs and salad greens. And we have been plowing under a sod in our new field in preparation for cover crop seeding. We plowed under an alfalfa and grass sod and are making sure the perennial grasses don’t come back with regular tillage throughout July. In early August we’ll sow hairy vetch and rye, a practice we like because the cover crops will fix nitrogen and carbon for our next vegetables. Organic farming in a nutshell is about feeding the soil microbial community a diet of cover crops and compost so that they, in turn, feed our next crop of vegetables. Bacteria and fungi consume organic matter, transforming it into plant-available nutrients. Nate was plowing at one end of the field and I will tilling at the other when, on a strip of grass between us, a large, grey fox came trotting past, reminding me that our farm is only partially domesticated.

Have a great week, Ted

"Country of Origin Labeling" Act Could Be Overturned

Knowing where your food comes from is getting even more challenging. There is a move in Congress to overturn the "COOL" act. This bill requires the country of origin to be labeled on all meat packaging. That's right- they want to overturn it, so we no longer know where the animal was born, raised and processed. The argument being that the labels are causing people to be unnecessarily biased since the country of origin does not reflect any difference in USA "regulations." Whether to not that is true- it is certainly a move away from knowing what you're eating! [Article in Reference]

New Products from Lewis Waite Collective Farms

Looking for safe, locally raised meats? All LWF animals are pasture raised- meaning the animals live out in the fields and are able to graze and forage for their foods. If you have any questions about the animals or the products they offer- please email them, they are quick to respond. Here's a quick update on some of the new products they are offering a la carte:

dried organic beans: mung, great northern & pinto
farmer ground fresh flour
fresh buffalo - various cuts
chops and bacon
New Cheeses: Cambridge, Jane's Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese, & Londonderry

Recipe from Mommy's Martini, photo courtesy of Anne

Multi-Grain Zucchini Bread

(oven & bread machine friendly)

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 little guys from our share)
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup corn meal
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

BREAD MAKER: Put all the ingredients into the bread maker in order. Select the Quick Bread/Cake Cycle. This makes a small loaf (about 1 lb). I recommend taking your loaf out about 15 minutes before the cycle ends. Otherwise it dries out a little.

OVEN: Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour batter into 9x5 loaf pan, or muffin tins. Bake for 40-50 min for a loaf- or 15-20 minutes for muffins. Test loaf with a tooth pick- if it comes out clean, then your loaf is done.

Go HERE for 5 delicious ideas from The KitchN on what do with all your zucchini!

Storage Tips Summer Squash

Zucchini, Summer Squash & Tomatoes should be stored unwashed in the refrigerator, or left out on the counter. Wash right before using.

QUICK GUIDE TO STORING VEGETABLES AND FRUIT WITHOUT PLASTIC

Start to minimize all the plastic in your life! In a lot cases plastic slowly leaches chemicals onto your food- especially at hot or cold temperatures. It also is rapidly filling up our landfills with things that will take hundreds of years to decompose. Above are some plastic free storage tips!

THE BEET: Volume 14, Issue 6