THE BEET: VOLUME 17; WEEK 9

 

FULL SHARE & YELLOW HALF SHARE

PICK UP TONIGHT

 

Pick up today: 5pm - 7:30pm at PS 56 on the corner of Gates and Downing

This Week's Share

  • Green Romaine lettuce
  • Red beets
  • Red or green cabbage
  • Tomatoes
  • Purple basil
  • Sweet peppers
  • Zucchinis or yellow ‘Zephyr’ squashes
  • Slicing cucumbers
  • Yellow onions
  • Fruit: blueberries – some from our farm and some from Yonder Farm
  • Flowers: either lisianthus or sunflowers

Letter from Windflower Farm

Delivery #9, Week of July 30, 2018

This week’s share. 

Green Romaine lettuce, red beets, red or green cabbage, tomatoes, purple basil, sweet peppers, zucchinis or yellow ‘Zephyr’ squashes, slicing cucumbers and yellow onions. This week’s fruit will be blueberries – some from our farm and some from Yonder Farm. Your flower share will consist of either lisianthus or sunflowers.

Notes from the farm. 

A vegetable farm, with its various tractors and many small pieces of equipment, needs a fully functioning workshop. Toward that end, we have been developing a 24 X 36’ space in a corner of our barn. Last year, we poured a concrete floor, built doors and put in windows and a wood stove. This year - this week, in fact - Terry Berry, a carpenter and occasional staff member here, has been building cupboards so that we might get the place organized.

The goal is “a place for everything, and everything in its place,” which is a ridiculously tall order for us. But even a small farm has many moving parts, and much time is wasted without a willingness to subject ourselves to some level of discipline. Now, after I have used the electrical toolkit to repair a light fixture in the packing shed, for instance, I’ll put it back in the electrical cupboard where Nate might find it the next time he has to work on his electric tractor. Or so the theory goes.

So far, TB has built seven cupboards, and we have been moving into them. They measure 50” wide, 20” deep and nearly 8’ tall, and each represents the home for a category of tools or supplies: electrical, plumbing, carpentry, fasteners, power tools, safety gear and miscellaneous hardware. With our tools up off the floor, we now have spaces around the perimeter for the table and miter saws, along with the drill press, benders, welder and plasma cutter. And the interior of the workshop is wide open. I can’t wait to tackle a project.

Jan thinks we’ll have to move it all out to make room for seating during the farm harvest party, but I think it will lend authenticity to the festivities. Come see it for yourself on the weekend of August 25-26 when we open our farm to our CSA membership (more details to come next week). We’ll set a place at the workbench for you.

Best wishes, Ted

Beets in the Beet

This newsletter's namesake vegetable has been popping up in our shares lately! Here's a deliciously spicy recipe for beets from Melissa Clark in the NYT. Serves 2-3.

Roasted Beets With Chiles, Ginger, Yogurt and Indian Spices

1 ¾  pounds beets; a mix of red, yellow and chiogga is nice
2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½  teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
Pepper, to taste
½  teaspoon black mustard seeds
½  teaspoon coriander seeds
½  teaspoon cumin seeds
1  fat garlic clove, finely chopped
⅓  cup plain Greek yogurt
½  jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1  teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1  teaspoon lime juice, more to taste
2  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Pomegranate seeds for garnish, optional

Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the beets and cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss with the oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, then sprinkle with mustard seeds, coriander and cumin and roast until the beets are tender, about 15 minutes more.

Step 2
While the beets roast, prepare the dressing: using the side of a knife or mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Place yogurt in a bowl; whisk in garlic paste, jalapeño, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lime juice. Whisk in the cilantro.

Step 3
Scrape the warm beets into a large bowl. Stir in the dressing and pomegranate seeds, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

cookbooks.jpg

Coming Soon: Cookbook Swap

Got more cookbooks than you know what to do with? Stay tuned for the great CHCSA cookbook swap, coming your way in September!

We'll be running an exchange table at the weekly pick-up, where you can donate cookbooks you no longer want, and pick up new ones courtesy of your fellow CSA members...

More details to follow soon! 

 

 

Veronica