Kale Chips with Cashews
Kale Chips with Cashews

As l look over the produce, when we bring in the harvest for our CSA Pick-Ups, some of my favourite recipes come to mind. The leeks of course call out for Leek and Potato Soup. Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad are another winner on my list. The Kale coupled with ripe peppers, fresh garlic, and cashews make deluxe Kale ChipsEGGPLANT PARMAGIANA recipe from Lynn Selway is easy and delicious. I have reposted the recipes below.CSA Shares Assembled  on Tuesday

CSA Shares Assembled on Tuesday

Our second cut hay is gradually filling up the barn. Hopefully, we will get the field, that Ken is tedding right now, in the barn before the next rains. We bent over the tops of the bulk of our onion crop last week to begin the curing process and we will gather them up soon. The melons and sweet corn harvest should finish up this week, but the fall raspberries and sweet peppers have begun. Our outdoor tomatoes are starting to ripen and the heirloom varieties make a nice addition to the pick-ups not to mention their exceptional flavour. We dug another row of potatoes last week and will dig the entire field for storage soon.

CSA Member Jim Conrad -Thanks for All your Help this Season!
CSA Member Jim Conrad -Thanks for All your Help this Season!

CSA member Jim Conrad has been helping us out throughout the season and has given us a boost from planting to weeding to harvest. Not to mention all the row cover handling in the spring! We are very grateful for all his efforts. The interns have enjoyed his support and company as well.

 

Melon Harvest Fun
Melon Harvest Fun
Jayme with Her Over-Hand Throw
Jayme with Her Over-Hand Throw

Leek and Potato Soup by Jill Wilcox
Ingredients
1 lb. leeks (about 3 medium)
3 tbsp butter
1 cooking onion, chopped
1 rib celery, finely sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3c water, chicken or veg. stock
2c milk or cream
chopped chives for garnish
To make the soup
1. trim the coarse green portion of the leeks. Cut leeks in half lengthwise, leaving the bulb end intact and clean well under running water. Shake off excess moisture and slice the leeks thinly, discarding the root end when you get to it.
2. In a stock pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the leeks, onion and celery about 5 minutes until soft.
3. Add the potatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. Add the milk (or cream) and return to a bare simmer. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. (You can puree the soup with an immersion blender at this stage if you wish or pass it through a food mill.)


KALE CHIPS with Cashews

Blend together in food processor:

1  Red Pepper (I use frozen ones from the summer).

1  Cup Cashews

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Tamari Sauce (you can use soy sauce)

2  Cloves Garlic (crushed first)

1  Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast (optional)

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

6  Cups of firmly packed Kale (tare bit size pieces of kale off  of the center stem and discard stem).

Massage the above mixture onto the kale.

Spread on a 2 cookie sheets and dry in a slow oven until crisp. You can even turn the oven off after it has warmed up and then turn it on again every hour just enough to warm up. You don’t want to cook the kale, just dehydrate it. I use my dehydrator, but not everyone has one.

ROASTED BEET – ARUGULA SALAD

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons onions thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 medium beets, cooked and quartered or (sliced in 2 inch pieces for Cylindra)
  • 6 cups fresh arugula
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
  • 3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the vinegar, onions, and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place the beets on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the beets are slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Toss the arugula, walnuts, and cranberries in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the salad atop 4 plates. Arrange the beets around the salad. Sprinkle with goat cheese, and serve.

EGGPLANT PARMAGIANA

Recipe from Lynn Selway: Easy and delicious.

1 eggplant
1 egg beaten
sea salt
parmesan cheese
pasta sauce (we like it spiced with basil, spinach and romano)
mozzarella or cheddar cheese grated

Slice eggplant into thin slices and lay them on papertowels. Sprinkle salt on top and let sit for about 15 min to bring out the moisture. Pat dry. Dip slices in beaten egg and coat with parmesan cheese on both sides. Bake slices in oven on cookie sheet approx 15-20 min at 350 til tender – turning to brown on both sides.

Layer in casserole dish eggplant, pasta sauce and grated cheese and repeat until all eggplant is used. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Cover and bake approx 20 min-1/2 hour until hot and bubbling. Serve immediately and enjoy!!

IMG_1038August continues to be a busy farming month. It has brought out the horse drawn potato digger pulled by a four horse team, which sure saves a lot of forking by hand! We still have to gather the potatoes up on our hands and knees. I guess the next step would be to attach some sort of bagger behind the digger…We have been working around the weather and managed to get the garden weeded again and two fields of second cut hay in the barn. Ken brought out our old combine ready to harvest spelt and found the radiator had a leak. It has now been over a week while we waited for the repair job. Then Ken discovered a nut and bolt that needed to be replaced on one of the wheels. It is an odd size and he has been trying to track down a replacement. Fingers crossed that it will be found this morning and he can start the harvest. However, thunderstorms are in the forecast for this afternoon in our area. This morning the apprentices are discing in our buckwheat cover crops. Sometimes I feel like I need to just run around with a camera all day taking pictures of all the different activities that are taking place simultaneously.

Charlotte Riding Ned for the First Time
Charlotte Riding Ned for the First Time

Charlotte dug out an old saddle and asked if she could try riding Ned. One afternoon, Ken tried out the saddle and although Ned didn’t really object to having Ken on his back, he refused to move. (We question whether he had ever been ridden in his life before.) Charlotte then got on and with her experienced ridding confidence got him to start moving. Old Ned managed a small buck in objection, but did respond and was trotting around the front yard with Charlotte on his back before long. The joyous smile on Charlotte’s face was heart warming to see.

Jayme's Blueberry Pie
Jayme’s Blueberry Pie

 

We have been enjoying the fruits of our labours with meals prepared by everyone on their cooking day. Jayme out did herself making two blueberry pies which were works of art. The tomatoes, melons and sweet corn continue to be a big hit. Our green beans have been out producing themselves this season and we have tired a delicious new recipe provided by CSA  member Maria Drangova.

FRIED GREEN BEANS AND GARLIC

Saute four cloves of finely chopped garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil until they start to turn golden brown around the edges.

Add 4 cups chopped up Green Beans. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 – 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.

Uncover, stir and cook until the pan juices start to caramelize. Serve warm. Oh so good…

Amounts can be adjusted depending on number of servings desired.

Catlin and Charlotte Getting Ready to Head up to the House for Lunch
Catlin and Charlotte Getting Ready to Head up to the House for Lunch
Four Horses Abreast - All Ears Waiting for Instruction
Four Horses Abreast – All Ears Waiting for Instruction
Caitlin Bringing Team to up After Cultimulching Next Year's Garden
Caitlin Bringing Team to up After Cultimulching Next Year’s Garden
Potato Digger in Action  Photo Credit: Brandon Wickes
Potato Digger in Action
Photo Credit: Brandon Wickes
Another of Jayme's Pies
Another of Jayme’s Pies
Fall Crops Growing, Weeded and Growing Well
Fall Crops Growing, Weeded and Growing Well

Jayme and Caesar Relaxing after Gathering in the Garlic
Jayme and Caesar Relaxing after Gathering in the Garlic

The garlic was harvested between the rains last week. It went off without a hitch with our Suffolk Punch Horses plowing out the garlic with the riding plow. It has now all been hung up to cure to be used for the rest of the year. We will use some for seed in October when we plant next year’s crop. We have been enjoying the pungency of the fresh garlic to enhance our meals.

All the rain has meant that the garden is growing well. We picked our first sweet corn yesterday for the Tuesday CSA members and the cobs are full and very tasty. With GMO sweet corn on the market, it is nice to be able to offer beautiful organically grown sweet corn to our members. The earliest variety we grow is called, Luscious, and it lives up to its name.  The outdoor tomatoes are starting and we had our first melon on Monday. I am hoping that the squash comes along. The plants don’t seem as strong as usual this year, but they still have time to grow. The fall seeding and transplanting is just about all finished and the rain has been good for getting those crops off to a good start. Now we are hoping for some sunshine so we can concentrate on 2nd cut hay and the delayed spelt harvest.

Caitlin Plowing out the Garlic
Caitlin Plowing out the Garlic
Jayme Plowing out Garlic
Jayme Plowing out Garlic