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Harvest Week 9 - July 29, 2010
Week 9 Newsletter
7/29/2010 11:30am by Gary Brever
Harvest Week 9 - July 29, 2010
| This Week's Share * Garlic * Beans * Carrots * Potatoes * Salad Mix * Cilantro * Cucumbers * Broccoli * Dill * Onions * Zucchini * Cabbage (regular and heart of the season shares) * Dandelion Greens (regular and heart of the season shares) * Eggplant, tomatoes or peppers (regular and heart of the season shares) |
|
A note from your farmer...
This Week’s Box
This week’s box has many of the “classic” vegetables that many of you have been waiting all
summer for. This week we picked a thousand pounds each of potatoes, summer squash and cucumbers. In addition we picked around 400 pounds of beans. This week will be the last week for a while that we will have salad mix. During the heat of summer, the salad mix is difficult to germinate and tends to get bitter quickly out in the field. So it goes on a little 3 week vacation and we should see some again by late August. The Regular and Heart of the Season shares will either be receiving a pepper, tomatoes, or eggplant. These plants are slowing coming into fruit. Every week for the next month there will be an increase of these items in the share boxes.
This week’s activities—
Thursday we started harvesting 3 out of our 5 beds of garlic. It was definitely one of our biggest harvests of garlic ever. In particular, it seems that we have mastered our system of fertility with garlic to grow big heads. The first step in planting garlic is when we started preparing the field that the garlic grew in. This occurred last July when we planted buckwheat. Buckwheat is a cover crop that grows very quickly in the summer time. The buckwheat adds about 2-3 tons of organic matter per acre in as little time as 40 days. Buckwheat is also a phosphorus scavenger, making available this nutrient that would otherwise be unavailable to other crops such as garlic. Before the plant puts out flowers we then disc the crop down. By doing so, buckwheat releases these nutrients to other crops as the residue breaks down.
The next step in the process of growing great garlic occurred last September when we tilled up the beds for garlic and then added compost. The garlic itself was planted the last week of September. The garlic seed that we used came in part from last year’s harvest as well as garlic seed bulbs that we purchased. We used to grow 8 varieties of garlic, but now have settled with just one variety called “Music” which does very well for us. It is important to get the timing of the planting of garlic right. Too early and the plants would put on greens in the fall which would then freeze out. Too late and the garlic does not put on enough root growth before the MN freeze sets in.
We then mulch our garlic with alfalfa hay, placing about a foot layer of mulch on the beds. The mulch is especially important in those years where we have many subzero degree days and little snow. The mulch not only gives protection to the garlic from the cold but also keeps the soil temperature pretty consistent during warm autumns. During the fall and winter most of the garlic seed’s energy goes to root growth. Without the added layer of mulch the sun could warm up the soil too much, and the garlic would start to put on greens before winter which would then freeze out. This we do not want.
In April, right before the frost goes out of the ground we take the mulch off the garlic. Some people keep the mulch on, but we find that by taking it off sooner, we “wake up” the garlic earlier. With the mulch off, the sunny days of spring have a chance to warm up the soil sooner. With the mulch off we also have an opportunity to cultivate the garlic.
The spring is the time when the garlic’s energy goes to the greens of the plant. During this time we want to do as much as possible to care for these greens and make them get bigger. First and foremost this means keeping the weeds down by cultivating and hand weeding so that the plants aren’t competing for nutrients. We also add additional compost in the spring to the beds of garlic and we try to foilage feed the greens with a fish emulsion biweekly. In addition, it is crucial that garlic receives ample amount of water every week.
By early June we start reaping the benefits of our work. This comes in the form of the garlic scapes which you all received in your boxes earlier in the season. We “pop” these stems off before they have a chance to put out a false seed head. By doing so, the energy of the plant focuses its attention to the bulbs underground, sizing up to a marketable size.
From June until July we do very little with our crop of garlic. If we get a chance we will do additional weeding. However, many years we just do not have time and some of the weeds start growing. At this point in the plant’s growth the weeds have very little affect on the yield of the garlic. We wait until about 2/3 of the leaves of the garlic plant are brown before starting our harvest. The leaves on the top of the plant correspond with the skins on the bulb, and we need enough of the skins to be fully dry so that the garlic will store well for the winter.
We harvest our garlic by first coming in with an “under-cutter” which uproots the crops, enabling the plants to be easier to pull. We then scrape off the extra clumps of dirt which hang on the roots. The garlic plants will cure with the greens on for the next 3 weeks in our green house. This enables for the greens to fully die and so when we cut off the greens there is not an open wound that can become a vector for disease.
This week our members will get a taste (a bulb or two) of garlic. The garlic may also find its way into the regular CSA boxes later in the season. However, the bulk of our garlic will be going to our Fall Storage shares. I hope after you taste this garlic it will give you incentive to become a member of our fall storage shares. Please go to http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/members/updatemembership
Storage and Frozen Shares:
Now is the season that we are making plans for our Storage Share and Frozen Winter shares. The Storage Shares are a FANTASTIC bargain. You get a significant amount of produce for a very good value. If you are already a member to our regular CSA season just go to http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/members/updatemembership to sign up. If not, go to http://www.ploughsharefarm
We have a limited number of Storage and Frozen Winter shares available. You should reserve yours ASAP.
Fall Storage Share
This share will supply all the fall storage vegetables that your family will need for the months of October, November and December. We will deliver these shares October 15th, November 12th and December 10th. Each delivery will include 50-75 pounds of produce including potatoes, of carrots, onions, winter squash, cabbage, kale leeks, daikon radishes, beets, celeriac, rutabaga, turnips, brussels sprouts, garlic, and pie pumpkins.
These shares are a great option for saving money on meals especially during the holiday seasons. Most of these vegetables keep very well just in a heated garage (just above freezing) or a cool basement.
The price for the fall share is:
$278 for metro members
$231.75 for rural site members
There is a 3% discount for paying by check (use coupon code 4565)
Reminder:
If you sent a postdated check for the remainder of your share this will be cashed on August 1st. To check the current balance of your account go to http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/members/statusemail
Note: The August 1st, postdated checks will not yet be noted in our system.
Facebook
Reminder: Ploughshare Farm is on Facebook. Become a “Fan” of Ploughshare Farm by going here.
It’s a great way to catch additional pictures of the farm and the crew. We also list the vegetables (approximately) you will be receiving on the Monday before delivery. Suggest to your friends to become fans as well so that together we can help promote Ploughshare Farm.
Cookbooks
We highly recommend the cookbook, "From Asparagus to Zucchini" put out by the Madison Area CSA Coalition. It gives essential tips on how to use many of the typical vegetables you will be receiving in our CSA. I have gone ahead and ordered 75 of these books (even though only 30 of you bought one in advance). I hope they will be in for the next delivery. Go to our website to order online and receive yours. : http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/store/312 $18). At that time we will submit our order to the publisher and should receive copies in early July.
T-Shirts
We would like to get another order of Ploughshare Farm T-shirts. You can preorder your shirt at http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/store/312
Show the world that you are a Ploughshare CSA Member with this originally designed T-shirt. Made with Certified Organic cotton.
On the front: Ploughshare Logo
On th
e back: The act of putting into your mouth what the Earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the Earth." Francis Moore Lappe (Author of "Diet for a Small Planet")
Garlic
One of the most versatile and useful vegetables for amateur and professional cooks all over the world is garlic. With a taste that changes based on if or how it is cooked, garlic adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to dishes of all kinds. Store your garlic in a dark cool and dry spot and use before the head becomes soft and shriveled.
If you are using
more than a few cloves of garlic, you can make the peeling process easier by parboiling the cloves. Just simmer in enough water to cover the cloves for about 30 seconds and the skin will become loose, making peeling a cinch. For a clove or two, use the flat side of a chef's knife to smash the clove and the peel will be less work to remove. If you are roasting a whole head of garlic, peel the cloves after they have been roasted.
When cooking garlic, remember that once it begins to brown, the taste will turn bitter. Gently simmer in oil until it is darker in color and tender. Roasted garlic will get very tender and produce a lovely sweet taste. To roast, remove the loose papery outside of the head and cut off the pointed end. Cute enough of the head to expose a bit of each clove. Drizzle oil and sprinkle salt on the cut end. Line a small baking dish with tinfoil, place the garlic, cut side up, in the dish and cover with foil. Bake until soft (at least 40 minutes). The roasted garlic will make a great addition to any sauce or soup, pizza, gravy, or dressing. Or just spread it on toasted bread.
Lastly, if you love garlic but hate the odor it leaves on your hands, just rinse them and rub your fingers on any stainless steel surface (like your faucet or sink) and the smell will disappear!
Potatoes
A staple on most American tables, potatoes are a hearty and familiar part of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The variety this week is Yukon Gold, a classic all-purpose potato that tastes great mashed, fried, baked or anytime you want a starchy potato that doesn't fall apart too easily. The term “new potatoes” refers to potatoes dug before the plants have fully died. The skins of the potatoes are much more delicate. They will keep best in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
To bake the potatoes, they can be scrubbed placed right on the oven rack and baked at 425 degrees until a sharp knife can easily pierce the potato. For even more flavor, rub each potato with olive oil followed by salt. Top your baked potatoes with about anything you love, from butter or sour cream to bacon, hot sauce, cheese and other cooked veggies.
This week's potatoes will work perfectly for homemade hash browns. Shred the potatoes, along with one onion and, if you like, some cheese. Beat one egg and coat the shredded mixture. Season with pepper and mix in enough flour to coat the ingredients. Drop the mix by large spoonfuls in hot oil and carefully turn when browned on one side. When both sides are brown, place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
Recipes:
Roasted Cajun Potatoes
Broccoli with Garlic and Soy Sauce
Dandelion Greens with Hot Olive Oil Dressing
Dilled Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
This Week’s Box
This week’s box has many of the “classic” vegetables that many of you have been waiting all
summer for. This week we picked a thousand pounds each of potatoes, summer squash and cucumbers. In addition we picked around 400 pounds of beans. This week will be the last week for a while that we will have salad mix. During the heat of summer, the salad mix is difficult to germinate and tends to get bitter quickly out in the field. So it goes on a little 3 week vacation and we should see some again by late August. The Regular and Heart of the Season shares will either be receiving a pepper, tomatoes, or eggplant. These plants are slowing coming into fruit. Every week for the next month there will be an increase of these items in the share boxes.This week’s activities—
Thursday we started harvesting 3 out of our 5 beds of garlic. It was definitely one of our biggest harvests of garlic ever. In particular, it seems that we have mastered our system of fertility with garlic to grow big heads. The first step in planting garlic is when we started preparing the field that the garlic grew in. This occurred last July when we planted buckwheat. Buckwheat is a cover crop that grows very quickly in the summer time. The buckwheat adds about 2-3 tons of organic matter per acre in as little time as 40 days. Buckwheat is also a phosphorus scavenger, making available this nutrient that would otherwise be unavailable to other crops such as garlic. Before the plant puts out flowers we then disc the crop down. By doing so, buckwheat releases these nutrients to other crops as the residue breaks down.The next step in the process of growing great garlic occurred last September when we tilled up the beds for garlic and then added compost. The garlic itself was planted the last week of September. The garlic seed that we used came in part from last year’s harvest as well as garlic seed bulbs that we purchased. We used to grow 8 varieties of garlic, but now have settled with just one variety called “Music” which does very well for us. It is important to get the timing of the planting of garlic right. Too early and the plants would put on greens in the fall which would then freeze out. Too late and the garlic does not put on enough root growth before the MN freeze sets in.We then mulch our garlic with alfalfa hay, placing about a foot layer of mulch on the beds. The mulch is especially important in those years where we have many subzero degree days and little snow. The mulch not only gives protection to the garlic from the cold but also keeps the soil temperature pretty consistent during warm autumns. During the fall and winter most of the garlic seed’s energy goes to root growth. Without the added layer of mulch the sun could warm up the soil too much, and the garlic would start to put on greens before winter which would then freeze out. This we do not want.
In April, right before the frost goes out of the ground we take the mulch off the garlic. Some people keep the mulch on, but we find that by taking it off sooner, we “wake up” the garlic earlier. With the mulch off, the sunny days of spring have a chance to warm up the soil sooner. With the mulch off we also have an opportunity to cultivate the garlic.
The spring is the time when the garlic’s energy goes to the greens of the plant. During this time we want to do as much as possible to care for these greens and make them get bigger. First and foremost this means keeping the weeds down by cultivating and hand weeding so that the plants aren’t competing for nutrients. We also add additional compost in the spring to the beds of garlic and we try to foilage feed the greens with a fish emulsion biweekly. In addition, it is crucial that garlic receives ample amount of water every week.
By early June we start reaping the benefits of our work. This comes in the form of the garlic scapes which you all received in your boxes earlier in the season. We “pop” these stems off before they have a chance to put out a false seed head. By doing so, the energy of the plant focuses its attention to the bulbs underground, sizing up to a marketable size.
From June until July we do very little with our crop of garlic. If we get a chance we will do additional weeding. However, many years we just do not have time and some of the weeds start growing. At this point in the plant’s growth the weeds have very little affect on the yield of the garlic. We wait until about 2/3 of the leaves of the garlic plant are brown before starting our harvest. The leaves on the top of the plant correspond with the skins on the bulb, and we need enough of the skins to be fully dry so that the garlic will store well for the winter.
We harvest our garlic by first coming in with an “under-cutter” which uproots the crops, enabling the plants to be easier to pull. We then scrape off the extra clumps of dirt which hang on the roots. The garlic plants will cure with the greens on for the next 3 weeks in our green house. This enables for the greens to fully die and so when we cut off the greens there is not an open wound that can become a vector for disease.This week our members will get a taste (a bulb or two) of garlic. The garlic may also find its way into the regular CSA boxes later in the season. However, the bulk of our garlic will be going to our Fall Storage shares. I hope after you taste this garlic it will give you incentive to become a member of our fall storage shares. Please go to http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/members/updatemembership
Storage and Frozen Shares:
Now is the season that we are making plans for our Storage Share and Frozen Winter shares. The Storage Shares are a FANTASTIC bargain. You get a significant amount of produce for a very good value. If you are already a member to our regular CSA season just go to http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/members/updatemembership to sign up. If not, go to http://www.ploughsharefarm
We have a limited number of Storage and Frozen Winter shares available. You should reserve yours ASAP.
Fall Storage Share
This share will supply all the fall storage vegetables that your family will need for the months of October, November and December. We will deliver these shares October 15th, November 12th and December 10th. Each delivery will include 50-75 pounds of produce including potatoes, of carrots, onions, winter squash, cabbage, kale leeks, daikon radishes, beets, celeriac, rutabaga, turnips, brussels sprouts, garlic, and pie pumpkins.
These shares are a great option for saving money on meals especially during the holiday seasons. Most of these vegetables keep very well just in a heated garage (just above freezing) or a cool basement.
The price for the fall share is:
$278 for metro members
$231.75 for rural site members
There is a 3% discount for paying by check (use coupon code 4565)
Reminder:
If you sent a postdated check for the remainder of your share this will be cashed on August 1st. To check the current balance of your account go to http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/members/statusemail
Note: The August 1st, postdated checks will not yet be noted in our system.
Reminder: Ploughshare Farm is on Facebook. Become a “Fan” of Ploughshare Farm by going here. It’s a great way to catch additional pictures of the farm and the crew. We also list the vegetables (approximately) you will be receiving on the Monday before delivery. Suggest to your friends to become fans as well so that together we can help promote Ploughshare Farm.
Cookbooks
We highly recommend the cookbook, "From Asparagus to Zucchini" put out by the Madison Area CSA Coalition. It gives essential tips on how to use many of the typical vegetables you will be receiving in our CSA. I have gone ahead and ordered 75 of these books (even though only 30 of you bought one in advance). I hope they will be in for the next delivery. Go to our website to order online and receive yours. : http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/store/312 $18). At that time we will submit our order to the publisher and should receive copies in early July.T-Shirts
We would like to get another order of Ploughshare Farm T-shirts. You can preorder your shirt at http://www.ploughsharefarm.com/store/312Show the world that you are a Ploughshare CSA Member with this originally designed T-shirt. Made with Certified Organic cotton.
On the front: Ploughshare Logo
On th
e back: The act of putting into your mouth what the Earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the Earth." Francis Moore Lappe (Author of "Diet for a Small Planet")Garlic
One of the most versatile and useful vegetables for amateur and professional cooks all over the world is garlic. With a taste that changes based on if or how it is cooked, garlic adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to dishes of all kinds. Store your garlic in a dark cool and dry spot and use before the head becomes soft and shriveled.
If you are using
more than a few cloves of garlic, you can make the peeling process easier by parboiling the cloves. Just simmer in enough water to cover the cloves for about 30 seconds and the skin will become loose, making peeling a cinch. For a clove or two, use the flat side of a chef's knife to smash the clove and the peel will be less work to remove. If you are roasting a whole head of garlic, peel the cloves after they have been roasted. When cooking garlic, remember that once it begins to brown, the taste will turn bitter. Gently simmer in oil until it is darker in color and tender. Roasted garlic will get very tender and produce a lovely sweet taste. To roast, remove the loose papery outside of the head and cut off the pointed end. Cute enough of the head to expose a bit of each clove. Drizzle oil and sprinkle salt on the cut end. Line a small baking dish with tinfoil, place the garlic, cut side up, in the dish and cover with foil. Bake until soft (at least 40 minutes). The roasted garlic will make a great addition to any sauce or soup, pizza, gravy, or dressing. Or just spread it on toasted bread.
Lastly, if you love garlic but hate the odor it leaves on your hands, just rinse them and rub your fingers on any stainless steel surface (like your faucet or sink) and the smell will disappear!
Potatoes
A staple on most American tables, potatoes are a hearty and familiar part of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The variety this week is Yukon Gold, a classic all-purpose potato that tastes great mashed, fried, baked or anytime you want a starchy potato that doesn't fall apart too easily. The term “new potatoes” refers to potatoes dug before the plants have fully died. The skins of the potatoes are much more delicate. They will keep best in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. To bake the potatoes, they can be scrubbed placed right on the oven rack and baked at 425 degrees until a sharp knife can easily pierce the potato. For even more flavor, rub each potato with olive oil followed by salt. Top your baked potatoes with about anything you love, from butter or sour cream to bacon, hot sauce, cheese and other cooked veggies. This week's potatoes will work perfectly for homemade hash browns. Shred the potatoes, along with one onion and, if you like, some cheese. Beat one egg and coat the shredded mixture. Season with pepper and mix in enough flour to coat the ingredients. Drop the mix by large spoonfuls in hot oil and carefully turn when browned on one side. When both sides are brown, place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
Recipes:
Roasted Cajun Potatoes
Broccoli with Garlic and Soy Sauce
Dandelion Greens with Hot Olive Oil Dressing
Dilled Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
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