Weekly Abundance, Vol. 9-09

This Week’s Harvest

Sweet Basil

Chard

Yellow Crook Neck Squash

Golden Zucchini

Green Zucchini

Patty Pan Squash

Kestral Beets

Chioggia Beets

Golden Beets

Dry Farmed Early Girl Tomatoes

Cippollini Onions

Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

Cabbage

Also available from our friends at Heirloom Orchards, blue berries and first of the season Apricots.  If you’ve eaten store bought apricots before and found them wanting, be prepared for a taste sensation.  These are tree ripened fruits.  Not those blobs picked green and ripened in a gas chamber.

Upcoming Events

This Sunday, August 9, is our Annual Berry Picking event.  We will begin with a potluck picnic under the trees at noon.  After we have eaten we will spread out around the farm to pick blackberries.

Last year, we had copious amounts of blackberries.  This year’s harvest will not be as bountiful.  The hot weather withered many of the berries before they had a chance to ripen.  There are certainly enough berries for every one to take home a couple of baskets.   But, if you are looking for sufficient quantities to make a big batch of jam you will need to pick elsewhere too.

Please bring a blanket to sit on, a potluck dish to share, and your plates, cups, and utensils for the picnic and containers for your berries.  Artisan Organics will provide Iced Tea, Lemonade, and hard boiled eggs from our very own hens.   Please RSVP so I know how many eggs to boil.

We will harvest blackberries from several areas of the farm.  Some are quite easy to access and are appropriate for the youngest pickers.  Others require long pants and an adventurous spirit.  You won’t find as many berries along this route but you will get to see the forested area of the land and our lovely little creek and irrigation pond.

Farm Life

The first harvest of the Dry Farmed, Early Girl Tomatoes is in.  They are wonderful!  As mentioned in a previous blog entry, we are trialing dry farming tomatoes in order to reduce our impact on the Tualatin River Watershed.  The early results are very promising.  Despite the recent hot weather, the yield is acceptable and the flavor is outstanding.

We’ve also had other “firsts” this week.  Our first eggs!  The hens have finally begun laying.  The eggs are infrequent and tiny.  We will hard boil them for the picnic so that you can sample them.    As soon as the eggs reach a reasonable size, we will begin offering them to you for purchase.

Our harvest this week reflects what is meant when we talk about sharing the risk of farming with the farmer.  Both the Chard and Cabbage are cosmetically affected by insect damage, the result of bugs that like hot, dusty weather.

If we were growing for the wholesale market, even the Organic wholesale market, these crops would be considered unsalable, despite the fact that they are still quit edible.  The farmer would have to till them in and absorb the loss.    In our case though, you help cushion the loss by using them in recipes that don’t require an attractive presentation.

Believe it our not, we have completed one third of our season already.  It seems to me that we just began yesterday.  The time is flying by.  It is August already and I am immersed in planning for the winter shares.  This week, we plant the cabbage that you will find in your share in December.  I hope you are happy with your veggies so far.

Veggie of the Week

Some of you have asked why you are getting so much Parsley.  The answer is, “Because this is the time of year  parsley grows”.   Come winter, when you are using the dried parsley to flavor your soups and stews, you will wonder how you ever tired of it.

But… if you are finding that you are receiving the parsley faster than you can dry it, don’t forget that it can be used fresh too.  I particularly like to chop up the  leaves and sauté them with my chard and beet greens.  It really brightens up the flavor of the greens.

And, parsley makes great pesto.  If you don’t believe me try this simple recipe for Linguini with Parsley Pesto from Cooks.com

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,178,155167-239201,00.html

Weekly Abundance, Vol. 8-09

July 29 2009 Harvest

Weekly Harvest

Basil

Parsley

Summer Squash

Broccoli

Scallions

Garlic

Beats

Chard

Farm Life

It is hot!  We are expecting it to be over 100 at the farm every day this week.  We are compensating by beginning our work day earlier in the morning, drinking lots of fluids, and wearing wide brimmed hats.  Still, it is HOT!

This week, we said goodbye to my grand daughter, Amber.    She has gone back to Idaho to have some time to hang out with friends before school starts.  It has been wonderful to have her with me the past six weeks.  I miss her already.

The farm is clearly making the transition from cool season crops to warm ones.  This week, we harvested the last of the broccoli.  There will be no more until the fall.  On the same day, we harvested the first of our Dry Farmed tomatoes.  There were not enough of them to market so you will not see them at the stand or in your CSA shares.  However, it is a harbinger of things to come.

What are Dry Farmed tomatoes?  These are tomatoes that have been grown with out any irrigation beyond what they received the day they were transplanted.  Only a few varieties of tomatoes can be grown using this method, and then only under certain growing conditions.

There are two main benefits of dry farming.  The first is that it produces a much more flavorful tomato.  The second is that one uses much less water to do it.  The principle draw backs to dry farming are that it takes more space because the plants have to be further apart, and it significantly reduces yield.

Artisan Organics decided to trial dry farming tomatoes this year because of our concern about the amount of water we draw from Gordon Creek.   If this year’s trial goes well, we will expand our experiment next year to include additional tomato varieties and a variety or two of potatoes.

Red Chesnok Garlic

Veggie of the Week

Over the last few weeks, we have harvested all of our garlic.  Garlic is planted in the fall, traditionally on Halloween, and harvested the next summer.  (See the Calendar of Events for details about our Garlic Planting Event on Nov. 1)

There are three main types of garlic: elephant, hard neck, and soft neck.  Artisan Organics grew the latter two.  We used the soft neck garlic, California Early, to make our garlic braids earlier this month.  (See the blog entry for July 19 for photos.)

Hard neck and soft neck garlic’s differ in the amount of time they can be stored.  Hard necks are considered short keepers, soft necks are long ones.  Consequently, Artisan Organics will have our hard neck garlic available first.  When it is gone, wewill switch to our soft necks.

This week we are featuring Red Chesnok Garlic.  A fairly well adapted variety from the former USSR, this flavorful garlic is nice and full, but with a mellow aftertaste. While it does not store as well as some others (maximum holding time is about 6 months), the intense flavor that remains even when cooked more than makes up for it.

Weekly Abundance, Vol 6-09

Weekly Harvest

Beets – Chioggia, Golden or Kestral

Broccoli

Cabbage

Fennel

Summer Squash – Yellow Crook Neck, Green and Golden Zucchini

Red Torpedo Bottle Onions

Scallions

Lettuce – Butterking and Red Buttterhead

Parsley

New Potatoes – mixed varieties

Farm Life

You will find that your parsley keeps best if you treat it like cut flowers and put it in a vase of water out of direct sunlight.  If you are unable to use all your parsley, you may dry it for later use.

We are trialing several types of onions this year.  As mentioned in last weeks post, onions get much of their flavor from the soil where they are grown.  Consequently we are growing multiplevarieties so that we can identify those that produce the best flavor in our soil.  Last week, you sampled a sweet onion… the same variety used to grow the famous Walla Walla Sweets.  You will get a chance to sample this onion again in the coming weeks.

We are tasting Red Torpedo Bottle onions this week.  Red Torpedoes are considered a Pungent Sweet onion.  They do not dry well so are not used as a long term storage onion.   An easy way to cook them is to baste them in olive oil then cook them on the grill.  The green leaves make a convenient “handle” for turning them.  Unfortunately, we had significant germination problems with this onion so you will not get a second chance to try them.  Be sure to let me know what you think.  Should we grow this onion again next year?

Several people have asked about eggs.  We are asking the chickens the same question, “Where are the eggs?”  So far, the chickens haven’t answered.  So…. we wait and watch.  We will certainly let you know when there are eggs available.

However, there is still chicken available for sale for only $3.75/lb. This price is a bargain.  The last time I visited the Beaverton Farmer’s Market, chickens raised using methods similar to ours were selling for $5.00/lb.  Our pre-cut birds are particularly convenient for grilling and broiling.

Fennel

Featured Veggie of the Week

Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet, adding a refreshing contribution to the ever popular Mediterranean cuisine. Fennel is composed of a white or pale green bulb from which closely superimposed stalks are arranged. The stalks are topped with feathery green leaves near which flowers grow and produce fennel seeds. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family and is therefore closely related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.

Fennel is very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.  If you would like to increase the Vitamin C content even more, try this salad which uses both your fennel bulbs and your Red Torpedo Onions.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fennel-and-red-onion-salad-with-parmesan

Or, follow this link for a  simple recipe for baked fennel.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Fennel-with-Parmesan/Detail.aspx

Weekly Abundance, Vol. 5 -09

Share Contents

Weekly Harvest

Baby Summer Squash

Chard

Lettuce

Radishes

Beets

Walla Walla Sweet type spring onions

Parsley

Farm Life

The first of the garlic harvest is in.  The California Early soft neck garlic bulbs are cleaned and laid out in the Propagation House to dry.   This is the garlic we will braid at our upcoming party on the 19^th.  Next we will harvest the hard neck garlic, followed shortly by onions.  The last of the alium family to be harvested will be the winter storage onions.  These will be dried and put away so that you can receive them in your shares in November and December.

Speaking of garlic,  don’t forget the party coming up on July 19th.  We will begin with a Pot Luck picnic at noon then learn to braid garlic beginning at 2:00. For more details, please see the Schedule of Events page.  Please RSVP so that I know how much Ice Tea and Lemonde to make.  And don’t forget that you are coming to the farm where there is no kitchen.  This means there will be no microwave, stove or even plates and cups, so bring everything you need to sit down to eat, including  chairs. (The first garlic braid is free for CSA shareholders.  All others will be $1.50/head of garlic used in the braid).

And, speaking of aliums.  The onions we harvested this week are the same variety used to grow the famous Walla Walla onions.  But… they won’t taste just like a Walla Walla.  This is because the flavor of onions is dependent on the characteristics of the soil they are grown in.  So… our onions will taste like “Hillsboro Hillsboro”, or to be more specific “Aloha Silt Loam, Aloha Silt Loam” as that is our soil type.

Artisan Organics has a new intern, Ian Hensel.  Ian will spend the next month with us learning about farming in general and CSA’s in particular.  As part of his learning experience, Ian will visit each of the pick up sites and the Farm Stand so you will get a chance to welcome him to our community.

Golden Beets

Featured Veggie of the Week

Beets originated in the Mediterranean region, where the Romans ate their greens. By the end of the Middle Ages, strains of Beta vulgaris bred for swollen, edible taproots had spread through Europe and entered the cuisine. Over the next few centuries, farmers developed a type with huge roots of 20 pounds or more — known in German as mangel-wurzel, or “scarcity root” — which was fed to livestock, as well as the sugar beet that is now a major crop in many countries.  Another variation went the other way: Swiss chard is a kind of Beta vulgaris grown for its colorfully veined, tasty leaves.

Beets come in many colors; white, red, yellow, and even stripped.  At Artisan Organics, we don’t grow white beets but we do all of the others.

If you only know beets as canned additions to a salad bar, fresh ones roasted in the oven can be a revelation.  And don’t forget that the greens are edible too.  The link below will lead you to a tasty recipe that uses both the roots and the greens to create two side dishes.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Beets-and-Sauteed-Beet-Greens/Detail.aspx

Weekly Abundance – Vol. 4-09

This Week’s Harvest

Cabbage

Broccoli

Beets

Radishes

Scallions

Rainbow Chard

Romaine, Buttercrunch and Simpson Black Seeded Lettuces

Farm Life

Nathan with Lucy Marie

The most exciting thing on the farm this week was the birth of my co-worker Nathan’s baby girl.  She was born in their home at the farm on Tuesday, June 23 after only 4.5 hours of labor.  Mom and baby Lucy Marie Miller are happy, healthy and doing well.

While Nathan has been off for the week enjoying his new daughter, we have been hard at work getting the summer crops planted.  We are rushing to complete this for two reasons.

First, the plants are ready to go in to the ground…. and in a few cases, past ready.

Second, we must have the Propagation House emptied  by Monday when we begin harvesting the soft neck garlic.

Immediately after harvest, the garlic is laid out in a cool dry environment to dry.  We will pull the shade cloth over the Propagation House in order to cool it off, then lay the garlic out in nice neat rows.   There is even a specific pattern we will use to lay it out to dry so that we  maximize the space and the air flow and minimize the light exposure.

Once the garlic is dry, it will either be braided on July 19th (please see the Schedule of Events page in the right column for invitation information) or gathered in bunches to be stored for the winter.

The above deadlines are an example of the complex systems on the farm.  Often we find that one thing must be completed by a certain time in order for the next thing to occur.  Sometimes the “time” is dictated by the calendar.  Sometimes it is dictated by the weather, and other times by the particular growth pattern of a particular crop.

Featured Veggie of the Week

This week we will actually feature two veggies… cabbage and beets… since both are appearing in your share for the first time.

Farao F-1 Cabbage

The cabbage in your share this week is called Farao F-1.  (The F-1 indicates it is an hybrid).  It was developed to produce small compact heads in about two months.

Have you ever looked at the cabbage in the grocery store and wondered what to do with it?  Now is the time to learn.  They are a wonderfully flexible member of the brassica family.  You can eat them raw  in Cole Slaw or cook them in multiple ways with minimal preparation. Cabbage  is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin A, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.  The following link is a recipe for Colcannon, and Irish potato and cabbage dish.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/colcannon.html

Beet roots are one of the few items you will find in your share that are truly not edible raw.  While they are not poisonous, the root will leave your throat feeling as though you’ve just swallowed sand paper.  The tops do not have that effect, but are much tastier if they are cooked.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I particularly enjoy Beet Salad.  The recipe below is particularly nice.  Just substitute the leaf lettuce included in your share for the baby lettuce called for in the recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beet-Salad-with-Goat-Cheese/Detail.aspx

Weekly Abundance, Volume 3-09

This Week's Harvest

This Weeks Harvest

Buttercrunch Lettuce

Broccoli

Silverado Chard

Scallions/Green Onions

Garlic Scapes

Mizuna

Farm Life

Now that the season is well under way, the farm is beginning to fall in to a pattern of harvest days, share delivery days, Farm Stand days and Farmer’s Market days, weeding days, and organizing and planning days.  It feels good to have a routine.   Many of these activities really need more days, especially the weeding.  But, that’s the way it is with farming.  One never really feels caught up.

You may remember when you ordered your chicken that I said that the next batch of birds would be available the first week of July.  The birds are putting on weight more slowly than anticipated so they will not be ready until July 21st.  Not to worry though, there are still some chickens left in the freezer.  If you are running out, just let me know how many birds you would like and I will have them available at your preferred pick up site.

Garlic Braids

Our next farm event is coming up soon so mark your calendars.  On July 19 there will be a Potluck Picnic and Garlic Braiding from noon until 4:00pm.

From noon until 2:00, spread out your picnic blanket, mingle with other members of the Artisan Organics community of eaters, and enjoy a fine potluck.  Please bring your own re-usable plates, cups, utensils, etc. and a dish to share.  Artisan Organics will provide fresh drinking water and lemonade.

Beginning at 2:00pm, we will learn to make garlic braids.     If you can braid hair, you can braid garlic!  For CSA shareholders, the first garlic braid is free.  Additional braids are $1.50/head of garlic.  Garlic braids make great, edible gifts so plan ahead for Christmas and birthdays.

In preparation for this event, we will begin harvesting the garlic on July 6.  You are welcome to join us.  People of all ages can participate in this task.

Garlic Scapes

Featured Veggie of the Week

What are those curly green things?  They are garlic scapes, the flower stalk from hard neck garlic.  Cutting them from the garlic plant helps assure a well formed head of garlic and gives you something luscious to eat as well.  Marinate them in balsamic vinegar for about an hour then cook them on the grill.  They are fabulous with grilled chicken and a big green salad.  Or, substitute the scapes for the leeks in your favorite Potato Leek Soup recipe.  As my grand daughter says “it tastes like garlic mashed potatoes with cream added”.

Weekly Abundance, Volume 2

Rainbow Chard

This Week’s Harvest

Rainbow Chard

Mizuna

Kohlrabi

Fennel

Romaine Lettuce

Scallions

Broccoli

Pok Choi

Farm Life

Amber and Tiger

The best thing that happened this week was the arrival of my 13 year old grand daughter, Amber.  I have been looking forward to her visit for months.  Last summer, she spent two weeks helping me out at the farm.  This year, she is my official “intern” and will be here all summer long.  She is a delight to have around.

Along with Amber came our new, high tech, rodent control device named Tiger.  Both are shown in the photo to the left.

Yesterday morning as I was showing Amber all the changes around the farm, we came across a young red tail hawk at the bottom of our deer fence.  The fence is ten feet high and made of bird netting.  The hawk seemed to have caught itself a tasty squirrel, then flown right in to the netting.  Fortunately, it wasn’t injured, nor was it particularly tangled.  It just couldn’t figure out how to get out of the predicament it was in.

We cut the netting all the way around the bird to make a big enough hole for it to pass through.   As soon as we moved a safe distance away, the bird walked through the hole and flew away.  Unfortunately, it forgot its squirrel.

The bird netting already has lots of holographic tape tied to it so that birds can see the fence and avoid it.  We will tie more higher up on the fence to keep this from happening again.

Last week, several of you asked what kohlrabi tastes like.  Generally, when I am asked that  question I quote the description in the seed catalog under the assumption that they are better able to describe their product than I am.  So, I told you that the kohlrabi tasted like a blend of broccoli and pineapple.  But, when I cooked it myself this week I didn’t find that to be the case at all.  I though it tasted like a blend of broccoli and radish.  What did you think?

I remember this same variety of kohlrabi being much sweeter last year.  Perhaps the flavor has changed because it has been warmer this year?  Or, maybe it has something to do with my having increased the nitrogen content of the soil.  Either way, I am going to sow another batch so that we can try it again and compare the flavors.

Mizuna

Featured Veggie of the Week

This week’s featured vegetable is Mizuna.  Mizuna is a mustard so has a bit of a bite when eaten raw.  It is frequently included in braising mixes.  I prefer to cook it with other greens.  One of my favorite dishes is to sauté a bunch of what ever greens are available and serve them over baked polenta.  For some extra flavor, add a little ham to the greens while they are cooking.

If you prefer to work from a recipe rather than a general description, try the recipe at the link below using a combination of chard and mizuna.

http://www.noblefoodsfarm.com/GreensGuide/mustard.htm

(Note: This recipe is from the web site of “Noble Foods Farm”, a CSA in Boise, Idaho.)

Weekly Harvest

Fennel

This Week’s Harvest

Sugar Snap Peas – Sweet green peas with an edible pod.  So good they don’t need cooking.

Chard – Colorful Rainbow Chard.  Great in a stir fry.

Fennel -  Also known as “Anise”, fennel goes particularly well with salmon.

Lettuce – Simpson Black Seeded Lettuce.  A beautiful curly, light green, loose leaf lettuce.

Kohlrabi – See “Veggie of the Week” below for kohlrabi ideas.

Scallions – Chop them in with your lettuce for a great salad.  Also great in omelets.

Mizuna – Available for CSA shareholders only.

Pok Choi – Available for CSA shareholders only.

Mt. Hood Strawberries – Available at the Farm Stand only.

Farm Life

The remaining meat chickens were taken to the butcher’s yesterday.  They returned today all cleaned up and dressed in neat little packages.  The whole birds are in bags and the cut birds are on Styrofoam trays.  If you have reserved birds, they will be ready and waiting for you at the site you designated when you reserved the birds.

If you have not yet made a reservation but would like some chicken, please let me know via e-mail, Florence@ArtisanOrganics.net.  The birds are $3.75/lb.  There is an additional $1.50 charge for cut birds.

In your e-mail please let me know where you would like to pick up your chicken; the Beaverton Farmers Market on Saturdays, at the farm on Wed. afternoons, or at your CSA pick up site on Thursday.  I also need to know how many birds you want, whether you want them whole or cut up, and an approximate size (small, medium, or large).

The next batch of birds will not be ready until early July so be sure you order enough chicken to get you through until then.

In the last week, we have also been working on the refrigeration unit for the walk in cooler.  We completed installing it on Sunday and it worked great… until today.  It looks like some of the parts have malfunctioned and need to be returned.  Hopefully, we can get that done in the morning.

Meanwhile, I have been grateful for the little bit of rain we had the last few days.  Some of the critical parts for the irrigation system are on back order, which means the plants in the back field are not getting watered.  Every time I get anxious about it, I remind myself that these plants have been in the ground for some time now and have a well developed root system.  I checked on them this morning and was reassured to see that they are indeed fine.  Still, I will be glad when the parts arrive and we can get the irrigation system up and running.

Veggie of the Week

Kohlrabi

Our featured vegetable this week is kohlrabi.  Kohlrabi is a relative of broccoli.  Just peel and eat.  It is great raw as a snack, or in salads.  If you prefer, you may also cook it the same way you enjoy broccoli.  Or, try it on the grill.  Just peel, cut in to strips, coat with a little light oil to keep it from sticking, and put it on the grill.  Enjoy!

Bees and Thunderstorms

Bee Swarm

Nathan Calls the Tualatin Valley Bee Keepers Association

Bee Swarm

A much better, and more interesting, day today.  First, my step-daughter graduated from Medical School at OHSU.  Yea Ashley!

After the graduation ceremony I arrived at the farm to find our volunteer, Sam, staring up in to one of our old apple trees.  I followed his gaze to see a swarm of bees!

According to my co-worker, Nathan,  (See the Nathan’s Bees page) bee colonies sometimes leave their hives to look for a more ameniable home.  When they do, the majority of the hive will congregate in one location while others go in search of a new home.   Once a new home is located, usually in just a few hours, the whole colony will lift off and fly to the new location.

While the colony waits for their new “address”, they must conserve energy for the hive building activities to come.  During this time they are very docile, which make it a good time to catch the hive and move it to a desired location.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a hive set up and ready for them to move in too.  If only we had known they were coming, we would have been prepared!

After determining that they were indeed Honey Bees, Nathan called the Tualatin Valley Bee Keepers Association who sent some one right away.  The limb that the hive was resting on was cut from the tree and gently lowered to the ground.  From there is was transferred to a waiting box and driven to it’s new home.

Unfortunately, I was working in another field and missed most of the excitement so I am grateful to Sam for these pictures.

Bees and Thunderstorms

Bee Swarm in the Apple Tree

Nathan calls the TV Bee Keepers Association

Bee Swarm after being lowered from the tree

A much better, and more interesting, day.  First, my step-daughter graduated from Medical School at OHSU.  Yea Ashley!

After the graduation ceremony I arrived at the farm to find our volunteer, Sam, staring up in to one of our old apple trees.  I followed his gaze to see a swarm of bees!

According to my co-worker, Nathan, (See the Nathan’s Bees page) bee colonies sometimes leave their hives to look for a more amenable home.  When they do, the majority of the hive will congregate in one location while others go in search of a new home.   Once a new home is located, usually in just a few hours, the whole colony will lift off and fly to the new location.

While the colony waits for their new “address”, they must conserve energy for the hive building activities to come.  During this time they are very docile, which make it a good time to catch the hive and move it to a desired location.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a hive set up and ready for move in day.  If only we had known they were coming, we would have been prepared!

After determining that they were indeed Honey Bees, Nathan called the Tualatin Valley Bee Keepers Association who sent some one right away.  The limb that the hive was resting on was cut from the tree and gently lowered to the ground.  From there is was transferred to a waiting box and driven to its new home.

Unfortunately, I was working in another field and missed most of the excitement.  I am grateful to Sam for these pictures.

The afternoon brought a major thunderstorm, with an accompanying twister.  I didn’t have a camera with me so couldn’t get pictures.  Fortunately, we didn’t have any significant damage, just a few branches and some of the dear fencing came down.  Still it is amazing, and frightening, to see how much power the wind can have.  I can only imagine what a real tornado is like.