Notes from the Farm

Plenty of sun and plenty of rain are helping to provide heavy haul of cucumbers, zucchini and mixed summer squash this week. Get ready to make some zucchini bread and make pickles if those are things you like to do in the kitchen. With summer fully upon us, other heat loving crops are picking up their growth and fruit formation.
The tomatoes in our high tunnels have lots of green globes hanging, with a few that started to ripen late last week. You can see one red tomato here in the picture. We’ll harvest as many ripe tomatoes as we can this week and hope to have enough to offer them with the CSA distribution. Field tomatoes are beginning to set fruit, as are our cherry tomatoes for pick your own, but they are not yet ready for harvest.
Our planting of spring cabbages are coming in from the field this week. We have both napa cabbage and baby red cabbage for you this week. I recommend making some slaw and have included some recipe ideas for you to try below. Enjoy

Best,
Farmer Steve and our Farmers: Adam, Alyssa, Dan, Jalyn, Kelsey, Nikki, Sara, Shannon, TW and Tyler

In This Week’s Distribution
Our Harvest: Baby Red Cabbage and Napa Cabbage, Scallions, Cucumbers, Mixed Zucchini and Summer Squash, Lettuce, Kale
U-Pick: Closed this week; cherry tomatoes coming soon
Fruit Option: Blueberries

Know Your Farmers
There are many reasons why you might have signed up for our CSA this year, one of which might be that you want to know more about your food, including where it comes from, how it is grown, and who is growing it. Put simply, you want to know your food and know your farmer. We have an incredible team of farmers here working  to bring you a bounty of fresh, organic, delicious produce, and over the course of this CSA season, we’ll include a note about someone from the farm staff so that you can get to know your farmers.

My name is Daniel Seltzer. I am currently a senior at UConn where I am studying Communications and History. This is my 4th summer working on the farm. My favorite thing to grow (and eat) is watermelon and I love the kittens on the farm.

 

 

Recipes and Cooking Tips

Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw
adapted from Martha Rose Schulman NY Times

Ingredients
1 bunch kale stems removed and slivered
1.5 cups shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2-3 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 stem green garlic, white part only, minced
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
Place slivered kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss together and massage the kale for 3 or so minutes. Add the cabbage and walnuts to the kale and toss together. In a small measuring cup, combine all remaining ingredients. Whisk together and toss with the salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Napa Cabbage Slaw
from fullbellyfarm.com

Ingredients:
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Instructions
Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, oil, mayonnaise and soy sauce in a large bowl. Add the cabbage, carrots and scallions and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
¾ cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Creamy Dill Cucumber Toasties
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
½ cup mayonnaise
1 French baguette, cut into ½ inch thick circles
1 cucumber sliced
2 teaspoons dried dill weed

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, dressing mix and mayonnaise.
Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on a slice of bread, and top with a slice of cucumber. Sprinkle with dill. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Open Farm Days This Week
This Friday from 2:30-5:30pm we’ll be hosting our signature Open Farm Days in the Learning Garden, adjacent to the big red Dairy Barn. This is an experiential learning opportunity for kids in the garden. During these drop-in sessions, kids can experience a little of what it means to be a farmer – watering and weeding, harvesting vegetables, exploring bugs, digging in the dig bed, tasting herbs or planting new things!
Not limited to any specific age, all kids are welcome. Be sure to look for the announcement board at the garden entrance to see what’s happening. Open Farm Days alternate Tuesdays & Fridays from 2:30-5:30pm throughout the summer.

Friday, July 21, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Friday, August 4, 2017
Break for Summer Camp
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Friday, September 1, 2017