Thursday, September 3, 2009
Week 11
Hello from Kicking Mule Farm! We are well into the full fall time harvest and you can look forward to the following items this week:
Melon (either water or galia)*
Delicata Winter Squash*
Delicata Winter Squash*
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Rutabaga
Daikon Radish
Green Bell Peppers and maybe mini Yellow Bell
Jalapeno Peppers (dark green)
Banana Peppers (yellowish green)
Hungarian Peppers (orange)
Japanese Eggplant
Thai & Sweet Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Cucumbers
Yellow Zucchini
Red Russian or Dino Kale
Collards or Green Chard
Some areas of the garden are exploding, such as the tomatoes, melons, squash, and peppers. Other areas are dying back in their foliage, but maintaining a constant and consistent supply of vegetables. We have nearly stopped weeding, as that has slowed down as well. Instead, harvesting has become a daily gig in order to keep up with the tomato situation. We have eight varieties, all of which seem to be coming along well. In our household alone we have put up close to 50 jars of pickles and frozen brocolli and green beans for winter use. Tomorrow in addition to packing your CSAs we will attempt a mass salsa and spagetti sauce canning marathon.
It is a bittersweet time on the farm as we feel the chill in the night air and see the flowers fading back. Fall is nearly here and the kids will both be in school, an end to a very lovely and way-to-fast part of parenting. Steve and I have been busy at our other jobs and I said goodbye to folks I consider family at the co-op I worked at in Minneapolis. Life is oh so good, but sometimes I wish it would just slow down and let me savor it a bit more.
As promised, some recent photos.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Week 10 and rounding the corner into fall
Brrr...it has been getting down-right chilly at night in SW MN. Tonight I have heard into the low 40's! It doesn't seem much like August in the air, but the calender says it is so I've got to believe it. We completed another large harvest this week and here is what you got in your box:
Heirloom Tomatoes
Rutabaga
Daikon Radish
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sweet Corn
Green Bell Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers (dark green)
Banana Peppers (yellowish green)
Hungarian Peppers (orange)
Japanese Eggplant
Thai & Sweet Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Cucumbers
Carrots
Green Top Golden Beets
Yellow Zucchini
and Bunched Greens (red russian or dino kale, or collards)
I took a walk to the winter squash field and can report back that things are looking great. We've got some huge pumpkins and many different types of squash still to come. Also up soon will be melons, parsnip, green cabbage, brussel sprouts, and celery. We had a really late and rather disappointing broccoli harvest so we gave it a second go and will hopefully have more to share in the last weeks. Also on their second round are sugar snap peas, beets, and I do believe some spinach.
Otherwise, Steve and I are gearing up to start our first real go at full-time country life. Steve heads back to the classroom as a teacher next week and I will be working as a paraprofessional and serving food and drinks on the side. Later this fall we will be adding some hydrants for water in the garden, greenhouse and for the animals. We also hope to purchase the neccesary coverings for the greenhouse.
It has been and continues to be a wonderful, hard, joyful, heartwrenching, exhausting, uplifting experience. I know alot of those words I threw out mean the opposite of eachother, but I mean every one of them. There is something so magical yet so downright hard about this kind of work. I never would have believed it before. Now I have such a magnificant gratitude towards all of the folks that have grown and raised all of the food I have eaten over the years. As I have said before, we welcome visitors out to see what's shaking, so get in touch if you are interested. I promise some pictures next week, I have been lazy in that aspect.
Wishing you a week of yummy eating.
Heirloom Tomatoes
Rutabaga
Daikon Radish
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sweet Corn
Green Bell Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers (dark green)
Banana Peppers (yellowish green)
Hungarian Peppers (orange)
Japanese Eggplant
Thai & Sweet Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Cucumbers
Carrots
Green Top Golden Beets
Yellow Zucchini
and Bunched Greens (red russian or dino kale, or collards)
I took a walk to the winter squash field and can report back that things are looking great. We've got some huge pumpkins and many different types of squash still to come. Also up soon will be melons, parsnip, green cabbage, brussel sprouts, and celery. We had a really late and rather disappointing broccoli harvest so we gave it a second go and will hopefully have more to share in the last weeks. Also on their second round are sugar snap peas, beets, and I do believe some spinach.
Otherwise, Steve and I are gearing up to start our first real go at full-time country life. Steve heads back to the classroom as a teacher next week and I will be working as a paraprofessional and serving food and drinks on the side. Later this fall we will be adding some hydrants for water in the garden, greenhouse and for the animals. We also hope to purchase the neccesary coverings for the greenhouse.
It has been and continues to be a wonderful, hard, joyful, heartwrenching, exhausting, uplifting experience. I know alot of those words I threw out mean the opposite of eachother, but I mean every one of them. There is something so magical yet so downright hard about this kind of work. I never would have believed it before. Now I have such a magnificant gratitude towards all of the folks that have grown and raised all of the food I have eaten over the years. As I have said before, we welcome visitors out to see what's shaking, so get in touch if you are interested. I promise some pictures next week, I have been lazy in that aspect.
Wishing you a week of yummy eating.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Week 9
We are over the hump but nowhere near the home-stretch. In this weeks box you will find:
Heirloom Tomatoes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sweet Corn
Green Bell Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers (dark green)
Banana Peppers (yellowish green)
Hungarian Peppers (med-light green, some turning to orange)
Japanese Eggplant
Thai & Sweet Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Cucumbers
Carrots
Green Top Golden Beets
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Yellow Zucchini
and Bunched Greens (red russian or dino kale, or collards)
The Tomatoes are finally turning! This weeks are a mixture of varieties and ripeness. You should set the bag of tomatoes in a warmish/sunny spot to further ripen and check them daily. Try to wait until each is ripe before consuming. The ripening is underway in all of the ones we harvested this week so they need little more than time to complete the process. If you are terribly impatient, you can try placing an apple with them in the sealed plastic bag (still keeping in a warm location). Apples give off ethylene gas, which is used commercially to ripen many types of fruits at a predicatable time. No promises though.
The Broccoli and Cauliflower were a long time coming this year. They taste good but bear signs of not being the happiest plants (many have bolted). Hopefully we can squeak out a couple more weeks harvest with these. A late planting of broccoli is due for a late September harvest, of course, with luck.
We hope the same thing that finally got the tomatoes turning is contagious enough for the peppers to catch it. Your green bells are due to be red bells as soon as the mood suits them. There are also frying peppers and carrot peppers waiting to turn into dazzling colors.
Heirloom Tomatoes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sweet Corn
Green Bell Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers (dark green)
Banana Peppers (yellowish green)
Hungarian Peppers (med-light green, some turning to orange)
Japanese Eggplant
Thai & Sweet Basil
Italian Parsley
Sage
Cucumbers
Carrots
Green Top Golden Beets
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Yellow Zucchini
and Bunched Greens (red russian or dino kale, or collards)
The Tomatoes are finally turning! This weeks are a mixture of varieties and ripeness. You should set the bag of tomatoes in a warmish/sunny spot to further ripen and check them daily. Try to wait until each is ripe before consuming. The ripening is underway in all of the ones we harvested this week so they need little more than time to complete the process. If you are terribly impatient, you can try placing an apple with them in the sealed plastic bag (still keeping in a warm location). Apples give off ethylene gas, which is used commercially to ripen many types of fruits at a predicatable time. No promises though.
The Broccoli and Cauliflower were a long time coming this year. They taste good but bear signs of not being the happiest plants (many have bolted). Hopefully we can squeak out a couple more weeks harvest with these. A late planting of broccoli is due for a late September harvest, of course, with luck.
We hope the same thing that finally got the tomatoes turning is contagious enough for the peppers to catch it. Your green bells are due to be red bells as soon as the mood suits them. There are also frying peppers and carrot peppers waiting to turn into dazzling colors.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Week 8
Hello,
For the first time in a few weeks, we will get this one out ahead of the curve. We have a little break in our stream of guests, which makes for quiet days and nights to focus on working our land. Yesterday we weeded our entire squash field again (50 hills with 200 squash) and today we will reseed areas that have been harvested with late fall crops of carrots, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and beets. As you may know, there is an event happening called "Eat Local America" which encourages folks to eat only local foods for the month of August. Last night we did it with a bang as follows: ginger/garlic soy sauce grilled chicken (processed that day by Miles' grandpa), grilled yellow zucchini, grilled sweet corn, and Julienned beet salad with fresh dill (all produce from our garden!) I have to say it was one of the most delicious and satisfying meals I have had in quite a while. Next we set up lawn chairs and watched the beginning of the meteor showers that took place last night. Oh summer.
I purchased an amazing cookbook this week that I recommend highly to any of you that are interested in continuing on with your CSA support either with Kicking Mule or any other farm. It is called " Farmer John's Cookbook --The Real Dirt on Vegetables" and it is filled with seasonal recipes and stories from a CSA. I have been trying the recipes, which I will share and both laughing and crying at the stories of the triumphs and trials of a family farm.
In the box:
Sweet corn*
Green Bell Peppers*
Cauliflower*
Yellow Zucchini
Cucumbers
Dino Kale
Collards
Gold and Red Beets
Green Top Carrots
Herb bunch--parsley, sage, dill, and cilantro
Hot peppers
Green Beans
Eggplant
Potatoes
*New items this week!
and maybe: tomatoes and melons...they are so close!
Julienned Beet Salad with Fresh Dill:
from Farmer John's Cookbook
4 large beets
1 T. finely chopped fresh dill (I used more)
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. Olive oil
3 T. Rice Vinegar
a few dollups and sour cream
1. Put beets in a medium pot and cover w/ water. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered, until tender. (about 45 minutes)
2. Drain. Run cool water over them and peel off skins. Cut beans into matchstick-sized julienne strips.
3. Put beets into large bowl. Add dill and sour cream.
4. Whisk remaining ingredients and pour over beets. Stir and chill before serving.
Green Bean Salad
w/ walnuts and shaved parmesan in lemon dressing
1/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pound green beans
1 1/2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T. Extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. parm cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1. Toast walnuts in dry, heavy skillet over high heat until they start to brown and become fragrant, careful not to burn.
2. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add beans and salt, cook until tander but still firm, 3-5 minutes.
3. Transfer beans to colander and run cold water over them.
4. Toss to beans and walnuts in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
5. Whisk lemon juice and olive oil until combined. Pour over beans and toss until well coated. Put on individual plates and sprinkle with parm cheese.
Refrigerator Pickles
For Brine:
3 c. each of vinegar and sugar
1/4 c. canning salt
1 t. each of tumeric, mustard seed and celery seed
Vegetables:
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Onions
1. Combine brine ingredients and bring to a boil.
2. Alternate layers of sliced cukes and onions in a large jar (1 gallon glass is my favorite)
3. Pour brine over vegetables and refrigerate.
Enjoy your CSA this week and thank you for your support!
For the first time in a few weeks, we will get this one out ahead of the curve. We have a little break in our stream of guests, which makes for quiet days and nights to focus on working our land. Yesterday we weeded our entire squash field again (50 hills with 200 squash) and today we will reseed areas that have been harvested with late fall crops of carrots, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and beets. As you may know, there is an event happening called "Eat Local America" which encourages folks to eat only local foods for the month of August. Last night we did it with a bang as follows: ginger/garlic soy sauce grilled chicken (processed that day by Miles' grandpa), grilled yellow zucchini, grilled sweet corn, and Julienned beet salad with fresh dill (all produce from our garden!) I have to say it was one of the most delicious and satisfying meals I have had in quite a while. Next we set up lawn chairs and watched the beginning of the meteor showers that took place last night. Oh summer.
I purchased an amazing cookbook this week that I recommend highly to any of you that are interested in continuing on with your CSA support either with Kicking Mule or any other farm. It is called " Farmer John's Cookbook --The Real Dirt on Vegetables" and it is filled with seasonal recipes and stories from a CSA. I have been trying the recipes, which I will share and both laughing and crying at the stories of the triumphs and trials of a family farm.
In the box:
Sweet corn*
Green Bell Peppers*
Cauliflower*
Yellow Zucchini
Cucumbers
Dino Kale
Collards
Gold and Red Beets
Green Top Carrots
Herb bunch--parsley, sage, dill, and cilantro
Hot peppers
Green Beans
Eggplant
Potatoes
*New items this week!
and maybe: tomatoes and melons...they are so close!
Julienned Beet Salad with Fresh Dill:
from Farmer John's Cookbook
4 large beets
1 T. finely chopped fresh dill (I used more)
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. Olive oil
3 T. Rice Vinegar
a few dollups and sour cream
1. Put beets in a medium pot and cover w/ water. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered, until tender. (about 45 minutes)
2. Drain. Run cool water over them and peel off skins. Cut beans into matchstick-sized julienne strips.
3. Put beets into large bowl. Add dill and sour cream.
4. Whisk remaining ingredients and pour over beets. Stir and chill before serving.
Green Bean Salad
w/ walnuts and shaved parmesan in lemon dressing
1/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pound green beans
1 1/2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T. Extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. parm cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1. Toast walnuts in dry, heavy skillet over high heat until they start to brown and become fragrant, careful not to burn.
2. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add beans and salt, cook until tander but still firm, 3-5 minutes.
3. Transfer beans to colander and run cold water over them.
4. Toss to beans and walnuts in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
5. Whisk lemon juice and olive oil until combined. Pour over beans and toss until well coated. Put on individual plates and sprinkle with parm cheese.
Refrigerator Pickles
For Brine:
3 c. each of vinegar and sugar
1/4 c. canning salt
1 t. each of tumeric, mustard seed and celery seed
Vegetables:
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Onions
1. Combine brine ingredients and bring to a boil.
2. Alternate layers of sliced cukes and onions in a large jar (1 gallon glass is my favorite)
3. Pour brine over vegetables and refrigerate.
Enjoy your CSA this week and thank you for your support!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Week 7 Delivery
Hello all,
Week 7 Delivery:
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Cucumbers (pickling and slicing)
Napa Cabbage
Green Top Carrots
Swiss Chard
Herb Bunch of parsley, dill, cilantro and basil
Yellow Zucchini
Hot Peppers (Jalapeno and banana)
Red Russian Kale
Japanese Eggplant
Green Beans
Diakon Radish
Sorry that this blog falls on the day you get your box, and so no advance notice, but we have again had a very busy week on the farm. Those of you that get our CSA will learn more about the adventures of our 8 human guests and 2 dog guests...but I am sure you can guess that it both helps and hinders production on the farm.
We were blanketed with a heavy 2 day rain this week and are now looking at the skies and praying for warm sunshine. I find it amazing as a produce producer how all thoughts in the growing season turn to the weather. Tomatoes are literally hanging from the vines...but alas still green. A good helping of sun and heat is all they need to make their glorious transition and we are hopeful it will be this week. Corn is almost ready, we taste-tested on packing day and found it a bit too starchy still, and hope it will get its sweetness this week and be ready for box 8. I jumped up and down as I entered the brassica rows and found loads of little cauliflower and broccoli heads, finally opening up to the rain and air. They will be coming soon as well. Finally, melons and squash galore continue to ripen on huge vines that snake this way and that throughout the garden.
In news outside of the dirt, I (Molly) am on the tail end of my employment in the Twin Cities. While I will miss my ten year tenure of co-op magic very much, I am very excited for a quiet winter on the farm, in my bed each night, seeing my babies every morning, and avoiding a sometimes treacherous two and a half hour drive on MN winter roads. I have accepted a position at my son, Miles', school and will be assisting the kindergarten teacher with excited and eager five year olds. How sweet life is.
Additionally, the hens are reaching maturity and we are cautiously anticipating the start of eggs at the end of August / beginning of September. This means our CSA supporters may indeed get close to a month of fresh eggs in their weekly deliveries.
We will start to forecast the end of our CSA season soon, but our hope is to deliver until at least the first week of October, making your share total at 15 boxes this year. Many full season (and more pricey) CSA's have a 17 week season, so we feel pretty good about our first run, considering our tardy start due to a string of plowing predicaments. Keep in mind that next year we are doubling by way of additional land and a 24' by 96' hoop house. We are hoping to make at least 17 deliveries as a result.
Attached is a picture of what you will see in your box this week. Happy August and we'll write again soon.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Week 6 delivery
Sorry we are late with a post for tomorrow's delivery, but it has been a busy week...which seems to be the norm lately. Hey, not that we are complaining, just letting you know that instead of blogging I've weeded, planted, picked, cleaned, and boxed. Anyway, here is what you are in for this week...
Yellow Zucchini
Green Beans
Cucumbers (slicers and pickling)
Beets (Red and Gold)
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Jalapeno Peppers
Collards or Swiss Chard
Red Russian Kale or Dino Kale
Pac Choi
Napa Cabbage
Sage
Cilantro
Dill
Thai Basil
Coming (hopefully) next week:
sweet corn, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, daikon radish, and more! New pictures next week! We don't mean to be so lame about postings, but picking is so much more our thing :)
We have continued to experience a severe lack in substantial rain coupled with warm days and cool nights. I love it for sleeping in, but the hot weather crops (corn, peppers, and tomatoes) are really taking their time. We aren't too worried though, because the boxes remain full and it allows us to both appreciate the fact that weather does dictate all in the farming world and that we will continue to have loads of color and variety in your boxes each week.
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