Lots of Sun?
Man, I was excited to write this newsletter about all the sun that is in the forecast for this week and the temperactures that make New England such a beautiful place in the summer...and then it rained all afternoon...after getting an absolute drenching on Saturday night. Looks like this rainy weather pattern might stick around all summer long. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and despite that extra wet period through the end of June and into July, we've had a great summer for growing. In fact, I was excited for the rain on Saturday because our fields were finally dry enough to actually NEED some rain. Oh, to be at the whim of the weather.
I knew that our fields were officialy recovered from the July drenching when I was able to turn over beds in our wettest field on Friday. I've been waiting weeks to be able to get in there with anything more than a mower. The field has had standing water in the paths since early July we haven't been able to get in there with equipment to work the soil. Friday it was finally dry enough and it felt good to be able to give that field a little attention. I decided to retire the field for the season because of all the water this year, but we'll be putting down a cover crop in the next couple of weeks in preparation for next year.
Last newsletter I talked about how harvest season always seems to begin with garlic pulling. Well on Tuesday we pulled the garlic, and on Friday we started picking beans, a sure sign of high summer harvest. Peppers and eggplant are starting to produce in the fields and tomatoes are not far behind them. I'm hoping the relatively cool weather this week will help the tomatoes along their way to ripeness. There is a ton of mature green fruit on the vine that is taking its sweet time to turn color. I've always attributed green fruit turning red to a fertility or light concern, but after reading about it over the weekend, it is almost entirely dependent on temperature. Temperatures above 85F can slow down ripening because the pigments responsible for giving tomatoes their color are inhibited. This is mostly a concern in our greenhouse, where on a sunny, hot day, temperatures can easily exceed 90F, even with fans running and ventilation. I have been looking into shade cloth for the greenhouses that helps cool them down through the heat of the summer, and will likely be making that addition for next year.
Finally, I'd like to give a big shout out to everyone that came to help with garlic on Tuesday! It feels like we get more and more people each year and it is a joy having everyone on the farm and getting to work and eat together. It's something I would like to keep growing over the years, we even talked about getting a musician out there to play us some tunes while we pull and sort garlic. It was a great day and we thank all that came out!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FALL CSA!
Summer CSA Shares Week 8!
Halfway throught the CSA season! We're still pulling hundreds of pounds of cucumbers out of the greenhouse daily, squash and zuchini are going strong, and lots new items will be in shares this week!
Delivery CSA Shares
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Daikon Radish
Garlic
Lettuce
Microgreens
Fresh Onions
Peppers
Potatoes
Squash
Zucchini
Bread: Maple Oat
Market Style Pickup
Members pick eight items for their basket + 1 herb + 2 Garlic
Beans
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers
Daikon Radish
Eggplant
Garlic
Greens Mix
Lettuce
Microgreens
Fresh Onions
Peppers
Potatoes
Radish
Squash
Zucchini
Herbs
Basil
Mint
Parsley
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Find us at the Market!
In addtion to our CSA and farm store, we also setup at three farmers markets throughout the week starting on Thursday mornings!
You can find our produce at:
Cheshire Medical Center in the Cafeteria
Thursdays 10am - 2pm
Jaffrey Farmers Market
Fridays 3pm - 6pm
Keene Farmers Market
Saturdays 9am - 1pm
Raffle Tickets for the MFCC!
Friends,
I am selling raffling tickets to support the Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition’s (MFCC) fundraising event that is being held on Saturday, August 19th. MFCC’s annual Farm Tour is August 19th, and the organization will be hosting the first annual Farm Tour After Party at Outlaw Brewing in Winchester, NH from 5 to 8 PM.
I have served on the board of the MFCC for 5 years and can speak firsthand to the work done on behalf of Monadnock region farms. The organization regularly highlights news and events occuring on area farms and works to promote farm visibility in the community, provide equitable access to local food, and connect Monadnock region businesses. Check out the work of MFCC here: https://mfcommunitycoalition.org/.
Raffle tickets are $10, and the drawing takes place on August 19th at the Farm Tour After Party – you do not need to be present to claim your prize if a winner…prizes include:
1st prize: $500 CASH!
2nd prize: ¼ CSA share from Dog Days Farm (Us!) We will be granting the second prize winner with a CSA for the remainder of the season following the raffle.
3rd prize: A gift basket filled with certificates to local farms and products
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and let me know if you are interested in raffle ticket or 2! Thank you for considering!
Best,
Jack
RECIPE LINK:Breakfast Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
▪1 tablespoon olive oil
▪1 small yellow onion diced into ½-inch pieces, about ¾ cup total
▪3 potatoes diced into ½-inch pieces, about 3 cups total
▪1 large bell pepper or equal amounts of multi-colored peppers, diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup total
▪½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
▪¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
Instructions
1.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper and stir again. Spread potatoes across the skillet and add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan.
2.Cover with a lid and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes and then spreading the potatoes out again. You want the potatoes to get brown and crispy on the sides.
3.Add the peppers and stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring every few minutes for another 5-10 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
4.Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate until ready to serve. To reheat, simply warm them in a skillet over medium heat until hot again.
RECIPE LINK:Grilled Steak with Cucumber-and-Daikon Salad
I've been buying steaks from Mountain Foot Farm at the farmers market in Keene. They also have honor system freezer in Rindge. I highly recommend them!
Ingredients
▪2 tablespoons soy sauce
▪1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
▪1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
▪1 garlic clove, minced
▪1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for rubbing
▪Salt and freshly ground pepper
▪1/2 seedless cucumber, very thinly sliced
▪8 ounces daikon, peeled and very thinly sliced
▪Four 8- to 10-ounce strip steaks (3/4 inch thick)
▪1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
▪1 teaspoon minced fresh chile
▪4 ounces baby arugula
▪1 cup radish or daikon sprouts (optional)
▪2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Whisk in the 1/4 cup of oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer half of the dressing to a medium bowl, add the cucumber and daikon and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out any excess liquid. Return the cucumber and daikon to the bowl.
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Rub the steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly charred on both sides and medium-rare within, about 7 minutes. Transfer the steaks to a work surface and let rest for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and chile and season with salt and pepper; transfer the steaks to plates and spoon the gremolata on top. Add the arugula, sprouts and the remaining dressing to the cucumber and daikon and toss. Serve the salad with the steaks, garnished with the sesame seeds.
RECIPE LINK:Easy Zuchini Fritters
This is a farm favorite recipe and a great way to use all that zucchini!
Ingredients
▪1 ½ pounds zucchini, grated
▪¾ teaspoon salt
▪¼ cup all-purpose flour
▪¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
▪1 large egg, beaten
▪2 cloves garlic, minced
▪kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
▪2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Toss zucchini and salt together in a large colander and place in sink to drain for 10 minutes.
Transfer zucchini to the center of a piece of cheesecloth; wrap cheesecloth around zucchini and squeeze to drain as much moisture as possible.
Mix flour, Parmesan cheese, egg, and garlic together in a large bowl. Stir in zucchini, then season with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Working in batches, scoop tablespoonfuls of zucchini mixture into the hot skillet and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Serve hot and enjoy!
In The Farm Store
Through the Summer the store will be stocked up on Thursday mornings!
Open to the Public.
Dawn - Dusk
Honor System
In the store this week:
Radishes
Onions
Microgreens
Lettuce
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Squash & Zucchini
Fresh Herbs
Bread
Archway Farm Meats
Ice Cream
& Eggs!
Pickup Location for Archway Farm Meat CSA
I heard back from a few of you interested in an Archway Farm meat CSA share, so Mark has added the farm as an additional pickup location. Now if you want to sign up, you can pick up your meat share from the same place you get your veggies! It makes choosing what to make for dinner a breeze!
Visit www.Archway.farm to explore options and order a share delivered to the farm!
