Sandhill Organics Weekly News

This Week's Harvest (11/18/13)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:51:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetable shares, lamb orders and turkey orders. This is the final week of the CSA season.

The Vegetable Share:

Spinach
Shallots
Garlic
Scarlet Turnips
Crimini Mushrooms (from River Valley Ranch)
Beets
Sweet Potatoes (from Harmony Valley Farm)
Parsnips

Jeff, Jen, Matt and I just returned from our annual fall planning weekend. This is a time when we discuss all of the ups and downs of the farming season. It's an opportunity to use what we've learned to help us plan for the next season. We like to do it in the fall, as opposed to the deep of winter, while everything is still fresh in our minds. This year's planning weekend was special because it marked the 1-year anniversary of the partnership between our 2 families (the Sheaffers and the Millers). Matt and I couldn't be happier to be working together with Jeff and Jen (pictured with their boys, above). Their hard work has made everything possible this year. Congratulations to Jen and Jeff on a job well done, and thank you to all of our members for sharing in the experience this year. Have a great winter! --Peg

Registration for 2014 CSA Shares
Information for next year's CSA shares is available at our website. You can register online and pay for your 2014 shares in up to 5 installments throughout the course of the season. If you are planning to register for next year, we would encourage you to do so relatively soon. Spring vegetable shares are almost sold out, and more than half of the summer vegetable shares have already been reserved. Please contact us with any questions.

In the Farm Kitchen: Making the Most of your CSA Share

This week's share contains some beautiful scarlet turnips. (By the way, to help you figure what's what, we have bagged the beets his week and left the scarlet turnips unbagged.) I know some of you may not have made friends with turnips yet. If you are currently among the unconverted, start by pairing them with potatoes. When I first starting cooking with turnips, I found that bringing along an old friend (the familiar and comforting potato) was a great way to start building a good relationship with this slightly intimidating new vegetable. Try mashing them together or pairing them in a gratin or a hash. You should also know that scarlet turnips have a mild radish flavor and an inherant sweetness that can be played up in dishes that call for apples, apple juice or honey. Try grating a chunk of scarlet turnip into a salad (leave the skin on for maximum visual effect) and tossing with toasted walnuts, diced apple and a honey-dijon dressing. Enjoy!

Mushrooms & Turnips with Garlic Butter and Creamy Polenta
1 cup cornmeal
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan or other cheese
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 medium unpeeled scarlet turnips, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup white wine

To make the polenta, bring the broth to a simmer in a medium pot and add the cornmeal. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream and Parmesan. Season with salt to taste.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté the mushrooms and turnips for 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and white wine. Continue to cook, stirring, until the wine has reduced by at least two thirds. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and swirl in the rest of the butter. Season with salt to taste. Serve mushrooms and turnips over polenta.

Skillet Turnips & Potatoes with Bacon

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 shallot, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 cup fresh spinach, very thinly sliced

Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl. Combine oil and bacon in heavy large skillet; sauté over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes. Add shallot and garlic; sauté about 5 minutes. Add turnips and potatoes; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt and toss 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are almost tender, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Push vegetables to 1 side of skillet. Pour vinegar mixture into cleared space. Toss vegetables with vinegar mixture. Spread vegetables in even layer in skillet; cook until golden and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn vegetables over; spread in even layer and cook until browned and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Continue to turn, spread, and cook vegetables until tender, golden, and crisp around edges, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Season with more sea salt and black pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with spinach.

This Week's CSA Harvest (11/11/13)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:56:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables, eggs, dairy, meat and trout. Next week is the final week of the CSA season. In addition to vegetables, we will be distributing lamb and turkey orders next week.

The Vegetable Share:

Leeks
Lettuce
Rutabaga
Spinach
Yellow Potatoes
Carrots
Bok Choy
White Salad Turnips
Tomato Puree

The Dairy Share:

Garlic & Basil Butter from Nordic Creamery
Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy
Saxony, an Alpine-style cheese from Saxon Creamery

The Meat Share:

Bacon
Italian Sausage
Whole Chicken
Breakfast Sausage

Fun Farm Photo: Snow Day!

The intrepid SFF harvest crew takes everything, including a little snow, in stride! Picture, from left are Scott, Donna, Nadia, Adam, Tyler and Jeff.

2014 Registration Information

Information regarding 2014 CSA shares is available at our website. The deadline for early bird CSA pricing is this Friday, the 15th. Order by Friday and automatically receive a 5% discount on 3-Season Vegetable Shares and Fruit Shares. As always, you can pay for your shares in 5 installments throughout the season.

Ordering Thanksgiving Turkeys

Friday is also the deadline for ordering pasture-raised certified organic turkeys for Thanksgiving. Rich Lange raises these turkeys on his farm near Platteville. Turkeys will be available in two sizes: small (13-14 lbs ) and large (15-16 lbs). The price is $4.79/lb. Orders may be placed through our website. There is a $40 deposit for turkeys. Once you've placed your order online, please mail a check for your deposit to Sandhill Family Farms, 16228 Skinner Road, Brodhead, WI, 53520. Turkeys will be available for pickup next week (Nov 19-21) at the following sites:

Tuesday, Nov 19th

Glenview, 3:00-6:30

Lake Forest 4:00-7:00

Grayslake Farm, 4:00-7:00

Wednesday, Nov 20th

Barrington 4:00-7:00

Thursday, Nov 21st

Oak Park, 4:30-7:00

Grayslake Farm, 4:00-7:00

In the Farm Kitchen: Making the Most of your CSA Share

With their purple tops, rutabagas look a bit like turnips. The difference is that rutabagas are slightly more elongated than turnips and the flesh is a little more yellow. They're also sweeter than turnips and less peppery. They are thought to be a cross between a wild cabbage and a turnip. Rutabagas are creamy and starchy and work well for mashing, roasting and braising. To make roasted rutabaga, cut it up into 3/4″ dice, tossed it with olive oil, the herbs of your choice, a bit of salt and pepper, and a spoonful of sugar (to encourage browning). Then spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and cook at 350F until the cubes are tender. Store rutabagas in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Easy Autumn Pot Roast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-pound beef round roast or chuck roast
2 cups tomato puree
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large rutabaga, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large leek, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium celeriac, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Heat the oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it's well browned on all sides. Pour off any fat. Add 1 ¾ cups tomato puree, garlic powder and black pepper to the saucepot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Add the rutabaga, carrots, leek and celeriac. Cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender. Remove the beef and vegetables to a platter. Stir the flour and remaining puree in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the flour mixture into the juices in the saucepot. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Serve with the beef and vegetables.

Farmhouse Chowder
1 whole chicken
8 to 10 cups water
1 large leek, chopped
2 carrots, 1 halved lengthwise, 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 stems fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
10 whole black peppercorns
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 medium or 2 small rutabaga, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Coarse salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Place chicken in a large pot. Add enough water to just cover chicken. Add leek, carrot halves, parsley, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, partially covered. Reduce heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Remove chicken, and let cool. Strain broth through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth into another pot, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes to reduce and intensify flavor. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding bones and skin.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped shallot and diced carrot, and cook until shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in reserved chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add rutabaga and potatoes and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Reduce heat, and simmer until root vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in reserved chicken and the cream, and heat until warmed through, about 1 minute. Season with salt, and garnish with fresh parsley or dill.

Slow-Cooked White Beans with Tomato & Herbs
1 cup dried navy beans
6 cups water
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small rutabaga, chopped
1 large leek, white and light green parts chopped
3 (3-inch) thyme sprigs
1 (3-inch) rosemary sprig
1 (3-inch) sage sprig
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For tomato sauce:
3 bacon slices, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic (from 1 to 2 heads)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 jar tomato purée
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover by 2 inches, then drain. Bring beans, water (6 cups), carrot, rutabaga, leek, and herb sprigs to a simmer in a 4-quart heavy pot, then simmer, partially covered, until beans are al dente, about 45 minutes. Add kosher salt, then continue to simmer until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. (This step may be omitted for a vegetarian version.) Add oil and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened, about 2 minutes. Add tomato purée and thyme and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

Discard herb sprigs and drain beans in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid, and return beans and vegetables to pot. Add tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups bean-cooking liquid and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... sweet potatoes, beets, spinach, garlic, parsley, shallots, parsnips, popcorn and more!

This Week's CSA Harvest (11/04/13)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 12:57:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetable shares. Next week we will be distributing vegetables, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

The Vegetable Share:

Carrots
Napa Cabbage
Squash (Acorn, Butternut or Buttercup)
Parsley
Shallots
Kale
Tokyo Bekana (use like lettuce in green salads)
Fennel
Garlic

Farm Journal
What a lovely fall it's been here on the farm. October is always a beautiful time of year, but this October seemed somehow more beautiful than most. The entire month appeared to pass in a series of picturesque vignettes, scenes that looked as though they'd been composed for one of those inspirational calendars they give out down at the feed mill. Local farmers have finished combining their corn, and cattle have been turned into the fields to glean what they can from the remaining corn stubble. A neighbor's big, wooly Dorset sheep make quick work of a pile of leftover Halloween pumpkins. Another farmer friend stops by on her way to the butcher to show off the ten fat geese honking noisily in the back of her pickup truck. After school our kids pick apples in the rapidly diminishing autumn light and then run to the fence to share a few with the an appreciative old mare. These ordinary, everyday scenes make all of the hard parts of farm life worth it. Here's hoping that November is just as wonderful!

Have a good week. --Peg

Ordering Lamb and Thanksgiving Turkeys

In addition to vegetables, we also raise sheep here at our farm in Brodhead. Each fall we sell a limited quantity of lamb by the half. A half consists of approximately 20 to 22 pounds of meat and includes an assortment of loin chops, shoulder roasts, shanks, leg, gyro-spiced lamb brats and ground lamb (sorry, no substitutions). Our sheep are rotationally grazed on grass pastures. Their diet consists of pasture grass, hay, and a small amount of barley. The price for a half is $195.
.
We will also have pasture-raised certified organic turkeys just in time for Thanksgiving! Rich Lange raises these turkeys on his farm near Platteville. Turkeys will be available in two sizes: small (13-14 lbs ) and large (15-16 lbs). The price is $4.79/lb.

Orders may be placed through our website. There is a $100 deposit for half lamb orders and a $40 deposit for turkeys. Once you've placed your order online, please mail a check for your deposit to Sandhill Family Farms, 16228 Skinner Road, Brodhead, WI, 53520. Lamb and turkey orders will be available for pickup the week of November 18th at the following sites:

Tuesday, Nov 19th
Glenview, 3:00-6:30
Lake Forest 4:00-7:00
Grayslake Farm, 4:00-7:00

Wednesday, Nov 20th
Barrington 4:00-7:00
.
Thursday, Nov 21st
Oak Park, 4:30-7:00
Grayslake Farm, 4:00-7:00

This Week's Featured Recipes

Carmelized Fennel and Apple Tart
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pie crust (refrigerated or homemade)
3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
chopped fennel fronds and chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepot. Add fennel, shallots and sugar; cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. Press crust into tart pan; cut off excess dough hanging over edge. Use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of the crust. Bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
In medium bowl, whisk eggs and cream. Spread fennel in bottom of crust. Arrange apple slices on top of fennel. Pour egg mixture over fennel and apples. Sprinkle with chèvre and walnuts. Bake tart for 30 minutes or until eggs are set. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with fennel fronds and parsley.

Creamy Cannellini and Kale Soup
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Scant 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
12 ounces cannellini beans (2 cups), picked through and soaked overnight
6 cups water
1 dried bay leaf
1 bunch kale, stems and center ribs removed, leaves sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook shallots and carrots until shallots are just softened, about 5 minutes. Season with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir in minced garlic, thyme, and red-pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
Drain and rinse cannellini beans. Add to pot with water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. Discard bay leaf.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth, transferring it to a clean pot as you work. Bring soup to a simmer. Stir in kale and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer until kale is tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Next week's harvest (our best guess)... lettuce, rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, leeks, potatoes, cabbage and more!

This Week's CSA Harvest (10/29/13)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:38:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables, eggs, and dairy.

The Vegetable Share

Radishes
German Butterball Potatoes
Celeriac
Head Lettuce
Kohlrabi
Spinach
Arugula
Tomato Puree
Shallots

A sneak peak into this week's vegetable box--On the top you see gorgeous head lettuce, spinach, radishes, and shallots.

The Dairy Share:

Fresh Goat Milk Chevre from LaClare Farms
"Peace of Pasture" Cheese from Pastureland Co-op
Strawberry Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy
Harvest Butter from Nordic Creamery

One of LaClare Farms' beautiful milk goats

Announcements and Reminders

The next dairy, meat and trout deliveries will be the week of November 12-14. Weekly distribution of the vegetables will continue through the week of November 19th.
CSA Shares for 2014 are now available. Register by November 15th and receive early bird pricing on 3-Season Vegetable Shares and Fruit Shares. Registering online is easy and you can pay for your shares in up to 5 installments throughout the season.

Farm Journal

After a couple of weeks of steadily falling temperatures, this week has brought slightly warmer weather. This is not a bad thing since, here at the Brodhead farm, we still have a fair amount of potatoes and sweet potatoes yet to harvest. Kids across the state were out of school last Thursday and Friday, so our kids (and their cousins) found themselves roped into the potato harvest Friday afternoon. They were surprisingly efficient helpers and even admitted to having some fun along the way. It's a great thing to be able to work together as a family, especially when we get to sit down to a meal and enjoy the fruits of our labor! I hope you enjoy your German Butterball potatoes this week and all the other vegetables that our families and our employees have worked so hard to produce.

Have a good week! --Peg

In the Farm Kitchen: Tips and Recipes for Making the Most of your Share

Tomato Puree

Each fall a small food-processing company in East Troy, Wisconsin turns our less-than-perfect tomatoes into tomato puree. As it says on the jar, our tomato puree makes a great soup by itself or with the addition of a little cream. You can also use it as a base for heartier soups, chili and pasta sauce. I like to use it as a basting liquid when roasting meats, as a replacement for water or broth when I'm making risotto, or in the crockpot when I'm slow-cooking fall vegetables. The puree is shelf-stable, but should be refrigerated after opening.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large shallots, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved

1 bunch spinach, chopped

1 jar Sandhill Family Farms tomato puree

chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream and grated cheese for garnish

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté until shallots soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, spinach and tomato puree. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls. Pass chopped cilantro, sour cream, and grated cheese separately.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi, like broccoli and cabbage, is a member of the Brassica family. The word kohlrabi is a German word that translates as cabbage-turnip, and that's pretty much how it tastes--sweet like cabbage and peppery like a turnip. It has a wonderful crisp and juicy texture that is comparable to jicama. Because of its crisp texture and mild flavor, we like to peel it and eat it raw, sliced on its own or combined with other fresh vegetables in salads.

Here's Jen with some of our purple kohlrabi. She's been working hard to prepare this week's vegetable boxes despite a fractured ankle. (The chickens laid a trap for her, but if you want to know the whole story you'll have to ask her!)

Kohlrabi-Radish Slaw with Citrus Dressing

2 medium kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 bunch radishes, cut into matchsticks

1 small shallot, sliced thinly

orange zest from one orange

lime zest from one lime

1 cup arugula, sliced thinly

for the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh orange juice ( juice form one orange)

1/8 cup lime juice plus 1 T ( juice from one large lime)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Place kohlrabi and radish matchsticks in a large bowl with shallot, lime zest and orange zest. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss with matchsticks. Just prior to serving, mix in the arugula so it stays crisp.

Celeriac

Celeriac has a wonderful mild celery flavor with a hit of nuttiness. The flavor of celeriac is preferred over regular stalk celery in many dishes because of its smooth flavor. It has no sharpness or bitterness like stalk celery sometimes has. It is prized in Europe, especially in France, where it features prominently in the classic Celeriac Remoulade, a dish composed of shredded celeriac, mayonniase and Dijon mustard. Use a sharp kitchen knife to trim the outside layer from the celeriac bulb before chopping it.

Mashed Potatoes and Celeriac

1 pound German butterball potatoes, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick

1 pound celeriac, peeled and sliced 1 1/2 inches thick

Coarse salt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Freshly ground pepper

Place potatoes and celeriac in a medium saucepan, and fill with enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat; add salt generously. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Mash potatoes and celeriac. Add sour cream and butter, and stir until combined. Stir in nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)...butternut squash, spinach, Napa cabbage, parsley, carrots, kale, fennel, broccoli and more!

CSA News for the Week of October 21st

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 11:50:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables. Next week we'll be distributing vegetables, eggs and dairy.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Lettuce Heads
Acorn Squash (grown by our neighbor, Brad Paulson, and harvested by us)
Red Cabbage
Beets
Dill
Leeks
White Salad Turnips

Farm Journal
Late October is the time of year when we talk about "putting the farm to bed". This is how we refer to the many tasks that must be completed before winter sets in. These tasks include shutting down the irrigation system and draining all the pipes, removing plastic mulch from the eggplant and pepper fields, pulling up and stacking tomato stakes, turning crops under, spreading compost for next year's crops, sowing rye as a cover crop on late-harvested fields, planting garlic, winterizing tractors, covering lettuce and other greens with protective frost fabric, and harvesting potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash for storage. On Friday, in anticipation of a freeze, the Grayslake crew spent the afternoon covering sensitive crops with frost fabric, while, up in Brodhead, Matt and I spent the afternoon harvesting acorn squash. These days it seems we don't often have a chance to work together just the two of us. But on Friday it was kind of like the old days, the two of us working side by side to bring in the harvest. As we worked, we talked about how much we are looking forward to the quiet and the rest that winter will bring. But we also talked about how much we will miss working outside, feeling the sun on our faces and the dirt on our hands. It's a bittersweet time of year, and we're determined to savor every moment.

Have a great week! --Peg

Some of the Grayslake crew members return from the fields after an afternoon spent covering crops with frost fabric. from left: Donna, Adam, Jeff, Nadia and Scott.

Meanwhile, in Brodhead, I take a break from harvesting squash to wander over to the cow pasture and have a quick chat with the mama cows and their calves. Matt catches me in the act and snaps a picture to use as more proof that I really do need to get out more!

In the Farm Kitchen: Tips for Making the Most of your Share

Like most of the other crops we harvest throughout October and November, the flavor of beets continues to improves with each frosty night. Beets are at their sweetest right now so it doesn't take much to enhance their flavor. In my opinion, beets are best enjoyed in simple dishes rather than fussy ones. One of the easiest ways to prepare beets is to drizzle them with olive oil and roast them, wrapped in foil, in a 400 degree oven until they're tender. Pair roasted beets with any of the following flavors and you're likely to have a winner: dill, mint, parsley, greens, goat cheese, blue cheese, lemon, cumin, wine vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice, horseradish, smoked fish, sour cream, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pinenuts. Another easy and delicious way to enjoy beets is to grate them raw (and unpeeled) into a salad. Use 2 cups of grated beets, 1 teaspoon of fresh dill, and 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion or shallot. Season with your favorite vinaigrette.

This Week's Featured Recipes

German Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 leek, white and light green parts sliced thinly

1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped

4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 3/4 pound)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and apple and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add cabbage, vinegar, sugar and celery seed and cook until cabbage is crisp-tender and liquid is reduced to glaze, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Beet and Turnip Greens with Bacon
1 bunch beet greens, coarsely chopped
1 bunch turnip greens, coarsely chopped

6-8 slices bacon, chopped

1 leek, white and light green parts sliced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate; pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add leek and cook until softened. In three batches, add beet and turnip greens and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper and stir in bacon.

Borscht with Beets, Red Cabbage and Dill

1 1/2 pounds beets, unpeeled

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/2 head red cabbage shredded

1 bay leaf

One 16-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped

9 cups beef or vegetable broth

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

In a large saucepan, cover the beets with cold water by l inch. Stir in 1/4 cup of the vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel the beets. Dice the beets and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and caraway seeds and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, beets, tomatoes, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Season with pepper to taste. To serve, divide among soup bowls, top with dollops of the sour cream and sprinkle with the dill.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... potatoes, Swiss chard, celeriac, lettuce, arugula, radishes, shallots, and more!

The First Week of the Fall Share (10/14/13)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:05:00 +0000

The Vegetable Share

Spinach
Adirondak Red Potatoes
Carrots
Lettuce
Asian Cabbage
Broccoli
Garlic
Red Onion
Sage

The Meat Share

Whole Chicken from Lange Farms, Platteville, WI
Ground Beef from Riemer Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
German-Style Bratwurst from Byers Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
Beef Stew Meat from the Riemer Family or Porkchops from the Byers Family

The Dairy Share

Pastures, a farmhouse cheddar from Saxon Creamery in Cleveland, WI
Parmesan Cheese from Nordic Creamery, Westby, WI
Handmade Butter Flavored with Maple Syrup from Nordic Creamery
Plain Lowfat Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy, Albany, WI

The Klessig and Heimerl families are fifth-generation dairy farmers and cheesemakers.

Reminder Regarding Lake Forest and Barrington Pickup Sites
The new Barrington site is St. Paul United Church of Christ at 401 E. Main Street. The new Lake Forest site is at 994 Meadow Lane. Pickup times remain the same.

Farm Journal
This fall marks the one-year anniversary of some pretty big events here at Sandhill Family Farms. It was one year ago that the Sheaffer family moved from the Grayslake farm to the Brodhead farm and the Miller family moved into the farmhouse in Grayslake. By its very nature, the process of moving out of one house and into another can create a fair amount of upheaval in the life of a family, but our kids seem to have taken it all in stride. The Miller boys are thrilled to finally have space for their very own goats and chickens, while the Sheaffer kids are equally pleased to have a barn large enough to accommodate a small flock of sheep. I guess the lesson that Matt, Jeff, Jen and I have learned is that if you are looking to ease the pain of a major life transition for your small children, forget about buying them a new puppy and think about getting a goat instead!

Have a good week.
--Peg

In the Farm Kitchen: Tips for Making the Most of your CSA Share

Of the thousands of different potato varieties grown throughout the world, we typically grow 6 to 8 different kinds each season. Potatoes come in many sizes and shapes and in many colors--red, pink, white, yellow, beige, brown, purple, and blue. Over the years we've tried a number of very pretty pink types, but Adirondack Red is by far the most visually stunning. It has a dark pink skin as well as a deep pink flesh that stays pink when cooked. In terms of starchiness, it falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, so it's a good choice for roasting, mashing and for making potato salad. Always store potatoes in a cool place out of the light.

Fresh sage adds wonderful flavor to roasted meats and vegetables as well as bean dishes and stews. You can also use it to make a nice tea to sooth colds and coughs. Simply steep it in hot water and add a squeeze of lemon and honey to taste. Sage can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or dried in a paper bag in a warm, dry location.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Fettucine with Brown Butter, Carrots and Sage

8 oz fettuccine pasta

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

4 tablespoons butter

10 fresh sage leaves, stemmed

1/4 cup beef broth or vegetable broth

5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Cook pasta and carrots together in large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender and carrots are al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sage leaves and cook until edges curl and butter is dark amber (do not burn), stirring and turning leaves occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer sage to paper towels. Add broth to brown butter.

Add pasta, carrots, and 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese to brown butter mixture in skillet; toss to coat, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Garnish with fried sage leaves, passing cheese alongside.

Pommes de Terre Boulangère
adapted from a recipe in The New York Times, October 13, 2009

2 pounds (about 7 medium) Adirondack Red potatoes
6 to 8 cups beef or chicken broth, or as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter
6 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Place whole potatoes in a saucepan and add broth to cover by about 1 inch. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove potatoes from broth (reserve broth for another use) and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, saute onion in 2 tablespoons butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add 6 sage leaves. Reduce heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and caramelized, about 10 more minutes. Add vinegar, cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat, and discard sage leaves.

Slice cooled potatoes into rounds 1/3 inch thick. Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, and add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When butter is hot, add potatoes and allow to sit without stirring or shaking until browned and crispy. Turn potatoes and brown and crisp other sides. When well-browned, add caramelized onions, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to mix.

Broccoli and Garlic Quiche

1 round of refrigerated pie dough for a 9-inch pieflorets from 1 head of broccoli (leave 2 inches of stem attached)

2 large garlic cloves

6 large eggs

1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 cup grated cheddar

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Prebake pie dough in pie plate according to package instructions, then remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350°F. While shell bakes, cook broccoli in a 3-quart pot of boiling salted water 4 minutes. Drain broccoli and rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then pat dry.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a generous pinch of salt. Whisk together garlic paste, eggs, half-and-half, milk, nutmeg, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell and add broccoli, then sprinkle with cheeses. Bake quiche until center is just set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... acorn squash, salad mix, celeriac, radishes, arugula, beets, leeks and more!

CSA News for the Final Week of the Summer Share

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:57:00 +0000

Reminder: This is the final week of the Fruit Season and the Summer Vegetable Season. Next week will be the first week for fall vegetables, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

The Vegetable Share:

Broccoli
Radishes
Head Lettuce
Leeks
Cilantro
Poblano Peppers
Butternut Squash (grown by our neighbor, Brad Paulsen)
Kale

The Fruit Share:

Apple Cider
Jonagold Apples
Honey Crisp Apples
Asian Pears

Registration for 2014
CSA Shares for 2014 are now available. The 5% early bird discount will be available until November 15th for 3-Season Vegetable Shares and Fruit Shares. Reserve your 2014 shares by registering at our website. As always, you can pay for your shares in up to 5 installments throughout the course of the season.

Peg's Farm Journal
As the summer season draws to a close I want to take the opportunity to thank our members for your encouragement and support. It's been a great summer and we hope it shows in the quality of the foods you've received. Your membership is important not only to us, the Sheaffers and the Millers, but also to the Riemers, Klugs, Bekkums, Byers, Parises and Langes. Along with these families, we are working hard to bring you the best produce, dairy and meat we can. We all know that purchasing food from family farms helps make sustainable family-scale farming a viable economic enterprise, but what we don't always think about is the way that it contributes to healthy rural communities. Where rural economies are strong, rural culture is strong and vibrant. Small towns become places where people, young and old, want to live. This past weekend we traveled north to visit the town of Reedsburg, where Wisconsin's 3rd annual Fermentation Fest was taking place. Fermentation Fest is a celebration of cultured foods and of rural culture. We enjoyed delicious food, great music, and amazing art, including some pretty cool temporary art installations right in the middle of farm fields. These pictures represent a small sampling of what we saw on Saturday. It was a truly inspiring example a what a vibrant rural community looks like. Thanks again for all you do to make small farms and small towns strong!

Have a good week! --Peg

Avery gives an impromptu pasture performance.

Stained glass combine

Our kids contemplate a heavy metal sculpture.

The back of this truck says it all.

At the end of the day we leave with a trunk full of pickles, pies and preserves. Farmer Matt has a big grin on his face the whole way home!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Butternut Squash and Roasted Poblano Casserole
2 poblano peppers, roasted and cut into thin strips

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced 1/2-inch thick

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper

1 leek, thinly sliced (white and light-green parts only)

1-2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sour cream

4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

4 oz farmer cheese

chopped cilantro for garnish

toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the butternut squash with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and spread it on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with half of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the squash is tender. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced leek, garlic, oregano and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the leek is softened and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the poblano strips and cook until they are very tender, about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and season the poblano mixture with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of the poblano mixture into a medium baking dish and top with half of the butternut squash and half of the Monterey Jack and farmer cheeses. Repeat with the remaining poblano mixture, butternut squash and both cheeses. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the gratin is golden and bubbling. Let the gratin rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro and pumpkin seeds and serve.

Chicken Chile with Kale and Poblanos

1 leek, white and light green parts chopped

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, leaves chopped

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 poblano pepper, skin removed and chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet sauté leek and garlic until soft. Add kale and water and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

Meanwhile, pour beans, tomatoes, poblano pepper, cumin and chili powder into a crockpot set on high. When the kale mixure is ready, add it to the crockpot along with 2 cups of water. Cook on high for 3 hours and then add the shredded chicken breast and cilantro. Cook for another hour. Garnish with more fresh chopped cilantro

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Kale

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)

1 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, stirring, until slightly soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Add the chicken broth to the skillet. When it starts to simmer, stir in the kale and cook until it wilts slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the gnocchi, stirring to coat. Cover and cook until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan; transfer to the broiler and cook until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Next Week's Share (our best guess)... spinach, red potatoes, sage, carrots, Napa cabbage, lettuce, onions and more!

Early Bird Discount for 2014 Shares

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:29:00 +0000

In yesterday's blog post we announced a 10% early bird discount on 3-Season Vegetable Shares and Fruit Shares for the first 50 members to register for the 2014 season. Much to our surprise and delight, those first 50 shares were gone by yesterday afternoon. Thanks, everyone for such a terrific response!

If you'd still like to take advantage of early bird pricing, we will be offering a 5% discount on 3-Season Vegetable Shares and Fruit share for the next 50 members who register.

Take care,
Peg, Matt, Jen, Jeff & the SFF Team

CSA News for the Week of Sept 30th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 11:57:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs and dairy. It's the final week for summer eggs and summer dairy. Next week is the final week for summer vegetables and fruit.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Head Lettuce
Broccoli
Mushrooms (from River Valley Ranch, Burlington, WI)
Arugula
Scarlet or White Turnips
Carrots
Yellow Onions
Sweet Peppers
Fresh Dill

This Week's Fruit Share:

Honey Crisp Apples
Neptune Grapes
Bosch Pears

This Week's Dairy Share:

'Van Gogh Vintage', an aged Gouda from Roth Kase
Harvest Butter from Nordic Creamery
Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy

Al and Sarah Bekkum make the butter we've all been enjoying this summer.

2014 Shares Available
CSA Share for 2014 are now available. Register today and receive a 10% early bird discount on 3-Season Vegetable Shares and Fruit Shares. The discount applies for the first 50 members who register.

Farm Journal
As an organic farmer, I am sometimes asked to discuss the federal regulations that govern organic certification. These kinds of conversations help me to see that many people view organic certification as a willingness to comply with a long set of prohibitions on substances and practices that aren't allowed by USDA. I guess "don't do this and don't do that" is an easy way to understand a subject that's considerably more complex.

I prefer to define organic farming in terms of what we do rather than what we don't do. The way we farm is not simply a matter of abstaining from the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Rather, it's about a set of proactive practices such as cover cropping to reduce soil erosion, planting beneficial habitat to encourage bird and insect biodiversity, and applying compost in order to enhance the microflora and fauna in our soils.

We see our role as a calling to enhance the health and vitality of all biological systems on our farms. Here in Brodhead our farm is comprised of vegetable fields, hay fields, pastures and natural areas including, woods, oak savannah and prairie. Being a steward of this place means many different things depending on the time of year. Autumn is the time when a visitor might catch us working on the prairie remnant that sits atop the hill at the back of the farm. One of the more pleasant jobs that prairie restoration involves is collecting seeds from native plants and spreading them in areas where you'd like to encourage more prairie plants to grow. This week we've been collecting the seeds of big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, shooting star, compass plant and purple prairie clover. It's a fun job and it's satisfying to see this place and all of it's ecological niches thriving.

Have a great week! -Peg

Peg collecting seeds of big bluestem.

In this family you're never too young to work on the prairie. Ruby and Grandpa Larry collect the seeds of Compass Plant.

The seeds of Indiangrass slide right off the stalk and into the palm of the hand.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Savory Vegetable Pot Pie with Turnips and Mushrooms
6 cups vegetable broth
2 large carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3 turnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups chopped onions
8 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

for the topping:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter, diced
1 1/3 cups (or more) chilled buttermilk

For filling:
Simmer carrots, parsnips and turnips in broth until just tender. Drain; reserve vegetables and broth.

Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook 5 minutes. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in reserved broth, then cream. Cook until sauce is thick and reduced to 4 cups, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Mix in reserved vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer filling to buttered 13x9x2-inch baking dish and bake, covered, until bubbling, about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare biscuits.

For biscuits:
Stir first 3 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, tossing with fork until dough is evenly moistened and adding more buttermilk by tablespoonfuls if dry. Drop biscuit dough on top of hot filling by heaping tablespoonfuls; sprinkle with pepper. Bake uncovered until tester inserted into center of biscuits comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Pickled Carrots and Turnips with Fresh Dill
3 cups water
1/3 cup coarse kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup white vinegar
1 lb turnips, peeled
1 lb carrots, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 dill sprigs, about 3 inches long

Cut the turnips and carrots into pieces about the size of french fries or your ring finger. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop the turnips and carrots in and simmer for 1 minute. Pour into a colander and rinse under cold water. Place the turnips, carrots, garlic and dill in a large glass jar.

In the same pot, heat 1 cup of the water. Add the salt and bay leaf, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, add the vinegar and the rest of the water. Pour the salted brine, including the bay leaf, over the vegetables in the jar. These pickles will taste best if you let them sit in the refrigerator for a few days before eating. They will last for a month in the refrigerator.

Cider-Poached Pears
Zest of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups apple cider
6 bosc pears, peeled and cored from bottom

In a large saucepan combine lemon zest, cinnamon stick, allspice, pepper, cider and 3/4 cup of water. Add pears and simmer until pears are easily pierced with the tip of a fork, 15-20 minutes. Remove pears from liquid and transfer to a bowl.

Raise heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick. To serve, slice off a sliver from the bottoms of the pears so they stand upright, and pour syrup over them.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... radishes, lettuce, butternut squash, potatoes, leeks, sage, apple cider and more!

CSA News for the Week of Sept 23rd

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 11:55:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Winter Squash (Acorn and/or Sweet Dumpling)
Colored Sweet Peppers
Shallots
Baking Potatoes
Celery Root/Celeriac
Tomatoes
Parsnips
Asian Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Garlic

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Green Seedless Grapes
Bosch Pears
Bartlett Pears
Empire Apples
Yellow 'Smoothie' Apples
Italian Plums

Announcements and Reminders:

Our new Lake Forest pickup site, effective this week, is 994 Meadow Lane, just a few blocks from the old pickup site.
The final summer dairy and egg deliveries will be next week. The final summer vegetable and fruit deliveries will be the week of October 7th.
We are sold out of all fall shares. (Thanks, everybody!) Information for next season will be posted on our website this week.

Fall Farm ReportThere's no doubt about it--the summer season is drawing to a close. Cooler temperatures and shorter days mean that the sights and smells of summer are quickly fading. We're picking the last of the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant this week. Soon these plants will be tilled in and the soil spread with a blanket of nourishing compost in preparation for next year's crops. Donna, Jeff, Scott and the rest of the harvest crew have recently turned their attentions to picking crops we haven't tasted since February--winter squash, parsnips and celery root. Though we will miss the tastes of our beloved summer vegetables, we are definitely looking forward to savoring the flavors of fall, and we hope you feel the same!

Have a good week. --Peg

A Couple of Fun Farm Photos

While harvesting parsnips this week, Donna discovered just how long parsnip roots can grow. These two specimens were practically as tall as she is!

Earlier in the week, Jeff and Gavin shared a quite moment next to the compost spreader. (You know, where all quality father-son time happens.)

In the Farm Kitchen: Peg's Tips for Making the Most of your Share

Tokyo Bekana is the name of this week's Asian cabbage. Despite its name, I treat it much more like a head of lettuce than a head of cabbage. Warm temperatures in late summer can sometimes cause summer-grown lettuce to taste bitter. For this reason, we rarely plant lettuce in August. (The first lettuce heads from the fall planting will be ready to harvest in another week or two.) Our favorite substitute for greens salads at this time of year is Tokyo Bekana. It is mild, crisp and juicy, with just the barest hint of cabbage flavor.

Parsnips are closely related to carrots. In fact, they sort of look like big white carrots. Although they can be eaten raw, their fibrous texture means that they are definitely best when cooked. They are slightly sweet and nutty and are particularly well suited to roasting and mashing. I also use them in place of carrots when making carrot cake.

Both acorn and sweet dumpling squash naturally lend themselves to stuffing. In addition to stuffing, you can prepare acorn squash in a number of other ways. Try slicing it in rings and roasting it with a maple syrup or brown sugar glaze. You could also roast acorn squash halves and then scoop out the cooked flesh for use in soups. Another favorite around here is to bake the squash and then use it to make quick breads and muffins. Your squash will store best if you refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.
While I'm a big fan of some of the newer apple varieties such as Honey Crisp, I'm really an old-fashioned apple girl at heart. While the Empire apple is not exactly an antique variety (it was introduced in 1966), it does remind me of McIntosh, one of my old-fashioned favorites. It is juicy and bit tart like a McIntosh but slightly sweeter. It's perfect for snacking, but it also works really nicely for saucing and baking. Remember to refrigerate your apples until you are ready to eat them.

The Bosc pear is another example of a fruit that is perfect for snacking as well as cooking. In contrast to the Bartlett, which needs to be fully ripe to achieve optimum flavor, the Bosc is sweet even when it's still a bit crisp. This is nice for those of us who like their pears a little on the firm side! The Bosc is also a good cooking pear because it doesn't turn mushy when poached or roasted, and it has such a lovely, slightly spicy aroma. To ripen Bosc pears, leave them at room temperature and only refrigerate after the pears have ripened.

Celeriac, also known as celery root, is not the most attractive vegetable in the world, but it is very tasty indeed. It has a wonderful mild celery flavor with a hit of nuttiness. In fact, I prefer the flavor of celeriac over stalk celery in many dishes because of its very smooth flavor (no sharpness or bitterness like stalk celery sometimes has). It is prized in Europe, especially in France, where it features prominently in the classic Celeriac Remoulade, a dish composed of shredded celeriac, mayonniase and Dijon mustard. (Check out this post by David Liebovitz for more on making this delicious salad.) I know some of you will be suspicious, but don’t be put off by celery root's ugly exterior. Use a sharp kitchen knife to trim the outside layer from the celeriac bulb before chopping it. (A vegetable peeler just doesn't do the job here.) The greens can be cut off and used to flavor vegetable broth or other soups. Here are some ways to use the bulb:

Roast with carrots and potatoes and serve with roast chicken or pork.
Boil celeriac pieces and mash them with an equal amount of boiled potatoes. Season with salt, pepper and butter. (This is heavenly!)
Combine with grated carrots, shredded cabbage, or other root vegetables to make flavorful autumn slaws.

The celeriac bulb will store for a long time in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Tuscan Ribollita with Swiss Chard
Ribollita is a hearty Italian vegetable soup mixed with pieces of toasted rustic bread. This version is healthy, filling and delicious!
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 small onion, or 1 shallot, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery root leaves
2 carrots, chopped
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch Swiss chard or beet greens, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind
4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery root leaves, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the chard, beans, thyme, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Creamy Celery Root and Apple Soup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup white wine

1 large celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

6 sprigs thyme

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup cream

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add shallot; cook, stirring, until soft but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add wine; simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add celery root, thyme sprigs, broth, and water; bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until celery root is soft, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and discard thyme sprigs. Transfer to a food processor; puree until smooth. Return soup to pan; stir in cream. Place over medium heat until heated through. Season with salt and white pepper.

Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots

4 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, thinly sliced

5 parsnips, peeled, sliced

4 large russet potatoes, peeled, sliced

1 cup milk, heated

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until tender and deep brown, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add parsnips and potatoes; boil until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Return vegetables to pot; mash. Add half of the warm milk and 3 tablespoons butter; stir until smooth. Stir in onion mixture. Add more milk if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Glazed Winter Squash

vegetable oil, for baking sheets

2 acorn or buttercup squashes, halved, seeded, and sliced into 1-inch-thick crescents

coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil, and brush with oil.

Lay squash pieces on baking sheets. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle squashes evenly with half the sugar. Roast until sugar has melted, about 5 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven. Using tongs, turn over pieces. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle evenly with remaining sugar. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... lettuce, radishes, peppers, mushrooms, green cabbage, carrots, butternut squash, turnips, apple cider and more...

CSA News for the Week of Sept 16th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:58:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing veggies, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Leeks
Tomatoes
Parsley
Fingerling Potatoes
Japanese Salad Turnips
Carrots
Arugula
Red and Yellow Onions
Eggplant or Sweet Peppers

Jen and Peg with this week's vegetable share

This Week's Fruit Share:

Bartlett Pears
Honey Crisp Apples
Concord Grapes

This Week's Dairy Share:

Sheep's Milk Feta from Nordic Creamery in Westby, WI
'Mountain Jack', a Goat's Milk Cheese from Nordic Creamery
Quart of Plain Lowfat Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy
Two 5-oz Berry-Flavored Yogurts from Sugar River Dairy

This Week's Meat Share:

Breakfast Sausage & Bacon, Byers Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
Ground Pork, Byers Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
Beef Roast from Riemer Family Farm or Whole Chicken from Lange Farms

One of the Riemer girls proudly shows off her family's steers.

In the Farm Kitchen: Peg's Tips for Making the Most of Your Share

Bartlett pears are one of my absolute favorite fruits. I love them partly because they make me think of my Grandpa and the trees he planted in his backyard way before I was born. I also love pears because they are such a versatile fruit in the kitchen. They can be used in sweet desserts as well as in savory meat dishes and vegetable salads. Mick Klug, the farmer who grows your fruit, picks his pears on the firm side in order to prevent bruising during harvest. Store them in the fridge until a few days before you want to eat them. Then allow them to ripen at room temperature. Placing pears in a paper bag at this point will speed things up because it traps the ethylene gas that pears naturally emit during the ripening process.

Concord grapes are another of my favorite fall treats. They ripen in September and October and are the type that are used to make grape juice. Some of Mick's grapes are sold to Welch's for juice, but he has reserved some of the nicest ones for us and for his farmers' market customers. Concord grapes make a great snack, but they do require a bit of work. They are a “slip-skin” variety of grape (as opposed to “fixed-skin”), which means that they pop right out of their jackets when you give them a little squeeze. Munching on a handful of concord grapes is much like the experience of eating a slice of watermelon--spitting out the seeds is part of the fun!

Leeks are members of the lily family and are close relatives of onions, garlic, shallots and chives. Leeks are milder than most onions and tend to get sweeter as they cook. When using leeks, cut the dark green parts tops off and leave the light green and white sections. Then cut them in half lengthwise and wash any dirt out from between the layers. Leeks may be sauteed, braised, grilled, baked or eaten raw. Store them in the refrigerator.

We love white salad turnips for their mild, sweet taste and their soft texture. This is a Japanese variety called hakurei. It is very mild and sweet and could be mistaken for a white radish. Japanese turnips are delicious eaten raw or sautéed in a little butter and sprinkled with salt. Toward the end of the saute, add the chopped turnip greens and cook until wilted. Season with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Braised Leeks
2 large leeks
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons cold butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Remove outer leaves; cut dark-green ends from leeks. Trim roots, keeping leaves attached. Halve lengthwise; rinse to remove dirt.

Bring broth to a boil in a large skillet. Add leeks; cover, and cook over medium-low heat, turning once, until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer leeks to a platter. Boil broth until reduced to 1/2 cup, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter; swirl to melt. Add parsley; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over leeks.

Carrot-Pear Spice Bread

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup diced pears

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Combine sugar and eggs in bowl of an electric mixer. Beat well. Add oil and mix well. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves in a separate bowl. Spoon into egg mixture and blend well. Stir in carrots, pears and walnuts.

Pour batter into pans and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pan-Seared Trout with Apples & Baby Turnips

2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil

3 rainbow trout fillets, approximately 6-8 oz each

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 cups turnip, peeled and diced into one-fourth inch dice

1 cup unsweetened apple juice

1 1/2 cup apple, peeled, cored and cut into one-fourth inch dice

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Set a medium skillet over medium heat; add the turnip and apple juice and allow to cook for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the turnip is slightly tender. Add the apples, thyme and lemon zest. Allow the mixture to cook until the apples are slightly tender, approximately 2 minutes. At this point most of the liquid should be absorbed. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.

Place a second medium skillet over high heat for the trout. Add the oil to the pan and allow to heat for 30 seconds. Season the trout with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the hot skillet. Do not move the trout - allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes or until the skin is nice and crispy. Carefully flip the fish and add the maple syrup and fresh lemon juice to the pan. Cook for another minute.

Remove the fish from the pan. Reserve the juices in the pan to drizzle over the fish. To plate the dish, divide the apple turnip mixture by spooning onto six plates. Top the mixture with a piece of fish. Drizzle with reserved pan juices from the trout.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)...garlic, Swiss chard, peppers, tomatoes, Asian cabbage, winter squash and more!

CSA News for the Week of Sept 9th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 11:59:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables and fruit. Next week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Red Cabbage
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Green Onions
Bok Choy
Sweet Italian Peppers
Spicy Poblano Peppers
Carrots
Beets
Beauty Heart Radishes
Garlic

This Week's Fruit Share:

Red Grapes
Italian Plums
Asian Pears
Nectarines

Thank You, CSA Members!
Thanks to all the members who visited the farm this weekend for the farm tour and tomato picking. It was great to see so many new faces in the group. We hope you enjoyed learning about the crops and getting to meet some of our critters. CSA member Maryanne Natarajan shared these photos from Saturday.

Picnic under the trees

Adults and kids had fun picking tomatoes.

Some kids even decided they wanted to dig potatoes, too!

The potato treasure hunt seemed to be a big hit!

In the Farm Kitchen: Tips for Making the Most of Your Share

Unlike European pear varieties, the flesh of Asian pears doesn't become soft after harvest. The texture of an Asian pear remains crisp and juicy when ripe, much like that of an apple. In fact, Asian pears are sometimes called "apple pears", both for there crisp texture and for their round shape. They will store for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

With their tart skins and sweet flesh, Stanley plums make a delicious snack when eaten fresh. They are also a wonderful late-summer fruit for use in baked goods such as cakes and tarts. In addition, they can be made into savory sauces and condiments such as pickled plums and plum sauce.

Beauty Heart Radishes, also known as Watermelon Radishes, are rather ugly in the outside but beautiful on the inside. They got their name because of the brilliant pink color of the interior. Beauty hearts are in a class of radishes called storage radishes. They are meant to grow to a much larger size than spring radishes. When stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator they will keep for months. I use beauty heart radishes much like traditional spring radishes. They can be peeled and grated or sliced for use on sandwiches, in salads and on crudité platters.

As far as hot peppers go, poblano peppers are somewhere in the middle of the heat index scale. They are not as hot as a jalapeno or a serrano. Roasting poblano peppers before using them improves their flavor and allows you to remove their waxy skin. Once you've roasted them you can put them in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for months. Poblanos can be used in many different Mexican-inspired dishes from rice dishes to casseroles to the well-known chiles rellenos. To roast them you can either put them under the broil, use a skewer to hold them over an open flame on your stove top, or stick them in a very hot toaster oven. You should roast them until the skin starts to bubble and the bubbles start to blacken. Once this starts to happen, flip them over and do the same to the other side. Allow them to cool before pulling the skin off with your fingers. Finally, make a slit in each one and remove the seeds.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Arroz Verde with Poblano, Cilantro and Green Onions

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish

3/4 cup chopped green onion

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

1 cup long-grain white rice

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, salt, cilantro, green onion and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender with 1/2 cup of the stock. Process on high speed until smooth.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the puree and cook, stirring, to evaporate most of the liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining stock, stir and cover, and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer without stirring, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve, garnished with additional cilantro.

Avocado & Radish Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 large or 2 small beauty heart radishes, peeled and chopped fine

1 firm-ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

In a bowl whisk together lime juice, oil, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. In a medium bowl, combine cabbage and radishes and toss with dressing enough dressing to coat. Add avocado and toss gently. Garnish with additional cilantro.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy and Red Pepper

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons light-brown sugar

1 lb sliced chicken breast meat

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 cups sliced bok choy (from 1 head)

1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips

Cooked rice, for serving

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons water. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until coated. In a large wok or skillet, heat oil, garlic, and ginger over medium-high until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken in a single layer, pressing against pan to sear. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bok choy and pepper and cook, stirring, until bok choy slightly wilts, about 1 minute. Add soy sauce mixture and cook until sauce thickens slightly, 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... leeks, parsley, potatoes, broccoli, eggplant, yellow onions, tomatoes, peppers, baby turnips, honey crisp apples, pears and more!

CSA News for the Week of September 2nd

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 11:59:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs and dairy.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Heirloom Tomatoes
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Sweet Corn (from Geneva Lakes Produce, Burlington, WI)
Carrots
Fresh Dill
Sweet Peppers
Kale
Potatoes
Kohlrabi
Shallots

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Green 'Interlaken' Grapes
Red 'Suffolk' Grapes
Gala Apples

This Week's Dairy Share:

Deppeler's Aged Swiss Cheese, Chalet Cheese Co-op, Monroe, WI
Handmade Cinnamon-Sugar Butter, Nordic Creamery, Westby, WI
4-Pack of Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurts, Sugar River Dairy, Albany, WI

A Quick Labor Day Observance
I hope you all had a terrific holiday weekend. The past couple of days have been great here at the farm, though I wouldn't say it's been particularly relaxing for our hard-working crew of employees. Since this particular holiday falls smack in the middle of one of our busiest periods on the farm, there's been more laboring than relaxing for us and our crew lately. Over the past couple of weeks I've taken some photos of the folks who work hard to grow your food. Thank you Donna, Jeff, Tyler, Nadia, Luis, Katie, Jenna, Scott, Conor, Derek, Jen, Jeff, Tommy, Kelsey, Jared, and Jason!

Have a great week! -Peg

Conor, Katie and Scott pack your vegetable and fruit boxes each week.

In addition to doing tractor work such as tillage and cultivation, Tyler is responsible for making deliveries to many of our pickup sites.

Luis also does quite a bit of tractor work around the farm. Luis has been with Sandhill the longest of any of our employees, having been with us now for 10 years.

Nadia takes charge of most of our direct-seeded crops, including beets, carrots, radishes, spinach and other greens. Nadia proves to the world that women can drive tractors too!

And finally, our kids, including our son Avery, have contributed quite a bit around the farm this summer. Today is the first day of school and we're going to miss having them around!

In the Farm Kitchen
Dill is a wonderful fresh herb that pairs particularly well with carrots, beets and all members of the broccoli and cabbage family. It is excellent in chilled summer salads such as pasta, potato and tuna. This week I would recommend making a creamy dill dip to serve alongside crispy kohlrabi sticks.

Along with a green bell pepper, this week's share contains a red frying pepper. Though it might look a little suspicious to those who avoid hot peppers, we promise there's not a hint of heat here. These red peppers are sweet and delicious. Our planting of frying peppers is just starting to turn red so you will be receiving more of these in the coming weeks.

This is the crispiest, most delicious kohlrabi we've ever grown. Try peeling it and slicing into matchsticks for a healthy snack.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Sautéed Carrots with Sweet Pepper and Dill

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 pound carrots, peeled, thinly sliced

1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and water. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add dill. Season with salt and pepper.

Curried Kale with Apple and Shallots

1 large apple

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, cut into 1/4-inch wedges

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped

1/2 cup water

Peel, quarter, and core apple, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Heat oil in a 5-quart pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallots, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add apple and curry powder and sauté, stirring, until apple is almost tender, about 2 minutes.

Add kale and water and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender and most of liquid is evaporated, about minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... tomatoes, Italian plums, eggplant, green onions, cilantro, peppers, cauliflower, spinach, celery root, beets and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 26th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 11:58:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables and fruit. Next week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs and dairy.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Green Beans
Broccoli
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Basil
Head Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Arugula
Cucumbers
Watermelon or Cantaloupe
Zucchini (on-farm pickup only)
Sweet Onions

This week's share is a real tribute to summer. Melons, peppers and tomatoes have really been enjoying the recent heat wave. We love all the funny-looking heirloom tomatoes we're picking right now. Heirlooms come in all sorts of colors, from pink to orange to purple, and in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Though some of them look quite different from the type of tomatoes you might buy in a grocery store, they don't need to be reserved for use in only certain recipes. Use them in all of your favorite recipes--from BLTs to Caprese salads.

This Week's Fruit Share:

Zestar Apples
Golden Supreme Apples
Peaches
'Mount Royal' Plums

This week's fruit share includes Mount Royal plums. We like these tasty plums, with their purple skin and bright yellow flesh, for fresh eating as well as baking. There's no better way to conclude a late-summer dinner than with a rustic plum tart. Slice 1 1/2 pounds of plums and toss with about a half cup of sugar and a tablespoon of flour. Roll out a store-bought pie crust on a cookie sheet and mound the plum filling in the center, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold the edges over and bake at 400 degrees until the plums are bubbling and the crust in golden brown. The scent of this simple dessert is heavenly!

Fall Share Registration

If you're thinking about a fall share, this is the time to go ahead and register. We have a limited number of spots available for vegetables, meat, dairy and trout. (Fall egg shares are sold out.) The fall season starts the week of October 15th and runs through the week of November 18th. Register online at http://sandhillfamilyfarms.com.

Fall Vegetable Share - $190

Vegetable shares are delivered every week. There are 6 deliveries during the Fall Season. The Fall Share is the perfect way to savor the flavors of our Midwestern roots. You will receive beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cranberries, garlic, kale, herbs, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, salad greens, shallots, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips,winter squash and more.

Fall Dairy Share - $45

Dairy shares are delivered every other week. There are 3 dairy deliveries during the 6-week Fall Season. The Dairy Share highlights the work of licensed Wisconsin dairy artisans located in the beautiful countryside surrounding our Brodhead farm. Each delivery consists of 1 or 2 different types of cheese (3/4 lb to 1 lb total), one quart of rBGH-free creamline yogurt and a specialty item such as handmade butter. Cheeses include familiar ones like cheddar, as well as artisanal goat-milk and sheep-milk cheeses.

Fall Meat Share - $135

Meat shares are delivered once a month. There are 2 deliveries during the 6-week Fall Season. The selection varies slightly from month to month, but each meat share consists of a 10 lb box containing a variety of familiar and easy-to-prepare cuts. Chicken, beef and pork make up the majority of each share, but we also include our delicious lamb chorizo or signature gyro-spiced lamb brats on an occasional basis. Sausages and bacon are free of MSG and nitrates.

Fall Trout Share - $70

Trout Share are delivered once a month. There are 2 deliveries during the 6-week Fall Season. Each delivery consists of 6 headless, deboned trout (about 3 lbs) from Rushing Waters Fisheries in Palmyra, Wisconsin. Artesian springs feed pure, clean water to the farm's 56 ponds and raceways. The year-round water temperature of 49° helps Rushing Waters produce sustainable, delicious trout without the use of chemicals or antibiotics.

Reminder Regarding Pickup Site Hours
Just a friendly reminder that, as a courtesy to our site hosts, shares need to be picked up during the time period designated for your particular pickup site. We know that unforeseen circumstances do arise, so if you are unable to pick up your share during the designated hours, please call or email the farm and we'll try our best to make alternate arrangements for you. Thank you!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Fresh Tomato
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems chopped
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lemon

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Add garbanzo beans; season with salt and pepper; heat through. Place chard in pan and cook until wilted. Add tomato. Squeeze lemon juice over greens, heat through and serve.

BLT Wrap with Basil Mayo
1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

4 whole-wheat wraps, 9 inches in diameter

4 large lettuce leaves

8 thin slices tomato

8 slices cooked bacon

Mix first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread 1 tablespoon of the basil mayonnaise onto each tortilla. Top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 2 slices of tomato, and 2 slices of bacon. Fold in the ends of each wrap and roll up tightly.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... sweet corn, fingerling potatoes, kale, parsley, grapes, carrots, tomatoes, kohlrabi, shallots, spinach and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 19th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 11:44:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Broccoli
Carrots
Tomatoes
Head Lettuce
Green Beans
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Arugula
Zucchini (off-farm pickup only)
Garlic

Finally, a little heat! Warmer temperatures this week are really helping to accelerate the ripening of our tomatoes and peppers. You can expect these two crops in greater abundance during the coming month.

This Week's Fruit Share:

Red Grapes
'Ozark Premier' Plums
Nectarines

Blueberry season has come to an end, and it won't be long before the Klugs have picked the last of the peaches and the nectarines, too. The final month of the fruit share will feature plums, raspberries, pears, grapes, and apples.

This Week's Dairy Share:

Mild Raw Milk Cheddar from Brunkow Cheese in Darlington, WI
Brun-Uusto (a traditional Finnish cheese) from Brunkow Cheese
Plain Lowfat Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy in Albany, WI
Cultured Butter with Sea Salt from Nordic Creamery in Westby, WI

This map used to hang on a wall in the farmhouse office. Each little wheel of cheese represents a different cheese factory or farmstead dairy. So far this season we have enjoyed dairy products crafted by a dozen different producers in the southernmost part of the state, and there's still much to look forward to!

This Week's Meat Share:

Bratwurst and Porkchops from Byers Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
Beef Stew Meat & Ground Beef from Riemer Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
Assorted Steaks from Riemer Family Farm

All of the beef for the meat share is raised by our good friends, Bryce and Jen Riemer, along with Bryce's parents, Kathy and Loren Riemer. Their farm is located in Decatur township on the northwest side of Brodhead where the fertile soils produce abundant crops and lush pastures. (photo courtesy of Jen Riemer)

The Riemer family has been raising Hereford cattle since 1927. We recently came across these old photos, taken on their farm in October of 1963. That was the year Willis and Lenora Riemer, Bryce's grandparents, hosted the National Cornpicking Contest. Farmers came from all over the country to compete as thousands of spectators cheered them on.

In this photo, Willis and Lenora (and their dog, Boots) seem to be enjoying the festivities. Bryce and Jen, along with their three little girls, now live in Willis and Lenora's big Italianate brick farmhouse and are taking over the reins of the family farm. They have quite a legacy to carry on, and so far they're doing a terrific job. Their naturally-raised beef is the best!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Eggplant Caponata Crostini
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons golden raisins

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons sugar, plus more if needed

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/3 cup white-wine vinegar

Coarse salt

8 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; cook stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and sugar; cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 1/3 cup water.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar (up to 1 tablespoon), as desired.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side. Top grilled bread with caponata. Caponata can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container; let cool completely before storing.

Spicy Nectarine & Yogurt Salsa
2 cups chopped fresh tomato
2 ripe nectarines, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill for at least an hour. Serve with grilled fish, chicken or tortilla chips.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard, melons, fingerling potatoes, red onions, basil, kohlrabi, grapes, apples and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 12th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:56:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables and fruit. Next week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Green Peppers

Heirloom and/or Red Tomatoes

Popcorn

Watermelon or Cantaloupe

Zucchini (for members who pick up at the farm this week)

Leeks

Parsley

Gold and Red Beets

‘Superior’ Potatoes

Cucumbers

Yellow Onions

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Peaches

Blackberries

Blueberries

Crop Report

If there's one thing that's true about farming, it is that no two seasons are ever the same. Each year there are unfamiliar biological concepts to study, new engineering problems to solve and unexpected weather patterns to deal with. The constantly changing landscape of this profession is what makes farming such fun, but it's also what can seem so maddening sometimes! We all know that weather patterns can vary dramatically from year to year, and the last couple of years have been no exception. Last summer we endured week after week of searing heat, while for much of this summer we have watched in puzzlement as daily high temperatures struggle to reach 80 degrees. Peppers and melons could really use more heat than they are getting right now, but we are finally beginning to pick both of these crops in numbers large enough to distribute to all of our members this week. The growth of tomato plants has been slow this year, so we won't be able to overwhelm you with tomato abbondanza just yet! Like you, we are looking forward to the sight of a kitchen countertop piled high with tomatoes, and I promise that it will happen. Now let's all keep our fingers crossed for some real heat!

Have a great week,

Peg

Despite the cool weather there are lots more where this one came from!

In the Farm Kitchen

We've still got lots of potatoes yet to dig, but we can tell already that this year's potato crop will produce record yields. This week we dug a variety called Superior. It's a russet-type potato with white flesh. We like it for baking and for making oven fries, but it also works well for steaming, boiling and mashing.

Making popcorn on the stovetop is a little more work than the microwave version, but the results are well worth the effort. Start by removing the kernels from the cob. I like to work over a dish towel, pushing the kernels off with my thumbs. (The towel prevents the kernels from bouncing all over the place!) Cover the bottom of a pot with vegetable oil. Add one layer of kernels to the bottom of the pot and cover with a lid. Place the pot over medium heat. Be sure to remove from heat as soon as the popping stops. Add salt to taste.

This week marks our first bell pepper harvest. Most of the pepper fruits are still in their immature or "green" stage. Given enough time and warmth, green peppers that are left on the plant will eventually turn either yellow, orange or red, depending on the variety. The fact that green peppers are simply immature colored peppers is one of those interesting things I never stopped to consider before I started farming. Another curious thing about sweet peppers is that the immature stage of some varieties is a color other than green. For example, we grow a variety called Islander that starts out purple in its immature stage and slowly matures to a bright orange. This week members will receive one green pepper and one that is either purple or lime green.

This Week's Featured Recipe

Roasted Beet Salad with Blueberries & Oranges

6 medium beets with beet greens attached

1 large orange

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim greens from beets. Cut off and discard stems. Coarsely chop leaves and reserve. Wrap each beet in foil. Place beets directly on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool. Peel beets, then cut each into 8 wedges. Place beets in medium bowl.

Cook beet greens in large saucepan of boiling water just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Cool. Squeeze greens to remove excess moisture. Add greens to bowl with beets. Cut peel and white pith from orange. Working over another bowl and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments. Add orange segments, blueberries and onion to bowl with beet mixture. Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, and orange peel in small bowl to blend; add to beet mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Serve.

Save the Date--CSA Picnic at the Brodhead Farm on September 7th

Interested in learning more about how we grow your food? Please join us at the Brodhead farm on Saturday, September 7th for a CSA picnic and walking tour from 3 until 6. Pack a picnic supper (don't forget plates and utensils), bring your lawn chairs or a blanket, and come enjoy some time on the farm with Peg, Matt, Jen and Jeff and your fellow CSA members. Water, lemonade and brownies will be provided. The walking tour will start around 3:30. We'll conclude the tour in the tomato field where you'll have time to do some picking! (More details to come as we see how the tomato crop shapes up.) The farm address is 16228 Skinner Road in Brodhead, WI. Please RSVP to jen @sandhillfamilyfarms.com so we know how many will be attending.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... carrots, bell peppers, eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, melons, plums, raspberries, basil and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 5th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:49:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs and dairy. Next week we will distribute vegetables and fruit.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Fresh Basil
Sweet Corn from Geneva Lakes Produce in Burlington, WI
Red 'Tropea' Onions
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Tomato Puree
Zucchini
Mushrooms from River Valley Ranch in Burlington, WI
Eggplant (Wed and Thurs off-farm pickup sites)
Green Beans or Romano Beans

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Blackberries
Nectarines
Blueberries
'Shiro' Plums

This Week's Dairy Share:

Farmers Cheese from Silver Lewis Cheese Co-op
Greek Yogurt from Pastureland Co-op
Summer Butter from Nordic Creamery
Lowfat Raspberry Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy

Silver Lewis Cheese Co-op in Monticello, established in 1897, is the oldest continuously operating cheese factory in Wisconsin.

As I drove the backroads toward Monticello yesterday, I was struck by how picturesque Silver Road is. Even by Green County standards, it's pretty scenic.

Although much has changed since Silver Lewis opened its doors over a hundred years ago, some things remain the same. Four generations later, members of the Silver family still operate one of the dairy farms that provide milk to the factory.

And small groups of contented cows lounge in pastures along the roadside. Although there are fewer scenes like this than there used to be, many people are working hard to keep Green County's dairy farming industry strong and vibrant. Thanks for supporting Wisconsin's small family farms and dairy producers. Their future is brighter because of you!

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Red Long of Tropea is the name of this week's onion. It is a variety that was traditionally grown in Mediterranean Italy and France. We use them in salads as well as for everyday cooking in place of traditional bulb onions.

This week's share contains a jar of tomato puree made from our own tomatoes. As it says on the label, our tomato puree makes a great soup by itself or with the addition of a little cream. You can also use it as a base for heartier soups, chili and pasta sauce. I like to use it as a basting liquid when roasting meats, as a replacement for water or broth when I'm making risotto, or in the crockpot when I'm slow-cooking a beef roast. The puree is shelf-stable, but should be refrigerated after opening.

This week some of you will receive traditional green beans while some of you will receive romano beans. Romanos are very similar to traditional green beans except that they have a wider, flatter pod. They can be cooked the same way as traditional beans.

This Week's Featured Recipe

Zucchini and Green Beans with Fresh Basil

for the sauce:
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons drained capers

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, peeled

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

for the vegetables:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound green beans, stem end trimmed

12 ounces zucchini, halved lengthwise, each half cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-wide strips

3 tablespoons water

Blend first 6 ingredients in processor until finely chopped. With machine running, gradually add olive oil. Process until coarse puree forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables; stir until coated. Sprinkle with salt and 3 tablespoons water. Cover; cook vegetables until almost crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Uncover; cook until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in enough sauce to coat vegetables generously. Season with salt and pepper.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... arugula, garlic, green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, leeks, kale, potatoes, peaches and maybe watermelons.

CSA News for the Week of July 29th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:57:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetable and fruit shares. Next week we will be distributing vegetable, fruit, egg and dairy shares.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Red Potatoes
Cabbage
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Cilantro
Cipollini Onions
Eggplant or Green Beans*
Carrots
Cucumbers
Leeks
Zucchini (on-farm pickup only)
Tomatoes

*Members who pick up on Wednesday and Thursday at our off-farm pickup sites will receive green beans this week. All other members will receive eggplant. Both of these crops are just coming in, and quantities are somewhat limited. We will distribute these items on alternate weeks until we are harvesting enough for everyone to receive the same item at one time.

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Nectarines
Red Raspberries
Blueberries
'Pristine' Apples ('Pristine' is an early variety that is both sweet and tart.)

Farm Photo Journal

While this week's October-like weather hasn't necessarily been exactly what we need to make tomato plants grow, it sure makes for comfortable working conditions for our crew!

And despite the cool temperatures, there actually are a few tomatoes starting to ripen out there. This week you will receive one or two tomatoes in your share.

This week you'll only get a small taste, but there are lots more coming!

Notes from the Farm Kitchen
This week we are harvesting Japanese eggplant (long and skinny) as well as Italian eggplant (plump and oval-shaped). In terms of taste and texture, they are similar, but the shape of one or the other may be more suitable to a particular recipe. Eggplant does not need to be peeled, but some people prefer to do so. Before using it in a recipe, we recommend lightly salting eggplant slices and then letting them sit in a strainer for at last 10 minutes. This helps reduce the water content in the eggplant, and improves texture and taste.

Cipollini onions, pronounced chip-oh-LEE-nee, are smaller and flatter than regular storage onions. They are slightly sweeter than regular yellow and white onions, and are therefore a great choice for carmelizing and roasting.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Swiss Chard and Cabbage Slaw
from www.farmgirlfare.com
4 cups thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves
1 cup chopped Swiss chard stems
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
2 minced cipollini onions
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 16-ounce carton cottage cheese
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine Swiss chard leaves and stems, cabbage, scallions, and garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Add cottage cheese and mix well. Add vinegar and stir to combine. Sprinkle with garlic powder and mix well. Salt & pepper to taste, adding a little more vinegar if desired.

Grilled Nectarines with Honey-Balsamic Glaze
from Bon Appétit, June 2002
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plain yogurt

6 firm but ripe nectarines, halved, pitted

Whisk 1/2 cup honey, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk yogurt and remaining 2 tablespoons honey in medium bowl to blend. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush nectarines generously with half of glaze. Grill until heated through, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Arrange 2 nectarine halves, cut side up, on each plate. Drizzle with remaining glaze. Spoon some yogurt into center of each nectarine half and serve.

Cucumber-Cilantro Raita
2 cups plain yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced
1 small cipollini onion, minced
1 green chile pepper, minced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt

Stir the yogurt, cucumber, onion, chile pepper, cilantro, and salt together in a bowl until evenly mixed. Set aside in refrigerator to allow the flavors to mix for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Indian curries and other spicy foods.

Cucumber-Cilantro Margarita
recipe from Bobby Flay

4 thin slices peeled cucumber

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1 sprig

2 tablespoons sugar

3 lime wedges

2 1/2 ounces silver tequila

2 ounces triple sec

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Large ice cubes

Kosher salt

Muddle 3 slices cucumber, 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, the sugar and 1 lime wedge in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice and shake heavily. Rub a rocks glass with the remaining 2 lime wedges and coat with salt (optional). Fill a glass with ice and strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with the cilantro sprig and remaining cucumber slice.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... sweet corn, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, plums, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, peaches, blackberries and more!

CSA News for the Week of July 22nd

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 18:26:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, eggs and trout. Next week we will be distributing vegetables and fruit.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Beets
Sweet Corn (from Geneva Lakes Produce in Burlington, WI)
Kale
Eggplant or Zucchini
Sweet Onions
Basil
Cucumber
Dill

This Week's Fruit Share:

Peaches
Golden Plums
Red Raspberries
Blueberries

This Week's Dairy Share:

Fresh Chevre from LaClare Farms in Chilton, WI
Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy in Albany, WI
"Little Darling" Cheese from Brunkow Cheese in Darlington, WI
Handmade Butter with Maple Syrup from Nordic Creamery in Westby, WI

Katie Hedrich and her family make goat milk cheeses at LaClare Farms.

This Week's Meat Share:

Breakfast Sausage from Byers Family Farm in Brodhead, WI
Whole Organic Chicken from Lange Farms in Platteville, WI
Beef Roast from Riemer Family Farm in Brodhead, WI
Ground Beef from Riemer Family Farm in Brodhead, WI
Bacon or Beef Fajita Meat (you will receive one this month and one next month)

CSA Picnic Photos

Thanks to all who came out to the farm on Saturday for our CSA picnic and tour. It was great to meet new members and to catch up with some long-time members. Thank you also to the Riemer family for making the trip down from Brodhead to spend the afternoon with us. (The Riemer family raises the beef that is included in our monthly meat shares.)
from left: Bryce and Jen Riemer, Matt and Peg Sheaffer, Jen and Jeff Miller

We began the afternoon with a tour of the vegetable fields, which included a few stops along the way to say hello to the laying hens and the goats.

After the tour we enjoyed a picnic on the lawn.

As we ate and talked, we were treated to music provided by Becky Stark, a fellow vegetable farmer, and her dad, Ben Stark. (Some of our Oak Park members may recognize Ben from the music circle at the Oak Park Famers Market.)

Great fun was had by all, including the Sheaffer, Riemer and Miller kids.

Our next CSA gathering will be on Saturday, September 7th at the Sheaffer's farm in Brodhead. We hope to see you there!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Zucchini, Sweet Corn and Basil Salad

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 ears)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

.
Cut zucchini down the middle lengthwise then, working crosswise, slice very thinly. Toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and let drain in a colander set over a bowl, covered and chilled, 1 hour.

Gently squeeze handfuls of zucchini to remove excess water and pat dry with paper towels.

Cook corn in a small saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold water and pat dry. Whisk together lemon juice, sugar, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Add zucchini, corn, and basil and toss well.

Chilled Beet Soup with Dill Cream

4 cups (or more) chicken or vegetable broth

1 1/2 pounds beets, peeled, chopped

1 cup chopped sweet onion

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions

Sour cream

Combine 4 cups broth, beets, onions, and garlic in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until beets are very tender, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Puree in blender in batches until smooth. Transfer to bowl. Thin with additional broth if soup is too thick. Mix in sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with dill and top with sour cream.

Sweet Corn and Kale Chowder

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken or veg stock
3-4 stalks celery, diced
3 potatoes, diced
2 ears worth of fresh corn (sliced from the cob)
4 cups kale, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in medium pot over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring. Add onions and butter; cook until onions are soft. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly, and raise heat to med-high. Add stock, and bring to simmer. Add all vegetables except kale, and cook until almost soft (15-20 minutes). Add kale and cook until kale is tender (another 10-20 minutes). If needed, stir in more milk to thin. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... green beans, carrots, leeks, red potatoes, eggplant, shallots, chard, blueberries, plums, peaches and more!

CSA News for the Week of July 15th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 11:59:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables and fruit. Next week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Cabbage
Fresh Garlic
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Parsley
Shallots
Carrots
Arugula
Zucchini (on-farm pickup only)
Snap Peas (off-farm pickup sites only)

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Apricots
Peaches
Blueberries

Farm Journal
Friday, 10 a.m.
A bead of sweat slides down my forehead as a lean over to drop two handfuls of peas into my bin. I blink it away and turn back to face the shoulder-high vines, loaded with plump pods. Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap. I am able to pick and grasp five pods in each hand before turning and releasing them into the bin. The soft, staccato rhythm of my picking provides a baseline for the chorus of mosquitoes whose tiny sawblade song fills my ears. The mosquitoes themselves would quite literally fill my ears, I think, if it weren't for the finely woven mesh net I am wearing over my head and neck. Earlier this morning I carefully tucked the thin veil into the upturned collar of my long-sleeved flannel shirt like a nervous lumberjack bride on her wedding day. Oh, if only my highschool friends could see me now.

Dressing for maximum mosquito protection is just one of the many glamorous aspects of doing this job, though I don't suppose any of us CSA farmers went into this line of work for the glamour alone. We do this work, I think, because we love a good challenge. Most of us are feisty and stubborn and derive real satisfaction from defying the odds. We are proud of the fact that, despite the challenges presented by weather and insects and all the other vagaries of organic farming, we manage every week to create something beautiful and delicious for our loyal members. Thanks for partnering with us in this endeavor. We are grateful to all of you for giving us the opportunity to do a job that we love.

Have a great week! --Peg

In the Farm Kitchen

Apricots and peaches are beginning to ripen in abundance now. Apricots can be enjoyed fresh, but they also really shine in baked goods such as tarts, coffee cakes and cobblers. Apricots can be stored on the counter if you are planning to eat them soon. They will be nice and soft and golden when ripe. Once they are ripe, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Peaches should also be refrigerated once they are ripe and juicy.

Mid to late-July is the time for harvesting shallots, storage onions, and other alliums. Shallots are closely related to onions, but often have a sweeter, richer flavor that is very popular with chefs and home cooks alike. This particular variety of shallot is a nice round, red variety which differs in appearance from the elongated French shallots that you may be familiar with. I think you'll find that they have great flavor and can be just as versatile as common bulb onions. This season you'll receive a variety of cured and uncured alliums. Shallots and onions last quite a long time in storage once they have been cured. Curing is simply the act placing them in a warm, dry place with plenty of air circulation for a certain period of time. On our farm we use our greenhouse to cure onions. This week we harvested just enough shallots for everybody to get about three nice, big shallots. Since there wasn't time to cure them, it would be best to use them within a couple of weeks.

Garlic is another member of the allium family that is typically ready to harvest in mid-July. The whole crop is harvested at once, with the stems and leaves attached. We tie up the garlic into bundles and stand it in the greenhouse to cure. You'll notice that because your garlic this week has only had a few days' curing time, it is still nice and juicy and the thin tissues that separate the cloves haven't yet turned dry and papery. We hope you enjoy the extra-pungent and delicious flavor of this fresh garlic!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Cucumber-Feta Toasts

1/2 baguette

2 teaspoons plus 4 teaspoons olive oil

3 ounces feta

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450 degrees. Split baguette lengthwise and lightly brush cut sides with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Bake until golden around edges, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together feta, 4 teaspoons oil, and lemon juice with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Spread feta mixture evenly over toasted baguette and top with cucumber. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a drizzle of oil. Cut into pieces to serve.

Wilted Cabbage with Carrots and Bacon
4 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, sliced thin

3 1/2 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 3/4 pound)

3 carrots, coarsely grated

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large non-stick skillet cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp and transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Cook garlic and shallot in bacon drippings over moderately low heat, stirring, until shallot is softened. Add carrots and cabbage and cook, stirring, over moderate heat until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in bacon and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Easy Apricot-Almond Tart

1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust, room temperature

2 teaspoon all purpose flour

1/4 cup apricot jam or preserves

3/4 cup slivered almonds, very finely chopped in processor

7 to 9 fresh apricots

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 450°F.

To peel apricots, blanch for about 20 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water, then slip off the skin with a paring knife. Set aside.

Unfold crust and press out fold lines. Sprinkle with flour and gently spread flour over crust. Arrange floured side down in 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges. Pierce all over with fork. Bake until golden brown, about 11 minutes. Cool slightly on rack. Reduce oven to 375°.

Spread preserves in bottom of crust. Top with almonds. Cut peeled apricots in half and arrange cut side down on top of the almonds, filling tart completely. Sprinkle with sugar. Dot apricots with butter. Bake until apricots are tender and filling is syrupy, about 1 hour. Cool on rack.

A Note about Recipes: Many of you will be happy to learn that our recipe database and search engine will be back up and functioning in the next couple of weeks. We apologize for the delay in getting it integrated into the new website. Thanks for your patience!

CSA Farm Picnic and Tour this Saturday

Interested in learning more about how we grow your food? This Saturday we're hosting a CSA picnic and walking tour at the Grayslake farm from 3 until 6. Pack a picnic supper (don't forget plates and utensils), bring your lawn chairs or a blanket, and come enjoy some time on the farm with Peg, Matt, Jen and Jeff and your fellow CSA members. Water, lemonade and brownies will be provided. The walking tour will start around 3:30. Please RSVP to jen @sandhillfamilyfarms.com so we know how many will be attending.

There will also be a picnic at the Brodhead farm on Saturday, September 7th. The Brodhead picnic will include time to pick your own tomatoes. (All of our tomatoes are being grown at the Brodhead farm this year.) Members may pick up to 40 pounds of tomatoes (heirlooms, hybrids or paste tomatoes) per share. The first 5 pounds are free, and you may pick an additional 35 pounds for $1.50 per pound. Can't make it to the farm but still want bulk tomatoes? We will have pre-picked 20 lb cases of beefsteaks and romas available in September for delivery to your pickup site. Beefsteaks will be $30 per case and romas will be $35. Stay tuned for more details on bulk tomatoes.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... peaches, golden plums, sweet corn, kale, dill, beets, blueberries, basil, sweet onions and more!

CSA News for the Week of July 8th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 15:34:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs and dairy. Next week we will be distributing vegetables and fruit. The next meat and trout deliveries will be the week of July 22nd.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Carrots
Head Lettuce
New Red Potatoes
Swiss Chard
Basil
Broccoli
Snap Peas (on-farm pickup sites only)*
Zucchini (off-farm pickup sites only)*
Asian Cooking Greens (Hon Tsai Tai)
Cucumbers

*Next week will be the reverse; on-farm pickup will receive zucchini and off-farm pickup will receive snap peas.

This Week's Fruit Share:

Blueberries
Sweet Cherries

This Week's Dairy Share:

Yogurt Sampler from Sugar River Dairy of Albany, WI

Strawberry
Raspberry
Peach or Blueberry

Cheese Sampler from Roth Käse of Monroe, WI

Grand Cru Gruyère
Buttermilk Blue Affinée
GranQueso (inspired by Spanish Manchego)

Outside Roth Kase in Monroe

In the Farm Kitchen

New potatoes make an appearance in this week's share for the first time this season. Typically, potato harvest involves mowing off the potato leaves with a tractor and then waiting a few weeks for the skins to cure before harvesting the potatoes. This week's new red potatoes haven't had any curing time. They have awesome flavor but their skins are so delicate that we didn't dare wash them. You will receive them in a paper bag. Store them in a cool, dry place and use within 2 weeks.

Asian Greens, including this week's Hon Tsai Tai, may seem intimidating to some, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Hon Tsai Tai is a type of flowering bok choy that has a very mild mustard green flavor. The entire plant can be eaten--stems, leaves and flowers. They work best for stir frying, braising or adding to soups. We like to flavor them with simple sauces made of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, etc.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Greens with Peanuts
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons dry sherry, divided
3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons honey divided
1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswide into 1/3-inch strips
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
4 green onions, white and green parts chopped
1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
1 bunch hon tsai tai, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dry sherry, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon honey in a bowl; add chicken and marinate 30 minutes. Whisk remaining soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil and honey in a small bowl and reserve.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add white parts of onions, garlic and chile flakes; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add chicken; stir fry just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken mixture to bowl. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to same skillet; heat over high heat. Add broccoli and hon tsai tai by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more. Saute just until tender.

Return chicken to skillet. Add reserved soy sauce mixture; stir until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl; sprinkle with green parts of onions and peanuts.

Simple Asian Greens with Garlic Sauce
1 bunch hon tsai tai

1 tablespoon peanut oil (safflower oil is also good)

2 tablespoons garlic, roughly chopped (3-4 cloves)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop greens in water and blanch until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain greens and set aside on a serving plate or in a bowl.

Heat skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add oil. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce and water; cook for 1 minute. Pour sauce over greens. Drizzle lightly with sesame oil if desired.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... cabbage, sweet onions, lettuce, peas, carrots, garlic, kale, cucumbers, plums, blueberries, apricots and more!

4th of July Week and Delivery Schedule Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:06:00 +0000

Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetable and fruit shares. Next week we will be distributing vegetable, fruit, egg and dairy shares.

Delivery Schedule for the Week of July 4th

Tuesday the 2nd:

Allstate 2:30-5:30

Glenview 3:00-6:30

Evanston 3:30-6:30

Lake Forest 4:00-7:00

Grayslake Farm 4:00-7:00 (including members who normally pick up on Thursday)

Wednesday the 3rd:

Buffalo Grove 3:00-6:30

Barrington 4:00-7:00

Glen Ellyn 3:00-6:30

Clarendon Hills 3:30-6:30

Oak Park 4:00-7:00

Happy 4th of July!

The view from the hill north of our Brodhead farm.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest

Broccoli
Cucumbers
Beets with Greens
Basil or Curly Parsley
Red Scallions
Head Lettuce
Asian Cabbage (Tokyo Bekana)
Kohlrabi
Zucchini/Summer Squash**

**This week we start distributing zucchini and summer squash on an every-other-week schedule. Half of you will receive it this week and the other half next week. The rotation will continue like that into August.

This Week's Fruit Harvest:

Sweet Cherries
Sour (Pie) Cherries
Red Raspberries

In the Farm Kitchen

Sour cherries are rounder, softer, and more tart than sweet cherries. They can be eaten fresh, but we prefer to bake with them. If you're not interested in making a pie, try a batch of muffins or the scone recipe that appears below. On a different note, don’t forget that tart cherries can be useful in creating savory dishes such as glazes and sauces for roast meats. If you aren’t going to use your cherries this week, pit them with a chopstick or a paring knife and pop them in a freezer bag for use later.

Beets are one of nature's superfoods. For an easy and healthy way to prepare beets, leave the skin on and cut them in halves or quarters, being careful to leave a bit of the root and about an inch of the stem on. Then steam or boil them until they are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool before gently rubbing the skins off. Slice or cube them and toss with a light dressing. If you're short on time and don't feel like cooking beets, try grating raw beets on top of a salad for dramatic color and great crunchy texture.

This particular type of Asian Cabbage, called Tokyo Bekana, is a relatively new addition to our crop mix, and we really enjoy it. For those of you unfamiliar with Tokyo Bekana, it is the item in the box that has frilly yellow-green leaves and is banded with a twist tie. It's a great addition to our offerings at this time of year because it grows quickly in wet weather, and it matures sooner than traditional cabbage. Tokyo Bekana's mild cabbage flavor provides a nice contrast to the more familiar flavor of head lettuce. Like head lettuce, it can be used raw in salads and in much the same way as you would use Napa cabbage or bok choy. When sliced thinly and paired with an Asian-inspired or vinegar-based salad dressing, the result is a slaw with a nice delicate crunch.

Kohlrabi is a member of the broccoli and cabbage family. Kohlrabi forms when the stem swells to a fat little bulb right about the soil. Some varieties are purple and others are light green or white. The bulb is delicious peeled and eaten raw. Just peel it, slice thinly and serve with or without dip. The greens can be used like you would use kale, collards, and other hearty cooking greens. These types of greens become tender and delicious when simmered over low to medium heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Try sautéing onion and garlic in a pan (a little bacon would be the perfect addition) and then adding the greens to the pan along with some type of liquid-- vegetable broth, chicken stock, white wine etc. The key is not to rush things. These greens will taste best when they're nice and tender.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Sour Cherry Scones
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons, heavy cream
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup sour cherries, pitted and chopped
3-5 tablespoons powdered sugar

Freeze the butter for at least an hour. When butter is ready, preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg cream. Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter directly into flour mixture. When all butter has been grated into flour mixture, mix with a fork or whisk so that butter is fully incorporated. Add in the chopped sour cherries and mix again. Add egg-cream mixture and stir until dough comes together in a shaggy mass.

Remove dough to a flour covered surface and shape into an 8″ round, roughly 1 1/2″ thick. Using a knife dipped in flour, cut round into 8 triangles and separate. For softer scones, leave the scones together. For a crisper texture, place each scone at least an inch from each other on a parchment lined baking tray.

Bake 18-20 minutes if in a circle, or 15-17 minutes if separated, until scones are golden brown. Allow to cool before glazing. To make the glaze, combine sifted powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons cream in a bowl. Whisk together until glaze forms. Brush over cooled scones.

Tokyo Bekana Slaw
Serve this slaw alone or over cooked rice noodles. You could also use it as a filling for spring rolls, wrapped up with lettuce in rice paper wrappers.

1/2 bunch Tokyo bekana, shredded
1 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Toss together Tokyo bekana and kohlrabi. Mix dressing ingredients in separate bowl, then pour over vegetables. Toss, then let marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

Know Your Food, Know Your Farmers: A Profile of Tyler Kroll

Tyler has been a part of the Sandhill team since 2007. Being a farm kid himself, he has many skills that come in handy around here, and he approaches every job with an infectious sense of humor. He grew up on a farm nearby where he still helps his family run a corn maze and petting zoo. In the time he's been with us, Tyler has done almost every job on the farm--greenhouse seeding, tractor maintenance, field tillage, carpentry projects, weeding, harvesting, driving the delivery truck, working at the farmers market stand, and more. Tyler's been a key part of our success, and we can't imagine our farm without him!

Information on Upcoming CSA Farm Picnics

Interested in learning more about how we grow your food? This summer we're hosting two CSA picnics -- one in Grayslake and one in Brodhead. Pack a picnic basket (don't forget plates and utensils), bring your lawn chairs or a blanket, and come enjoy some time on the farm. Water, lemonade and brownies will be provided at both picnics. Walking tours will start around 3:30.

Picnic at the Grayslake Farm--Saturday, July 20th, 3-6 p.m.
Picnic at the Brodhead Farm--Saturday, September 7th 3-6 p.m

The Brodhead picnic will include time to pick your own tomatoes. (All of our tomatoes are being grown at the Brodhead farm this year.) Members may pick up to 40 pounds of tomatoes (heirlooms, hybrids or paste tomatoes) per share. The first 5 pounds are free, and you may pick an additional 35 pounds for $1.50 per pound. Can't make it to the farm but still want bulk tomatoes? We will have pre-picked 20 lb cases of beefsteaks and romas available in September for delivery to your pickup site. Beefsteaks will be $30 per case and romas will be $35. Please RSVP to jen@sandhillfamilyfarms.com and let us know if you'll be attending one or both picnics.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... peas, potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, arugula, blueberries and more!

The First Week of the Summer Share!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:51:00 +0000

Reminder: This week marks the start of the Summer Share. We will be distributing fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, eggs and trout. Next week we will be distributing vegetables and fruit.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Cucumbers
Red Head Lettuce
Zucchini and/or Yellow Summer Squash
Fennel Bulbs
Green Onions
Garlic Scapes
Green Kale
Cilantro or Basil

This Week's Fruit Share:

Strawberries
Sweet Cherries
Red Raspberries

This Week's Dairy Share:

Aged Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese from Castle Rock Organic Farms in Osseo, WI
Parmesan Cheese and Garlic-Basil Butter from Nordic Creamery in Westby, WI
Plain Lowfat Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy in Albany, WI

This Week's Meat Share:

Ground Beef and Steak from Riemer Family Farm in Brodhead, WI
Bratwurst and Italian Sausage from Byers Family Farm in Brodhead, WI
Whole Organic Chicken from Lange Farm Meats in Platteville, WI

Delivery Schedule for the Week of July 4th

Tuesday the 2nd:

Allstate 2:30-5:30

Glenview 3:00-6:30

Evanston 3:30-6:30

Lake Forest 4:00-7:00

Grayslake Farm 4:00-7:00 (including members who normally pick up on Thursday)

Wednesday the 3rd:

Buffalo Grove 3:00-6:30

Barrington 4:00-7:00

Glen Ellyn 3:00-6:30

Clarendon Hills 3:30-6:30

Oak Park 4:00-7:00

In the Farm Kitchen

Kale is closely related to broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. The key to cooking kale is to let it simmer long enough so that it becomes tender. Before cooking with kale, take a sharp knife and slice out the tough center rib. Then tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and steam or simmer in water or broth until just tender. Add cooked kale to omelets, quiches, scrambled eggs, lasagnas, and casseroles. You can also add chopped raw kale to soups and pasta sauces mid-way through the cooking time. One of my favorite ways to prepare kale is actually one of the easiest. I saute lots of chopped garlic or garlic scapes in olive oil until golden. Then I add chopped kale leaves (stems and ribs removed) and a couple of big splashes of white wine. Simmer until tender and season with salt and pepper.

The curly garlic scape is the flower stalk of the garlic plant. We snap the scapes off at this stage in the plant's development so that the plant will devote all of its energy to making a nice, big bulb rather than a flower stalk. The delicious side benefit is that we get to eat the scapes! Chopped scapes can be used in place of chopped garlic cloves in most dishes. Another way to use garlic scapes is to cut them into 3-inch lengths and saute them lightly in olive oil. In terms of taste and texture, sauteed scapes are a lot like garlicky green beans.

Try substituting fennel for celery in most any recipe, including chicken salad, tuna salad and potato salad. Use the feathery leaves as a seasoning. You can also try using it in place of dill. Fennel is excellent on baked or broiled fish with butter and lemon. Add to vegetable and chicken soups. The spicy anise flavor of raw fennel becomes sweet and mellow when sauteed or braised. It's almost like a completely different vegetable. One of my favorite ways to use fennel is to slowly sauté sliced fennel with onion and some Italian sausage. Then I add it to hot pasta, mix in wilted beet greens or chard, drizzle some olive oil on top and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Life doesn't get any better than that!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom of a small glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 2 teaspoons, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve.

Kale and Green Onion Quiche

1 prepared 9-inch pie crust
3 eggs
3/4 cup each: half-and-half, whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon each: vegetable oil, butter
5 green onions, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chopped kale leaves
1/3 cup grated aged cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Tear off a piece of foil large enough to fit inside the pie crust; press into the crust. Fill pan with dried beans; bake 12 minutes. Remove crust from oven, discarding foil and beans; set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, milk, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste in a medium bowl; set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook the onions and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the kale; cook, stirring, just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Spoon the vegetables into the crust; sprinkle with cheese. Pour the egg mixture over. Bake until set, about 35 minutes.

Coming Up Next Week (our best guess)... napa cabbage, basil, dill, lettuce, turnips, cucumbers, beets, spinach, cherries, blueberries and more!

The Final Week of the Spring Share

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:54:00 +0000

Reminder: This is the final week of the Spring Share, and it is a vegetable-only week. Next week is the start of the Summer Share and we will be distributing vegetables, eggs, fruit, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Broccoli
Strawberries (from Mick Klug Farms)
"Purplette" Onions
Zucchini and/or Yellow Summer Squash
Head Lettuce
Arugula
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Easter Egg Radishes
Flat Leaf (Italian) Parsley

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... spinach, zucchini, strawberries, fennel, green onions, lettuce, sweet cherries, kale, cilantro and more!

Thank you, everyone! We hope you enjoy the final week of the Spring Share.

Delivery Schedule for the Week of July 4th

Tuesday the 2nd:
Allstate 2:30-5:30
Glenview 3:00-6:30
Evanston 3:30-6:30
Lake Forest 4:00-7:00
Grayslake Farm 4:00-7:00 (including members who normally pick up on Thursday)

Wednesday the 3rd:
Buffalo Grove 3:00-6:30
Barrington 4:00-7:00
Glen Ellyn 3:00-6:30
Clarendon Hills 3:30-6:30
Oak Park 4:00-7:00

Farm Photo Journal

Planting beans in the garden with Dad--not a bad way to spend some time on Father's Day! Sunday afternoon was relaxing for one and all. Happy Father's Day, Matt and Jeff!

Monday morning it was back to work. Here the crew is weeding onions using a technique we'd never tried before--sitting on the planter as it rolls along in the field. Who knew it was possible to sit in a chair and weed?!

All of our fruiting crops are setting beautiful flowers. Cucumbers, squash, melons, tomatoes, and peppers are just some of the crops that must set flowers in order to bear fruit.

And what a lot of fruit we will have! This is a shot of one of the tomato fields. The plants look as robust and healthy as they've ever looked.

In the Farm Kitchen

Swiss chard is flavorful yet mild, and can be substituted for spinach in many dishes including quiches, omelets, lasagna, pasta sauce, stir frys, etc. I like to use braised chard as a pizza topping and as a filling for vegetarian pita pockets. Chard is high in vitamins A, E and C and the minerals calcium and iron. You can use the entire leaf as well as the tender stem.

Purplette is a mini onion variety with beautiful purple and white coloring and a delicate, sweet onion flavor. You can eat the whole plant, from the bulbs all the way to the tips of the green tops.

Flat leaf parsley, also called Italian parsley, is an extremely versatile herb. Here are some of our favorite uses:

use as a garnish for deviled eggs
add to pizza dough, bread dough, or biscuits
make a salad of sliced radishes, chopped parsley, green onion, lemon juice olive oil & salt
make parsley butter by adding minced parsley to softened butter. Use on broiled fish or steamed vegetables.

This Week's Featured Recipes

Tabouli-Stuffed Summer Squash
1/2 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

3 medium zucchini or summer squash, scrubbed, trimmed, and halved lengthwise

1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

2 purplette onions, bulbs and greens finely chopped

2 radishes, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

In a bowl combine the bulgur with the salt. Pour enough boiling water over the bulgur to cover it by 1 inch, and let the bulgur soak for 1 hour. Drain the bulgur and squeeze it dry in a kitchen towel. In a bowl stir together the bulgur, the lemon juice, the oil, and the garlic and let the bulgur marinate, covered and chilled, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

With a melon-baller, scoop out the zucchini flesh, reserving it for another use and leaving 1/4-inch shells. On a steamer rack set over boiling water, steam the zucchini shells, cut sides up and covered partially, in batches for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are just tender. Transfer the shells, cut sides down, to paper towels to drain and let them cool. Stir the mint, parsley, onions, radishes and olives into the bulgur mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the tabouli among the zucchini shells and serve.

Italian Minestra with Chard, Parsley and White Beans

3/4 cup peeled, diced carrots

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch purplette onions, bulbs and greens chopped
2 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
6 cups water and/or chicken stock, or both
2 cans white cannellini beans, drained
3 cups chopped chard leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup chopped Swiss chard stems
4 chopped canned plum tomatoes
salt and freshly cracked pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring, about 6 minutes. Add the bay leaves, the garlic and the rosemary, and cook for two minutes. Add the water or stock, the beans, chard and basil and simmer 20 minutes. Pick out the bay leaves, stir in the chard stems and the tomatoes and cook until the chard stems are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and drizzle each bowl with a little olive oil. Serve with grated Parmesan and crusty bread or rolls.

CSA News for the Week of June 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Familyfarms) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:46:00 +0000

[Reminder: This week we are distributing vegetable, egg and dairy shares. Next week is the final week of the spring share. It will be a veggie-only week.]

This Week's Vegetable Share

Baby Beets
Strawberries (from Mick Klug Farms, St. Joseph, MI)
Purple and/or Green Kohlrabi
Baby Leeks
Purple and/or Green Asparagus
Head Lettuce (Red Romaine)
Spinach

Next Week's Vegetable Share (our best guess): lettuce, strawberries, arugula, green onions, zucchini, Swiss chard and more!

This Week's Dairy Share

Cultured Butter with Sea Salt from Nordic Creamery in Westby, WI
Plain Greek Yogurt from Pastureland Co-op (made from the milk of pasture-grazed cows)
'Peace of Pasture', a Gouda-style cheese from the farmers of Pastureland Co-op, Albany, WI
Fresh Mozzarella from Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, Waterloo, WI

More information plus great recipes are included with the dairy share.

Important Dates

Week of June 24th: The Summer season starts! We will be distributing vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat and fish that week.

Week of July 1st: Due to Independence Day festivities, we will be operating on a slightly altered distribution schedule that week:

Tuesday, July 2nd

Grayslake Farm 4-7 (including members who normally pick up at the farm on Thursdays)

Allstate 2:30-5:30

Glenview 3:00-6:30

Evanston 3:30-6:30

Lake Forest 4:00-7:00

Wednesday, July 3rd

Buffalo Grove 3:00-6:30

Barrington 4:00-7:00

Glen Ellyn 3:00-6:30

Clarendon Hills 3:30-6:30

Oak Park 4:00-7:00

Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Beets seem to love the soil of our Grayslake farm. In a typical summer our members receive beets once every 3 to 4 weeks. Throughout the season you will receive beets of all different sizes. In order to get an early start on the harvest, these beets were started in the greenhouse in early March and then transplanted out to the field in mid-April. This is our first harvest of the year and we hope you enjoy them! Small to medium-sized beets like these are so wonderful and tasty that you don't need to do a whole lot in the kitchen. I recommend boiling or steaming them, then slicing and making of salad of baby beets, thinly sliced spinach, olive oil, salt & pepper, a tiny bit of crumbled feta or goat cheese and a sprinkle of chopped green onions. In terms of the beet greens, they can be used in place of spinach in many recipes including egg dishes, lasagna, pasta sauces, curries, stir-frys, etc. The greens should be stored in a plastic bag and used within a week.

Kohlrabi is related to cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli. It is delicious peeled and eaten raw. Just peel the bulb, slice into match sticks and serve plain, with hummus or with your favorite vegetable dip. It also makes a fantastic slaw when shredded or thinly sliced.

Know your Food, Know your Farmers: A Profile of Donna Arntzen

This is Donna's second season at Sandhill Family Farms. As Crew Leader at the Grayslake farm, she is in charge of organizing and supervising group projects such as harvesting and weeding. Like most us who work on the farm, the path that led Donna to farming was an interesting one. While working on her degree in photography from Columbia College in Chicago, she spent a lot of time photographing landscapes in the city and in the suburbs. She started to think about ways that urban dwellers can stay connected to nature. This interest led her to begin photographing urban gardens. Very quickly, however, she realized that taking pictures wasn't enough--she was itching to get her hands in the dirt! She traded her urban life in Chicago for a job on a farm in Northern California where she spent two seasons learning how to grow organic vegetables. Eventually, a desire to be close to family and friends brought her back to the Midwest. Donna hopes to have her own farm some day where she plans to spend her time growing vegetables, raising goats and taking beautiful photographs!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Butter-Braised Beet Greens with Lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 bunch baby beet leaves, washed and chopped
1 -2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over low heat, and add the garlic. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant but does not take on any color. Add the moist greens, raise the heat to medium-high, and cover the pan. Cook until the greens wilt, about 2 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. Remove the cover; if there's any excess liquid, cook until it evaporates. Toss the greens with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and serve hot.

Roasted Beets with Greek Yogurt
1 pound red beets (small to medium)
1 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for serving
2 cups Greek yogurt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh spinach, cut into thin strips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets in a bowl and toss with coarse salt, red-wine vinegar, and olive oil. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast until beets are easily pierced with the tip of a small knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove skins by rubbing beets with a paper towel. Cut beets into halves or quarters.

Spoon yogurt into the bottom of a large shallow serving bowl; top with a layer of beets. Drizzle with additional olive oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper and garnish with the spinach.

Information on Upcoming CSA Farm Picnics

Grayslake Farm Picnic--Saturday, July 20th, 3-6 p.m.
Brodhead Farm Picnic--Saturday, September 7th 3-6 p.m

And Finally... A Fun Farm Photo

At the Grayslake farm the Miller family cares for a group of about 20 'hobby' chickens. These are separate from the 300 hens that lay eggs for our CSA members. It's a diverse group whose members vary widely in age, size and color and whose purpose is to add beauty and diversity to the farm and to entertain the Miller kids. Last week Jen was delighted to discover that one of the hens had unexpectedly managed to hatch 4 baby chicks. This is a shot of one of her chicks keeping warm in its mama's feathers. Needless to say, the kids were thrilled, and I'm pretty sure Jen was too!

Sandhill Organics Weekly News

This Week's Harvest (11/18/13)

This Week's CSA Harvest (11/11/13)

The Vegetable Share:

The Dairy Share:

The Meat Share:

Fun Farm Photo: Snow Day!

2014 Registration Information

Ordering Thanksgiving Turkeys

In the Farm Kitchen: Making the Most of your CSA Share

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This Week's CSA Harvest (11/04/13)

This Week's CSA Harvest (10/29/13)

﻿The Vegetable Share

The Dairy Share:

Announcements and Reminders

Farm Journal

In the Farm Kitchen: Tips and Recipes for Making the Most of your Share

CSA News for the Week of October 21st

The First Week of the Fall Share (10/14/13)

CSA News for the Final Week of the Summer Share

Early Bird Discount for 2014 Shares

CSA News for the Week of Sept 30th

CSA News for the Week of Sept 23rd

CSA News for the Week of Sept 16th

CSA News for the Week of Sept 9th

CSA News for the Week of September 2nd

CSA News for the Week of August 26th

CSA News for the Week of August 19th

CSA News for the Week of August 12th

CSA News for the Week of August 5th

CSA News for the Week of July 29th

CSA News for the Week of July 22nd

CSA News for the Week of July 15th

CSA News for the Week of July 8th

4th of July Week and Delivery Schedule Changes

The First Week of the Summer Share!

The Final Week of the Spring Share

CSA News for the Week of June 10th

The Vegetable Share