Sandhill Organics Weekly News

CSA News for the Week of November 2nd

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Sweet Potatoes*
Parsnips*
Acorn Squash*
Curly Green Kale
Broccoli
Fresh Sage
Green-Top Carrots
Head Lettuce

*=not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

Important Dates & Reminders

--The next pickup for meat shares and chickens is November 19th from 4 until 6 at the farm.
--There is no CSA share Thanksgiving week. Shares will resume the following week.
--The final week of the fall vegetable share is December 9th/10th.
--Info for next year, including CSA registration forms, will be available by the end of November.

Tuesday Morning In Photos

Some of this week's lettuce heads, like the one I'm holding here, were grown inside our hoophouses. If I look happy in this photo, it's because I am. We've been waiting all month for a little sunshine, and we've finally got what we've been waiting for. On days like this I linger in the hoophouse as long as I can, basking in the light and savoring the smell of the warm, fragrant earth.

As you can see, we've still got some beautiful lettuce heads out in the fields too. Matt is seen here removing row cover that was pulled over the lettuce last night to protect it from frost. We experienced a hard frost 4 weeks ago, but since then temperatures have been relatively mild. Those crops that managed to survive the frost appear to be thriving. Much of the head lettuce that's left is still a little on the small side, but 4 or 5 days of sun and mild temperatures will help it grow to harvestable size by next week.

Even our laying hens seem to be enjoying the beautiful weather. I spent some time this morning cleaning out the last of the swiss chard and parsley from my kitchen garden. The hens can be seen here making quick work of a pile of chard.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

The sweet potatoes and parsnips were grown by Richard deWilde and his crew at Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin. As many of you know, Harmony Valley holds a special place in my heart because that's where Matt and I first met about 12 years ago. Richard grows amazing sweet potates and parsnips, and we're so pleased to be able to share them with you.

Parsnips are closely related to carrots. Although they can be eaten raw, they are best when cooked. They are sweet and nutty and are particularly well suited to roasting and mashing. I also use them in place of carrots when making carrot cake.

A good sweet potato crop is such a blessing since they are not especially easy to grow in our cold northern climate and sometimes don't produce very large yields. I'm not a huge fan of sweet dishes made from sweet potatoes (the thought of combining them with marshmallows makes me shudder), but I ADORE them in savory and spicy dishes. One of easiest ways to prepare them is to slice them into wedges, coat them with a little olive oil, season them with your favorite spices and roast them in the oven. One of my favorites is a barbeque rub that is smoky and spicy. It's a perfect way to balance the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Another easy favorite is to bake them and then serve them with bowls of various toppings such as black beans, cilantro, onions, sour cream cheddar cheese and salsa. Each person then gets to top his or her own potato. This meal is a big hit in our family.

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 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 acorn squash was grown by Vicky Westerhoff of Genesis Growers in St. Anne, Illinois. Acorn squash is most often stuffed and baked in the oven until tender. Store acorn squash in the refrigerator.

This Week's Recipes

Apple Cider-Glazed Carrots and Parsnips

Lasagna with Kale and Sausage

Wine-Braised Carrots with Fried Sage Leaves

Acorn Squash with Mushrooms, Sage and Cranberries

Chickpea and Sweet Potato Koftas

Persian Rice Pilaf with Carrots and Cumin

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... spinach, head lettuce, tat soi, rutabagas, apples, tomato puree, celeriac, leeks and more!

CSA News for the Week of October 26th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:27:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Pie Pumpkins (grown by Vicky Westerhoff of Genesis Growers)
Brussels Sprouts
White Japanese Turnips
Fresh Dill
Mixed Bag of Gold & Chioggia Beets
Red & Green Head Lettuce
Bok Choy
Broccoli

Wednesday Morning in Photos

The turning leaves manage to brighten another overcast October morning. I remind myself to be grateful that it's not raining!!

As the morning fog starts to clear off, I head out of the house for a walk around the farm. I make a mental list of the things we need to do this morning--washing turnips, harvesting broccoli, bagging beets and packing CSA boxes.

Walking out to the back fields to check on the broccoli harvest, I startle a pretty large buck. Or rather, he startles me. I am fiddling with my camera as I come around the corner, and I manage to get within 10 yards of him before I look up to find him staring right at me.

Nick and Andy, in waterproof outerwear, harvest the broccoli that will go into today's CSA boxes. Nick says he can tell this is a good crop by the way the leaves snap off with a distinct crispy sound as he harvests the broccoli.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

I’ll admit that a pie pumpkin makes a nice fall decoration, but it would be a real shame not to make good culinary use of such a sweet, flavorful pumpkin variety. If you’ve never done so, try making pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup from scratch. All you need to do is cut the pumpkin in half or in wedges, scoop out the seeds, and bake it in the oven just like you would any member of the squash family. Scrape the flesh from the shell and –voila!—just like the canned stuff, only better!

Dill is one of my favorite fresh herbs because it's relatively easy to grow and it pairs so beautifully with many of fall's flavors, including carrots, beets, cabbage and brussels sprouts. At the end of the growing season I dry some in my food dehydrator for use throughout the winter. Another technique is to dry it in the microwave. I don't have a microwave myself, but I've read that you can do it in the following way: Spread the dill in a single layer on a paper towel and microwave on high for 3 minutes. After microwaving, remove and discard the hard stems, crumble the leaves, and store in an airtight container protected from light.

Because gold and chioggia beets don't bleed like traditional red beets, cooking with them opens up a whole new world of possiblities. I like to keep both of these varieties on hand because grating one or both types of beets on top of some chopped leaf lettuce is a fast and easy way to create a beautiful and very colorful salad. I use raw, unpeeled beets for this and it couldn't be easier. Another great application for raw, grated beets is to use them in quick breads, muffins and cakes. Try substituting golden beets for some of the grated carrot in a carrot cake or adding some chioggia beets to a spice cake. Beets keep forever in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

This particular variety of turnip is called Hakurei and it's so mild and sweet that it's really in a category unto itself. Our kids eat raw hakurei turnips at snacktime and have even been known to wander out in the fields and pick them right out of the ground. (Our kids seem to think that everything tastes better with a little dirt on it!) For more grown-up occasions, I cut raw hakurei turnips in wedges and serve them alongside carrot sticks and dip. Hakurei turnips are also wonderful braised with some butter and salt. For a tasty way to fix the greens, check out the recipe for Carolina-Style Greens that appeared in one of my newsletters this summer.

This Week's Recipes

Curried Hakurei Turnips
Braised Hakurei Turnips
Two-Way Street Beets
Beet and Braised Beef Soup (a great way to use leftovers from last week's share)
Fall Vegetables w/ Horseradish Dill Butter (can be modified to accomodate many different fall veggies)
Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... sweet potatoes, parsnips, acorn squash, carrots, spinach, lettuce and broccoli

CSA News for the Week of October 19th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:24:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:
Potatoes (Yellow or Red)
Leeks
Fresh Thyme
Red-stemmed or Traditional Spinach
Lettuce Heads
Carrots
Jerusalem Artichokes (aka Sunchokes)
Cabbage
Curly Parsley

This Week's Fruit Share Extension:
Bosc Pears
Concord Grapes
Mutsu Apples
This is the final week of the fruit share extension. Thanks to all those who participated!

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Fresh thyme enhances the flavor of so many different things--vegetables, meat, poultry, mushrooms and fish. Here's a picture of me harvesting your thyme yesterday. We've planted many of our herbs in the field behind the house so that I don't have to go far when I need a pinch of this or that for whatever recipe I'm working on. (I'm a big fan of planting a garden right outside the back door!) You can store thyme in the refrigerator for a week or two. For longer-term storage, let it dry in a warm, dark place and then store it in an air-tight container.

Until a few years ago, the sunchoke had always been called the Jerusalem Artichoke. I think the name change was prompted by the fact that this plant has nothing whatsoever to do with either Jerusalem or Artichokes. Hmmm. The sunchoke is actually the root tuber of a wild-growing sunflower that is native to North America. I have heard that the original name was given when the plant was introduced to Europeans several centuries ago. Jerusalem is thought to be a corruption of girasole, the Spanish and Italian word for sunflower, and somwhere along the line somebody thought that calling them artichokes would make them a more appealing and accepable food than calling them knobby little tubers. Well, knobby little tubers they are, there's no getting around that, but I think it's worth going out on a culinary limb to get to know sunchokes. Wash them well before using but don't worry about trying to peel them. Although they can be eaten either raw or cooked, I prefer to cook them. Here are some ideas: (1) Try sauteeing par-boiled sunchokes in butter and then glazing them with honey toward the end of the cooking time and seasoning with salt. (2) Add chopped sunchokes and potatoes to the roasting pan when cooking a chicken. (3) Include them in a roasted root medley. (4) Combine mashed sunchokes with mashed potatoes and season with butter, salt and chopped fresh parsley. (5) Combine with other vegetables such as carrot or potatoes when making creamy vegetable soups.

The Mutsu apple, a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo, was first developed in Japan. Mutsu apples are large, yellow-green apples that can be eaten fresh but are also outstanding for use in baked goods. They store well (up to 2 months) in the refrigerator.

This Week in Photos

Jerusalem artichokes are the edible tubers of a 10-foot tall perennial sunflower. We planted a row along the edge of one of our fields last year. After the flowers had finished blooming, we mowed the plants down and allowed the tubers to cure in the ground for a couple of weeks. Yesterday Matt went out with the root digger (see photo above) and lifted them out of the ground.

Andy (pictured above) and Nick followed behind and picked up the sunchokes by hand.

Our soils are pretty wet right now. The sunchokes, like all other vegetables we harvested this week, came out of the ground pretty darn muddy. Washing everything in preparation for packing your CSA shares this week has taken a little longer then it usually does.

As the crew harvested sunchokes yesterday, the girls played nearby in one of our carrot fields. (Who needs toys when there's all that dirt to play with?!)

This Week's Recipes:

Wild Rice with Sunchokes, Mushrooms & Walnuts

Roasted Carrot and Sunchoke Soup

Chicken-Peanut Stew

Saffron Rice with Spinach and Yogurt Raita

Grilled Fish Tacos

Pear-Coconut Bread

Baked Apples with Brown Sugar and Pecans

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... pie pumpkins, beets, celeriac, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, dill, brussels sprouts and white Japanese turnips.

First Week of the Fall Vegetable Share

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:24:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:
Spinach
Yellow Onions
Butternut Squash (not grown on our farm. See note below.)
Napa Cabbage
Fennel
Celery
Arugula
Head Lettuce

This Week's Fruit Share Extension:
Autumn Apple Sampler - Honey Crisp, Red Delicious, Empire & Golden Delicious
The fruit share extension ends next week. We'll end the season with concord grapes, bosc pears and granny smith apples. Mick would like to thank everyone for their support of his farm this season!

This Week in Photos

Reid, Kim and Jesse ride on the hay wagon as the celeriac harvest is brought in. Our crew is busy harvesting winter storage vegetables such as celeriac, beets, turnips, kohlrabi, carrots, cabbage and rutabaga.

Meanwhile, your tender greens are loving the warm, protected environment of the hoophouses. We use hoophouses to provide you with spinach, green onions, bok choy, and lettuce in November and December when it's too cold to grow those crops outside in the fields.

The pumpkins and squash arrived last week from Vicki Westerhoff's farm, Genesis Growers, in St. Anne Illinois. Vicki is one of the growers we collaborate with in the fall in order to bring you as much variety as possible. Over the course of the coming weeks you will also receive sweet potatoes and parsnips from Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin and Yukon Gold Potatoes from Igl Farms in Antigo, Wisconsin.

The garlic field is now ready to plant. As soon as we have a stretch of suitably dry weather, we'll start planting garlic cloves about 6 inches apart in rows about 12 inches apart. The garlic will sprout this fall and send up little green shoots. The plants will grow enough roots to help them survive the winter, and once spring comes they will start growing like crazy. The entire crop will be harvested all at once in July.

In this photo Jesse is laying a protective fabric, called row cover, over a bed of parsley. We use this fabric in the late fall to protect crops such as parsley, swiss chard, arugula, lettuce, bok choy, napa cabbage and hakurei turnips from being damaged by frost. With the use of row covers we can continue to harvest these crops even when temperatures dip down into the mid-20s as they did this weekend.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

This week's butternut squash was grown by Vicky Westerhoff of Genesis Growers in St. Anne, Illinois. Butternut squash is a very versatile vegetable. It tastes great prepared in both sweet and savory ways. I like to use it in place of canned pumpkin when making pies and sweet breads. Store winter squash in the refrigerator.

Braised fennel is a wonderful accompaniment to seared or grilled fish as well as roast pork, beef or chicken. Use the following technique for braising fennel. Trim the stalks to within 3 inches of the bulb. Cut the bulb lengthwise into 6-8 slices. In a heavy saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter over moderate heat. Add fennel and toss to coat with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add enough water or stock to cover the fennel. You could also throw in a little bit of wine. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Braise for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fennel is tender.

Much as some of us try, celery grown by Midwestern farmers is not mild and watery like the west-coast celery you buy in the supermarket. For this reason, our celery is well-suited to using in soups, stews and other recipes, but not so good served on a crudité platter. When using your celery this week remember that you can use the whole thing--leaves and stems. (The leaves are trimmed from supermarket celery because they deteriorate quickly. If the leaves weren't removed, shoppers would be able to tell just how long most supermarket celery spends on trucks and in warehouses.)

This Week's Recipes

Roasted Fennel and Onions

Savory Butternut and Black Bean Burritos

Herbed Spinach and Feta Topping

Beet, Fennel and Orange Salad

Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Apple-Oat Pancakes with Cheddar Cheese

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, rutabaga, spinach, leeks, spinach, lettuce, bosc pears, concord grapes, granny smith apples and more!

Final Week of the Summer Vegetable Season

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:58:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Brussels Sprouts

Green-Top Carrots

Tomato Purée

Red and Green Lettuce Heads

Bok Choy

Tokyo Bekana (Asian salad greens)

Poblano Peppers

Garlic Bulbs

White Japanese Turnips

This Week's Fruit Share:

Honey Crisp Apples

Asian Pears

White Concord Grapes

This is the last week of the season for our Summer Share CSA members. We want to thank you for being part of our extended farm family this season. We hope you enjoyed preparing and eating the vegetables as much as we enjoyed growing them for you. We wish you a happy and restful fall and winter! Those of you participating in the Fall Vegetable Share have a lot to look forward to--winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, celery, leeks, apples, pumpkins, lettuce, carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, garlic, potatoes, scallions, herbs, rutabaga, cranberries and more! This is the best time of year to be in the kitchen and we're looking forward to sharing it with you. -Peg & Matt

Important Dates

October 14th & 15th - Fall Vegetable Share begins, Cheese Share begins

October 21st & 22nd - Final week of Fruit Share Extension

November 19th - Pickup for Artisan Meat Shares & Hillsboro chickens (at the farm, 4-6 p.m.)

November 25th & 26th - No vegetable pickup due to Thanksgiving holiday

December 9th & 10th - Final week of Fall Vegetable Share, final week of Cheese Share

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

As it says on the bag, 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. Let your imagination be your guide! The puree is shelf-stable, but should be refrigerated after opening.

As the name suggests, Brussels sprouts were first cultivated in Brussels. Like broccoli, its ancestor, this plant grew wild in the low countries of Europe. Brussels sprouts contain high amounts of vegetable protein. To clean and prepare for cooking, simply cut the sprouts from the stem, pare off the bottom part of the sprout and remove the outermost leaves. Boil or steam for 5-8 minutes. Try tossing your cooked sprouts in olive oil, lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper. Other flavors that pair well with brussels sprouts include walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, blue cheese, parmesan, apples, and pears.

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. Asian pears have been cultivated for centuries in China, Japan and Korea. They will store for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

Tokyo Bekana is an Asian salad green with a very mild cabbage taste. This is a new vegetable for us, and we've decided to harvest it when it is young and tender so that it can be used much like lettuce. Its beautiful light green, frilly leaves and wonderful taste have made it one of our favorite new salad greens.

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 Recipes:

Carrot, Apple and Bok Choy Salad

Beef and Bok Choy Hot Pot

Tomato Soup with Chickpeas, Rice & Roasted Poblanos

Tokyo Bekana with Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing

Buttered Carrots and Brussels Sprouts

Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... butternut squash, arugula, spinach, lettuce, chinese cabbage, broccoli, fennel, celery, apples and more!

CSA News for the Week of September 28th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:39:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Red Fingerling Potatoes
Fresh Dill
Green-Top Beets (Traditional or Candy-Striped)
Assorted Varieties of Tomatoes
Green Curly Kale
Cipollini Onions (red, yellow and/or white)
Sweet Peppers
Mixed Lettuces
Tatsoi (an Asian salad green that can be used like spinach)

This Week's Fruit Share:

Bosc Pears
Red Raspberries
Seedless Purple Concord Grapes
Seedless Red Grapes

(Please note: This is the first week of the 4-week fruit share extension. Please take a fruit share at your pickup site only if you have registered and paid for the extension. Thanks!)

Farm Journal

It's 5:30 on Tuesday and I'm putting the finishing touches on a dinner of pulled pork, cornmeal griddlecakes, guacamole, and shredded cabbage with lime. There's a big wooden platter in the middle of the kitchen island whose job is to hold tomatoes in various stages of ripening. A quick glance reveals that the platter is empty so I pull a sweater over my t-shirt and head out the back door to the tomato field. I realize with a twinge of regret that this is one of the last times this season that I'll be able to walk out the back door to pick a fresh tomato for supper. The signs are all around, from the chill in the evening air to the increasing numbers of withered leaves at the base of the tomato plants.

The seasons are changing, there's no doubt about it, but in many ways I am relieved and full of anticipation. There's a satisfying sense of purpose in our work this week as we begin to prepare the farm for winter. Today Matt began the task of spreading compost on the fields that will grow next year's vegetable crops. Many of these fields have been growing soil-enriching cover crops such as oats, sorghum, buckwheat, millet, and field peas for at least part of this past season. The fields of millet and peas that Matt was working on today were mowed and composted, after which Matt went through with a disc to incorporate the compost and the remaining plant residue. Tomorrow those fields will be seeded down to rye and vetch as a winter cover crop. Throughout the coming weeks the process will repeat itself on all of our farm fields. I love being part of this cycle. I love the fact that in preparing for the end of the season we are laying the foundation for new beginnings next season. It's a lovely thought for a chilly autumn evening.

Have a good week. --Peg

Under the watchful eye of our kids, Matt uses the bobcat to load compost into the spreader.

Compost is spread over the fields that will grow vegetables next year.

Matt makes a pass with the disc.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Tatsoi is an Asian salad green that is most often eaten raw but can also be used in cooked dishes where you would otherwise use spinach. The dark green spoon-shaped leaves have a very mild cabbage or mustard flavor. Tatsoi pairs particularly well with flavors such as ginger, sesame and soy sauce, so I recommend using these as salad dressing ingredients. Tatsoi is also perfect when added to a stir-fry during the last minute of cooking.

Most of you will receive traditional red beets this week. Some CSA members may receive pink chioggia beets. The chioggia is an Italian heirloom variety with a pink-and-white candy-striped pattern when cut open. Chioggia beets taste like red beets, only they are just a tiny bit less "beety" than the more familiar red beets.

Bosc pears have slender necks and beautiful yellow-brown russetted skin. They are quite sweet when fully ripe and can be eaten fresh or used in savory dishes and desserts. Bosc is an ideal variety to use for poaching and baking because its relatively firm flesh holds its shape better than some other pear varieties. Like other pears, bosc pears should be stored in the refrigerator until a day or two before they will be eaten. Allow them to fully ripen at room temperature.

The concord grape is a cold-tolerant variety that was first cultivated in America more than 150 years ago. It's a very aromatic grape that is often used to make jelly and juice and is only available fresh for a short time each fall. Enjoy them while they last!

This Week's Recipes:

Russian Beet & Potato Salad

Portuguese Caldo Verde (Hearty Greens Soup)

Kale & Feta Turnovers

Roasted Beet & Pear Salad

Tatsoi with Grilled Shrimp & Ginger-Soy Dressing

Carmelized Pear Cake

Looking for more recipe ideas? Check out the recipe search feature at our website.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... spinach, celery, broccoli, bok choy or napa cabbage, brussels sprouts, head lettuce, Japanese white turnips, carrots, peppers, Asian pears, honey crisp apples, and more!

CSA News for the Week of September 21st

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:11:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Leeks
Spinach
Mixed Lettuces
Purple Kohlrabi
Radishes (French Breakfast or Easter Egg)
Assorted Varieties of Tomatoes
Gold-Stemmed Swiss Chard
Garlic Bulbs
Broccoli

This Week's Fruit Share:

Fuji Apples
Green Delicious Apples
Red Raspberries
Stanley Plums

The regular-season fruit share ends this week. The 4-week fruit share extension begins next week. Please call if you haven't already signed up for the fruit extension and wish to do so.
The summer vegetable season ends on October 7th & 8th.

Farm Journal

As the days get shorter I'll soon have to say farewell to some of summer's sweeter pleasures-- peach juice running down my chin and dripping onto my toes, helping the kids hunt for toads in the cool windowell, a quick dip in the lake after a long day's work, and endless tomato sandwiches. What makes this parting bearable is knowing that Autumn will provide a vegetable feast to equal Summertime's generous bounty. This week's vegetable share is a perfect illustration of the way that nature often provides exactly what the body is craving. And right now I'm craving greens! Thanks to moderate temperatures and plenty of moisture this week, every green vegetable on the farm is thriving. We're growing beautiful spinach, lettuce, tat soi, bok choy, endive, fennel, celery, arugula, chard, kale, parsley, napa cabbage and so much more. Even the recently-sown fall cover crops seem lusher and greener than in years past.

Our goal during the coming fall months is to provide you with at least 2 kinds of greens each week along with a weekly assortment of fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers and winter squash), cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts), and root crops (sweet potatoes, rutabaga, carrots and many more). So far things look promising. (Check out the photos below and see for yourselves.) Meanwhile, we'll be keeping our fingers crossed 'til snow flies!

Have a good week! --Peg

spinach in the field

bok choy, head lettuce and green onions in the hoophouse

mixed lettuces in the field

purple asters and goldenrod in front of a fall-sown cover crop

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Perhaps the most underrated member of the cabbage family, kohlrabi is delicious peeled and eaten raw. Just peel the bulb, slice into match sticks and serve with or without dip (see recipe below). Kohlrabi greens can be used like you would use kale, collards, and other hearty stewing greens. These types of greens become tender and delicious when simmered over low to medium heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Try sauteeing a little onion and garlic in a pan (a little bacon or salt pork 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.

Fall-bearing raspberries are in their prime. As always, keep in mind that fresh raspberries are very delicate and should be eaten within a couple of days. The best way to store them is to line a plate with a paper towel. Spread the raspberries on the paper towel in a single layer and refrigerate.

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 tops off about 2 inches above the white section. 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.

This Week's Recipes

Swiss Chard, Artichoke & Leek Pizza

Provençal Tomato & Leek Quiche

Swiss Chard & Stracciatelle Soup

Indian-Inspired Spinach Salad with Spicy Yellow Split Peas

Autumn Greens with Apples, Ham & Pecans

Radish Dip for Kohlrabi Slices and other Fall Veggies

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... Potatoes, dill, tomatoes, beets, kale, red onions, peppers, lettuce, spinach, bosch pears, concord grapes and more!

CSA News for the Week of September 14th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:10:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Beefsteak Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Arugula
Assorted Sweet Peppers
Broccoli
Romano Beans
Cilantro
Celeriac
Carrots
Scarlet Turnips
Fresh Thyme

This Week's Fruit Share:

Bartlett Pears
Green Grapes
Purple Grapes

Next week is the final week of the fruit share. If you'd like to register for the 4-week fruit share extension, please return your registration form by Thursday, September 24th. Thanks!

Farm Journal

According to the kitchen clock it's 7 o'clock and the accumulated heat of a hard day's work has finally begun to dissipate. A cool breeze slides in through the window as I scoop sliced peaches into plastic bags and ladle lemon-honey syrup over the top. The last bag goes into the freezer and I turn to stir the pot of applesauce that's bubbling away on the stovetop. I extinguish the flame under the pot before bending down to pull a tray of roasted tomatoes out of the oven. Once the tomatoes have cooled I'll put them into plastic bags and slide them into the freezer next to the peaches. I've finished for today, but the work will resume tomorrow and will continue until I've filled every square inch of our freezer.

This is one of my favorite times of year. Yes, the process of preserving, pickling, jamming, freezing, etc, is a lot of work, but there's nothing quite so satisfying as putting up food for the winter that's been grown right here within sight of my kitchen window. The abundance can be almost overwhelming this time of year, and I've found that it helps to stick to processing techniques that are as simple and quick as possible. (For this reason, I don't tend to make jam in the summertime. I freeze fruit now and then make jam during the winter when I've got more time.) In the case of our tomato crop, we realized early last week that we really did have more than we could handle ourselves, so we happily called on the real professionals to help us make the most of the unexpected abundance. The professionals in question are the folks at Contract Comestibles, a small-scale food processing plant in East Troy, Wisconsin. We've worked with Contract Comestibles each fall for the last 5 years in order to turn our excess tomatoes into packages of tomato puree for our fall CSA members. Matt drove up to East Troy to deliver 4 pallets of tomatoes on Monday, and he stuck around long enough to snap some pictures as they began the process of sorting, washing, grinding, screening out the skins and seeds, and then pumping the pureed tomatoes through a serious of tubes into big cooking vats.

The process bears little resemblence to my own humble preservation activities, but I do feel the same sense of satisfaction when I think about it. It's all about minimizing waste, maximizing good taste, and feeding our families and our friends. What could be better?!

Have a good week. --Peg

Above: I roasted these beefsteak tomatoes by cutting them into quarters, placing them in a single layer (cut side up) on a rimmed baking tray, drizzling with olive oil and salt and roasting at 275 degrees for 3 hours. Once they've cooled they can go straight into freezer bags. They're perfect for marinara, soups, stews, casseroles, etc.

Above: Employees of Contract Comestibles prepare our tomatoes for processing.

Above: The pureed tomatoes are being pumped to the cooking vats.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

The flavor of scarlet turnips is a nice combination of sharp and sweet. They can be cooked in many of the same ways as potatoes - boiled, mashed, roasted, scalloped, etc. Nutritionally speaking, turnips top the charts. They are a great source of vitamins A, C and B complex as well as the minerals potassium, magnesium and calcium. Use turnip greens within a week. Turnip roots will keep for months in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

There are endless uses for fresh thyme. It can be used to enhance the flavor of many different vegetables, meats, poultry and fish. Try mixing it with butter and honey and tossing with steamed vegetables such as carrots, turnips and potatoes. I also like to add it to lemon vinaigrette and use it as a dressing for a salad of fresh tomatoes and arugula. To dry thyme, simply hang the whole bunch in a warm, dry place for a couple of weeks. Store in a glass jar with a lid or in a freezer bag in the freezer.

Celeriac, also known as celery root, is a somewhat homely (but very tasty) relative of celery. Don’t be put off by its knobby exterior. Use a sharp kitchen knife to trim the outside layer from the celeriac bulb before chopping it. Because celeriac has a wonderful mild celery flavor, it can be used in place of celery in many soups and stews. In fact, I prefer the flavor of celeriac over stalk celery in many dishes. Celeriac will store for a long time in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Here are some ways to use celeriac:
--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.
--Combine with grated carrots, shredded cabbage, or other root vegetables to make flavorful autumn slaws.

A true conversation piece for your next dinner party-- a freshly harvested celeriac bulb with greens still attached.

Pears are one of my absolute favorite fruits. I love them partly because I am sentimental and 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.

This Week's Recipes

Cornish Pasties

Carolina-Style Turnip Greens

Scalloped Turnips

Roasted Turnips in Red Wine

Celeriac, Carrot & Pear Salad

Moroccan Chicken & Vegetable Stew

Carrot Spice Cake Loaves

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... tomatoes, leeks, eggplant, kohlrabi, lettuce, radishes, peppers, swiss chard, red onions, broccoli, garlic, apples, raspberries, plums and more!

CSA News for the Week of September 7th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:51:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Red Slicing Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Green-Top Carrots
Kennebec Potatoes
Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
Green or Romano Beans
Fresh Basil
Yellow Storage Onions
Garlic Bulb
Green or Red Mustard Greens
Green and Red Sweet Peppers
Fresh Oregano

This Week's Fruit Share:

Red Seedless Grapes
Peaches (the last of the season)

Farm Journal

It's early September and the farm is a veritable hive of activity as we all buzz around attending to our assigned tasks. Seems that every time I turn around this week there's something interesting going on--whether it's Livio harvesting honey, the folks from Kettle View Renewable Energy fixing the windmill, or our own crew working hard to get the harvest in before day's end. As summer turns into fall, we look forward to days that are just as interesting but maybe a little more relaxed and laid back. There will still be plenty to do--sowing cover crops, irrigating broccoli, cultivating spinach, harvesting root vegetables--but the pace will be slower and the days shorter. Hooray for fall! As we head into this new season I look forward to sharing with you the flavors of autumn. There is so much to look forward to in the kitchen--roasts, savory soups and stews, pies, cakes, preserves and so much more. I hope you enjoy the harvest!

-Peg

Important Dates

September 23rd & 24th: Final Fruit Share

October 7th and 8th: Final Summer Vegetable Share

October 4th: Lake County Wellness Celebration

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

As you probably know, heirloom tomatoes come in many different shapes and sizes. They also come in a range of colors that includes white, yellow, pink, green, red and a shade of purple so dark it's almost black. Their flavors are as varied as their colors; some are fruity, some smoky, some tart, etc. Besides the pleasure of experiencing these different flavors, growing and eating heirloom tomatoes is a great way to promote diversity in the tomato gene pool. Many heirloom varieties begin to ripen late in the season and have a relatively short window in which they produce good fruit. Our heirloom plants are at their peak now so you'll receive a nice assortment this week and next. After that, the production of our tomato plants, both heirloom and hybrid, will begin to taper off as we head into fall.

If you needed yet another indication that summer is waning, here it is-- this is the last week for peaches. If you'd like to preserve some of summer's goodness you might want to consider freezing peaches, something that isn't all that hard to do. First, prepare a syrup by combining 4 cups of water, 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a large bowl, then stir until the honey is dissolved. Drop peaches into a pot of boiling water for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool before slipping the skins off. Slice the peaches into the bowl of syrup. Ladle peaches and syrup into freezer bags, seal and place in freezer.

The Kennebec potato is a great all-purpose potato that can be boiled, mashed steamed, baked or fried. It is especially good baked or made into oven fries. As with all potatoes, store in the warmest part of your refrigerator or in a cool, dark environment such as your basement.

Depending on the variety, the leaves of mustard greens can be red, purple or green and either smooth, crinkly, ruffled or pointed. All mustard greens share a spicy, peppery flavor. Try sauting them lightly in olive oil and then adding some lemon juice, chopped tomatoes and walnuts. They're also quite tasty when cooked with a little chopped bacon. Remember not to overcook them or they will turn mushy.

Fresh oregano will store best if you place a paper towel in the plastic bag and store the bag in the fridge. Of course, you could also take the sprigs out of the bag and allow them to dry in a cool, dark place.

The peppers in this week's share are either bell peppers or sweet Italian peppers. Some of the smaller red ones may look like they could be hot peppers, but they are not. There's really no wrong way to prepare a sweet pepper. They're truly delicious raw or cooked.

This Week's Recipes:

Barefoot Contessa's Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella)

Potato, Tomato & Fresh Ginger Curry

Tomato, Potato and Mustard Green Salad

Mustard Greens with Warm Bacon Dressing

Grilled Pork Chops with Tomato Peach Relish

Uncooked Fresh Peach Jam

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... tomatoes, tomatillos, poblano peppers, cilantro, leeks, carrots, kohlrabi, eggplant, celeriac, green grapes, pears and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 31st

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:05:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Yellow or Red Watermelons (not from our farm. See below for more info.)
Green-Top Beets
Eggplant (Purple and/or Lavender)
Assorted Varieties of Tomatoes
Fresh Dill
Cucumbers (off-farm pickup sites only)
Green Cabbage
Sweet Yellow Onions
Red Fingerling Potatoes

This Week's Fruit Share:

Red Raspberries
Golden Supreme and Gala Apples
Nectarines

Making Connections

I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of you who turned out on Sunday for our annual Tomato Jubilee. It was wonderful to see so many smiling, familiar faces. More than 130 families attended, and together we managed to pick almost 2,500 pounds of tomatoes! This is one of the highlights of the growing season for us. We hope you had as much fun as we did.

If you weren't able to make it out to the farm on Sunday, please consider joining us on October 4th for this year's Lake County Wellness Celebration. This is the annual event held at our farm that was formerly known as Edible Harvest Festival. The 6th Annual Lake County Wellness Celebration is hosted by Prairie Crossing Charter School, in partnership with the University of Illinois Extension. There will be delicious locally-grown foods, a petting zoo, a sheep dog demonstration, educational displays, farm tours, pumpkin painting, live music and more. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for kids ages 5-14. Children under 5 are free. For more information visit http://www.edibleharvest.org/.

Have a great week! -Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Our friends, Beth Kazmar and Steve Pincus, grew the watermelons for us. Their certified-organic farm, Tipi Produce, is located in Evansville, Wisconsin. Some of the melons will have red flesh and some will have yellow flesh. We hope you enjoy the surprise!

Dill is the perfect partner for a number of items in this week's share, namely potatoes, beets, and cabbage. Fresh dill will keep for a week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

In addition to providing the makings for cabbage rolls, minestrone, and fish tacos, a nice head of cabbage is the main ingredient in coleslaw. There are many variations. I encourage you to experiment with new flavor combinations. Here are some that I like: cabbage, dill, grated carrots, olive oil and white vinegar; cabbage, mayo, toasted walnuts, apples and cider vinegar; cabbage, onion, bacon, and white wine vinegar (served warm); cabbage, lime juice, canola oil, peanuts, cilantro and chile powder; and cabbage, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame seeds. When slicing cabbage for slaw, cut the head into 4 wedges first and then cut diagonally across the wedge.

Eggplant is related to other vegetables that thrive in late summer—tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. There are many different varieties of eggplant, including white, purple, lavender, pink and green. Eggplant does not need to be peeled, but you may prefer to do so. Before using it in a recipe, I 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.

Apples are amazingly versatile in the kitchen. They are wonderful when braised with cabbage, baked in muffins and coffee cakes, and diced and added to chicken salad, vegetable salads and slaws.

This Week's Recipes:

Skillet-Browned Potatoes with Fresh Dill

Penne with Beets, Beet Greens and Goat Cheese

Pickled Beets with Dill

Whole Beet Borscht

Swedish Cabbage Rolls

Balsamic and Bacon Braised Cabbage

Artichoke and Eggplant Panini

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... Heirloom tomatoes, garlic, carrots, beans, Italian parsley, oregano, green and red peppers, arugula, mustard greens, baking potatoes, grapes, peaches and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 24th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:05:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Spinach
Carrots
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Assorted Varieties of Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Leeks
Cilantro
Tomatillos
Sweet Peppers

This Week's Fruit Share:

Red Raspberries
Paula Red Apples
Ozark Premier Red Plums

Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer

We're now more than half way through the fresh fruit season, and I thought I'd take a moment to tell you a little bit about the family who grows the fruit for our CSA members. Mick Klug, his wife Cindy, and daughters Abby and Amy farm about 120 acres between St. Joseph and Berrien Springs near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Because of the moderating effect that Lake Michigan has on the climate, that area is particularly well-suited to growing fruit. Mick was born and raised on the farm that his parents puchased in 1940. When Mick was growing up, his parents' farm was very diversified. They grew a wide range of crops including strawberries, asparagus, currants, tomatoes, peaches and much more. Gradually though, fruit farms in the area, including the Klug farm, began to specialize in just a handful of crops, namely peaches and juice grapes for Welch's. It was during the 1980s, after Mick had taken over the farm, that he realized that direct marketing and a return to crop diversity was the best way to keep his operation viable. Today, Mick and Cindy, have a highly-diversified farm that employs 15 people. Mick says that even though development pressure in their area is pretty intense, the buy-local movement is helping his farm to survive and to thrive!

Here are some pictures of Mick, the peach orchard, the apple orchard and the vineyard.

Tomato Jubilee is This Sunday!

Please join us from 2 until 5 p.m. at the farm on Sunday, August 30th for our annual CSA Tomato Jubilee! This is your opportunity to pick tomatoes for freezing and canning. We welcome you, CSA members, to pick your own tomatoes, feed the chickens, meet your farmers and take a stroll through the fields. During the Tomato Jubilee the first 10 lbs are free for CSA members. Additional tomatoes are only $1 per pound for members. Due to a combination of Late Blight and low temperatures this summer, the tomato crop is not as bountiful as in years past. Therefore, the traditional 40-pound limit has been reduced to a total of 20 pounds per family/CSA share, including the free 10 pounds. Please bring your own boxes or bags for picking. See you on Sunday!

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

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 tops off about 2 inches above the white section. 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.

The tomatillo, also known as the husk tomato, plays an important role in Mexican cuisine. It is the primary ingredient in salsa verde, a popular salsa that also calls for garlic, onion, chile peppers, cilantro and lime juice. Store at room temperature, with husks on, for up to 2 weeks. For longer-term storage, refrigerate in husks, but not in a plastic bag.

In contrast to the relatively modest yield we are seeing from our field-grown tomatoes, our hoophouse tomatoes are producing like crazy. Today we harvested about 900 pounds from the 2 hoophouses, which means that each CSA member will receive 3 pounds in addition to your field-grown tomatoes!

Summer spinach can be hit-or-miss depending on the weather. Spinach really doesn't like hot, dry weather. We haven't had too much hot, dry weather lately, so this planting of spinach turned out great. Everybody will get at least a pound this week. Enjoy it now as there probably won't be more spinach for at least a month.

Fall-bearing raspberries are just starting to ripen. As always, keep in mind that fresh raspberries are very delicate and should be eaten within a couple of days. The best way to store them is to line a plate with a paper towel. Spread the raspberries on the paper towel in a single layer and refrigerate.

This Week's Recipes

Chicken and Dumplings with Summer Vegetables
Julia's Cream of Carrot Soup

Chicken Tagine

Pork Tenderloin with Leeks & Apples

Tropical Tomatillo Banana Salsa

Hot & Sour Soup with Swiss Chard

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess...) Red fingerling potatoes, cabbage, dill, beets, watermelons, eggplant, tomates, oregano, peaches, and probably the last of the zukes and cukes

CSA News for the Week of August 17th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:26:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Carola Potatoes (a yellow-skinned variety)
Lavender and/or Dark Purple Eggplant
Curly Parsley
Beauty Heart Radishes
Red Onions
Green Bell Peppers
Garlic Bulb
Assorted Varieties of Tomatoes
Kale (either Tuscan, Curly Green or Curly Red)
Cucumbers
Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Poblano Peppers
Fresh Sage and Thyme
Mixed Lettuces
Arugula

This Week's Fruit Share:

Paula Red Apples
Nectarines
Purple Plums
Blueberries (last of the season)
Peaches

You are Invited to our Annual Tomato Jubilee!

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

The Beauty Heart Radish has a humble white-to-pale-green exterior appearance. So humble, in fact, it might just be mistaken for a turnip by the uninitiated. Those in the know, however, recognize this as the radish with the beautiful pink interior. I love this radish for its ability to jazz up late summer vegetable salads. Peel it first, then try grating it and tossing it with lettuce, arugula and any other raw vegetables that appeal to you.

Eggplant is related to other vegetables that thrive in the late summer—tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. There are many different varieties of eggplant, including white, purple, lavender, pink and green. Eggplant does not need to be peeled, but you may prefer to do so. Before using it in a recipe, I 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.

I've heard from a number of you who've emailed to express your concern and support in the wake of our discovery of the Late Blight fungus in our tomato fields. (See last week's newsletter for more info on that.) We do appreciate your kind notes of encouragement. We are now seeing evidence of the fungus throughout both tomato fields, but the crop isn't doing too bad, all things considered. Late Blight spreads more quickly in damp conditions, so last week's stretch of dry weather was just what we needed. We're keeping our fingers crossed for another stretch of relatively dry weather this week. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, we are starting to harvest our first field tomatoes of the season. This week's share contains a mix of field and hoophouse tomatoes. My favorite tomato meal this week was a bacon, arugula and tomato sandwich. It was absolutely delicious!

As far as chile peppers go, the Poblano pepper is a fairly mild one. It definitely has some heat though, so use caution when handling them. The poblanos that you will receive this week are between 3 and 6 inches long and are dark green and glossy. We have packed them in plastic bags so you will easily be able to tell the difference between the poblanos and the sweet green bell peppers.

The key to enjoying kale is, in my opinion, adequate cooking time. Kale that has been properly cooked should be toothsome but not tough. The way to achieve this is by steaming or simmering it for at least 15-20 minutes or by adding it to dishes such as soups and stews where it will have adequate time to simmer.

This Week's Recipes

Mediterranean Eggplant & Barley Salad

Potato Soup with Kale & Chorizo

Mashed Potatoes with Kale, Poblanos & Cheddar Cheese

Herbed Tomato-Zucchini Bruschetta

Zucchini Poppers

Gremolata (a parsley-based condiment for fish, potatoes, and other veggies)

Baked Chicken Breasts with Apple-Sage Dressing

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... tomatoes, tomatillos, swiss chard, basil, cilantro, carrots, sweet corn, leeks, fresh shell beans, melons, and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:33:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Hoophouse Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Green Beans
Broccoli
Green-Top Carrots
Cucumbers
Green-Top Beets
Purple and/or Green Bell Peppers
Gold Cipollini Onions
Sweet Corn (not from our farm. See 'Notes from the Farm Kitchen' for more info.)
Zucchini and/or Summer Squash

This Week's Fruit Share:

Santa Rosa Red Plums
Early Blue Purple Plums
Red Haven Peaches
and the first Nectarines of the season!

Farm Journal

Some of you might have heard that tomato fields all over the eastern half of the country have been devasted by Late Blight, a fungus that poses no danger to human health but can be fatal for tomato plants. If you haven't heard about it, here are a couple of links that will give you some idea of just how bad the epidemic is:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/dining/29toma.html?_r=1&ref=dining

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09barber.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Late Blight is a disease caused by fungal spores that travel from farm to farm on the wind. It occasionally shows up on the East Coast and in the Midwest very late in the season when most of the tomato crop has already been harvested. This year, the disease appeared in New England in June on young, otherwise healthy plants. On Friday we found it in our own tomato fields. The discovery of Late Blight on our plants came as something of a shock as we hadn't heard of any cases west of Ohio. Yesterday a plant pathologist from the University of Illinois confirmed our suspicions when he took a look at the photos we had emailed him. Tomorrow he will drive up from Champaign to officially diagnose what looks to be the first case of Late Blight in Illinois. This is a pretty big deal for us as it means that our entire tomato crop may succumb before we are able to harvest any ripe fruits. That's the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is that we will continue to work diligently to identify infected plants and remove them from our fields before they have a chance to infect other plants and other farms. (Already we have destoyed nearly 600 plants out of a total of about 4,000.) We remain cautiously optimistic that we will have enough tomatoes to fulfill the needs of our CSA members, and we'll be sure to update you as we learn more.

Now, enough of the doom and gloom. After three days of worrying, I found myself looking for a reason to smile, darn it! This morning after breakfast I grabbed the camera and set out for a walk around the farm. As I walked, I snapped a whole bunch of pictures as a way of reminding myself of the many, many reasons to be thankful for what nature has provided. Below are pictures of some of the things that made me smile this morning. If you'd like to see more photos, click here.

As always, thanks for your support of our farm. Despite its challenges, this is still the best job around! We hope you enjoy this week's harvest. -Peg

Baby Summer Squash

Shell Beans Starting to Size Up in their Pods

Hollyhocks Blooming in the Garden

Beautiful Pepper Plants

Happy Pigs on Pasture

A Bountiful Carrot Harvest

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Like tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes, peppers belong to the Solanaceae family. They are native to South and Central America, and now play an important role in cuisines all over the globe. This week we are harvesting green peppers and purple peppers. These two varieties are similar in the sense that both are harvested in the immature stage of a pepper plant's development. When left on the plant, green peppers eventually turn red while purple peppers eventually turn orange. Purple peppers taste much like green peppers and can be used in the same way--in sandwiches, salads, stir-fries, casseroles, etc.

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

This has been a terrific season for zucchini and cucumbers. Our plantings of both crops are now past their peak production, but we expect to continue harvesting them for a couple more weeks. If you'd like to freeze some zucchini for use in baked goods, start by washing and grating it without peeling. Then steam blanch in small quantities for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool before packing it in containers in amounts needed for recipes. Seal and freeze. If watery when thawed, drain the liquid before using the zucchini.

Red-winged blackbirds and starlings finished off the last of our sweet corn crop over the weekend, so we've included corn from Didier Farm in this week's share. While their sweet corn is not organic, it is local and delicious.

This Week's Recipes
Plum Küchen
Sweet Corn Risotto
Peach White-Wine Sangria
Corn, Squash and Beans with Basil Butter
Basil Vinaigrette (serve over steamed carrots and beans or roasted zucchini and squash)
Chocolate Beet Cake (I LOVE this cake.)
Matt's Mom's Quick Pickles
Beet & Carrot Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... eggplant, potatoes, kale, bell peppers, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, tomatillos, cilantro, poblano peppers, Paula Red Apples, nectarines, and more!

CSA News for the Week of August 3rd

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:38:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Leeks
Hoophouse Tomatoes
Green Beans or Romano Beans
Cilantro
Arugula
Red Onions
Green Cabbage
Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Sweet Corn
Broccoli
Cucumbers

This Week's Fruit Share:

Sour Pie Cherries
Sweet-Tart Yellow Apples
Blueberries

Farm Journal

It's 5 0'clock on Tuesday evening and I'm pinning the third load of wash to the clothesline. We're just back from vacation and I've been sorting through mountains of clothes, towels and swim suits for much of the day. I find that the frustration of fighting with the tangle of dirty clothes is lessened by the meditative act of hanging the clean clothes out to dry. It may sound strange, but I really enjoy the process of hanging out the wash. I suppose it's the quiet, methodical nature of the project. (This time of year I take my quiet moments when I can get them, believe me!) There's something deeply satisfying about creating order out of all this post-vacation chaos. I feel the same way about weeding the garden, to which I will turn my attention tomorrow. The only thing more satisfying than seeing 4 lines of clean shirts and pants flapping in the warm breeze is seeing the parsley and basil in the front garden lined up in neat and tidy rows.

I have my face turned now to the waning sun, and I squint a bit on this perfect summer evening as I pin up the last couple of socks. I move slowly and deliberately, so as not to disturb the large wasp that is determined to inspect each and every new clothespin I clip to the line. A chicken, one of the Silver-Laced Wyandottes, has escaped the confines of the chicken yard and is scratching around and clucking quietly in the old sweet corn patch. Standing here listening to the sound of crickets makes me think of fall. It's ridiculous, isn't it?! The tomatoes are barely starting to ripen and here I am thinking about fall! I look to the west and let my gaze rest upon the tomato field. I see thousands of beautiful plants out there, loaded with fruit. Because it's been a fairly cool summer, most of the tomato fruits are still green. Don't despair, I remind myself. Given this weekend's predicted warm temperatures, things may look a whole lot different a week from now. In the meantime, you'll have a chance to savor the first ripe tomatoes grown in our hoophouses. Here are several pictures of me and our hoophouse tomato plants. If all goes well, the tomatoes you receive this week will be the first of many tomatoes to come. We'll be picking 'til the first frost. Enjoy! -Peg

Mark Your Calendars

Please join us from 2 until 5 p.m. at the farm on Sunday, August 30th for our annual Tomato Jubilee! This is your opportunity to pick tomatoes for freezing and canning. We welcome you to pick your own tomatoes, feed the chickens, meet your farmers and take a stroll through the fields. During the Tomato Jubilee the first 10 lbs are free for CSA members. All additional tomatoes are only $1 per pound for members. (There is a limit of 40 pounds per family/CSA share.)

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Our second planting of sweet corn is just starting to mature. As was the case with the first planting, we are struggling to keep the birds from damaging the ears. Even with some loss to the birds, we'll still have enough to give everyone a modest amount this week and hopefully a larger amount next week. Eat this week's corn on the ear or cut it from the cob and use it in one of this week's salad recipes.

This Week's Recipes:

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Arugula Salad with Black Beans, Corn and Avocado

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Salad with Summer Veggies

Gnocchi with Leeks and Ricotta

Chicken Gyros with Cucumbers and Arugula

Grilled Salmon with Tomato and Cucumber Salsa

Oven-Fried Zucchini Spears

Cherry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... sweet corn, basil, carrots, peppers, onions, tomatoes, beans, beets, lettuce, broccoli, peaches, maybe nectarines, and more!

CSA News for the Week of July 27th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:08:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Green-top carrots
Sweet Onions (Walla Walla Type)
New Red Potatoes
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Fresh Basil
Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
Green Onions
Garlic Bulb
Green Beans or Romano Beans
Cucumbers

This Week's Fruit Share:

Blueberries
Peaches
Golden Plums

We're Going on Vacation!
After working straight through the weekend, Matt and I are headed out of town this afternoon for some much-needed rest and relaxation with our kids. We'll be camping in southern Wisconsin and visiting with friends and family. While we're gone, our employees will be running the show here at the farm. If you need anything this week, you may call the farm and leave a message. One of our staff will be checking messages twice a day. We look forward to returning refreshed and ready to take on the second half of the season!

Cheers,
Peg

This season's staff: Jesse, Peter, Andy, Kim, Reid, Becky, and Nick. (not pictured: Catherine, Tyler and Matt D.)

This Week's Recipes:
Fettucine with Walnut-Parsley Pesto
Swiss Chard Pie
Minestra di Zucchine
Dolmas Made with Chard Leaves
Cucumber Carrot Salad
Peach Shortcake on Ginger Biscuits
Blueberry Galette with Lemon Ice Cream

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess) ... white potatoes, sweet corn, beans, peppers, cabbage, leeks, red onions, cilantro, tomatoes, nectarines, green apples and more!

CSA News for the Week of July 20th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:21:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Green-Top Carrots
Broccoli (grown by Kay Jensen and Paul Ehrhardt of JenEhr Farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin)
Newly-Dug Shallots
Herb Sampler (Fresh Thyme, Sage & Oregano)
Cucumbers
Cilantro
Sweet Corn
Cauliflower or Beans (either green or romano)
Arugula and/or Mixed Lettuces

This Week's Fruit Share:

Peaches
Apricots
Golden Plums

Farm Journal

When you're in this line of work, it's a good idea to surround yourself with a group of folks who can relate to the ups and downs of farm life. We're lucky to have a circle of farming friends with whom we can commiserate about such topics as this summer's cool temperatures, the price of sweet corn seed, strategies for combating bean beetles, tips for growing gorgeous greens, and finding affordable sources of chicken feed. Kay Jensen is one such friend. This time of year we seem to talk on the phone at least a couple of times a week. Occasionally we collaborate with Kay and her husband Paul to provide variety in your CSA shares, as we have done this week. Sometimes we call each other just to check in and see how we're all holding up. This week I related to her the story of my ongoing nightly deer patrols in the minivan. The image of me and my tired old minivan bouncing up and down the field roads made her chuckle. Once I had her going, I just had to tell the story about the hilarity that ensued when Matt attempted to use his lasso to catch a pig who'd escaped from its pen. Halfway through the conversation I had her howling with laughter. It's really true what they say about laughter being the best medicine. When the frantic pace of mid-summer starts to wear me down, I can count on Kay to help me see the bright (and the sometimes hilareous) side of farm life.

In addition to swapping funny stories, we talk often about how our respective CSA enterprises are going. One topic we've touched on a couple of times recently is the challenge of growing sweet corn for our CSA customers. It can at times be difficult and frustrating to grow sweet corn in an organic system. We only recently started to grow it because we knew it was something our members would really enjoy. We've still got a ways to go in figuring out how best to grow it under organic conditions, and we hope you will enjoy the results thus far. In the pictures below, you'll see (1) Matt in our second planting of corn, (2) the bird-scare balloons with shiny streamers and "eyes" that keep birds away and (3) the electric solar-charged fence that keeps small critters out of the sweet corn fields.

Thanks for all your encouragement and support as we continue on our journey!

Have a good week. --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Fresh oregano is the perfect partner for many summer vegetables, including beans. As opposed to the thin, pointed leaf of thyme, oregano leaves are rounded and soft. The name oregano is derived from the Greek words oros (mountain) and ganos (joy) a reference, I think, to the beautiful sight created by flowering oregano plants growing on the hillsides. Our oregano grows in neat little rows on a flat field in Northern Illinois, but the sight—not to mention the scent—fills me with joy nonetheless! Fresh sage adds wonderful flavor to roasted meats and vegetables as well as bean dishes and stews. Fresh herbs can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or dried in a paper bag in a warm, dry location.

Like many of our crops this year, the carrot crop is a little behind due to the cool weather. These are the very first carrots we've dug, and I think they're worth the wait. Enjoy them raw or cooked.

Those who don't receive cauliflower this week will receive beans. The beans in your share will either be traditional green beans or romano beans. Some of the beans this week are from our farm and some come from Kay and Paul's farm. Romano beans are broad, flat-podded beans that are sometimes referred to as Italian flat beans. They can be prepared much like the more familiar green beans. They will take slightly longer to cook than a thinner bean, but be careful not to overcook them as they will become mushy.

Like onions and garlic, shallots must be cured in a warm, dry location before they will store for weeks on end. Because we just harvested these shallots yesterday, you should try to use them up within a week or so. Their delicate onion flavor is superb in many kinds of dishes where you might normally use onions.

This Week's Recipes:

Peach Cobbler

Pork Kabobs with Grilled Peaches

Cilantro Carrots with Cumin

Sweet Corn, Cilantro and Black Bean Salad

Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread

Herbed Shallot Stuffing (The perfect accompaniment to roast chicken)

Broccoli with Oregano, Feta and Olives

Green Beans Sauteed with Fresh Herbs

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess): Carrots, Zucchini, Italian Parsley, Basil, Garlic, Swiss Chard, Beans, Green Onions, Blueberries, Peaches and more...

CSA News for the Week of July 13th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:05:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Green Cabbage
Cipollini Onions
Fresh Dill
Cucumbers (not all cukes from our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.)
Green Onions
Gold Beets
Tuscan or Green Curly Kale
Fresh Basil
Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Cauliflower or Green Beans (depending on your pickup site, you will get one of these two items this week, and the other item next week)

This Week's Fruit Share:

Blueberries
Sour (Pie) Cherries

Farm Journal

Tuesday evening, 7:30 p.m.

As we round the corner, there they are in plain sight. Three full-grown deer are standing in the middle of our lettuce field. I clamp my foot down on the accelerator and head straight for them. My intrepid Ford Windstar goes bucking and flying over the bumps, and the girls in their carseats are whooping it up in the backseat. I lay on the horn for a full 5 seconds as the deer hightail it for the treeline. I fly down the field road and jam on the brakes inches from the thick line of brush. I pause long enough to lay on the horn again. Aah... another not-so-peaceful evening on the farm.

OK, so I would be fibbing if I said that some part of me didn't enjoy the adrenaline rush of our nightly ritual, but I'd trade it in a heartbeat for the security of knowing that our entire mid-summer lettuce crop was not in imminent danger. As it stands, there's really not a whole lot we can do to keep these unwanted creatures from feasting on our lettuce. Hunting is not an option in our densely-populated neighborhood, and fencing them out would be prohibitively expensive.

As organic farmers certified by USDA, we are obliged to follow guidelines that require us to promote and enhance biological diversity and to provide wildlife habitat on our farm. This requirement isn't so onerous when it comes to things like insects, worms, frogs and birds. We are happy to accomodate, for example, birds like kildeers who lay their eggs on the ground right in the rows of beets and carrots. We patiently cultivate around their nests every spring, careful not to upset all the mama kildeers by driving the tractor too close to their precious eggs (see photos below). In addition to birds and insects, we recognize the important ecological roles played by all the small mammals who make their homes here, even those whose presense can be problematic; Opposums and skunks are known to prey on chickens. Coyotes do damage to irrigation lines running too close to their dens. Squirrels chew holes in greenhouse plastic. (These things can certainly be a challenge, yet I wonder how often we stop to consider the list of complaints the animals might have about us humans!) At any rate, worms, insects, birds, frogs, and even coyotes--these are all animals I can appreciate for their own particular contributions to our local ecosystem. It's those darned deer that I have a hard time coexisting with. I suppose I ought to try harder to make my peace with these animals. In the meantime I will continue to secretly enjoy the whooping and hollering at dusk. I'm not ready to give in yet!

Have a good week. --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

If you are a pie-baker, then these sour cherries are what you’ve been waiting for! If baking pies isn’t your thing, try adding a handful to your favorite muffin or quick-bread recipe. On a different note, don’t forget that tart cherries can be useful in creating savory dishes. Try the glaze recipe below and see what you think. If you aren’t going to use your cherries this week, pit them and pop them in a freezer bag for use later. Remember, sour cherry season is very short. This may be the only week you receive them.

Blueberries are also extremely easy to freeze. Simply wash them and put them into a freezer bag. Once they've been thawed, they're great for pancakes, smoothies, waffle topping, ice cream, crepes and so much more.

Once again, we have two different kinds of cucumbers this week. The long, skinny ones have been grown by our friends Kay Jensen and Paul Ehrhardt of JenEhr Family Farm in Sun Prairie Wisconsin. They are English cucumbers grown on trellises. The others are regular field cucumbers grown on plants that spread out along the ground here at our farm.

Tuscan kale is another one of those vegetables that goes by many different names. Some folks know it as dinosaur kale, others as lacinato kale, and still others know it by its Italian name, cavolo nero. This particular kind of kale is quite attractive to insect pests, which can make it tricky to grow. It is worth the effort, though, because Tuscan kale is considered the kale with the best flavor and texture.

Cipollini onions are Italian varieties that are typically smaller and flatter than storage onions. They have a slightly higher sugar content than most storage onions, and may be used in many different ways.

This Week's Recipes

Grandma's Cherry Pie
Cold Beets with Yogurt and Dill
Crunchy Ramen Coleslaw
Sesame Kale Salad
Summer Vegetable Minestrone
Savory Tart Cherry Glaze (for roasted meats)
Brandied Sour Cherries
Bluberry Compote (for serving over ice cream, cake, waffles, etc)

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... carrots, green beans, maybe sweet corn, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, cilantro, apricots, peaches, plums and more.

CSA News for the Week of July 6th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:20:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Cilantro
Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Curly Parsley
Green and Purple Basil
Fennel Bulbs
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Purple and/or Green Kohlrabi
Popping Corn
Arugula
Newly-Dug Garlic Bulbs
Cucumbers (not all cukes from our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.)

This Week's Fruit Share:

Blueberries
Sweet Cherries
Black Raspberries

Farm Journal

Tuesday morning and I am in the greenhouse planting seeds for our fall broccoli crop. Once we finish the broccoli and the fall head lettuce, there will be no more greenhouse seedlings to plant for the rest of the season. This fact represents the beginning of a real shift in the nature of our work here on the farm. The bulk of the planting work is now behind us as we turn our attention almost exclusively to the tasks of weeding and harvesting. Much of yesterday was devoted to the job of harvesting the garlic crop, and this afternoon will be more of the same. Every year we harvest the entire crop all at once and then store the bulbs in our greenhouse to cure. The crop looks pretty good this year; slightly smaller than we had hoped, but pretty good over all.

I hunch over my tray of broccoli seeds, attempting to concentrate on the task at hand, but I am distracted by the pungent aroma of fresh garlic emanating from the piles of bulbs behind me. It is just shy of 10 o'clock and already my thoughts turn toward lunch. I consider various options before settling on the idea of a frittata of garlic, fennel and Italian sausage. I would love nothing more than to wander into the kitchen to experiment with this week's harvest, but I've got almost 30 trays of broccoli left to go. Such is life; the work never seems to end, but nature's bounty keeps us happy and well-fed along the way.

Have a great week! --Peg

Catherine harvests garlic with the crew on Tuesday.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Most garlic that you are accustomed to using has been cured in a warm, dry place for some period of time to ensure that it stores well. Since we just harvested this garlic yesterday, it has not had time to cure. That is why it is called fresh garlic. Also, you'll notice that the layers of tissue between the cloves hasn't yet turned papery. We hope you enjoy the extra-pungent, delicious flavor of fresh garlic. As the season progresses you will receive garlic that has been
cured and will store well for several months. Use fresh garlic within a couple of weeks. Your best bet for storage is to keep it in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated place.

This is the last fennel until the fall crop is ready. If you haven't done so already, try grilling or roasting it with other early summer vegetables such as zucchini and garlic scapes. For a wonderful side dish to serve with fish or chicken, slice the bulb and sauté it in a pan with a
little butter or olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Fresh basil does not store particularly well, so be sure to use it up as soon as you can. I place a little basil bouquet in a short glass of water and keep it on the counter for a couple of days. Storing basil in the refrigerator will cause it to turn black because it can’t tolerate cold temperatures.

No longer considered strictly a garnish, parsley is gaining in popularity due to its outstanding nutritional value. By weight, it is higher in vitamin A than carrots and higher in vitamin C than oranges. It can be added to just about any vegetable salad, bean salad or egg salad. Try combining it with olive oil, basil and other fresh herbs and served over pasta.

We have two different kinds of cucumbers for you this week. The long, skinny ones (called English cucumbers) were grown by Kay and Paul Jensen of JenEhr Family Farm. These cukes were grown on plants that they trellis up on long strings inside their hoophouses. The
others are regular field cucumbers grown on plants that spread out along the ground here at our farm.

The popping corn was harvested late last fall. Use your thumb to remove the kernels from the cob. (When I'm doing this, I lay a dish towel on the counter so the kernels don't bounce all over the place.) Coat the bottom of a medium sized pot with vegetable oil. Add a single layer of kernels to the bottom of the pot. Pop over medium heat on the stovetop.

A note about peas... You may be wondering what happened to the peas this year. I'm sorry to report that there won't be any this year. All three of our pea plantings got off to a rocky start due to the cool, wet conditions early in the spring. Just when we thought they might pull through, that stretch of 90-degree weather really fried the plants. Other growers we know have had the exact same problems. I assure you that I'm just as disappointed as you all, but it's helpful to keep in mind that no two years are alike. When one crop disappoints, another crop is sure to exceed expectations.

This Week's Recipes:

Swiss Chard Turnovers

Baked Swiss Chard

Lentil Stew with Ham and Swiss Chard

Greek Fennel Skillet

Kohlrabi Coleslaw with Paprika Dressing

Sauteed Kohlrabi and Basil

You might also like these recipes from last year's newsletters:

Meatballs with Parsley and Basil

Vegetable Empanadas

Cucumber, Basil and Feta Pitas

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... cucumbers, basil, gold or red beets, cippollini onions, lettuce, cabbage, Tuscan kale, maybe beans, sour cherries, apricots and more!

CSA News for the Week of June 29th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:58:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Spinach
Red Currants
Head Lettuce
Crimini Mushrooms*
Baby Leeks
Scarlet Turnips
Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Broccoli
* not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

This Week's Fruit Share:

Red Raspberries
Sweet Cherries
Strawberries

Important Dates

What: Sandhill Organics Field Walk
When: Sunday, July 6th, 4-6 p.m.
Where: At the farm (32140 Harris Road in Grayslake)

What: Sandhill Organics Tomato Jubilee
When: August 30th, 2-5 p.m.
Where: At the farm (32140 Harris Road in Grayslake)

What: Lecture by Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
When: Monday, September 21, 2-3 p.m.
Where: Chicago Botanic Garden. Click here for more information

What: 6th Annual Lake County Wellness Celebration
When: Sunday, October 4th, 11-4 p.m.
Where: At the farm, but parking is at Lake Forest Hospital. Click here for more info.

Farm Journal

Tuesday morning. I find myself feeling incredulous for two reasons. First of all, I am crouching in the woodchips next to a long line of red currant bushes, positively shivering as I go about the morning's harvest. Here I am wearing a jacket in order to stay warm when exactly one week ago the only relief from the heat was to retreat to the house at lunchtime and lay on the basement floor, pressing my face against the mercifully cool cement. My body is still trying to make sense of the temperature change, and so, I suspect are some of our plants. Secondly, I am incredulous to discover, about 2 minutes into the harvest, that the amount of fruit on these currant bushes is beyond anything I had imagined. The bare twigs we planted a mere two years ago have exploded with foliage and fruit. Shiny ruby-red orbs hang in crowded clusters along the woody stems. I hold a cluster up in the sunlight and beneath the fragile translucent skin I can easily make out many tiny seeds inside each currant. At this particular moment there is nothing more beautiful on earth. And so picking currants on this Tuesday morning is more a treasure hunt than a chore. Enjoy these little goodies. They are a once-a-year taste of early summer.

Have a good week. --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Red currants are members of the gooseberry family and are native to Western Europe. They are most often associated with the making of currant jelly, but they are excellent prepared in other ways as well. I find the sweet-sour taste of raw currants refreshing, but I also like to use them in desserts, savory dishes and salads. They should be stored in the refrigerator.

The crimini mushrooms come to us from our friend Eric Rose who farms near Burlington, Wisconsin. Store your criminis in the refrigerator, and if you plan to keep them around for more than a day or two, I recommend transfering them to a paper bag so they can breath in the fridge.

Leeks belong to the lily family, as do onions, garlic, scallions, shallots and chives. Baby leeks can be used in many different recipes that call for onions. Chop them like green onions, making sure to discard the fibrous tops.

Scarlet turnips are both beautiful and tasty. As opposed to the white japanese turnips we grow, these scarlet turnips are best when eaten cooked rather than raw. Slice them thinly, saute in butter with 1-inch sections of baby leeks and garlic scapes, and season with salt and pepper. For last night's supper, I prepared the turnips this way and then piled everything onto a pizza crust. With the addition of a little mozzarella and feta, you've got yourself one tasty "pizza".

Sweet cherries are best eaten fresh rather than used to make a pie. In my opinion, sour cherries are best for making pies and will be included in the fruit share in a week or two. Sweet cherries, unlike the more fragile raspberries, will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week. Fresh raspberries ought to be eaten within a couple of days.

This Week's Recipes

Spinach Salad with Red Currant Dressing
Red Currant Clafouti
Slow-Roasted Zucchini with Balsamic Vinegar
Fusilli with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce
Matchstick Turnips Sauteed with Garlic Scapes

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... Swiss chard, newly-dug garlic, cilantro, cucumbers, basil, zucchini, broccoli, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsley and fennel.

First Week of the Fruit Share

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:18:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Share:

Broccoli
Green or Red Kale
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries*
Green-Top Beets (Red or Gold)
Fennel Bulbs
Head Lettuce

*not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

This Week's Fruit Share:

Strawberries

Farm Journal

The last spot on this season's vegetable production crew was officially filled yesterday when Peter, an intern from the University of Chicago, arrived at the farm. Peter and some folks from the U of C will be carrying out a sustainability study this season on small-scale, diversified farms in the greater Chicago region. Peter is one of a half dozen or so interns who've been placed on a handful of rural and urban farms in the region. The interns will be gathering data related to the farms' direct and indirect energy inputs and comparing that to the energy that comes out of the system, i.e. the amount of food produced.The goal is to better understand the impact that local, family-scale farms have on the environment and to compare this particular model to other models of agricultural production.

In addition to gathering data, Peter will be spending a good deal of time helping with field work. His first day of work included harvesting beets (see below), kale and green onions. We look forward to sharing the results of the study with you.

Have a great week! --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

This week the strawberries for the vegetable share come from our friends Kay Jensen and Paul Ehrhardt who have a certified-organic farm near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The berries are perfectly ripe and amazingly delicious, so you’ll want to eat them in the next day or two. The best way to store them is to put a paper towel on a plate and gently empty the strawberry pints onto the plate. Store them in the refrigerator. The strawberries for the fruit share come from Mick Klug, as does all of the fruit in our fruit share. Sweet cherries will be abundant in the coming weeks, followed soon thereafter by blueberries. Here are some ideas for maximizing this week’s strawberry bounty:

After you’ve had your fill of fresh berries, freeze some for later use. Remove the stems and caps and wash them first. You can freeze whole strawberries by placing them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen and then placing them in a freezer bag. (When I’m especially pressed for time, I skip the cookie sheet step.) I use frozen whole berries to make smoothies, yogurt parfaits for the kids, pies, cakes, ice cream topping, margaritas, strawberry lemonade, jam, fruit leather and much more. If you prefer to sweeten your berries first, simply slice them, sprinkle with sugar and place in a freezer container.
No-cook freezer jam is another easy way to enjoy strawberries long after the season is over. I like to use Pomona’s Pectin, but there are plenty of other pectins out there such as Sure-Jell. They all contain directions for making freezer jam.

Kale is interchangeable for spinach and broccoli in many recipes, but it takes longer to cook. The key to enjoying kale is letting is simmer long enough so that it becomes tender. Before cooking with kale, take a sharp knife and slice out the tough, center rib. Add steamed or boiled kale to omelets, quiches, scrambled eggs, lasagnas, and casseroles. Add chopped raw kale to hearty soups and pasta sauces mid-way through the cooking time.

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!

The curly garlic scape is the flower stalk of the garlic plant. If we had left them on the plants, those little buds at the end of each curly scape would eventually have become flowers. 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. The delicious side benefit is that we get to eat the scapes! You can use the entire scape, but some people prefer to discard the pointy end. They can be used in place of garlic cloves or onions in most dishes.

A Note on Storage & Preparation...
All leafy greens and many other types of vegetables must be refrigerated in a plastic bag. Keeping these items in plastic helps prevent wilting. If you’ve got lettuce or some other tender vegetable that appears droopy, soak it in cold water for a few minutes and refrigerate in a plastic bag until it perks up. On a related note, we rinse the vegetables here at the farm, but you should wash them again prior to eating.

This Week's Recipes

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Kale and White Bean Ragout
Curried Chickpeas & Kale
Grilled Fennel with Lemon Juice, Sea Salt & Parmesan
Fennel & Italian Sausage Pie
Goat Cheese & Beet Crostini

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess...) head lettuce, zucchini, baby leeks, spinach, radishes, maybe cherries, maybe raspberries, and the last strawberries of the season.

First Week of the Summer CSA Season

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:42:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Strawberries*
Purple and Green Kohlrabi
Cherriette or Easter Egg Radishes
Head Lettuce
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Fresh Dill
White Salad Turnips
Asparagus

* not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

Announcements

-The Fresh Fruit Season begins next week.

-There will be an Early Summer Field Walk at the farm on June 23rd from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Farmer Matt will lead a tour of the fields. Don't miss this great opportunity to see your food growing! Light refreshments will be provided. There will be another field walk on Sunday, July 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

-Matt's cousin Renee Sheaffer raises beef cattle near Dixon. Renee currently has beef available by the quarter or the half. For more information, please contact Renee at 815-973-3224 or sheaffere@yahoo.com.

Welcome to the Summer Vegetable Season!

I want to extend a warm welcome to all new Summer Share members. We feel privileged to have the opportunity to grow your food this season. With 300 member families this year, it takes lots of hard work and cooperation on the part of many people to make this show run smoothly week after week. This year's team includes Becky, Nick, Kim, Luis, Reid, Tyler, Catherine, Jesse, Andy, Matt D., Jeff, Peter and us, Peg and Matt Sheaffer. We 'll try our very best to exceed your expectations at every turn. Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions and comments. Have a great week! --Peg

Becky, our packing shed manager, washing turnips

Reid and Tyler drive one of our electric golf carts to get from one place to another on the farm.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Although the exact geographic origin of dill is unknown, it is known to grow wild all over the European continent. It is used as a culinary herb as well as a medicinal herb that aids digestion. Dill is probably best known for its role in flavoring dill pickles, but it can also be used to flavor many other dishes including salad dressings and salads such as potato, pasta and tuna. For longer term storage, mix chopped fresh dill with olive oil or vegetable oil and freeze. Drizzle on steamed or grilled vegetables, fish and more.

Although it is native to the Mediterranean, this relative of the beet is referred to as Swiss chard because it was first described in the scientific literature by a Swiss
botanist in the 16th century. Chard is flavorful yet mild, and can be substituted for spinach in many dishes including quiches, omelets, lasagna, pasta sauce, etc. 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. Here are a couple of other ideas:
· Sauté chard with onions and herbs and stuff in a pita pocket with a bit of cheese.
· Slice leaves into ribbons and lightly steam. Toss with sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce.

This Japanese turnip variety, called Hakurei, is mild and sweet and is easily mistaken for a white radish. It is delicious eaten raw, and we’ve found that kids really enjoy it (especially with a little dip)! These little turnips are also tasty sautéed in a little butter and sprinkled with salt. Like bok choy, turnips are a good source of Vitamin C, and rich in the minerals potassium and calcium. And then there are the greens! Turnip greens top the charts as an excellent source of Vitamins A, C and B complex.

Once again, our friend Mick Klug, a Michigan fruit grower, has provided strawberries for us this week. Mick is the farmer who grows all the fruit for our fruit share. While it is not organic, all of Mick’s fruit is low-spray and is a healthy and tasty alternative to conventionally-grown fruit.

Perhaps the most underrated member of the cabbage family, kohlrabi is delicious peeled and eaten raw. This is especially true this spring because of all the rain the plants have soaked up. Just peel the bulb, slice into match sticks and serve with or without dip. (Dill dip would be fantastic.) The greens on this batch of kohlrabi are pretty nice too. Use them like you would use kale, collards, and other hearty stewing greens. These types of greens become tender and delicious when simmered over low to medium heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Try sauteeing a little onion and garlic in a pan (a little bacon or salt pork 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 Recipes

Rick Bayless' Swiss Chard Tacos
Breast of Chicken on Swiss Chard
Strawberry Daiquiri
Radish Sandwiches with Dill Butter
Turnip & Apple Salad
Kohlrabi Pickle Chips
Crunchy Red Devils

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... strawberries, head lettuce, fennel bulbs, gold beets, red or green kale, garlic scapes, and green onions

Final Week of the Spring CSA Season

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:28:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Strawberries*
Rhubarb*
Head Lettuce
Green Onions
Cilantro
Curly Endive (Frisee)
Napa Cabbage or Bok Choy
Corn Meal (for those who didn't receive it last week)

*not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

Important Reminders

-Next week (June 17th/18th) is the start of the Summer Vegetable Season.

-The Fresh Fruit Season begins the following week, June 24th and 25th.

Farm Journal

Well, we've had no shortage of rain this spring, that much is for sure. It's Tuesday afternoon and I'm on my way out to feed the pigs and to make sure they're staying warm and dry in the wake of yesterday's big storm. When I arrive at the pen, I find them curled up together, nestled deep in their nest of warm, dry straw. I spread extra straw around in the wettest parts of the pen. Though it is early June, there is a distinct chill in the air, and I shiver a bit as I hustle around doing my chores. I pitch a crate full of leftover lettuce and other assorted greens into the pen and head back toward the henhouse to collect the afternoon's eggs.

On the way I stop to check out the broccoli field. The broccoli looks fantastic, as do the cabbage, chard, kale, beets, kohlrabi, lettuce and fennel. These crops don't seem to mind the unseasonably cool, wet conditions. In fact, they are positively thriving. The state of the pea and bean plantings, on the other hand, is a little less than ideal. Seeds such as peas, beans and others that contain high levels of sugars, are susceptible to rotting before they have a chance to sprout when the soil is too moist. Because we use no fungicide or insecticide treatments, obtaining good stands can be tricky. With peas and beans our strategy is to plant multiple successions and hope that a couple of them do well. Sweet corn is another crop whose seeds, because they're basically little sugar bombs, often don't germinate well in cool soils. To get around this problem we transplant our sweet corn. Yes, we actually plant our sweet corn from seedlings that we start in March and April in the greenhouse. If it sounds like a lot of work, believe me, it is. So far it looks like it's paying off, though. Our two sweet corn fields look just beautiful. (see photo below)

I come around the corner of the sweet corn field and stop by the packing shed to pick up the second crate of leftover greens before heading over to the coop. The chickens, utterly uninterested in the weather, scurry around with only one thing on their minds--food. From the moment they see me approach, it's a flat-out sprint to get to the fence. The sight of twenty-five hens running full-speed toward me never fails to make me smile. I lob the greens over the fence in giant handfuls and watch as they compete for the best bits. (see photo below) I return to the house with six still-warm eggs that will be the foundation of tonight's dinner. Cool and damp though it may be, it's been a good day.

Have a good week! --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Also known as Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage has been cultivated for over six thousand years. Brassica rapa seeds have been found in jars in the excavated New Stone Age settlement of Banpo. They were a common part of the diet in southern China by the 5th century. Use Napa cabbage to make cole slaws similar to those made with the familiar green cabbage. For a simple crunchy side dish, chop it up, add sliced almonds and chopped green onions and dress it with oil and vinegar.

Our friend Mick Klug, a Michigan fruit grower, has provided the strawberries and the rhubarb for us this week. Mick is the farmer who grows all the fruit for our fruit share. While it is not organic, all of Mick’s fruit is low-spray and is a healthy and tasty alternative to conventionally-grown fruit. We will likely have a couple of weeks of Mick's berries coming up and then a week or two of berries from Wisconsin organic growers Paul Ehrhardt and Kay Jensen.

A Chinese vegetable that is gaining in popularity here, bok choy (also known as pac choi) has a mild, sweet flavor when cooked. Like many members of the Brassica family, its growing season is limited to the cool spring and fall. We cover our bok choy with fabric row cover while it is growing to protect it from one of our most persistent pests, the flea beetle. Nutritionally speaking, bok choy is loaded with vitamins. When cooking with bok choy, use the entire plant, both green leaves and white stems.

This Week's Recipes

Cornmeal-Crusted Trout with Cilantro Tartar Sauce
Strawberries with Honey-Sweetened Yogurt Cheese
Endive & Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese & Walnuts
Cilantro & Green Onion Couscous
Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet
Szechuan Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess...) strawberries, radishes, head lettuce, kohlrabi, dill, mustard greens, swiss chard, hakurei turnips and more!

CSA News for the Week of June 1st

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:56:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Baby Carrots
Baby Beets
Arugula
Head Lettuce
Green Garlic
Baby Spinach
Asparagus
Napa Cabbage or Bok Choy
Cherriette Radishes
Corn Meal

* not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

Farm Journal

There's something wonderful about pigs. I'm not talking about pork here--although I could easily write an entire journal entry about my love of high-quality pastured pork--but rather, the animals themselves. We raised pigs for the first time last year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. (We are also having a marvelous time working our way through a freezer full of tasty pork.) We knew we wanted to raise a couple of pigs again this year, but it wasn't until this past week that we deemed the weather warm enough to pick up our young feeder pigs. Since they will be raised primarily on pasture and without a barn to shelter in, we needed to wait until the threat of freezing nighttime temperatures had passed. (In this respect, putting pigs out on pasture and planting tomato seedlings have the same prerequisites. Not coincidentally, both activites are taking place this week on our farm.)

On Sunday afternoon the kids and I picked up a pair of 12-week old pigs--a Hampshire and an American Spot. They will spend the season grazing our fields in a mobile pig pen. Based on our experience, the much-maligned pig, reputed to smelly and lazy, is actually fairly clean and industrious. The mobile pen (see photo below) gives them frequent access to fresh pasture and allows them to stay busy rooting around for insects and plants. As a bonus, it doubles as a jungle gym for the kids. Who says farm life has to be all work and no play?!

Have a good week. --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, has been cultivated for over six thousand years. Brassica rapa seeds have been found in jars in the excavated New Stone Age settlement of Banpo. They were a common part of the diet in southern China by the 5th century. Use Napa cabbage to make cole slaws similar to those made with the familiar green cabbage. For a simple crunchy side dish, chop it up, add sliced almonds and chopped green onions and dress it with oil and vinegar.

These green-top baby carrots were seeded inside the hoophouse more than 2 months ago, weeks before the fields were ready to be worked. They are a special treat this time of year since our earliest planting of field carrots won’t be ready for at least a month yet. Enjoy!

Arugula is a member of the mustard family. Its peppery flavor adds a real kick to salads and sandwiches

Green garlic stalks are the immature stalks of the garlic plant. We plant our garlic in October and harvest the bulbs in July. We allow most of our plants to develop bulbs, but a small portion are harvested in the spring when they look like very large green onions. Use everything but the fibrous dark green tops. I substitute garlic stalks for garlic cloves in many different recipes since the flavor and pungency are very similar.

The corn for the corn meal was grown by the Weydert family near DeKalb. It can be used in making breads, muffins, pancakes and other baked goods. You can also use it to create a crunchy breading for fish and other meats.

2008 CSA Gatherings

Early Summer Field Walk
Tuesday, June 23rd, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Mid-Summer Field Walk
Sunday, July 26th, 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Tomato Jubilee
Sunday, August 30th, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

More details will follow soon. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact Peg at 847-548-4030 or sandhillorganics@prairiecrossing.com.

Important Reminders

-Next week is the FINAL WEEK of the Spring Share.
-The Fruit Share starts June 24th/25th.
-Please return empty boxes to your pickup site each week so that we may reuse them. Thanks!

This Week's Recipes

Indian Pudding

Cornmeal Asparagus Spoon Bread

Garlicky Hush Puppies

Roasted Spring Vegetable Salad with Orange-Tahini Dressing

Bowtie Pasta with Beet Greens, Capers and Olives

Arugula & Green Garlic Pizza

Asian Dumpling Soup

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... green onions, head lettuce, endive, spinach, rhubarb, asparagus, cilantro, and mushrooms

CSA News for the Week of May 25th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:16:00 +0000

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

Easter Egg Radishes
Fennel Bulbs
Green Onions
Dandelion Greens
Fresh Oregano
Yukon Gold Potatoes*
Asparagus
Head Lettuce
*= not grown on our farm. See Notes from the Farm Kitchen for more info.

Farm Journal

The nature of farm life, with its many obligations related to the tending of plants and animals, doesn't allow for frequent leisurely weekend getaways. At least not during the growing season, anyway. This past weekend, however, we managed to sneak away for a couple of days of fun at our cabin. With the Oak Park Farmers' Market starting next week, we figured we ought to take full advantage of our last free weekend, so we packed our bags and headed for one of the most beautiful spots on Earth--the unglaciated hills of southwestern Wisconsin.

In that part of the world it seems to me that no season is any more beautiful or magical than any other season. Each has its own particular charm. In the late spring, we enjoy tramping through the woods searching for morel mushrooms and wild onions. These spring goodies are reported to be prolific in many parts of the western Wisconsin countryside, and we have seen evidence at several local markets to prove that this is so. Alas, every year morels and ramps turn out to be regrettably elusive on our property, and so we content ourselves with scouting for bluebirds and native wild flowers. These we usually find in abundance, and it makes us happy.

A good part of our time this weekend was spent visiting with two neighboring farm families who both happen to milk cows for a living. John and Jackie farm the land directly across the road. (See photo below.) Matt's folks met them nearly 35 years ago when they first bought the property. Over the years of their friendship, some things have changed (like bigger tractors and improved cow genetics), while other things have stayed the same. One thing that hasn't changed much compared to the late 1970s is the size of the milk check that most farmers receive right now. For every gallon of milk that farmers like John and Jackie produce today, they are paid the same amount per gallon as they were paid more than 30 years ago. Now, that kind of math doesn't really add up, and it's a wonder they still get up and milk those cows every morning.

John and Jackie will tell you that it's because there's no better place to raise a family than a small Wisconsin dairy farm. I might be inclined to believe that, but the question remains--How do you make ends meet on a 1970s paycheck? It seems inevitable that the face of agriculture will continue to evolve rapidly and dramatically. Yet things do not seem to be changing entirely for the worse; for some farm families the future looks bright.

Kallan and KayDee Maxwell farm just down the road from John and Jackie. Kallan and KayDee got their start in dairy farming a few years back with the help of John, Jackie and other folks in the community. They've worked hard to gain organic certification for their farm and to expand their product offerings beyond milk to include cheese, beef, chickens and eggs for sales at farmers markets. It was great to talk with Kallan and KayDee this weekend, and to exchange stories about our struggles and successes as we all navigate the world of direct marketing. I was reminded of how much we have in common and how lucky we are; producing healthy food for our local communities is the best job on Earth!

Have a good week. --Peg

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

No, we didn’t pick these dandelion greens in the backyard! This bitter green is not a true dandelion at all. Rather, it is an Italian chicory. The chicory family includes frisee, belgian endive, escarole, radicchio, and Italian dandelion. Bitter greens have been prized for centuries in many European cuisines where their bitter flavor is appreciated for its ability to pair well with strong cheeses and meats. Dandelion greens are best eaten cooked or semi-cooked. Try sautéing them, adding them to a quiche, or using them in a wilted salad with a hot vinegar-based dressing. They pair well with strong, rich flavors such as brie or feta cheese, bacon, and nuts. If you are looking for inspiration, try typing bitter greens into a search engine. You will find hundreds of recipes!

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. One of my favorite ways to use fennel is to 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!

Our asparagus crop is really starting to crank out those spears! You can expect at least 1 to 2 bunches in your share for the next 2 or 3 weeks. If you end up with more than you can use right away, consider freezing it for use later in the season. Blanch it quickly in boiling water, allow it to cool and place in a freezer bag. You'll be glad you did!

The Yukon Gold potatoes are from Brian Igl and family near Antigo, WI. These are the last of his winter-stored potatoes. Our own crop will be ready for harvest in mid-summer.

This Week's Recipes

Dandelions & Potatoes with Warm Vinegar Dressing This recipe is so good I have to put it in the newsletter every year. It is a variation on a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. You may omit the bacon and the result is almost as yummy! You can even leave out the potatoes and make the recipe as a simple salad.

Dandelions Greens with Hot Olive Oil Dressing

Pork Chops with Braised Fennel and Green Onions

Herb-Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

Potato-Radish Salad

Midnight Asparagus with Creamy Eggs

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... baby beets, baby carrots, napa cabbage, green garlic, asparagus, head lettuce, corn meal and maybe spinach.

CSA News for the Week of May 18th

noreply@blogger.com (Sandhill Organics) — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:19:00 +0000

This Week’s Vegetable Harvest:

Red and Green Head Lettuce
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Rhubarb*
Asparagus
Popping Corn
Chives with Blossoms
Baby Japanese Turnips
Crimini Mushrooms*

Farm Journal

Last week marked a real turning point for the farm. Going into the week, we feared the potential negative impact of several more inches of predicted rainfall. By Friday afternoon, however, it was clear that we'd dodged a major bullet. The rains had bypassed the farm, and we'd completed all the farm work that our still-wet soils would allow. We'd planted spinach, radishes, arugula, beans, peas and sweet corn in some of our more well-drained fields, and we were keeping our fingers crossed that the rest of our fields would be ready to plant the following Monday.

And so we found ourselves strangely unbusy on a sunny Saturday morning in May. I toyed briefly with, and then quickly rejected, the idea of mowing our grass for the third time that week. Instead, we piled into the truck and made the two-hour trip out to Dixon to visit Matt’s cousin, Renee Sheaffer, who raises beef cattle and goats on her family’s farm. Boy, do I love a good spring road trip, especially one that takes us through farm country. As we drove along past the fields surrounding Crystal Lake, Marengo and Garden Prairie, Matt and I discussed the prospects for this year's corn crop, made note of how few of the surrounding fields had been planted so far, and pointed out to each other the farms we thought would make good vegetable operations. By the time we arrived at Renee's place, we'd left the distractions of our own farm behind us and were ready to soak in springtime on its own terms. We started with a visit to the barn to meet the new calves and kids (baby goats, that is) before taking a stroll through the pasture down by the creek. The air was redolent of lilacs and soil and cow manure as we headed back up to the house. We ended our visit with a leisurely lunch, the highlights of which were Renee's famous rhubarb bread and her mom's warm buttered asparagus.

On the drive back home, I was mostly quiet as I sat thinking about the differences between our farm and Renee's farm. I thought about how I envied the peace and quiet of her farm's rural setting and the sweeping vistas afforded by the vast expanses of pastureland and crop fields surrounding her. There is so much that is beautiful about our farm too, but there is no denying that its character is decidedly influenced by the suburban landscape that surrounds it. As we got closer to home that afternoon, I reminded myself that what makes farming in Lake County so interesting is precisely our proximity to the people we feed on a weekly basis. My job as a farmer would be so much less rewarding without the daily opportunities to engage with, to educate and to learn from the folks who live on our farm's periphery.

I was still mulling over some of these thoughts the next day as we prepared to participate in the Liberty Prairie Conservancy’s annual fundraiser, called Prairie Pedal. Our Sunday bike ride took us (and hundreds of other riders) through the heart of the landscape that LPC is working hard to protect from development. The money raised by the Prairie Pedal supports LPC's mission of preserving Lake County's natural areas and protecting its farmland. My 12-mile ride on Sunday morning served as a powerful reminder of the startling beauty that still surrounds us here in Lake County and the importance of protecting it for future generations. I count myself lucky not only to live and to farm in such a lovely place, but also to live and to farm among a group of people who care so deeply about the land that sustains them.

Have a great week! --Peg

Above: Renee with her cows. Below: Matt in the pasture.

Announcements

The University of Illinois Extension Food Preservation Classes Offered in June

June 9: Jams and Jellies
June 23: Water Bath Canning – Pickles & Salsa
June 30: Freezing and Dehydrating

Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Location: University of Illinois Extension, 100 S. Highway 45, Grayslake, IL
Fee: $20 per person (each class)
Pre-registration is required. Registration deadline is one week before each class date.
Register online at: lake.extension.uiuc.edu. For registration questions, call 847-223-8627.

Liberty Prairie Conservancy Hosts Farm Tour on June 27th, 4 - 8:30 p.m.
Tony Titus, past president of the Lake County Farm Bureau, hosts this private tour of Tempel Farms in Wadsworth and Sandhill Organics in Grayslake. Travel is by air-conditioned bus. Finish with a wonderful home-cooked dinner prepared from locally grown food. Register early; space is limited. Adults only. $69 ($49 for LPC members) includes dinner. For information and registration, visit www.libertyprairie.org.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Like many other members of the allium family, chive plants form purple flowers as they mature. Chive blossoms are not only pretty, they are also very tasty. Try breaking the mild-tasting blossoms up and sprinkling them over salads, omelets and more. They can also be fried and used as a crispy garnish.

This week’s rhubarb comes from our friend Mick Klug who farms near St. Joseph, MI. Rhubarb rivals asparagus as the quintessential spring food. Rhubarb is believed to have originated in China over 4000 years ago, where it was widely used as medicine, but was not eaten in Europe until relatively recently. Rhubarb’s slow takeoff as a popular food may be due to the fact that only the stalks of the rhubarb plant are edible; the leaves are highly toxic due to their significant oxalic acid content. Even the stalks are extremely acidic and sour, and are usually sweetened during preparation to mitigate and complement the tart flavor. Nutritionally, rhubarb brings great rejuvenating gifts to the end of the seasonal winter diet. It’s high in vitamins A and C and a variety of minerals, particularly calcium. Rhubarb may be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 2 weeks. For long-term storage, wash rhubarb, chop it, then put in freezer bag and freeze it. It will be soft when thawed, but will still work beautifully in most recipes.

This Japanese turnip variety, called Hakurei, is mild and sweet and is easily mistaken for a radish. It is delicious eaten raw, and we’ve found that kids really enjoy it (especially with a little dip)! These little turnips are also tasty sautéed in a little butter and sprinkled with salt. Like bok choy, turnips are a good source of Vitamin C, and rich in the minerals potassium and calcium. And then there are the greens! Turnip greens top the charts as an excellent source of Vitamins A, C and B complex.

We've known Eric Rose, the grower of these wonderful crimini mushrooms, ever since we started farming in East Troy in 2000. His farm, River Valley Ranch, is a short drive from our old farm. For over twenty years he has been growing mushrooms without the aid of aerosols, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers, practices that are common among conventional mushroom growers.

Although Swiss chard it is native to the Mediterranean, this leafy relative of the beet got its name because it was first described in the scientific literature by a Swiss botanist in the 16th century. Chard is flavorful yet mild, and can be substituted for spinach in many dishes including quiches, omelets, lasagna, pasta sauce, etc. 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. Here are a couple of other ideas:

-Sauté chard with onions and herbs and stuff in a pita pocket with a bit of cheese.
-Slice leaves into ribbons and lightly steam. Toss with sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce and serve with rice.

This Week's Recipes:

Swiss Chard and Mushroom Lasagna

Crimini Mushroom Risotto

Sweet Mary's Rhubarb Muffins

Salad Greens with Turnips, Asparagus and Chives

Be-Bop-A-Re-Bop Rhubarb Pie

Next Week’s Harvest (our best guess)... asparagus, green garlic, yukon gold potatoes, radishes, fennel, head lettuce, green onions, dandelion greens and more!