All posts by Farmer Rebecca

In the Share – Week One

May 22, 2013asparagus, broccoli, packing room, sweetpeaFarmer Rebecca

Asparagus

Butterhead LETTUCE (F/P) The May Queen gets here just in time. It’s about time since it is almost June!
Red leaf LETTUCE (F)
ASPARAGUS (F/P)
LEEKS (F/P)
BROCCOLI (F): A much smaller share than we were hoping. In a better Spring, the plants would have waited longer to send up their flower stalk, the broccoli.
BOK CHOY (F/P): Also having some flowering issues. We are harvesting lots this week to nip them in the bud.
GREEN ONIONS (F/P)
RADISHES or ARUGULA (F) Partial shares get a choice with herbs
HERBS (F): Chives, mint, tarragon

NEXT WEEK: More lettuce, bok choy, radishes, broccoli and herbs. Green garlic, kale, chard and spring turnips.

FARM REPORT: Howdy, this is Rebecca wishing you all a happy start to the 2013 season. I give you what is in the share each week along with a farm report. I apologize in advance for typos, after farming all day one doesn’t always have the mental alertness for the task. We like to keep you all in the loop and we hope that it is helpful.

A few hours ago our trusted produce-delivery vehicle, Sweetpea, returned to the farm from an extended stay with our VW mechanic. She is 42 years young thanks to good engine maintenance and a shiny new paint job. Danny Brown, of Brown’s Automotive, is a good soul and his crew worked some magic removing the rust that was eating her alive. Thanks guys!

Danny and Sweetpea

It was a perfect afternoon for a drive in the van. It has been lovely weather all week, especially compared to our neighbors in Oklahoma. The crops appreciated the .75 inch of rain that came with the storms last weekend. It was a perfectly-timed addition of moisture after the farm crew spent a frantic week planting.

The Spring crops are beginning to mature and we are seeing the results of way-below average temperatures in March and April. The broccoli is maturing weeks early because it was stressed early on, but most other crops have fared better.

buttoning broccoli

We have the majority of the summer crops in and over the last few days have managed to tidy up the place in preparation for the first week of the CSA. Everyone likes a clean and tidy workplace, and farmers are no different. Our expanded packing room is quite comfortable and bright. The new cooler is on and working well.

the packing room

First CSA Pickup Delayed One Week

May 15, 2013community supported agriculture, csa, fair share farm, feed the soil feed the people, frost, strawberries, tranplantingFarmer Rebecca

First up, the 2013 Fair Share Farm CSA season will start next week on 5/22, not this week as originally anticipated. The exceptionally cool and wet Spring this year has slowed the growing process here at the farm dramatically. And, being 30 miles north of the city, we are even slower than all of you in the heat island of KC.

chickens moved to the field and pecking in the grass

But, things are growing, despite one last gasp of cold on Mother’s Day morning, when a frost visited the farm. While the forecast for the night was 39 degrees, we knew that a clear night can bring problems, so we covered all 1,300 feet of strawberry plants to protect their tender blossoms. By morning, with the tiny daggers of frost stabbing everywhere, we were happy that we learned our lesson in 2011 when similar conditions severely damaged the crop.

multiply by 1,300 feet to see why we are hopeful for a good strawberry year

Other plants had been uncovered last week and were presumed to be able to handle mid-May weather, but have been set back a little and are showing the signs of wear from Spring 2013. In particular, the 1,400 broccoli plants we planted and mulched are “buttoning up”, forming penny sized heads 3 to 4 weeks before there anticipated maturity. Peas have also struggled through things. And today we jump to 90 degrees.

mass of tomatoes at the greenhouse on Sunday awaiting transplanting

But we have many more plantings to go, and yesterday set 400 tomato plants in the ground, to go along with the 700+ pepper plants and 400 eggplant and 200 summer squash that were put in the ground today. We have three main plantings each year—Spring, Summer and Fall. So even if our early shares suffer a bit, we are starting anew with the 2013 Summer crops and are hoping for less griping about the weather.

planting tomatoes on Monday

transplanting peppers on Tuesday

In the Share – Week 3

May 8, 2013extended season, rocky, snowFarmer Rebecca

LETTUCE (2): Two of our favorite heirloom butterheads. The shares are less hefty this week. We are clearing the high tunnel out of all that it contains, and taking what we can out of the slowly-growing fields.

ASPARAGUS: No need for a soil thermometer, when the asparagus can tell you how cold it is. We hope to have a nice bunch for all this week.

GREENS CHOICE: There will be lots of choices of what is left in the high tunnel: arugula, spinach, kale, bok choy, and endive. Please lettuce know what greens you have liked best during this first extended spring season. We grew a bunch of different things in the high tunnel and are looking to hone in on the favorites for next year.

ROOTS MIX: We will definitely be growing more roots next year for the extended season, but we have some baby carrots and the rest of the radishes and turnips for a mixed bunch.

GREEN GARLIC: Last year’s garlic patch is sprouting some nice clumps of young garlic, lucky for us!

GREEN ONIONS: Some of these will be coming from the farm house’s walking onion patch. Several years ago I received a clump from an elderly neighbor of my mom’s and they walked themselves into a thick patch. They are one of the earliest plants in the spring and are self-perpetuating.

HERBS: cilantro and garlic chives

FARM REPORT: Wow! I know we talk about the weather incessantly, but really this past week has been pretty crazy. On Thursday, the farm was blanketed in two layers of row cover and at least an inch of snow.

It is very rare to snow in May, although it sometimes frosts this late. Even our mountain dog, Rocky, was cold. His favorite spot was atop the steaming compost pile and he was covered in black gold for days. We did manage to share greenhouse space with him while we got some seeding done.

Five days later the snow is just a memory and we finally got some beautiful springtime weather. We spent the last couple of days uncovering the plants. It is the first time we have seen them in a while and most of them seem to have survived.

What to Do With Your Share—Extended Season Week 3

May 8, 2013UncategorizedFarmer Rebecca

We are sorry that this year’s extended season got stuck in the middle of a Winter-Spring schizophrenia. After doing our 10 year look-back we thought we had seen most everything, but apparently not. We don’t want May snow and temps in the 30’s, but try to be prepared for it. Such is the case with the strawberries

We are pleased that the row cover we put on them before the sleet and snow storm helped protect the blossoms and minimize damage. The blooms are starting to come on right now, and they look healthy and bright.

While this week’s share is a little lighter than we would like, it does afford some variety.

For any Asian greens that you get this week, or have in the fridge, I recommend Emily Akins’ Bok Choi and Garlic Soup. It may be warming up outside, but it is still Spring, and a broth with vegetables is always good for you.

The same is the case with the green garlic and onions. Use all the garlic and onion in the share, as well as any that you have in the fridge to make a healthy soup. You can “beef ” it up by adding croutons and cheese on top, or by adding the protein source of your choice.

And while we have not dug the carrots yet to see just how many we have for you, we did sample one today and can tell you that they taste great. We will work to provide more next Spring.

What to Do With Your Share—Extended Season Week 2

May 1, 2013UncategorizedFarmer Rebecca

This Spring has been extra-ordinary, to say the least. In doing our 10 year history we thought we had seen everything. But them comes along the latest yet Spring for us, and one that hasn’t been equaled in a long time.

For us, we see where we stand based on our asparagus harvest. So, instead of a lot of photos, this week you get a table. It shows the year and the date of our first asparagus harvest of each year. Last year was the earlist ever, and this year the latest. Crazy.

2005   4/10
2006   4/7
2007   4/23
2008   4/26
2009   4/24
2010   4/19
2011   4/23
2012   3/28
2013   4/30

Rebecca, Ryan and Lorne planting leeks 4/30/13

The crunch of planting had not given time to prepare and present an original meal, but have some general suggestions. First off, make lots of dressing. The herbs and green onions are a wonderful accent to a salad dressing, whether in a yogurt or oil & vinegar mix.

Second, make a big salad and take advantage of the freshness of the lettuce. Sometimes it is good to increase portion size. We get out our biggest bowls this time of year so we can fill them with plenty of greens and goodies, before topping it with a fresh dressing. Yum.

Lastly, use up every drop of your share. This time of year, especially, your body appreciates the goodness of these earliest of garden greens. It is their season.

Long-time members Bill and Fran Gillespe with Rebecca

In the Share – Week 2

May 1, 2013asparagus, chard, endive, frost, lettuce, radishFarmer Rebecca

LETTUCE (2): One of our favorite French heirloom butterheads and one red looseleaf.

SPINACH: A smaller portion than last week’s big bag from last fall’s planting. The February planting isn’t nearly as lush.

GREEN ONIONS: These are out of the field from an over-wintered patch.

ENDIVE: Also called frisee, it is lovely in mixed salads or lightly sauteed

SWISS CHARD: The plants are enormous and hogging the sunlight, so they gotta go!

SPRING TURNIPS: More Japanese delicacies. We should have planted more of these (next year!).

STIR-FRY GREENS: Many of our brassica family, including the bok choy and Napa cabbage have started bolting. They are still tasty and you get a little pretty flower too!

RADISHES: Wish we had lots more of these babies, everyone will get a few.

HERBS: From the perennial herb beds, tarragon and chives.

NEXT WEEK: More lettuce, spinach, herbs and green onions. Finally Hopefully asparagus!

FARM REPORT: My goodness, have you all looked at the forecast? Freezing temperatures are on the way, maybe even some snow. This is coming after 2 days in the 80s. We are as prepared as we possibly can be since all the row cover we put out last week is still out there, but row cover only helps so much. We are happy that we have not put out any of the warm weather crops yet. The tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cukes and squashes are safely stored for a hopefully soon transplanting. But even the cool-loving crops don’t like freezing and this see-saw of weather can lead to premature bolting. We are currently experiencing the results of this in the high tunnel with the flowering bok choys and napas.

On a related note, at this point we feel that we will delay the start of the 24-week season by one week. That would make the first week May 22/25. Our plan is to add a week at the end of October to make it up. It is funny because last year we started a week early, which was unusual, and ended earlier in the fall. Anyway, the asparagus is really slow to start and the lettuces and other greens and roots are also slow and won’t be big enough to hand out. We’ll look at it again next week and give you all an update but that’s what we are thinking at the moment.

Rural Missouri Article on Fair Share Farm

April 28, 2013UncategorizedFarmer Rebecca

Our electric coop’s state-wide publication Rural Missouri did an article on the farm for the May issue. We are pleased to see the words “biological farming, community supported agriculture, Fair Share Farm and true stewards of the land” in the pages of the magazine. Thanks too for the nice words from member and neighbor Crystal Leaman …”It’s about investing in my community and the growth of something that is really wonderful.” It may load a little slow so be patient.

They sent us a box of copies, let us know if you want one.

In the Share – Week 1

April 24, 2013asparagus, frost, high tunnel, row cover, wash areaFarmer Rebecca

LETTUCE (2) a butterhead and a red leaf

BOK CHOY some are green-stemmed, some are white – either way they make the best stir fry.

SPINACH we are still picking off the fall planting and the leaves are still sweet and getting quite large.

SWISS CHARD see tom’s post for his yummy Cacciatore recipe

GREEN ONIONS AND GARLIC use the green garlic as you would green onions.

PARSLEY AND DILL both appear to be thriving

ARUGULA we do not grow baby greens here at Fair Share, so be prepared for big bunches of big-leafed and full-flavored arugula

HAKUREI TURNIPS some say they taste like they have ice cream in the center, you be the judge.

CARROTS this was our first winter with the high tunnel and we hope you all are ready for the experiment! The carrots taste great but are a bit misshapen due to uneven watering, we believe. We just have enough for everyone to get a 1/2 pound.

NEXT WEEK: lettuce, leeks, spinach, herbs, endive, radish, turnips, maybe (hopefully!) asparagus

FARM REPORT

What a way to kick off the first week of our new extended season – a brutal cold snap that had us racing across our fields today doubling-up on row cover! We put a second layer on 3800 feet worth of beds doing squats every 20 feet to pin it down. Perhaps we are running on adrenaline, but it went quickly and no frostbite was reported.

This was after a very pleasant day on Saturday with the first crew of CSA member workers. With lots of extra hands we cleaned-up the asparagus patch, dug dandelions, painted the picnic tables and filled in the trench for the new drain line from the wash area.

The washing and packing area of the barn got a big retrofit this winter and is ready for business.

And here’s a sneak peak at the crops going in the shares tomorrow before we covered them up too.

We were hoping to have asparagus in the shares this week, but the stalks are barely poking out of the ground and for good reason, they’ll most likely be frozen in the morning.

Forecasts range from mid-20s to 21 degrees in the morning. We have cancelled the work shifts for tomorrow. Our farm crew of four will be able to handle the harvest once the crops thaw. CSA distribution should continue as planned. We were able to cover our most sensitive crops, but the fruit trees and the direct-seeded crops are uncovered. We’ll let you know how it turns out.

What to Do With Your Share— Extended Season Week 1

April 24, 2013cacciatore, chard, csa, fair share farm, feed the soil feed the people, kansas cityFarmer Rebecca

Welcome to the start of the 2013 Fair Share Farm CSA Season. We welcome a host of new and “seasoned” members and look forward to a tasty year. We will try not to complain about the weather this Spring and will only say that the status of the harvest is a function of it. And while we had hoped that the crops would be farther along by now, they are nonetheless ready for harvest.

One vegetable the high tunnel is well matched for is spinach, as it will grow well February through April. So we are happy to be able to have fresh spinach for you. We will be working to learn more and more about the idiosyncracies of growing this lucious green. Good fresh or cooked, these leaves are quite savory and full-bodied.

Their relative, chard, is the recipe for the week. We had to pick the plants two weeks ago as they were shading out everything around them. A regular meal for us became Chicken and Chard Cacciatore. The chard is also good simply as a tomato sauce ingredient, helping to fill the pot with the greens we all need. Tomatoes and peppers frozen from the previous summer are always a good addition and a perfect use for them.

Chicken and Chard Cacciatore over Spinach

1 whole chicken, cut into parts
1 qt tomato sauce
One bunch chard
2 cups or one can peeled tomatoes
2 cups chopped sweet or green peppers
One onion/green garlic bunch or 2 medium onions
Salt and pepper to taste

To easily cut the stem from chard fold the leaf, lay it on its side, and trim off the stem

Cut white parts of onion/garlic into 1/2 inch rounds
Cut stems from chard and chop into large dice
Fry the chicken parts until browned (10 to 15 minutes), remove from pan and keep warm
Add 1 tsp olive oil to pan and saute onions, garlic and chard stems
Return chicken to the pan
Add peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chopped chard leaves
Stir so sauce coats everything in the pot and cover
Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer covered for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is tender
Serve over chopped fresh spinach, pasta, rice, or by itself