Zucchini and summer squash

SUMMER SQUASH: Our late summer planting is producing as well as any patch we have ever had. Enjoy these in fritters (see below.)

CARROTS: Their time in the cooler has only served to sweeten them up. Enjoy these crunchy delights.

LETTUCE: It’s been a scramble to keep the harvest the lettuce before it “bolts,” something that is normally not a problem in October.

GREENS CHOICE: The high tunnel chard and kale in the field are thriving right now. Our regular use for these healthy greens is to chop it fine and add it to our pasta sauce. We love the color and richness they add to a dish.

SWEET PEPPERS: They go with everything in the share.

GARLIC: The last of the hard neck variety.

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: Eat your broccoli!

HERB CHOICE:  A choice of common chives or rosemary.

When I was a kid we used to travel to South Bend, Indiana to visit my dad’s father and sister. Aunt Betty would always make a batch of zucchini fritters when we were there. Something about the wonderful aroma of them that takes me back to those days. Viva Italia!

Method:
Mix together all of the ingredients except the flour. Add flour to form a thick batter.
Heat 1/2 inch frying oil in a pan.
With tablespoon, spoon batter into the oil to form patties. Fry until browned on both sides.

FARM REPORT:

The heat continues on this long summer. We look forward to cooler temps over the next few days and hopefully some more seasonal weather. Our fall plants that have been waiting for cooler days and nights to mature as the days grow shorter. Here’s to a good October.

Equinox sunrise

Work days have turned to days of harvest, collecting irrigation equipment from the field, mulching, and fortifying the high tunnel for the winter. 


On the adjacent Graff Property land the Indian grass is being combined to collect the seed. It has been a great year to see this stand of native grass thrive and produce seed to help establish other farms andconservation areas.

OKRA/EGGPLANT/SALSA PACK CHOICE: If you like okra, you are in the right place this week as this Ethiopian transplant is thriving. It’s an itchy crop to pick, but the beautiful view is reward enough.

TOMATOES: We are flush in ripe tomatoes right now, but the harvest is on the downslope. This will be the last chance to take advantage of bulk list seconds and the abundant share.

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: The side shoots are sprouting, so we should have a regular harvest of this CSA favorite. It’s nice to have a vegetable that can simply be chopped and cooked, a real fast food.

SWEET PEPPERS: They might be getting even sweeter!

SUMMER SQUASH: Our late summer planting is happy as can be right now and a treat to harvest. We’ve been zoodling at night and saving some to stuff our morning eggs.

RADISHES: Adding a little spice to the share, the radish’s fire is a manifestation of the heat it has been growing in. Salting them will take some of the heat away. They are perfect right now for a radish and butter sandwich.

LETTUCE: So far the lettuce is holding. Enjoy these heat tolerant heads while we got them.

CAULIFLOWER: These plants are too darn hot and are on the small side. The flavor is still quite nice.

FENNEL HEADS&SEEDS: The herb fennel has established itself on our herb bed with very little cultivation on our part. Many of the seed heads are plumped out, fresh and at their peak flavor. They are edible and delicious.

FARM REPORT

The heat has returned and with it the summer plants are ripening loads of fruit. The zucchini and yellow squash are picture perfect right now.

Pepper s continue to dazzle the eyes of the harvester.

Likewise, the tomatoes gave us one last week of tonnage.

The potluck and open house went as planned through the muggy weather. We enjoyed welcoming the die-hard picnickers who braved the heat. It was nice to catch up with those we knew from the CSA and farmers market, plus we met some new folks who had found us through social media. The potluck dinner was delicious as always. One of the Prairie Birthday fruit share members made a tasty wild plum chutney that went really well with the Parker Farms bratwurst.

SWEET PEPPERS: A nice crop this year! We grow mostly Italian frying peppers that are great fresh or cooked.

TOMATOES: This week we have been bringing in a bumper crop. Our second planting is kicking in and you will see a lot of red fruits in the shares. These Bella Rosa plants are tolerant of hot summers. They are a firm tomato and take longer to ripen, but if you are patient they repay you with great flavor.

RED ONIONS: Small onions are prevalent this year. The crop was stunted this Spring due to lots of rain and poor drainage. But when life gives you small onions, make like they are a shallot.

GREENS CHOICE: KALE OR ARUGULA: The fall greens are starting to produce, thanks to the cool weather and nice rain. This is a great time of year for a kale salad, or mixing the tomatoes with some arugula.

POTATOES: Freshly dug potatoes are the best. This week we diced them up and fried them into a hash with peppers and onions.

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: I always like this time of year because you can eat fresh veggies from two different seasons. The sprouting broccoli is a first cutting and tender. Good fresh or cooked.

EGGPLANT or SALSA PACK: The eggplant and tomatillo contest is going strong. Both have made lots of fruit and both are loved by about half the membership.

HERB MIX: Basil and garlic chive flower bunch. Keep the whole bunch in a glass of water on your kitchen counter and snip away for garnishes or make a yummy pesto.

FARM REPORT:
Our current abundance of summer fruits is a good problem to have. Sweaty work brings them out of the field to your tables.  CSA is getting a hefty amount of big beautiful fruits in all shapes and colors. The red Italian frying peppers are so sweet you want to just eat them like an apple.

Flowers are also abundant. Between all of the insectaries we planted and the wild coreopsis taking over the edges of the fields, we hear a happy buzzing wherever we go.

Meanwhile, the fall crops are looking good in the far field.

That’s a  cover crop next to a crazy amount of Napa cabbage on the left and radishes, turnips, bok choy and arugula on the right.

The little chicks are now 3 weeks old and getting their first taste of the outdoors. Farmer Luke built a fantastic little run for them to have a safe yard to explore.

Plan to see these little cuties if you have a work shift coming up or, better yet!, see them at the:

 Fair Share Farm Open House and Potluck 

Sunday, September 15, 2019 at 3 PM – 6 PM

Bring a dish and join us at the farm for our annual potluck and open house. All are welcome, including our 100 CSA member families, market customers, friends and family. The potluck provides for us all to eat well and enjoy an afternoon together on the farm. Activities start at 3 pm with farm and kitchen tours, a scavenger hunt and lawn games. Take a walk through our native grasses and soak up the country quiet.

Potluck dinner at 5 pm. Bring a dish to share with a list of ingredients, plus any other picnic attire you would like (camp chairs, blankets, lawn games, musical instruments). We will provide compostable dinner ware, non-alcoholic drinks, Parker Farm dogs and burgers and vegetarian chili.

Please RSVP through email or facebook event.  See you there!!

GREEN BEANS:  Enjoy round 2 of green beans for this year. Our favorite thing to do on the farm is a good harvest, but we may be approaching too much of a good thing!

KALE: A new planting, this is the first picking, so leaves are fresh as can be – great for a kale salad.
http://fairsharenews.blogspot.com/2015/05/what-to-do-with-your-share-week-2.html 

TOMATOES: Our second planting of tomatoes are kicking in. They are a bit non-descript, round, red and firm.  However, once fully ripe and slightly soft, they have great tomato flavor.

GARLIC: One head of hard neck garlic

SWEET PEPPERS: The long red peppers are sweet fresh. Their thin walls make them perfect for frying.

CARROTS: These tasty roots have sweetened up while stored in our walkin cooler.

EGGPLANT OR SALSA PACK: Tough choice. Hope you have a chance to try each of them a couple times this summer.

CUCUMBER OR SQUASH: This round of cucurbits is waning, but still tasty. If you haven’t yet this year made some gazpacho we recommend it.
https://fairsharenews.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-to-do-with-your-share-week-12.html 

BASIL OR SUMMER SAVORY: The herbs of summer continue.

PURSLANE: This is the weirdest vegetable you will be getting in your CSA share this season.  The leaves of this succulent are mild and sometimes even citrusy. When cooked it can serve as a thickener, but we recommend simply adding it to any fresh salad you might make this time of year.

The purslane in the share is from an area that we have fallowed from vegetable production the last few years. Since our last cultivation of this plot, the purslane has thrived. When a “weed” is prominent in a field it is often an indication of the condition of the soil. Purslane is said to indicate a rich soil
https://permaculturenews.org/2017/04/14/using-weeds-read-soil-basic-concepts-get-started/

FARM REPORT
Summer is at its peak this week. The green beans are overwhelmingly us with the enormity of the harvest. Our nimble crew of three brought in the majority, with some help from the CSA.

It looks like Rebecca is the only one picking the beans, but no, there were others!  Everyone in the CSA will get a pound this week. The remaining 50+ pounds are on the bulk list. Don’t delay your order as this week will be the only opportunity to put some of these in some pickles or freezer bags for those who want to preserve some of the summer harvest.

Whilst out in the fields, we sometimes get the reward of viewing wildlife up close.

Leopard frogs are fairly common on the farm and can eat as many as 100 insects per night. When the weather turns dry, our irrigated fields provide good habitat for amphibians of all kinds. Their presence reminds us to treat their home with care. Their porous skin allows toxins to enter their bodies easily. Growing food organically is the least we can do to protect these beautiful creatures.

Summer is also the hay-making season. Since 2012 the Graff family has worked to establish a native, perennial grasses on the land that surrounds our fields. The bluestems and Indian grasses provide year-round cover, habitat for wildlife and income through seed sales. Hay is cut and baled in areas with poorer stands of pure seed, but plenty nice enough for quality winter food for our neighbors’ cattle or weed-free mulch for our crops. Six of these big beauties are destined for our fields in 2020.

EGGPLANT OR SALSA PACK: If you haven’t been eating your eggplant you are missing a treat. Today member Dani Hurst brought some homemade baba ganoush. Bake or roast your eggplant until soft enough to puree with some olive oil, lemon juice, mayo or tahini, salt and garlic. Yum!

TOMATOES: We are so happy to be able to provide a nice share of tomatoes this year. We have been making a lot of panzanella salad. A great use for some stale bread, soaking up the dressing and tomato juice. And using cheese and bread from the CSA really adds to the flavor.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017518-panzanella-with-mozzarella-and-herbs 

SWEET PEPPERS: First ripe peppers of the season! They are starting to ripen and we have a lot of fruit in the patch right now. These peppers are good in a panzanella, fried with onion, or just munched on whole.

CUCUMBERS OR SQUASH: Another week or so of the cucurbits. Enjoy these summer fruits.

GREEN BEANS: How much you get this week will depend on our harvests. They have just now reached the point of needing a picking. We had some fresh beans today at lunch and enjoyed them with some baba ganoush, a nice paring.

DESIREE POTATOES: Freshly dug on Saturday by the CSA. Blushed on the outside, creamy gold on the inside.

SWEET ONIONS: The wet Spring has kept them smaller than usual, but they are still sweet.

HERB: Basil, herb celery, or summer savory/thyme. The basil is essential for panzanella. The latter two herbs go especially great with potatoes.

FARM REPORT
Last week we were able to get away for a few hours and have a date night in the city. We visited the Stonehenge exhibit at Union Station and were especially taken with the role of the first farmers in the construction of the monument.

To bring agriculture to Salisbury, they brought their pigs, stone axes and pebble hammers.

The first job for the first farmers was to clear the fields by cutting down the trees with their beautiful stone adzes. All farm land sits within an ecosystem and often degrades it in the process. One cannot deny the role of agriculture in the demise of our planet’s ecosystems. As the inheritor of this legacy, we have an obligation to find a better way. We don’t have all of the answers by any means, but we start by studying nature.

Meanwhile, the fields are looking good. We have a bumper bean crop, the tomatoes are ripening lusciously and the farm is full of flowers.

Tithonia, or Mexican sunflower, is one of my favorites. All sorts of native bees and butterflies eat its pollen and nectar.  It reminds me of the vivid colors of Mexico.

The fall high tunnel is eating its dinner of cowpeas.

After a mow we made the raised beds with our electric Allis Chalmers G, watered it, and then covered it with the silage tarp.  Occultation provides a moist dark environment that makes weed seeds sprout and then die in the darkness, but the real benefit is making a perfect environment for the soil organisms to get to work turning the cover crop into a nutrient-dense food for the leafy greens and roots that we will plant in September.  Until then, happy eating soil friends!

TOMATOES Loads of beautiful fruits are coming out of the patch right now. We grow a lot of different varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. My favorites include the Cherokee Purple and Orange Marmalade.

CARROTS The last of the Spring carrot harvest is wrapping up this week.  If you haven’t got your farm shift in yet, we could use some more hands to bring in the crop this coming Saturday morning. They will keep well in cold storage for the CSA for the rest of the season.

CUCUMBERS The first planting is giving us one last hurrah of a harvest. The second planting is looking good and should start soon.

SQUASH A combination of zucchini and yellow squash.

EGGPLANT Happy plants are giving us some nice fruit this week. We grow a purple Italian type and an Asian slender and one. Be sure to cook it to the same tenderness as a cooked mushroom. Yumm!

SALSA PACK The tomatillos are doing well, so time to salsa! If you forgot how, check out these salsa pack recipes, fresh and roasted.

GARLIC They are completely cured now, but still juicy.

BASIL OR SUMMER SAVORY The basil plants are as happy as ever this year. Plenty in your share to make a good batch of pesto. The savory is especially good on eggplant, squash or potatoes. And speaking of basil, here is a recipe that was posted on our closed group Facebook page for White Bean and Basil Dip. So join the group if you are not already a member and check out the page for more recipe ideas from your fellow members, like a little ratatouille!

FARM REPORT: Wow! What gorgeous weather we have! After a brutal 95+ degree week, the low at 60 degrees this morning felt amazing! Two inches of rain accompanied the cold front, which gave us a nice break from the daily task of playing with filters and hydrants of our irrigation system. You can almost watch the plants growing before your eyes in response to the moisture and optimum temperatures. This is part of the patch of Solanaceae crops which include peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and tomatillos.

On the left side is the same insectary we showed in May. The summer flowers have really taken over along with the dill.

The cover crops of sorghum Sudan grass and sunhemp are thriving especially since they have to wait for rain to get watered.

The Summer harvest is proceeding nicely. We pick cucumbers every other day and all of this was just yesterday’s harvest.

Needless to say we have been making a storm of pickles, but also they’ll be a nice selection of slicers and picklers for the CSA this week.

SUMMER SQUASH: The Zephyr squash attracts a focused bumble bee as we pick the patch. They’re just after their breakfast, and don’t mind us. If you have not made zoodles before we recommend you learn, as it is a great way to cook them

LETTUCE: Last lettuce until fall! A bit of the crunchy crisp and romaine types that are great in a Caesar or chef’s salad.

CUCUMBERS: To keep them crisp be sure to sprinkle a little salt on them when you cut them up.

NEW POTATOES: It is the one time of year that we dig new potatoes. Eat them soon, as new potatoes are a treat when fresh. We chunk and salt them, steam until tender, and toss with butter, pepper and fresh herbs. A garnish of yogurt and sauerkraut is a favorite too.

ONIONS: Fresh and still growing, these Walla Walla’s are sweet and crunchy.

HERBS: You will have a choice of a large bunch of basil or a mix of summer savory, thyme and parsley.

TOMATO: First week with a tomato. You may get one that needs to ripen a bit. Place it on a plate or bowl and leave on your counter until it is brightly colored and slightly soft. Our tomatoes come in a rainbow of colors, so don’t wait for it to turn red necessarily.

EARLY PICKINGS CHOICE: We are beginning to pick peppers, eggplant and tomatillos. Each site may not get the same thing this first round.

FARM REPORT: Summer is here in all her blazing glory! Her fruits are quickly replacing the lettuces and greens of the Spring. The squash and cucumber plantings are looking good. There is a new planting of both under the cover.

If I could put a finger on our busiest time of year, it might be right now. In July, we straddle all three growing seasons at once. The spring planted carrots and potatoes, beets and onions are ready to dig and be rescued from the heat. The summer fruiting crops need watering, weeding, trellising, along with the every-other-day harvest. The fall crops are delicate seedlings requiring twice-a-day watering and soon transplanting to the field. It is a lot to juggle!

Add to that the daily need to keep buildings clean, produce washed and equipment running. This week our 15+year old spader that we use to incorporate plant material into the soil needed some maintenance.

There’s nothing like getting covered in oil and grease to make your organic farmers an unhappy lot. Fossil fuel derived products are right now a necessary evil of our “green” business. On the flipside, we make compost, plant cover crops and insectaries, use solar and wind power, build organic matter and yes, even sequester carbon.

But are we doing enough? What more could we be doing? These are the questions that plague us and probably we are not alone in the worrying over whether any of us is doing enough to reverse a climate in crisis and the extinction of species. When it seems like too heavy a load on your shoulders, it is a good time to visit the chickens in the strawberry patch and look for a rainbow.

GARLIC: See below. The garlic harvest has been like no other so far this year. This fresh garlic slips right out of the skin.

LETTUCE X 3: We are piling on the lettuce this week as the heat is bringing them to maturity quickly. Everyone will get a range of butterhead and red leaf, romaines and crispheads.

CARROTS: First digging of the season. Nothing like a freshly dug carrot.

BEETS: They are perfectly big and beautiful. We cooked them tonight, see below for recipe.

SUMMER SQUASH: Zucchinis and yellow squash are finally starting.

KALE OR SWISS CHARD: These spring crops continue to produce. Some of the best stuff we grow on the farm, enjoy these greens while we still can.

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: The broccoli too keeps going strong too.

BASIL: Treat your basil like a bouquet of flowers on your countertop. It will turn black if refrigerated. In a glass of water it will keep at least a week.

RECIPE:  Pan-Cooked Beets
This year we have some of the nicest spring beets in a long time. Root, stem and tops are all fresh, tender and ready for cooking.

Cut the tops off the beet bunch, then cut the stems, and finally peel any rough spots off the beet. Heat a pan with cooking oil, chop the stems and a clove of garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Cut the beet into matchsticks and add to the pan. Add ½ cup of water or cooking liquid (I used some ferment juice). Bring to boil and then simmer for 3 minutes. Cut beet tops into strips and add to the pan. Add1/4 cup more liquid, 2 tbsp butter, salt and pepper. Simmer with lid on for 3 to 5 minutes or until desired tenderness

FARM REPORT:
It had been a stormy Spring and Summer arrived with more. Last weekend 4.5 inches of rain fell with heavy storms.

Mostly we fared fine, just a bit of hail damage. Thanks to the soggy weather, your farmers got a break. Normally it takes a fork and some muscle to get the garlic out of the ground. This year they pulled right out. We were able to get the entire hardneck crop out in part of an afternoon. That’s 1,500 heads pulled, sorted and strung up to cure in the barn.

And, just this week we got the news that our sauerkraut is back in another recipe at Black Dirt restaurant. Chef Jonathan Justus has included it in his classic Rueben sandwich along with beef from our neighbors, Barham Family Farm. We love a good Rueben and the folks at Black Dirt undoubtedly know what they are about!  We are excited to get down there and try it ourselves.

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE: These beauties are the payoff for all worry of a Spring lettuce crop amid hailstorms and more. We are finally into the lettuces that never bore the brunt of the May storms. They don’t call them butterhead for nothing.
RED LEAF LETTUCE: Our versatile red leaf is great in a chef’s salad piled high with cheese, meat, nuts, fruit, or whatever else you desire.
STRAWBERRIES: As the harvest wains, the berries get smaller. But they are a perfect size to fit into a pint container, giving us pickers satisfaction as we fill the boxes.
GREENS CHOICE: The kale and chard are giving out some leaves and the beets need thinning, so you get a choice.
SPROUTING BROCCOLI: One of our favorite vegetables, we suggest pairing it with one of our ferments or ferment juices to take the flavor up a notch.
GREEN ONIONS: First onions of the year!
PARSLEY: A farm fresh garnish for any dish.

The last two weeks we have been a part of several wonderful culinary events. On the 2^nd we were a part of a Fence Stile Winery Sunday dinner. Chef Pete Dulin prepared some wonderful dishes which included our ingredients. One was a vegetarian adaptation of Thai green papaya salad that included carrot, tomato. long bean, red cabbage, onion, and some pickled lemongrass daikon from Fair Share Farm. It was as delicious as it sounds.

We may pick the first squash this week out of this out of this planting.Cucumbers are a couple of weeks away but the plants are improving, so fingers crossed.

Probably the happiest crop on the farm at the moment is the carrots.They are starting to size up and we should have them in the shares next week.It is a testament to the practice of planting a diversity of crops.No matter the weather you will have some that thrive under those conditions and others not so much. Overall, we all still get to eat well.