Roasted Salsa and Bulk Tomatoes…But First, Some Free Stuff
Many of you may be aware that as an organic practice we use EM (efficient microorganisms) on the farm. We add these beneficial bacteria to our greenhouse water, as well as our irrigation system, to help promote healthy biological growth. It is also an excellent foliar feed for plants, crowding out harmful diseases on leaves and plant surfaces. In doing this, we are not just organic farmers but biological farmers.

Our source for these probiotics is Sustainable Community Develpment (SCD), located on 9th St. in KCMO. Recently the plant rep, Micheal Snyder, called us to see if we wanted to take some extra product off his hands. These items were nearing their listed expiration date, and he needed room in the warehouse for newer batches. The extra product filled the floor of our VW van, and we have more than we need.

Much of it is in sample containers, and we are passing it along to the membership for free. There are 4 main products to choose from:
EM Plus-this is the same product we use,
Odor Away-an industrial odor control concentrate (good for the home too),
Probiotica-an herbal probiotic supplement, and
Bio Klean– an industrial cleaning concentrate also good for the home.

There are links to info on each product above to hopefully answer any questions you may have. Hope that you find these items useful. Let us know what you think.

Tomatillo Saga
This week seems to be a peak week for tomatillos and jalapenos. So much so that we actually have enough for all 74 full shares to get a salsa packs (partials all get one next week). The tomatillos are doing well right now, due in part to our seed saving initiative.

We have found that having a vigurous and productive tomatillo plant is all in the seeds. In the past we have bought them and been disappointed with small fruit, weak plants, or ones where the fruit never seems to fill out the husk.

Last year we took time to save seeds from the plants that produced the best, in hopes of starting a dependable Fair Share Farm strain. It has paid off so far this year, with the saved seed plant producing better than the purchased seed plants. There are complications though, as each saved seed plant still seems to have its own unique characteristics. Some are sprawling and produce small fruit (but lots of them), others produce just they way we are hoping, and still others are infected with the mosaic virus. We are selectively saving seeds from many plants this year, with the hope of ending up with a productive, disease-resistant strain that will produce many a salsa pack in the future.

Roasted Salsa
A second way to enjoy your salsa pack (see Week 10 for the first).

Ingredients
1 salsa pack (tomatillo, garlic, onion, jalapeno)
1 medium tomato
1 tbsp vegetable or other oil
1 to 2 tbsp fresh chives or cilantro, chopped

Method
Remove husk from tomatillo. Core and cut in half. Clean and cut onion in half. Core tomato and cut in half. Cut jalapeno in half and remove seeds. Clean one clove of garlic.

Place above ingredients on small baking sheet. Pour 1 tbsp oil over all and mix to coat.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice (toaster ovens are perfect for this). Let cool slightly and then chop on pulse mode in a food processor.

Transfer to bowl, top with chives or cilantro. Serve with corn chips or as an accompaniment to tacos, burritos or other dishes.

Bulk Order List (week of July 27)
Paste tomatoes (firsts) – $3.00/lb; $2.50/lb over 10 lbs
Tomato seconds (heirloom and hybrids) – $2.50/lb; $2.00/lb over 10 lbs
Kale – $3.00/bunch
Swiss chard – $3.00 per bunch
Carrots – $3.00/bunch
Onions $3.00/quart
Oregano, basil, mint, dill flowers $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

As your farmers, Rebecca and I don’t get a share, but are lucky enough to be able to chose every night what we want to eat from the bounty of the week. Sometimes we are struck by the beauty of what is available and are drawn to particular vegetables. For us the combination of chard, eggplant and Walla Walla onions cries out for a dish that includes them all.

For this week’s dish we borrowed a bit from a recipe from our first year, Stuffed Chard Leaves, and modified it to suit what we had at hand. As is the case with both eggplant and greens, the trick is to cook things long enough so that they are tender, and so that the flavors can blend.

Chard Leaves Stuffed with Eggplant and Onions
2 medium or 1 large eggplant
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated parmesan or other cheese
salt and pepper to taste
8 chard leaves
3 tbsp olive oil

To Make the Stuffing: Cut the stems off the chard at the bottom of the leaves. Then chop the stems, eggplant, onions and garlic into a small dice and saute in 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes over medium heat, or until eggplant is tender. Let cool slightly and mix with the cheese.

To Make the Wraps: Dip the chard leaves in boiling water for 1 minute to soften them. When slightly cool, place 1 to 2 tbsp of stuffing and fold them into a wrap/pouch.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Place the wraps on an oiled baking sheet. Rub the tops of the wraps with olive oil to help prevent them from browning and drying out. Bake for 30 minutes. You can also pour tomato sauce over them, or cover them to help them stay moist.

Bulk Order List (week of July 20)
Kale – $3.00/bunch
Swiss chard – $3.00 per bunch
Carrots – $3.00/bunch
Walla Walla onions $3.00/bunch
Oregano, basil, mint, dill flowers $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

TOMATOES (F/P) Read below for some helpful hints for enjoying your tomatoes
CABBAGE OR SALSA PACK (P) America’s favorite condiment is now in season. Check out Tom’s blog for more info.
BEETS OR EGGPLANT (F/P) We are going to have a good crop of eggplant this year, so get ready!
‘Walla Walla’ ONIONS (F/P) More of those sweeties.
POTATOES (F/P) We’re a bit in between new potatoes and fully dried-back storage potato season so eat these soon or refrigerate.
SWISS CHARD OR KALE (F) Thanks to our no-till experiments the greens keep coming.
CUCUMBERS (F) Our first planting is winding down, but we have more plantings coming.
SUMMER SQUASH (F) ditto
GREEN BEANS (F) May have some yellow wax beans mixed in this week. They are just starting. The green variety is our favorite bush bean, ‘Jade’.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Italian basil, summer savory, mint, chives or a dried herb.

Also this week: Parker Farms delivery

Next week: More tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, salsa packs and beans. More garlic and carrots. A few bell peppers perhaps.

Tomato 101: Tomatoes are nearly everyone’s favorite summer vegetable, but we find that many have a hard time figuring out when they’re ripe. Granted we don’t make it easy on you as we grow tomatoes in every color of the rainbow. Waiting for your Fair Share Farm tomato to turn red is not always a sure solution. We do grow a good amount of the standard red and gold hybrid types, but we also grow many heirlooms, old-timey varieties with names like ‘Aunt Ruby’s German Green’, ‘Cherokee Purple’ and ‘Brandywine.’ The flavors of the heirlooms are as diverse as their coloring from sweet and mild to rich and meaty. All that said, the best way to determine if a tomato is ripe is to feel it. Pick it up in your hand. The fruit should give slightly when you just barely squeeze it. If it feels more like an apple than a peach, let it sit a day or so on your kitchen counter. Then, when it does ripen, enjoy the lusciousness that only a local, organically-grown tomato can offer.

Weather: As we led the Growing Growers CSA workshop attendees through the fields yesterday evening, I remarked that our soil had finally dried out to the point where we could finally finish the garlic harvest and plant some fall crops. Alas, I spoke too soon. This morning Mother Nature had other things in mind. We received an inch of rain and had to put off the garlic harvest for another day. Here’s a photo of what we were doing yesterday when we could have been farming.

The Fields: While we can’t accomplish all that we wish, we have been keeping busy in the fields. Harvesting the cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers takes most of our Tuesday and Friday mornings. The remainder of our days are spent weeding, tending to the fall crops in the greenhouse and keeping up with the tomato trellising. Thanks to the Saturday work crew we removed the pea fencing and on Monday we installed it on the rapidly growing pole beans just in time. This afternoon Tom mowed down the strawberry patch. The before and after shots look a little severe, but the plants do seem to like it. Next we’ll take the walk-behind tiller down either side of each row. Those in the know call this practice ‘renovation’. Mowing removes all of the diseased leaves and opens up the ground to the sanitizing power of sunlight and air. Tilling thins out the rows further and re-establishes the paths that we need to harvest. Last thing to do is apply some organic fertilizer or compost and watch the patch grow back renewed.

Salsa Packs
This week marks the return of the salsa pack as a share item (choice though it is). The tomatillos and jalpenos are just coming on, and look good at this point, so we hope it will be a regular item for some time to come. For you old-timers, it’s a familiar scene. For new members, you will find that it is your chance to make a fresh salsa that is second to none.

We provide the key ingredients—tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic and onion, and you supply the tomato and desired garnishings. The recommended recipe is presented below. It is deliciously spicy with just one seeded jalapeno, just to let you know.

The salsa packs are a choice for the partials…one of those times when they get first dibs. Fulls will get their chance next week. Here are some other recommended recipes for use with this week’s share:

Onion and Chard Macaroni and Cheese
Phat Thai Style Eggplant, Apples and Onions
Colcannon

Fresh Salsa
1 salsa pack
1 medium tomato
2 tbsp chives or cilantro
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp salt

Clean the salsa pack items (remove the husk from the tomatillos and core them, cut the root end and top from the onion, peel the garlic, cut in half and seed the jalapenos)

Put in a food processor with the tomato and process in pulse mode until chopped to desired consistency (we leave the tomato out and chop it by hand for a chunkier texture)

Add the oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt

Mix and top with chives or cilantro

Bulk Order List (week of July 13)
Kale – $3.00/bunchSwiss chard – $3.00 per bunch
Carrots – $3.00/
Walla Walla onions $3.00/bunch
Oregano, basil, mint, dill flowers $2.oo/bunch
Beets $3.00/qt We have medium size and small (golf ball) size beets. You also have a choice of standard purple beets or Chioggas (bright red and white inside)
Dried herbs $2.00/tin(thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

Eat Your Eggplant
There are several vegetables that we often take extra time trying to “sell” to the CSA, from greens to kohlrabi. Eggplant also falls into that category.

Perhaps the most beautiful vegetable we grow, eggplant is a favorite all over the world. It is said that there are more recipes for eggplant than any other vegetable. Many people are unfamiliar with it and how to cook it though (besides eggplant parmesan). The one bit of advice that we often give is to cook it to the tenderness of mushrooms, as undercooked eggplant can be a real turnoff. We have some of the best looking plants we have had in some time this year, and expect to have nice supply this summer.

In addition to proper cooking, it is important to know that you should ignore any recipes that call for peeling your eggplant. We pick the eggplant at a size smaller than what you may normally see in the grocers or market. This keeps it tender, with less seeds in the pulp. Many recipes also call for salting eggplant to remove bitterness. This is also not necessary with those in your share. The Italian eggplants and the Asian varieties (the long, skinny ones) require only that you cut or peel off the green stem cap. The recipe below is for one of the tastiest eggplant dishes you will ever make. A friend of ours, Kate Garland, made it for a dinner several years ago and shared the recipe with us (not sure what cookbook it was).

Marinated Eggplant
2 medium eggplant, cut into rounds or bite size pieces
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cloves
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
3 tbsp raisins
2 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
Large pinch dried pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat broiler to high. Rub the eggplant with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Broil for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring once.

To make the marinade, put the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cloves, tomato, pine nuts, raising, sugar and bay leaf in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Place the hot eggplant in an earthenware or glass bowl and pour the marinade over. Allow to cool, remove the cloves and bay leaf. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Bulk Order List (week of July 6)
Kale – $3.00/bunch
Swiss chard – $3.00 per bunch
Carrots – $3.00/bunch
Green onions – $2.50/bunch
Walla Walla onions $3.00/bunch
Oregano, basil, mint, dill flowers $2.oo/bunch
Beets $3.00/qt We have medium size and small (golf ball) size beets. You also have a choice of standard purple beets or Chioggas (bright red and white inside)
Summer squashcucumbers-lg $1.25 ea
Summer sq/cucumbers-med $0.75 ea
Summer sq-small $3.25/qt
Dried herbs $2.00/tin
(thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

TOMATOES (F/P) First juicy globes of the season! Everyone gets a half pint of cherry tomatoes or one slicing tomato.
RED RUSSIAN KALE (F) Full of calcium, iron, anti-oxidants and tasty too.
NEW POTATOES (F/P) Fresh from the ground with their delicate skins. Keep these refrigerated until you use them. See Tom’s blog for more info and a recipe.
‘WALLA WALLA’ ONIONS (F/P) Oh so sweet.
GREEN BEANS (F) First of the season. Partial shares will get them next week.
CUCUMBERS & SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) Full shares get some of each, partials get a choice.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Italian basil, summer savory or a dried herb.

Also this week: Parker Farms delivery

Next week: More carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and beans. Fresh garlic and cabbage.

Weather: After last week’s heat wave, the farm crew has been enjoying the beautiful cool, cloudless days. We are continuing to start work at 6 am, a practice that began to beat the heat but that we are now used to. Rising an hour earlier allows us to see some gorgeous sunrises, as shown here. This is a shot from the top of the farm looking east across the no-till beds of flowers, kale, chard and cherry tomatoes.

Which reminds me, the flower garden is now open for picking. Anytime you visit the farm, feel free to pick yourself a bouquet. We have lots of zinnias, yarrow, phlox and an assortment of others blooming now.

The Fields: We continue to seed more crops both in the fields and in the summer greenhouse. This week we planted the ‘Rattlesnake’ pole beans, some ‘Roma’-type bush beans and more cucumbers and summer squash. We seeded the fall cauliflower, cabbages, kohlrabi, bulb fennel and lettuces at the picnic table under the shade of the silver maple. Today I re-seeded the bulb fennel after a hungry mouse dug up and ate most of the seeds planted late last week. Today we harvested the first of the garlic: ‘Musik’, a hard-neck variety and one of our favorites. The bulbs are a nice size and appear to be in great shape. All 982 bulbs are now hanging in the upper barn where they will cure for a few weeks before they are ready for you all. We save the biggest for next year’s seed, label the mediums for eating and save the small ones for next year’s green garlic.

Reminders: With the month of July on our doorstep, it is time for a friendly reminder of the approaching deadline for CSA payments. We ask that the entire balance is paid by the end of July. Please send payments to: Fair Share Farm, 18613 Downing Road, Kearney MO 64060. Email Rebecca (that’s me) if you need me to look up how much you owe. If times are hard in your household, let me know if you need more time or would like to receive a Veggie Voucher. Veggie Vouchers cover $100 of the cost of the CSA share with money raised amongst the membership at the Spring Signup.

New Potatoes
There are only certain times of the year you can get fresh, local new potatoes, and this is it. Freshly dug from still growing plants, these potatoes have very delicate skins that are easily rubbed off (but don’t!) When I lived near the potato fields of upstate New York the local farmers would sell them with a small bag of salt in order to make salt potatoes (you would add the salt to the water you boiled them in). We have dug a combination of red and white ones (sorry no blue) for your Independence Day celebrations. If you want to save them for a few days, refrigerate them (something you don’t do with regular storage potatoes).

Walla Walla Onions
When we are planting the onion seeds in the greenhouse, I dream of the week when we will be harvesting the Walla Walla’s. A beautiful and sweet onion, it’s an early summer treat. Like the new potatoes, these onions are fresh and should be kept in the fridge, unlike regular onions.

Herbs–Summer Savory
An herb that many people know little about, summer savory lives up to it’s name, going well with many summer vegetables such as squash, beans, tomatoes and potatoes. It has a flavor similar to thyme. Try this simple recipe—steam new potatoes until tender, top with salt, butter and summer savory. Delicious.

Recipe—Stuffed Zucchini
The zucchini harvest is just now reaching its stride. You may get some of the round ones in your share (Tondo di Piacenza). They are especially good for stuffing, though you can stuff any squash. For the long ones, cut them in half to stuff them.

Ingredients
2 medium squash
1 medium onion
3 garlic scapes or 2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 tbsp summer savory
1/2 tsp salt
Olive oil

Method
Cut the top off the squash and scoop out the inner pulp (you can discard the first scoop that will mainly be seeds). Rub the squash shell with olive oil, place on a cookie sheet, pour 1 cup water in the cookie sheet (helps the squash cook) and bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the onions and garlic scapes, saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Chop up the squash pulp and add it to the pan. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in all but a couple tablespoons of the bread crumbs.

Remove the shells from the oven. Fill them with alternating layers of the cooked squash and cheese. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Put back in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the squash shell is tender and the top is browned.

Bulk Order List (week of June 29)
Kale – $3.00/bunch
Swiss chard – $3.00 per bunch
Spring carrots – $2.50/bunch
Green onions – $2.50/bunch
Walla Walla onions $3.00/bunch
Oregano, mint – $1.75/bunch
Basil – $2.oo/bunch

LETTUCE (F/P) Enjoy those salads while you can, the lettuces won’t last more than another week.
BROCCOLI (F) A bit more from the patch until it gets a reprise in the fall.

CUCUMBERS OR CHERRY TOMATOES (F) We’ll give you one or the other, depending on the first harvests of each – just a small tasting with many more to come.

SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) The ubiquitous summer vegetable – easy to prepare and good in so many ways.

SWISS CHARD (F/P) A gorgeous bunch from the splendid patch.

KOHLRABI OR BEETS (P) Your choice: clean and crunchy or complex and earthy.

CARROTS (F/P) Another round of carrots, this time topped for better storage in your refrigerator.

BASIL (F/P) Italian basil for a real taste of summer.

Also this week: Bread of Life delivery

Next week: More squash, cucumbers and tomatoes. Onions and beets.

Weather: It’s been a scorcher this week. The farm crew is now starting at 6 am to avoid the heat of the day. We harvest and hoe in the morning and save shady or low-impact jobs for the afternoon. If you are coming out to the farm this week, please come prepared with hats, water bottles, sunscreen, etc.

The Fields: The fall planting continues. This week brussel sprouts, kale, collards and chicory were seeded. We are also planting the last of the summer crops in the fields: another round of melons, squash, cucumbers and beans. We are thrilled to see the summer crops beginning to bear fruit. We have picked the first tomatoes, mainly the cherries but also a few of the bush varieties. There are young little melons growing in the melon patch and loads of flowers on the cucumbers. Today we planted the long-awaited sweet potato plants. We’re hoping that the tender sprouts will survive the blazing sun and heat while they get their first roots established. A heavy dose of irrigating will surely do the trick.

Links: We will be participating in the Urban Farms and Gardens tour this Sunday by helping out at Fairview Church Garden. Check out http://urbanfarmstourkc.com for all the events this week. Start your weekend right with a quick tutorial at the Bad Seed by FSF CSAer Emily Akins and others. Here’s the scoop:>Want to preserve the bounty of the season? You can learn the basics in no time at all!

Come to Badseed for bite-sized demonstrations including…
freezing greens
fermenting
making jam
pickling

All that great info in just 90 minutes! Don’t miss it!

Friday, June 26, 2009
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Badseed Market
1909 McGee
Kansas City, MO
8164720027