Garlic Planting Party

Yesterday my family enjoyed making cider with apples from local Colora Orchards. Hope you can join us in our next batch at Calvert Farm during the 2nd annual Garlic Planting Party in mid-October. As usual it'll be a potluck lunch between a morning and afternoon project as we work from 10am till 2pm. We'll let you know the date soon. Hope to see you there!

Last Week for Summer CSA

As we wrap up our Summer CSA Subscriptions we think of…

…early season asparagus and rhubarb

… planting peas in the rain and seeding cabbage with friends

… strawberries!

… planting tomato and pepper plants on an overcast spring day

… the first eggplant of the season

… and of course, pulling weeds!

And now we look forward to the Fall Subscription! This eight week subscription will be closing very shortly, so if you are thinking about joining, send us an e-mail or snail mail application. Enjoy broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips and sweet potatoes right up until Thanksgiving.

Thank you for a wonderful summer season…

Fall CSA Sign Up and "Apple Weather"

Can you believe it?!? Summer is nearly over and fall inching its way into our daily lives here at Calvert Farm. Just yesterday I spent the day making a last batch of tomato sauce, anticipating chilly fall evenings when we'll need some tomato base for the cauliflower curry. With the sunlight coming later and leaving earlier I've begun to wear a head lamp as I peddle from my home to the farm most mornings. This is my favorite time of year, I love to think of it as "Apple Weather".

And yes, with all these fall-ish events beginning to make their way to the forefront, we too are switching gears into Fall CSA mode. We will be accepting registration till September 24th and with several new locations we anticipate many new (and returning) customers. Please review these locations as you make your choice:

Annapolis , MD - private residence

Arnold MD- Temple Beth Shalom

Baltimore, MD - Johns Hopkins Hospital / Bayview
employees & students only

Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Farmers Market

Baltimore, MD - Private Residence

Beltsville, MD - USDA/BARC
employees & retirees only

Bowie, MD - private residence

Edgewater, MD - private residence

Ft. George Meade / Odenton, MD - private residence

Greenbelt, MD - New Deal Cafe

Hanover, MD - Private Residence

Hockessin, DE - Henretty's Prime Meats

Kennett Square, PA - EXELON - employees only

Kennett Square, PA - Spring Run Natural Food Store

Millersville, MD - Fresh Express

Montgomery General Hospital, MD

Newark DE - Newark Natural Food Store

Owings Mills, MD- Beth Israel Congregation

Rising Sun, MD - Calvert Farm

Rockville, MD
SAMSHA - Employees Only

Wlimington DE - Marini's Fruit & Vegetable Stand

Savage, MD - Private Residence

Silver Springs, MD Forest Glen/Private Residence

Wawa, PA - Wawa Hqts. - Employees Only

Gaithersburg, MD - Izaak Walton League

Montgomery Village /Gaithersburg, MD -Shaare Torah Synagogue

Rockville, MD - Tikvak Israel Synagogue

Rockville, MD - Temple Beth Ami

You can find the registration form on the website: calvertfarm.com

Enjoy these Apple ideas!

http://www.applerecipes.us/

Fall is on the way...

Waiting for an Amish friend I took this photo.

We're loving the cool weather, but wishing for rain here in Rising Sun. Fall crops are doing fairly well, but the lack of rain is slowing the growth of all of our veggies and fruits. The asian pears are delicious, but smaller than usual due to little rain fall. But the collards are doing surprisingly well - maybe the drought is keeping the flea beetles at bay? Either way, we're looking forward to sweet potatoes and roasted roots. Just today someone made mention of butternut soup and I thought, "Well yes, I guess it is about time for that!"

It's one of my favorite times of year - still warm in the day, but cooler at night and LOTS of apples to eat! And so I'll share the recipe my husband was thinking of making tomorrow night - full of early fall veggies and just right for a cool evening listening to the crickets and remembering the summer just past.

Butternut (or any Winter Squash) Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container stock
• 2 cups hazelnut milk (or any milk or milk like product)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter or oil in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
2. Pour in enough of the stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
4. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth.
5. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock and "milk" to attain desired consistency.
6. Season with salt and pepper.