PLEASE RETURN BOXES

Let EVERY member know, sing it from the rooftops, whisper it to a neighbor… WE NEED OUR BOXES BACK! Due to a lack of returned boxes we have run out of boxes for three Wednesdays running. This has meant that a few of us are staying till the "big truck" returns with the boxes intended for the next week and thus have started a cycle of being short 80 boxes each week. Please help us by returning boxes promptly and let your fellow CSA members know how important it is to keep the boxes coming back.

THANK YOU!

You know it's August when...

… the days of Summer seem to fade into cooler nights.

… we anticipate the coming school year and all of it's trimmings.

… memories of apple cider, pumpkin stew, and roasted beets creep into the menu planning for the week.

… and the whirlwind of summer has left us with tired minds but full stomachs!

I apologize for the four weeks of blog posts which are missing. It was my best intent to be very regular in writing weekly, but alas, not so. I am sorry to say that today my husband and I will be taking Alex, one of our farm helpers, back to the train station today. He's on the way north, to Burlington, Vermont. When my family lived in Vermont, Alex and I worked together at Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op. He was first in responding to my request for help this summer at the farm and we've enjoyed his acrobatic stunts and loyal help on Calvert Farm. We will miss him dearly and hope to see him back later this year or next summer. Thank you Alex!

And now….. some ideas for some of the veggies you've been receiving these past weeks.

Surely we all love Watermelon, but just incase you want to try a little flare for a typical summertime treat:

Watermelon Rind Pickles

• 4 quarts prepared (see instructions) watermelon rind
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 4 cups white vinegar
• 8 cups sugar
• 3 cinnamon sticks, broken
• 1 Tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 (1-inch) piece gingerroot (optional)

Preparation:

To prepare watermelon rind, cut rind into 2- x 1-inch pieces. Trim green skin and pink flesh from rind.

Place prepared rind in large kettle and add salt and enough boiling water to cover. Simmer until tender. Drain and chill rind in very cold water at least 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator.

Combine vinegar, sugar and mixture of cinnamon, cloves and gingerroot tied in cheesecloth. Bring to boil and boil 5 minutes. Drain watermelon rind and add to syrup. Simmer until rind becomes translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard spices.

Pack rind and syrup into hot sterilized quart jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath 20 minutes.

Yield: 4 quarts

Watermelon and Red Onion Salad

• 1 Tablespoon shallots, chopped
• 1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
• 1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, pureed and strained
• 2 teaspoons honey (or to taste)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches watercress, stems removed
• 8 cups watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Whisk together the shallots, vinegar, raspberry puree, honey, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Separate the onions into rings. Pour the vinaigrette over the onions and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

To serve, arrange a bed of watercress on each plate. Top with the cubed watermelon and drape the red onion rings on top. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and garnish with the mint leaves, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe Source: From The Earth to the Table by John Ash (Dutton Books)
Reprinted with permission.

Week Nine and Summer Squash

Yes, Zucchini and Summer Squash are one of those veggies that we're are delighted to see in early June but by mid-July we're thinking, "What on earth can I do with MORE of these?"

There's a story that goes like this:

Sonya: Bill, do you see someone out by the car?

Bill: Yes. I think it's Georgia, the next door neighbor.

Sonya: Yeah, but what is she doing?

Bill: It looks like she has a box that she's putting into the car.

Sonya: What?!? What kind of a box?

Bill: Something green, something shiny?

Sonya: Oh no! Not more Zucchini!!!

Well, maybe Bill and Sonya would have been more happy to receive Zucchini if they would have had a few more recipes like these from our family's kitchen. Post a few ideas if you have some tried and true ways to use up these prolific mid-summer veggies.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

3 cups grated Zucchini (or any summer squash)

1 cup cracker or bread crumbs

1 egg or equivalent egg replacer

1 Tbsp Old Bay

1 tsp salt

Shred squash and mix with salt. Let drain for 15 minutes. Mix with remaining ingredients. Form into loose patties and toast in a oiled skillet over low heat. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Glaze (directions follow)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.

3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.

4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.

5 Drizzle glaze over cake.

Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.

We're Making Pickles in Week Eight!

Have you noticed this about life? It is the people we spend time with which influence our mannerisms, our ways of laughing, our taste in fashion? For those of you who have not had the pleasure of working with Amish friends, they call cucumbers "pickles". And yes, as we work along side them we too have started calling them "pickles" too! : )

This week we've really started into the cucumber phase of the season. And yes, at home I've been making "pickles" into pickles! So far I've only made Bread and Butter pickles, but am looking forward to working with a few friends to make Dill pickles. But there are a few more recipes out there I'd like to try, maybe a Hot Pickle recipe or the Dilly Beans we grew fond of in Vermont. Anyone want to share some of their favorites?

We hope the heat of this past week didn't wear you down too much and that you enjoy this bountiful season of summer!

Week Seven?

We're almost half way through week seven and it's hard to believe it's true! We hope you've been enjoying all the veggies we send - finding new recipes and cooking family favorites too. We're anxiously awaiting those first tomatoes and peppers, but this is the first week of sweet corn! I can guess that those ears won't last more than 24 hours in your fridge, but in case you are already looking for a new idea:

A volunteer who came to the farm yesterday suggested adding corn and scallions to pancake batter to make a savory pancake. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to soon!

All work and no play makes us dull people!

Last Friday we worked doubly hard in the morning so that we could take the afternoon off to have a work picnic! We enjoyed a potluck lunch and several rounds of volleyball. Sorry we can't post photos as our Amish friends would not approve of taking their picture, but here's a song we made up to thank each other for all of the hard work so far this season:

Farmer Pam Had a Farm

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some cats, E-I-E-I-O

With a meow, meow there

And a purr, purr here

Here a meow , there a purr, everywhere a meow, purr, E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had four dogs, E-I-E-I-O

With a Sparky and a Daisy

And a Scout and a Lulu

Here a woof , there a bark, everywhere a woof, bark, E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had a Paul, E-I-E-I-O

Picking up the mushrooms

Delivering some boxes

Here a wrench , there a hammer, everywhere fixing things, E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had an Elvie, E-I-E-I-O

With a Market here

And a box of beans there

Here a market , there a pickup, driving everywhere, E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had a Rich, E-I-E-I-O

With a little mowing here

And delivering the boxes

Here a trimmer, there a hand-truck, everywhere helping out, E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Volunteers, E-I-E-I-O

With a Pat, Elieen, Linda

And a Grace, Felicia, Ed.

Here a Bethany , there a Erika, Janie and Katie too! E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Lapps E-I-E-I-O

With a Steffy and his big-wheel

And a Sadie who we miss

Here a Steffy, organizing the shed roof and tending to the bees. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Millers, E-I-E-I-O

With a Martha and a Sarah

And a John and a Katie

Washing coolers, cutting herbs, everywhere working hard. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Stoltzfuses, E-I-E-I-O

With a Bena, Barbie, Emma

And a Lizzie and a Rachel

Here a market , there a scissors, helping in everyway. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had two Stolzfooses, E-I-E-I-O

With a Sarah making jokes

And a Danny planting herbs

Here a hoe , there a scale, working every Tuesday. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Fishers, E-I-E-I-O

With a Grandma Arie, Sarah

And a Lydie, Katie, Arie

Packing boxes, planting popcorn, helping with the weeds. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Beilers, E-I-E-I-O

With a Verna

And a Leon and Ruth-Ann

Weeding cilantro, weighing beans, and bagging beets. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had an Alex, E-I-E-I-O

With a market on Wednesday

And a market on Sunday

Packing coolers, loading trucks, and driving everywhere. E-I-E-I-O!

Farmer Pam had a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm she had some Wibbles E-I-E-I-O

With a Momma Rachel

And a Jaden and an Enid

Here a phone call, there a bike ride, thankful for helpful co-workers. E-I-E-I-O!

Thank you to all who make Calvert Farm possible. It is by your hard work and dedication that we make it through each wonderful and difficult situation.

THANK YOU!

Week Five and My Favorite Veggie: Kale

The weeks are streaming by, and without knowing it I've lost a whole week in the shuffle of lettuces and weeding and phone calls! We enjoyed a cooler week last week and have been starting into our second rotation of crops in some fields. The popcorn is just starting to peek out of the ground and the hot season crops (tomatoes, peppers, basils and eggplants) are coming along nicely.

This week's featured vegetable is my favorite, KALE! I recently learned that there are dozens of varieties of kale, but most often we associate with Green Boar Kale. In my own small garden I have ten plants of Rainbow Lacinato Kale, more than enough for our family of four. But we enjoy Kale in salad, stir-fry, casserole, and even smoothies (it's a great way to get some greens into your littlest ones). Here's a recipe one of our volunteers suggested:

Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Week Three and Spring Onions

We had a very successful party this weekend. A HUGE thanks to all who attended! We planted 500 Tomato plants, 100 Eggplants, and lots of Basils! Now we just have to wait for them to grow and then we will all be enjoying the fruits (or veggies) of our labor! Pictures to follow.

Now for a word about spring onions:

Spring onions are onions planted in the fall or very early spring to be harvested early while their greens are still tender. If left in the ground, these plants will form bulbs and become "regular" globular onions which will be included in the late summer and fall boxes. We enjoy these as they make potato salads more colorful and add a savory addition to any stir fry. Have you tried grilling them on a low setting? They caramelize and are DELICIOUS! Any other ways you enjoy these early season treats? Post some ideas to share...