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.

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!