Week of July 18, 2010

Ripe on the Farm this Week:


- carrots – beets –salad mix

- basil or parsley

- greens (kale, collards or amaranth)

- cucumbers – summer squash



Notes from the Field:

What a hot July it has been! While a thunderstorm kept me up last night, I was very relieved that we got some much needed precipitation on our fields. We’ve certainly had to irrigate more than anticipated this season, and have fashioned up some water storage tanks that can also work as rain barrels to ensure our crops get their appropriate doses of water each week. Despite the dry spell, your vegetables are growing up happily – there are already green peppers and green tomatoes and the beans and eggplant should flower any day now. This week and next week we are doing our last big planting of the season for fall crops – email us if you are interested in helping out with planting on Saturday the 24th from 9-12.



Hayzee’s Secret Cucumber Salad Recipe

2 Cucumbers, peeled and sliced into very thin rounds

½ Vidalia Onion, julienned

In separate bowl, mix together:

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 T olive oil

1 T apple cider vinegar

2 t organic cane sugar

Pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

Add dressing to cucumbers and onion, and chill 20-60 minutes before serving.



Spiced Carrot Salad

2 Cups diagonally sliced or julienned Carrots

3 Tbsp finely chopped Fresh Parsley

2 Tbsp finely chopped Fresh Cilantro

1 Tbsp finely chopped Fresh Mint

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Cloves Garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)

½ tsp Ground Cumin

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp Paprika

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Sugar

1/3 Olive Oil

Lemon Slices



Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots; boil until barely tender and still brightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the carrots and immediately run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Drain well.



Transfer the carrots to a large salad bowl. Add the parsley, cilantro, and mint; toss to combine. Mix the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and cayenne in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar. Slowly pour in the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly, until the dressing is thick and no longer separates.



Pour the dressing over the carrots and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Let the salad come to room temp before serving. Top each serving with a lemon slice. Makes 4-6 servings.



(From: Farmer John’s Cookbook, pg 165)





Sauteed Summer Squash



• 3 cups diced summer squash

• 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

• 1 cup minced onions

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Cook onions in oil until golden brown. Add squash, salt and pepper. Cover and cook the squash

until tender, about 6 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the lid and cook an additional

3 minutes to evaporate juices. Serve and sprinkle with any of the following:

• Chopped basil or parsley, grated parmesan, chopped garlic, grated lemon zest, or drizzle with

tomato sauce

Serves 4 --- Source: The Joy of Cooking

Rain Barrels/Water Storage Tanks


We’d like to pass on our design for a rain barrel for home irrigation and water conservation. This is very simple, and can be constructed with some basic tools and at a low cost. We used 55 gallon blue plastic drums from Welch’s in North East. Call ahead and you can pick up as many as you’d like for $3 a piece. We then cut the tops off with a jigsaw about 3 inches below the lip, rinsed the barrels and squeezed back on the tops (there are already two holes on the top of the container for water input). Next we installed the spigot (faucet), drilling a hole about 6 inches from the bottom. Go to the local hardware store and pick out one that suits your needs – you probably want ¾ “ with a male end to fit a garden hose and an on-off valve, and we stabilized on the inside with a pvc bushing/nut and sealed with silicon on both sides. Our hardware for one barrel cost us less than $5. Place below a gutter to capture the rain – a screen would work well to filter the water. Elevate with concrete blocks so a hose can fit below the spigot. If you are interested, come down and check out our model or email with questions – thanks to Jay and Ray for help with construction and design.



Boothby Blonde Cucumbers

Not all cucumbers are green and long – some, like our favorite variety of Boothby Blonde, are yellow and plump. This variety is an heirloom developed by the Boothby family from Livermore, Maine. We find these cukes to be refreshing and sweet, and while they are perfect and crisp, raw and unpeeled, they can also be pickled.