FarmShare Week 2

Issue #2 June 8, 2016 June 8, 2016

The Share

Sugar Snap Peas
Scallions
Garlic Scapes
Broccoli or Radishes
Spinach
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Strawberries

In the picking garden

Oregano
Thyme
Sage
Chives
Mints
Summer Savory
Marjoram
Zataar Oregano
Parsley

Minty Musings

Fresh mint is one of my favorite herbs, and goes well with many late spring vegetables. Did you know we have six types of mint in
our picking garden? (Seven, if you count catnip, which is technically a mint.)

For culinary use, chocolate, spearmint and peppermint are the mints to turn to. The flavor of any mint tends to degrade with
prolonged cooking, so cook it briefly or add near the end of your recipe. Chocolate mint and spearmint are both a bit sweeter than
peppermint to my taste.

The other three mints, applemint, mountain mint and lemon balm (which is a mint) are more aromatic but can turn bitter
when used in cooking. Apple mint and mountain mint both grow quite tall with long stems, and are a fragrant addition to flower
bouquets. Lemon balm can be used to flavor teas, and also to scent homemade lotions, hand balms and ointments.

Garlic scapes

The green curly stalks in your share this week are garlic scapes. These are the garlic plant’s flower stalk. They are tender and can
be used in place of garlic in most any recipe. Try adding some to the Cream of Any Green Soup. By harvesting these stalks, we
prevent the garlic from flowering, which makes the plant send all of its energy into the bulb.

Strawberries

They’re here! We’re sure this will not be a problem for most, but please be sure to use them within a few days. We pick them only
when absolutely ripe, so their shelf life is brief.

Limonana

An Israeli-style lemonade that features fresh mint.

2 heaping cups ice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup spearmint leaves
4-6 tablespoons sugar

Juice the lemons and remove mint leaves from the stalks.

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve with a few springs of mint. Makes 4 cups.

adapted from food.lizsteinberg.com

Sharing Bin

Is there something in your share this week that you won’t use?
Rather than not taking the item or bringing it home only to languish in the crisper, why not let someone else use it? Just put it in the Sharing Bin.

Pork & Turkeys

We still have pigs available (whole, half or quarters). Order now for pork this fall!

We are also accepting orders for Thanksgiving turkeys.

Cream of Any Green Soup

5 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk, warmed
1 onion, chopped
one pound of greens, coarsely chopped if large

In a skillet, sauté the onion with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add greens and season with salt. Cook until wilted.

Melt remaining butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook a few minutes, stirring. Then slowly whisk in the warmed milk.
Add the cooked greens and puree the soup.

from Annie Metzger

Sugar Snap Peas with Scallions and Dill

Try some mint in this dish. If you do, use butter instead of oil.

1 pound sugar snap peas, strung, or winged peas
6 scallions, including some of the greens, sliced
salt and freshly milled pepper
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped dill or another favored herb

Put the peas in a skillet with the scallions, a few pinches of salt, the butter and enough water to just cover the bottom. Cook until
bright green and tender, after a minute or two— taste one to be sure. If using olive oil, add a little to the pan now. Taste for salt,
season with a little pepper, and add the dill.

adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

FarmShare Week 1

Issue #1 June 1, 2016 June 1, 2016

The Share
Beets with their greens
Napa Cabbage
Scallions
Cilantro
Broccoli Raab
Spinach
Kohlrabi
Lettuce

In the picking garden

Oregano
Thyme
Sage
Chives
Mint

Welcome!

Welcome to the first Farmshare Newsletter! The newsletter is a weekly way for us to share what’s happening on the farm, let you know about upcoming farm events, and to share some tasty recipes!

In the garden

June is a very busy time in the garden, as we are getting our warm weather crops transplanted, and beginning to think about seeding our fall crops (!!)
The peas are flowering, so that means it won’t be long before we get our first picking.

You may have noticed that the picking garden has changed this year. We have moved the perennial herbs to a new garden in front of the house, so the main garden will be for annuals. Since many of the perennial herbs are just getting established, please pick
lightly. This year, hot peppers will be a new pick-your-own crop. Some of us love them, some of us don’t, so we think this makes sense.

In your share this week is a very special treat-beets with their greens. The greens can be used just like swiss chard, and are very tender.

Five Minute Beets

4 beets, about 1 pound
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
lemon juice or vinegar to taste
2 tbsp chopped parsley, tarragon, dill or other herb

Grate them into coarse shreds ( a food processor would be good here). Melt butter, add the beets and toss with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/4 cup water then cover and cook until beets are tender. Remove lid and raise heat to boil off excess water. Season with lemon juice or vinegar, salt, and herb. A tablespoon of yogurt or sour cream is always a good addition.

adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Broccoli Raab with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

“This basic preparation can be enjoyed by itself, over garlic-rubbed croutons, or tossed with
pasta.” [Also great with Italian sausage!] Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

1 large bunch broccoli raab
salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Several pinches red pepper flakes
Lemon wedges or red wine
vinegar

Leaving the leaves and florets attached, peel the large stalks. Drop them into a pot of boiling
salted water and cook for 5 minutes, longer if you like your greens tender. Leave whole or
coarsely chop. Heat the oil with the garlic and pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium-high
heat until the garlic begins to color. Add broccoli raab and cook, turning so its coated with
oil, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve with lemon wedges or vinegar on the side.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancake)

Note: I’ve never had this with okonomiyaki sauce but I like it with a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups dashi or chicken stock
4 eggs, beaten
8 cups finely chopped napa cabbage
2 cups chopped raw shrimp (optional)
8 scallions, sliced and divided
salt to taste
8 slices bacon, cut in half
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Whisk together flour, stock and eggs. Add chopped cabbage and mix so that cabbage is gently crushed into the batter. Fold in shrimp and scallion whites then season with salt.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add 1/4 of the batter, gently pushing the batter down with a spatula until flattened. Cook until underside is browned, about 4 minutes, then place 4 pieces of
halved bacon on the top side. Gently flip the pancake so that the side with the bacon is now cooking. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the pancake is cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, toasted sesame seeds, pickled ginger, and scallion greens. Repeat with remaining pancakes.

adapted from seriouseats.com

James Smith

Researched and Written by Chris Kelly

James Smith was born in Ireland in December 1838 or 1839. He came to the U.S. in 1853. By 1860 he was living in the family of Daniel Rockenstyre, a wagonmaker in Cropseyville, also working as a wagonmaker. He must have been a young man with something on the ball, as when the 125th NY Regiment was forming in August 1862, James enlisted as a Sergeant, though he was just 23.

Muster roll abstract

This is his NYS Muster Roll Abstract, where his service and experiences during the war were recorded. His occupation is listed as “mechanic,” which reflects his work building wagons.   The first battle of the 125th was Gettysburg, from July 1-3, 1863. Evidently James came through unscathed, but he was wounded at Auburn, Virginia on October 14. This wound couldn’t have been too severe, as he returned to duty. The 125th participated in many more battles through 1864, which James survived, only to be wounded in the last days of the war. The exact date is unclear in the record, but while the rest of the regiment was sent home in June, James was sent North to recuperate inhospitals in Albany and Troy. He was promoted to Sergeant, then to Lieutenant, at the time he was mustered out in June. His wound must have been severe, as he applied for an invalid pension in December 1865.  A list of Rensselaer County Pensioners in the Troy paper in 1883 lists he had a gun shot wound to the left side, leg, and arm.  He received an invalid pension of $12 a month.  An article in the Troy “Times” in 1889 reports that James was injured in an incident with a runaway horse on Congress Street in Troy, breaking a rib, in the same place where he was wounded in the war.

Pension papers

We know, of course, that he recovered. Finally in 1871 or 1872 he married his across-the-road neighbor, Eliza Cropsey, who lived in the Morrison house. She was the child of David and Clarissa Morrison Cropsey, born in 1843. David died and Clarissa moved in with her parents, James and Sarah Morrison. She died in 1855, and Eliza and her sister Margaret lived on with their aunts and uncles.

In the 1875 census, James was listed as a 36-year-old wagon maker who owned his own home. He and Eliza, 34, had a 2 ½ year old daughter, Fanny. A son, Percy, was added the next year. James continued to do business in Cropseyville for the rest of his life. He participated in the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union veterans’ association, attending reunions and serving as an officer.

When James made his will in 1902, he left everything to his wife Eliza. As of 1900, son Percy was not at home, but Fannie, 27, was a dressmaker, living with her parents. James gave his will to his life-long friend, Brigham Morrison, for safe keeping. Brigham was his wife’s first cousin. James died in 1903. Daughter Fannie died in 1907 and wife Eliza in 1913.  All are in the Morrison Cemetery.

Frittata

Now that spring is here, our eggs are coming into their full glory. The hens are out on pasture, eating tender shoots and seedlings, and bugs that are just starting to hatch out. They are reveling in the warming sunshine, stretching their wings, digging themselves dust baths. The egg yolks are turning vibrant saffron, and standing tall. They are velvety, and the white is thick and firm. If ever there was a time to eat eggs, it’s now.

One of my favorite ways to feed the farm crew a hearty lunch on a short timetable is a frittata. It is a flexible dish, able to envelop a wide variety of flavors and variations, as well as being a very filling one-dish meal. I can usually get a frittata on the table within 45 minutes of getting in the kitchen, and more than half that time is inactive cooking time, where I don’t even need to watch it, so I can be setting the table, making a side salad if I want one, playing with my kid, changing my clothes, whatever I want. I often incorporate random bits of leftovers from the fridge, so it’s a great dish for cleaning out the fridge at the end of the week, or using up tiny amounts of leftover veggies that are not enough to make a dish on their own. 5 mushrooms? Throw them in! Half a cup of shredded cheese from taco night? Sure! One pork chop? Yum!

My basic recipe is tailored for my 8 inch cast-iron skillet, which is what I use when I am cooking for my family, rather than for the farm crew. It can be scaled up to my 10 inch cast iron skillet for my crew. I’ve never tried it in anything bigger. I start by setting the oven to 350 degrees, and with a couple tablespoons of butter or bacon grease in my skillet, and generally with one chopped onion. While I’m sauteeing the onion over medium-low heat, I’m chopping any other veggies I want to put in. Mushrooms, chard, kale, celery, garlic, carrots, summer or winter squash, beets, potatoes, broccoli, corn, peppers, peas … well, you get the point. I have used all of these veggies, and many others, in my frittatas. Not all at once – I usually just have a couple around, and I aim to have my skillet a little over half full before I add the eggs. In addition to veggies, you can also have meat and cheese in your frittata. If I have leftover meat from a previous meal, this is one of my favorite places to use it up. I often use chicken, turkey, or pork – any pork will do: a chopped-up pork chop, some browned crumbled sausage, a bit of bacon or ham. Again, I’m shooting for my skillet to be a bit over half full before the eggs go in.

While everything is sauteeing, I get out a medium bowl and start cracking eggs. For my 8 inch skillet, I use a dozen eggs. I generally add about ½ cup milk to the eggs (you can use yogurt – one of our interns says this makes a fluffier final product), as well as 1/2 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.

If I want to add other seasonings – like sage or thyme – I add them to the skillet while everything is sauteeing. Once I have the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl, I beat them with a fork until the mixture is pretty homogenous, then stir the skillet one more time, then pour the egg mixture into the skillet, trying to get it spread out evenly. It should be enough liquid to cover the solid mixture in the pan.  

If I want to have cheese in my frittata, I either add it right before the egg or right after, and I have used both shredded and cubed cheese (you could use sliced, too). After the egg mixture is in, I set the timer for 6 minutes and walk away.

After the timer goes off, I come back and look – is it starting to look cooked around the edges? Is the egg looking stiffer, maybe even a little brown at the edge? If I shake the pan, does it seem to be getting more solid, or does it slosh like a pan of liquid egg? Generally after the 6 minute mark, it is getting pretty solid around the edges, so at that point, I transfer the skillet to the preheated oven, and set my timer for 15 minutes. Be sure to turn off the burner you were using – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten it. After 15 minutes in the oven, I check with a shake to the pan. Is it solid? Is it browning on top? If yes, it’s done. If it’s still a little liquid in the middle, give it another 5 minutes and check again. Ideally, when it’s done, I let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes before I cut into it. Sometimes I will serve this with bread and butter, sometimes with a salad, sometimes just on its own, if it has potatoes and other veggies in it, or if I’m in a rush.

The Recipe

2 tablespoons butter, bacon grease, or oil

4 cups cooked vegetables

½ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)

1 cup cooked meat (optional – increase veggies if excluding)

1 cup cubed or shredded cheese (optional)

12 eggs

½ cup milk or plain yogurt

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the vegetables of your choice – if using raw veggies, start with onion, and saute until translucent, then add other veggies and cook until tender. Once veggies are tender, add the cooked meat and herbs of your choice. While everything is melding, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with the milk, salt, and pepper. Cube or shred the cheese. When the mixture is cooked to your liking, stir once more, top with the cheese, then pour the egg mixture over. Allow to cook for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. If it is not quite set in the middle, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with generously buttered bread and a salad, or nothing at all.

Chocolate Mousse!!!

This is one of my all-time-favorite egg recipes. I found the original at twopeasandtheirpod.com, and have adapted it minimally. I don't use any super-special chocolate, just dark chocolate that I get from the bulk bins at the co-op. I of course use our super-fresh, super-delicious eggs, and that makes this one of the most deluxe, luscious desserts I ever create. I love to share this with guests, because it seems super impressive ("Oh, I made chocolate mousse!") but is actually REALLY easy! 3 ingredients. Count 'em.

Chocolate Mousse

7 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (sometimes I use chips, not chopped)

4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated (put the whites in a large bowl, because you will be whipping them)

Pinch of coarse salt

1. Place the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. I use a regular small saucepan with a stainless steel bowl set on top, big enough that it doesn't slip down in the pot; then this serves as my mixing bowl, too. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Set aside and let cool to near room temperature.

2. Whisk egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.

3. Stir yolks into cooled chocolate. Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the bowl with the chocolate and fold in gently. Fold in the remaining whites gently just until no visible white streaks are left.

4. Pour the mix into 6 individual serving dishes. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

5. Enjoy with company. We always try to eat all of this within about 3 days, as it is made with raw eggs; that isn't generally an issue. YUM!

Melted chocolate ...

Whipped egg whites ...

Lush yellow yolks ...

Almost mixed.

Done! Chill and YUM.

Why I Farm

Now that Spring is in the air, sign-ups for our FarmShare are rolling in. This always brings me to reflect on why we are here, doing what we’re doing on the farm.

I don’t want to grow food in a vacuum. I want to know the people who are eating it, hear from them about how they are eating it, and share in the pleasures and sorrows of raising it.

I also don’t want to sell food. I want to build a community around food. I want to share my skill and passion for growing food with people who want to eat that food, to become a part of my web by consuming the fruits of the land I work.

I want to spend my time on building a web. I want to break bread (or carrots, or cucumbers) with my neighbors, and have them share with their neighbors and friends. I want to walk up the hills and alongside the creeks with these same people, creating more strands of the web and strengthening the ones that are there. I want my community to feel drawn to the farm, as if we have our own gravity, pulled to share and to grow with hands in the soil, with faces in the sunshine, with feet splashing in puddles.

I want my community to feel that this is their farm, to feel that they are integral, essential. To feel that when they give me their hard-earned dollars for their FarmShare, or for chicken, or eggs, or anything else I have helped to produce here on this land, that I have earned that dollar from them. I also don’t want them to feel that their money is their most important contribution to the farm, because it isn’t. Their presence, their friendship, the time they spend standing in the farmstand talking with me, or chasing our kids around the picking garden – that is why I’m here. That’s why I farm.

Recipe: Beef Stew

Yeah ok everyone has a beef stew recipe. Mine's better. 

I'm making beef stew for the usual reasons: it is cold and I want to warm up, and also, I have a whole bunch of recently-harvested potatoes that will not keep. Potatoes, they keep, it is what they do. But if they get nicked by the harvester, or scraped up, or a bug bit them, or there's a hole in them, then they won't keep as well. We sort those out from the rest, and keep them aside as seconds, and try to use them promptly.

So here's the recipe. I'm going to use approximate quantities here. It's going to vary by the size of your stew pot and how many potatoes you have, and if you like your stew really really really meaty or not. You're gonna have to use your judgement. Sorry, this ain't the Joy of Cooking. I do try, but my mom's recipes all came to me with quantities like "enough" and cooking directions like "until done", so-- some recipes I can be exact with. Not this one.

So I'm going to assume that one package of stew beef is like, around a pound or so? Maybe? And for "stew beef" you can read chopped-up chuck roast, or whatever you usually make stew with. If I think the meat is going to be tough, I just cut it extra-small. 

Cut the meat into small pieces, and dredge them in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Brown in oil, fat or lard in a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet, or in the bottom of your heavy saucepan. Don't worry if there's a bunch of flour in there and it kinda burns and sticks to the pan. You want that. The meat doesn't have to be done through, you just want to kinda sizzle a crust onto it here and there, to keep it from going gray and flavorless when it gets boiled.

Meanwhile, cut up a couple of pounds of potatoes, several carrots, a stick or four of celery (depends what you like), and a medium-sized onion. Throw them in your stew pot. 

Dump the browned meat over the vegetables, and refill the dirty frying pan (there should be all kinds of drippings and flour stuck to the pan) with water. Bring that up to a boil. Dump that into your soup pot; this is the base of your stock and will cause the broth to thicken properly into stew. 

If you're really trying to get through those potatoes before they turn, add more. Add additional water until all the ingredients are well-covered. 

Season with salt and pepper, and rubbed sage. Yes, sage. The kind you get in a glass jar sort of tastes a little like dust, so I recommend highly that you use recently-fresh sage. We grow it in our herb garden; fresh and diced is fine but what's super easy is to hang the fresh leaves from a twist-tie or something somewhere in your kitchen, and once they're dry, you can rub them into a powder as needed, or all into a jar at once to use within the season.

Simmer your stew for an hour or two-- or alternately, instead of a soup pot, use a crock pot-- just brown the beef in the frying pan first, you can't skip that step. 

I can't find my dumplings recipe, but that's my favorite thing to top this with. I didn't, tonight; I figured there were enough potatoes in it that I didn't need the starch. Serve hot, and I like to mush the potatoes with my fork prior to eating my bowl, so the whole thing becomes a delicious gravy slurry. Your mileage may vary.

I'm still learning how to use this site, so the attached photo may or may not show, but is some of this year's potato harvest, with a tote of windfall apples along for the ride. 

First attempt

This is a picture of Willa because that is a good thing to begin with.