VOLUME VI, JOURNAL XVIII
OCTOBER 17, 2011
BLUE HERON FARM JOURNAL
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?
Week 18- WOW- hard to believe we are on the last day of CSA season! At the end of this topsy-turvy season of extremes, we feel grateful for all of the wonderful folks who made this season possible and enjoyed the bounty! Even though the farm is totally saturated with water, and our time is being soaked up with kids, animals, and off-farm jobs (Adam’s), we are excited about the growing life of this little family farm! You all are a big part this.
Even though the CSA is “officially” ending this week, we’ll still have a bunch of greens such as kale, lettuce mix, and arugula, winter squash, bok choy, celery, ground cherries, eggs, yarn, and potatoes (if they don’t rot in the ground!) available into the winter months. You can ALWAYS give us a call or come by the farmstand to see what’s available. We will also likely have “call back” to pick up some luscious English peas that are starting to get plump. but were not yet ready for harvest- so watch your email for a note about this for next week!! We want to make sure you all get some. We are experimenting this year with growing greens in our newest, biggest hoop house (where the tomatoes and crazy basil were), so the good stuff will keep growing well into December, and possibly will start to grow again (if they survive) when they days start getting longer again. We hope it works out.
We have a few exciting last pick-up treats this week, all crops that waited for the weeds to die and for cooler weather to flourish! “Grand Isle” celery- sweet and flavorful for your favorite soups and stews. Also, we have carrots that have held out and grown and now taste wonderful. The potatoes were simply too muddy to mess with – like river going down the paths…and the green onions are taking an extended bath in the field.
ANNOUNCING: FALL HOEDOWN/FARM WORK PARTY October 29 from 8am – 12noon then a potluck lunch, pickup some potatoes and english peas and music
Meeting at the farmstand at 8am – we have various tasks to complete and would love all of your help putting parts of the farm to “bed” for the season. We will have all sorts of tasks available. From shoveling barns and chicken coops to picking peas and potatoes to cleaning stakes out of the field to planting in the hoophouses to whatever needs to be done.
We will have a list and folks that will lead each task. When you arrive at 8 (or when you can get there) you can join a “crew” and get dirty(to work). AT noon we will break for a yummy potluck lunch and music and maybe some other treats. You will all go home with farm produce including potatoes, english peas and beans and more. Families are welcome – young and old – no matter what your ability – there is a job for you. Bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, water bottle. Early next week we will be posting some of the jobs that are available to do that day. Bring the whole family – work’em, feed’em, and then nap 🙂
If you could, please RSVP- so we know how much desert to make:) and how many jobs we can get done. A crob mob – Blue Heron Style:) Look forward to seeing you all –
Oh and if you are on facebook – look for us. we are there – and we are posting a few times a week..
Oh yes one more thing – we are part of the Grand Isle – www.yourfarmstand.com – check it out – pickups are on Fridays.
Thanks for reading – see you all soon. Have a great week! Thanks for listening and your support. Peace, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie and Delia
PS Please also check out our story at the Vermont Land Trust Website:
http://www.vlt.org/initiatives/active-community-projects/blue-heron
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: GREEN BEANS, LETTUCE MIX, ARUGULA, SWEET & HOT PEPPERS, CARROTS, TOMATOES, TOMATILLOS, CELERY, BABY RED RUSSIAN KALE, BABY BOK CHOY, WINTER SQUASH (THURSDAYS PICKUP- YOU WILL GET HAKERIEI SALAD TURNIPS INSTEAD OF CARROTS EAT THEM RAW – AND GENTLY SAUTEE THE GREENS)
Yarn for Sale
Yarn is available in our natural color “Island Oatmeal.” Worsted Weight, double twist, soft, 220 yds, 4 ounces, Greenspun (no petroleum products used in cleaning the wool) by Green Mountain Spinnery here in Vermont. Yarn is in the farmstand. 17.00 skein. Also available wool roving, white, brown, oatmeal – $9 for 4 ounces.
Recipes, Etc…
Celery: Celery contains phytochemicals called phthalides, which some studies have shown reduce stress hormones and work to relax the muscle walls in arteries, increasing blood flow. As a result, it has long been used in Chinese medicine to help control high blood pressure. Celery is an excellent source of vitamins K and C, and a very good source of potassium, folate, dietary fiber, molybdenum, manganese, and vitamin B6. –Martha Rose Shulman
Celery and Potato Soup
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
This light puree is more celery than potato. The potato thickens the soup, a simple potage that is brought to life by the tiny amount of walnut oil that’s drizzled onto each serving.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large or 2 medium leeks, white and light green part only, cleaned and sliced
6 celery stalks, sliced (about 3/4 pound)
Kosher salt
1 medium-size russet potato, about 10 ounces, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved, green shoots removed
A bouquet garni made a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme, tied together
7 cups water or chicken stock
Freshly ground pepper
For garnish:
2 teaspoons walnut oil
1/4 cup very thinly sliced celery
chopped chives or chervil (optional)
Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat, add the onion, leek, and celery, and cook gently, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt after the first 5 minutes. Make sure that the vegetables do not color.Add the potatoes, garlic, and bouquet garni. Stir together and add the water or stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender and the broth fragrant. Remove from the heat.Remove the bouquet garni from the soup. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Then strain through a medium strainer (this step is important; otherwise the soup will be stringy), using a pestle or the bottom of a ladle to push the soup through. Make sure to scrape the outside of the strainer so that all of the puree goes back into the soup. Return to the pot, stir with a whisk to even out the texture, heat through and season well with salt and pepper.. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with a few thin slices of celery and about 1/4 teaspoon walnut oil. Sprinkle with minced chives or chervil if you wish, and serve.