Erehwon Farm CSA Newsletter Week 7 of 19  July 24, 2005 Farm Report Lots going on at the farm this week!  First was the Monday arrival of the “Fair & Balanced” folks from the Fox News Team who were doing a story on how farmers were coping with the drought. They brought their van with the 50-foot sky camera which followed me around the field all morning. I was getting nervous because  Erehwon was beginning to resemble the scene outside the courthouse where the Michael Jackson trial was going on.   Reporter: “What impact has the drought had on your business?”  Tim:  “As you can see, we are hand watering and seem to be coping – we’re able to supply our subscribers so far.”  R: “Can you show us the crop damage?”  T:  “We got our drip irrigation system in just in the nick of time so there’s not much damage.”  After a time it became clear that they had already written the story and were looking for some supporting facts and if I was ever going to get rid of them, I had to show them some damage.  T:  “Okay, come look at the peas, they should be all the way to the top of the trellis.  (whir,whir, the cameras were rolling)  The potatoes over here are a little stunted.  (whir, whir)  The roots of this cauliflower are pretty dry. (whir, whir).  And then they were gone.  I didn’t watch the news.  Beth said it was a good story. Wednesday brought .85 inch of rain and everybody danced around in the downpour, getting soaked and loving it. Subscribers there to pick up their vegetables were racing for cover from the storms under our tent where Beth was making her flower arrangements.  I took the old truck out into the field and promptly got stuck in the mud – yeehaw!  Umar brought the tractor out and pulled me out of the mud hole.  Rebecca LaGesse came out and helped turn the compost pile and then spread compost to trap a little of the new moisture in the soil.  The Kulvers watered and weeded. Also on Wednesday we got a call from the Courier News from Elgin who wanted to do a real story on our farm.  The reporter seemed really interested in the farm and the fact that we are delivering vegetables to subscribers in Elgin. He interviewed at least one subscriber and sent a photographer to the farm to take pictures.  The story is targeted to run next week.  On Friday Robin Migalla and Barb Hicks came out and performed their usual amazing work clearing rows of the button weed that had grown higher than the kale which is pretty high. This morning I went out to water and weed and found most of the heat-loving plants were doing well.  We have a few eggplant already and the tomatoes are beginning to turn.  I snagged an almost-ripe big one, took it home, cut a half-inch thick slice and had my first tomato sandwich of the season! I also peeked under a potato plant and sneaked a few new red tubers which I boiled for lunch.  Yum! From Your Garden This Week Standard shares should include: Tomatoes (Sun Gold sweet cherries and Juliet large grapes) Lettuce New red potatoes Summer squash Eggplant or mini cabbage. Extras:  Pick  3 or 5 for jumbo subscribers Summer Squash:  Yep we have a ton.  I will make up a 5# or 10# bag for anyone who wants one.  They are great for making squash bread, filling your freezer, filling up your mail person’ s truck if the doors are unlocked, etc)   If you are picking up at the farm, we will have a squash U-Pick area. Kohlrabi Carrots Beets (Jane, they are getting larger but not gnarly yet) Kale Chard Spinach Peppers (Sweet or Hot) Cucumbers Cauliflower Onions Herb List Basil—regular, lemon, lime, Thai, dark opal (purple with a wonderfully strong flavor)(pesto sized bag available if you ask) Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mint—spearmint, Oregano, Parsley—flat leaf or curled,  Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Winter Savory Pages from Grandma Beth’s Cookbook Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Scoop out the insides from the stem end of several patty pan squashes. Parboil or steam the shells for several minutes to soften up a bit. Chop up the scooped out portions of squash and sauté in butter with garlic and onions. Mix with bread crumbs or crumbled croutons, raw egg, sharp mustard, and grated cheddar cheese. Some herbs or pepper could also be added. Stuff the shells with the mixture. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle more cheese on top and broil for the last couple of minutes. This recipe can also be used with zucchini. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise andscoop out the insides to make zucchini boats. Even more summer squash ideas: 1. Use them raw with a veggie dip. 2. Substitute for potatoes in potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes and adjust cooking time accordingly (squash usually need less time to cook than potatoes). 3. Make stuffed patty pans or zucchini boats using a stuffed mushroom or stuffed green pepper recipe. Some people recommend precooking the shells so they are more tender. 4. Steam with other vegetables and serve with herbed butter. 5. Add raw to your favorite pasta salad recipe—especially yummy with Italian Parmesan dressing. 6. Batter and deep fry. We Get Mail Tim, We are going on vacation this upcoming week, and we would LOVE to bring our veggies with us.  Is it possible to change our pick-up day to Wednesday instead of Friday this week? Thanks, Julie Anzalone P.S. We have a jumbo order. P.P.S. We REALLY enjoyed our first batch of tomatoes for lunch today! YUMMM! I can hear their conversation as they are driving away…”Okay, Julie, I got all the Erehwon vegetables carefully wrapped and packed in the cooler.  They’re so fresh they should last us all week… seems like we are forgetting something… Yikes!  Where are the children?!!!” Greetings Tim! I just wanted to say I saw you on Fox News this morning talking about the drought. Good job and I hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes of fame! I feel honored to know a TV star.  Cheers! Jeanine   I’ll be happy to autograph a squash if anyone is interested. tf Hi Tim, Well, I've heard that we're having the worst drought in 143 years. Wow! I really do appreciate being able to get such wonderful produce in spite of the conditions. You're surely doing something right! On the extras... Cukes, kale, chard, and snap peas will do nicely. Thanks, Robin Robin, Thanks for your kind words and all your help this year.  tf Hi Tim, For extras, may we have Hot Peppers, Kale, Chard and Cucumbers. As for our vacation, we plan on leaving early on Tuesday the 9th of August. So, as early as we can pick it up would be great. Thanks!!! Hey, I meant to tell you last week’s delivery was fantastic. Loves the beets and the lettuce and the squash – everything!!!!! Thank you for being such a great farmer, Georgine Georgine, thanks for your kind words.  Your tomato plants are looking pretty good in their pots!  Don’t forget to give them something to climb on.  tf Hi Tim, I'm still praying for rain. I hope the the heat is not getting to you. This week for extra I would like sugar snap peas, cucumbers, cauliflower, and lemon or lime basil or a mixture of both. Have you ever made pesto with these varieties. Enjoy your week. Julian Miller Yep, and lemon basil comes out first in our taste tests!  tf Hi Tim,      We're almost keeping up with the vegetables... This week for extras we'd like: Peppers (sweet) Cucumbers Thai Basil (Pesto sized bag) kohlrabi Thanks,    Joe Davison PS. Here's a recipe from Australia we found on the web and thought fine: <http://www.woolworthsfresh.com.au/food/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=2005/ 050404d&title=Kohlrabi%20and%20fennel%20slaw> Highlights from Woolworths Fresh, April 4, 2005. Kohlrabi & fennel slaw Serves 6-8 as a side dish Dressing 1 egg yolk 1 tbs fresh lemon juice 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 50ml olive oil Salt & freshly ground pepper 2 slices prosciutto 700g trimmed kohlrabi 1 baby fennel, trimmed, finely sliced 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup (45g) roughly chopped walnuts 1 To make the dressing, use a hand-held blender or small food processor   to combine the egg yolk, lemon juice and wholegrain mustard. Gradually   add the olive oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. 2 Preheat a grill on high heat. Grill the prosciutto for about 3   minutes each side or until crisp. Allow to cool slightly. Break into   rough pieces. 3 Coarsely grate the kohlrabi. Combine the kohlrabi, fennel, salt,   pepper and dressing in a bowl until the vegetables are well coated in   the dressing. Gently toss the basil through the salad. Scatter the   walnuts and proscuitto over the top. Joe, thanks for sharing the recipe – sounds great! Hi, Tim: Thanks for the great bouquet last week--you didn't really have to make up for missed extras some weeks back, but we are continuing to appreciate the flowers. Also appreciated the three bouquets at Lombard Mennonite Church yesterday as a result of your exchange with Todd and Dennette! We'd like as our extras sweet peppers, cucumbers, and mint. I assume my standing pesto-size basil order is my fourth extra? Jane Halteman The refrigerator arrived just in the nick of time and it works great! tf Tim, More kolrabi please -for the same reasons as last week. And.. in Skippy's defense he can be VERY MENACING INDEED -he just likes you alot. Also the same time frame is true for our household this week. I'll not be home from 2:45 to 3:10. Skippy will handle it. Jenny PS I was teaching in MS this weekend and a student in our group has three organic acres of her very own -their season being ahead, and well watered this summer- she brought bushels of Sun Golds for us to snack on. They were wonderful! When can we begin to look for ours? Jenny, you should have some Sun Golds in your bag this week.  P.S. to Skippy:  When Jenny’ s not looking, see if you can sneak a few of those Sun golds – they are Bucky the Farm Dog’ s favorite farm treat!  tf Hi Tim, Chris Davis Lafeber here. I pick up my stuff (jumbo suscriber) on Friday and would like a pesto sized bag of Italian basil set aside for me. A fellow Californian, I cannot get enough of the stuff during its brief season. Everything we have received, so far, has been excellent. It's so nice to have access to fresh, "real" food...even if it's for just a few months. I've been making lots of raw food salads, mixing greens, raw beets (shredded or sliced), garlic, onions, kohlrabi (shredded or sliced), pea pods (cutting in halves or thirds to make easier for kids to eat) and any other veggies I have around and chopped fresh herbs and throwing in some grilled chicken or steak adding favorite salad dressing and grated cheese (as an option) and serving in a cold wrap or tortilla, that has been spread with hummus (optional) and folded like a taco. Even the kids cannot get enough of the things! Hummus has many uses and is a great complement to your wonderful raw veggies as a dip. It's so easy to make. Be creative: drain a can of Garbanzo beans (large or small can is up to you) and keep the drained juice. Whirl in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add peeled garlic cloves to taste and lemon juice...it can range from half a lemon to an entire one...up to two, depending on personal taste and size of lemons. If it's too thick, add some of the drained garbanzo juice to thin a bit. It can be eaten "as is" at this point, but if you want it to be authentic, a tablespoon or two of tahini can be added and blended in. After its done, taste for salt and, if you are a stickler for authenticity, you can put a little dent in the middle of the hummus and pour in a teaspoon or two of high quality olive oil. Use it as a dip with pita, tortillas, crusty bread or large croutons, crackers or raw veggies. It is also good as a spread for sandwiches by itself or, spread on bread in place of mayonnaise for a sliced chicken or sliced beef sandwich...and, for vegetarian sandwiches, even just some of your field greens and bitter lettuces, chopped a bit to make eating a bit easier. You can even add nuts and dried fruit to the greens, if you want. It's also a great spread for tortillas or wraps, since it helps keep everything in place if placed on the tortilla or wrap before filling and rolling or folding. It's also good wrapped by itself in a leaf of one of your lettuces...even the smaller leaves taste great topped with it. Enjoy! Thanks for all your hard work! Chris Chris, Thanks for sharing your great ideas!  I had to Google “tahini” to find out what it was.   Part of what came back was “Tahini Compare prices on Tahini Search over 200,000 stores! Yahoo.com”  My, my, the power of the web…tf