Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #13

GEOF-tomatoes
Tomatoes image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Tomatoes – 6 lb. bag
Yellow Potatoes – 1 quart
Zucchini – 2 pieces OR Sweet Dumpling/Acorn Squash – 2 pieces
Scallions – 1 bunch
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Green Bell Peppers – 2 pieces
Garlic – 1 piece
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Peaches – 1 bag
Mixed bag of Apples and Pears
Ripen peaches in a paper bag on the counter, then refrigerate.

Herb Share
Mint – 1 bunch
Oregano – 1 bunch

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

STORAGE TIPS
In a bag in the fridge: Scallions, Eggplant
In the fridge: Peppers
On the counter: Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes, Garlic
Cool, dark place: Potatoes

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Last week’s heat has helped the tomatoes turn a corner. We now have ample supply of tomatoes and hope to have at least 6lbs for everyone this week! The rest of the contents may be a bit mixed this week. We may not have enough eggplant, spaghetti squash or bell peppers for everyone this week but we’ll be sure to make it up in the weeks to come. Even the fruit share is likely to change as the week goes on, so please keep checking our newsletter for updates to this week’s share.

Also, if you are yearning for even more tomatoes, we do have some delicious seconds available. Keep in mind that they can only be picked up at the Jamesport farm location and/or our farmers markets. Please contact the farm for more information.

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Romesco Sauce
Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Wafers

Save the Date:
Golden Earthworm’s Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 20th
This year’s Harvest Festival promises to be a delicious and fun outing! If enough people are interested, we’ll organize a bus trip, as we did last year! Stay tuned for more info.
Save the date! October 20th ~ 11am-3pm

Categories
Recipes

Sautéed Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins

Greens with Cashews
Greens with Cashews. Image via simplyrecipes.com

We are collaborating with fellow CSA member and founder of EZeating, Chef Tara Wood, to highlight a few recipes that use veggies from our CSA deliveries. She has collected a series of delicious recipe suggestions, so keep you eyes peeled over the next few weeks for new ways to eat your way through summer. Enjoy this recipe with this week’s Swiss Chard and Garlic!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 bunch kale, chard, collards, or turnip greens, etc., about 1 pound, tough stem centers removed (if any) and discarded, greens chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Roughly 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat a large sauté pan hot on medium-high heat and add the pine nuts. Toast them until they are fragrant and begin to brown. Pay attention as pine nuts burn easily. Stir or toss the nuts frequently. Once they are toasted, remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; the pan should already be hot, so it won’t take long for the garlic to begin to brown. Add back the pine nuts, add the raisins and the greens and mix well. Sauté, stirring often, until the greens wilt and begin to give up some of their water, anywhere from 1-2 minutes for spinach to 4-5 minutes for collards or kale.

3. Sprinkle a little salt and red pepper flakes on the greens. Add the white wine (can substitute water)—use a little more wine if you are cooking collards, a little less if you are cooking spinach. Toss to combine and let the liquid boil away. Once the liquid boils off, remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2, can easily be doubled.

Image and recipe via www.simplyrecipes.com

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #10

cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes! Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Scallions – 1 bunch
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Cucumbers – 4 pieces
Batavian Lettuce – 2 heads
Eggplant – 1 piece OR Green Frying Peppers – 3-4 pieces
Garlic – 1 head
Tomatoes – 1 red OR Cherry Tomatoes – .5 lb bag
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Yellow Peaches – 1 bag
Donut Peaches – 1 bag
Ripen peaches in a paper bag on the counter, then refrigerate.

Herb Share
Summer Savory
Oregano

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

UPDATE: The farmers had intended for each box to contain a bunch of Purslane, but there will only be a handful of bunches available for our most passionate purslane fans—Please ask for it! Here’s what the famers have to say: “The purslane has developed a leaf spot (probably a nutrient deficiency of some kind) and we’ve decided to replace it with eggplant or peppers (long green frying peppers). However, we did pick some (37 bunches) anyway for your most ardent purslane fans. It will be a separate white crate.”

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Storage Tips
-In a bag in the fridge: Scallions, Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Purslane
-In the fridge: Cucumbers
-On the counter: Tomatoes, Garlic

This week’s share reflects the ongoing transition from mid-summer crops to late-summer produce; Tomatoes have started to come in, albeit slowly, and we have Cucumbers galore! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and relatively cool, particularly in comparison to July’s heat and humidity, but the trade off is that crops like tomatoes are taking a long time to ripen. As a result, the contents of this week’s share may fluctuate more than usual – please be sure to check back frequently for updates! And don’t forget, if you do not receive an item this week, we will work hard to try to provide it for you in the weeks to come.

A few more specific notes about this week’s share: We continue to have plenty of Batavian Lettuce, Scallions, and Swiss Chard, which have all done very well this season. The cucumbers have really taken off in the past week, and you may notice that they’ve increased in size due to the recent rain we’ve had. The water also helps to make them crisp and crunchy! Purslane is new this week, and is a personal favorite for many of us here at the farm. We will continue to distribute Garlic periodically; it’s such a beautiful sight to see it hanging/drying from the rafters in our front barn and we’re just a little sad to see it come down (though we’re always happy to provide it to our members!). Finally, please be aware that many of the tomatoes have cracks or crevices. Much of this is directly attributable to the wet and cool period we had during pollination. They are still very tasty despite the occasional deformities, and we hope to have many more tomatoes in the coming weeks.

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Purslane Salad
Cucumber Purslane Yogurt Salad

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #8

GEOF potatoes
Potatoes! Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Zucchini – 3 pieces
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Red Batavian Lettuce – 1 head
Green Batavian Lettuce – 1 head
Green Cabbage – 1 head
Cucumbers – 4-5 pieces
Baby Red Potatoes – 1 quart
Garlic – 1 small head
Basil – 1 bunch
Onion – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Peaches – 1 bag
(Ripen peaches in a paper bag on the counter, then refrigerate)
Blueberries – 1 pint
(Store in the refrigerator)

Herb Share
Orange Mint – 1 bunch
Marjoram – 1 bunch

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Everyone seemed to find last week’s storage tips helpful, so I’ll try to include them in each newsletter from now on. All greens – Swiss Chard, Lettuce and the Green Cabbage should be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. The Basil can be stored this way for a day, but if you want it to last longer its stems should be put in a glass (bouquet style) standing up in the fridge. The Cucumbers should be stored in the fridge, as should the Onion and the Potatoes, which are freshly harvested and will not store well in this heat. The garlic is fresh, so its skin has not fully dried out. This is a special hard-neck variety not found in stores. It is worth its weight in gold! We don’t grow much since the organic seed is very hard to come by in quantity, so savor it! It can sit on your counter for a week or so, but I would highly recommend using it with the basil for a delicious pesto! (Recipe below) I use pesto on pasta or as a spread on crostini or crackers as an appetizer.

Bon appetit! -Maggie

A NOTE FROM YOUR FARMER
After a couple of lackluster weeks of harvests for the CSA boxes we have a lovely assortment of new crops to harvest and send out this week. At these times we get the feeling that some of our members think were playing a trick or game and hiding all our extra special delicious crops somewhere. It may be hard to believe, but even with our 70+ acres in production for CSA, it is possible to have very, very little to harvest at a particular point during the year. Almost always this is due to lengthy periods of excessively wet field conditions.

Climatic conditions from June 7 through June 19th prevented us from working in the fields doing any kind of tillage, planting, weeding, fertilizing, etc. Most vegetable production is fairly complex, but growing for CSA is extra complex and demanding because of the need to continuously harvest and deliver a well balanced, diverse assortment of produce. With great weather this is already a significant challenge. With extended disruptions to planting and general field work it is not possible to come through with the intended crops at the desired time, thus leading to potential dissatisfaction when you pick up your shares.

We always plan to plant a certain quantity of crops which relates to the number of members we anticipate signing up. What we actually harvest is a result of various things, but the largest deciding factor of what ends up in your CSA box is the WEATHER! For people whose daily lives are relatively unaffected by weather, this may seem mind boggling that the darn weather affects their CSA share.

Farmers and field workers are intrinsically linked to the daily weather and how it affects them. In April and part of May we long for the awful Long Island wind to stop blowing from the East or the North, so we and the plants can thaw out. In the summer it’s such a rare treat to have a nice cool moist Easterly breeze, or a crisp North wind like we had this past Sunday. This past week we were lucky enough to enjoy high humidity and temperatures in the mid 90’s and the searing sun for more than 10 hours a day!!! But luckily there was a nice breeze for part of it. Talk about things that slow down production! Yes, the farm keeps on rolling, just a little slower.

Which brings me to the main theme of last week… irrigation. That is about all I did last week – the whole week- plus a little tractor work. I think it’s been 3-4 weeks with no rain and the unirrigated parts of the farm are either dust or completely dried out vegetation. With heat like last week all of our crops need loads of water, so that’s what we must provide. Luckily we can, and we managed to do it.

We irrigate with aluminum pipes with sprinklers that are hand moved from section to section, and also with a fair amount of drip hoses on crops like tomatoes and cucumbers.  As you will see in your shares this week the cucumbers are very happy with the heat and the water they get from their drip lines. Now that we have watered the crops we need to start watering the other sections of the farm so we can prepare for our late summer and fall plantings.

We appreciate your patience as we deal with the various weather issues that have affected the farm. We would also like everyone to share in the excitement of looking forward to the best months of the CSA season…coming soon! As always, everyone at the farm works diligently to uphold our end of the CSA relationship by growing as much high quality, nutritious, organic produce as we can. We also hope to bring some joy to your lives as we share this unique experience.

Happy Eating from our family to yours…

-Farmer Matt

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Fresh Pesto (for pasta)
New Potatoes with Pesto and Parmesan
Coleslaw with Yoghurt Dressing

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Autumn, Week #21

Radicchio
Radicchio, halved. Image via GEOF.

Veg Share*
Butternut Squash – 1 piece
Green Kale – 1 bunch
Escarole – 1 head
Radicchio – 1 head
Broccoli – 2 pieces
Fennel – 2-3 pieces
Dill OR Cilantro – 1 bunch
Spinach – 1 large .75lb bag
Bonus! Garlic seconds – 1 or 2 small pieces (Some garlic is missing a clove or two. We are using up the slightly damaged garlic which still has many good quality cloves. The brown discoloration on some of the cloves is just on the surface and is cosmetic, although you may want to cut it off before using.)
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week

Fruit Share
Mixed bag of Empire and Mutsu Apples

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Weekly dairy share pick up AND à la carte order pick up!

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Pick up your Lewis Waite orders today! Forgot to place an order? The next deadline is October 28th for delivery on November 1st. Please place your orders for Thanksgiving Turkeys by November 5th to be guaranteed a bird!!

A few friendly reminders & updates:

Winter Veg & Fruit Shares via Winter Sun Farms
Early bird signup for the Winter Sun Farms winter share continues online. The total price is $137. Read more and sign up online.

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #15

Veg Share*
Acorn Squash – 2 pieces
Green Beans – .55 lb
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint
Garlic – 1 head
Red Beets – 1 bunch
Red Tomatoes – 4 lb bag
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week

Fruit Share
Gala Apples
Gravenstein Apples

Herb Share
Rosemary
Sage

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Dairy share pick up is weekly. Don’t forget your milk!

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Pick up your Lewis Waite orders today! Forgot to place an order? The next deadline is September 16th for delivery on the 20th.

A few friendly reminders & updates:

Damson Plums, Available Now! ~ ORDER for delivery THIS Thursday ONLY
Special offer on Damson Plums (great for baking or making jam) for delivery THIS WEEK ONLY! Price: $30 for a 10 lb bag. Please deal with Golden Earthworm Farm directly (info [at] goldenearthworm.com).

Milk Not Jails Monthly Dairy Specials
The next dairy à la carte order deadline is Monday, September 10th for delivery on September 20th. Anyone, not just CSA members, can order these products and pick up from our CSA. Enjoy amazing dairy products and support criminal justice reform at the same time.

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #8

Veg Share*
Zucchini – several pieces
Cucumbers – 2-3 pieces
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Cippolini Onions – 1 bunch
Broccoli – 2-3 pieces
Garlic – 1 large or 2 medium heads
Beets – 1 quart
Batavian – Green & Red- 2 baby heads
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Peaches – 1 bag
Apricots – 1 bag
Blackberries -OR- Blueberries

Herb Share
Rosemary
Oregano

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Dairy share pick up is weekly. Don’t forget your milk!

Beyond the bountiful harvest, a few friendly reminders:

CSA BBQ Sat, July 28th 4pm
Join your fellow CSA’ers for an evening barbeque at Sunnyside Gardens Park! Bring your friends and family, grilling items and a dish to share. Please RSVP by July 25th.

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Order your Lewis Waite extras now and have your burgers and brats in time for the CSA BBQ! Order deadline is Sunday, July 22nd for delivery on July 26th.

Milk Not Jails Monthly Specials
It’s time again to make your à la carte dairy purchases from Milk Not Jails. Milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream and more! Order and pay online. Deadline is Monday, July 23rd at 5pm for delivery on August 2nd.

Categories
Recipes

Arugula & Fontina Frittata

recipe and image via Gourmet

 

Ingredients
garlic clove, halved
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 oz baby arugula (7 cups packed)
6 large eggs
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 lb Fontina, rind discarded and cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Method
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cook garlic in oil in a 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Discard garlic and add arugula, then cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper until combined, then pour over arugula in skillet and cook, undisturbed, over moderate heat until almost set, 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Sprinkle cheese evenly on top and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until eggs are just set and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

Categories
Recipes

Sauteed Greens with Ginger & Sesame

recipe via Food and Wine

What a great recipe to use up those beet greens! It can easily be made the day prior and refrigerated.

Ingredients
2 pounds tender greens, such as watercress, spinach, dandelion greens, beet greens or escarole—leaves coarsely chopped, thick stems discarded
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Heat a large pot. Add the greens and cook over high heat, tossing with tongs just until wilted. Transfer the greens to a colander and press out the excess liquid.

2. Wipe out the pot. Add the vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Add the ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the greens, season with salt and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds, transfer the greens to a bowl and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Categories
Recipes

Shrimp and White Bean Pasta


This adapted Michael Chiarello recipe is, as my husband puts it, a great mid-week dinner. -Jessica

Ingredients
8-10 (or more if you feel like it) raw deviened shrimp
2 chopped garlic clove
1/2 med. onion chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
3/4 can of white beans drained and rinsed (or use dried and soaked)
olive oil
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
crushed hot red pepper
salt
black pepper
fresh whole basil leaves
fresh parsley
hot cooked pasta ( I made with whole wheat cork screws) to serve 4
Parmesan (optional)

Method
1. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in pan on medium heat. You want enough that the whole pan is covered well. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and then put in pan and cook thru, turning frequently for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and put aside.

2. Sometime before or after the shrimp are cooked put beans in bowl with some water and a little oil and microwave (probably about 1 minute and 30 seconds) till hot and set aside was well.

3. Throw onions and garlic in same pan with oil you cooked shrimp in and saute till almost soft.

4. Add cherry tomatoes, crushed red pepper, lemon/lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, basil and saute for a couple minutes.

5. Add warm beans and mix briefly on heat.

6. Pour over hot pasta, adding shrimp and toss together.

7. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese (if you dare to break Italian tradition and put cheese on a seafood pasta dish) and serve!