CSA Week 15

This has been a very exciting week at the farm. Three of our sows gave birth to the sweetest little piglets, we harvested all of our winter squash, and we harvested our best crop of broccoli yet! Having more baby animals to care for is a challenge and a joy. Two of our sows rejected their babies, leaving our one good mother to care for all 15. Unfortunately we lost five of the piglets, but the remaining ten seem healthy and active and momma pig, Annabelle, is doing a great job as a new  mother.

We are definitely feeling fall in the air. The leaves are beginning to turn on the farm, and the summer crops are slowly beginning to peter out. Instead of the full lush garden of summer, we have many empty beds waiting to be cover-cropped for the winter. I've learned so much this year.  And despite being tired and ready for the rest that winter promises, I can't help but be excited for next season. I am already dreaming about new crops to try (ruffled red peppers, and Mexican gherkins for example) and contemplating ways to improve the farm.

We are also currently raising a batch of 100 meat birds, which will be ready to harvest at the end of October. Please get in touch if you are interested in purchasing locally-grown chicken, raised on pasture, organic feed and organic garden scraps. We will also be selling our piglets at the end of November.  They are all registered American Guinea Hogs, which are a great breed for small farms as they are incredibly friendly, great foragers and much smaller then factory farmed pigs.

In the share this week you will find parsnips; they are one of my favorite root vegetables: delicious roasted, fried or mashed. We also have broccoli raab this week. Our broccoli raab is great sauteed in the pan with oil and garlic. It has a distinctly mustardy taste, and the leaf is incredibly tender.

Full Share

Broccoli, Gypsy - 1 head

Beans, Carson Yellow Wax - 1/2 Pound

Leeks - 2 each

Parsnips - 1 pound

Tomatoes - Heirloom and Red Slicers

Sweet Peppers, Italian Frying - 6 each

Broccoli Raab, Spring Raab - 1 bunch

Beets - 1 pound

Eggplant -  1# each

Chard - 1 bunch

Kohlrabi - 1 each

Cilantro - 1 bunch

Anaheim Peppers - 5 each

Half Share

Broccoli, Gypsy - 1 head

Beans, Carson Yellow Wax - 1/2 Pound

Leeks - 2 each

Parsnips - 1 pound

Tomatoes - Heirloom and Red Slicers

Sweet Peppers, Italian Frying - 6 each

Broccoli Raab, Spring Raab - 1 bunch

Beets - 1 pound

CSA Week 14

Full Share:

 Tomatillos, Plaza Latino Giant and Purple - 1 pound

Tomatoes, Heirloom and Red Slicers - 3 pounds

Summer Squash - 1 pound

Potatoes, German Butterball - 1 pound

Onion, Copra - 1 onion

Komatsuna or Chard - 1 bunch

Parsley - 1 bunch

Cucumbers - 2 cucs

Sweet Peppers, Italian Frying - 4 peppers

Eggplant, Angela - 2 eggplant

Cabbage, Green - 1 head

Fennel, Preludio - 2 heads

Beans, Romano - 1/2 pound

Beets - 1 pound

Half Share:

 Tomatillos, Plaza Latino Giant and Purple - 1 pound

Tomatoes, Heirloom and Red Slicers - 3 pounds

Summer Squash - 1 pound

Potatoes, German Butterball - 1 pound

Onion, Copra - 1 onion

Komatsuna or Chard - 1 bunch

Parsley - 1 bunch

Cucumbers - 2 cucs

Sweet Peppers, Italian Frying - 4 peppers

Cherry Tomatoes - SE and Farm only

Recipes:

Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad: 1 lb. variety of Heirloom tomatoes 1 large cucumber, sliced small handful parsey, roughly copped ½ fresh chili, minced (green is traditional, but I used red Serrano) 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds 1 Tbsp. cold-pressed olive oil 1 Tbsp. lime juice a few pinches sea salt

Directions: 1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant (be careful not to burn them!). 2. Cut the tomatoes into whatever shapes you like, according to the size of the fruit. Place in a large bowl. Add the sliced cucumber, chopped parsley and chili. 3. Whisk the olive oil, lime juice and salt together. Pour over the tomatoes and cucumber and fold gently to combine. Sprinkle with cumin seeds and serve.

Ratatouille:

• 1 medium or 2 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of basil, tied in a bouquet with kitchen twine + 6 basil leaves, chopped
• pinch of dried chile flakes
• 2 sweet peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• Salt to taste

1. Toss the eggplant cubes with a teaspoon or so of salt. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add a bit more oil if the eggplant absorbs all the oil and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove the eggplant when done and set aside.
3. In the same pot, pour in 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, basil bouquet, dried chile flakes, and a bit more salt.
4. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in peppers. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in summer squash. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in tomatoes.
5. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then stir in eggplant and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bouquet of basil, pressing on it to extract all its flavors, and adjust the seasoning with salt.

Potato, Bean and Fennel Salad:

1 pound of potatoes

1 tablespoon sea or kosher salt

8 ounces green beans, sliced in half, blanched, chilled in ice water

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, fine diced

4 slices very good bacon baked to very crisp, crumbled (optional)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, plus whole for garnish

Sea or kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash, cut into 1/2" dice the potatoes and cook them in the salted water until easily pierced with a sharp knife. When done, chill completely in icy water, then drain. This step can be done a day in advance.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the potatoes, green beans, sliced fennel, red onion and bacon if using.
3. Make the dressing. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and chopped parsley. Season to taste with sea or kosher salt and pepper. Add to vegetables and toss to blend with a large rubber spatula. Transfer to a serving bowl that will best show off its loveliness. Garnish around the edges with some bunches of parsley.

CSA Week 13

It is truly hard for me to believe that September is already here. Spring feels like a distant memory yet these past couple of months have been a blur of work, play, and abundance. As our second season on the farm begins to wind down, I've finally had some time to reflect on all we have accomplished. It is hard to believe that we've only been living and farming on this land for 18 months. Our land has transformed from what was once an old pasture to an incredibly vibrant and beautiful farm. Everywhere I look I see the work and love we have put into this place.

All of this reflecting has lead me to a deep feeling of gratitude. None of what we've done here would have been possible without the love and support of our families. By family I mean our literal family, our parents and siblings who have had our backs from the very beginning. But I also mean the people who started out as friends but have become like a family to us, putting their sweat, love and faith into this little farm. It feels like an incredible mile stone for me. Flying Coyote is a place I've dreamed about since I started farming ten years ago but to see it in action is something beyond my wildest dreams. Farming is incredibly hard work and sometimes the financial rewards are hard to come by, after a 70 plus hour week it can sometimes be challenging to remember to be grateful. For me the moments of gratitude are often found in the little things, like watching the goats play in the pasture, our seeing in the farm in the predawn light. But at the end of the season as the days get shorter and the farm begins to quiet down I am fully in a place of awe and appreciation for how beautiful and abundant our little farm is.

Full Share:

Leeks

Napa Cabbage Tomatoes, Heirloom and Red Slicers

Eggplant Parsley Peppers, Sweet and Green and Jalapenos Carrots Romano Beans

Chard Summer Squash Cherry Tomatoes

Potatoes

Half Share:

Cherry Tomatoes (NE only this week) Summer Squash Napa Cabbage Leeks Tomatoes, Heirloom and Red Slicers Peppers, Sweet and Green and Jalapenos Carrots Romano Beans

In this week's box you'll find romano beans. These green beans are an Italian style flat bean and they are delicious steamed and slathered in butter. You'll also find sweet red, orange and yellow peppers. We prefer to grow sweet Italian frying peppers over the standard bell pepper. Italian frying peppers are incredibly versatile. They have thin skins which make them great for grilling and roasting, and their sweet flesh makes them a delicious compliment to stir fries and soups. We've been enjoying them roasted and mixed into fresh tomato sauce. We know you might be starting to sing the summer squash blues but try this recipe for roasted zucchini hummus, it might make you rejoice to have squash in your box again!

CSA Week 12

Wordless Thursday:

Full Share

Fennel

Cucumber

Onion

Summer Squash

Tomatoes

Basil

Kale

Tomatillos

Napa Cabbage

Eggplant

Cherry Tomatoes

Poblano Peppers

Half Share

Fennel

Cucumber

Onion

Summer Squash

Tomatoes

Basil

Kale

Tomatillos

Recipes:

Chilled Tomatillo Avocado Soup

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Quinoa Caprese Salad

CSA Week 11

It actually felt like fall this morning, cool and crisp, with the days getting noticeably shorter. Farming is so much tied to the art of learning to read seasons. To adapt to the weather, to have a plan but to know how to change it based on how the season is going. This year has been an incredible season for fruit crops, the hot days are what these subtropical plants love best, whereas our lettuce and collards are starting to look a bit sad and out of place. We've experimented with some greens that love the heat (Carlton Komatsuna) while holding back on sowing more arugula and spinach. One of the amazing things about our climate is the ability (with the help of greenhouses) to grow both cool season crops and warm season crops in the same garden space. Both may take a bit of coddling during one time of year or the other but the diversity of what can be successfully grown here is pretty amazing. I recently read on one of my favorite blogs about a couple who grows citrus in a greenhouse heated by wood in Corvallis!

We began digging our potatoes today and as in most things I feel like I still have a lot to learn about successful potato growing. We decided not to water our potatoes this year and strangely enough we still got blight which seems to have severely diminished the yields on some of our varieties. Every season I try to focus on a couple of crops that I want to become more adept at growing. This year was supposed to be the year of onion and broccoli, but when we make plans the onion maggots laugh and we lost our whole onion crop this spring to these pesky critters. Pulling out all of our onion starts that we had only days before put in the ground was truly devastating. Next year  we will try again, finding ways to keep onion maggots at bay and our potatoes blight free for more successful crops.

A lot of getting better at growing certain crops, in my case, is keeping note of what worked and didn't work this season so I can play on the strengths and minimize any losses that occurred. This season working with broccoli I've learned that there are certain varieties that work much better on our farm than others (Bay Meadows, Castle Dome and Gypsy have all proven strong in our system), I've learned that having an overhead irrigation system could potentially boost our yields, and I've learned that I need to grow a lot more plants than I had originally thought to fulfill all of our different markets. Our fall broccoli crop of Gypsy, Arcadia and Diplomat varietals is looking really beautiful, planted right before a mid summer rain and after a summer buckwheat cover crop, adjustments (and a little help from mother nature) that hopefully will allow us to see more success this season!

Full Share

Fennel

Green Beans

Tomatoes

Summer Squash

Leek

Red Cabbage

Cucumber

Poblano Pepper

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Lettuce

Tomatillos

Half Share

Fennel

Green Beans

Tomatoes

Summer Squash

Leek

Red Cabbage

Cucumber

Poblano Pepper

Eggplant

Recipes

Shaved Fennel Salad

Braised Fennel with Saffron and Tomato

Grilled Eggplant - My favorite way to eat our eggplant is to quarter them lengthwise, toss them in olive oil with pepper and salt, and to throw them on a hot grill....delicious. (summer squash is also pretty amazing done up this way)

CSA Week 10

It's hard to believe that we are already half way through the CSA season! The little bit of rain we received on Tuesday was a welcome relief to our fields and pastures. The farm has felt very dry and dusty and in need of a little bath! All this heat has brought more and more ripe tomatoes, squash and peppers. The warm days have also brought more pests in the form of flea beetles, cabbage butterfly, and leaf miners. You might notice that the collards have large and small holes this week. The small holes are signs of flea beetle feasting while the large holes are from cabbage butterfly caterpillars. Both of these pests are very common in the pacific north west and we use a host of organic controls to try and limit their damage including covering the plants with remay, using sticky traps and planting trap crops. We very rarely spray organic pesticides and see these as a last resort on our farm. To us pesticide use, even organically approved, are a bandaid to underlying issues on our farming system. High pest pressure can occur for a host of reasons, just like us, plants have immune systems, and our growing practices and soil health can greatly affect a plants ability to ward off or attract pests and disease. Sometimes pests come from weather and flea beetles love hot and dry climates like what we've been experiencing this summer. That said, they're damage is mainly cosmetic and your collards should still be delicious...the bugs sure thought so!

Full Share

Collards

Anaheim Peppers

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Beets

Jalapeno

Fennel

Basil

Kale

Eggplant

Half Share

Collards

Anaheim Peppers

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Beets

Jalapeno

Recipes

'Lazy' Chiles Rellenos

• 8 whole Roasted, Peeled, And Seeded Anaheim Chiles
• 1-1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese or Sharp Cheddar, Grated
• 5 whole Large Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Cut chilies in half and add a single layer of chilies on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top chilies with half the grated cheese. Repeat with another layer of chilies and another layer of cheese. Pour egg mixture all over the top. Place into a larger baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Pour in 1/2 inch of water and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until completely set. Cut into squares and serve with warm corn tortillas!

Not sure how to roast your peppers! Here's a How To from the Pioneer Women blog.

Wondering what to do with all of that zucchini? Here's a great recipe for Zucchini Bread from Smitten Kitchen.

Have a great week!