Newsletter Archives: 2009
2010 (weeks 1-30)
2011 (weeks 1-10) | 2010 (weeks 10-30)
November 12 - 15, 2001
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 28!
The Harvest:
Winter Squash - Acorn, Sweet Dumplin, or Butternut Squash.
Spinach
Mizuna
Carrots
Sweet Taters - Bake 'em till they're super soft...a little butter...nothing better!
Greens Choice - Choice of Kale, Turnip Greens, Kohlrabi Greens, Chard, or Broccoli Greens.
Radishes or Turnips - Daikon, Red Rose, Watermelon Radishes, and Salad Turnips
Green Tomatoes - Some red still!
Green Onions
Lettuce - Very tasty heirloom lettuces to choose from!
Pac Choy - purple and green pac choy! see recipes
Garlic
Remember, our pick up on Saturday is not from 10am-12pm!
News From the Farm
After weeks of not posting our newsletter online, we're back! Computers and cell phones stopped cooperating with me this season (or maybe it is the other way around). It is hard to stay "plugged in" when there is so much to do in the fields!
After a few weeks wondering if we would even have enough food for the fall months, it now seems that we are overwhelmed with the amount we have planted in the garden. The carrots are favored by almost all who try them and every season I double the amount we plant. Right now we are also selling a lot of extra carrots to the restaurants we work with. It always feels good to hear the chefs tell us that our food is far superior in quality and flavor than anything they have been buying elsewhere. A few we like who feature our vegetables throughout the season are Tayst, Flyte, and Capital Grille.
This past Thursday night, temperatures dropped to the mid 20s, freezing the garden solid. A few hours of sunlight and everything "thaws out" enough to harvest again. Not only do the fall crops survive moderate freezes, but they actually taste better afterwards!
Please let us know if you want extras of anything -- we may be able to grant your wish!
Thank you for being the backbone of our farm!
Eric
Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 8 cups chopped fresh bok choy
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Salt and ground black pepper
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce cook
3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender.
Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
----------
Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option, and gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
- 2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
- 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
- Salt
Method
1 Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm
over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion and
butternut squash. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent,
about 5 minutes.
2 Add rice to onion and squash. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add
wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the
rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely
cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed.
Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a
time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is
tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon
of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should
have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining
grated Parmesan.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
October 15- 18
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 24
The Harvest:
Winter Squash - Pie pumpkins or Butternut Squash.
Spinach
Sweet Potaters - The first sweet taters out of the ground! They're small ( we call them "roasters") and are great roasted whole.
Greens Choice - Choice of Kale or Turnip Greenz!
Radishes or Salad Turnips w/ greens - Round/long radishes or White Salad Turnips (try em raw!)
Tomatoes
Arugula - try arugula cooked on pizza or toast if you're not into the raw salads! A good amount this week.
Peppers - hot and sweet peppers!
Mizuna - a mild, tender salad green. similar to arugula, but without the spice.
Pears - These local, heirloom pears were donated by Jeff and Pam, fellow CSAers. They are perfectly ripe right now.
Basil
Garlic
News From the Farm
A productive week! All the sweet potatoes have been dug (3,500 lbs) and the garlic has been planted. The garlic took some time with Pete and I. Our friend heather came to help separate the cloves (over 100lbs) and mulch after planting. Our neighbors Mark and Ayla helped us plant. In all, we planted about 4,000 row feet of garlic, each one planted 6-8" apart. Two full days of work that is not-so-friendly on the back, but hopefully worth the effort when we pull up 4x as much garlic next spring!
The long harvest days of the fall are finally here, bending over, bunching greens, bunching radishes, soon to be bunching carrots, beets, and onions. Although we have 6 weeks to go, I can already tell we will have plentiful harvests and full csa bags for the rest of the season. With the current season sailing smooth, it is easy to let the mind drift into next spring: the crop failures of this year will be successes, we will get plenty of rain. Peter is starting his own farming operation down the road, which will be a great success, but how will I change the farm, who will I farm with? The winter has a way of breaking down the previous season. As it deteriorates, all that is neccessary for the farm to continue falls into its place. I know not to think too much, not to make the most wonderful plans, until the current season is only frozen fields and photographs.
Thank you for being the backbone of our farm!
Eric
October 8 - 11
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 23
The Harvest:
Sweet Dumplin' Winter Squash
Sweet Potaters - The first sweet taters out of the ground! They're small ( we call them "roasters") and are great roasted whole.
Greens Choice - Choice of Kale, Kohlrabi Greens, Beet Greens, and Turnip Greenz!.
Radishes or Turnips w/ greens - Round/long radishes or Scarlet Queen Turnips (Roast em!)
Tomatoes
Arugula - try arugula cooked on pizza or toast if you're not into the raw salads!
Mizuna - a mild, tender salad green. similar to arugula, but without the spice.
Pears - These local, heirloom pears were donated by Jeff and Pam, fellow CSAers.
Basil
Zinnias
News From the Farm
After writing this week's newsletter I learned that our dear friend, supporter, and backbone of this community, Minda, passed away. A shining light my entire life, Minda is credited with introducing the initial idea to start the farms that I currently manage. Her strong will, determination, kindness, and softness brought our community together and holds it like glue. She will always be an inspiration for me to follow my heart.
The fall always seems to give us one last window of warm, dry weather before all turns cool and wet throughout the winter. This window must be recognized as the "last chance" that it is, motivating the farmer to complete all the time sensitive tasks that characterize this beautiful time of year. A few big plantings must come out of the ground and a few must go in before the first killing frost (we had our first light frosts this past weekend, by the way). The sweet potatoes, planted in early June, will all rot if the vines are frosted with the 'taters still attached underground. Two long days of digging and they're out! We counted about 70 bushels, or 3,500 lbs, the most I've ever grown...and what quality! This yellow variety, called "Gold Nugget", is an heirloom from Macon Co., TN. We will give the smallest "roasters" this week as the largest ones cure (sweeten up). I suggest washing and roasting/baking them whole with a little olive oil or butter, salt, and maybe a little brown sugar or maple syrup. MMMM!
 Pete and I "grub" up potatoes and lay them out to cure.
The peanuts will be the next to come out. I've never grown them before, but they've done very well. In the next few days I will preapre ground to plant garlic. Each clove produces one head, and large cloves will produce larger heads, which is why can cannot sell our prettiest, largest garlic. The garlic is mulched heavily with straw or hay and grows through the winter, even more so in the spring, and is harvested the following June. So, a lot to do in a small window, but even the smallest opening is better than none at all!
...AND the crops to come look outstanding! Beets, carrots, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, and so much more!
With love,
Eric, Peter, and Holly
Roasted Turnips
Roast these with sweet taters, potaters, peppers, tomatoes, whatever!
Roasting mellows the sometimes sharp flavor of turnips and concentrates their texture into a tender, melting vegetable in this easy recipe. Serve these Roasted Turnips alongside roasted meats
This recipe is really a method and you should feel free to change the amount to suit your needs. Try adding herbs (rosemary is particularly yummy) or spices, or combine the turnips with other root vegetables as you like.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. turnips
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Salt
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 400. Trim turnips. Leave baby turnips whole; cut larger turnips into large-ish bite-size pieces. Put turnips into a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands or two large spoons to toss the turnips to coat them thoroughly with the oil. Sprinkle with salt.
- Roast turnips until tender and browned, about 30 minutes.
October 1 - 4
THE BELLS BENDER
photo a comin' soon!
Week 21
The Harvest:
Delicata or Spaghetti Squash
Greens Choice - as the fall season progresses, we will have more greens to choose from. This week we have the first kale, turnip greens, and a few sweet potato greens for those enjoying them.
Tomatoes
Arugula - try arugula cooked on pizza or toast if you're not into the raw salads!
Mizuna - a mild, tender salad green. similar to arugula, but without the spice.
Parsley
Potatoes
Basil
Zinnias
News From the Farm
A happy, healthy garden makes for happy harvesting and healthy eating. That said, the cool fall weather and consistent rains haven't hurt either. The garden this time of year is a pleasure to walk through, the neat rows of green leaves lush and emmaculate hind the dark soil.
Rain means germination for all the last warm weather seeds, as well as the cool weather seeds. Rains also mean wet soil, which can prevent cultivation (hoeing) at a time when the garden needs it most. Finally a few clear, windy days leave us with soil dry enough to run a hoe through -- and what an honor it is to hoe out such a beautiful fall garden!
Hoeing is perhaps my favorite of all the farm tasks -- one that requires great skill and exact timing. Each motion must be as loose, delicate, and intentional as a bow on the fiddle. In two weeks, missed weeds must be pulled by hand. Only then will the farmer be able to assess his or her skill with this ancient tool. By then, of course, it's too late!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Eric, Pete, Holly
September 24 - 27
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 21
The Harvest:
Delicata or Spaghetti Squash
Radishes - French Breakfast or Round Chariette radishes (try them roasted!)
Turnip Greens - very tender greens this week
or
Sweet Potato Greens - super-nutritious and very tasty!
Tomatoes
Arugula
Parsley
Potatoes
Peppers - Red sweet peppers and a few hots to choose from
Basil - not pictured
Zinnias -
Bells Bend Hops Festival and Square Dance is set for September 24th! Cover is $10, which gets you 2 brews.
This event kicks off the Bells Bend Preservation Ale, brewed by Yazoo with our hops!
7pm - 5188 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, T 37218
News From the Farm
There is no “l” in “farm.” With ego and the idea of ownership out of the way, everything runs more smoothly. Sulphur Creek is a community farm. Like the “community garden” concept, our farm is a collective effort that is sustained by many hands and a long list of people located throughout middle Tennessee in Bells Bend, Scottsboro, and Nashville.
Our CSA is the backbone of this collective, providing the farm with an income. Without money for seeds and equipment, Sulphur Creek would not exist! Additionally, the CSA is a key source of emotional support and encouragement, both during the warm, working months and the off-season.The farm is also an intelligent organism, one that all of us involved, including you, are part of. Amazingly, the farm seems to draw far and wide everything it needs to flourish. People are magnetically pulled to this place - I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
When we need help harvesting on a rainy morning, as was the case this past Friday, CSA members and friends arrive to pitch in and, in the process, reinvigorate those of us who might otherwise feel daunted by the tasks at hand. When no time is available to build the new greenhouse, people committed and connected to Sulphur Creek donate their time, energy, and skill to ensure that we, and they, have food this winter. It’s a beautiful relationship - those who nurture the farm are, in turn, nourished by it. We all care for the ground our food springs from and the relationship grows, every day, every year.
Heather, our dear friend, helps us harvest/wash radishes. How vibrant they are!
Eric, Peter, and Holly
Recipes
Roasted Radishes and Potatoes
4 Baking Potatoes
1 Bunch Radishes, with tops
3 T Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
1 t Dijon Mustard
2 T Chopped Fresh Parsley
1. Heat the oven to 425 and place a large, rimmed baking sheet inside while it preheats.
2. Dice your potatoes and radishes into the same size pieces. Toss them with about 2 T oil and salt and pepper. Pull the hot sheet out of the oven. Transfer potato mixture onto the sheet and roast for 20 – 25 minutes.
3. Once the potatoes and radishes are roasted, top with the radish greens and slide back into the oven for about 2 more minutes – or just until the greens wilt a bit.
While the greens are wilting, whip up a dressing of 1 T olive oil, the mustard, parsley and salt and pepper.
4. Pull the roasted mixture out of the oven and top with the dressing. Serves 4.
Arugula, Radish, Apple Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bunches arugula, thick stems removed, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 pound radishes, thinly sliced on mandoline
- 1 red apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
Directions
Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper. Toss arugula, radishes and red apple together. Toss salad with dressing right before serving.
September 17 - 20
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 20
The Harvest:
Delicata Winter Squash - Perhaps my favorite of the fall squashes--just slice long, and bake until very tender.
Turnip Greens
or
Sweet Potato Greens - super-nutritious and very tasty!
Tomatoes - I can't believe the tomatoes are still going!
Arugula
Parsley
Potatoes
Pears - heirloom hard pears are great for baking or arugula salads!
Peppers - Red sweet peppers and a few hots to choose from
Basil - not pictured
Zinnias - not pictured
Bells Bend Hops Festival and Square Dance is set for September 24th! Cover is $10, which gets you 2 brews.
This event kicks off the Bells Bend Preservation Ale, brewed by Yazoo with our hops!
7pm - 5188 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, T 37218
News From the Farm
Things actually appear to be shaping up, and I have a renewed sense of confidence going into the cool season. Just before the rain Wednesday night, I scrambled to plow and prepare fall ground, plant cover crop seed, and cultivate the fall crops.
Radishes and Hakurei Turnips
The fall is the best chance to prepare for the spring. I planted about 2 acres into crimson clover, wheat, rye, and buckwheat. These plants, with the exception of the buckwheat, will survive the coming cold and overwinter into the spring. When things warm up, the plants will explode with growth above and below ground. Once the ground dries out enough in May, I will mow the cover crop and plow it under. This practice will improve the soil by adding a ton of organic matter, while protecting it from erosion over the wet winter months. The clover will fix nitrogen and add that to the soil as well.
The price I paid for pushing it too hard Wednesday was a bad cold. The rain made everything OK, and the happy, weed-free fall crops are helping me get well!
After planting the cover crop, I was rewarded with this special guy:
Have a wonderful week,
Eric, Peter, and Holly
Recipes
Sweet Potato Greens - (note: you need not remove the stems from our greens as they are quite tender -- just chop em all up!)
Ingredients
One bunch of sweet potato leaves (volume of the untrimmed bunch was 6-10 Qt.)
1-2 hot dried red chilies
1-2 cloves of garlic
Salt, soy sauce, pepper to taste
Method
- Fill a pot with water and put it on the stove over high heat. The pot should be large enough to hold the leaves, and there should be enough water to cover the leaves.
- Strip the leaves from the branches. The thin stems that attach the leaves to the branch are tender enough to eat, so there is no need to remove only the leaves. Wash and drain the leaves.
- Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic.
- Chop the chilies fine, and combine with the garlic.
- When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and carefully add the sweet potato leaves. After 2 minutes, remove and rinse with cold water. Chop the leaves. (This step was recommended by the cookbook to remove traces of natural slime from the leaves.)
- In a large skillet or wok, heat some vegetable oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the garlic and chilies. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring often.
- Add the greens, then stir-fry the mixture until the greens are tender, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce, or other flavorings to taste.
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 18
The Harvest:
Spaghetti Squash -First winter squash is here -- see recipes for ideas!
Turnip Greens - These young tender greens are the first of the fall -- see recipes.
Tomatoes -- Tomatoes are still coming in but are slowing down a bit. Plenty this week!
Okra - Green and Red heirloom okra.
Arugula - First fall cutting of this tender salad green.
Potatoes
Peppers - Red sweet peppers and a few hots to choose from
Basil - not pictured
Zinnias - not pictured
Garlic - not pictured
News From the Farm
100 degrees to 60 overnight is a quick change of seasons! After the pick up/market last Saturday, I rushed back to the farm to work more ground and sew covercrops before the rain rolled in. I was just in time and even got a bit done Sunday morning as well before fields became too wet to work. Timing is very important for fall work. If you wait too long, the winter rains and cool weather will keep the soil too wet to plow or plant until the following spring. Preparing ground during the dry weeks in early fall are usually the best chance we have at getting a head start on the next year's season.
We met Monday morning to begin the harvest and worked our way through the strong wind and rains. Unpleasant to harvest in, yet such a welcome break to the summer's heat. I love cool, wet weather and several times this week I have been reminded of my days backpacking through the Appalachians, Wales, Scotland, and Alaska. The summer vegetables, however, do not seem to have liked the immediate change of seasons as much. The tomatoes are producing 10% of what they were a week ago. The squash and beans are not producing any fruit at all. Oh, what are we to do??? As it always works out, we have the first of the fall greens ready to harvest, and not a moment too soon. Arugula and Turnip Greens are both new on the list this week, as well as our first winter squash -- spaghetti squash! We will have greens for a while and, I feel the same way, it can be hard to maintain a consistent excitement about greens for some of us. Many of you will love this weekly addition to the basket, some will have to get creative in the kitchen! Either way the fall is here, ready or not!
So, after a few weeks of giving fairly large shares, the cool weather is cutting us back some. Carrots and beets are around the corner, and a whole lot more.
Our two barn cats, Mokum and Sorrel, just sleep all day. Despite repeated attempts to teach them any usefull skills (hoeing here) they remain uninterested...
Have a great week!
Your Farmers,
Eric, Pete, and Holly
Recipes
Spaghetti Squash -
You can find tons of great recipes online. Here's one:
Ingredients
-
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
-
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-
1 onion, chopped
-
1 clove garlic, minced
-
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
-
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
-
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
-
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
- Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.
Here is a great link with a few good Turnip Green recipes: Turnip Greens
September 3-6, 2011
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 17
The Harvest:
Sweet Corn - This late planting of sweet corn is in! Not the quantity we had earlier in the summer, but good sweet corn nonetheless!
Tomatoes -- Tomatoes are still coming in but are slowing down a bit. Plenty this week!
Okra - Green and Red heirloom okra.
Squash - Zephyr and Sunburst Pattypan squash
Potatoes - Yukon Gold 'taters this week
Peppers - Red sweet peppers and a few hots to choose from
Beans - We're hoping the beans keep producing. Yard longs, green beans, and purple snap beans.
Basil - not pictured
Zinnias
News From the Farm
It's hot as heck and...seeds are sprouting! After weeks of germination failures, mostly due to hot soil temperatures, we have row after row of beets, carrots, spinach, chard, kale, green onions, radishes, arugula, and a whole lot more. It is nothing short of uplifting to see -- a beautiful fall garden at its earliest stages and a breath of relief after the trouble we've had getting things going. As most of you know, and a decision most of you support, I always grow a ton of carrots. In the fall, carrots are far sweeter than the spring crop, unlike any you've had. This year I am trying several new varieties, most notably a large amount of colored carrots. The seed packets read, "Deep Purple", "Rainbow", and "Purple Haze". They've got a great start and we will be eating carrots in October if all goes well.
These tiny carrot seedlings are a sight for sore eyes in this dry soil and heat. I consider this a perfect row, which should yield about 1 pound of carrots per foot. For the CSA this means big bunches again this fall! We've got about 3,000 feet or so of carrots planted --we'll see how the rest come up.
As if we don't have enough to work on right now, plans for next year's gardens are already bouncing around in our minds. Fall is the time to compost fields for next year's crop, and a good amount of thinking must be done to have a successful rotation, placement, and space for the broccoli, cabbages, peas, and carrots of the coming spring. Seemingly burdensome, thinking ahead to next year is more calming than anything. It allows me to re-do all the mistakes I made this spring!
In the late-summer garden, things are slowing down, but still growing. We hope to have summer veggies for a few more weeks and have a few tricks up our sleeves in the case that shares begin to look smaller than expected.
Our dear neighbor and bass player, Mark, helps us sort tomatoes after the harvest. This time consuming chore is taking less effort as the tomatoes begin to slow down.
Put the date on your calendar -- September 24 we will have our Hops Festival and Square Dance. You will be reminded many times!
Your Farmers,
Eric, Pete, and Holly
Recipes
Crispy Oven Roasted Smashed New Potatoes 
- All of your Yukon Gold taters
- Lots of good olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh herbs
- Parchment paper is very useful
- Preheat your oven to 450-475
- Boil up as many potatoes as you’d like in some nicely salted water (taste it, it should taste like the sea…adding enough salt to the boiling water is CRUCIAL!!! to a well seasoned inside.)
- When the potatoes are cooked through, drain the water and set aside for a moment as you spread a parchment paper over a baking tray.
- Pour olive oil generously over the bottom of the parchment covered tray, making little pools of oil - as many pools as you have potatoes. Use about 1Tbls of oil under each potato.
- Place a potato on each pool of oil, and squish it down flat over the top of the oil. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
- Drizzle another Tbls of oil over the top of each potato and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- If desired, sprinkle on a little fresh chopped rosemary or thyme (freshly minced chives are also very nice.)
- Bake for 20 minutes or so in your very hot oven until the potatoes are crispy and golden on top.
You can pre boil the potatoes hours ahead of roasting, as a time saver, if desired.
Possible variations include:
- Substituting duck fat or bacon grease for the olive oil
- Mashing the potatoes first, instead of smashing them on the pan, and then dropping spoonfuls of mashed potatoes onto each spoonful of oil
- Preparing these on the stove top, by adding a good amount of oil to a cast iron skillet and then smashing the potatoes down into the preheated pan, turning over once (this method makes some tasty spuds, but they are a little heavier than the baked version.
August 27-30, 2011
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 16
The Harvest:
Tomatoes -- Tons of tomatoes still!
Okra - Green and Red heirloom okra.
Squash
Potatoes
Peppers - These peppers will keep turning red if you wait a few days to eat them.
Edamame (soy beans) - Boil or steam for 6-7 minutes
Beans - see yard long recipe below!
Basil
Zinnias
News From the Farm
The transition into fall always worries me. The CSA basket starts looking redundant, squash, okra, beans, and tomatoes -- every week! Such times force us to get creative in the kitchen (although I don't hear too many complaints about "too many tomatoes"). What worries me more than members becoming tired of the same summer foods, is the thought that they might run out! Summer crops do "run out" and the hope is that fall crops will come in just as the summer crops peter out. This summer has been a difficult one for fall seed-starting. We've been blessed with rain twice after seeding, yet germination has been surprisingly low. The hot summer soil has a lot to do with it. So here we go, rolling out the drip tape, fixing leaks, repairing pumps, and watering the seeds consistently to improve germination. We've got some...200,000 carrot seeds in the ground, with about 1,000 of those sprouting. Hopefully the irrigation will bring the rest up!
One exciting topic as of late is that we are partnering with local brewery, Yazoo, to make a Bells Bend beer. For the last two years we've been trying to grow hops organically. They don't really grow well in our climate for various reasons, but we're growing them relatively well nonetheless. Last week a few of the Yazoo crew came out and harvested the hops with us. We all sat around and picked the hops off the vine while drinking cold Yazoo beer. The total harvest was about 25 lbs (actually a pretty large volume -- they're light!). This should be enough for 40 kegs or so, the procedes of which will go to sustainable projects in our community.
In late September we'll have a square dance to kick of the local brew -- more details to come!
Your Farmers,
Eric, Pete, and Holly
Recipes
Stir-Fried Chinese Long Beans
1 pound Chinese Long Beans, washed and trimmed to 3″ lengths
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Heat up your wok, add oil. When shimmering, add minced garlic. Fry just for a few seconds until fragrant. You want to make sure that you don’t wait too long before adding the garlic to the oil, otherwise the oil will be too hot and the garlic will burn.
Add your long beans, fry in wok for 30 seconds, tossing the garlicky oil all over the beans.
Add water, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Cover the wok. Let the beans steam for 5 minutes on medium heat. Check to see if beans are almost tender, but not too soft. If not, re-cover and steam an additional 1 minute. Uncover, let the rest of the liquid evaporate, about an additional minute
Okra-Pepper Sauté
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine
- 1 cup yellow bell pepper strips
- 1 cup red bell pepper strips
- 3 cups okra pods, cut in half diagonally (about 1/2 pound)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
- Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers; sauté 4 minutes. Add okra; cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes or until okra is tender. Stir in cilantro, salt, and black pepper.
July 30-19, 2011
THE BELLS BENDER
Photo coming soon!
Week 12
The Harvest:
Tomatoes -- We pick our tomatoes "first blush", meaning when they first start turning red. Set them on the table for a few days until perfectly ripe!
Okra - Our first harvest of okra -- not a ton, but enough for a dish!
Squash
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Peppers - These peppers will keep turning red if you wait a few days to eat them.
Edamame (soy beans) - We will be giving these on the plant. They will need to be picked off and steamed -- see recipe below.
Onions
Carrots - These are the last of the carrots for a few weeks. Fall carrots are way sweeter anyway!
Basil
News From the Farm
Spring greens are a memory, the last of the early carrots are dug, and all the summer crops are producing more and more each week. This week we have two crops that were unexpectedly ready for harvest: okra and edamame soybeans!
For the last several weeks, and really for most of this season, I have been pleased with the shares we have been able to give. Each week, I add up the value of the vegetables and their amounts based on current, conservative market prices to ensure we are giving at least $23 worth of produce. We usually range between $24-$28 in value, but the last few weeks have been over $30! It is good to know that the CSA is "worth it" for our members economically.
Planting fall crops this time of year is...nuts! It is so hot and bug pressure is so high, it is no wonder why we usually reseed everything at least 3 times. Yesterday we seeding a huge amount of kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and more. These crops, all of the same family, are the most vulnerable to complete destruction at the hands of beetles, moths, and grasshoppers to name a few. For this reason, we seed them under a huge fabric row cover that protects the tender babies. As the plants emerge, they lift the cover up with them, protected from the dangers hungry buggers. We also seeded our first round of carrots and beets for fall harvest.
Our dear intern Whitney will be heading home to Texas next week to start her own farm with her family. Be sure to say goodbye at the pick up!
Have a wonderful week!
Your Farmers,
Eric, Pete, Whitney, and Holly
Recipes
August 6-9, 2011
THE BELLS BENDER
Week 13
The Harvest:
Watermelon - Delicious "Sugar Baby" watermelons!
Sweet Corn - variety called, "Peaches 'n Cream".
Tomatoes -- Finally, the tomatoes are coming in! We've got a lot for you this week...Set them on the table for a few days until perfectly ripe!
Okra - Green and Red heirloom okra.
Squash
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Peppers - These peppers will keep turning red if you wait a few days to eat them.
Edamame (soy beans) - We will be giving these on the plant. They will need to be picked off and steamed or boiled -- see recipe below.
Basil
Zinnias
News From the Farm
An off week on the farm -- one of buzzing visits from other farmers, friends, family, and anyone. The tomatoes have begun to come in full on, making our "easy" decision to plant about 500 plants...loaded! The okra is really starting to kick in, as are the peppers, and the eggplants are beginning to fizzle out.
Some weeks, the farm is a constant hub of social activity. This was one of those wild weeks when all of your friends, family members, neighbors, and strangers migrate to the farm during the same week. Chaos typically ensues, and distractions make us late to harvest, miss chances to plow before a rain, and gives us much needed rest and relief from the average long-hour day.
In August, the farmer has to be careful. Too many consecutive days in the sun fogs your mind and mirages of air conditioning, sarspirilla, ice cream, and sleep appear before us with shameless urgency. The temptations can be overwhelming for the great unwashed, the simple farmer. And every now and then, in August, temptations should be indulged.
Your Farmers,
Eric, Pete, Whitney, and Holly
Recipes
Here's a good recipe to 5 basic Okra recipes:
Edamame
The Japanese call it edamame, but for the none Japanese, it sweet beans, vegetable soybeans, beer beans, green soybeans, garden soybeans, immature soybeans and even edible soybeans. But one thing for sure, when it comes to soy, edamame is the real thing.
Stove Top
1. Rinse fresh edamame.
2. Put edamame pods into briskly boiling water.
3. Cook to second boil 2-5 minutes or until tender. At this stage, you would normally notice some pods opening up. Do not overcook.
4. Drain water, let cool, sprinkle with salt and serve.
Steamer
1. Rinse fresh edamame.
2. Place edamame pods in steamer basket.
3. Place basket in saucepan with water below basket.
4. Cover, bring to a full boil and steam about 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle on some salt and serve.
Eating Directions:
Take soybean pod by the stem, place between teeth, strip soybeans from the pod with your teeth and compost.
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