www.BellsBendFarms.com

News from the Farm

What incredible weather we've been having! Could it be that the fall is actually approaching, slowly but surely? Besides (relatively) pleasant working conditions, the cooler weather has been perfect for seeding, planting, and transplanting the fall crops. Once the seedlings have reached a specific size (usually about 2-3 weeks old) they are transplanted to the main field where they can be spaced appropriately and given the care needed to grow big and healthy.

Besides transplanting, we're also tending carefully to the newly sprouted plants that we have direct-seeded into the main fields. These are the vegetables that either do not transplant easily (carrots, beets, chard) or that we simply plant so many of that it would be too much work to start the needed amount of seedlings then transplant them all (arugula, spinach, etc.) We prefer to start directly from seed in the field rather than transplant, and I would say we probably direct seed at least twice the amount that most other farms do...

Direct seeding has it's own challenges, however, as the seeds typically sprout at the same time as the other weeds in the soil. This means careful cultivation (hoeing) and, at times, painfully tedious weeding for seedlings such as carrots that may take 2-3 weeks to germinate when it only takes the weeds 2-3 days! Factor in the amount of carrots we planted this fall, an ambitious 2,400 feet, and...it was a long evening for me!

In other news, today we got our new hoop house! This "bottomless" greenhouse is 36' x 96' and will extend our winter season considerably, while allowing us to plant earlier in the spring. I've realized that much of farming is simply an attempt to narrow down the variables that exist (read "things that can go wrong"). A hoop house is a controlled environment, meaning we dry it out in the spring, we make it rain, and we keep it warm when the rest of the farm is freezing! Assembling what seems like thousands of tubular parts, however, may prove to be an adventure all it's own...

Your farmers,

Eric, Brooke, Kevin, and Evan

Recipes

Though they are not as plentiful, we are still finding some delicious tomatoes in the garden, and here are a few more ways to enjoy them before they're gone...

Fried Green Tomatoes

It seems a good Southerner will fry just about anything. Contrary to what you folks might think, I rarely choose frying as my method for cooking vegetables, but when it comes to okra or green tomatoes, it's the way to go! It's pretty hard to mess this up, and although the prep work, dipping and coating each individual slice one by one, can be a bit tedious, the end result is well worth the work!

You will need:

5 or 6 green tomatoes, sliced 1/3"- 1/2" thick
buttermilk, about 1 cup
cornmeal, about 1 cup
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
canola or peanut oil for frying

In a heavy black skillet, heat approximately 1/2 cup of oil over medium high heat. Combine cornmeal and generous amounts of salt and pepper in a bowl. Drop each slice of tomato into the buttermilk, and then toss them in the seasoned cornmeal. Shake off the excess, and this is important, because there's only so much cornmeal that can stick to that tomato slice, and all the excess will end up burning in your oil, which means changing the oil more often. We like to get all the tomatoes breaded before we begin frying. Fry each slice until the underside browns, then flip and repeat on the other side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, a crumpled up newspaper, or a brown paper bag. Serve with hot-sauce mayo, or horseradish mayo, or the following tomato basil salsa...

Tomato Basil "Salsa"

1 cup chopped tomatoes
20 basil leaves, chopped
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 small hot pepper, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T red wine vinegar, or balsamic
2 T olive oil

Combine the ingredients, and let marinate for 30 minutes before serving. Put it on toast, eggs, your fried green tomatoes, or straight into your mouth!

Pasta with Swiss Chard and Roasted Tomatoes

4 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
20 cloves of garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
one cup sliced onion
1 bunch swiss chard, leaves and stems chopped
salt and fresh black pepper
olive oil
parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a glass baking dish, combine garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Drizzle with olive oil, and roast until tomatoes begin to brown and blister, about 30 minutes.
Coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil, and slowly saute the onions stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add the chard stems, and cook for 5 minutes. Throw in the leaves, and saute until they wilt. Combine the chard mixture with the roasted tomatoes, and toss with your favorite pasta. Serve with a generous pile of grated parmesan cheese!