Goodwill at Homefields Farm CSA

Notes from Your Farm

2011-08-04T10:52:00.001-07:00

Hello from the farm,

It's the height of summer bounty--tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and melons. The inch of rain that we had about a week ago was great, but it didn't make amends for all the 100 degree temperatures, wind and sun that pulled the moisture out of the ground and the plants. It's fascinating how well certain weeds can manage to flourish under these conditions--redroot and lambsquarter seem to go from 6 inches to 16 inches in just a few days.

The days are shortening and we are thinking about fall crops even while marveling at, and trying to stay ahead of, the current harvest abundance, applying compost to the fields and checking out the winter squash, pumpkins and fall broccoli and cabbage transplants.

Orangeglo Watermelon

Childrens Events at the Farm August 13 and August 20 10:00am
by friend of the farm Aaron Joseph and Kim Stoltzfus, farm distribution diva

Check us out on Facebook: see what we are up to, the joys and trials of farming: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodwill-at-Homefields-Farm/121147947971207

Pick Your Own Update:
Sunflowers are Gangbusters--Limit is 5 and 10 per half/full share
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes:Picking up Steam--1 Quart and 1/2 Quart Season Limit
Basil--no limit.
Zinnias--5 and 10 stems this week again
Hot Peppers: 1 quart total per season
Celosia--use as an accent--not a whole lot there
Stevia--try a few leaves as a sweetener--no glycemic load and few/no calories
Herbs at the barn: in general, cut the top third of the plant--not sure ask us.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

sweet onions: mild, yummy--salads, burgers, cuke and tomato salad, carmelize
watermelon: Orangeglo--orange fleshed, super sweet and tasteey, our farm favorite for sure. In red, we are picking some other kinds--Crimson Sweet, Ali Baba, and Sangria.
cantaloupes: wow, these are good. Try serving with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
tomatoes: super tomatoes--are we in Washington Boro? :-) tomato cucumber salad, anything and everything
carrots: eat fresh, roast in oven, boil and add maple syrup and butter.
garlic: great in everything
cucumbers: these are slowing down and fading away--enjoy while they are still here. great plain, salads, sandwiches, cucumber salad
zucchini: grate and freeze for zucchini bread and cookies, stir fry, raw in salads.
cabbage: raw in wedges with a touch of salt, cabbage soup, salad. Zucchini are also almost finished.
scallions: use in salad, or anywhere onions are appreciated.

Our watermelons make us smile :-)

Thank You

Thank you this week for a great harvest effort from the trainees and farm staff, to Bob McClure for a pretty nifty chicken feeder, and to the many friends and neighbors who help us out in so many ways.

Scott Breneman
Farm Manager

Notes from Your Farm--Potluck Edition

2010-10-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hello from the farm,

What a difference a week makes! Close to nine inches of rain watered the farm since Thursday. This means that we are set for moisture for the rest of the season. The few months of rain that we didn't receive was all wrapped into one event totaling three million four hundred twenty thousand gallons of water spread across this farm, if you like numbers. The fall crops are coming on strong thanks to the rain.

Farm Potluck this Saturday, Oct 9, 5 pm to 9 pm : Music, Food, Fun

We are so pleased to have "Grandma Shake," Lancaster's own bluegrass band, playing at the farm Saturday night. Join us starting at 5 pm for family fun with face painting and pumpkin decorating. Bring your favorite hot or cold dish to share and we will dig in somewhere around 5:30 pm. Grandma Shake will be jamming from 6 pm to 8 pm, and we will close out the evening around the campfire with a marshmallow nightcap. Dress for the weather, (which looks very agreeable,) bring chairs, flashlights and come enjoy a very special fall evening here with all your friends at the farm!

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

Some of the fall crops may be somewhat new to you--here are some suggestions for using

Pumpkins: their flesh and seeds are edible when you are done decorating with them.
Squash: these are great keepers--an easy way to prepare is roast them whole in the oven to soften them so you don't have to hack at them wildly with a sharp instrument, then prepare as desired.
Arugula: this piquant green adds zing to salads or sandwiches.
Cilantro: this is excellent in a sandwich, Asian or Spanish cuisine, with black beans, etc.
Radish: slice thinly, eat on buttered bread, or with a salad, make refrigerator pickles
Beets: great roasted with olive oil and sea salt.
Mizuna: this Japanese mustard green adds complexity to your salad or sandwich.
Turnip: the "Hakurei" variety is a salad turnip--eat it raw--mild and sweet compared to purple type.

It works! Irrigation Improvement (for next year)

Spicy Radish Relish

(Here's a recipe for radish refrigerator pickles. Adjust based on the size and amount of radishes that you have.)

So here's the recipe I created based on my radish relish research--mine is unlike most that I found in that it has no sugar, lots of ginger and garlic, and all good-for-you ingredients:

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

20 medium-sized radishes
1-3 inches fresh ginger root
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
A few grinds of fresh pepper
4 Tbs honey

Radishes shredded and on their way to becoming relish.

Wash and shred radishes – either with a hand grater or in the food processor – and put them in a bowl. Grind some pepper onto the radishes.
Grate ginger finely and press garlic with a garlic press.
In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, and honey; bring to a boil.
Pour the hot liquid over the radishes. Cover and refrigerate. Let the flavors mingle and mellow at least overnight before using.

The final product is pretty and potent. You can use it as a topping for stir fries and salads, or mixed in with cooked greens as a side dish, or as a palate-cleansing garnish on a sushi platter.

You could vary this recipe by adding onions and some finely chopped celery if you had some on hand and were so inclined.

After smelling and tasting this stuff, I can't imagine a better condiment for cold season. The pungent, spicy smell and taste seem like they would be the perfect little something on your plate when you have a cold or are coming down with one. The spicy radishes and mustard are great for clearing the sinuses, and the ginger and garlic are classic tonic herbs for winter. Add to that some immune-boosting local honey, and the healing power of apple cider vinegar, and you have another great tonic food - a kitchen concoction that is both delicious and good for what ails you.

The finished relish ready to marinate in the fridge

from: http://milkingweeds.blogspot.com/2008/11/spicy-radish-relish-further-adventures.html

Enjoy the fall harvest and cooler weather!

Scott

Scott Breneman
Farm Manager

Notes from Your Farm

2010-10-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hello from the farm,

Suffice it to say, we are not focused on irrigation this week. Last week were were fully engaged for several days on putting in irrigation valves and lines and also on the scant .7 inch of rain since July 25th that had crops failing to germinate, wilting, and begging for water. Today we are having fun in the rain! Rain is easily taken for granted, so it is a blessing to have this abundant moisture falling freely.

More cool weather crops are in season, with beets, turnips and radishes jumping into the fray. The Hakurei turnips are white and sweet and should be eaten raw. We jokingly call them "dessert turnips" because they are so mild and tasty. If you've eaten "old purple two tone turnips" you'll agree.

Elizabeth, the assistant farm manager who usually works directly with the trainees, is enjoying a well-deserved week off this week, and we wish her a restful time and also look forward to her return next week.

Of Pumpkin and Squash:

These fall guys are all pretty much interchangeable in recipes, with the exception of spaghetti squash, due to texture. The Long Island Cheese and butternuts are especially tasty and long-keeping! Each year I set one of each type that we grow on the kitchen floor in the corner to see how long they persist--we've had some last 18 months and still be usable.

Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Adapted from several sources

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks (as in, far softer than the over-beaten whites you’ll see in my picture above). Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

pictures and blog at: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/pumpkin-waffles/

Enjoy, and have a great week!

Scott

A Week's Share

2009-06-25T09:39:00.001-07:00

Great looking Potatoes

2009-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Two rows of potatoes, no weeds, and lots of anticipation!

Looks like a great year for poatoes! (don't count your potatoes before they're dug :-)

Bloomin Potato

2009-06-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with dining out at Australian themed eateries...the potato plants are flowering and looking great.

Going for a Spin

2009-06-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

The heavy rains splashed a lot of soil up onto the lettuce. It is rinsed and then spun dry in the orange salad spinnner. Here's Lonnie hard at work.

Eat it Art

2009-06-09T03:07:00.001-07:00

The beauty of a farm salad...

Bird's Eye View

2009-06-09T02:59:00.001-07:00

Chickens are great to have around: amusing, curious, life, and lots of antics. They were peeps in November, and nearly full grown by March. We have three hens and on a good day get one egg from each hen.

Paint it Red

2009-06-09T02:55:00.000-07:00

Here's the red mulch that we are using this year to grow tomatoes.

It reflects a better frequency of light up onto the tomaotes than black mulch.

Welcome Bradley

2009-05-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hats off to Bradley, the newest farm staff addition. Thanks for the talents, stories and humor that you bring.

New Sign

2009-05-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

It can easy to miss the farm driveway.
Here is new sign that will hopefully help people spot us sooner, avoiding an unintentional tour of Washington Boro city limits.

House Farm

2009-05-14T10:34:00.001-07:00

We've been farming this ground here for ten years now as the Goodwill at Homefields Farm CSA.
It seems that we may ultimately be surrounded by "house farms" making the farming of contiguous land impossible should we ever wish or need to expand our farming, growing or branch out with additional programs for people.

Here is the view from our farm to across the road. I can remember when there were trees and fields there just a few years ago.

Let it Fly

2009-05-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's springtime and time to make sure the soil is ready for seeds and transplants.
Here we are applying some beautiful compost that was donated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to promote the use of compost.

Little peeps after three months!

2009-01-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Like everything else at the farm, they grow!
Silver Pullet needs a new name because he turned out to be a large black rooster.

Four-footed company

2009-01-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Oh deer, we sure are glad that the scented deer tape generally works to keep the deer from eating off all of the strawberry plants during the winter. This was the 2nd week of January at 4:30pm--thirteen deer eating cover crops.

Gift Boxes Galore

2009-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

1400 Gift boxes later...nice job everyone. Thanks for supporting the farm with your gift box orders.

The Harvest Season Ends

2009-01-12T07:32:00.001-08:00

When the crops are harvested and the mornings turn cold, it's time to reflect back on a great season. Thanks Bob!

New Life at the Farm

2008-10-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

After 21 days of carefully tending the incubator full of chicken eggs, here are the four that decided to enter the world. Their names are Izzy--yellow, Cricket--tiny one, Silver Pullet--the inquisitive silver one, and Cider--brown coloring on the face. They are the result of various pairings of different breeds of hens and roosters, so it will be interesting to see what they look like as they grow.

Fall Arrives and Winter Squash Harvest Begins

2008-10-08T08:09:00.001-07:00

Frost is predicted tonight so we are harvesting winter squash very quickly--among them Long Island cheese, Black Futsu, Butternuts, Acorns, Red Kuri and La Estrella. Here is Elizabeth with another load to take up.

New crops and methods--Sunn Hemp

2008-09-18T08:24:00.001-07:00

Each year there a new methods that are tried to improve the soil, reduce weed populations, compaction and make the farm work as ergonomic as possible. Here is an experimental cover crop planting of Sunn hemp--grown for its ability to fix nitrogen as a summer crop, a rare quality in a summer cover. No, there isn't any non-agricultural effect from it in case you were wondering. :-)

Tucking in for the Winter

2008-09-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here is Elizabeth rolling the cover crop seeds to tuck in the fields for the winter--they deserve a rest after yielding so abundantly.

2008-08-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

The colors of summer harvest: we never tire of looking at all the beatiful shapes and colors of the food that we have the opportunity to tend and harvest.

So Many Melons!

2008-08-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's Melon Time! Here is Eric with a variety of watermelons: Orangeglo, Cream of Saskatchewan, Sangria, Charleston Gray, and Sugar Baby. Red, Orange, Pink, Yellow, and Cream-colored watermelons and lots of different flavors and textures. Eric is in his glory!

Mid Summer Harvesting

2008-07-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's onion harvesting time, and cucumbers and zucchini and beans and beets and melons and tomatoes and eggplants and well...we can safely say it is an abundant time of harvesting.
Here are Tim and Eric curing Red Tropeo onions in the 2nd greenhouse

May in motion

2008-05-14T08:50:00.001-07:00

It's May and we are moving right along. This is a picture of the cover crops that do so well during the winter to keep the soil covered and enrich it at the same time. The rye provides tons of organic matter, and the crimson clover, with the conspicuous red flower, pull nitrogen from the air and stores it on root nodules to be released later for the spring and summer vegetable crops. Essentially free fertilizer. We are looking forward to the start of the harvest on June 5.

Scott

Winter Oasis

2008-03-18T12:04:00.001-07:00

What can be better than the greenhouse as winter turns into spring...

The seeds are coming, the seeds are coming

2008-03-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

The seeds have arrived, and Elizabeth has been glorying in the seed organizing moments. There is so much potential waiting to break forth from a box of seeds about the size of a shoe box--literally five acres worth! Although flower arranging has a loyal following, we think that seed packet arranging has potential.

Seeds and Planning before Planting

2008-02-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

The quality of the light is changing and the cover crops are greening--spring is on its way. Meanwhile the farmer has his hands in the soil in the lush greenhouse environment...right?
Well, not exactly, who knew that farming entailed many many hours with a Microsoft spreadsheet? Let's see...if we have 150 families coming for vegetables, and we want four pounds of tomatoes for each full share and two pounds for each half share in late July, then we need to start how many flats of 72 cell in the greenhouse on what date and how many 100 foot beds do we dedicate to tomatoes.? So as the sun rises earlier and sets later we find our farmer surrounded by seed catalogs, notes, spreadsheets and coffee :-)

Getting Ready for the Season

2008-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

February: anticipation builds for the start of the growing season. Winter, when it arrives is a welcome change of gears--time for repairs, maintenance, and planning for next. However, it doesn't take long for long until the farmer is chomping at the bit, eager to work the soil.

Scott