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Goldfinch Farm CSA
Goldfinch Farm Newsletters
| For Beth's Ramblings and Rants click here. |
Issue No. 3: 28 June 2010
GOLDFINCH FARM CSA NEWS
Farmers: Jon & Beth Weaver-Kreider * 252-3894
www.goldfinchfarm.com * weaverkreider@comcast.net
CSA Pick-up Hours: Goldfinch Farm Tues & Fri 2-7, Sat 9-12
Lancaster Friends Meeting Tues 3:00-6:00
East Chestnut St. Menno Fri 3:00-6:00
The Summer Squash are In
Jon got the squash in the ground earlier than usual this year, and then the thermometer went up and stayed there, so the zucchini and
Yellow Zephyr have begun exploding early in the summer. The vagaries of weather and fungus and insects can have major effects on the
crop, but we're hopeful that with four scheduled plantings throughout the season we'll have some good summer squash, from the zucchini
varietals to different versions of yellow squash to the flying saucer-shaped patty pans. The availability will ebb and flow throughout the
summer.
Squash was first cultivated as an edible vegetable (fruit, actually) by Aztec, Incan and Mayan peoples south of Mexico. Columbus was
responsible for introducing it to the Europeans, who developed further varieties such as the zucchini.
The flavor and texture differences between the different varieties of summer squash are subtle, making them fairly interchangeable in
recipes. They are tasty simply sauteed in olive oil and lightly salted. You can steam them, chop them into quiches and soups and
casseroles, eat them raw.
The Visual Food Encyclopedia suggests cutting a couple zucchini (you can mix and match squash) into thin slices for a salad. Put the
slices in a salad bowl. In another bowl, mix 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise with a Tbsp. Dijon mustard. Add 1 Tbsp. yogurt, a couple drops of
Tabasco sauce, a little salt and ground pepper, and a Tbsp. of chopped chives. Pour the sauce over the zucchini and let stand for 15
minutes before serving.
Squash Fritters
(from Simply in Season)
Mix thoroughly to make a smooth batter:
1/3 c. flour (may be whole wheat)
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 eggs (beaten)
Add and mix gently:
3 c. shredded summer squash
1/3 c. minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
chopped fresh herbs
Oil a fry pan and heat to medium heat. Drop a large spoonful of batter onto fry pan and fry until golden. Turn and cook on second side until
done.
King of Herbs
Originally from India, but treasured all over the world for its aromatic and flavorful leaves, basil takes its name from the ancient Greek word
for royal, basilikon. We plant a lot of it here, and usually have at least a few sprigs in the weekly share until first frost.
You can place a few sprigs in your olive oil to flavor the oil, add it to almost any dish for a little extra flavor, chop or grind it into a pesto to
serve on pasta for a light summer supper. When sauteeing or stir-frying, add basil at the end to preserve its essence.
You can refrigerate basil wrapped in damp paper towels in a plastic bag, or keep it almost a week in a vase of water on your kitchen
counter. Place leaves in a plastic bag or container in your freezer for later use.
To make pesto, you'll need the leaves and tender tops of several sprigs of basil, 1-3 cloves of garlic, 1/3 c. of toasted pine nuts or walnuts,
3-6 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, salt to taste. Add other herbs as you please. Grind it up in a food processor with 1/3-1/2 c. olive oil to make a
paste, or chop the ingredients by hand and mix the olive oil in for a chunkier pesto.
During the first week of the season, two of the regular crew members brought their own pesto for snack one day. One was a smooth, tasty
paste and the other was hand-chopped, with tiny chunks of garlic. They were very different, but both were quite yummy with chips and
bread.
Working for Food
Three weeks into the season, we find ourselves in need of a couple of folks who would be willing and able to help with the Tuesday
morning harvests. If you think you might be interested, and able to commit yourself to working Tuesday mornings until late October, let us
know. We would refund the cost of the rest of the season for you.
The work is often intense, and must be done whether the day is hot or rainy. You'll need a healthy back for lifting and carrying heavy bins,
and strong knees for bending and squatting to harvest and weed. The camaraderie and satisfaction of good work well done are more than
equal to the physical challenge.
Signing Up for Work Hours
If you signed up for an eight-hour working share at the $450 price, check out the calendar beside the sign-in sheet when you pick up your
vegetables, and sign up for two 4-hour shifts. We look forward to getting to know you better as we work in the fields together.
Mushrooms!
Organic Mechanics, a York County organic mushroom grower, is supplying us with beautiful and delicious Shiitakes to include in those
summer veggie casseroles and sautees. They're $2.75 for a ¼ lb. Pint-sized container.
Pick-Your-Own Flowers
The flowers are beginning to open in the pick-your-own garden, so bring your shears or grab a pair of the farm's clippers from the yellow
box on the forebay fence, and get yourself a bouquet. The flower garden has been moved slightly up the hill and northward of the
greenhouse this year.
Until the plants get a little more filled out, pick shorter stems, leaving behind buds for new growth. By the second or third week of July, you
can begin to choose your bouquet with a little more abandon.
When you come to the farm, feel free to take a couple containers and wander the woodsedge and hedgerows in search of black
raspberries and wineberries and any late mulberries that might still be hanging around. Any berries that have the aggregate berry
formation similar to a raspberry are safe to eat. We don't know about the safety of some of the other, single-globe berries, so unless you
know exactly what you're picking, please don't eat any berries that aren't in the general shape of a raspberry.
The Waspinator
Ever since we moved here, we've struggled with the wasps that want to make their homes in our eaves and in the barn and under the
forebay, in places where we just don't feel safe having large stinging insects. But what do you do if you're uncomfortable with putting
poison into the air?
This week in the mail, we received two Waspinators, cloth bags colored and shaped like paper wasps' nests. The idea is that other wasps
are afraid of the large wasps that make this sort of nest, and they flee in fear. We'll try to report on the success (or failure) of the idea in
future newsletters.
A Note on Parking
If your child falls asleep on the way to the farm for veggie pick-up, please feel free to pull your car up into the shade of the drive by the picnic
table, or under the walnut tree near the barn. These spots are also available if walking up the drive from the parking lot is a challenge.
How to Remove a Tick
After you walk through the long grass or the woods' edge at Goldfinch Farm picking berries or heading up to harvest tomatoes with the crew
on your work day, you'll want to check yourself for ticks. We find more of the larger dog ticks than the tiny deer ticks, but it's still a good idea
to look yourself over. The recent Kreutz Creek Valley Library newsletter has a tip from a pediatrician on removal of an attached tick:
“Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the
cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time and it’s much less traumatic for the patient.”
Shall I not have intelligence with the earth?
Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?
--Henry David Thoreau
(They're Coming!)
It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.
--Lewis Grizzard