October 2 2014

Newsletter

October 2, 2014

Photo by Marnie Vyff

THIS WEEK’S ORDER

Fruit



Vegetable

d e r u t a e F

Photo by Marnie Vyff

Basic Baskets

Farmer John Kruger Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ

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Both Barbara Taylor (our Facebook voice) and Marnie Vyff were helping out at the Tour de Farm bicycle ride this last weekend. Here we have Barbara serving baked apples at the breakfast, and Marnie served the most delicious ice-cream ever at Windy Brow Farm, one of the last stops on the 78 mile ride. It was one of those most amazingly beautiful days.

P ro du ce & Sourc es Apples Grapes Pears Plums  Lettuce Onions Peppers Potatoes Spinach Tomatoes

4 Seasons, USA 4 Seasons, USA 4 Seasons, USA 4 Seasons, USA  Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ

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Hi Folks, We have once again been teased with the promise of rain only to be disappointed. The forecast for last Thursday was for 24 hours of rain, heavy at times, 1 to 2 inches. We got 5 hours of drizzle and a total of .14 inches! Total rainfall for September was 1.3 inches.

We are doing the best we can with our irrigation system, but we just don’t have the capacity to keep everything well watered. The semi –drought has hurt our bean production and has greatly slowed down the greens and the fall root crops.

We have a final planting of zucchini and other summer squash that is just beginning to produce. I expect that next week we will begin to give a few more of the summer types before settling into distribution of the hard squash for the duration of the season. We have some green cabbage this week and this will be the last of the cabbage until the end of the season. We will have kohlrabi next week and will hopefully start with broccoli the following week. We have more bok choy on the way and the Brussel sprout and cauliflower crops look good as well. (continued on page 2)

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Sp otl ig h ts

St o ri ng & Pre se r v i ng “If you can connect local produce with markets that are local, money gets rolled around in the local community more directly compared to commercial agriculture where products get shipped in large quantities somewhere else, helping the economy there.”

U.S.D.A. to Start Program to Support Local and Organic Farming Adapted from nytimes.com The United States Department of Agriculture plans to announce Monday that it will spend $52 million to support local and regional food systems like farmers’ markets and food hubs and to spur research on organic farming.

The local food movement has been one of the fastest growing segments of the business, as consumers seek to know more about where, how and by whom their food is grown.

But local farmers still struggle to market their food. Distribution systems are intended to accommodate the needs of large-scale commercial farms and growers. Grocery stores and restaurants largely rely on big distribution centers and are only beginning to figure out how to incorporate small batches of produce into their overall merchandise mixes.

Farmers’ markets are proliferating around the country, increasing 76 percent to 8,268 since 2008, according to the Agriculture Department, but they have trouble marketing themselves. And few consumers are aware of a website the department created to help them find a farmers market in their area.

“These types of local food systems are the cornerstones of our plans to revitalize the rural economy,” Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, said in a telephone interview.

The $52 million will be the first outlay to local and organic enterprises of the farm bill signed into law by President Obama in February, which tripled the amount of money aimed at that sector to $291 million. The organic business, which has long complained that the Agriculture Department does not support it financially, will get $125 million over the next five years for research and $50 million for conservation programs.

The department will also be putting $30 million a year into marketing programs for farmers markets and promotion of locally grown foods, and has an additional $70 million available as a block grant to support more research on so-called specialty crops, or fruits and vegetables.

Apples

It's no surprise that apples are good for you -- why else would they have earned that "keep the doctor away" reputation? -but there are a number of lesserknown reasons to pick up a juicy one today.

Lower Cholesterol Keep You Full Keep You Slim Prevent Breathing Problems Fight Colds May Fight Cancer Decrease Diabetes Risk Boost Brain Power

Fruit Apples

Separate out any with bruises or soft spots. Refrigerate with damp paper towel in perforated plastic bag away from strong-odored foods. Best stored somewhere around 30-35°F, in a humid environment. For every 10 degrees above 30°F, lifespan dramatically decreases. Use within a month, although can be stored for 3-4 months. Apples are a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

Grapes

Refrigerate unwashed in perforated plastic bag. Use within a week.

Pears

Keep unripe pears at room temperature to ripen or in paper bag to speed up the process. Once ripened, refrigerate uncovered in a single layer up to five days. Pears are a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

Plums

Keep unripe fruit at room temperature to ripen or in paper bag to speed up the process. Do NOT refrigerate until fully ripe: this will result in mealy, flavorless fruit. Once ripened, keep in refrigerator for 3-5 days. This fruit is a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

Read about each benefit at huffingtonpost.com

(continued from page 1)

The sweet potato crop looks good but we will give them another couple of weeks to size up a little more. There are a few large ones in each mound but also many small ones which need a little more time.

I was at the Hudson Valley Garlic festival on Sunday, buying seed garlic to plant for next year’s crop. We had a very poor crop this year due to the bad winter. I normally save a few hundred pounds of my own to replant but we don't have enough. I don’t even have enough for my markets during the rest of the season.

(continued…)

Marnie Vyff Co-op Manager Barbara Taylor Marketing Director Stephanie Perrotti Editor

Enjoy!

Farmer John

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Recipes

Vegetables Lettuce

Refrigerate unwashed in loosely closed plastic bag or crisper. Do not wash until ready to serve.

Best eaten within 2-3 days. Use within a week.

Onions

Pear & Plum Banana Bread

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renbehan.com

150g unsalted butter (plus a bit extra for greasing) 100g soft brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 200g self raising flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus extra for dusting) 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon salt 3 bananas, mashed 120g sour cream 1 pear, ripe, sliced 2 plums, ripe, stone removed, sliced You can also use apples, or blueberries as one of the layers.

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Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 5. Grease the inside of a loaf tin with a little butter and line with a sheet of baking paper.

Using an electric whisk, beat the butter with the sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Sift in the dry ingredients and stir with a metal spoon. Stir in the mashed bananas and sour cream.

Add one third of the mixture to the loaf tin and spread out using the back of a spoon. Next, add a layer of pear. Then a further third of the mixture followed by a layer of plum. Add the rest of the mixture and flatten the top. Dust with a little extra cinnamon.

Bake the loaf for 1 hour. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for ten minutes before carefully taking it out to cool on a wire rack. Serve when warm or cold with extra fruit on the side.

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Potato, Bell Pepper, and Spinach Hash

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neighborfoodblog.com

2 Tablespoons olive oil 4 cups cubed red potatoes, unpeeled 1 bell pepper ½ a yellow onion 1 zucchini 3 cups baby spinach 1 teaspoon garlic salt ½ teaspoon Kosher salt Fresh black pepper 4 eggs ½ pint cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 bunch fresh chives, chopped

Peppers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Spinach

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Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet or other non-stick, oven proof skillet.

Add potatoes, toss to coat with the oil, cover the skillet, and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini into bite sized pieces. After the 10 minutes are up, uncover the skillet and stir in the onion and pepper.

Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are softened and vegetables are golden brown.

Stir in the zucchini and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with garlic salt, salt, and black pepper. Make 4 small wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each one. Immediately place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake until whites are set but centers are still runny, 5-7 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the oven, toss the grape tomatoes and chives on top, and serve.

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Store in mesh bag or other wellventilated container in a cool, dry location between 45-55°F. Do not store near potatoes. Whole onions will last about two months. Refrigerate cut onions in tightly sealed container and use within 2-3 days.

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Refrigerate unwashed in plastic bag in crisper. Green peppers usually stay fresh longer than red, orange or yellow.

Peppers will last about a week.

Potatoes

Store in a dark, dry place. They will keep for 1-2 weeks at room temperature and 2-3 months at 45-50°F. Do not store in refrigerator or near onions.

Refrigerate unwashed greens in plastic bag squeezing out as much air as possible. Use within 5 days.

Tomatoes

Do NOT refrigerate. Keep unripe tomatoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight to ripen or in paper bag to speed up the process. Once ripened, use within a week. Refrigerate only extra ripe tomatoes that will spoil before using, although this will affect flavor. Refrigerate in plastic bag and bring back to room temperature before using. Tomatoes are a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

Sources

StillTasty The Kitchn Real Simple Fruits & Veggies–More Matters® The World's Healthiest Foods eHow wikiHow SparkPeople Food Network

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seeds. Bake for 35 mins until golden and crisp. Serve with a salad and mango chutney, or a raita made by mixing plain yogurt with mint sauce or jelly, if you like.

Bombay potato & spinach pies

Gnocchi with White Beans

For the filling: 1Âźkg large waxy potatoes such as Charlotte, halved 85g butter 2 onions, chopped 1 tbsp cumin seed 1 tbsp black mustard seed 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger 2 red chillies, halved, deseeded and sliced 3 tbsp Korma paste 400g bag fresh spinach 4 tomatoes, chopped small bunch coriander, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 package (16 ounces) potato gnocchi 1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

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bbcgoodfood.com

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For the pastry: 270g pack filo pastry (6 large sheets) 50g melted butter 1 tsp black mustard seed

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Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. To make the filling, heat a pan of salted water. When boiling, add potatoes and boil for 15 mins until tender. Melt the butter then fry the onions for a few mins.

Add cumin, mustard seeds, ginger and chillies and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 7 mins until soft. Stir in curry paste.

Cook the spinach in the microwave on High for 5 mins. Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as you can, then chop it.

Drain the potatoes and tip them into the spice mixture. Crush lightly to break them up into chunks rather than mash. Toss in the spice mixture with plenty of salt to coat them, then add the spinach, tomatoes and coriander.

Carefully unroll the pastry and brush 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins with some butter. Brush the first sheet of pastry and lay it in and across the tin so that it hangs over the side. Do the same with another sheet of pastry to cover the other side of the tin (so the two form a cross), butter and fold the final sheet in half and lay it in the base of the tin to create a firm base. Do the same with the other tin and remaining pastry.

Spoon the filling into the tin and fold up the pastry that is overhanging so that it covers the filling. Brush generously with the remaining butter and sprinkle with

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Spinach and Cheese-stuffed Tomatoes

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sheknows.com

4 large tomatoes 6 cups fresh spinach, packed 1/2 onion, finely chopped 2 gloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh basil, snipped or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato (the stem end). Hollow out the tomatoes with a kitchen spoon and discard the seeds.

Make sure the tomato shell is about 1/2inch thick. Chop the inside remains of the tomatoes and set aside.

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In a large skillet, heat oil over mediumhigh heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Add gnocchi; cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, spinach and pepper; heat through.

Sprinkle with cheeses; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Add the fresh spinach to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cover it and cook for about 2-3 minutes. The spinach will begin to wilt. Once it's wilted, remove it from the heat, drain it well and chop it.

Set the spinach aside.

Add the olive oil to the saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic until they're tender. Turn off the heat, but add the chopped tomato, spinach, ricotta cheese, basil, and salt and pepper. Mix everything together.

Spoon the mixture into the tomato shells and put them in a shallow baking dish.

Stir the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together and sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes.

Bake the tomatoes for about 20 minutes, or until the stuffing is heated through and the tops are golden brown.

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