Week 18: This is the final week of the CSA! October 16 Monday is the last on farm pickup and Thursday October 19 is the last drop off at NMC, UVMMC, and Fort Ethan Allen.
We did it and we are going to finish strong this week.
A big Shout out to Kristen for running the farm while we were away! The veggies behaved themselves while the animals….I think the only ones that did behave were the main sheep flock and moe and monty the ram. We are forever grateful for her help, managerial skills, patience, and care for our farm while we were away. Also to her right hands, Shelia, Tom, Madeline, Jack and Audrey for dropping everything to come find cows, milk cows, pick vegetables, help set up farmers market, oh gosh! Thank you! Thank you to Graham for the new Scoville sign for the peppers, helping with markets and assistance.Thanks to other community members who stepped up and help at the farm while we were away. It sure takes a village to farm
And to our diehard Monday volunteers!~ What would we do without you all – in rain and wind – you come – thank you Diantha, Gretchen and Gail! It is because of them we have weeded crops
And I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the lovely folks at NMC who help me lug all the back up to the second floor for our weekly cardio workout – Thank you! We live in such a great community.There are so many veggies ready this week and we are going to try really hard to get them all to you – this share will be a heavy one – and kind of like a bonus because we want you to get all this great food. Today, Monday we will also have our BHF products for sale : totes, Tshirts kids and adults, yarn, hot sauce, dog treats, sheepskin pillows, chicken, eggs and extra produce. We will also cut some cornstalks for you all to take home to decorate. **UVMMC, Fort, and NMC if you would like cornstocks please email me and we will drop them off on thursday – Let me know by Wednesday 10am.
The stand will continue to be open until thanksgiving and the Island Winter markets will be the first and third Saturdays in November and December at the Congregational Church of South Hero.
We maybe having a weekend and/or weekday work morning to put the veggie farm to bed, to plant garlic and to clear the hoophouses – date to be announced soon.
It has been a whirlwind of a 14th season – a season I felt like I was always trying to catch up on. And here it is October 16. Thanks for being part of it. It was smooth at times, messy at times, most of the time it was glorious to see what can be grown in these soils and how resilient the land and its people are on Quaker Road.
Thanks for having us part of your family, part of your dinner table, and part of your lives.
In gratitude, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie, Delia and Kristen
What’s in the share this week:
This list is what is in a full share this week. Things may change between Monday and Thursday and Individual and Salad share will get differing amounts and may not get everything on the list. Swiss Chard and or collards, Shishito pepper, bell peppers, lettuce mix, hakerei turnips, bok choy, tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplant, napa cabbage, nicola potatoes, leeks, beet green, spinach, and grab bag veggie itemJ and probably a few other veggies;)
Eggs for sale We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown eggs– with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $6.00 a dozen. $3.00 half dozen
**CERTIFIED ORGANIC whole frozen CHICKEN AVAILABLE for $5.75 lb** ]]>
Ok
We will take it to help ripen all the nightshades, melons, and corn. Such crazy weather this summer. Sorry we haven’t written more. It’s one of those things that I try to write, then I get pulled away for this or that. Our fall crops of turnips, napa cabbage, spinach, baby red russian kale, baby greens, ground cherries, chard, kale and potatoes and more are looking great! The jury is still out for the onions and leeks – I think the leek moth came – I need to assess the damage. The heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are finally cranking it out. We are working pretty much non stop to keep up with the veggies, animals and kids. I dare say we will have to water this week with no sign of rain until next Tuesday. We added another senior share site – Elm Place in Milton – we are up to 38 Senior shares with Pine Manor in Alburgh and Round Barn in Grand Isle. We finished strong with Food for thought – the summer lunch program for kids in the islands at risk of hunger with school being out. The last few weeks of the program we had enough food to give to the program thanks to donations from our CSA members! Thank you – I think the program fed over 130 children this summer.
I think next week we will start having potatoes in the share – we wanted them to get nice and big and plentiful since they are loving all this sun! all the varieties of hot peppers are ripening. We will have our hot sauce again available for purchase at next pickup and this weekend at the farmers market.
We have printed a few tshirts, totes, and sweatshirts (by order) and are available for sale. We do have frozen chicken still available if anyone would like to stock their freezers.
The 18th and final week of CSA will be the week of October 16. We will have pickup on Indigenous day October 9.
We are so very grateful to our amazing Jill of all trades apprentice KristenJ We are also thankful to all our amazing volunteers
thank you!The days are long but worth it. I tell the girls every time we sit for dinner – we are lucky, we eat better than any king or president.
We look forward to farming with you this season.
Peace, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie, Delia and Kristen
What’s in the share this week:
This list is what is in a full share this week. Things may change between Monday and Thursday and Individual and Salad share will get differing amounts and may not get everything on the list. Swiss Chard, Shishito peppers or bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce mix, arugula, bok choy, hot peppers, eggplant, and grab bag veggie itemJ
Eggs for sale We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown eggs– with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $6.00 a dozen. $3.00 half dozen
**CERTIFIED ORGANIC whole CHICKEN AVAILABLE **
Recipes
Those thin smaller peppers are a Japanese heirloom called Shishito. They are mild and smoky and 1 in 10 are spicy. Get a pan hot, put oil in it, blister the peppers whole, add some salt and eat everything but the stem. So good!
The following two recipes are from www.seriouseats.com – YUM!
Roasted Eggplant With Tahini, Pine Nuts, and Lentils J. KENJI LÓPEZ-ALT
This dish of eggplant roasted until caramelized and tender, served over stewed lentils with an extraordinarily light and creamy tahini sauce and crunchy pine nuts, was dinner and lunch for more meals than I care to count a couple of weeks back. Not that I’m complaining: It’s extremely good.
It’s very rare that I’m completely satisfied with a technique the first time I try it, but after some serious tinkering with the technique for making tahini sauce that Michael Solomonov details in his book, Zahav, I couldn’t find any way to really improve upon it. With the exception of a few minor changes in ratios, it’s essentially step for step how he does it. It works wonders as an ingredient in dips, in a salad dressing, or, as I’m using it here, as a sauce for roasted eggplant.
Why It Works
· Puréeing the garlic in lemon juice tames its flavor, creating a tahini that’s flavorful but not pungent.
· Cooking the eggplant at high heat evaporates its moisture quickly.
· YIELD:Serves 4
· ACTIVE TIME:1 hour
· TOTAL TIME:1 hour
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 1 cup; 170g)
2 small stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 cup; 115g)
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup; 225g)
6 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
12 ounces (340g) brown or de Puy lentils
2 bay leaves
4 cups homemade vegetable stock or water (about 1L) (see note above)
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons (10ml) red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Eggplant:
2 large Italian or small globe eggplants, about 1 pound (450g) each
4 tablespoons (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large sprigs fresh rosemary
To Serve:
2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup pine nuts (about 2 1/2 ounces; 70g)
1 recipe Tahini Sauce With Garlic and Lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Directions
For the Lentils: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F to prepare for roasting eggplant. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lentils, bay leaves, stock or water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid partially ajar, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. (Top up with water if lentils are at any point not fully submerged.) Remove lid, stir in vinegar, and reduce until lentils are moist but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.
For the Eggplant: While lentils cook, cut each eggplant in half. Score flesh with the tip of a paring knife in a cross-hatch pattern at 1-inch intervals. Transfer to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, cut side up, and brush each eggplant half with 1 tablespoon oil, letting each brushstroke be fully absorbed before brushing with more. Season with salt and pepper. Place a rosemary sprig on top of each one. Transfer to oven and roast until completely tender and well charred, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and discard rosemary.
To Serve: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and pine nuts in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Cook, tossing nuts frequently, until golden brown and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to halt cooking. Stir half of parsley and rosemary into lentils and transfer to a serving platter. Arrange eggplant halves on top. Spread a few tablespoons of tahini sauce over each eggplant half and sprinkle with pine nuts. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and rosemary, drizzle with additional olive oil, and serve.
Stovetop Eggplant With Harissa, Chickpeas, and Cumin Yogurt Recipe
ONE-POT WONDERS YASMIN FAHR
This recipe, which combines small Italian eggplants cooked whole in olive oil along with harissa, chickpeas, and tomatoes, will make an eggplant believer out of you. [Photographs: Yasmin Fahr]
Eggplants have always been a difficult vegetable for me. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and stripes and are surrounded by dos and don’ts. But with enough delicious recipes under your belt, it’s pretty easy to overlook the post-cooking appearance and realize that all those dos and don’ts are really more suggestions than hard-and-fast rules. This recipe, which combines small Italian eggplants cooked whole in olive oil along with harissa, chickpeas, and tomatoes, is one such preparation.
Why this recipe works:
· Frying the eggplants whole browns the outside while steaming in the inside
· The tomatoes blister and breakdown to make an impromptu sauce
· Harissa adds depth and flavor to the dish, plus it tastes great with eggplant
· YIELD:Serves 4
· ACTIVE TIME:30 minutes
· TOTAL TIME:30 minutes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
5 to 6 small Italian eggplants, peeled and trimmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon harissa, plus more as desired
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups 2% Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ cup picked parsley leaves
Directions
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the eggplants and lower the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper as you rotate the eggplants, browning them on all sides. Continue to cook, turning regularly, until a fork inserted into the eggplant meets no resistance (you may have to stand them up on their fat end to finish cooking the thickest parts), about 20 minutes, lowering the heat and sprinkling water into the pan as necessary if the eggplants threaten to burn or smoke excessively..
Mix the harissa, chickpeas and tomatoes together, then add to the eggplants. Cook until the tomatoes have blistered and broken down, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and add water as necessary to thin to a saucy consistency. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt and cumin in a serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Top the eggplant mixture with the parsley, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, and serve with the yogurt on the side.
Week 6: It’s all growing. In it’s own time, but its growing. Your bags will be heavy this week with curcubit and brassica family veggies. Our second and third planting of lettuce is looking great – we should have it next week or the week after again. The Broccoli is bodacious and we were excited to pick it for you all today. The cabbage is the size of a child’s head! The green beans are getting there – hopefully next Monday we will have those – we need to finish weeding them. We were going to weed them today but you can not touch bean plants when they are wet or they will spread a rust fungus to the beans. The basil this week will have little holes in it from a leave miner bug – it looks like just these first leaves have it – perfectly perfect to eat – just not 100 percent perfect looking.
We would like to thank all the gracious volunteers over the last few weeks that helped get a lot of crops in the ground
We would normally have potatoes right now but the weather this spring was not conducive to that so instead we will have potatoes late august through October. We should have scallions next week. Our planting schedule is all out of whack – but its all getting in and producing – just in different time table. Farming is resilience. Farming is patience. Farming is not for the fate of heart. I am glad we have a few years of farming under our belt – to be able to take a breathe and get perspective. Don’t get me wrong – we still stress out and worry if we will have enough – who doesn’t? But we can see the forest for the trees- melons and corn taste just in good in late august/september as they do in july. A couple of years ago – we had the best and most plentiful Sweet Corn in..October.We got to go to the Farm to Ballet Performance at Shelburne Farms – It was amazing – they are coming back on August 13 and we highly recommend itJ
Slowly but surely, we are catching up..Thanks for being here with us on this strange ride of a growing seasonJ
We look forward to farming with you this season.
Peace, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie, Delia and Kristen
For CSA members who ordered chicken: We will have chicken ready to be picked up on Friday and Saturday fresh – either at the farm or at the Grand Isle Farmers Market. Or you can wait for the next round next month. _ please let me know if you would like this option
What’s in the share this week:
This list is what is in a full share this week. Things may change between Monday and Thursday and Individual and Salad share will get differing amounts and may not get everything on the list. Swiss Chard, Cabbage, Zucchini and/or Summer Squash, pickling cukes, slicing cukes, baby garlic, basil
Eggs for sale We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown eggs– with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $6.00 a dozen. $3.00 half dozen
**CERTIFIED ORGANIC whole CHICKEN AVAILABLE**
Recipes:
Sadie’s 2nd Place 4h Franklin County Field Day Award Winning Chocolate Chip Zucchini Farmers’ Market Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
5 cups (packed) grated zucchini
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard loaf pan with butter or spray together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs for 2 minutes either by hand with a whisk or at medium speed in an electric mixer. Stir in the vanilla.’
2. Add cinnamon and ground ginger to the dry ingredients. After beating the butter/sugar/egg mixture for two minutes, add zucchini and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Using a larger rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Turn into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely.
*You can sub in King Arthurs 1:1 gluten free flour mix and it’s delicious
Dill Refrigerator Pickles from rodales organic gardening
Yield: 1 quart
5 medium cucumbers
1 tablespoon pickling salt, sea salt, or kosher salt (but not iodized table salt)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water 1 head dill or small bunch dill leaves or 1 tbl dill seed or 1 tbl pickling spice
1 clove garlic (optional)
3 black peppercorns (optional)
1. For the crunchiest pickles, select firm, dark-green pickling cucumbers that have not started to ripen to white or yellow. Cut them into spears or slices, as desired. To increase the crunchiness, you can sprinkle the cut cucumbers with a couple of tablespoons of salt, let them sit for 2 hours, and then rinse and drain before proceeding, but this step isn’t absolutely necessary.
2. Place the dill in the bottom of a clean quart jar, peel and crush the garlic clove (if using), and drop that in along with the peppercorns (if using), then put in the cut cucumber. Mix the salt, vinegar, and water in a separate container, stirring until the salt is dissolved, then pour it over the cucumbers, filling the jar right to the top. Pop on the lid and put the jar in the fridge.
Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
Yield: 1 quart
3 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced (optional)
1 tablespoon pickling salt, sea salt, or kosher salt
1 cup cider vinegar
1 ¾ cup white sugar or ⅞ cup honey to taste
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon celery seed
2 cloves, whole
1. Prepare jar and veggies as for dill pickles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan, bring them to a boil, and simmer until the sugar or honey is dissolved.2. Put the veggies into the jar and pour the vinegar mixture over them, stirring to make sure all veggies come in contact with it. Cover and refrigerate.
Reuse Refrigerator Pickle Juice
Last, but not least: After you chase down the last (homemade or store-bought) pickle in the jar, STOP—don’t dump that juice! It’s all ready and waiting (and in a jar already, no less) for another batch of refrigerator pickles. Just slice or chop up fresh veggies and drop them into the jar. The pickle juice should completely cover the veggies. If it doesn’t, take out some of the veggies or add a bit of vinegar, and shake. Screw on the lid and put it back in the fridge. Let the juice soak for a few days, and continue to reload the jar as long as the pickles’ flavor continues to please you.
Broccoli Greens Recipes – just in case they are still hanging out in your crisper drawer 
Sauteed Broccoli Greens:
ingredients
· 2 cup Broccoli Greens, cooked (which is about 15 large raw leaves)
· 1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped
· 5 sprigs fresh Rosemary, minced
· 2 cloves Garlic, minced
· 2 Tbsp Bacon Grease
· 1 tsp Salt and Pepper, to taste
Process
1. Wash broccoli greens and remove stems (including the primary vein bisecting the leaves).Tear broccoli leaves into small pieces, chop green onion, mince garlic and rosemary.Heat the bacon grease in a large soup pot or french oven over medium high heat.Saute green onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add the broccoli greens and rosemary. Saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring often – it will be finished when the garlic and onions soften and the broccoli greens are wilted.
Broccoli Leaf and Garlic Noodles
1 bunch fresh broccoli leaves (about 3 cups chopped)
2 servings of your favorite pasta (spaghetti, penne, vegan, gluten free…..)
8 or so fresh garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional)
Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add in pasta and cook per instructions on box. While pasta is cooking, mined garlic and add to a skillet with the oil. Place on a burner on medium heat and cook and stir until the garlic becomes fragrant. Chop the broccoli leaves (stems and all) into bit sized pieces and add to the garlic oil and toss around to wilt the leaves. Squeeze in some lemon juice. Once the pasta is done cooking, remove a few tablespoons of the starchy water and strain the pasta. Add the water and the noodles to the skillet, toss to evenly coat the pasta and call it down. Serve in a bowl or on a plate, topped with freshly chopped tomatoes and parmesan cheese if you so shall please and another little squeeze of lemon juice if you like.
Hello to all returning and potential CSA members, neighbors, friends and family!
How are you? We are well and busy. That was quite the dumping of snow we just received! It surely keeps a farmer on her/his toes. We are heading to the NOFA-VT winter Conference this weekend and look forward to learning new things, networking and socializing with other organic farmers and homesteaders. The days are getting longer, its’ no longer dark when we leave the farmers market at the hospital and just about twilight when we leave dance class. The chickens have started to start laying again – thank goodness. We got a new cow here, Sandy, who is due March 2. Annie, our cow for the last 6 years, passed away in the night in the middle of January. Maggie, our other milk cow has been supplying us milk through these winter months. We started selling our certifed organic yarn to New England Farm to Fiber at the Boston Public Market. This has been an exciting new venture. The sheep are due to lamb in March and April. Baby chicks and piglets should be arriving in April. The greenhouse should be starting up in March. And with fingers crossed our new house to be built this year – there I said it and you are all my witness;) Whew! Where do the winter months go
We have been busy this winter taking care of the animals and planning for the growing season to come. Sadie, 9, is working on her Third Grade year at home with us and she is very active in her dance classes at Miss Liza’s, 4H, sports, Girl Scouts, Archery, book club, downhill skiing and new this year piano! Delia, 6, is doing most of the same activities with her big sister and she is loves doing her schoolwork alongside her sister. Delia has started something new just recently, violin. So, How are you ?- what have you been up to? Sorry we haven’t written more this winter – but as I am realizing writing with two children and a farm – are quite hard to do. You all have been in our thoughts though I have been more active in our instagram account, which I usually post every few days and you can check it out @blueheronfarmvt.
Adam, the girls and I continue to learn about farming – what we want to be, what we don’t want to be when our farm grows up. We are looking at systems and are continually reflecting on our farm practices to make things more efficient, more productive, more nutritious, more manageableWe are heading to the NOFA winter conference this weekend and are looking forward to being energized, inspired and walk away with a few more skills. This year we will continue to make more permanent raised beds with our BCS tractor, using more ground cloth and finally erect and put up our two small caterpillar tunnels.
We will be offering 60 shares this year. We will have the Individual, Full and Salad Shares available. There is still the sliding scale, financial aid is available(through NOFA-VT and the farm), we will take EBT for payments, payment plans, credit cards, possible bartering, pro-rated summer resident shares and prices will not go up. We can make deliveries but there needs to be 10 or more full or individual shares in that one location. Looking to get a birthday or anniversary present? Why not a BHF CSA share – It’s the gift that gives over 18 weeks of delicious organic food. Or would you like to donate a share to a family in need or buy veggies to be sent to the food shelf or Food for thought – we can do that too
**New this year: Delivery to Northwest Medical Center in St Albans on Thursdays.
We are partnering with Northwest Medical Center to have a workplace CSA pickup. If you know anyone in the St Albans area, we will be delivering up there Pass our info along. If you know of another place that would like a workplace delivery, let us know.
We also have 1 to 2 CSA Individual share membership to barter to a person or family that can commit to working 8 hours a week. Please get in contact with us if you are interested in this. We will also have CSA member work days scheduled once a month where you can come out to the farm and help us with big labor projects that are family friendly. Also, this year we will continue to work on and post on our farm blog www.blueheronfarmvt.com and we are pretty active on facebook too – please “friend” us.
We want to continue to make organic produce affordable to all and be able to pay our costs. With members buying upfront their vegetables for the season, it helps our costs immensely and we can budget for the rest of the season. We would like to get payment by April 15th. If any of you can pay sooner than that, that would be great since most of our buying is right now through March. Shares will start the first or second week in June. If these shares don’t work for you, or you would like to make a creative share – please let us know – we can try to work something out – we are pretty flexible.
**For those who pay by March 15th – you will be entered to win 2 dozens of eggs or 2 skeins of our organic yarn. Those who refer someone to our CSA, you will be entered to win also – the more you refer – the more chances to win. Just have those people write your name at the bottom of the 2017 membership registration.
Blue Heron Farm – 34 Quaker Rd, Grand Isle, VT 05458- 802.372.3420 – harmonyvt@yahoo.com- www.blueheronfarmvt.com
Because of you, our CSA members, we are able to outreach to our community here in Grand Isle County with food and goodwill.
Last year, we had our 11th year with the Senior Shares at the Round Barn here in Grand Isle. We delivered fresh veggies to 16 residents for 10 weeks and have had community dinners with them once a month since October. We are looking to expand this for this upcoming year and look forward to having them out at the farm with us. If you would like to join us for our monthly lunches, just let us know and we will let you know when they are. We will continue this program again this year with the hopes of expanding it.
Also, we donated and sold, at a reduced rate, a bunch of food for the Food for Thought program last year, which fed over 140 children in Grand Isle County for 12 weeks. Each week, Blue Heron Farm was able to donate or sell fresh veggies. Our farm plans to help out again with this year by donating veggies and garden plants and if any of you would like to help with volunteering on those Sundays, delivering food to families, growing veggies here at our farm or your own place, buy a CSA share for this program, donate money (see our registration form) or with financial support please call Kaight at 372-5843 or give us a call.
We will also be working on gleaning for the food shelf here in the county in partnership with Healthy Roots out of St Albans. If you would like to help with any of this, let us know. There are times – for example – last summer, a bunch of lettuce mix came up that was ready and we had way too much to sell or give to you all. We called a few people and folks came out and we harvested over 75lbs of lettuce mix, that we washed, spun, and bagged and brought to the Grand Isle Food Shelf. None of it went to waste, it didn’t get plowed under, it went right to people in our community. We are always looking for folks who would like to help come glean veggies for the food shelf – let us know if you are interested.
We will also be taking on two more apprentices for this season. So if you know able body foilks who want to learn about farming, homesteading, and raising a family on a farm – please let us know.
Thank YOU!
We couldn’t do this without all of you. It is because of you, we made it through last year with the hope for this growing season. Adam, Sadie, Delia and I look forward to walking out to the chickens with you and your children, meeting our sheep and their lambs in the pasture, mooing to Miss Sandy and her calf, Miss Maggie, picking ground cherries, finding beautiful flower bouquets again, uncovering treasures of potatoes and carrots from the earth, and enjoying that you know where your food comes from. We love that you are part of the farm and that we get to see you every week during the season to share the farm’s bounty with you and that you are here with us in the fields – knowing where your food is coming from. What a great direct link to one of your food sources – knowing the hands that grow your food and being able to shake them. Can’t get that from the grocery store.
When we sit and plan this year and reflect over the last 13 years(!) – we are truly blessed to have this as our work. We are honored that we are one of your farmers and you are our community. Hope you are all well. We have enclosed this year’s CSA brochure. Please pass to a friend if you are going to fill out the electronic version. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you walking in the fields – smelling the basil, having tomato juice run down your cheeks, & eating fresh sweet peas again.
Your friends/farmers at Blue Heron Farm,
Adam Farris, Christine Bourque, Sadie and Delia Farris
PS- NOFA-VT Supported farm share program will be released March 1 – If you need financial assistance – please let us know and call NOFA (434-4122) or download(www.nofavt.org) their application. Get your supported share application in ASAP as soon as it is released because it is on a first come first serve basis until funds run out.
Hi everyone! We are so glad that you are on this journey with us this growing season. This is our 10th year of running a CSA and we are always excited for the new CSA year to begin. It is great to share the ups and downs with farming with a group of folks who really care about where their food is coming from. Our daughter Sadie (now 7.5) looks forward to Mondays to see you all and help pack the bags for our Thursday folks. “Mama, is it time yet ” – in the early spring when we are setting out new transplants and seeding little tiny seeds – not yet. While we weed the wee little peas – “Mama, is it time yet” – no, not yet. While we transplant the tomatoes into their warm hoop houses and transplant the tender greens in the field – “Mama, is it time yet” – almost, soon very soon. In her waiting for the season to begin, Sadie has planted her own bigger garden this year, up behind the peas – I think its 5 x20′. She is hoping to share some of those cucumbers with you and those purple peppers;)
We have made some additions, thanks our very supportive CSA members this growing season. We are putting up two caterpillar tunnels – these are two temporary tunnels that we will take the plastic off of in the winter. They are 14 x 100′. We will be growing our peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and melons in them. And we bought in 20 yards of Vt Compost company Compost to keep adding to our organic manner in the fields. Another amazing addition, thanks to a two year loan from the Vermont Farmer Fund, we have a BCS walk behind tractor, made in Italy, and this tractor will help us go to a permanent raised bed system that will help with wet seasons, add more organic matter into the soil we are actually growing in, little to no soil compaction, and a lot more fertility and intensive growing of crops. We are excited – it even has a potato digger and a flail mower.
We have two amazing apprentices this year – Frank and Julia. Frank has been with us since April 1 and Julia came almost a month ago from Ohio. You’ll get to know them over the season. They are definitely well loved by Sadie and Delia (and us of course).For those of you who were with us last year, Carly is doing well and living in Burlington and working at Adams Berry Farm.
This Spring we had 12 lambs, one of those being a bottle lamb Moe – you might see him around, he is a cutie. Also, on May 2nd, Maggie gave birth to boy calf. You can always go out and visit with the lambs and their moms and their two friendly and curious boy calfs Al and Jack.
** We will not be having pickup next week June 15**- but no worries, you will still get your 18 weeks of veggies. The month of June is tricky for us with the soil needing to warm up, and this spring it being so dry, things took a little longer to grow. SO we are skipping this coming Monday to let veggies grow – we will be in touch next week about the following week. According to our paper plans, we should have had plenty of food to go, but with dry conditions – we were watering day and night – basically just trying to keep every thing alive.
Feel free to email or call if you have questions. My hope and goal is to have one of these journals out each week with news from the farm and recipes.
June 22 – we are hoping to do a Burger night with the Accidental Farmer. You will be able to purchase and eat dinner here while you pick up your veggies. We will be sending out more info on this. This will be open to CSA members and anyone who would like to come.
As we harvest the spinach, and Delia and Sadie eat it in the field with eagerness,
As we wash the lettuce heads in the big cold tub of water,
As we pluck the juicy rhubarb from their stocks,
As we spin the arugula in the washer, with happy girls sitting on the top for a shaky ride,
“Mama, is it time yet”
“Yes, sweet girl, it’s time – Let the CSA season begin.”
It is amazes me how much this land nourishes all of us – our bellies, our souls, our minds. Thanks for being part of it. Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
We look forward to farming with you this season.
Peace, your farmers, Christine, Adam, Sadie, Frank and Julia
What’s in the share this week:
This list is what is in a full share this week. Things may change between Monday and Thursday and Individual and Salad share will get differing amounts and may not get everything on the list. Lettuce heads, rhubarb, tomato plants, pepper plant, Arugula, Mesuclin or Baby Red Russian Kale, Spinach, Dill
Farm Fresh Raw milk for Sale
We are very lucky to have two milking cows – Annie and Maggie – both give us plenty of milk each and every day and we would like to share that with you and anyone else would like to have raw milk. We sell it $5 a half gal. We also can do a sliding scale if needed for the milk. You can buy milk at CSA pickup or anytime out of our barn fridge next to our house at 34 quaker.
Eggs for sale We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown eggs– with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.75 a dozen. $3.00 half dozen
***FRESH CERTIFIED ORGANIC whole CHICKEN AVAILABLE at the FARM Soon in the next week or two – we will let you knowJ
Recipes:
What we have done lately with the spinach and arugula – together – made them into a pesto with a nuts or sunflower seeds, olive oil and cheese. Yum – the girls love it.
Spinach you can eat raw or slightly steamed. We made some really great Chicken Saag the other night.
Arugula is peppery salad green and a maple balsamic vinaigrette is amazing for it.
The mesculin mix is a mix of spring greens that can be cooked or eaten raw. They are a mixture of mustards, kales, mizuna, asian greens.
Orange Maple Dressing – from the Accidental Farmer
1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons of Vermont maple syrup 2 tablespoons of orange juice 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons if ginger 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an air tight container or jar. Will keep for up to seven days.
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 part maple syrup
1 part balsamic vinegar
1/2 part of olive oil
salt and pepper
and shake:)
It keeps well in the fridge – the olive oil may separate in fridge – but just shake and everything mixes together again. ]]>