CSA # 13 Summer Baskets Begin!

July 11th 2014

Hi everybody!

When 4:00 hits on Fridays Chez Nous Farms becomes quite a busy  store for our little  town of Stevensville! And especially today as our group got a wee bit larger..welcome everyone! So far we have completed Spring baskets 1-12 and are starting Summer baskets 13-24 which will be followed by Fall 25-36.
This week's baskets had alot of weight to them as opposed to all the greens!

In your baskets this week:

1 bag of Chez Nous Salad Mix
1 bag of Sugar Snap Peas
1 bag of beans Snap or Slicing (which are flat instead of round)
Kholrabi
1 cucumber
Garlic Scapes
Basil (Basil keeps best in cup with some water on the counter as opposed to the fridge where it goes black
 the odd little tomato

Juicing add on: Swiss Chard, Kale,cucumber,  Mint and Parsley

This week will more than likely be the last week of Sugar Snap Peas.  Every week we try to include a bag of Chez Nous Mix which is a mix of lettuces, greens and herbs, this week you may notice there is alot of lemon and lime basil...one of my usual summer add ins.

A strangely beautiful vegetable

We had a beautiful Kholrabi crop this year. Such a versatile veggie no need for a recipe here just peel and  a simple roasting or steaming with butter will be delicious! Leaves are also edible.

Some slicer beans and lemon cucumbers

Garlic Scapes also the last scapes for this season. I included some basil this week for those you might want to make some scape pesto.  There are so many recipes and even I make it different every time but a blend of Olive Oil and scapes make a great base you can also add some herbs and Parmesan cheese if you like.

A few recipes with scapes

Scape Pesto

Last week we were dissapointed to learn that the 4 rows of corn we had planted went to the birds...not a single seed could be found! That's a first for us! Guess we need a scarecrow....Oh well, we replaced it with our Flower Sprouts and radishes which were ready to go in the ground ( 4 rows under nets to the right)

The potatoes are doing really really well this is our biggest potato crop ever.  In the background sit's our moveable coop waiting for our young layers they should be moved in shortly. 

This week the boys worked on our  new chicken pasture we call the Moat a perimeter fence to travel the chickens through.

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Opening up a new area to the layers hope they start soon!

Next week we will be distributing some escarole...in case you wanted to look up some recipes I have a few i hope i get to try this week...will let you know!

See you next week!

Spring CSA # 12

July 4 th 2014

Hello to our Spring Batch

Even though it is officially summer, today marks the last Spring CSA basket.  We did need to skip a week along the way as I was over my head organizing a plant sale, exhausted and fields were so wet.  The weather this spring was over the top with wet and cold but has turned around and seems to be in a gardeners favor lately! Youpi!  And for the most part things are progressing well and I expect some amazing crops this season.

It is a different season though, as they all are... we're picking beans, tomatoes and peas all in the same week, peas are usually much earlier!

For some of you this will be your last week, thank you very much it has been a pleasure growing food for you!  Good luck with your gardens and have a fantastic summer!

In regards to eggs: all "egg" members (but one, we will contact you) will continue to receive  baskets over the summer so we will figure something out to credit you your eggs.  We sure hope they start soon- it is the first time in 5 years that even we have no eggs in our house!

In your baskets this week:

1 of Chez Nous Salad Mix

1 bag of pea shoots

1 double bag of Sugar Snap Peas ( Snap Peas are time sensitive like corn and should be consumed ASAP to conserve sweetness you wont taste peas like this in the grocery store!)

1 bag of Kale

Savory

Crisp Mint lettuce is my new favorite lettuce...it's sweet and crispy!

Sugar Snap Peas...they were late but we have lots! We sent out a double bag...half for fresh eating and half for cooking.  I tried a new recipe for roasted Snap Peas along with the dipping sauce. WOW! It was delicious and addictive as a snack or a side

Here's the recipe: Roasted Snap Peas 

This weeks salad mix has some spicy Arugula sprouts and Red Garnet Amaranth 

Lemon Cucumbers were in the juicing bags, they are said to agree with those who have a hard time digesting cucumbers

Juicing bags: Swiss Chard, Kale, Mint and cucumbers

Tomatoes have started and should be in baskets soon. There is a few baskets available in store.

Thank you so much!

Shirley and Rich

Spring CSA #11

Friday June 27th

This week is the second to last Spring CSA basket... We had to skip a week along the way making summer baskets start a week later but all in all it wasn't too bad! And if things keep up as they are it's going to be a fantastic summer!  Even as I sold tomato plants in May with my tuque on, when people asked me what my predictions for summer were I was still quite optimistic.

This week we made the decision to bring in our older layers for processing, they still should have had a steady month or so of laying but with the stress they suffered due to the hawk they slowed down dramatically, we feared that to wait for them to start laying again would not be worth it. Our new flock is due to start laying anytime. As for this week, we divided all the eggs we had for a total of seven eggs each.



In this weeks baskets:

1 bag of Chez Nous Mix
1 bag of Heirloom Lettuce Mix
1 bag of Swiss Chard
1 of Escarole/Endive
1 Garlic Scape
1 herb: Sage and Basil (If you haven't tried brown butter sage yet...it's good with everything from steak to pasta!!!)
Half of you got a cucumber and the other half will get one next week

For those that don't know....scapes are part of the garlic plant that we cut off in spring, they are milder than garlic and delicious! 

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Grilled scapes for breakfast..

I also used scapes and Swiss Chard for a gnocchi dish this week. If you've never made homemade potato Gnocchi before it's so easy and goes good with fresh veggies of any kind... Here's a link to the recipe I always use: Step by step potato gnocchi

I had my gnocchi over a bed of Swiss Chard with a brown butter sage sauce and mushroom ragu. 

Last week I gave you broccoli leaves. I needed to share with you something I tried that was so delicious! Broccoli leaf chips. Few tablespoons of Olive or Coconut Oil and a few drops of  fresh lemon, maple syrup, hot sauce, garlic powder and salt. Bake at 400 . They cook really fast and didn't need any flipping.

On the farm this week: we planted Sweet Potatoes for the first time

Onions, leeks and celery coming along great..

First tomatoes are ripening

Weighing out the Swiss Chard

Peas next week!  

Spring CSA # 10

June 21 rst

Hello everybody

I'm just in for a green drink before hitting the fields again.   Last night our internet was down so I put off the newsletter until today.

It's  a beautiful day and I can't wait to get back out, so I'll be quick!

This weeks baskets contained:

1 chez nous mix
1 Kale
1 Broccoli greens with the odd broccoli piece
1 Sunflower Greens
1 Radish Sprouts

Also, in the upcoming week  we should have our organic soup birds available. They will be 15$ for small and 20$ for large.  I am glad because i have taken out my last batch or chicken broth to make some broccoli leaf soup this week.  If you've never tried them, they are awesome and making broth is really easy. Just a reminder these are not roasting chickens...they are used for broth and the meat is perfect to add to your soup or use for quesidillas, sandwiches etc... They require long, liquid cooking but provide rich flavorful broth and a fair amount of meat too.  Here's a link to our method:  stewing-hens-and-chicken-noodle-soup.html

Please send us an email to let us know if you would like to order some.

Uncovering Kale and Broccoli for a day of harvest and weeding

The broccoli plants provide some side shoots but we were also interested in the perfect leaves...which you never see in the grocery store...what a shame. 

I'll be making a cream of broccoli soup but these can be used any way you would use Kale.

These little radish sprouts will not only fancy up any dish you make but are quite addictive on their own.  We had some yesterday for lunch along with sprouts in our tuna sandwich.

Loving my newly improved sprouting/seeding area

Lettuces are just about one of the most photogenic veggies in the garden

Laying hens moved to an out of use garden for a bit.

Snap Peas just around the corner!

Spring CSA # 9

Friday June 13th
Good evening everyone

A quick newsletter again. We just got in from working in the herb garden tonight and we had a visitor.  Unfortunately, he was hungry and killed one of our chickens, a big hawk or falcon and upon spooking him we noticed he had bells attached to his feet.  I guess he's been on the loose for awhile and we were able to locate his owner who's super excited to get him back.  Tonight wasn't the night though and the she will try again to catch him in the morning. Hope he's caught because we certainly don't want to deal with him.  Until now we've never had a problem with hawks.

Today's baskets weren't huge but had some new items:

broccoli and leaves ( leaves are just like collards)
Carrots
Sunflower greens
Chez Nous Salad Mix
Kale
Oregano ( it wasn't bagged you can use it fresh or let it sit on the counter or hang to dry and use it later)

Juicing: Swiss Chard, Kale a little spinach and Mint

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It's the first time we grow regular broccoli, I've learned that unlike kale it's days in a pot are numbered, so if you plant it late because you can't get it in- you'll end up with small broccoli.  It is however gorgeous and we're hoping to keep getting shoots off it!

I'm hoping I could get back into cooking soon and share some recipes but for now I'm way too tired!  Wishing you all a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful dad's out there!

Shirley and Rick

SPRING CSA #8

Good morning everybody!

Last night had me rushing out to the first night of my beautiful daughter's two part dance recital which concludes tonight.  Watching my children whether in sports or onstage is amazing and makes me so proud! Between birthdays, sports, a plant sale and farming our springs have us running around like crazy!  I have concluded that last years, every other week spring baskets were a better fit for our lifestyle and may return to that for next year with the likelihood of no plant sale and other additional extra's.  We realize that we are the bosses here and have the option to make these changes, this year had us working a ridiculously unhealthy amount of hours.  So, we have decided that we try, just for one year, to simplify Spring. Should be interesting!

Hasn't the weather been fantastic! Love it! This weeks baskets were many of the last crops from the greenhouse.

In your baskets this week:

Beet greens with the odd little beet but these were mostly grown for greens
Swiss Chard
Crispy lettuce blend (romaines, and crisp lettuce)
Chez Nous Salad Mix
Small Turnips

Juicing upgrade got: Beet, Kale, Romaine and Mint

Yesterday for lunch i made a smoothie with Avocado, Kale, Lettuce, Mint, Honey and Coconibs...Yummy!

This Ruby Red Chard that I purchased from High Mowing Seeds this year is gorgeous!

Every morning starts the same harvesting before crops get too warm.

We've upgraded the outdoor seeding area with some new tables and shade cloth this year. Can you believe Fall crops such as Flower Sprouts have already been started?

We are still chipping away at that potato field, all the reds have gone in.

We purchased these very costly nets to protect cold crops subject to so many pests.  These nets allow crops to stay cool and are sort of like a nylon fabric.  I am hoping to get a few uses out of them.

Broccoli should be baskets next week.  Not all of them sized up as much as i would have liked...they didn't get in soon enough! Those leaves however look delicious!

This bed of lettuce, which was planted in a soupy mess weeks ago is freshly weeded and ready to harvest for next week.

Outdoor crops always have such vibrant colors compared to the greenhouse grown ones.

We've got a bed of fennel growing

Indoor tomatoes are full of tomatoes but outdoor tomatoes are catching up too!

A nicely weeded onion bed- for once yay! Last's crop was overtaken by weeds not this year!

Can you guess what is growing here? Hard to believe that the onions looked like this too. On my list for this weekend weed this celery bed!

I am planning for a lot of cucumbers this year.

Well enjoy another beautiful weekend everybody! And thank you for your continued support, encouragement and patronage! 

Shirley and Rick