Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 13

Howdy folks and welcome to week 13 of your CSA. It's been another warm week here at the farm but the mornings have managed to stay cool and crisp. We definitely feel fall in the air on these cool mornings and it feels great!

This past week we finished our major fall brassica planting and boy does it feel good to have all of those plants in the ground! We'll continue to sow lettuce, radishes, turnips, and greens throughout the next few weeks but the big plantings for the 2016 season are behind us. Our sprits are quite high at the moment and we feel really good about where we're at in the season. 

This week you have another bountiful box full of summer produce. The recipe of the week will use quite a bit of your veggies and we really hope you enjoy the harvest ratatouille as much as we do. It's delicious and is a true celebration of the season! 

Have a wonderful week everyone.

WEEK 13 BOX

  1. LETTUCE
  2. RADISHES
  3. HOT PEPPERS-2 JALAPEÑOS, 2 SERRANOS, 1 ANAHEIM
  4. HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
  5. CHERRY TOMATOES
  6. GREEN BEANS
  7. GARLIC-POLISH HARDNECK
  8. SCALLIONS
  9. CUCUMBERS
  10. BASIL
  11. EGGPLANT
  12. SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI

SUMMER HARVEST RATATOUILLE WITH PASTA

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bunch of scallions, diced, white and light green parts only
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium-small eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half others left whole
  • 1 heirloom tomato, coarsely chopped, about 3/4 of a cup worth 
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
  • fresh parmesan for serving
  • Salt + pepper for serving
  1. Over medium-low heat add the olive oil to a large skillet with the scallions, garlic and bay leaf. Stir often until the vegetables soften a bit and become fragrant. About 3 minutes.
  2. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally until the eggplant has softened. About 5 minutes. Stir in the summer squash/zucchini, Anaheim pepper, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomato and salt. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil.
  3. While the vegetables simmer for the last 10 minutes bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 5-7 minutes (cooking times will vary depending on your specific pasta so look at the suggested cooking time on the label)
  4. Drain the pasta and add it to the simmering vegetables. Stir well and divide the pasta between plates. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few pinches of salt + pepper.

 

Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 12

Harvest 12.jpg

Howdy folks and welcome to week 12 of your CSA! Before we get to the contents of the box we just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who made the trek out to the farm for the party on Sunday. It was wonderful to show you all the farm, clink glasses and rock out to the always amazing Greenneck Daredevils. Those of you who couldn't make it no worries, we'll do it again next year! You all rule and thank you for supporting our farm. We couldn't do what we love for a living if it weren't for all of you!

Alright, this week is another summer harvest box. We're swimming in a sea of tomatoes, peppers, corn and melons. I know you've been getting slammed with tomatoes and summer squash recently but they're ripe, bountiful and I think we'll all miss them this winter, so eat up!

Things at the farm have been busy this past week but we're feeling pretty good about transitioning into fall production soon. The potatoes are looking great and the winter squash is ripening by the day. We're getting ready to plant more kale, collard greens, bok choy, broccoli and cauliflower in the upper field and we're anxious to get those transplants out of the greenhouse and into the dirt.  If the weather cooperates I think the fall harvest should be really bountiful. 

Anyhow, we hope this week you all get to enjoy some tasty home cooked meals and a few cold ones too! Below the recipe of the week are a few links to help inspire you to cook through your boxes. The heirloom tomato and watermelon salad is to die for along with the eggplant hummus. Happy cooking everyone! 

WEEK 12 HARVEST BOX

  1. CORN
  2. EGGPLANT-THREE DIFFERENT VARIETIES. THEY ALL TASTE SIMILAR AND CAN BE PREPARED THE SAME WAY.
  3. HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
  4. CHERRY TOMATOES
  5. SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI
  6. GARLIC
  7. CARROTS
  8. SWISS CHARD
  9. WATERMELON
  10. LEMON CUCUMBER
  11. SLICING CUCUMBERS
  12. SWEET PEPPERS

SPICED ZUCCHINI & HONEY MUFFINS

  • 1 2/3 CUP WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR (OR ALL PURPOSE)
  • 1/3 CUP OLD FASHIONED OATS + ADDITIONAL FOR TOPPING
  • 1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
  • 1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
  • 1 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON
  • 1/4 TEASPOON GROUND NUTMEG
  • 1/2 TEASPOON SALT
  • 1 EGG
  • 1/2 CUP HONEY
  • 1/2 CUP ALMOND MILK (OR DAIRY MILK)
  • 1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL
  • 1 TEASPOON PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
  • 1 1/4 CUPS GRATED ZUCCHINI (OR SUMMER SQUASH)
  • 1/3 CUP DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS
  1. PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350F. LINE A STANDARD 12 CUP MUFFIN PAN WITH LINERS (OR GREASE WITH OIL) AND SET ASIDE.
  2. IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL WHISK TOGETHER THE FLOUR, OATS, BAKING POWDER, BAKING SODA, CINNAMON, NUTMEG AND SALT. SET ASIDE.
  3. IN A SEPARATE BOWL WHISK TOGETHER THE EGG, HONEY, MILK, OIL AND VANILLA EXTRACT. POUR THIS MIXTURE INTO THE DRY MIXTURE AND USING A WOODEN SPOON MIX UNTIL JUST COMBINED (DON'T OVER MIX!) STIR IN THE ZUCCHINI AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS UNTIL EVENLY DISTRIBUTED. 
  4. POUR THE BATTER EVENLY BETWEEN THE 12 MUFFIN CUPS. SPRINKLE EXTRA OATS ON TOP OF EACH MUFFIN. BAKE FOR 18-20 MINUTES OR UNTIIL A TOOTHPICK INSERTED IN THE CENTER OF A MUFFIN COMES OUT CLEAN.
  5. TRANSFER MUFFINS TO A COOLING RACK UNTIL COOL ENOUGH TO HANDLE. SERVE WARM WITH SOME GOOD QUALITY BUTTER AND A CUP OF COFFEE.
    

 

 

 

 

Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 11

Hi folks and welcome to week 11 of your CSA. We hope you're enjoying the August bounty as much as we are. Meal times around the farm have been delicious and we're stoked with the variety available in the fields right now. Hopefully the feeling is mutual and you've been enjoying the flavors of the season as much as we have!

We're almost through our big planting and seeding of fall crops. We've been busy tilling under old sections of the field and preparing the soil for the next big wave of plants. Taylor's been spending a lot of time on the tractor and I've been busy in the greenhouse seeding away. After next week we should have most of our fall transplants in the ground with a few weeks left of direct seeding in the field. It's amazing how quickly time is flying now! Our winter squash harvest is only a few weeks away and there are some huge pumpkins ripening quickly in the upper field! We're already talking about our Thanksgiving menu (I know, too soon!)

Anyhow, enough talk about fall crops-Summer is in full swing and we're loving it!

We've got a delicious recipe of the week for you today but before I get to that I wanted to remind everyone that the Rock The Harvest party is this Sunday! The Greenneck Daredevils will be playing out in the field and we'll have a couple of kegs. Bring anything else you want to drink and a picnic dinner. Hope to see you all at the farm! If you have any questions please feel free to email us.

Alright, have a great week everyone and see you all later today. If you have the time sit and stay for a beer with us at Migration!

WEEK 11 HARVEST

  1. WATERMELON OR CANTALOUPE (THE WATERMELON HAS A YELLOW FLESH)
  2. HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
  3. CHERRY TOMATOES
  4. LETTUCE
  5. GARLIC- CHESNOK RED
  6. RADISHES
  7. JALAPEÑO PEPPERS
  8. CORN-EAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.- FRESH CORN DOESN'T LAST LONG IN THE FRIDGE!
  9. KOHLRABI-PURPLE & GREEN
  10. SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI
  11. BASIL

SWEET CORN AND SUMMER SQUASH GNOCCHI

  • 1 (16 ounce) package of gnocchi 
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted grass-fed butter
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
  • 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
  • 1 cup sweet corn kernels (from about 2 ears)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 4 ounces good quality feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup basil, julienned 
  • salt + pepper to taste
  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook for about 2 minutes (or until they rise to the top of the water) Drain and return the gnocchi to the pan. Add 1 Tablespoon of the butter to the gnocchi and toss well. 
  2. Heat remaining 3 Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter until it begins to bubble and turn light brown (be careful not to burn the butter!) Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the summer squash, zucchini and corn. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables begin to brown up a bit. About 3 minutes. Stir in the cooked gnocchi and toss well. Squeeze 2 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice into the pan and top with feta, basil and plenty of salt + pepper. Divide among plates and serve warm with a sprinkle of more cheese if desired. 

Recipe links: