Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 14

It's been a lovely week here at Tumbleweed Farm. After months of ZERO rain the skies opened up and poured on us!!! It was the best weekend gift we have received all season and we loved every second of standing out in the pouring rain. Truly amazing!

This week brings our 14th harvest of the season and it's another tasty box. We're slowly beginning our potato harvest which is awesome and today they are making their seasonal debut in your share.

We hope you enjoy the recipe of the week and continue to relish in this cooler and comfortable weather we're having. The recipe calls for 1 (12oz) bottle of pale ale so I'd recommend filling up a growler at Migration Brewing before whipping up the recipe below. Then you'll have plenty of beer to sip on while you enjoy the chili! Anyhow, have a wonderful week everyone and be sure to kick back with some tasty meals and a few colds ones too. Cheers to the harvest!

HARVEST 14 BOX

  1. Cilantro
  2. Potatoes-Kennebec 
  3. Rainbow beans
  4. Garlic-Shantang Purple
  5. Radishes-Dip these in butter and sea salt for a simple snack/appetizer
  6. Kohlrabi-Slice and dip this in butter and sea salt with the radishes (SO GOOD!)
  7. Leeks
  8. Heirloom Tomato
  9. Bell Peppers
  10. Jalapeño Peppers
  11. Summer Squash/Zucchini
  12. Slicing Cucumber
  13. Lemon Cucumber
  14. Lettuce

Black Bean & Zucchini Chili

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium sized onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 
  • 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced 
  • 2 medium sized zucchini/summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 
  • healthy pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 (12oz) bottle pale ale preferably from Migration Brewing!
  • 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup minced cilantro
  • full fat greek yogurt for serving
  • fresh lime juice for serving
  1. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell peppers, jalapeño, and zucchini. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the chili powder, and cumin, oregano, salt and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute, stirring often. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the 12 ounces of beer and 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper
  2. Serve with minced cilantro, a dollop of greek yogurt and freshly squeezed lime juice

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.