Inverbrook Farm

Winter Yoga Retreat at the Farm

2012-01-20T10:03:00.001-05:00

This Fall the very talented and spirited yoga instructor Julia Horn held a retreat at the farm--
click here to read a follow up posting. I am pleased to announce that Julia will be returning to the farm on January 28th to conduct a Winter focused yoga retreat; and this time she is opening up the retreat to the local community. If you are interested read her letter below that includes details for signing up for this afternoon retreat.

Happy winter, all.
What a time. I luv this season because I luv every last excuse to cuddle in and well, do just that, cuddle. Into myself, into a book, you name it. Winter is such a beautiful season for bringing that much needed balance to our hectic and busy lives. One of the best ways to truly learn this turning inward is to look to the stunning examples that surround us in the natural world- everything gathering inward so that rebirth and the explosive expansion of life might be possible. And just as nature makes herself sparse and simple in these moments, we too, can relinquish our outward sprawling expressions and instead look inward- towards our little wise bits that lay quietly inside.

I would love to invite you all to another season at Inverbrook farm- next saturday, January 28th. Our harvest retreat was such a wonderful day, that we decided it would be so great, not to mention wise, to learn at every season, the way of the land. And also as it relates to the growth of the food that we eat. Connecting to a wider consciousness of our land and nourishment are some of the most upliftingly grounded practices I know.

Join me for a day of bundling up, romping around the farm to offer aid wherever we can, to be inspired by the dirt, the country air, the trees, the critters and to turn in, for a winter practice. In front of an open fire, we will practice yoga together and stoke our own internal fire, deep in the bones where we may be in need of a little warming. We will then settle into a softer practice of yin and restorative as winter warrants, to gaze into the embers of the heart and bring to consciousness the wisdom that is there, through deep quiet soft silken listening.

Following the practice we will cook together a wintry feast of locally sourced organic foods and enjoy the company of each other (maybe even throw in a round of my all-time fave- charades- yiperz!).

Transportation provided.
Investment- $35-55 sliding scale.
Leaving west philly at noon (Jan 28th) and returning after dindin.
Please feel free to forward on and invite your favorite cuddle buddies!
Email or call to reserve- missjuliahorn@gmail.com
484.535.1251
And if i don't see you on the farm, may you be surrounded in warmth and luv,
Julia
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Three Birds Bouquets-Perfect for Valentine's Day

2012-01-18T18:04:00.000-05:00

Over the next couple of weeks I will be featuring some of our wonderful farm partners. With Valentines day a little less that a month away, I wanted to mention 3 Birds Bouquet--the local flower CSA that delivers to the farm Wednesdays from June to September.

I cannot think of a more perfect Valentine's Day gift-surprise that special someone in your life with not one, but twelve beautiful bouquets. For more information about the cut flower CSA read the info below (taken from the 3 Birds website):

2012 Cut Flower CSA

As a member of our CSA…

You will receive an arrangement of fresh cut, seasonal flowers once a week for 12 weeks, dependent on supply of flowers (shares are variable due to weather, etc.) from June to September.

Flowers will be available for pick-up Wednesdays at Inverbrook Farm in West Grove, PA. Delivery to your participating business is also an option (dependent upon geography and number of orders from business).

Our locally grown, organic flowers offer an alternative to imported ones, which means you get fresher blooms, a smaller carbon footprint, and the knowledge that you are supporting community-based agriculture.

Shares are limited (and filling up fast!) We encourage you to sign up now to ensure your share simply by emailing us or giving us a call. One share is $100. Registration is open until February 15, 2012.

Gift certificates are available!

This would make a fantastic, thoughtful, lasting gift for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, or birthdays.
How to Register:
First, email to 3birdsbouquets@gmail.com with your intention.
Next, write a check payable to “Three Birds Bouquets” for $100 and send to:

Three Birds Bouquets
354 Little Elk Creek Road
Lincoln University, PA 19352

Reduction Resolution

2012-01-12T15:39:00.001-05:00

Photo by Kelly G

"We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?" - Wendell Berry

Whereas the Holidays are all about indulgence and excess; the New Year ushers in a time when many seem to focus on reduction. Whether it is cleansing and detoxifying, meditating and exercising or cleaning up our homes and offices—it seems like many are making the all important connection between the health of our bodies, spirits, and environment with the simplification of our lives. Reducing waste related to our eating and cooking habits has been the subject of numerous articles recently and I thought I would share some links of interest.
Links:
Yes Magazine’s Ten Tips for a Zero Waste Household

Alternet’s Compost Cuisine: Amazing Ways to Make Delicious Food Out of Garbage

Mother Earth Posted this article on their Facebook site recently about how to store fruits and veggies without using plastic

Nourishing the Plant posted this article on reducing food waste

Here at Inverbrook Farm we compost our garden scraps. If you are a member of the CSA we offer to take your food scraps, that way if you do not have a home composting system we can do it for you. If you are interested in signing up for the 2012 CSA Season (a great way to keep you diet resolution) please check out the farm website. We are offering a special $50 discount for those who sign up before the end of January. Best wishes with your New Year Resolutions.

Happy New Year—Trends and Resolutions

2012-01-03T15:23:00.004-05:00

Happy 2012. Trends and resolutions seem to be all the rage this time of year, so I thought I would share some of my favorite articles so far. It actually is very exciting to see the popularity of ideas like “farm-to-table” and “artisanal,” or to read that almost all the hot new diets still encourage the increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In honor of the new year and these encouraging trends, I am going to extend the early bird CSA discount until the end of January. A 2012 CSA Share will cost $550 as opposed to $600 if you sign up before January, 31st 2012 . Go to the Inverbrook Farm website "news and information" page to download a sign up form. Whether you want to be trendy or stick to your diet resolutions, supporting local agriculture seems to be the way to go. Buy Fresh, Buy Local.

Huffington Post 2012 Food Trends and from contributor and cookbook author Rose Gold “what we will be eating in 2012”
From Grist the bad and good food news of 2011
NPR weekend edition “Artisanal and Authetic the Flavors of the New Year”
Mark Bittman’s (picture from article) No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem

And finally the Philly Inquirer’s wrap up of food critic Craig LeBan’s year in bells (his rating system) with a nice shout out to our local farm-to-table hero Aimee Olexy of Talula’s Table and Garden. Cheers to Aimee and the continuation of the local farm-to-table trend!

Aimee Olexy at Talula's Garden

Happy Solstice-Knowing the Dark

2011-12-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Solstice! Of all the rituals, events and reasons for celebrating this time of year--the winter solstice is truly the one I love the most. That one long night marks the start of the days slowly getting longer--a time to embrace the dark with the knowledge that brighter days are just around the corner. Usually its cold and bleak outside--not warm and balmy like today--so its nice to have a reminder to celebrate this season of dark. A time for reflection and planning; with each passing day getting brighter and longer. Enjoy this poem by Wendell Berry--and enjoy the slow waning of darkness:

To Know the Dark

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,

and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Holiday Sale at Inverbrook this Saturday 1-6PM

2011-12-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

If crowded malls and impersonal big box stores are getting you down this holiday shopping season, I am happy to offer the perfect alternative. This coming Saturday from 1-6PM we are hosting a holiday sale at the big stone house on the farm featuring a variety of talented local artisans. Orchids, cheese, beeswax candles, temporary tattoos, pottery, seed packets, earrings, fabric bags, aprons, and more....this eclectic mix of vendors will provide a wide array of gift options.

Along with the great local artisans, I will be manning farm table which will include the ability to sign up for our 2012 CSA season, learn about the add on CSA options like the North Star Orchard Fruit share, buy gift certificates from Three Birds Bouquets, as well as the opportunity to purchase Camels Hump Rain Barrels.

Shop locally and celebrate the holidays this season at Inverbrook Farm's Holiday Sale. A selection of fine handmade crafts and local fare will be available for purchase.

Featuring:
* Bessie -- bags, aprons & accessories
* Chansonette Flowers & Art -- inspired orchids & succulents
* Happy Cat Organics -- where the slow food revolution begins
* HEIRLOOM: modern classic -- jewelry & accessories
* Lyla Kaplan Pottery -- functional stoneware
* Red Haven Farm -- artisan cheeses
* Matchstick Handmade -- beeswax candles
* Camels Hump Rain Barrels -- water catchment systems
*Three Birds Bouquets -- flower csa

Bring your friends and enjoy light hors d'oeuvres while ringing in the holiday season and new year 1-6PM Saturday, December 17th!

Bessie's Bags

Matchstick Handmade Beeswax Candles

Happy Cat Seed Packets

Chansonette Orchids and Floral Creations

Lyla Kaplan Pottery bottle

Heirloom: modern classic pendant

Reflections On November--A Season of Gold

2011-11-28T09:56:00.001-05:00

As November draws to a close I thought I would share this lovely poem with you all. The unusually warm and wet month has lead to some very dramatic weather--highlighting the natural beauty of our Chester County landscape. Its been a month since the CSA ended, so I have had plenty of time for walks and appreciation of the varied terrain at Inverbrook. When I read this poem it had a particularly strong resonance with the month and my recent observations--a month full of gold.

GOLD

Suddenly all the gold I ever wanted

Let loose and fell on me. A storm of gold

Starting with rain a quick sun catches falling

And in the rain (fall within fall) a whirl

Of yellow leaves, glitter of paper nuggets.

And there were puddles the sun was winking at

And fountains saucy with goldfish, fantails, sunfish,

And trout slipping streams it would be insult

To call gold and, trailing their incandescent

Fingers, meteors and a swimming moon.

Flowers of course. Chrysanthemums and clouds

of twisted cool witch-hazel and marigolds,

Late dandelions and all the goldenrods.

And bees all pollen and honey, wasps gold-banded

And hornets dangling their legs, cursing the sun.

The luminous birds, goldfinches and orioles,

Were gone or going, leaving some of their gold

Behind in near-gold, off-gold, ultra-golden

Beeches, birches, maples, apples. And under

The appletrees the lost, the long-lost names.

Pumpkins and squashes heaped in a cold-gold sunset--

Oh, I was crushed like Croesus, Midas-smothered

And I died in a maple-fall a boy was raking

Nightward to burst all bonfire-gold together--

And leave tat last in a thin blue prayer of smoke.

-Robert Francis

Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. We did not raise many turkeys, so I was spared the typical busy chaos associated with distributing the culinary focal piece for this very important meal. Strangly I was feeling a little less spirited about the holiday; a holiday that I usually relish in. The themes of thankfulness, family and food--are all very important to me. Thanksgiving morning I took a walk to the top of our hill to pick bittersweet and was once again struck with the peace and beauty embodied in our lovely local landscape.

The time spent outside on such a lovely day quickly brought on a sense of thankfulness appropriate for the holiday. My walk ended near the beehives (kept at the farm by beekeeper Dan B.) where I paused to watch their busy activity--thinking of the stores of golden honey inside of the hive. My Thanksgiving spirit had been renewed in the observation of bees and their magical transformation of the landscape to sweet delicious sustenance-the metaphors are endless.

As December is sure to bring cooler weather and a more barren landscape--I will hold on to the golden thoughts of November, ever thankful for the warm beauty of nature.

Yoga Retreat at Inverbrook Farm-Celebrating the Season

2011-11-16T15:59:00.001-05:00

It has been two weeks since the last CSA pick up, and for some reason it has felt like months. The end of the season is always a little emotional for me. I look forward to the coming months of rest, reflection and planning; but miss the structure and hope that comes with cycles of growth and harvest. My open schedule makes the shorter days, lack of light, and soon to come cold temperatures easy to enjoy. The move inside, however, is always a little bittersweet. I think no matter what your profession, the onset of winter brings on emotional changes for us all.

Making most of this season was the theme of a recent yoga retreat that took place at the farm. The retreat was lead by Julia Horn who teaches a the West Philadelphia yoga, healing and arts center Studio 34. I thought you would enjoy a little taste of the retreat--it is a partnership we are working on continuing. If you are interested in attending future retreats please let me know (inverbrook@gmail.com) . In the meantime enjoy some photos, recipes and a beautiful poem read during the afternoon retreat (thanks to the participants that allowed me to share their photos, recipes and poetry).

The retreat included a workshop with urban farm guru Nic Esposito

Julia leads the group in a greens harvest

In return for the greens, the group helped the farm out by seperating garlic cloves for planting

Then time for some cooking

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Corn Bread

(Baker’s Note: I’ve made this bread so many times, I tend to just throw the ingredients together without really measuring. So, some of the measurements are estimated. Definitely taste the dough, and adjust to your own preferences. )

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup almond milk
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup veggie oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato (it’s okay if you leave it a lil’chunky)
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup quinoa flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease a small casserole dish, standard pie plate, or muffin tin.

2. Combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar and let set to allow the milk curdle.

3. Mix cornmeal, flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together in a large bowl.

4. In a separate small bowl, combine the milk mixture, oil, maple syrup, and sweet potato. Mix well before folding into the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined…you don’t have to worry about over mixing….No gluten J

5. Allow the dough to let sit for about 5 minutes before pouring into the baking dish, or muffin tin.

6. Bake bread for about 20 to 25 minutes….or 15 to 20 minutes if making muffins. When done, the surface bread will be firm to touch, and have cracks in the top. Let cool in baking dish for about 5 minutes before removing the bread (or muffins).

7. Feed yo’ face!!!!!

Irish Brown Bread
Recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Ingredients:
2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
2 tsp. white distilled vinegar
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. non-hydrogenated nondairy butter
I added ½ cup oat bran….totally optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease a round 9 or 10 inch cake pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar, and let stand for 5 minutes to allow milk to curdle.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, salt, and oat bran (if using). Add butter, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

4. Stir in the milk/vinegar mixture and combine until you have a sticky dough. Using your hands works best. Once just mixed knead the dough in the bowl or on a floured surface for about 10 strokes. Don’t over knead or the bread will become too tough.

5. Place the dough in the prepared pan, and cut a cross in the top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread has a hollow sound with thumped. Cool slightly before serving.

Bakers Note: Brown bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for 2 to 3 days.

Current Spice Bread
(Baker’s Note: This bread recipe utilizes a bread machine.)

Ingredients:
1 cup warm (not hot) water
½ cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. non-hydrogenated nondairy butter
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. dry yeast (or one proportioned packet)
1 cup dried currents (or raisins)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients, except currents, in the bread machine IN THE ORDER GIVEN. Do not stir, adding the yeast last, being careful not to get it wet. Select the DOUGH cycle and start machine.

2. After about 20 minutes of mixing, check the dough. Add more soy milk if the mixture is too dry, or add more flour if the mixture is too wet. Add the currents to the machine, and then allow the cycle to complete.

3. At the end of the cycle (a beeper sounds on most models) remove the dough from the machine, and knead lightly on a floured board for about 2 minutes.

4. Heat oven to 350, and grease a bread baking pan. Place the kneaded dough in the bread pan, and cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until the bread has just about doubled in size…about 30 to 40 minutes

5. Bake bread for about 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown, or until the bottom of the bread has a hollow sound when thumped.

6. Cool slightly before serving…..if you can wait that long!

Beet Hummus
(Baker’s Note: Again, this is a recipe I make often. So, again, some of the measurements are estimated. Definitely taste the hummus while you go, and adjust to your own preferences. )
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium beet, washed and cubed
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
3 15 oz. cans chic peas, drained and rinsed, reserving the bean liquid
1/3 cup tahini
¼ cup fresh dill (or 1 Tbsp. dried dill)
½ cup fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the beet and onion and sauté until the onions begin to sweat. Add the garlic, cover and cook for another 10 minutes until the beets become tender. Stir occasionally so the garlic does not burn.

2. Add lemon juice and beet, onion, garlic sauté to a food processor or blender, and mix until well pulverized. Add the chic peas and tahini and continue to mix adding the reserved bean liquid as needed to get the desired consistency.

3. Add the dill, parsley, cumin, horseradish, salt and pepper and mix…adjusting the seasonings to taste.

“Of Bright & Blue Birds & the Gala Sun”

Some things, niño, some things are like this,
That instantly and in themselves they are gay
And you and I are such thngs, O most miserable . . .

For a moment they are gay and are a part
Of an element, the exactest element for us,
In which we pronounce joy like a word of our own.

It is there, being imperfect, and with these things
And erudite in happiness, with nothing learned,
That we are joyously ourselves and we think

Without the labor of thought, in that element,
And we feel, in a way apart, for a moment, as if
There was a bright scienza outside of ourselves,

A gaiety that is being, not merely knowing,
The will to be and to be total in belief,
Provoking a laughter, an agreement, by surprise.

-Wallace Stevens

Urban Apiaries on Friday Arts

2011-11-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

Check out this great video featuring farmer friends Trey Flemming and Bill Shick. Urban Apiaries honey is now available at Talulas Table

Watch Friday Arts for November 2011 on PBS. See more from FRIDAY ARTS.

Happy Halloween -- Cooking with Pumpkins (and their seeds)

2011-10-31T16:47:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone. I thought you would appreciate these Halloween inspired food links and a great new recipe from Nikki. Enjoy!

Food52 Homemade Halloween Treats

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Maria's Country Kitchen

101 Cookbook's Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Three Ways

Food52 6 Drinks for after Trick-or-Treating

Notes From Nikki
Pumpkin Lasagna
Happy Halloween! I thought it would be appropriate to share a pumpkin recipe as it is Halloween. A frosty, snow-covered Halloween, but Halloween nonetheless. This recipe includes chicken apple sausage. Feel free to omit it for a vegetarian version. It will still be delicious. You can also substitute the chicken apple sausage with your favorite chicken or turkey sausage or ground turkey (cook the ground turkey or any bulk sausage along with the onions, garlic, and sage before you add the chard). Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a photo. You'll just have to make it yourself to see how pretty it is. ;-)

Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs sage, stems discarded, leaves minced
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
3-4 C cooked pumpkin (I halved, seeded, and roasted two of the pumpkins from our Inverbrook share, the oblong one and the orange and green sugar pie pumpkin; both boast tremendous flavor)
2 bunches chard, tough stems removed, chopped
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1- 1 1/2 lbs cooked and sliced apple chicken sausage (enough slices for two layers of the lasagna)
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (feel free to use your favorite cooked lasagna noodles; the no-boil noodles are just a convenience)
1/2 C fresh shredded parmesan
3 C shredded mozzarella
1/4-1/2 C ricotta cheese (I used whole-milk for maximum flavor)
Splash of milk
Butter for greasing the bottom of the lasagna pan

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Saute the onion, garlic, and sage in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Toss in the chard and continue sauteing until the chard is wilted.
4. Add in the cooked pumpkin and another dose of sea salt and pepper, stirring well to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Grease the bottom and sides of a lasagna pan with a bit of butter.
6. Add a splash of milk to the bottom of the pan, and then top with your first layer of lasagna noodles.
7. Top the noodles with the pumpkin/chard mixture, a layer of sliced sausage, close to half of the mozzarella (keep in mind that you'll just need to reserve some [less than 1/3] for the very top), half of the parmesan, and 1/2 of the ricotta (tiny dollops spread fairly evenly apart), in that order.
8. Add another layer of noodles, pumpkin/chard mixture, sausage, mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta.
9. Top this second layer with a final layer of noodles, the remainder of the mozzarella, and a drizzle of milk over the top.
10. Tent with foil and bake until bubbling (about 30 minutes).
11. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or so until the top is golden brown.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a good 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes From Nikki-Sweet Potato Chili and more

2011-10-31T09:39:00.002-04:00

Sweet Potato Chili
To me, nothing says fall more than soups, stews, and chili. Chili has to be my favorite meal this time of the year. Nothing warms my bones more than a hearty bowl of beans, vegetables, meat, and spices. This version uses sweet potatoes, ground turkey, and a secret ingredient... Victory's Storm King Stout. It's absolutely delicious, if I do say so myself. It's hard to go wrong with Chili though. Feel free to omit the ground turkey if you like. It will still be delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tsp cumin
1 T ground chile pepper powder (I used chipotle. Feel free to substitute with New Mexican for a milder version, or just use less than a T. You can also substitute a fresh, minced hot pepper.)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 T cocoa powder
Sea salt
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, juice included
2 C stock (I used homemade chicken. Vegetable would also work. Water is also a possibility in a pinch, but you will lack some of the flavor, especially if you omit the turkey.)
1 bottle of Storm King Stout (other stout or porters will also work, but Storm King offers something pretty special)
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
About 2 C seeded, chopped sweet peppers (I used a variety of the bell and long Italian peppers from our Inverbrook share)
Fresh grated cheddar for topping (I used a sharp, raw variety)
Sour cream for topping

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot until fragrant.
2. Add in the cumin, chile powder, paprika, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and a generous dose of sea salt. Stir to combine.
3. Add in the turkey and saute until cooked through.
4. Add in the sweet potatoes and tomatoes and stir to combine.
5. Add the stock and beer. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender.
6. Add in the beans and the peppers and turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
8. Allow the chili to rest for a bit so that the flavors meld and the peppers have a chance to soften a bit.
9. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Garlic Roasted Haricot Verts

By now, you have probably realized my affinity for roasting. To me, roasting is the best way to bring out the deeper, sweeter complexities of food. I rarely boil or steam vegetables. I much prefer roasting, either in the pan with a splash of extra virgin olive oil, or in the oven on a baking sheet. Haricot verts are perfect for oven roasting. Tossed with some olive oil, and a bit of minced garlic and sea salt, they turn out delectably crisp and tasty. A nice alternative to shoestring fries. My kids love them. I hope you enjoy them too.
Ingredients
1-2 lbs. haricot verts, stemmed (I used a medley of Inverbrook green, yellow, and purple)
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Toss the haricot verts with the olive oil, garlic, and sea salt.
3. Spread out onto a baking sheet (or two) in a single layer (it's okay if there is some overlap).
4. Roast in the oven until crisp tender and golden brown in spots (about 10-15 minutes), shaking the pan to toss the beans around at least a couple of times during the process.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.
Serves 6

Bacon Cheddar Potato Mash
I served the Garlic Roasted Haricot Verts with grilled chicken and the following Bacon Cheddar Potato Mash (see photo below). My family was wild about the entire menu! I hope you enjoy both dishes as much as we did.
Ingredients
6-8 oz fried bacon, drained and crumpled
3-4 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed and halved or quartered if significantly large (I used the russets from our Inverbrook share, but any potato will do)
1 C + milk
4 T butter
4-6 oz. grated cheddar (I used a raw, sharp variety)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Handful of chopped parsley leaves

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add in a generous amount of sea salt.
2. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender.
3. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return to the pot.
4. Add in the butter, I C of milk, and another generous dose of sea salt.
5. Mash the lot together using a potato masher.
6. Stir in the bacon, cheese, pepper, and more milk if needed.
7. Stir in the parsley, and taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serves 6-8

Notes From Nikki-Three Great Fall Recipes

2011-10-25T09:12:00.000-04:00

Good Old-Fashioned Beef Stew
My son, Kiah, has been begging me to make beef stew (his favorite) ever since the leaves started turning. This dreary day turned out to be the perfect day to hang in the kitchen, and the Inverbrook potatoes and parsley I had on hand sealed the deal. Although it's a cinch to whip together, you need time for this recipe. The meat needs to simmer at least an hour to get to the point where it just falls apart in your mouth. Any less than an hour and your jaws will be begging for mercy as they attempt to chew through all those tough little wads of beef. I started this stew late in the morning, finished it just after noon, and let it sit covered on the stove until dinner time. Perfect. All I had to do was reheat it a touch. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients
3 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into bit-sized chunks
1 large yellow onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T worcestershire sauce
3-4 T ketchup (or tomato paste)
3-4 bay leaves
6 medium-large russet potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
6 medium carrots, sliced/chopped into bite-sized chunks
Generous handful of chopped parsley leaves
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Saute the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat in a large soup pot until the meat is browned on the outside.
2. Season the beef mixture generously with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and stir in the worcestershire and ketchup.
3. Add 8 C of water, along with the bay leaves, and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender (about 45 minutes-1 hour).
5. Add in the potatoes along with more sea salt and pepper, and continue simmering until the potatoes are starting to get tender, but are still pretty firm.
6. Add in the carrots, and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are firm tender, and the meat is super tender.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
9. Serve and enjoy!
Serves 6-8

Kabocha Squash Bowls with Local Drunken Cranberry Turkey Sausage and Greens
If you haven't tried the sausage from the good folks at Maiale, do yourself a favor and indulge the next time you're out at the Kennett Farmers Market on a Friday. It's to die for. Really. I have a slight sausage addiction thanks to these guys. They have vegetarian options as well. The following recipe showcases their "turkey sausage with drunken cranberries". I was told that the "drunken cranberries" are soaked in white wine. Feel free to substitute other turkey based sausage here, or just leave it out. The squash will still be tasty with just the greens. I would throw a bit of fresh minced garlic into the saute pan along with the greens to give it more depth if you decide to leave the sausage out.

Ingredients
1 package of Maiale Drunken Cranberry Turkey Sausage (or approximately 1/2 lb of turkey sausage of your choice)
2 bunches of cooking greens, stemmed and roughly chopped (I used the perpetual spinach from our Inverbrook share)
2 kabocha squash, halved and seeded
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2- 3/4 C freshly shredded parmigiano reggiano

1. Rub the the squash halves with a bit of olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper.
2. Roast uncovered in a 400 degree oven until the squash is tender when pierced and slightly browned (about 20-30 minutes).
3. While the squash is roasting, remove the sausage from its casing, and saute over medium heat in a large skillet until cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks.
4. Add in the greens and saute until just wilted.
5. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
6. Once the squash is finished roasting, remove it from the oven and fill each half with 1/4 of the sausage mixture.
7. Sprinkle the top of each squash bowl with parmigiano reggiano, and return to the oven briefly to melt and brown the cheese slightly.
8. Serve and enjoy!
Serves 4

Sweet Potato Apple Cake
This recipe from Whole Foods Market showed up in my inbox today: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2658?utm_source=Responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011_10_19_Recipe

The sweet potatoes from this week's share are perfect for this. I changed things ever so slightly, using real maple syrup instead of brown sugar, coconut oil instead of cooking spray, etc. My version is below.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients
1 C whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
Generous pinch of sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4-1/2 C real maple syrup (1/2 C makes for a sweet cake, use less if you're looking for something a bit more mild)
1 large or 2 small eggs
2 small-medium sweet potatoes (about 3/4 lb.), peeled and grated
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled, cored, and grated (I used honey crisp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut oil for greasing the pan (extra virgin olive oil will work too)

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Combine the apple, sweet potato, eggs, maple, and vanilla in another bowl.
4. Fold the dry and wet ingredients together, stirring until just combined.
5. Grease an 8" cake pan with coconut oil, and spread the cake batter evenly into it.
6. Bake until cooked through (about 40 minutes).
7. Allow to cool, slice, and serve.

This Week's Share and Notes From Nikki

2011-10-12T20:21:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe its raining again. I had really been enjoying the sunshine, along with the relatively warm weather and the changing leaf color. Oh well. The one good thing about the rain is that it forces me in front of the computer and I can update the blog. Nikki has provided the perfect soup for this cool and rainy day--it seems to embody the sunshine we are missing today. Enjoy both the recipe and this week's share.

This Week Share:
Winter Squash or Sweet Potatoes (depending on pick up day)
Potatoes
Green Beans
Cooking Greens
Eggplant and/or Green Tomatoes
Sweet Green Peppers
Hot Peppers
Garlic
Lemongrass
Dandelion Greens
Parsely
Sunflowers

NOTES FROM NIKKI
Butternut Squash, Corn, and Lemongrass Soup
This soup is decidedly rich and creamy without being heavy. A perfect soup for a wet, fall day. Kaboocha squash would work here as well (I would roast it right in its skin first to deepen the flavor). The corn can be added in after blending with an immersion blender for a chunkier version (I was in the mood for something smoother). Feel free to fish out the lemon grass stalks before blending. I always leave them in as I don't mind a few strings here and there in exchange for a more pronounced lemon grass experience. :-) Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large butternut squash (or two small), skinned, seeded, and roughly chopped
2 stalks of lemongrass, outer leaves removed, cut into 2-3" pieces and then sliced again vertically
8 oz. frozen corn
6-8 C stock (I used chicken, but veggie would work fine here)
1 15 oz. can coconut milk (I prefer the full-fat version for the best flavor)
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 hot pepper, seeded, de-ribbed, and roughly chopped (I used one of the milder poblanos from our Inverbrook share. Feel free to use something hotter, or leave in some seeds and ribbing for more heat.)
Sea salt
Generous handful of fresh chopped cilantro leaves
Toasted pepitas for topping

1. Saute the garlic, onion, lemongrass, and hot pepper in the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat until the onion is softened.
2. Add in the squash, tossing to coat.
3. Add enough stock to cover the squash mixture.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender.
5. Turn off the heat, and add in the corn, coconut milk, and a generous dose of sea salt.
6. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
7. Stir in the cilantro, and taste and adjust.
8. Serve topped with a sprinkling of toasted pepitas.
Serves 8-10

Notes From Nikki-Lemony Haricot Vert with Shallots and Chicken Paillards

2011-10-11T08:53:00.001-04:00

Lemony Haricot Verts with Shallots and Chicken Paillards

Well, at least all that September rain brought us a bounty of Inverbrook beans! The pretty little yellow haricot verts are my favorite, and make me feel better about the fact that there is mold growing all over my basement. ;-)

The following recipe is super simple to throw together, and showcases the beans in a delightfully rich and tangy way. If you're not into butter, skip it and just use olive oil. The advent of fall always leaves me craving heavier foods (like butter), but I know not everyone feels the same way. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 bags Inverbrook haricot verts (I'm guessing about 1-1 1/2 lbs, give or take. Snap off the stem ends. I used the yellow ones.)
4 T extra virgin olive oil
6 small shallots, skinned and sliced
2 T butter
Flour for dredging the chicken
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon, plus a little zest for good measure (I used the juice of 1 whole lemon, but I like things really lemony. Use as much juice and zest as you like.)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thin (You can also use thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets or chicken tenders)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Small handful of chopped parsley leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
3. Season the dredging flour generously with sea salt and pepper, mixing together well.
4. Dredge the chicken paillards in the flour one at a time, and add them to the pan, cooking in batches (about 3-4 in the skillet at a time to avoid over-crowding), until both sides are golden brown and the paillards are cooked through, but still juicy inside (about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness; they dry out quickly so don't overdo it). Feel free to add more olive oil to the pan if needed.
5. As the paillards finish, place them on a baking sheet in the oven so they stay warm.
6. Once all the chicken is finished and being kept warm in the oven, add the butter to the skillet, along with the shallots.
7. Saute the shallots until they are softened and starting to brown a bit.
8. Add in the haricot verts, tossing to incorporate everything.
9. Cover and steam until the beans are just barely tender (5-10 minutes, tops), shaking the pan every so often to prevent the beans on the bottom from browning. They should still have quite a bit of snap and lots of vibrant color when they're done.
10. Add the parsley, and sea salt and pepper to taste.
11. Lay a chicken paillard on a bed of haricot verts, garnish with a parsley leaf and a bit of fresh ground pepper, and serve.
Serves 6

Notes From Nikki-Happy Birthday Nikki!

2011-09-30T15:32:00.001-04:00

Today is Nikki's birthday, hopefully someone else will be cooking for her this evening. Happy Birthday Nikki, thank you for your great recipe ideas.

Potato, Kale, and Sausage Chowder

Fall is the perfect time of year for soups and stews and chowders. The following recipe is a hearty blend of potatoes, kale, and sausage. Topped with a bit of cheese, and served with a hunk of artisan bread, you'll have the makings for a stick-to-your-bones kind of meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/2-1 lb sausage of your choice (I used mild Italian pork sausage this time around, but have also used smoked kielbasa with excellent results. If you decide to use a low-fat chicken or turkey sausage, you'll probably need to add a splash of olive oil to the pot while you're sauteing the onions and garlic along with the sausage. You can also cook the sausage on the grill or roast it in the oven, slice it, and add it to the chowder at the end when you add the kale, although again, you'll need a splash of olive oil to saute the onions and garlic in.)

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
About 1 dozen small-medium new potatoes (around 2 lbs.), scrubbed and cut into 1/8ths or 1/16ths
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and torn into smallish pieces
8 C chicken or veggie stock (you can also use 1/2 stock and 1/2 water)
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Grated parmigiana reggiana for topping (or other cheese of your choice; I use cheddar when I use smoked kielbasa)
1. Remove the casing from the sausage and cook over medium heat in a large soup pot, along with the onions and garlic, breaking up the sausage into bite-sized pieces.
2. Once the sausage is cooked through, add in the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
3. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are firm tender.
4. Add in the kale and turn off the heat.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
6. Smash up some of the potatoes a little with a spoon to thicken a bit (optional).
7. Serve topped with a sprinkling of cheese and a side of artisan bread.
Serves 6-8

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Brown Butter, Honey, and Sage

One of the many things I love about winter squash is that it can live on my kitchen counter for quite a while before I have to do anything with it. This is a welcome trait in the midst of our hectic fall schedule. In the following recipe I used spaghetti squash because it was what I had on hand, but any roasted winter squash will work. The carnival squash from our Inverbrook share would work beautifully here (and would be much more beautiful). Just halve the squashes, seed, and roast until tender, then add the brown butter, honey, and sage mixture directly to the squash halves, and serve them as little bowls of buttery goodness. Yum! Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 roasted spaghetti squash (Halve the squashes, seed, and roast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until tender and browned a bit. Once the squashes are done and slightly cooled for handling, scrape the meat from the skin with a fork creating spaghetti-like strands. Set aside and keep warm.)
4 T unsalted butter
Pinch or two of nutmeg
1-2 T finely chopped fresh sage leaves (plus more leaves for garnishing)
2 tsp honey plus more for drizzling
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add in the nutmeg, sage, and a pinch of salt.
3. Simmer over medium-low heat until the butter starts to brown. (Watch very carefully! Butter can go from yummy, toasty brown to burned in an instant. I've learned the hard way. ;-))
4. Stir in the honey.
5. Toss the squash with the brown butter mixture and a bit more salt.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7. Serve drizzled with more honey and garnished with a sage leaf and some fresh ground pepper.
Serves 3-4 as a side dish

This Week's Share-More Beans, Greens and Rain

2011-09-28T22:12:00.003-04:00

I have to say I am longing for a little sunshine, even if it does mean a drop in temperature. The lack of sunlight has been hard on fall growing. This will most likely be the last week for eggplant and green tomatoes. I kind of wish I was a mushroom grower, considering that is one of the few "new" crops popping up all over. Please make sure you wash and dry the items in your share well this week. Grit, dirt and mold are all an issue this week.

There are two crops that have faired well with the recent warm humid weather--greens like kale and perpetual spinach and the beans. The beans are delicious--sweet, tender and juicy--finally tasting like they should. Enjoy the beans and greens click here for a facebook album of the two types of produce.

This Week's Share:
Potatoes
Beans
Greens-cooking and spicy/sweet asian salad mix
Eggplant
Green Tomatoes-please wash and cook--they were gathered from the ground
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Parsely and Mint

Below are some recipe links for beans, kale, and potatoes:

Smitten Kitchen Green Bean Salad with Fried Almonds

Smitten Kitchen Braised Roma Beans

Food 52 Vegetarian Kale Recipe

Food 52 Kale and Sausage Tart

Culinate Guide to Potato Salad

Green Tomatoes and the Autumnal Equinox

2011-09-23T17:49:00.002-04:00

It is now official; summer is over and fall is about to begin. This time of year always makes me think of green tomatoes-they seem to perfectly embody the transition from one season to the next. The dwindling daylight, the lower temperatures--not quite enough solar power to keep things ripening--the final signal to take advantage of the last of the summer harvest. A time to can, pickle,cook and preserve. Food In Jars creator Marisa McClellan has two great postings related to preserving these late summer treasures for the months to come.

Small Batch Pickled Green Tomatoes

Green Tomato Chutney

Notes from Nikki-Potatoes and Roasted Poblano Gratin

2011-09-22T18:46:00.000-04:00

Potato and Roasted Poblano Gratin
You may have noticed a decrease in my posts since the advent of fall (and by that I mean post Labor Day). For those of you who don't know me, I have four children that I homeschool. Those four children are also involved in a plethora of activities (dance, sports, drum lessons, attending programming at Open Connections [a resource center for homeschoolers], etc). I also work part-time as a teacher at Open Connections, and am a doula and lactation consultant with Well Born Baby (even though I am a busy mama, I am still taking clients... please send me your referrals :-) [nikki@wellbornbaby.com]). Yes, my plate is oh so full (no pun intended), and my time in the kitchen has been limited as a result. So, what does any of this have to do with Potato and Roasted Poblano Gratin? Well, besides providing an explanation for my lack of recipes this month, I also realize that I'm not the only one who is feeling frazzled this time of the year. As the lazy days of summer draw to a close and our schedules become a bit more demanding, we all start to feel tapped out. I don't know about you, but this causes me to crave some serious comfort food. This dish provides just that, comfort. It's warm and heavy and satisfying, just what my body and soul are craving at this time of the year when the days are suddenly shorter and the nights are colder, and by nightfall, I'm simply tuckered out. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. The roasted poblanos really set if off, so I wouldn't suggest leaving them out or using them fresh. Roasting them gives the dish a depth that wouldn't be possible with fresh peppers. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large (or 2 small) yellow onions, chopped
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
3-4 lbs. of potatoes (I used a combination of new purple and red potatoes from our Inverbrook share that have been patiently waiting on my kitchen counter), boiled until tender and sliced 1/8-1/4" thick
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
6 small poblano chile peppers (anaheims will also work for a milder version), roasted under a broiler until charred on all sides, steamed in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, and then stemmed, skinned, seeded, and chopped (wear gloves, trust me)
1.5 C fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
2 C half and half
Sea salt
1.5-2 C shredded Mexican cheese of your choice (I used a combination of jack, manchego, and anejo)
1 T butter
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
3. Add in the roasted chiles and corn, stirring to incorporate.
4. Add in the potato slices, tossing to coat. Season generously with sea salt.
5. Turn off the heat and set aside.
6. Butter a deep casserole dish, and fill with the potato mixture. Press the mixture down into the pan so that it is evenly distributed.
7. Drizzle the half and half over the potato mixture, and top with the cheese.
8. Bake until the gratin is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browned a bit (about 30 minutes).
Serves 8-10

This Week's Share-Sweet and Spicy Greens and more Edamame Beans

2011-09-21T17:48:00.000-04:00

This week's share includes a new sweet and spicy salad mix that can deliver a fair punch. The spicy mustards and arugula within the mix are definitely capable of clearing your sinuses. Despite the wasabi type bite, these greens serve as a nice compliment to sweet dressings, fruit like apples and asian pears, or as a bed for steak or salmon. Click here for a Mustard Green version of a caesar salad from Bon Appetit. Along with the sweet and spicy mix this week's share includes:

Potatoes
Winter Squash including baby pumpkin, spaghetti, and kabocha
Cooking Greens
Sweet and Spicy Greens
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Green Tomatoes
Edamame Beans
Parsley, Basil, Mint and Dandelion Greens

Margaret Gilmour of Fresh Basil blog recommended this great simple recipe for ginger Kabocha Squash. Fresh Basil recently featured an article all about purple vegetables with beautiful pictures of produce from your share taken by fellow CSA member Carlos Alejandro. Purple potatoes are once again an option in this week's share--although this variety is called blue gold and has delicious gold flesh. Enjoy the color. Enjoy your share.

Notes From Nikki-Roasted Carnival Squash Soup

2011-09-18T08:42:00.001-04:00

Roasted Carnival Squash Soup

And suddenly, it's fall. That was quick. :-)
The following recipe will help warm your bones during these chillier nights we've been having. It screams fall with its squash and apples and sage. Be sure to serve it with plenty of warm, crusty bread. Delicious!

Enjoy~

Ingredients
4 small carnival squash, halved and seeded
4 T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 small-medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used honeycrisp)
4-6 C chicken stock (vegetable stock or water will work too)
2-3 T chopped fresh sage leaves
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1-2 C whole milk
Toasted pepitas for topping
Crumbled feta for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Rub the squash halves with a bit of the olive oil (not the skin) and season with sea salt and pepper.
3. Roast the squash until it is soft and browned a bit. (This can be done ahead of time. My roasted squash halves sat in the fridge for a couple of days before I made the soup.)
4. Allow to cool just enough to handle, and then scrape the meat from the skin. Set aside (discard the skin).
5. Heat 2-3 T of the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, and add the onion.
6. Saute the onion until softened and fragrant, and then add in the squash, apples, sage, sea salt, and pepper.
7. Saute for a bit, and then add in the stock.
8. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat so that the mixture is simmering.
9. Cover and simmer until the apples are tender. Turn off the heat.
10. Using an immersion blender, blend it all together (the mixture will be thick).
11. Add the milk a bit at a time, stirring to incorporate, until the soup is the consistency you prefer (you can also add water instead of milk).
12. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
13. Serve topped with toasted pepitas and crumbled feta.

This Week's Share-Green Tomatoes and Russet Potatoes

2011-09-16T12:12:00.003-04:00

This week's share featured all kinds of starches--shelling beans, edamame, russet potatoes, and winter squash along with cooking greens, peppers, and green tomatoes. Below are a few recipe links to help you use up the items in this week's share.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Easy Edamame Recipes from Eating Well

Green Chile and Chorizo Potato Pancakes

Enjoy!

Notes From Nikki-Summer Squash Pancakes and Honey-Drizzled Delicata Rings

2011-09-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Roasted Honey-Drizzled Delicata Squash Rings over Garlicky Greens

I was elated to see delicata squash when we picked up our Inverbrook share this week. Delicata is my absolute favorite winter squash. I love that it doesn't need to be peeled and that the skin is entirely delicious and edible, not to mention its inherent beauty. This dish showcases its good looks as the squash is cut into rings and served over a bed of greens. Splendid! My kids devoured these rings, by the way. A nice alternative to onion rings or fries. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T honey

2 delicata squash, sliced 1/4-1/3" thick (use a pairing knife to scrape the seeds from the slices, creating rings)

2 bunches chard (or other cooking greens), stemmed and chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Drizzle 2 T olive oil onto a baking sheet, and arrange the squash rings atop in one layer.
3. Drizzle the rings with honey, and season with sea salt and pepper.
4. Roast for about 7 minutes, turn the rings, and then roast for another 7 (give or take... you want the rings to be golden brown on both sides and cooked through).
5. While the squash is roasting, heat 2 T olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
6. Saute the garlic until fragrant, and then add in the greens, sea salt, and pepper.
7. Saute just until the greens wilt, and then turn off the heat.
8. Turn the greens out onto a plate, and top with the roasted squash rings (I like to arrange them in a pile).

9. Serve family style.

Serves 2-3 as a side dish

Summer Squash Pancakes

So, my kids are sick of summer squash. Every time I put a dish on the table, they ask me if there is zucchini in it. ;-) I don't blame them. I do have a tendency to sneak it into just about everything this time of year. (Note to self: do NOT plant summer squash in the garden next year. Claire will provide plenty enough. ;-)) Despite their protests, they sincerely enjoyed the following dish. Pancakes! What's not to like? These work out to be something like a potato pancake, only instead of grated potatoes, you use grated summer squash. Super easy and quite tasty. Enjoy! Oh, incidentally, my kids insisted on topping these with ketchup (the horror!). Feel free to heed their advice if you must, although I wouldn't do it. ;-)

Ingredients
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
3 medium summer squash (I used 1 zephyr and 2 pattypan), grated (largest holes)
2 eggs
1 C bread crumbs (toast 2 slices of your favorite bread, allow to cool, and then give them a whirl in the food processor)
Small handful of chopped chives
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Grated parmesan for topping (optional)
Basil leaves for garnishing

1. Preheat the oven to 200.
2. Toss the grated squash with a bit of salt and set in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes or so.
3. Squeeze the drained squash by the handful to remove excess water, and then combine it with the eggs, chives, garlic, bread crumbs, a bit more sea salt, and pepper.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and form the squash mixture into patties (use about 1/4-1/3 C for each patty), one at a time, adding them directly to the skillet.
5. Place up to 4 patties at a time in the skillet, using a spatula to flatten them to about 1/4" thick.
6. Cook until the patties are golden brown on the bottom, and then flip (be careful, they're a little flimsy for the first flip).
7. Re-flatten a bit with the spatula, and cook again until the other side is golden brown (it should take a good 7 minutes or so per side; if you flip too early, you can always re-flip; I re-flipped a few times [I was feeling impatient ;-)]).
8. Place the finished patties on a baking sheet in the oven so they stay warm while you cook the other patties.
9. Serve each pancake topped with grated parmesan and a few basil leaves.

Makes approximately 8 pancakes.

This Week's Share-More Winter Squash, Potatoes and Garlic

2011-09-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

This week's share includes more varieties of winter squash including Carnival Sweet Dumpling and Delicata. If you are not familiar with the various types of winter squash and how to cook them, check out this great winter squash glossary from Culinate. In the upcoming weeks you will have access to sunshine kubocha, more acorn, butternut and a few small pumpkins. Along with winter squash, this weeks share includes the follow:

This Week's Share

Potatoes (red and blue gold)

Beans (on Monday) and Greens (on Wednesday)

Sweet Dumpling Carnival Squash

Delicata

Summer Squash

Garlic

Green Tomatoes

Eggplant

Dandelion Greens, Basil, Parsley and Mint

Below are a few recipe ideas for the items in this week's share. Happy cooking.

A recipe for Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash

Summer Squash Soup with Parsley Mint Pistou

Notes from Nikki-Recipes for Acorn Squash and More

2011-09-04T14:06:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone is have a nice weekend. Just a quick reminder that depsite the holiday, I will still be having CSA pick up tomorrow (Labor Day). Nikki has been busy creating some great recipes with last weeks share, check out the 3 delicious "dishes" below. Hopefully her culinary adventures will inspire a little time in the kitchen this long weekend.

Baked Acorn Squash with Maple, Rosemary, and Bacon

A little taste of fall, although technically it's still summer. I feel the change a comin', though. This dish makes it easier to say goodbye to my beloved summer. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 small acorn squash, halved and de-seeded, stems removed to alleviate excessive tilting
2 T butter, divided into 4 equal parts
2-4 T pure maple syrup
2 sprigs rosemary, de-stemmed and minced
4 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled (optional, use smoked finishing salt as an alternative)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Place the squash halves on a baking sheet, put 1/2 T of butter in each, along with 1/2-1 T maple syrup, a generous sprinkling of the fresh minced rosemary, a bit of sea salt, and some fresh ground pepper.
3. Bake in the oven until the squash is tender and browned along the rim.
4. Allow to cool a bit, top each with a crumpled slice of bacon (if using), and serve.
Serves 4

Roasted Curried Potatoes and Eggplant

This delectable dish is a cinch to make. Served with a side of steamed rice, it makes for a quick and satisfying meal. Use your favorite curry powder blend and end-of-the-season heirloom tomatoes that perhaps got too big for their britches. I used two GIANT heirlooms that I picked up from the KSQ farmers market. They were a little too overripe to eat raw, but roasted, along with the eggplant, potatoes, and a sweet onion, they were divine. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1-1 1/2 lbs. new potatoes (I used yellow fingerlings), halved or quartered the long way
6-8 T extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 long, skinny eggplant, sliced
2 small, globular eggplant, quartered and sliced
2-3 large heirloom tomatoes (or more smaller ones), cored and roughly chopped (large pieces are fine)
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
Handful of fresh, chopped cilantro leaves (save a few leaves for garnishing)
2-3 T of your favorite curry powder
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Plain yogurt or sour cream for topping (optional, but highly recommended)
Steamed rice to serve along side (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Drizzle 3-4 T of the olive oil onto a baking sheet, and spread the potatoes atop. Season the potatoes generously with sea salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of the curry powder. Pop the potatoes in the oven and roast until tender.
3. Drizzle the remaining 3-4 T of olive oil along the bottom of a baking dish. Spread the onion, garlic, eggplant, and tomatoes atop and season with sea salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of curry powder. Toss to coat. Roast alongside the potatoes until the tomatoes fall apart and the eggplant is tender.
4. Toss the potatoes with the eggplant/tomato mixture and the cilantro.
5. Taste and adjust to your liking.
6. Serve with steamed rice (if desired), and a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream.

Chocolate Zucchini MuffinsHaven't used up the mountain of zucchini living in your fridge yet? Me neither. This is about the time of year that I start grating zucchini and putting it in everything... pasta sauce, chili, muffins, bread, etc. The following recipe is one that I adapted from my dear friend Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks site. The recipe is basically the same, I just switched out all-purpose flour for white whole wheat (ww pastry flour would work too), sugar for pure maple syrup, and milk for buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk on hand). I also halved the amount cocoa powder and chocolate chips (my kids aren't big on super rich chocolate goodies... I know, what's wrong with them?). Because of the reduced chocolate chips and maple syrup swap, this probably isn't as sweet as Heidi's version. Feel free to use more maple syrup. You could probably use up to 1 C safely. As always, I encourage you to play around. Make it your own. :-) Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/2 C pure maple syrup (or more for a sweeter version)
3/4 C organic, extra virgin coconut oil, warmed to a liquid state
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk or plain yogurt)
2 C grated zucchini (or any summer squash)
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips (or more if you want a richer chocolate experience)
2 C white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
Butter for greasing the pans (or more coconut oil)
1/2 C good quality cocoa powder (I used Green & Black's)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch or two of sea salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease 1 and 1/2 standard muffin pans with the butter (to total 18 muffins).
3. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl.
4. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl (make sure your coconut oil is really warm so it doesn't solidify when it comes in contact with the cold eggs and maple syrup).
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini.
6. Fill the pans with the batter, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through (don't leave them in for too long or they will dry out).
Makes 18 muffins

This Week's Share and Notes from Nikki

2011-09-01T10:01:00.001-04:00

Happy September. Hope everyone made it through last week without too much trouble. We are feeling very lucky here at the farm, damage seems fairly minimal, just an acceleration of the disease and ratty look that usually comes in late September. It will be interesting to see if the tomatoes and summer squash will recover from the beating they got, if not, we will switch over to more fall crops. My fruit growing friends did not fair so well, North Star reported some major losses, as the wind and rain pounded their new Asian Pears. Hurricanes tend not to be a farmers friend, so lets keep our fingers crossed that this next one stays well away.

Power outages, storm prep and beautiful days have kept me from updating the blog. Luckily Nikki sent along some great recipes she created through the hurricane that I wanted to share with you all. Even though pick up is past for this week, I thought I would include the share outline:

This Week's Share:
Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Hot Peppers
Green Beans
Cooking Greens
Eggplant
Summer Squash
Basil, Parsley and Mint

Notes From Nikki

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Farm Fresh Tomatoes with Garlic, Basil, and Oregano

I was so excited to see spaghetti squash when we picked our farm share last week. It's one of my favorite kinds of "winter" squash, as it tastes like summer to me. The following recipe is super easy, and my family devoured the dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Ingredients
2 spaghetti squash, halved and seeds scraped out
4 T plus 2-3 more, extra virgin olive oil
6 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
3-4 sprigs oregano, leaves removed, stems discarded, chopped
Handful of chopped fresh basil leaves
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Rub each half of the squash with about a tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper (don't rub the oil on the skin, just the meat).
3. Place the squash halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down, and roast until tender (about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your squash).
4. While the squash is roasting, drizzle the bottom of a baking dish with the remaining 2-3 T of olive oil.
5. Spread the tomato quarters on top of the olive oil, and sprinkle with the minced garlic, oregano, sea salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
6. Roast the tomatoes in the oven (along with the squash) until they start to fall apart (the squash should finish slightly before the tomatoes, which will work out well [see next steps]).
7. Once the squash is tender and can be pierced through the skin easily with a knife, pull it out of the oven and allow to cool a bit so that you can handle it without burning yourself (I wear oven mitts).
8. Using a fork, scrape the squash from the skin, separating the "strings", so that you have something akin to a pile of spaghetti. Discard the skin.
9. By this time, the tomatoes should be finished. Pull them out of the oven, break them up with a fork, and toss them (along with all their delicious juices) with the squash, basil, and a bit more sea salt and pepper.
10. Taste and adjust to your liking.
11. Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serves 6-8

Summer Vegetable Frittata

Frittatas are all the rage at our house. I find them to be wonderful vehicles for using up leftover farm share remnants. ;-) This one turned out to be particularly good. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients
1 small-medium yellow summer squash, quartered and sliced
1 dozen eggs, beaten
1 bunch of perpetual spinach (or other cooking green), de-stemmed and chopped
3-4 small-medium new potatoes, boiled until tender and sliced
1 pint cherry-type tomatoes, halved
Handful of chopped chives
Handful of chopped basil (I used the tiny leaves from an Inverbrook bush basil plant)
2-3 T extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Handful or two of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Saute the squash in the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet until tender and beginning to brown a bit (it is very important that the frittata be able to slide out of the skillet when it is finished).
3. Add in the the greens and saute until wilted.
4. Add the eggs to the pan, and shake the pan a bit to evenly distribute the eggs around the veggies. Season with sea salt and pepper.
5. Lay the potato slices evenly a top, and then shake the pan a bit again, allowing the potatoes to sink into the egg a little. Season again with a bit more salt and pepper.
6. Spread the tomatoes atop now, distributing evenly across.
7. Top the tomatoes with the chives and basil, and then cover the chives and basil with the cheese.
8. Once the bottom has set, place the pan under the broiler (about 5-6 inches away), and cook until the top sets and the cheese melts and turns bubbly and golden.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool very briefly before sliding the frittata out of the skillet.
10. Slice like a pizza, and serve.
Serves 6

Notes from Nikki-Melon Soup, Gazpacho and Farm Fresh Bloody Marys

2011-08-25T13:19:00.007-04:00

I am somewhat reluctant to post these great recipes from Nikki because I am afraid Hurricane Irene (and the past rain) will put an abrupt end to both the tomatoes and melons. However, the recipes are too good not to share and maybe you still have tomatoes and melons laying around your kitchen. Enjoy these three great recipes.

Fresh Bloody Mary Cocktails
The slicing tomatoes are stockpiling in our house between our Inverbrook share and what we have growing in the backyard. We're having a hard time keeping up. One of the many reasons I love August. Anyway, I decided to throw together a couple of cocktails to be enjoyed by my hard-working husband and myself on a Tuesday night, just because. Feel free to leave out the vodka. These are still divine as virgin drinks. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6-8 small-medium slicing tomatoes, 2-4 wedges reserved for garnish (I used a combination of yellow and red tomatoes which made the drinks a lovely sunset color.)
3-4 T worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2--2/3 C vodka (optional)
Dash or two (or three) of hot sauce (I use Louisiana's Pure Crystal Hot Sauce)
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh parsley leaves

1. Puree the tomatoes in a blender until liquified.
2. Run the tomato puree through a fine mesh sieve to catch the skins and seeds (or leave them in for a more rustic treat).
3. Mix in the worcestershire, lemon juice, vodka (if using), sea salt, and hot sauce.
4. Pour the mixture over ice, garnish with plenty of pepper, parsley, and a tomato slice (or a lemon wedge or celery stick).
5. Serve and enjoy.

Makes 2 large or 4 small cocktails.

Cantaloupe Soup
I am full of melon ideas lately; can you tell? Melons are one of my favorite summertime treats and I love the melons that we're getting from our Inverbrook share this season. Delicious! The following recipe was literally devoured by my kids. It was so good! A fun soup for the last of our summer days. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

1 medium-large or 2 small cantaloupes, rind removed and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 C sour cream
Pinch of sea salt
Leaves from 5-6 sprigs of tarragon
2 T honey (give or take, depending on the sweetness of your cantaloupe)

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (work in batches if need be). Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. Chill for a bit, and serve.

Serves 8

Watermelon Gazpacho
It's melon season, and I'm savoring the last days of summer ingesting mounds of these sweet-flavored, fleshy fruits. The watermelons from our Inverbrook share have seeds (imagine that!), and I decided to leave them in this soupy salsa, partly out of laziness, and partly because I like the looks of them. If you feel like fishing them out, by all means, do so. I added one of the small pasilla peppers from this week's share to the mix. This gave the dish a decent kick, just the way I like it. If you'd rather not include so much heat, use just part of a hot pepper (no seeds), or leave out the pepper completely. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1-2 small cucumbers, diced (I used lemon cucumbers and left the peel and seeds intact; if you feel like peeling and/or seeding, go for it)
1-2 small watermelons (or 1 medium), rind removed, flesh diced (large dice is fine)
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium (or 2 small bell peppers), seeded and diced (I used one red and one green)
1 small hot pepper, seeded and diced (see headnotes)
Juice of 1 lime
Handful of chopped parsley
Handful of chopped mint leaves
Dash or two of rice vinegar
Sea salt

1. Combine all the ingredients, allow to sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes so the flavors can meld, and serve (leftovers will keep well covered in the fridge for at least a couple of days).

Serves 8-10 as a side dish

This Week's Share-Beans, Greens and Spaghetti Squash

2011-08-24T05:37:00.003-04:00

All the rain and the cooler weather has ushered it some flavors of fall to this week's share. Most notably is the inclusion of fresh shelling beans and spaghetti squash and the return of cooking greens and greens beans. Monday and Wednesday's share will differ a bit, Monday will get melons and Wednesday more tomatoes. Depending on the weather we will switch it up next week. Below is a listing of share items that Monday and Wednesday have in common:

This Week's Share:
Spaghetti Squash
Summer Squash (Zephyr and Patti Pan)
Eggplant
Potatoes (Red and Fingerling)
Fresh Shelling Beans
Green Beans
Cooking Greens (Chard and Perpetual Spinach)
Tomatoes
Basil,Parsley and Mint

Spaghetti Squash and Fresh Shelling Beans might be a new experience for you, so I have included some links below that should guide you through the cooking preparation for these delicious types of produce.

Fresh Shelling Bean Sage Spread from Apartment Therapy--great links in this blog posting.

David Lebovitz's Fresh Bean and Tomato Salad

Flageolet Beans with Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Martha Stewart's Spaghetti Squash Links

An easier way to cook spaghetti squash--cook then cut

Notes from Nikki-Honeydew Basil Icepops

2011-08-21T07:30:00.006-04:00

This is the first of several great recipes from Nikki's kitchen experience this week. I must say I was thrilled to hear some positive feedback about the melons. They are such a challenge to pick at peak ripeness, especially the watermelon. Cantaloupes are relatively easy, they slip off the vine when they are ready; watermelons however, are a whole other story. The infamous thud test (the sound the watermelon makes when you tap it), is still beyond me. I thought you might appreciate this link on how to tell when melons are ripe, or at least be somewhat sympathetic if the melons you get are less than perfect :) If you check out the link you can see its definitely a skill to pick pefectly ripe honeydews and watermelons and gets much harder with all the rain we have been having. Enjoy Nikki's delicious recipe.

Honeydew Basil Popsicles
I don't know about you, but we are absolutely smitten with Claire's honeydew this year. The flavor is superb! The following recipe is so simple, and really showcases the superior taste of Inverbrook honeydew 2011. :-)
Enjoy!

Ingredients

One medium honeydew, seeded, peeled, and chopped
A squirt of agave (optional)
A handful of basil leaves
A tiny pinch of sea salt

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth (you can add a bit of water if needed to process, not too much though; you don't want to water down the flavor).
2. Pour into popsicle molds (or paper cups with wooden popsicle sticks).
3. Freeze for about 6 hours.
4. Pop them out of the molds and enjoy!

Makes about 10 average sized pops

In Praise of Tiny Tomatoes

2011-08-20T09:20:00.005-04:00

Since your share has included a fair quantity of cherry and salad tomatoes, I thought I would pass along two great links related to these small but flavorful gems.

The first is from Food52. This NY times food blog is actually running a contest for your best "Cherry Tomato Recipe"--here is a link to the submissions so far.

The second link is from philly local Marisa McClellan's Food in Jars. Here is a link to preserving small tomatoes.

Enjoy these tiny tasty treats!

Susan Enan House Concert

2011-08-16T10:48:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to alert you all to the fact that we will be hosting the return of the lovely and talented English singer songwriter Susan Enan for a house concert on Friday, August 26th at 7:30PM. The concert is being organized by CSA member, music lover, and Kennett Square's own Presbyterian Minister Andrew Smith (and his lovely wife Tara). Susan first graced our home with her beautiful voice and moving songwriting about this time last year and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to host her again. For a glimpse into a typical Susan Enan house concert watch the video below. If you are interested in attending the concert please contact Andrew at smithajm@gmail.com. Space is limited. The price of the concert is $12.

This Week's Share-Garlic and the Effects of a Whole Lot of Rain

2011-08-15T14:37:00.008-04:00

All of a sudden its feeling like monsoon season. We have had a lot of rain at the farm, and unfortunately the strength and volume at which it has been coming down is not good for tomatoes. When tomatoes (and sometimes melons) get a sudden deluge of water then tend to split. See picture below.
I manged to pick a bunch of the larger red and yellow tomatoes for Monday's share before the rain really started coming down. However, I am afraid Wednesday's share will be lacking in slicing tomatoes--whereas Mondays share will be minus the cherry tomatoes. Luckily the rain (keep my fingers crossed) has not effected much else, and in fact is great for the fall greens that were recently planted.

This weeks share includes:
Potatoes (red and fingerling)
Melons
Carrots
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Tomatoes (just a less than last week, especially on wednesday)
Peppers
and the first of the cured Garlic
Parsley, Mint and Tomatillos

One note about the melons, all this rain increases the potential contamination of the melons from the soil (actually you will notice all the vegetables are muddier)-cut melon left at room temperature has the potential to harbor food born illness--click here for the Livestrong guide to safely preparing melon.

If you starting to get a little sick of this CSA share line up, next week will be a little different with some winter squash, cooking greens, and a few more new items. In the meantime here are two great recipe ideas for this weeks share.

Parsley and Garlic Roasted Fingerlings

Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes with Tangy Cucumber Yogurt

The Dog Days Are Over & Notes from Nikki

2011-08-11T09:11:00.005-04:00

The Dog Days of Summer are officially over today and mother nature seems to have gotten the notice; what a beautiful day. It has been a hot, dusty intense summer and Tuesday's rain has the garden looking bright and well watered; a rare occurrence as of late. It feels like a blessing. Hopefully this dip in temperature and humidity will inspire you to truly take advantage of the summer's bounty. I am sure you are fast approaching the "too many tomatoes" threshold in your summer diet, and now its time to think about preserving tomatoes for the future--click here for a great link to slow roasted tomatoes that can be frozen for use months later. I thought you would also appreciate Food52's little video about peeling tomatoes:

Peeling tomatos from Food52 on Vimeo.

Enjoy the great weather. Enjoy any adventures in food preservation. Finally I want to leave you with another great recipe from Nikki-a use for those tomatillos that have been a part of your share.

Baked Eggs in Tomatillo Sauce
I hope you have indulged in the tomatillos available to us in the Inverbrook Distribution Shed over the last couple of weeks. They are positively sweet, tangy, and complex all at the same time. I love fresh tomatillo salsa, but decided to roast the tomatillos I have collected over the last couple of weeks instead, along with a hot pepper or two, some garlic, and a big spanish onion in order to make the following sauce for baked eggs. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
3-4 dozen tomatillos
1-2 fresh hot peppers, whole
3-4 cloves of garlic, un-peeled
1 spanish onion, thick sliced
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Handful of fresh chopped cilantro

8 eggs
Generous handful of shredded Manchego cheese
Mexican crema, sour cream, or creme fraiche
Blue corn tortilla chips

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a large baking dish and spread the tomatillos, hot peppers, garlic, and onion slices on top; roast until the tomatillos fall apart and everything else is roast-y (about 25-30 minutes).
3. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins, de-seed the peppers (unless you want tons of heat), transfer the lot to a large bowl, add the cilantro, sea salt, and pepper, and, using an immersion blender, puree everything until smooth.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Return the sauce to the same baking dish and crack 8 eggs, evenly spacing them, right on top of the sauce.
6. Bake in the oven until the eggs are just about set to your liking (my family likes them firm and cooked through, so ours took about 25-30 minutes).
7. Sprinkle the cheese on top of each egg, and return to the oven.
8. Bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown just a bit.
9. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool a bit.
10. Serve each egg with plenty of sauce, a dollop of Mexican crema, and blue corn chips.

Serves 6-8

Notes From Nikki-Eggplant Caponata, Mexican Summer Squash Casserole, and more

2011-08-10T06:35:00.005-04:00

Eggplant Caponata With a Twist
I must give credit to my friend, Donna Larsen, for inspiring me to mix cocoa powder with eggplant. She emailed me a Caponata recipe recently that included grilled eggplant, sugar, and cocoa powder, among other things. I was intrigued. I ended up googling "Caponata" only to find that there are literally thousands of variations on this classic Sicilian dish... of course. I basically used the lists of ingredients I perused as inspiration, and worked from there. Below you'll find the recipe that I came up with. It turned out rich and earthy, brightened just a touch by the basil and the summer squash (I am desperately trying to use up our bounty). I cannot overemphasize how important it is to taste and adjust as you go with this. Just a little more salt, sugar, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar, or cocoa can make a world of difference. If you're like me, you'll be full before the dish hits the table. :-) Enjoy!

Ingredients

3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet onion, chopped
6-8 small eggplant (I used 4 small and 4 baby-sized), diced
4 small-medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 medium-large summer squash (I used 1 pattypan and 1 yellow straight-neck), diced
Dash of red pepper flakes (more if you want more heat)
1-2 T sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 T cocoa powder (I suggest using a high quality variety like Green & Black's for deeper flavor)
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Handful chopped basil, plus more for garnish (I used purple basil)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Warm artisan bread

1. Saute the onion, garlic, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, sea salt, chile flakes, and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions have softened.
2. Add in the eggplant, stirring to coat, and continue sauteing for a bit.
3. Add the tomatoes, and do the same.
4. Add in the summer squash, stir to incorporate, cover, and simmer until all the veggies are quite soft (the tomatoes will have fallen apart as well as some of the eggplant).
5. Add in the balsamic vinegar, and taste and adjust.
6. Stir in the basil, and taste and adjust again.
7. Garnish with basil and serve with plenty of crusty, artisan bread.

Makes about 6 cups (enough for at least 8-10 people to enjoy as an appetizer)

Mexican Summer Squash Casserole with Red Haven Farm Grass-fed Ground Beef and Shredded Highland Farm Manchego
This somewhat odd menagerie of ingredients turned out to be a heavenly "one-pot" dish. If you're like me, you have plenty of summer squash on hand. As it turned out, this proved to be an excellent way to use up at least six of the prolific little summer gems. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients
1.5 lbs. ground beef (I used Red Haven Farm's local, grass-fed beef)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp coriander
1-2 tsp chipotle chile pepper powder (more if you want extra heat)
2-3 tsp paprika
2-3 tsp dried Mexican oregano
4-6 small-medium summer squash, diced (I used 2 small pattypan, 1 medium pattypan, and 3 small yellow straight-neck)
4 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
Generous handful of chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Sea salt
1 C shredded Manchego cheese (I used Highland Farm's local sheep Manchego)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Saute the beef, onions, garlic, coriander, chipotle powder, paprika, oregano, and sea salt over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and the onions are softened.
3. Add in the tomatoes and squash and cook until the squash is firm tender.
4. Turn off the heat and fold in the cilantro.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. Turn the mixture out into a casserole dish and top with the cheese.
7. Bake uncovered until the mixture is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browned in a few places.
8. Remove from the oven, allow to cool a bit, garnish with more cilantro, and serve family style.

Serves 6
Rosemary Mashed Potato Medley; Roasted Orange Mint Carrots; and Grilled Mother Earth Organic Portabellas, Sweet Onions, and Steaks
Three recipes for the price of one! :-) The following three recipes comprised our dinner last night. Make one, or make them all. Red Haven Farm steaks would work beautifully here (I wish we had had some on hand), or leave out the steak and just grill up the portabellas and onions. Portabellas are meaty enough in and of themselves. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Rosemary Mashed Potato Medley
Approximately 2-3 lbs. new potatoes, scrubbed (if necessary) and halved or quartered (halve the small ones, quarter the big ones) [I used a combination of purple, yellow, and red ones, but any combo will do.]
1 stick of butter
2+ C milk
2 T fresh minced rosemary
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Boil the potatoes in a large pot until they are tender enough to mash.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander, returning them to the pot.
3. Add in the butter, rosemary, and 1 C of the milk.
4. Mash the potatoes, butter, rosemary, and milk together using a masher.
5. Switching to a spoon, stir in enough milk to make a smooth-ish consistency (to your liking).
6. Season generously with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
7. Taste and adjust to your liking.
8. Serve and enjoy!
Serves approximately 8-10 as a side dish (feel free to cut the recipe in half)

Roasted Orange Mint Carrots
3 bunches carrots, bottoms trimmed, tops removed (I used a mixture of the purple and orange carrots from our Inverbrook share)
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 orange, plus some zest (to taste)
1 T honey
Handful of finely chopped mint leaves
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Drizzle the bottom of a roasting pan with the olive oil.
3. Lay the carrots on top of the oil, creating one single layer, and give the pan a good shake.
4. Season the carrots with sea salt and pepper, and roast in the oven until firm tender, shaking occasionally.
5. While the carrots are roasting, combine the orange juice, mint, and honey.
6. Once the carrots are just shy of finishing, drizzle the juice over the lot, shake the pan, and finish roasting (the juice and honey will caramelize a bit).
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
Serves 6 as a side dish

Grilled Mother Earth Organic Portabellas, Sweet Onions, and Steaks
6 whole portabella mushroom caps, stems removed (I highly recommend local Mother Earth Organic mushrooms)
2-3 sweet onions, quartered
6 steaks (we used mock tender steaks as we're on a budget ;-))
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
Fresh torn rosemary leaves
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
2. Season the steaks with plenty of sea salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil if they aren't fatty (ours were mock tenders and needed a little oiling :-)). Rub some torn rosemary leaves and minced garlic into them for good measure.
3. While they're upside down, drizzle the portabellas with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Divide the remaining minced garlic amongst the caps, and season with sea salt and pepper.
4. Rub the onion quarters with whatever amount of oil garlic and rosemary you have left (the stuff that's laying on the pan) and season with just a bit of sea salt and pepper.
5. Grill the steaks to your liking.
6. Grill the portabellas upside down until they are well marked and meaty. A little soup of garlic, oil, and vinegar will form in the caps. Don't turn the caps over while they're still on the grill or you'll lose all that goodness.
7. Grill the onions until well marked and softened.
8. Slice the portabellas (if desired), and toss with the onions and all that yummy juice that formed in the caps while they were on the grill.
9. Lay each steak on a bed of the portabella and onion mixture and serve.

Serves 6

This Week's Share-Lots of Tomatoes, More Melons and Purslane

2011-08-08T14:58:00.008-04:00

This week's share--like many of the farmers markets and backyard gardens--is full of tomatoes. Its been a fairly good tomato year and I am very thankful for that fact. I have included a link to Food52's best tomato recipe contest from back in 2009. 2009 was the dismal year of the tomato blight, the memory of which makes good tomato seasons all the more special. If you are swimming in tomatoes right now, I thought you would appreciate their (food52) listing of recipes.

This Week's Share Includes:
Potatoes (red and fingerling)
Carrots (purple and orange)
Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon)
Eggplant
Summer Squash (patti pan and zephyr)
Cucumbers
Tomatoes (slicing,salad and cherry)
Tomatillos
Purslane
Parsley

In honor of this past weekend's medicinal weed walk, I thought I would add the delicious and nutritious weed Purslane to the share(if you are going to harvest at home notice the warning about spurge, another common weed that looks a little like purslane but is poisonous). Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, purslance is a great addition to salads. Here is Praireland CSAs purslane page. Below is a picture of the salad I made for the medicinal weed walk potluck lunch this weekend. I used a recipe from Gourmet Magazine -parsley and purslane cherry tomato salad but added the DELICIOUS highland farm feta, which I think pairs perfectly with cherry tomatoes. Enjoy your tomatoes, enjoy your weeds.

The Bounty of August--Fruit and Cheese

2011-08-03T15:59:00.014-04:00

The first of August is known as Lammas or Lughnasadh. The half way point between the summer solstice and the fall equinox, it was traditionally a festival celebrating the first harvest of grain. Loaf-day or Feast of the First Fruits are other names for this early August celebration. I like the concept of the first fruit, because for me, August represents a month plentiful with fruits of all kinds. August is a month full of delicious ripe tomatoes, melons, peaches, plums, and the beginnings of apples, pears and more. August 3 is actually National Watermelon Day, a fitting start to a month in which these delicious hallmarks of summer picnics appear at markets and in your CSA share.

Here at Inverbrook the start of fruit season is celebrated with melons in your CSA share for the next couple of weeks and the start of the North Star Fruit Share. The fruit share has long been sold out, and if you are at all interested in getting a fruit share next year I suggest you get on the waiting list right now. Luckily, there are other great sources of fruit nearby—Glenn Willow, Vollmecke, and Barnard Orchards, not to mention all the great local farmers markets have fruit vendors (including Frecon at the Kennett Market on Friday and North Star at the West Chester Market on Saturday). I might also add fruit to the Friday Farmstand, I will keep you posted.

Along with the fruit share, I also encourage you to check out the various options for cheese (and yogurt) at Inverbrook. When the weather is hot, and cooking seems less appealing, nothing could be better than simple pairings of cheese and fruit—cheddar and tomatoes, feta and watermelon, yogurt and peaches, brebis and melon—all possibilities with the Hillacres Pride Cheese Share and the Highland Farm sheep products available at the farm.
I was reminded of this delicious pairing of fruit and cheese after a recent visit to Aimee Olexy’s beautiful new restaurant Talula’s Garden. The weekend before last I decided to escape the heat with a trip to Philly to visit with my sister. We took refuge in the air conditioning of the Ritz theatre, saw a great movie, and on the way home popped into Talula’s Garden for a drink (I got a delicious margarita , appropriately called the “Farmer”) and a cheese plate masterfully prepared by Josh Kaplan (see picture above). On the platter were some tiny white peach slices that tasted just amazing after nibbling on the various cheeses included on the platter. I came home from my weekend away excited about the pairings I could create at home with the soon to be bountiful fruits, melons, and cheeses that are now flowing into the distribution shed. At the Talula’s Garden bar we also met a fun couple now living in Florida that alerted us to their friend’s daughter’s blog Starving Off the Land,definitely worth checking out.

Below are some more links about pairing cheese and fruit (or inspired by cheese and fruit):

Madame Fromage cheese pairing

Apples and Cheese –great local food blog

Philly Local’s Messy and Picky cheese pairing party

Hopefully these postings will inspire a fruit and cheese plate for your next August gathering. If you missed getting Highland Farm cheese or yogurt during your CSA pick up, you can always grab some during the Friday Farmstand from 2-7PM every Friday. And now for the sound track (this concept of a meal/ingredient sound track was “borrowed” from the Modern Farm Table blog I featured in the last posting)—Hey August from one of my most favorite local artists Chris Kasper Hey August by Chris Kasper

This Week's Share-Melons and More Cherry Tomatoes

2011-08-02T06:12:00.006-04:00

This week's share will feature melons for the first time this season. We will start off with watermelons and honeydews and hopefully add cantaloupe next week. A few year's ago the hot new summer salad was watermelon, feta and mint. Last year grilled watermelon was all the rage. This year the trend seems to be turning your watermelon into a delicious and refreshing cocktail. See this great new blog The Modern Farm Table for a rum, basil and watermelon drink.

Speaking of fruit, the Northstar Fruit Share will begin this week. The bags of fruit should ONLY be taken by those who have paid and signed up for this delicious addition to the CSA experience. The fruit shares sell out very early in the season, if you want to get on the waiting list for next year check out their website for more information.

Finally, this weekend we are hosting another Medicinal Herb Workshop at the farm. I will be positng more information shortly. In the meantime check out the Facebook Event if you would like to register.

This Week's Share:
Potatoes
Purple Carrots
Melons (watermelon and honeydew)
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Eggplant
Tomatillos
and depending on your pick up day (beans, cucumbers, and/or peppers)

Here are a few more recipe links to help utilize the share:

101 Cookbooks Cherry Tomato Couscous Dish

Angel Hair Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Tuna, and Lemon

Culinate.com recipe of Pasta with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes.

Enjoy the recipes!

More Notes From Nikki-Sufferin' Succotash and Pan-Roasted Romano Beans

2011-07-29T07:21:00.003-04:00

Sufferin' Succotash
Yesterday was a gorgeous day. Low humidity, light breeze, temps in the 80s. Perfect. I decided to fire up the grill (last week's oppressive heat kept me from my favorite summertime culinary activity) . We grilled Italian chicken sausages to house in potato buns with plenty of dijon mustard. Yum! The following succotash served as the perfect accompaniment to this main course. A delightful dish for a delightful summer evening. I hope you enjoy it too!
P.S. Don't forget, Red Haven Farm offers some terrific tasting sausages. Had I planned ahead, that's what would have been nestled in our buns. ;-)

Ingredients

2 pints grape/cherry tomatoes, halved (the lovely medley of little tomatoes from our Inverbrook share this week will work perfectly if you still have them around. Ours were eaten on the way home from the farm. :-})

8 oz. frozen and thawed (or fresh) shelled edamame

8 oz. fresh or frozen corn kernels thawed (I used frozen. I know, for shame! Especially this time of year. I bought fresh from a local orchard and was so disappointed with the flavor that I actually composted it. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me. Is anyone else having this issue with corn this year? Strange.)

2 small-medium pattypan squash, diced

2 small-medium eggplant, diced (I used one white and one purple from our Inverbrook share this week)

Handful of chopped chives

Handful of fresh chopped basil (I used the tiny leaves from our bush basil plant)

2-3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 -2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Splash of balsamic vinegar

1. Saute the garlic, squash, and eggplant in olive oil over medium heat until cooked through and browned a bit here and there.
2. Toss in the edamame and corn and continue sauteing until heated through.
3. Turn off the heat, add in the sea salt, pepper, chives, basil, balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes. Fold gently to incorporate.
4. Taste and adjust to your liking.
5. Serve and enjoy!

This will serve 6-8 generously as a side dish. Feel free to cut the recipe in half.

Pan-Roasted Romanos with Tomatoes, Lemon, Parsley, and Feta
One of my favorite veggie combinations is green beans and tomatoes. Reminds me of summer, my favorite season. Throw a squeeze of lemon in there, some herbs, and cheese, and WAH-LA... heaven. We enjoyed the following dish with a side of grilled chicken. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-sized sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts romano beans, trimmed
A couple of good squeezes of lemon
4 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
Generous handful of chopped parsley leaves
Crumbled feta (I used my absolute fave, Highland Farm's sheep feta)
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are softened a bit.
2. Toss in the beans, cover, shake, and simmer, shaking occasionally until the beans a just slightly tender.
3. Add the tomatoes, stirring to incorporate.
4. Allow the sauce to simmer covered again for just a few more minutes. You don't want the beans to lose their snap.
5. Kill the heat, add in the lemon juice, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7. Plate and top with feta and a bit more ground pepper.
8. Serve and enjoy.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Notes from Nikki-Roasted Purple Potatoes with Lemon Miso Dressing

2011-07-28T07:36:00.004-04:00

Roasted Purple Majesty Potatoes with Lemon Miso Dressing and Fresh Mint Warning: this recipe was a total experiment. It was well received by my family (even my kids), and I really liked it too, but it is certainly an odd menagerie of ingredients that I would normally not put together. I was in a bold mood, I guess. ;-) Anyway, I hope you like it. I think the dressing would pair excellently with green beans and tomatoes as well, or a combo of all three. It's a fun little dressing. I encourage you to experiment. Enjoy!

Ingredients

About 2 lbs. purple majesty potatoes (or other new potatoes), halved or quartered (quarter the larger ones, half the smaller ones)
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Juice of 1 lemon
2 T white miso
2 T honey (I used raw, local honey... Walt Broughton's Swarmbustin')

Handful of chopped fresh mint leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Drizzle the olive oil onto a roasting pan, and spread the potatoes out on top.
3. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper atop the potatoes.
4. Shake the pan a bit, and roast until the potatoes are firm tender (about 25-30 minutes or so).
5. While the potatoes are roasting, blend the lemon juice, miso, and honey together either by hand or in a food processor.
6. Allow the potatoes to cool a bit, toss them with the dressing and the mint, and serve.

Serves 4 as a side dish

Extra Herby "Green Goddess" Dip for Crudites
It has been so hot that I have been leery of the kitchen. I decided that a good dip was in order to plunge the deliciously succulent carrots from our Inverbrook share into. Incidentally, we ended up using the leftover dip for cucumbers as well. Any veggies would be happy to take the plunge, really. It would also work well as a dressing for salad. I hope you enjoy this twist on a classic as much as we did.

Ingredients

Handful of fresh basil leaves
Small handful of fresh tarragon leaves
Handful of fresh chopped chives
Hefty squeeze or two of lemon juice (plus a bit o' zest if you want)
1 garlic chive (our last from late spring), chopped, or 1 small clove of garlic smashed
1-2 tsp dijon mustard
3-4 T sour cream
1-2 T mayonaise
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Toss all the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Taste and adjust to your liking.
3. Serve with crudites of your choice and enjoy!

This Week's Share-Purple Carrots and White Cucumbers

2011-07-26T16:38:00.006-04:00

I love unusual vegetables, especially if they are colorful and delicious. The diversity of shape, color and taste in summer vegetables like squash, cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes--is simply amazing. This week's share highlights that fact with lots of color (especially purple) and flavor.

This Week's Share:
New Potatoes (Purple Majesty, Chieftain, and Yukon Gold)
Cucumbers-which depending on your pick up day include salt and pepper (white pickler), Poona Keera (brownish Indian cucumber), Snake Melon (Armenian cucumber), and Lemon Cucumber
String Beans (Romano, Provider, and Haricot Vert)
Purple Carrots
Eggplant
Summer Squash
Tomatillos
Tomatoes

This week looks like it is once again going to be very hot. Below are two recipe links for cool salads, perfect for summer weather.

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad from Smitten Kitchen

Lemony Green Bean Salad with Feta from Food52

Speaking of Feta--don't forget to try the delicious Highland Farm Sheep Dairy cheeses and yogurt. And since I am mentioning other farm products available at Inverbrook, the summer vegetables in this week's share pair exceedingly well with grilled sausage--which you can order from Red Haven Farm to be dropped off at Inverbrook. Go to the Inverbrook website to download an order form.

Staying Cool-Recipe Ideas for this Summer Heat

2011-07-22T14:29:00.008-04:00

Whew!!!! Its not been a fun week in the fields, the heat has been pretty brutal. I guess the reward is getting to turn the summer produce into something delicious that can also cool you off. Smoothies seem particularly popular as of late. Fresh Basil posted this great link to smoothies from the Mother Nature Network. Last night I decided to put together my own version of a vegetable smoothie. I combined some spices, salt, cucumbers and tomatoes in the blender--hit the puree button--then added a medley of chopped and sweated vegetables that included about 4 baby squash, an onion and a couple of tomatillos--I then gave the veggies a quick chop in blender, to produce a colorful and delicious gazpacho type drink/soup. Of course I was too tired and hungry to think out recording quantities to provide a step by step recipe guide for you--but I did find this link to a cold summer vegetable soup.

Today I moved on to a sweet smoothie made with the delicious Highland Farm sheep yogurt available at the farm, a handful of frozen blueberries, a banana, some chopped carrots, mint and ginger. It was refreshing and full of antioxidants--perfect for today's heat. Along with smoothies and lassis, another recipe trend for the heat of summer is unconventional ice pops--the latest issue of Fine Cooking Magazine has this link on ice pop recipes. And here is another great link for 50 delicious and creative ice pop ideas. Pending some disaster related to plant disease or insects--your share over the next couple of weeks should include more cucumbers and eventually melons, which are a little more conducive to the above links. In the meantime here is a link to veggie ice pops; stay cool and enjoy your share.

Notes from Nikki-Roasted Summer Squash, Eggplant, and Tomato Rotelli

2011-07-21T17:16:00.002-04:00

Roasted Summer Squash, Eggplant, and Tomato Rotelli

Wow. What a beautiful bounty of delicious summer goodness we walked away with this week from the Inverbrook Distribution Shed. Even in this wretched heat, I decided to roast the summer squash, eggplant, and tomatoes to create a saucy medley for rotelli pasta. It was a perfect summer meal! I hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients

2 small-medium pattypan squash, halved and sliced (about 1/4", no need to be fussy)
2 small-medium yellow crook-neck squash (I used the zephyr from this week's share), sliced (about 1/4 ")
2 small-medium eggplant, halved and sliced (I used one small, round white and one small, round purple (Indian variety?) from this week's share)
8-10 small-medium tomatoes, cored and halved or quartered
4-6 T extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
Generous handful of chopped basil (I used a combination of purple and lemon basil)
1.5 lbs. rotelli
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh grated or shredded Parmigiano-Regianno

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
3. Prepare two roasting pans by drizzling the bottoms of both with about 2-3 T of olive oil.
4. Spread the summer squash and eggplant out onto one of the pans and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and half of the minced garlic. Toss to coat.
5. Spread the tomatoes out onto the other pan, and do the same.
6. Roast the vegetable in the oven until cooked through and starting to brown, about 20-25 minutes (the tomatoes will break down quite a bit and will create a sauce of sorts).
7. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta al dente, drain, and set aside.
8. Toss the pasta with the roasted tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and basil, and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.
9. Add in more sea salt and pepper to taste.
10. Top with plenty of Parmigiano-Regianno and serve.

Serves 6-8 as a main course

This Week's Share-Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Summer Squash

2011-07-19T15:15:00.009-04:00

Wow, is it hot this week. Not the kind of weather that inspires a whole lot of cooking. My advice for this week's share is to cook the various vegetables on the grill or all at once inside-store cooked in your refrigerator, and then use the ingredients to create delicious farm fresh cold salads. The tomatoes of course, do not need to be cooked.

This week's share includes:
New Potatoes (yukon gold, red and purple majesty)
Carrots
Tomatoes
Green Beans (roma, haricot vert and provider)
Summer Squash (zephyr and patti pan)
Eggplant
Herbs (mint and parsley)

Here a some recipe ideas links for this week's share

Grilled Sausage and Summer Squash (don't forget to place your order with Red Haven Farm)

Ten 10 Minute Tomato Recipes

Salad Nicoise

Enjoy your share, stay cool, and keep your fingers crossed for some rain.

Notes From Nikki-Eggplant Medley, Roasted Beets/Carrots, and Smashed Pink Potatoes

2011-07-14T06:48:00.007-04:00

Here are three great recipes from Nikki. If you are planning on feeding a bigger group, and you don't have time to stockpile your share contents like Nikki, I encourage you to come on out to the Friday Farmstand (2-7PM). I will have many of this week's share items available for purchase, along with cherry tomatoes and bouquets of flowers. Perfect for weekend entertaining. Enjoy Nikki's delicious recipe creations.

Roasted Eggplant Medley with Tomatoes, Lemon Basil, and Feta
I don't know about you, but I tend to stock-pile parts of our Inverbrook share until I have enough of an ingredient to create a dish that will feed my family. This has been the case over the last two weeks with eggplant. Last week I came away from the shed with just two tiny purple and white streaked eggplant, which I promptly put in a plastic bag and stored in the crisper (eggplant can be saved for quite a while this way). This week, I chose a couple with more girth, one white, and one a pale green. Along with the four small yellow tomatoes we came away with on Monday, I used this eggplant medley to produce the following dish. It made a fabulous lunch! Two of my kids and I shared it. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

4 small eggplant (preferably of different varieties), trimmed and sliced about 1/4" (no need to be overly-precise)
4 small tomatoes, cored and quartered
2 garlic scapes, chopped (or garlic cloves, minced)
3-4 T extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Splash of balsamic vinegar (1-2 T)
Small handful of finely chopped lemon basil (any basil will do... lemon is my favorite for brightening a roasted dish like this)
Handful of crumbled feta cheese (we used Highland Farm's sheep feta, my absolute favorite feta on earth)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Drizzle the bottom of a roasting pan with the olive oil, and add the eggplant slices, tomatoes, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Toss a bit, and spread out evenly so that you have one layer.
3. Roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, turning the eggplant slices about halfway through. Roast until the eggplant is cooked through. The tomatoes will be super-roasted and will fall apart creating a sauce of sorts.
4. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, fold in the basil, and turn out onto a plate (make sure to get all the yummy juices off the pan too).
5. Top with the feta and a bit more fresh ground pepper if desired.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4

I am a sucker for banana fingerling potatoes, and, until Monday, I have overlooked the other potato offerings when picking up our Inverbrook share. This week, I decided to give the pink-flesh potatoes a try. What a gorgeous treat this turned out to be! The following recipe resulted in a beautiful array of pink and green that tasted as good as it looked. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

2 bunches of perpetual spinach (or other cooking greens), tough stems removed, chopped
2-3 cloves minced raw garlic (cured cloves are fine too, or use up any garlic scapes you may have lying in the bottom of your crisper... we still have a couple, they seem to last forever)
Glug of extra-virgin olive oil
Approximately 2 lbs. new potatoes (as noted above, we used pink-fleshed potatoes, but any new potatoes will do), scrubbed if needed
1/2-1 stick of butter
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1-2 C milk

1. Boil the potatoes until tender.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, saute the garlic and spinach in olive oil until the spinach is just wilted.
3. Drain the potatoes, add the butter, sea salt, pepper, and milk (start with 1 C) to the pot, and smash the mixture together with a potato masher.
4. Once the potatoes are roughly mashed, stir the mixture together with a spoon, adding more milk (if necessary) to get the consistency you prefer.
5. Fold in the sauteed spinach and garlic.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Roasted Baby Carrots and Beets with Honey Dill Vinaigrette
They may be tiny, but the baby carrots and beets from our Inverbrook share pack a serious punch. They are full of delicious, complex flavor. Roasting them makes the flavor even more intense. I hope you enjoy this simple recipe that is as beautiful as it is delicious!

Ingredients

Approximately 20 or so baby carrots, tops removed
Approximately 10 or so baby beets, greens removed
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil

Handful of dill (no thick stems, we still had some leftover in the crisper from last week's share)
3-4 T oilve oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1-2 T honey
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Drizzle two small roasting pans with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.
3. Lay the beets on one roasting pan, and the carrots on the other, shake the pans back and forth a bit to coat, and tent both pans with foil.
4. While the carrots and beets are roasting, process the dill, olive oil, vinegar, honey, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth and emulsified (you can also do this by hand with a wire whisk, just finely chop the dill first).
5. Roast the beets and carrots until firm tender. (They will likely be done at different times.)
6. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the beets and discard them.
7. Toss the beets, carrots, and as much of the dressing as desired together, turn out onto a plate, and serve. (Any remaining dressing will save nicely in an airtight container in the fridge.)
8. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 3-4 as a side dish

This Week's Share--More Potatoes, Eggplant, and the first of the Tomatoes

2011-07-11T17:21:00.009-04:00

This is one of those week's where Monday's share will not match Wednesday's share. The green beans are not quite ready today, but should be harvestable on Wednesday.

This week's share includes:
Potatoes--both fingerlings and regular new potatoes
The First of the Tomatoes
Eggplant (or Summer Squash if are not an eggplant fan)
Baby Beets (on Monday) and Green Beans (on Wednesday)
Carrots
Herbs

Next week (if we get a little rain) the share should include larger quantities of all of the summer crops like squash, beans, eggplant and tomatoes--in the meantime I hope you enjoy a little taste (and color) of summer.

Speaking of summer vegetables the latest issue of fine cooking arrived with a great profile on the various types of eggplant.Click hear for the Eggplant explanation from Fine Coking Magazine

I realize that those who are new to the CSA might not be so familiar with those tiny little knobby potatoes known as fingerlings. They are one of my favorites, in fact Nikki's potato salad recipe from last week was made with the fingerlings. The tender fingerlings cook relatively fast; they are great pan roasted or cooked on the grill. Here is a great meal idea from the My Life Runs on Food Blog that pairs salmon with green beans and fingerling potatoes. The herb yogurt sauce is a perfect use for the Highland Farm sheep yogurt. One more note, all the potatoes at this time should be considered "new potatoes" and there is no need to peal them. A little scrubbing will remove the papery outer skin.

Enjoy the share. Enjoy the summer. If you are craving more of the summer vegetables be sure to stop by the farm stand on Friday 2-7PM. Next week I will have pick your own cherry tomatoes, this week you can purchase them from the farmstand.

This Week's Share-Potatoes and Eggplant (Notes from Nikki)

2011-07-05T12:24:00.005-04:00

This week's share includes the beginning of summer staples like potatoes and eggplant, a welcome change from all the green, I am sure. This will be the last week for lettuce for a while. It has got quite a bit to it, luckily Nikki has provide a great recipe for it that can be found at the end of this post.

This Week's Share:
Potatoes
Eggplant
Small Bag of Lettuce
Cooking Greens (Chard or Perpetual Spinach)
Carrots
Beets
Herbs (mint, cilantro, and dill)

Notes From Nikki--Three Great Recipes Below:

Summer Picnic Potato Salad

Upon my arrival to pick up our Inverbrook Farm share yesterday, I was pleased to discover that two of the most important ingredients I needed to make the potato salad I was planning on bringing to a 4th of July potluck were right there in the distribution shed: potatoes and dill. Perfect! This salad is best served at room temperature for full flavor, but saves nicely in the fridge and can be eaten cold too. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2-3 lbs. new potatoes, scrubbed, boiled until tender, drained, cooled (enough to handle), and halved or quartered depending on size (I used the banana fingerlings from this week's share)
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz. mayonaise
1-2 T dijon mustard
3 scallions, trimmed and chopped (white and green parts)
6 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
2 T capers
Handful chopped dill leaves plus more for garnish (you can also use parsley for garnish, and/or even add some chopped parsley to the mix)
4 oz. bacon, fried, drained, and broken into smallish pieces (optional)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Combine the sour cream, mayo, and mustard, and mix with the potatoes, smashing up some of the potatoes in the process. Add more sour cream or mayo if the mixture is too thick. (It's okay if the mixture is warm. This actually helps to bring out the flavor. It will cool to room temp by the time you're ready to serve it.)
2. Fold in the scallions, celery, capers, dill, salt, pepper, and bacon (if using).
3. Taste and adjust to your liking.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish (can be doubled)

Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Sauteed Shallots, Fresh Garlic, Chard, and Exotic Mushrooms
Admittedly, this dish is a bit heavy for this time of year, but I had a hankering for something substantial after eating so many salads. :-) You could skip the cream and use the parmesan as a garnish, rather than incorporating both ingredients into the dish to create a sauce, for a lighter version. Either way, it is sure to please. The chard can be swapped out for spinach, kale, or any other cooking greens you have on hand. The bacon is totally optional (I've been on a bacon kick lately); again, for a lighter version, just omit it. However you decide to prepare the dish, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T butter (optional, just add a tad more olive oil if you decided to omit the butter, I was going for decadence ;-))
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or trimmed and chopped garlic scapes if you still have some on hand)
6 small shallots, sliced
Red pepper flakes
2 bunches chard, thick stems removed, torn or chopped
10-12 oz. exotic mushrooms (I used a combo of local crimini, shitake, and oyster), roughly chopped
1-1.5 lbs. whole wheat rigatoni (penne or rotelli will work too; you can also use a non-whole wheat version, I just love the nutty flavor that the whole wheat versions produce)
Handful or two of freshly grated or shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (plus more for topping)
1 C half-and-half or cream
Sea salt
8 oz. bacon, minced, sauteed until crispy, and drained (optional)
Fresh ground pepper

1. Put on a large pot of water to boil the pasta in.
2. While you are waiting for the pasta water to boil, saute the shallots, garlic, and pepper flakes in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until fragrant and softened.
3. Add the chard to the pan and continue sauteing until it starts to wilt.
4. Add in the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are soft, and the chard is completely wilted.
5. Once your water is boiling, add in the pasta along with some sea salt, and cook until al dente, reserving about 1/2 C of the cooking water for the sauce.
6. Add 1/2 C pasta water to the chard/mushroom mix, plus the half-and-half (or cream), and bring to a simmer.
7. Add in the parmesan, stirring to incorporate.
8. Season with sea salt, taste, and adjust to your liking.
9. Toss the pasta with the sauce, divide among plates, top each plate with a sprinkling of parmesan, some of the bacon (if using), and some fresh ground pepper.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 6-8
Honey Dijon Salad with Pan-Roasted Chicken Tenders
Claire warned us, the salad greens this week have a bit of a bite. :-] Actually, they create the perfect foundation for this salad that sports a simple honey-dijon dressing and pan-roasted, boneless, skinless chicken tenders. Very light and flavorful. A perfect meal on a hot summer night. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T dijon mustard
1-2 T honey
2 T white wine vinegar
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
8-10 oz. baby lettuce (I used two bags from our Inverbrook share)
1 lb.-2 lbs. chicken tenders
Splash of olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Put the olive oil, mustard, honey, vinegar, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth and emulsified (you can also do this by hand with a wire whisk). Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. Season the chicken tenders with sea salt and pepper, and pan-roast in olive oil until browned on both sides and cooked through.
3. Toss the dressing with the salad greens, divide among plates, place 2-3 chicken tenders on top of each, drizzle with a bit more dressing, top with fresh ground pepper, and serve.

Serves 4-6

Medicinal Herb Walks at Inverbrook Farm

2011-07-04T05:26:00.006-04:00

We are pleased to announce two upcoming medicinal herb walks/workshops here at Inverbrook Farm. The first will talk place this coming Saturday, July 9th from 10AM until 1PM. The walk will focus on the plants in the Inverbrook Farm Medicinal Herb garden and be led by its creator Katherine Broadbent and garden consultant nurse/herbalist Donna Merrill. Click here to view pictures from a previous herb walk which was paired with a Green Drinks gathering at the farm.

Saturday July 9th Medicinal Herb Walk:
-walk 10-12, with picnic lunch 12-1 where people can chat and eat and ask Donna any other questions they have.
-folks should bring water, lunch, bug spray, sunscreen
-rain date Sunday July 10, same time
-Email Katherine at msmoon8@hotmail.com to register.

The next medicinal herb walk will be a weed walk on Saturday, August 6th 10-1:00(Sunday the 7th rain date).

Notes from Nikki-Sauteed Kohlrabi (and Fridays at the Farm)

2011-07-01T21:03:00.005-04:00

The syncrinisity that exists in life never ceases to amaze me. This morning I started off the day picking blueberries for the Friday Farmstand (by next year the blueberries should be part of the CSA share, I just have to fence off the plot to keep the deer out). The fact that I now have a "friday at the farm" enterprise and picking blueberries made me think of the wonderful short film Fridays at the Farm by Rich Power Hoffman. The film features Red Hill CSA and its farmers Chris and Amy. In the film there is a little song about blueberries and this song always seems to pop into my head whenever picking blueberries. Anyway, Nikki sent along this great recipe for cooked kohlrabi today; a recipe she got from the very same Chris of Red Hill CSA. Enjoy the recipe and if you have a spare twenty minutes check out the movie.

Fridays at the Farm from Spring Garden Pictures on Vimeo.

Sauteed Kohlrabi with Cracked Black Pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano
Truth be told, until now, I have never liked kohlrabi. It wasn't for not trying. Honestly. I tried it shaved in a salad, diced in a stir-fry, and pureed in a soup. Just didn't do it for me. Needless to say, the kohlrabi from our Inverbrook Farm share has been collecting in the crisper in our fridge, untouched. It wouldn't even go bad so I could just compost it. ;-) I decided I would have to befriend it... eventually. As luck would have it, a good friend and coworker of mine (and former farmer himself), Chris McNichol, told me just the other day that he loves the stuff. Upon hearing this, I demanded he immediately tell me his favorite way to prepare it. I didn't even have to write down the recipe. It's that simple. And so delicious! I know, I can't believe I just referred to kohlrabi as delicious. Who knew?! Thanks, Chris! I hope you all enjoy it too.

Ingredients

6 small kohlrabi bulbs, trimmed, peeled, and diced (roughly chopped works too)
Glug of extra-virgin olive oil
Plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
A bit o' sea salt
Freshly grated or shredded Parmigiano Reggiano
A few basil leaves for garnish (I used lemon basil)

1. Saute the kohlrabi in olive oil until fairly tender and browned on all sides.
2. Season with sea salt and pepper.
3. Turn out onto a plate, top with the cheese, more pepper (if desired), and the basil.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 1-2 as a side dish

Notes from Nikki-Chinese Snow Peas and Red Haven Pork Chops

2011-06-30T13:48:00.006-04:00

Just in case you still have not consumed all your vegetables from this week's share, here are two great meal ideas from Nikki. If the idea of pork chops interests you, the farmstand will be open tomorrow (Friday) from 2-7PM and you still have time to make an order with Red Haven Farm. You can download an order form from the Inverbrook website. I will also have flowers and a few vegetables available for purchase, perfect for your 4th of July gathering. Speaking of the 4th of July, I will have normal Monday CSA pick up on the 4th. Enjoy the holiday weekend.

Chinese Snow Peas
Our family just loves peas. Sugar snap, snow, shelling... divine! We can't get enough! The peas from our Inverbrook share the past few weeks are to die for. So sweet, so crisp. I don't like to mess with them too much. Truth be told, they usually don't make it home as my four kids devour them on the way.
I hope you enjoy the following recipe. Simple as can be. Just snow peas (sugar snaps will also work) tossed in an Asian inspired dressing. Perfect on a hot day.

Ingredients

Snow peas (or sugar snaps), trimmed
2 T tamari or shoyu
1 T honey
1 T rice vinegar
1 T toasted sesame oil
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced (optional)
1 small glove garlic, smashed and minced (or 1 chopped garlic scape, both are optional)

1. Whisk together the tamari, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic. Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. Toss the dressing with the peas and serve.

Grilled Red Haven Farm Pork Loin Chops with Roasted Carrots and Fennel

For those of you who are meat eaters, I sincerely hope you have taken advantage of ordering from Red Haven Farm. Their grass-fed, pastured meats are every bit as delicious as they are nutritious. Last night I grilled up a batch of their bone-in pork loin chops. They turned out so juicy and flavorful. I served them with a quick roasted baby carrot and fennel salad. Delicious! Of course, the salad could certainly be enjoyed without the pork chops for the non-pork-eating folks out there. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

Red Haven Farm pork loin chops (we grilled 6 of them)
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves fresh, uncured garlic (cured is fine too)
Several sprigs of thyme plus about 1 T of leaves, sprigs soaked in water for several minutes
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

2-4 baby fennel bulbs and stems (depending on size and your liking for fennel), trimmed and roughly chopped
2 bunches baby carrots (3-4 dozen, depending on size), bottoms trimmed, tops removed minus about an inch of stem
3-4 peeled and sliced shallots (optional... I wished I had had them on hand; the dish was still delicious without them)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Handful of chopped parsley leaves

For the chops:
1. Preheat the grill to medium/high.
3. Mix together the olive oil, garlic, and thyme leaves. Allow the mixture to sit for a bit while you season the chops with sea salt and pepper, and while you're waiting for the grill to heat up.
2. Rub the olive oil/garlic/thyme mixture into one side of the chops.
3. Top each chop with a couple sprigs of the soaked thyme (these will steam and smoke during the grilling process... fantastic!).
4. Grill the chops, seasoned side up, over medium/high heat for about 3-5 minutes (depending on the size of your chops and your grill temperature variance), with the grill top down.
5. Remove the thyme sprigs and flip the chops, grilling for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Remove from the grill and allow to cool for a bit before serving.

For the roasted carrot and fennel salad:
(*Note-If you are grilling the pork chops in addition to making the salad, you should get your carrots and fennel into the oven before you put the chops on the grill.)
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Toss the fennel, carrots, shallots (if using), olive oil, sea salt, and pepper together, and spread out on a baking sheet.
3. Roast, shaking the pan once in a while, until the larger carrots are just tender (the fennel will be nice and toasty), about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your carrots. The smaller ones will be well-done. Totally okay, and quite tasty. :-)
4. Toss with the parsley and serve. (Serves 4-6 as a side dish.)

This Week's Share-Bitter Greens, Fresh Garlic and Baby Carrots

2011-06-28T07:28:00.005-04:00

This week's share includes:

Snap Peas
Leaf Lettuce (starting to have a bit of a bite)
Baby Carrots
Bulb Fennel
Italian Dandelion
Frisee Endive
Fresh Garlic

Bitter greens like the Italian Dandelion and the Frisee in this week's share might be something new to you. Their "bite" can be tempered with a little heat from either braising or a warm salad dressing; and consequently are a great base to a "wilted" salad. Their strong taste pairs well with nuts, dried fruit, and flavorful cheese like blue, a sharp chevre, and parmigiano. Their cleansing bitterness is also well suited to bacon. One of my favorite salads is frisee, blue cheese and bacon.

Speaking of strong and pungent, the share this week also includes fresh garlic. This garlic has just been dug from the ground and has not yet been cured. Curing mellows the flavor of garlic, so this garlic is HOT. It also still contains a bit of water, so it lends itself to roasting, which will mellow the heat and become extra creamy because of the moisture still in the cloves. Click here for some roasted garlic recipes (I like this link for its vampire references, for all you True Blood fans out there).

This week's share is not all bite, on the sweeter (but very flavorful) side are the last of the snap peas, the baby carrots and also the last of the fennel until the fall. Enjoy the share and let me know if you have discovered any new recipes for the items mentioned above.

Notes from Nikki-Beet and Fennel Salad and Green Smoothie

2011-06-24T15:31:00.008-04:00

Two great recipe ideas from Nikki (I am late in posting the green smoothie recipe, but you can substitute other greens for the spinach):

Roasted Baby Beets and Fennel Salad
It's beet season, and I'm in heaven. The baby beets from this week's share are little bulbs of red deliciousness, and are the perfect accompaniment to the baby fennel we received as well. I hope you enjoy the recipe below. Another salad, I know. I promise my next recipe will be a bit more hearty. ;-)

Ingredients

4 thinly sliced baby fennel bulbs, plus a handful or so chopped fronds (or two larger bulbs)

3 shallots, thinly sliced and sautéed briefly in a splash of olive oil

8-10 baby beets, tops removed, bottoms trimmed, roasted in a 400 degree oven until tender

1/4 C good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1-2 T honey
1 T fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

1. Once the beets have cooled, slide the skins off and quarter them.
2. Put the olive oil, vinegar, honey, thyme, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth and emulsified. (You can also do this by hand with a wire whisk.) Taste and adjust to your liking.
3. Toss the beets, fennel, fronds, shallots, and as much dressing as you like together.
4. Lay this mixture on a bed of lightly dressed salad greens (optional, but very tasty :-)), garnish with a piece of frond, and serve.

Enjoy!
Serves 4

Banana Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

What?! Spinach?! Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of disguising greens in things like smoothies and shakes. In fact, this is the first time I've ever even attempted to throw a bag of greens into the blender along with our usual smoothie suspects... yogurt, bananas, berries, honey, ice. But tonight was one of those nights when we came home exhausted after a long day, and it was already close to 8 pm, not enough time to put together a substantial meal. Not to mention the fact that we have way more greens than we even know what to do with right now. So, we threw together this rather homely, yet fine tasting concoction. Really delicious, totally satisfying, and full of all kinds of good-for-you stuff. Perfect! Feel free to substitute other berries or fruit for the blueberries. I imagine strawberries would make a nice substitute, as well as blackberries, raspberries, or even mango. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

1 pint of fresh blueberries (frozen is fine too)

2-3 fresh bananas (depending on size, we used 3 small ones)

1 C vanilla yogurt (plain is fine too, or your flavor of choice; we used Seven Stars Farm Original Vanilla yogurt)

5 oz. fresh spinach (kale, chard, and even romaine lettuce will all work as well; I encourage you to experiment)

1-2 Tbsp. honey, agave, or pure maple syrup (We used our favorite local honey, Guinea Hen Garden, Chocolate Mint... this honey doesn't really taste like chocolate, just a touch minty. It's made with chocolate mint flowers.)

A handful of mint leaves if not using minted honey

About a dozen cubes of ice

1. Put all the ingredients except for the ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. Add the ice and blend again until smooth.
3. Pour into glasses and enjoy.

Serves 4

Happy Summer Solstice--the Longest Day of the Year

2011-06-21T21:42:00.009-04:00

Happy Solstice. I am going to blame my limited blogging on the season; the long days leave few hours for sleep, let along spending much time in front of the computer. So I apologize for not updating on a regular basis with the various week's share contents. Now that the days are getting shorter, this all should change. Plus I hope CSA members are now receiving e-newsletters created by the very talented Kelly G. Her amazing photographs and recipe links are what will make up the bulk of the newsletter content.

So here we go, the first of many "This Week's Share"
-Leaf Lettuce Mix

-Kohlrabi

-Snow and Snap Peas

-Mint

-Baby Bulb Fennel

-Baby Beets
that are as much about the delicious greens as the small beet root

-Cooking Greens (your choice between Kale, Chard, and the spinach/chard hybrid-like perpetual spinach)

Below are some recipe and cooking links that might be useful in preparing this week's share vegetables. Enjoy the share, enjoy the summer

How to grill baby bulb fennel from a great Canadian cooking blog

A Fennel Risotto with Goat Cheese-one could replace the goat cheese with Highland Farm brebis available for purchase at Inverbrook

Mollie Katzen's great Beet and Fennel Salad

A Mint and Snap Pea recipe from Whole Living Magazine

A Greek recipe for Beet Greens (or chard) that calls for Greek yogurt, once again you could replace it with Highland Farm yogurt.

And finally Culinate's primer on the strange looking, but delicious kohlrabi

Note's from Nikki-Radish and Kale Chips, Burger with a Lettuce Bun

2011-06-12T07:52:00.012-04:00

I am so thankful for Nikki's amazing recipes. Last week's heat was fairly overwhelming. When I would come insdie to get a break from the hot sun, I have to say I was feeling less than inspired to do any blogging. I apologize for not even posting the share outline.

This week however, the weather is looking much better. I am so glad we are finally getting a little rain (and not in the form of violent storms). I will update the blog soon with the coming week's share. In the meantime, enjoy these great recipe ideas from Nikki. One note, if you are interested in making an order with Red Haven farm go to my website to download an order form.

Red Haven Farm Burgers with Lettuce Buns

I am so excited that we can now order Red Haven Farm's delicious grass-fed beef to pick-up at Inverbrook along with our CSA share. How convenient! We have been big fans of Red Haven Farm's meats for quite some time now. Nothing compares to grass-fed beef, in my opinion. The flavor is superb, not to mention the health benefits; and the fact that it's local makes it all the better.
Like you probably do, we have lettuce coming out of our ears right now. The head lettuce that Claire has been growing is outstanding this year. So sweet and refreshing, my kids are even eating it plain.
Last night, as I stared into the fridge and pondered what to make for dinner, I glanced at both the ground beef from Red Haven, and the gobs of lettuce from Inverbrook, and thought, "Burgers with lettuce buns, of course!" Perfect for a hot, summer night (I know, it's not officially summer yet, but it sure feels like it at 97 degrees).
I served the burgers up with kale and radish chips (see "Kale Chips" and "Radish Chips" for the recipes), and a plethora of fixings (cheese, pickles, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc).
Yum!

Ingredients
Ground grass-fed beef (We used 3 pounds to make 9 good-sized burgers. We like leftovers. :-))
Garlic powder to taste
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Lettuce "buns" (We used the iceberg-type lettuce from our Inverbrook farm share, which is nothing like the iceberg lettuce sold in most grocery stores. It is chock-full of flavor and color, and the crisp succulence that it yields makes for the perfect "bun".)
Burger fixings of your choice (cheese, pickles, sliced tomatoes, onions, ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc)

1. Fire up your grill, or preheat a grill pan on the stove to medium/medium high heat.
2. Combine the ground beef, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper in a bowl, and form into patties (we make ours about 1/4-1/3 pound).
3. Cook the patties, flipping once, until cooked to your liking. (We like our burgers cooked "medium", so it takes about 3-5 minutes per side).
4. If you are using cheese, throw that on for the last minute or so of cooking time to melt.
5. Situate the burgers in the lettuce "buns", add whatever fixings you wish, and serve. Enjoy!

Kale Chips
When we picked up our farm share this past Monday, my kids were ecstatic to see that kale was part of the bounty. They all shouted, "Kale chips!" This is their favorite way to eat Kale, and the chips made the perfect accompaniment to the burgers with lettuce "buns" we made from the ground beef we ordered from Red Haven Farm (see "Red Haven Farm Burgers with Lettuce Buns" for the recipe), along with and the radish chips (see "Radish Chips" recipe). Normally, I just toss the torn kale with some olive oil and sea salt, but this time I decided to add a bit more flavor to the mix. I hope you enjoy this version as much as we did.

Ingredients
2 bags or bunches of kale, washed, torn, and spun dry (tough stems removed)
3 Tbsp good quality, extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt (You don't need much. I have learned this lesson the hard way. ;-) Go easy, you can always add more later.)
A couple pinches of raw sugar
A couple dashes of paprika
A couple dashes garlic powder
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Toss the kale with the olive oil, sea salt, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper. I like to lightly massage the oil and spices into the leaves a bit.
3. Spread the leaves onto baking sheets in roughly one layer. (You don't have to be too picky. A little overlap is okay.)
4. Roast until the kale starts to brown and crisp up, approximately 10-15 minutes. Start checking at 7 minutes and keep checking every couple of minutes until they are done. Kale chips go from perfect to burnt very quickly. I have also learned this lesson the hard way. ;-)
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve. (These are best eaten fresh out of the oven.)

Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Radish Chips
I am thrilled to share this recipe, mostly because I have finally discovered a way to get my family to eat radishes. I should say, my son, Emre, and I both love radishes, but we are the only ones in this household who will touch them. As you can imagine, we get mighty tired of them by the end of the season as we're the only ones eating them. Turns out, radishes can be made into "chips". Roasting them gets rid of most of their bite, and, let's be honest, everything tastes better coated in olive oil and salt. ;-) The following recipe is super easy, and delicious. There are many variations on the internet. Just google "radish chips". There seem to be many opinions about the best oven temp for roasting, as well as how thick to slice the radishes. I encourage you to experiment. I don't think you can go wrong, really. Below you'll find what worked for me. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Thinly sliced radishes (I sliced mine about 1/16-1/8")
Good quality, extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Toss the sliced radishes with olive oil (I used approximately 2 Tbsp for about 3 dozen small radishes), and spread out onto a baking sheet (non-stick preferable) in one single layer.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. Keep checking on them. Once they start to brown up a bit and shrink, pull one out and test to see if it's done. They will continue to crisp up after you remove them from the oven and as they cool on the baking sheet.
5. Toss onto a serving plate, and enjoy.

Notes from Nikki-Garlic Scape Cilantro Hummus

2011-06-09T05:32:00.003-04:00

Garlic Scape Cilantro Hummus
I don't know about you, but I love hummus. It's practically a staple in our house. My kids especially like it, and I can feel good about the fact that they're filling their bodies with good fat, protein, and fiber. Plus, they eat gobs of vegetables as they dip them into that delectable bowl of creamy goodness. I hope you enjoy this twist on an all-time favorite as much as we did. (Incidentally, I don't put sesame tahini in my hummus. I simply don't care for it. I prefer a creamier hummus with more olive oil. If you feel the need though, go ahead and add it in to your liking.)

Ingredients

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained (leave a little bean "juice" behind)
1/4 C + good quality extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
2 garlic scapes, trimmed and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon (or less, I happen to love lemon juice and never skimp ;-))
Handful of fresh chopped cilantro
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Smoked paprika for topping (optional)
Smoked finishing salt (optional)

1. Combine the beans, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic scapes, cilantro, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add in more olive oil if needed to thin (or use water). Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. Turn the hummus out into a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and top with some smoked paprika and smoked finishing salt.
3. Throw on part of a garlic scape as a garnish if desired, and serve with cut up vegetables, pita bread, corn chips, or whatever your heart desires.

Enjoy!

Serves 8-10

Notes from Nikki-Salad Recipe

2011-06-04T07:15:00.002-04:00

Baby Lettuce, Shredded Carrots, Golden Raisins, Roasted Cashews, and Curried Vinaigrette

This is my favorite time of year for many reasons, one of which is SALAD GREENS. I truly love salad, and I particularly love playing around with ingredients to see what interesting combinations I can come up with. My kids, in particular, favored this one. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

2 bags mixed baby lettuce (10-12 ounces), washed and spun dry (I used the bagged baby lettuce from the Inverbrook farm stand last Friday)
3 small-medium sized grated carrots
Golden raisins
Roasted cashews
4 Tbsp good quality, extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp honey, plus more for drizzling
1 Tbsp curry powder
Sea salt to taste
A pinch or two of fresh ground pepper, plus a bit more for topping

1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, honey, curry powder, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth and emulsified (you can also do this by hand with a wire whisk). Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. Toss the lettuce with the grated carrots and as much of the dressing as you like (the rest will save nicely in an airtight container in the fridge).
3. Plate the dressed salad, topping with the golden raisins, roasted cashews, a drizzle of honey, and a bit of fresh ground pepper.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Serves 6-8 generously (feel free to cut the recipe in half)

Notes from Nikki-Strawberry Salad with Honey Mint Vinaigrette

2011-05-27T05:56:00.003-04:00

As luck would have it, I will have strawberries available today at the Farmstand (2-7PM) and they should also be part of next week's pre-season CSA pick up. Butterhead lettuce and mint will also be part of next week's share; everything you need for Nikki's delicious recipe.

First-of-the-Season Strawberry Salad with Honey Mint Vinaigrette

I don't know about you, but I get positively giddy when I see those first-of-the-season red gems cropping up at local farm stands and markets. On the way back to Kennett Square from Newtown Square today, I made a pitstop at Pete's Produce to purchase some of the tantalizing, blushing berries. They made a perfect accompaniment to the mild, sweet head lettuce from our Inverbrook share this week. Tossed with a bit of honey/mint vinaigrette, and sprinkled with sliced almonds and chevre, it was a match made in heaven. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

2 small-medium heads of lettuce (something mild and sweet like butter lettuce), washed, torn into bite-sized pieces, and spun dry
Approximately 6-8 strawberries, stems and leaves removed, sliced (plus some whole strawberries with stems and leaves for garnish)
Leaves from two long stems of mint (approximately 12-18 leaves)
6 Tbsp good quality, extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp honey
Dash of sea salt
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
Sliced almonds
Chevre
Honey for drizzling
Fresh ground black pepper to top it off

1. Combine the mint, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in food processor and process until smooth and emulsified. Taste and adjust to your liking (most important step!).
2. Gently toss the sliced strawberries and lettuce together in a large bowl.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and strawberries, and toss again. (I suggest starting with half of the dressing, and add more to your liking.)
4. Divide the salad among plates, add a few pieces of chevre, sprinkle with sliced almonds, drizzle with a bit of honey, and finish with fresh ground black pepper.
5. Garnish with a whole strawberry and enjoy.

Serves 6

The Peonies are Blooming at Inverbrook

2011-05-20T05:59:00.005-04:00

If there was a “signature” flower here at Inverbrook it would be our peonies. The plants were brought to the property by my grandmother and her parents when they moved from Boxwood Farm outside of Media to Inverbrook in the late 1930s. Below is a picture of the whole Whetherill clan (my great-grandmother’s family) at Boxwood Farm. My grandmother, Ida Kerr Lofting, is seated on the ground 6th from the left with her dark hair, tan skin, and stripped stockings (her hand is on her knee). I imagine somewhere in the gardens behind the gang of relatives are the parent plants of the peonies that now grace Inverbrook. My grandmother used to talk about selling bunches of peonies as a child at Boxwood Farm—so here we are doing the very same thing some 85 years later. Today at the Friday Farmstand (for CSA members only) I will have bunches of peonies for sale. They are just beginning to open, how appropriate considering this week’s flower moon.
Peonies truly are one of my favorite flowers. The big beautiful blooms and a smell that I love almost more than any other scent (lily of the valley and magnolia are also favorites), it is hard to find a flower that rivals the peony. Unfortunately the bloom time is very short. Consequently the peonies have inspired a “soft” opening of the CSA, next week you are welcome to come get a small share of basically lettuce and peonies (if you feel the drive is worth it). CSA members will receive an email outlining this fact, feel free to email if you have any questions. The header photo is from Azia Graham and the peony bud was taken by Kelly G.

Notes from Nikki-Soup It's What's for Dinner

2011-05-19T06:47:00.005-04:00

I am so happy to once again be able to share CSA member Nikki Graham's amazing recipes for items included in your share (or from the farmstand). It is a sign that CSA season is just around the corner. In fact, CSA members should be on the look out for an email about a "soft" opening next week and the official start of the season either June 6th or June 8th, depending on your pick up day.

Soup: It's What's for Dinner (and Dessert)

I am so excited to be writing my first recipes of the season! A visit to Inverbrook this past Friday provided all the inspiration I needed to get back into the kitchen, despite our hectic spring schedule. We loaded our market bags with asparagus, spinach, mint, rhubarb, and eggs. I hope you enjoy the following two soup recipes made with our Inverbrook bounty: one savory, and one sweet. We indulged in both on the same night. It was a soup soiree!

Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
3-4 Tbsp good quality, extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 small-medium shallots, sliced
Red pepper flakes to taste
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 bunches asparagus, woody ends snapped off and discarded, tops snapped off and reserved, stalks snapped or sliced into 1.5-2 inch pieces
4-6 C chicken or vegetable broth (more if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker version)
3 large handfuls fresh spinach leaves, washed well
Generous splash of cream or half-and-half (optional)
Shaved parmesan for garnishing (you can also finish each bowl with a drizzle of good quality olive oil or a dollop of creme fraiche)

1. Saute the garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper in olive oil until fragrant.
2. Add the asparagus stalks, and saute until the stalks brighten and the shallots have softened.
3. Add the broth, turn up the heat, and bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer until the asparagus is tender, but still has color (about 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalks).
5. Meanwhile, saute the asparagus tops in 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, and a dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper until just barely tender. Set aside.
6. Turn off the heat, and add in the spinach, stirring to incorporate and wilt.
7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup.
8. Add in the cream or half-and-half (if using), taste, and adjust the seasoning.
9. Ladle into bowls, topping each bowl with the parmesan (or other aforementioned garnishes), and some of the sauteed asparagus tops.
10. Serve with crusty french bread if desired, and enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Raspberry Rhubarb Soup
(I found this recipe on marthastewart.com, and adjusted the amounts to my liking. The ingredients are virtually the same though. I also cooked and prepared the dish a bit differently. My version is below. Here is the link to the original version: http://www.marthastewart.com/257834/chilled-rhubarb-and-raspberry-soup?czone=food%2Fproduce-guide-cnt%2Fspring-produce-recipes)

Ingredients
12 oz. fresh raspberries (plus more for garnish), rinsed
8-10 stalks fresh rhubarb, trimmed and sliced
1/2 C raw sugar
1/2 of a vanilla bean, sliced open
4 C water
Mint sprigs for garnish
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Combine the rhubarb, sugar, vanilla bean, and water in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until the rhubarb is very tender.
3. Turn off the heat, and add the raspberries.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.
5. Taste and add more sugar if you wish.
6. Chill the soup for several hours or overnight.
7. Serve in a bowl with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; a sprig of mint; and a few fresh, whole raspberries.
Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

The Milk Moon of May

2011-05-18T09:28:00.006-04:00

The first full moon after Beltane is also known as the Milk Moon. This make sense since Beltane signifies a time when cattle were traditionally moved to rich summer pastures—definitely effecting the quality of the milk. One of my favorite milk products is cheese, and, as mentioned in a previous blog posting, Inverbrook Farm CSA is happy to host a new cheese share from Hillacres Pride Farm. The good folks at Havest Market Natural Foods (which also carries Hillacres Pride cheeses) recently paid a visit to the farm—click here to see pictures and read up on their visit (the photo above is from this posting). If you are interested in signing up for the cheese share you can call or email Mandy at Hillacres Pride--email mandy@hillacrespride.com or call 717-548-9031.

There is a short but lyrical chapter on the Milk Moon in Ted Browning’s collection of Kennett Paper essays Notes from Turtle Creek. The chapter is so full of wonderful sensory references appropriate for the season, I thought I would share it will you all now (hopefully I am not breaking any copyright laws). Enjoy the descriptions of milking barn and do not forget to sign up for the cheese share.

Native American tribes called the full moon of May the milk moon. May is calving season. Udders are brimming, but the idea of the milk moon flows across the rich earth of May and through the nights of middle springtime.

Some of my earliest memories bring me back to our first barn and our small gold-brown patterned cows with large eyelashed eyes and soft faces like deer. Milking time – the most important and exciting part of the day. Sometimes at bedtime, I just couldn’t force my eyes shut – lying there on top of the quilt, hearing the sounds of the night, counting the minutes, waiting anxiously for first light when the cows would gather and snuffle in the barnyard, and when I would wolf my corn flakes and stride down to the barn with my father for milking.

I remember as if it were yesterday – the barn, the hay, the cows, the milking. The barn was half sunk into the hill, making the milking shed more a cave than a building – sounds, smells and memories condensed, amplified, heightened.

The smell of the barn – a stewpot aroma of cows, milk, meadows; of oats and corn mashed into cowfeed; the spicy tang of chopped corn in the silo, churning and fermenting and stewing down to sour mash and cow beer; the brown squishy smell of manure.

I remember the soft rustle of the cows as they settled into their stanchions – the low murmuring sounds they made, almost like the cooing of pigeons, and the sound of water gushing as if from a hundred springs deep in the earth, when the cows pushed their noses into their water bowls.

We didn’t have milking machines yet, back in those days. Streams of milk hit the sides of steel milking buckets with a pinging sound like hard rain on a window pane. The milk gathered in the pails and rose to the top in a froth of heavy yellowlike melted butter.

One time a cow kicked over a milk pail full almost to the brim. The picture remains frozen in my memory – every detail, every sound and smell. A gush of thick yellow paint gleamed in the shadows of the barn and spread over the barn floor like the flow of warm lava. The milk vanished magically into the straw bedding that cushioned each cow but which ended up kicked all over the place.

The funny thing about it was that nobody got upset. My father and the hired man went back to milking; the barn cats soon gave up trying to tease the spilled milk out of the straw and the whole incident just sort of settled out. But something was different. I could still smell the milk down in the straw. Even a few days later, I could smell it, all mixed up down deep with the other familiar smells of cows, hay, feed and new milk.

Several nights ago I went outside for a night walk up Locust Grove Road and down into the basin of Owl Creek. The sounds of night are muted this time of year. Spring peepers and singing toads have calmed down, and bullfrogs and katydids haven’t got going. But the smell of the night is as strong as the night is dark and silent. Autumn olive throws out a perfume so strong your nose tingles and you might sneeze. Low to the land it sits, enriched by the earth smells of marshy wet places.

Starlight is softened by the mists and the heavy moist air, but the Big Dipper shines out strongly, almost directly overhead, a bit to the north.

At this time of year, the Big Dipper stands up on the edge of its bowl. Whatever is held in the bowl of the Big Dipper spills out through the night and into the earth, rising back up in luminescent vapors and rich milkhouse aromas.

I think back to the time when the milk pail tipped over…
No wonder the Native Americans called the moon of May the milk moon.

Today's Full Moon--The Flower Moon

2011-05-16T21:53:00.006-04:00

The full moon today is known as the flower moon. I love flowers and try to incorporate them as much as possible into the Inverbrook Farm experience. CSA members have access to a pick-your-own cut flower garden as well as home grown sunflowers and gladiolas (see picture from Azia Graham above). The farm also hosts the Three Birds Bouquet CSA.

Along with flowers to decorate your dinner table, we offer edible flowers in your CSA share. These types of flowers include delicious and beautiful additions to your salads and dinner plates like pea flowers, nasturtiums and calendula.
I thought this little video from Johnny's Seed might inspire you to grown some edible flowers of your own. Enjoy!

Remember the Pollinators this Plant Sale Season

2011-05-06T06:37:00.011-04:00

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 7th) both the London Grove Friends Meeting and the Brandywine River Museum plant sales are taking place. While you are out shopping for new additions to your garden, I encourage you to consider the pollinators-the insects that are so crucial to our survival. Nearly 75% of the flowering plants on Earth rely on pollinators to set seed or fruit, as well as one-third of our food crops. Most pollination is performed by honey bees, native bees and other insects. In a recent installment of the Johnny's Seed blog, the seed company highlights the importance of pollinators and provides a link to the Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation, an organization dedicated to protecting this essential group of animals. The good news is that simply choosing the right types of plants for your backyard can have a major positive effect on our dwindling pollinator populations. University of Delaware professor Doug Tallamy's book Bringing Nature Home is about just this fact. Something to think about when your are making your plant sale decisions.

Saturday is also the opening of the Phoenixville Farmers Market, and they are celebrating the start of another market season with an event honoring our most culturally important pollinator-the Honey Bee. Their Honey Bee Festival includes a lecture from Biodynamic beekeeping expert Gunther Hauk and a screening of the magical documentary Queen of the Sun, all about the honey bee. Honey bees are in bad shape, the mysterious colony collapse disorder is wreaking havoc on bee populations across the earth. We need the bees for our own survival. Click here for a list of 10 simple things you can do to help save the bees.

"The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams." -- Henry David Thoreau

Wine and Cheese at Inverbrook Farm CSA

2011-05-03T21:48:00.011-04:00

If you are an Inverbrook Farm CSA member, I want to let you know about two new unique opportunities for specialty products (wine and cheese) that will be available at the farm this coming season. Paradocx Vineyard and Hillacres Farm are both offering CSA (wine and cheese) options with drop off locations at Inverbrook. So, while you are picking up your vegetables, you now have the chance to add wine and cheese to the items you can bring home with you--we are doing our best to make the farm a one stop local "shopping" experience. Like the other two CSA options availabe through Inverbrook (the sold out North Star Fruit Share and 3 Birds Bouquets ), all your transactions will be with either Paradocx or Hillacres--we simple serve as a distribution point. For more information about the two options please read the paragraphs below.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you would like to sample the products before signing up for the various CSA options, Paradocx has a tasting room at the Shoppes at Longwood Village and Hillacres Cheese can be found at Harvest Market, Pete's Produce, and Northbrook Market Place.

Paradocx Vineyard Farm CSA - Pickup @ Partnering CSAs
Paradocx Vineyard is proud to be a part of our local community in Southern Chester County, PA and we look forward to providing you with the "Paradocx experience" as you enroll to become a member of our Farm CSA!

As a 100-acre farm which serves as home to over 30 acres of grape vines and a state of the art wine making facility, we are committed to making farming in the Philadelphia countryside sustainable. We have made significant efforts towards creating a reputable local agricultural product and in doing so have contributed to the preservation of local agriculture heritage in Pennsylvania. In our effort to create and sustain an enduring relationship between community members and Paradocx Vineyard, we are now in our second successful year of our very own CSA initiative -- which stands for "Community Supported Agriculture."

Here's How it Works
A Farm CSA is a system in which community members purchase a farm "share" at the beginning of a growing season, when the farmer needs start-up capital for equipment, seeds, etc. In return, the member receives an annual supply (6 bottles or 3-3.5 liters cans) of estate made Paradocx wine to be picked up three times: June, July and August at Partnering CSA's. The cost for Paradocx Vineyard Farm CSA wine share $99.00 for your choice of a white share or red share.

Click here for a full description of the Paradocx Vineyard Farm CSA program and a link to the CSA application form.

Hillacres Farm Cheese CSA

Hillsacre Pride farmstead and artisan cheeses are made by hand using the farm fresh milk from our Registered Jersey cows. The cows are pastured on the lush green pastures of Lancaster County from April to October, and over the winter months they eat hay and silage that is harvested from the farm over the summer. We do not treat our animals with Bovine Growth hormone, or use therapeutic antibiotics or growth hormones.

The Cheese CSA consists of 11 deliveries of 2 cheeses each. Cheeses will include the following:

Cheddar (7 variities)
Colby
Hot Pepperjack
Susquehanna
Fresh Mozzarella
Homestyle Ricotta
Feta
Cream Cheese
Fulton’s Clermont
They are also developing new artisan cheeses that you will be lucky enough to enjoy!

CSA Price $115.00

To sign-up email mandy@hillacrespride.com or call 717-548-9031.

Happy Beltane-Happy May

2011-05-01T19:43:00.010-04:00

Now the bright morning-star, Day’s harbinger,
Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire!
Woods and groves are of thy dressing;
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.
-John Milton, Song on a May Morning, 1660

Another name for May Day is Beltane--a celebration of future harvests, fertility and a movement of livestock to summer pastures. Although my weekend did not involve dancing around a may pole or the lighting of bonfires; I did spend a fair amount of time in the garden plots on top of the hill where the wild mustard and dandelions put on a spectular show of green and gold--a fitting color burst for the honoring of a boutiful season to come.

Congratulations Happy Cat Organics!

2011-04-20T07:05:00.005-04:00

This Thursday we will be celebrating the launch of the Happy Cat webstore at the Chester County Green Drink gathering 7-9PM at Victory Brewing Company. The day before earth day seems like a fitting time to raise a glass to the hard work of the husband and wife team of Tim and Amy Bloom Mountz and their amazing resource for heirloom seeds and growing /foraging tools. Of course I have a special affinity for anyone who includes Wendell Berry quotes on their “philosophy” page:

In 1993 my Grandfather, David Haas was killed in a car accident. He had lived his entire life on the rich soils of Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania. People said he didn’t have a green thumb, but a green arm.
With his passing my Grandmother gave me a jar of his beans, these turned out to have great historical and cultural importance.
A passion was born.
Our passion became our craft and our lifestyle is our dedication to that craft. Happy Cat Farm exists to teach people how to grow and forage their own food sustainably.
We touch seeds everyday in our practice of seed to table farming. They teach us patience and bring ritual to our lives, things that modern life is so void of.
“We stand for what we stand on”
-Wendell Berry

You can read more about Happy Cat below:
Grid Magazine Profile

Growing Magazine Profile

Tim’s Black Ruffles tomato is a particular favorite and got a nice shout out on the Go Indie farming blog as their top tomato in the test garden.

You can RSVP to the Happy Cat Web Launch/Green Drinks gathering on facebook.

Cheers to Happy Cat, cheers to a productive growing season.

Today's Full Moon-The Pink, Egg or Seed Moon

2011-04-17T21:13:00.016-04:00

The heavy rains yesterday limited my ability to do much farm work today. The soil is still very wet. After potting up some peppers and eggplants in the warmth of the greenhouse, I went for a walk to the swamp where I had taken cattail photos earlier in the week. The procreating toads and the surrounding egg masses reminded of Mary Oliver's poem Pink Moon-the Pond.

Pink Moon—the Pond

You think it will never happen again.
Then, one night in April,
the tribes wake trilling.
You walk down to the shore.
Your coming stills them,
but little by little the silence lifts
until song is everywhere
and your soul rises from your bones
and strides out over the water.
It is a crazy thing to do —
for no one can live like that,
floating around in the darkness
over the gauzy water.
Left on the shore your bones
keep shouting “come back”!
But your soul won’t listen;
in the distance it is unfolding
like a pair of wings, it is sparking
like hot wires. So,
like a good friend,
you decide to follow.
You step off the shore
and plummet to your knees–
you slog forward to your thighs
and sink to your cheekbones —
and now you are caught
by the cold chains of the water —
you are vanishing while around you
the frogs continue to sing, driving
their music upward through your own throat,
not even noticing
you are something else.
And that’s when it happens —
you see everything thru their eyes,
their joy, their necessity;
you wear their webbed fingers;
your throat swells.
And that’s when you know
you will live whether you will or not,
one way or another,
because everything is everything else,
one long muscle.
It’s no more mysterious than that.
So you relax, you don’t fight it anymore,
the darkness coming down
called water,
called spring,
called the green leaf, called
a women’s body
as it turns into mud and leaves,
as it beats in it’s cage of water,
as it turns like a lovely spindle
in the moonlight, as it says
Yes.

Mary Oliver

Unlike Mary Oliver, I did not feel compelled to enter the water with the frogs and toads. Instead I explored the woods; enjoying the trout lilies, spring beauties, blood root and spice bush. My earlier posting on foraging inspired this quick scouting for potential edibles-after a review of the Lancaster Farmacy blog. Enjoy the photos, enjoy the full moon.

Signs of Spring-Wild Ramps-Start of Forage Season

2011-04-13T16:31:00.052-04:00

The wild ramps are up; the exciting gourmet start to a long, bountiful forage season. Along with ramps, this is a good time of year for gathering wild mustard (rapini), garlic mustard, nettles, and chickweed. Below are pictures of garlic mustard, chickweed, the woodland ramps (also know as wild leeks) and violets.

The brain of the sustainable farmer must be hard wired for foraging. I have never met another group of people so eager to go off combing the woods, fields and fence rows for mushrooms, berries and edible herbs, than my farming friends. Maybe it is the freeing satisfaction that comes from being able to find sustenance from the land without all the work investment that comes with typical agricultural cultivation; something only a farmer truly appreciates. I have had good luck attracting a crew of interns, workers, volunteers, and colleagues that have been unusually passionate about wild food—from home smoked wild caught trout to pine pitch chewing gum, from wild mushroom advocates to pine needle basket crafters, from paw paw hunts to medicinal “weed” based salads—I have been fortunate to be surrounded by this great group of foraging fans.

I have fond memories of a past summer season spent with employees Hailey and Katherine, in which the two would carefully gather up the weeds (like lambs quarters, purslane, and dandelion)that we had pulled from the vegetables, choosing these wild invaders over the vegetables growing in the same area. Katherine is the creator of the Medicinal Herb Garden at Inverbrook and Hailey has started SOUL confections— a company that makes delicious herb infused truffles.

Below are pictures of some of Hailey’s creations including a picture of Hailey and her partner Jon, Katherine with dandelion, a dandelion plant, lamb quarters stuffed with goat cheese, and garlic mustard pesto. The photos were taken by the amazing and talented Kelly G. Kelly will be returning to Kennett this summer and spending some of her time helping at the farm.

Then there is former employee Carroll, who is currently living down in North Carolina. Carroll has both an interest in mushrooms and herbalism, and is a skilled crafter. Below are some pictures that Carroll recently posted of a productive mushroom hunt (including a giant puffball and black morels) and the beginnings of a pine needle basket

The Philadelphia area seems to be a hot bed of forage experts. My friends at Happy Cat Organics have a Forage section on their new webstore, which includes the ability to purchase ramps. Dave Siller, who participated in the 2010 Kennett Square fermentation festival with his “Cabbage Patch” fermented products, is the creator of an interactive map that highlights foraging locations within the city of Philadelphia. His map is featured on this great resource for wild food in Philly. For those avid foragers David recommends the MAPS Meet in northeastern Maryland-MAPS stands for Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills. Then there is Casey Spatch of Lancaster Farm Fresh and his partner Eli of Lancaster Farmacy; between the two they have an amazing amount of “wild food” expertise. Click here to read a past blog posting on Casey and his various projects. Casey and Eli will be giving a guided Medicinal Herb Walk for the Land Conservancy of Southern Chester County on Sunday, May 15, 2011 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM along with April Coburn(another past participant of the Fermentation Festival). April is also leading her own set of home health classes this spring,summer and fall; check out her blog for more detals.

Back at Inverbrook we have the good fortune of partnering with the herbalist Donna Merrill. Donna helped Katherine in the design of her Medicinal Herb Garden and has led many herb walks here at the farm. Below are some pictures from one such edible and medicinal Herb Walk (the other instructor is Sarah Murray, who used to lead foraging trips in France). The walks would typically culminate in a lunch featuring a salad of the weeds and wild herbs collected along the walk. We are hoping to conduct an herb walk in late May or early June. I will keep you all posted.

I have to admit that I personally do not get much time to forage (beyond the plentiful weeds in the lawn and garden) in the spring. Once fall rolls around, however, I am eager to explore the forest and hedge rows for elderberries and my personal favorite the Paw Paw fruit. Click here to view a facebook album of last year’s Paw Paw gathering trip. Right after the photos were taken (Fall 2010), I went to a book reading at Chester County Books and Music with Rowan Jacobsen author of American Terroir. Rowan read from a chapter titled “Little Truths” all about the couple Francois Brouillard (forager) and Nancy Hinton (chef), who have a restaurant based all on foraged food called Les Jardins Sauvages in Quebec, Canada. The chapter includes a description of a countryside search for cattail shoots and wild mushrooms for the restaurant menu. Cattails are an amazing resource, click here to see a facebook album of a cattail swamp near our farm; I am determined this year to try the immature female flower heads that apparently can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. I think after farmers, the demographic that gets the most excited about foraged food is chefs. In fact the inclusion of wild foods on the menu is a top food trend for 2011 and here is an article on the aforementioned Les Jardins Sauvages.

Hopefully I have inspired you to look beyond the supermarket shelves for food and medicine. Below are a few more resources for you. Remember to make sure you are VERY CERTAIN about the wild plants you are putting in your mouth, there are some poisonous plants out there that look very similar to edible counterparts.

-Wild Man Steve Brills website (many of links already lead back to his extensive web resource)

-Atlantic Month’s top 11 Foraging books written by Hank Shaw who has the FANTASTIC blog Hunter, Angler, Gardner, Cook. Hank is working of a book of the same title that is due out this May.

-The blog of chef Nancy Hinton from Les Jardins Sauvages

-Fresh Basil post on dandelions

Happy Foraging!

April is National Poetry Month

2011-04-10T08:57:00.006-04:00

April is National Poetry Month and I recently had the good fortune of attending a lovely poetry reading by Christianna Hannum Miller and Diane Herrin at the Kennett Flash. It was a fitting start to this month-long celebration of the importance of poetry to us all. Christy had done a similar type of event a few years earlier, first alerting me to the existence of National Poetry Month. You can read all about that evening in a posting from the Kennett Farmers Market Blog.

The local Philly band The Great Unknown is also celebrating National Poetry Month with the release of a new EP and participation in a special concert at the Apollo Theater – the 4th annual poetry slam to benefit the America SCORES Foundation. Last winter the Great Unknown traveled to inner city schools across America facilitating poetry-to-song workshops; a project directed by the collaborative program of ASCAP and America SCORES. You can read more in a New York Times article that appeared last December.

Below is a video from one of the workshops. The band's goal with this project was to reinforce the importance of each child’s voice, that individuals have something important say.
The results really are quite magical. I encourage you to check out the rest of the videos from the winter tour at The Great Unknown Video Page. The Great Unknown will be performing at the WHYY Studios this Thursday, April 14 and also participating in this coming weekend’s (4/16 and 17) Philadelphia Book Festival click here for more details.

You might be wondering what connection poetry has to farming. Besides the fact that I love to include poetry in my blog postings, I can confidently say that the single most influential entity in my decision to become a farmer has been the writings of farmer-poet Wendell Berry. His essays, short stories, novels, and most of all poetry has been a guiding force to many a new farmer (and local economy advocates). This year Wendell Berry was given a National Humanity Award by President Obama, giving him the opportunity to acknowledge the First Lady’s local food advocacy. I leave you with his “instructions” for being a poet.

How To Be a Poet
By Wendell Berry
(to remind myself)

i
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill—more of each
than you have—inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.

ii
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

iii
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

Signs of Spring-More Color and Less Time for Blogging

2011-04-05T10:19:00.006-04:00

It has been a while since my last posting; I have been busy seeding and working in the greenhouse. Despite the rather chilly start to spring, its been amazing to watch the slow and steady greening of the grass, the emergence of the deep red maple blossoms against the blue skies, and the vibrant yellows and golds of the flowering forsythia and daffodils. There is also color appearing in the tender greens inside the greenhouse plots. (Click here to view a Facebook album of seedlings and greens).

Yesterday was warm and productive. It was my first full day of working the soil. This quote came to mind:

"When the April wind wakes the call for the soil, I hold the plough as my only hold upon the earth, and, as I follow through the fresh and fragrant furrow, I am planted with every foot-step, growing, budding, blooming into a spirit of spring."
- Dallas Lore Sharp, 1870-1929

The First Full Day of Spring-Celebrate the Sun

2011-03-21T08:45:00.005-04:00

As promised in yesterday’s blog posting, I want to focus on the vernal equinox (also known as Ostara and portrayed in the picture above). Specifically I want to talk about the sun. I have posted “tributes” to the moon, the rain, and the earth—now it is time to give sunlight its due—and what better time than the first full day of Spring.

Sustainable agriculture has a number of rock stars or celebrities—one of whom is Maine’s four season farmer, Eliot Coleman. There is not a sustainable farmer around that does not own his now classic The New Organic Grower. There was a year or two during my earlier farming career that I felt like an Eliot Coleman groupie-he was a keynote speaker at the PASA Farming for the Future Conference, at the Hershey Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Growers conference, and even a “dessert” lecturer at Longwood Gardens—I went to them all. The crux of his lecture was about being able to extend the season well into the winter months, no easy feat for someone farming in Maine. His thesis, so to speak, was that we had ample sunlight here in the Northeast; we just had to provide a little protection (high tunnels) to cold tolerant vegetables from the worst of the winter cold, no outside heat was necessary. Coleman lives near the 44th parallel, and if you follow that latitude across to Europe, you can see that he enjoys the same amount of sunlight as the south of France. Here in southeast Pennsylvania we are closer to the 40th parallel, our latitude runs through the middle of Spain and the very southern tip of Italy. Pretty heartening when you think about; in sun quality, it is as if we are living on the Mediterranean.

Coleman’s original inspiration came from the historic (mid-late 1800s) maraicher of Paris (market gardeners) with their early forms of cold frames, straw mulching and glass cloches. Another early proponent of covered gardening was Philadelphia seed house founder and florist Henry Dreer in his book Dreers Vegetables Under Glass Handbook written over a hundred years ago. In a timely related story NPR ran this piece today and my favorite source of all things tool and seed related, Johnny’s Seed posted this blog.

Coleman sites the “magic” number of sunlight hours needed to sustain or start growth as 10 hours, usual occurring around the beginning of February depending on your location (thought to be the reason behind celebrations like Imbolc and Groundhog Day). Once again the Johnny’s Seed blog has some great links to this fact-Johnny’s works hand and hand with Eliot Coleman. The equinox indicates that day and night are more or less equal; hence we should be enjoying about 12 hours of daylight at this time, plenty of sunshine to get your plants growing. To find out the day length for your location on any particular day check out this handy Solar Calculator from NOAA.

So there you have it, lots of reasons to celebrate the sun (no matter the weather outside). I leave you with a video set to the great new recording from Spinning Leaves and Hezekiah Jones-You Are The Sun. I actually got the inspiration for blogging about the moon and then the sun from local music lover Steve Brun’s posting of this video on Facebook. Enjoy.

Signs of Spring-the Worm or Sap Moon and the Vernal Equinox

2011-03-20T09:47:00.018-04:00

This week's signs of spring are celestial in nature; that amazing full ("super") moon last night and the fast approaching Vernal Equinox. I hope you were able to witness the extra large and extra bright moon, it was truly a beautiful site. The moon that proceeds the vernal equinox is known as the Sap or Worm moon. Sap simply refers to the time when the sap produced by trees starts "running" or moving up from the roots toward the soon to form buds , its most admired incarnation taking the form of maple syrup. The worm moon name refers to the fact that worms become active in the soil again; hence the robins you find on your lawn or the castings that suddenly appear on little bare patches of exposed soil.

For more information about the vital role that worms can play in the health of garden soil, read this great article from Mother Earth News about encouraging worm activity in your garden (the picture above is from this article).

I will post more on the vernal equinox and the start of spring in the very near future. For now, I want to honor last night's moon with a poem by Mary Oliver from her Twelve Moons collection and a recipe from Culinate featuring maple syrup.

Worm Moon (by Mary Oliver)

1

In March the earth remembers its own name.
Everywhere the plates of snow are cracking.
The rivers begin to sing. In the sky
the winter stars are sliding away; new stars
appear as, later, small blades of grain
will shine in the dark fields.

And the name of every place
is joyful.

2

The season of curiosity is everlasting
and the hour for adventure never ends,
but tonight
even the men who walked upon the moon
are lying content
by open windows
where the winds are sweeping over the fields,
over water,
over the naked earth,
into villages, and lonely country houses, and the vast cities

3

because it is spring;
because once more the moon and the earth are eloping --
a love match that will bring forth fantastic children
who will learn to stand, walk, and finally run over the surface of earth;
who will believe, for years,
that everything is possible.

4

Born of clay,
how shall a man be holy;
born of water,
how shall a man visit the stars;
born of the seasons,
how shall a man live forever?

5

Soon
the child of the red-spotted newt, the eft,
will enter his life from the tiny egg.
On his delicate legs
he will run through the valleys of moss
down to the leaf mold by the streams,
where lately white snow lay upon the earth
like a deep and lustrous blanket
of moon-fire,

6

and probably
everything
is possible.

Lemon Maple Cake
From the recipe box spring, spring by Sarah Gilbert
Yield 2 layers or one bundt cake
Introduction:
I’ve been off processed sugar of all types for over a year; though it’s hard to avoid, especially when it comes to baked goods, which my kids and I love. I made this cake after altogether too many requests for $3 slices of (delicious, but sugar-packed) lemon pound cake from the farmer’s market. And even though maple syrup is very expensive; it’s $8.99 a pound for organic maple syrup at People’s Co-op; this cake ends up far cheaper than one from a bakery. If you don’t have lemon, you’ll want to replace at least 1/4 cup of the milk with plain yogurt, sour cream, creme fraiche, or buttermilk to provide an acidic element to react with the baking soda. (Or you can use baking powder, but it’s more fun my way, and you never have to buy baking powder.)

Ingredients
5 egg yolks
½ cup milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
~ zest of one lemon
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
8 oz. maple syrup (about 1¼ cup)
12 oz. flour (about 3 cups; I use ⅔ whole wheat pastry flour and ⅓ brown rice flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup softened butter (really soft, even almost melty)

Steps
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.Butter (and flour, if that’s your thing) either two 9” cake pans or a nice-sized bundt pan. I’ve also used an assortment of smaller cake pans (some of the ones that came in a child’s baking set from IKEA, for instance), and the kids are big fans.
3.In a medium bowl, mix egg yolks, ¼ cup milk, lemon zest and lemon juice.
4.In a separate large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and mix well.
5.Add butter, remaining ¼ cup milk, and maple syrup, and mix using a stand mixer or a nice big whisk for a few minutes.
6.Add egg/lemon mixture in 2-3 batches, mixing after each addition.
7.Scrape batter into pans (you’ll want them ½ full) and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 20-40 minutes depending on the size of your pans.
This content is from the spring, spring collection.
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Fermentation Mother--Happy Birthday Cintra

2011-03-13T11:53:00.016-04:00

Long before it was trendy or hip, my mother was a practitioner of home fermentation. I have lots of childhood memories of some sort of bubbling, brewing, living culture tucked away in the corner of the kitchen, under the woodstove, or adding a sour odor to her own special brand of refrigerator ecology. I remember the frothy fizzy gallons of cider that used adorn our counter tops-looking like something from a mad scientist's lab, all expanded and occasionally blowing their lids. Her bread made out of the left over porridge would rival that of any European bakery. Her yogurt cheese added a gourmet element to many a meal. We were lucky children and I did not even know it, it was like growing up with the female version of Sandor Katz (wild fermentation expert).

Fast forward some 25 years, and Cintra is back in full swing fermentation mode (during our early teenage years Cintra went back to work, and with less time to tend to these living cultures, abandoned much of her home fermenting projects). When the kombucha craze hit the East coast, Cintra was one of the first to order a little mother a.k.a SCOBY. She quickly turned that tiny jelly fish-looking "mushroom" into a thick large pancake-like mass, remenisent of a creature out of a horror movie. Her special fermentation powers have produced many a healthy SCOBY baby, which she has passed on to friends and family. Pictured below is her old school yogurt maker, a scoby baby that she is about to give away, and some raw cider she is "hardening."

Today is my mother's birthday. Its a big one (I won't say which). I thought on this day all about celebrating her life, it would be appropriate to share some of her fermentation favorites, bringing culture and life to the food around us. As amazing as Cintra is at all these creative and delicious forms of ferments, she has a hard time explaining the "what" or "the how to". It is almost as if she has some sort of fermentation sixth sense. Lucky for the rest of us, there are some great resources online. Enjoy the links below.

Great Food in Jars posting on Creme Fraiche

How to Make Yogurt website (recommended on the Wild Fermentation site)

The Fresh Loaf--An online community for amateur artisan bakers and bread enthusiasts.

Wiki-how on Kombucha

Happy fermenting and Happy Birthday Cintra!

Signs of Spring--The Sound of Peepers

2011-03-11T20:31:00.004-05:00

The second "sign" in my new blog series on the harbingers of spring is more a sound than a site, especially since I have never actually seen one of these creatures. The sign is the "voice" of the Spring Peeper. It has been about a week now since Mr. Happy Cat Tim Mountz called a bunch of us outside to listen to what he affectionately calls nert nerts. With all the recent rain the peepers seem particularly loud this year; or maybe its just my enthusiastic anticipation of a nice warm day out in the garden that makes their vernal call all the more vociferous. Enjoy the audio on the video above, it was taken in the late afternoon today down in our "swamp" that separates the lawn from the stream.
I enter a swamp as a scared place
Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps.
-Henry David Thoreau

Women in Agriculture--Tools for Change

2011-03-08T21:55:00.016-05:00

On the 100 year anniversary of International Women's Day , I thought it was important to focus on the role of women in agriculture. Although women produce most of the food worldwide, there has been an unfortunate lack of acknowledgement of this vital and nourishing role that woman play in feeding the population of the plant. Oxfam America has started a new campaign to address this problem-Sisters on the Planet. Oxfam has great programs worth supporting any day of the year, I encourage you to check out the links.

There has been a marked increase in the number of women farming in the United States over the last decade or so, which might explain why I have had the pleasure of being surrounded and supported by a fantastic network of women farmers throughout my farming career. Activist turned author Terma Costa sounds like she has had a very similar experience, which inspired her wonderful book Farmer Jane. Temra writes on her fantastic website farmerjane.org (filled with great links, a blog, and other useful resources):

As farmers, moms, businesswomen, chefs, and activists, women are changing the way we eat and farm. They are the fastest growing demographic to own and operate sustainable farms, comprise the largest percentage of sustainable agriculture nonprofit employees, own sustainable food businesses, cook the majority of household meals, and control household budgets. “Farmer Janes” are creating a more healthful, sane, and sustainable food system for present and future generations.

The book profiles a diverse group of women farmers and food activists, a couple of whom are friends, colleagues, and personal inspirations-like Jess Greenblatt Seeley director of Buy Fresh, Buy Local (and recent mother).

Within the state of Pennsylvania there is another great resource-Pennsylvania Women in Ag Network. The Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network (PA-WAgN) supports women in agriculture by providing positive learning environments, networking, and empowerment. I have to say that as a women farmer within this active and supportive network, I feel blessed and lucky, especially considering the plight of my counterparts across the world. I have felt few real injustices. My only complaint is when it comes to finding tools, clothes, and equipment. The simple act of buying work pants really brings to light the disconnect--paper thin low rise jeans adorned with rhinestones simply don't cut it in the field (and for some odd reason this type of jean seems to be a staple at farm supply stores, along with pink john deere baby doll t-shirts). Lucky for all the women farmers and gardeners out there, a wonderful new tool company geared just for women has been started right here in southeast Pennsylvania-Green Heron Tools.
Not only is their website filled with great shopping opportunities for farm and gardening tools specifically designed for women's bodies, it is also a great resource. Check out this link filled with warm up exercises for staying healthy out in the field. If you are serious about farming and gardening without injury I suggest you explore the website in its entirety.

Green Heron Tools was featured in a recent Mother Earth news article, click here to read. Their story is really quite an inspiration on its own. Happy International Women's Day!

Sunday House Concert-Spinning Leaves and Lost Leaders

2011-03-02T21:23:00.011-05:00

This Sunday March 6th we are hosting a house concert with two wonderful folk duos-the Spinning Leaves and their friends from New York the Lost Leaders. The concert will start at 8PM and will be proceeded by a potluck dinner at 6PM.

Space is limited--in order to reserve a spot please email inverbrook@gmail.com.

I could go on and on about the amazing talent and magic embodied in the Spinning Leaves (Michael Baker and Barbara Gettes) and the wonderful group of musicians with whom they collaborate. Instead, I encourage you to read two past postings I have written about these artists and the entity known as the Philadelphia Folk Parade. I am new to the Lost Leaders, but totally trust Michael and Barbara, when they say our community is going to love them.

The Spinning Leaves are in the middle of a kickstarter campaign to procure the funding necessary to record their next batch of songs. If you watch the video below you will get a sense of the community spirit that follows this duo where ever they perform (I apologize about the video not "fitting" into the blogger template correctly--if you click on blue "spinning leaves are making a record" type, you can view the video as it was meant to be seen). If you can make it to the concert you are in for a treat.

Below are two posts I have written about shows that have involved the collaborative and performance magic of the Spinning Leaves:

-Fermentation Festival Concert

-Mugs and Music: Community Connections

Once again, if you would like to attend the show on Sunday please email at inverbrook@gmail.com. Thank you!