Zenger Farm Shares

June 14th, 2013

zengerfarm — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:37:29 +0000

Hoop House tomatoes off to a great start!

This Week’s Share:

“Hakurei” Spring Turnips
“Pink Beauty” Radishes
Green Garlic
Garlic Scapes
Pac Choi
Romaine Lettuce
“Red Ursa” Kale
Winter Savory
Garbanzo Beans, Bob’s Red Mill

Announcements:

Needed: Paper Bags. For those occasions when our members get to pick-up without a bag to take home their produce, we like to have a back-up plan. So, if you have paper grocery bags that you’ve been itching to get rid of, please bring them to pick-up next week, and we will put them to good use!

Field Notes from Farmer Sara:

On April 1st, 1,500 pepper seeds were seeded in the greenhouse, each into 1 square inch of soil.

On May 10th, the strongest of these small seedlings were “potted up,” each into its very own 4-inch pot.

On this past Thursday, June 13th, 1,200 pepper plants were planted neatly, with care, by your farm crew.

Jimmy Nardello, Gatherer’s Gold, and Stocky Red Roasters will be arriving in your share in late August, if all things continue to go according to plan, along with a variety of hot peppers to spice things up!

In the Kitchen……recipe ideas from your farmers:

Green Garlic:

Green garlic is a unique spring treat that you won’t find in the grocery store. Green garlic is simply immature garlic harvested before the plant has formed a complete head with individual cloves separated by the papery skins that make it a great storage crop through the winter. At this stage, the entire plant is great eating, not just the bulb. Green garlic has a mild garlic flavor that will intensify as the plant matures and cures to its storage stage.

Preparation: Wash and remove the roots from the bottom of the garlic.

Recommended Uses:

As Garlic: Use green garlic any place you would typically use mature garlic. The flavor will be a tad more subtle. Use one green garlic plant in place of 1-2 cloves of garlic.
Grilled/Roasted: Slice garlic lengthwise, brush or toss with olive oil and salt. Then grill or roast until the outer leaves are browned and the inside is steamed and tender.
Saute/Stir Fry: Chop the whole plant from bulb to the tips of the leaves finely and saute or stir fry with a mix of other veggies, just as you might use one to two garlic cloves in any of your favorite recipes.
Egg Scramble: Farm Intern Gareth Stacke has been raving about green garlic in his scrambled eggs.

June 7, 2013: Farm Share Season Kick-Off

zengerfarm — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 04:39:57 +0000

Green Garlic!

This Week’s Share:

Romaine Lettuce
Pac Choi
Hakurei Spring Turnips
Carrots
Green Garlic
Sugar Snap Peas
Artichokes
Flowering Thyme
Sun Gold Cherry Tomato Plants
Brown Rice from Bob’s Red Mill

Field Notes from Farmer Sara:

Trellising tomatoes

Welcome to Zenger Farm Shares 2013. We are so happy to have many returning members back for another season of farm-fresh veggies and excited to get to know our new members!

Your farm crew has been busily tending your crops for this coming season. Among other things that kept the farm crew busy this week, we began “basket weave” trellising the outdoor tomatoes, see Farm Interns, Jen and Drew, above. And below are a few of the “Silver Queen” sweet corn seedlings that were planted out for you to enjoy in a few months.

Silver Queen

The 2013 growing season is off to a great start and we are so glad that you will be joining us to enjoy the harvest each week.

In the Kitchen…recipe ideas from your Farmers:

Asian Greens and Spring Veggies: (Adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook)

1 lb Sugar Snap Peas, stems removed
1 head Pac Choi, chopped
2-3 Carrots, chopped into matchsticks
2-3 Hakurei Turnips, chopped into matchsticks

3 Tbs sesame oil
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

Bring 1 quart water to a boil. Blanch peas 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, and set aside.
Blanch pac choi in same water 2 minutes, drain, and set aside.
Make Dressing: Whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger.
Toss blanched veggies in dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Enjoy!

Artichokes: Steam and enjoy.

The simplest and tastiest way that I know to eat artichokes is to steam them and then peel off the leaves and dip in your favorite dip: melted butter, with a little garlic and a pinch of salt?

Don’t forget to eat the heart, arguably the best part.

Directions:

Cut off the tip of the artichoke with a sharp knife
Place in a steamer basket, with lid, and steam for 30-40 minutes
No steamer basket, no problem. Just put the choke(s) in a pot with an inch or two of water, put the lid on and steam for 30-40 minutes.
They are done when you can easily remove a leaf from the choke

Farm Share Season Begins Friday, June 7th

zengerfarm — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:27:59 +0000

Baby carrots growing day by day.

Sign Up for a Share: These baby carrots could be going home with you! There are still a few spots available for the upcoming season. Find out more about becoming a Farm Share member today.

Notes from the Field: The unexpectedly sunny Spring – until last week, that is – has allowed for a jump-start on the season, and an extended burst of growth in the fields. The return of our spring rains have been good for the farm as well though, so we put on our rain gear and get back to work!

Jen, 2013 Farm Intern, gets sawing

The 2013 Farm Interns are off to a great start. They have been getting oriented to the farm, participating in farm classes, and getting lots of practice seeding, planting, weeding, mowing, putting up fences, taking down fences, trellising fava beans, thinning carrots, tending chickens, and building our new and improved produce wash station, see below. We’ve been busy. And we are looking forward to kicking off the Farm Share harvest season with all of our members in just a couple of weeks.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Zenger Farm Shares Registration Is Open

zengerfarm — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:07:42 +0000

Killdeer eggs.

Snapshots of Spring settling in at Zenger Farm:

School groups explore the wetland and nibble on kale raab.

Killdeer birds nest in the fields.

Baby chicks move unbelievably fast and then fall asleep instantly, in their food dish, under the heat lamp.

A share of the harvest…coming soon!

Tender green garlic shoots lead in the growth charts, but sugar snap peas and fava beans are close behind.

In the greenhouse, kale, lettuce, onions, leeks, and tomatoes get a jump-start on the season.

We invite you to eat your share of the harvest this season by becoming a member of Zenger Farm Shares.

Find out more.