The Weblog
…from Farm Where Life is Good
We’ll give you an insider’s view of life and growing on the farm. Share the excitement of a great harvest and experience the disappointment of a crop failure.
We have it all!
Online Market is OPEN for Business (Week 32)
Buckwheat covercrop in bloom— bees are hummin’!
Life on the Farm (Week 32)
I was just sitting out in the onion fields, having weeded and needing a break. I heard footsteps behind me and who should arrive but a couple of yearling deer headed out to dinner. Their appetizer was apparently onion tops. They walked with in 10ft of me as I sat quietly, curious myself. Ambling over to the bed of onions, one bent to take a bite. I couldn’t contain myself any longer, “Hey!”. She looked up at me. That was IT. She JUST looked up at me, sitting/fuming 10ft away. And then bowed her head to take another bite. What! I made to rise and that spooked her enough to bolt 10ft down the line. The appetizer was just too appetizing, apparently. I had to haul my aching bones off the ground and (almost) physically move them out of the field. Deer these days! Sheesh.
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Onions “before” the deer found them (I am NOT going to show you “after”
A few remaining special orders of Colorado Peaches and Bartlett Pears brought to us and you by a friend of a friend with a family farm in Colorado. Ordered now by the 20# box (you’ll need that many to actually get some home uneaten!) and delivered to your dropsite the week of approximately Aug 24 (peach) and Sept 7 (Pear). They are fabulous for fresh eating, baking, canning, freezing or drying.
(We are happy to take phone/in-person orders on these too with checks-in-the-mail if you prefer.)
The Market is now open for a wide selection of warm weather produce.
Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.
Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .
Recipes for your consideration
Nothing like a little healthy fiber (and you get to use up that squash too!) This super moist cake freezes well for winter breakfasts on the go.
2/3 cup margarine (Earth balance is the best!)1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup
5 cup grated zucchini (squeeze out excess liquid)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup soymilk
4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup white AP flour
1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cup chopped walnuts
With beaters, blend margarine, sugar and maple syrup.
Add zucchini, soymilk, applesauce and vanilla and beat.
Add spices and salt and beat.
Add bran, flours, baking soda and powder and beat.
Add walnuts and beat.
Line baking pan w/ parchment (9×13?)
Pour in batter and spread.
Bake 350ºF x 60min.
This just struck me as a wonderful idea; naturally gluten-free (if it matters), low carb, high vegetable and mighty tasty too!
yellow squash
olive oil
garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, thyme
pizza sauce
Daiya cheeze
pizza toppings
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds.
Brush a casserole dish with olive oil. Roll squash around in the olive oil to lightly coat. Place cut side up in dish.
Sprinkle the squash with garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, and thyme.
Place some of the pizza toppings inside the boat.
Spoon pizza sauce over the toppings.
Place a couple of tablespoons of cheese on top of the pizza sauce.
Add more of your favorite toppings.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
From: http://www.5dollardinners.com
If anyone has some good recipes for this weeks ingredients, pop on over to the website and enter them there for everyone’s benefit!.
Subscription Box Highlights
Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:
Broccoli or Broccolini
Head lettuce
Green onions
Summer squash/Zucchini
Cucumbers
Red cabbage
New potatoes
Green beans
Beets
Garlic
Parsley
Cilantro
Start your meal planning now!
We hope to feed you soon!
Roger and Lara
**If you’d like to stop receiving emails, just jump into your account on the website (farmwlig.locallygrown.net, My Account) and scroll to bottom; check appropriate box.
CSA Produce Subscription Distribution -- Week 31
Your box for Week 31
Farm Where Life is Good
Produce Subscription (Week 31)
The boxes are starting to show some color as we move into the summer months. Can’t wait for those peppers to really liven things up! They are pretty close now. Bees of all variety are hitting the fields hard; in the next week or so, our first buckwheat cover crop will be blooming and the bees will go nuts! It’s a site to see and hear. I had to push them aside to harvest field cucumbers today; they were drunk on the nectar and covered in bright orange pollen.
Note the full pollen baskets on back legs.
Your boxes will be in their respective drop site locations by 9am Wednesday. (Dropsite Location Details) Find the box with your name and have at it!
If you have any questions, please call Roger on his delivery phone 626 488 5437 (if before 10a) and the farm phone 715 426 7582 (if after 10am).
Lots of crunching and several newbies in your boxes this week.
Potatoes, new These fresh, thin-skinned spuds were the first ones planted and first out of the ground. They have not been “cured”, so will not store well (they also won’t hang around long!) They are a “waxy” variety with tight flesh that holds together quite will in soups and salads. 
Beets, candy-striped I know beets are something of an acquired taste, but try something for me. (We stumbled upon it when deer pulled out a clump of beets, and I couldn’t let them go to waste.) Scrub potatoes and beets; cut into bite-sized chunks; boil until firm-soft; drain; add a clump of Earth Balance margarine, a spritz of sea salt and several finger-fuls of minced dill weed. See what the combo does for you. 
Beans, green snap Yeah! They’re here. Gotta love fresh greeners! 
Cauliflower Let’s see. We have made cauliflower “rice”, cauliflower “steaks” and cauliflower soup. How about some Cauliflower BBQ (see below)? (When I went looking, holy cow, Pinterest has Cauliflower Buffalo Bites recipes ALL over; check those out if you like HOT stuff. Who knew?) 
Squash, zephyr The pollinators have found them…more to come.
Zucchini Ditto. These glossy green beauties are summer at its best. (No squash beetles!! Yeaaaaa!) 
Cucumber, slicing Two varieties. Refrigerator pickles this week, just like Nana used to make! And maybe some falafal too!
Cucumber, lunchbox Grab-n-go for a quick snack.
Broccoli I feel like I should apologize for the broccoli every week. But I am enjoying it; sure hope you are too. 
Lettuce, green and red summer crisp Oddly enough the summer crisp varieties like the heat? Enjoy your summer salads! 
Spinach Hot or cold, dip-i-dized or smoothy-ized, you can’t go wrong with…SPINACH!!!!. 
Onion, green/scallion Here are some more savory sticks for cooking and fresh eating. 
Dill Whip this into a creamy ranch dressing. Perfect for the cucumber salads this week. 
Lemon basil No photo, just shake-n-sniff. Incredible aroma! Well, if you like citrus that is. ?
Recipes for your consideration
These simple and sweet crispy treats are nice as a quick side, lunch snack or topping your favorite sandwich.¬
7 cups cucumbers, sliced & peeled (peel alternate strips for a visual change)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar (or maple syrup)
1 cup thinly sliced white onions, red onions, shallots or green onions
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 Tbsp fresh dill, minced
Put the peeled and sliced cucumbers in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour.
Prepare remaining ingredients. Add to cucumbers.
Mix well to make sure the sugar dissolves and all is well mixed.
Place in glass jar or other flavor-safe container(s).
Refrigerate up to 3wks.
Who knew the things you can create with cauliflower? Do a Pinterest recipe search for Buffalo-style too (with a nice Ranch/dill dip…mmmmm good without the hot part).¬
1 head cauliflower
1 cup of flour
1 cup of non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke (optional)
1 cup of BBQ sauce
Pre-heat oven to 450f.
Cut cauliflower into thin strips about 1/2 inch wide, and 2 -3 inches long.
Mix flour, non dairy milk, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, brown sugar, and liquid smoke together in a bowl.
Dip cauliflower pieces in flour mixture, making sure to coat the entire piece.
Place cauliflower pieces onto a non stick baking sheet, or sheet coated with cooking spray
Place in oven for 15 minutes.
While cauliflower is cooking, heat BBQ sauce in a sauce pan.
Remove cauliflower pieces from oven and dip in BBQ sauce. Place pieces back on baking sheet and cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove from oven, and enjoy!
From: http://plantbasedonabudget.com/recipe/bbq-cauliflower-bites/
Always looking for quick and easy broccoli with rich flavor. Here’s another one; one mixing bowl and one baking sheet. Not too bad…¬
2-3 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
6 cups broccoli (stalks sliced thin and florets cut into bite-sized pieces)
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
Turn oven to 400 degrees.
Prep broccoli and toss well with all ingredients.
Lay broccoli in one layer on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-20 minutes – or until edges become tender and caramelized. Cooking time will depend on how large your florets have been sliced and how tough your broccoli is.
Cool. Serve over quinoa or brown rice for a nice meal-in-a-bowl.
From: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/cheezy-roasted-broccoli-with-a-healthy-twist/
Everyone feel free to add your favorite recipes to the website.
Farm News
We are in full growing swing. Everything is reaching for the sky and pushing out fruits. The sunshine and moderate days have been quite welcome. The fall seedings are going in over these few weeks; here’s hoping for a late first-frost. The winter squash is the biggest concern.
But wait…
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Tomatoes are coming…
The marathon of fresh produce eating is half over; pat your healthy selves on the back and keep on truckin’!
Please bring your boxes back this week. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (thanks!)
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.
Roger and Lara
Online Market is OPEN for Business (Week 31)
Nothing so striking as a beautiful squash blossom.
Life on the Farm (Week 31)
Special offering of Colorado Peaches and Bartlett Pears brought to us and you by a friend of a friend with a family farm in Colorado. Ordered now by the 20# box (you’ll need that many to actually get some home uneaten!) and delivered to your dropsite the week of approximately Aug 24 (peach) and Sept 7 (Pear). They are fabulous for fresh eating, baking, canning, freezing or drying.
(We are happy to take phone/in-person orders on these too with checks-in-the-mail if you prefer.)
Yesterday’s beautiful weather had the many species of bees a-buzzin’. Great to see. They were all working the “bolted” (flowered) broccoli like crazy (not sure what that honey will taste like!)
Finally the bees have shown up to work (here on a watermelon flower)
And (TaDa!) the side product of the bees’ labor…
The Market is now open for all your produce desires.
Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.
Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .
Recipes for your consideration
Creamy, velvety Queso that’s cashew-, soy-, and gluten-free! Eggplant gives it that creamy texture that’s also lighter in calories than queso and reheats extremely well. Ridiculously close to the real thing! Let the dipping begin!
6 Asian-style eggplant
Olive oil
Sea salt
1.5-2 cups unsweetened original almond milk
2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp finely minced fresh garlic (or garlic powder)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cornstarch (optional for thickening)
1/4 cup chunky medium salsa, slightly drained (OR 1/4 10-ounce can of Rotel original diced tomatoes and green chilies)
OPTIONAL: Smoked paprika and hot sauce for added color and flavor upon serving.
Slice your eggplant into thin rounds just under 1/2 inch (not quite 1/4 inch), then sprinkle both sides of the flesh with a little sea salt and arrange in a colander to help draw out some of the moisture and bitterness. Let set for 10-15 minutes, then rinse with cool water and thoroughly pat dry between two clean towels.
Preheat oven to high broil and place an oven rack near the top of the oven. Arrange the dried eggplant rounds on a baking sheet lightly spritzed with non-stick spray and drizzle both sides of the eggplant with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a very small amount of salt.
Broil on high for 4-5 minutes on each side, watching carefully as to not let them burn. Flip at the halfway point to ensure even cooking. Once the eggplant appears tender and both sides have golden brown color, remove from the oven and wrap loosely in foil to steam.
After a few minutes, unwrap and peel the eggplant skin away. It should come right off. If you pack your roasted eggplant into a 1-cup measuring cup, it will be approximately 1 cup.
Place eggplant in a blender with the 1.5 cups (to start) almond milk, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder and cornstarch and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a pinch more sea salt and a little more nutritional yeast. To thin, add more almond milk.
Transfer to a small saucepan and warm over medium to medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly – about 5 minutes. The longer you go the thicker it will become.
NOTE: If it isn’t looking as thick as you want, thicken with a slurry of cornstarch by adding an additional 1 tsp cornstarch to a small bowl with a little almond milk and 2-3 Tbsp of the cheese mixture. Whisk to combine and then stir back into the pot. This should thicken it right up.
Once hot and thickened, remove from heat and stir in DRAINED salsa or Rotel. Don’t put the liquid in or it will make it runny. Pour into a serving dish and top with a little smoked paprika and hot sauce for flavor/color.
Serve with chips, crackers or veggies. Keep warm in a mini crockpot or over a tea light warmer if you have one.
Refrigerate and cover leftovers. Reheats extremely well in the microwave or in a saucepan. Will keep for up to a few days, but best when fresh.
Adapted from: http://minimalistbaker.com/
Crispy tofu that’s baked not fried and tossed in a 5-ingredient peanut glaze! Serve over cauliflower rice with sautéed veggies for a completely plant-based meal that’s gluten free!
Crispy Peanut Tofu & Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry
STIRFRY
12 ounces extra firm tofu, organic & non-GMO if possible
1 Tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1 small head cauliflower
2 cloves garlic, minced
SAUCE
1.5 Tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3.5 – 4 Tbsp light brown sugar, honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
2.5 Tbsp peanut butter or almond butter (natural, salted)
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Veggies (baby bok choy, green onion, red pepper, broccoli)
Toppings: Fresh lime juice, cilantro, sriracha
Begin by draining tofu 1.5 hours before you want your meal ready. If your block of tofu is larger than 12 ounces, trim it down. You don’t need a full pound for this recipe (see notes).
Roll tofu in an absorbent towel several times and then place something heavy on top to press. I use a pot on top of a cutting board and sometimes add something to the pot to add more weight. Do this for 15 minutes.
Near the end of draining, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and cube tofu. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 25 minutes to dry/firm the tofu. Once baked, remove from oven and let cool.
Prepare sauce by whisking together ingredients until combined. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. I often add a little more sweetener and peanut butter.
Add cooled tofu to the sauce and stir to coat. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes to saturate the tofu and infuse the flavor.
In the meantime, shred your cauliflower into rice by using a large grater or food processor. You don’t want it too fine, just somewhat close to the texture of rice. Set aside. Mince garlic if you haven’t already done so, and prepare any veggies you want to add to the dish (optional).
Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat (6 out of 10), and if adding any veggies to your dish, cook them now in a bit of sesame oil and a dash of soy sauce. Remove from pan and set aside and cover to keep warm.
Use a slotted spoon to spoon tofu into the preheated pan. Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce to coat. Cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes until browned. It will stick to the pan a bit, so don’t worry. Remove from pan and set aside and cover to keep warm.
Rinse your pan under very hot water water and scrape away any residue. Place back on stove.
Add a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan, then add garlic and cauliflower rice and stir. Put cover on to steam the “rice.” Cook for about 5-8 minutes until slightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Then add a few spoonfuls of sauce to season and stir.
Plate cauliflower rice and top with veggies and tofu. Serve with any leftover sauce. Leftovers reheat well and will keep covered in the fridge for up to a couple days.
From: minimalistbaker.com
All through the summer and fall we eat these with our fingers for pre-dinner snacking. The simplicity is belying; the beans showcase the basil brilliantly.
Boil yellow (or green) “green” beans in salted water until tender (just beyond tender crisp). Drain and rinse with cold water to stop their cooking.
Turn the beans into bowl and keep them at room temperature up to 3 hours. When you’re ready to eat, toss the beans with a generous amount of coarse salt and 1 cup of minced lemon basil leaves for every ½ pound of beans. Enjoy them at room temperature.
If anyone has some good recipes for this weeks ingredients, pop on over to the website and enter them there for everyone’s benefit!.
Subscription Box Highlights
Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Head lettuce
Green onions
Summer squash/Zucchini
Cucumbers
New potatoes
Green beans
Beets
Dill
Lemon basil
Start your meal planning now!
We hope to feed you soon!
Roger and Lara
**If you’d like to stop receiving emails, just jump into your account on the website (farmwlig.locallygrown.net, My Account) and scroll to bottom; check appropriate box.
CSA Produce Subscription Distribution -- Week 30
Your box for Week 30
Farm Where Life is Good
Produce Subscription (Week 30)
Again, the season is really wacky this year, isn’t it? Talk of heat indexes and reduced outdoor activities for health reasons. (We interpreted that to mean we should not be digging both potatoes AND carrots this week. Sorry, just carrots. Red new potatoes next week!)
And speaking of carrots…we continue to struggle to grow these temperamental roots. How can something so simple, grow so difficultly (is that a word?) I still have to find several hundreds of feet of carrots in the weed, I mean carrot, beds, so we can have some more carrots in a month or so. Believe it or not, we planned and planted to have carrots weekly. Not! So, best laid plans and all that.
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But we do have rows and rows of Japanese eggplant and peppers!
Your boxes will be in their respective drop site locations by 9am Wednesday. (Dropsite Location Details) Find the box with your name and have at it!
If you have any questions, please call Roger on his delivery phone 626 488 5437 (if before 10a) and the farm phone 715 426 7582 (if after 10am).
The pickin’s are expanding in your boxes this week.
Carrot Well, they are here. Trying to get excited about them; it’s a love/hate relationship! 
Cauliflower More raw crunch for your daily salad fix. Also try it creatively made into Hummus-Crusted Cauliflower Steaks
Squash, zephyr Slowly but surely they are coming along. We’ll try not to inundate you in the next few weeks!
Zucchini And a green zucchini squash twin to the Zephyr.
Cucumber, slicing Two varieties. Cucumbers seem to be here to stay for awhile. Enjoy! 
Cucumber, lunchbox A handful of these for your little lunchboxes to eat-from-the-hand.
Broccoli Broccoli Cheezze Soup this week!
Broccolini Note: Some received this week, some last week. Actually a broccoli/Gailon cross with a slightly different flavor package. Eat the entire thing, marinated with soy sauce/olive oil/salt/pepper and lightly grilled as an appetizer. 
Lettuce, green summer crisp A couple green summercrisp heads for pairing with your crispy cucumbers. 
Kale (Red Russian) Great for bright green smoothies or some soulful Green Cheezzy Mac 
Onion, mini purple Wonderful lavender color, sliced paperthin, and added to your salads. 
Cilantro Sauté some frozen/canned tomatoes, frozen sweet pepper, onion, paprika/cayenne, dash of maple syrup and a bunch of cilantro; then pour over corn tortillas layered with a mixture of chives/wheat meat/Tofutti cream cheeze/dash of sea salt. Bake 350 for 25min. Mmmmm, a quick enchilada lasagna! 
Basil Mince and whisk with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt for a nice light cucumber dressing. Or try a refreshing Basil Strawberry Iced Tea on one of these hot afternoons. 
Parsley You must try a sprig or two in your green smoothies; healthy and gives a nice bright flavor twist. Also mince and put in just about anything you cook for enhanced depth of flavor. 
Recipes for your consideration
If you are like me, you need to hide your cauliflower to enjoy it! This soup is pretty amazing at doing just that. The creamy-ness is wonderful; the flavor rich and full.¬
1 1/2 # cauliflower (approx 1 head)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock/broth or water
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups plain almond, flax or rice milk
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil or parsley, chopped
Trim leaves from cauliflower head and trim stem(s) from florets. Chop stems and keep separate. Break florets into 1" pieces.
In large pot, heat olive oil and sauté onion for 5min, then add cauliflower stems. Sauté 5min more. Add florets, broth/water, and salt; cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10min, until cauliflower is tender.
Uncover and scoop out 2 cups cauliflower and reserve. Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender, add almond/flax/rice milk and blend until smooth. Pour back into pot with reserved cauliflower, add black pepper and basil/parsley; and stir until heated through. Serve hot.
The Mix—Twin Cities Natural Food Co-op Production Mar/Apr 2013
Tofu is actually quite good. We eat it a lot and can tell good tofu from not so good tofu. It’s not just a protein to add to something with lots of sauce that will be absorbed by the tofu. This “shake-n-bake” salad is excellent.
1 package firm/extra firm tofu (Wildwood is the best.)
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp each sea salt, garlic & onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika & freshly ground pepper
High heat oil
spinach & mixed field greens
cauliflower, finely chopped
cucumber, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
1/8 cup maple syrup or sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
Put a high-sided pan on medium-high heat.
Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Put all the dry ingredients into a sealable container and shake together. Once combined, toss in the tofu cubes and shake again until everything’s fully coated.
Now that the pan’s hot, pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and a little extra. While you’re letting the oil heat, chop up the vegetables that’ll be in your salad.
Carefully spoon in enough of the tofu cubes to partially cover the pan, but don’t crowd it. Let them fry up. They’ll start to brown a bit and become crispy when they’re done. Keep frying them in batches until they’re all done.
Let the tofu rest on some paper towels or a cloth towel for a few minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and spoon on the tofu hot or cool with your salad, either way, tastes great! :)
From: http://hipsterfood.tumblr.com/post/74849088282/westsoy-remember-those-vegan-cheesesteaks-us
We haven’t tried this one yet, but getting up the nerve. (You’ll need a good movie in the DVD player to keep you company while you scrape.) Probably will substitute maple syrup for the sugar. Yep, I think it is worth it.
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 mint sprigs
1 pound chopped English cucumber
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute; remove from heat.
Add mint; let stand 10 minutes. Discard mint.
Place juice mixture and cucumber in a blender; process until smooth. Cool completely.
Pour mixture into an 11 × 7?inch baking dish. Cover and freeze for 45 minutes; scrape with a fork.
Freeze. Scrape mixture every 45 minutes until completely frozen (about 3 hours).
Remove from freezer; scrape with a fork until fluffy.
From: Cookinglight.com
Everyone feel free to add your favorite recipes to the website.
For Your Reading Pleasure
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (pub. 1932)
This novel made #88 on The Big Read list of 200 favorite novels in Great Britton, created in 2003 by over three-quarters of a million readers.
(I stole this review from an online used book store…better than I could have written.)
Published in 1932, this novel is a hysterically funny, tongue in cheek parody of the heavy handed, gloomy novels of some early twentieth century English writers who had previously been so popular. Tremendously successful when first published, “Cold Comfort Farm” caused quite a stir in its time.
The novel starts out innocuously enough, when well educated Flora Poste finds herself orphaned at the age of twenty. Discovering that her father was not the wealthy man she believed him to be, she is resigned to the fate of having to live on a hundred pounds a year. Opting to live with relatives, rather than earn her bread, she seeks out a most unlikely set of relations, the odd Starkadder family who live in Howling, Sussex.
Therein begins what is certainly one of the funniest novels ever written. When Flora arrives in Howling, she meets her odd relatives, who live in neglected, ramshackle “Cold Comfort Farm”, where they still wash the dishes with twigs, and have cows named Graceless, Pointless, Feckless, and Aimless. Headed by a seventy nine year old matriarch, Flora’s aunt, Ada Doom Starkadder, who has not been right in the head since she “saw something nasty happen in the woodshed” nearly seventy years ago, they are a motley and strange crew indeed. Confronted with their dismal and gloomy existence, Flora sets about trying to put things to right.
Peppered with eccentric, memorable characters, this book will take the reader on a journey not easily forgotten. It is one that is sure to make the reader revisit this novel yet again, like an old friend who is missed too soon.
You can find it for less than $5 in many online used bookstores. Fun read for those who appreciate the British wit.
Farm News
Deer and potato bugs headline this week (again!) Persistent little buggers, they are. The deer have taken to pawing the row cover like it is deep snow, to get at the lettuces and other choice snacks underneath. Not quite diggin’ this activity, like they are. But it seem to be keeping them away from the beans! So we might have to pick them afterall :(
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And rows and rows of beans— yellow, green, shell, dry—a whole host of beans! But then there is the picking thing…
The warm weather crops are going crazy with these temps. Happy to see it. Peppers are coming along, and the eggplant and the tomatoes and the summer squashes. The boxes are starting to get heavier, topping 15# this week.
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The northern type bananas are almost here.
Please bring your boxes back this week. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (thanks!)
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.
Roger and Lara
Online Market is OPEN for Business (Week 30)
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Waving fields of grain.
Life on the Farm (Week 30)
We have had a week without rain! What a concept. It has allowed us to get many of the Fall items seeded and transplanted— more still to come. The leeks are busting out of their nursery wanting to get into their final growing sites. The head lettuce sprouts are chugging away in the basement week after week to then cycle out to the field, staying ahead of the deer. The sweet fennel is just about to go into the ground and start bulbing up.
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Can you count all of the cucumbers ready to go?
Today looks like another gorgeous day for seeding and tomato/cucumber pruning and trellising. But (!) it is already 85 degrees, so I think the lettuce really is going to give up the ghost on us soon and move to northern Canada for some cooler summer weather. The cucumbers have gone nutty, so be prepared. The tomatoes all have little fellas and fillies coming along; no one blushing yet. The peppers are just about there for a first harvest. I stole one last night that had a bug-bite; gotta love the “seconds”! We have missed our fresh peppers.
The buckwheat covercrops are filling in to cast a sea-green waving haze over large patches of the fields— beautiful. The rows of beans are flowering, and if they survive the deer, we will have fresh baby beans in another week or two. (Love eating them, hate picking them!)
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Pretty purple salad onions ready to come out of the field
Special offering of Colorado Peaches and Bartlett Pears brought to us and you by a friend of a friend with a family farm in Colorado. Ordered now and only now by the 20# box (you’ll need that many to actually get some home uneaten!) and delivered to your dropsite the week of approximately Aug 24 (peach) and Sept 7 (Pear). They are fabulous for fresh eating, baking, canning, freezing or drying.
(We are happy to take phone/in-person orders on these too with checks-in-the-mail if you prefer; just make sure it is by Monday PM. We’ll have them on the market next week if any pre-ordered remain unpurchased.)
The Market is now open for all comers.
Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.
Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .
Recipes for your consideration
_ Prepared with the lighter napa-style cabbage, seasoned with the flavors of toasted sesame oil, and providing the crunch of noodles and nuts. Top with lightly seasoned tofu, and you have your complete meal._
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 pkgs oriental ramen noodles
3 oz unsalted sunflower seeds
4 oz slivered/sliced almonds
3-4 green or mini onions
1 head Napa cabbage, finely sliced/chopped
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp dry mustard (or 1Tbsp Dijon-type prepared mustard)
2 pkgs ramen seasoning (from noodle package)
Toast the following in sesame oil: oriental ramen noodles (crunch up into bite-sized pieces) unsalted sunflower seeds sliced or slivered almonds.
Let noodles and nuts cool as you prepared the cabbage.
Toss all together in large bowl. Top with dressing just prior to serving.
The marinating effect of packing this and eating later is the key. You can substitute Napa cabbage for the kale too.
1 cup dry Israeli couscous
1 14-oz can of chick peas, rinsed (i.e., about 1.5 cups cooked chick peas)
1 bunch kale, leaves stripped/chopped or ½ head Napa cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, grated
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins or craisins
Dressing:
1.5 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Italian spice mix (or create your own mix with fresh herbs)
Cook the couscous in 1.5 cups water, covered, for about 6 minutes or until water is absorbed. Add it to a bowl along with all the other ingredients, then toss with the dressing.
Add salt and pepper to taste, pack in your favorite container, grab a fork and you’re ready to hit the road.
From— http://bistrokatie.com/
A fresh, spring taste on a sunny afternoon. Sorry the limes are not local…but they are a favorite weakness. You could get creative and change the Simple Syrup to local maple syrup-syrup and see what that yields!
8 leaves mint
1 1/2 Tbsp simple syrup
1/2 lime, juiced
crushed ice
soda water, sparkling water or gingerale
Simple syrup (gotta have it hanging around in the fridge for quick, fresh drinks!) Bring 2 cups of plain cold tap water to a boil. Stir in 2 cups of plain granulated sugar. Turn the heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely.
Drink recipe: Muddle mint and simple syrup in a highball glass (i.e. crush it and beat it and get those essential oils outta the leaves). Put ice in glass, add lime juice and fill with sparkling liquid of your choice.
Stir and enjoy!
If anyone has some good recipes for this weeks ingredients, pop on over to the website and enter them there for everyone’s benefit!.
Did You Know…
…research shows that those who eat a diet full of vegetables high in iron are less likely to suffer from PMS (premenstrual syndrome). (For the many of you females reading this, and for the males reading might who just be motivated to pass on this knowledge to females they know…and live with!)
In one of the first studies that observed the effects of mineral intake on severity of PMS symptoms, American researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Harvard evaluated the diets and overall health of about 3,000 women over a decade. Non-heme iron (i.e. plant sourced) was the most striking with zinc in second position.
Just think about all of that non-heme iron in the brassicas and dark leafies coming from the Farm! Keep on smoothie-ing, salad-ing, saute-ing to get your vital minerals.
Sources of produce high in non-heme iron include:
sun-dried tomatoes (9mg per 100g)
dried apricots (6mg/100g)
parsley (6mg/100g)
soybeans, cooked (4.4mg/100g)
spinach, raw (2.7mg/100g)
olives (3.3mg/100g)
currants and raisins (3mg/100g)
quinoa (3mg/100g)
palm hearts (3mg/100g)
lentil sprouts (3mg/100g)
swiss chard (2.3mg/100g)
kale, raw (1.7mg/100g)
broccoli (1.1mg/100g)
Subscription Box Highlights
Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Head lettuce
Purple salad onions
Kale
Summer squash
Cucumbers
Cilantro
Basil
Parsley
And maybe, just maybe some New Potatoes!`
Start your meal planning now!
We hope to feed you soon!
Roger and Lara
**If you’d like to stop receiving emails, just jump into your account on the website (farmwlig.locallygrown.net, My Account) and scroll to bottom; check appropriate box.
CSA Produce Subscription Distribution -- Week 29
Your box for Week 29
Farm Where Life is Good
Produce Subscription (Week 29)
The season is really wacky this year, isn’t it? We were closing windows last night and putting on long pajamas…in July?!?! The tomatoes are scratching their heads and the lettuce is saying “whew!”. How does one predict anything relative to growing veggies anymore?
Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers humming right along in their plastic house.
Your boxes will be in their respective drop site locations by 9am Wednesday. (Dropsite Location Details) Find the box with your name and have at it!
If you have any questions, please call Roger on his delivery phone 626 488 5437 (if before 10a) and the farm phone 715 426 7582 (if after 10am).
We are filling you up with cruciferous vegetables in your boxes this week; summer things ARE coming, we promise.
Squash, zephyr Their heeeerrrrre…a little sampling of the firsts. Summer squash is coming in! I know not everyone misses them over the winter like we do, but, well, here they come!
Cucumber, slicing These crisp beauties are coming on strong! We are very happy with the hightunnel cucumbers this season. Enjoy!
Broccoli WebMD made me do it! (See website read below.)
Broccolini Note: Some received this week, some will receive next week. Actually a broccoli/Gailon cross with a slightly different flavor package. Eat the entire thing, lightly braised with garlic and a nice peanut sauce as an appetizer.
Kohlrabi Peel like an apple, slice and dip away! 
Lettuce A couple large leaf lettuces and a couple single serving Romaines. Salad for the week. 
Kale (Triple bunch) Some of each— red Russian, white Russian, Dinosaur. See which tweaks your fancy. Maybe a nice massaged kale salad ?
Cabbage (Caraflex) They didn’t size up like they did last year; too hot this spring. Enjoy some grilled cabbage steaks this week. 
Onions, green/scallions This season was nice to us on green onions; pretty and easy to harvest…those don’t go hand-in-hand too often. Enjoy the savory sticks.
Chives, garlic Perfect for a light vinegrette for those salads. 
Thyme Seems to pair with lemon most commonly; if you don’t use it right away, heat oven, turn off, put sprigs in warm oven and leave overnight, strip off leaves and fill your herb jar for later. 
Recipes for your consideration
Lentils are one of my favorite proteins, and kohlrabi is one of my favorite fresh “crunches”. The two together work quite well in this simple salad.¬
1 cup French green lentils, rinsed (substitute other lentils if unavailable)
1 small onion or shallot, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium kohlrabi
3 Tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted
a few pinches of ground cumin
a glug of toasted sesame oil
a glug of cider vinegar
sea salt, freshly ground pepper
In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, onion, and 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) fresh water. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the lentils are cooked through but still pleasantly firm. Fifteen minutes into the cooking, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a colander, rinse briefly under a stream of fresh water, and drain well.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the kohlrabi. Trim the wispy stems (use the leaves like you would parsley). Inspect the skin, and use a vegetable peeler to peel off any part that looks a little tough or woody; the soft, pale green parts don’t need to be peeled.
Dice the kohlrabi to form smallish cubes, and put them in a medium salad bowl with the sunflower seeds. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cumin, dress with a glug each of sesame oil and cider vinegar, and toss to coat.
When the lentils are cooked and rinsed, add them to the bowl and stir gently to combine. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.
From: Chocolateandzucchini.com
Full flavor, high protein snacking, at its best!
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas (4 cups), rinsed and drained (or make your own from dried beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Use a dish towel or a salad spinner to make sure the chickpeas are as dry as possible. Lay them flat on a non-stick baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then shake to redistribute, and cook for 10 minutes more.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
Add the roasted chickpeas and toss until well coated. Return the chickpeas to the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 5 more minutes, until very fragrant.
Serve warm or at room temperature as a table snack, or atop a salad or side.
From: biggirlssmallkitchen.com
Peanut sauce and broccoli, the slightly sweet and the slightly bitter. Great combo!
Garlic Broccoli with Coconut Peanut Sauce
4-5 cups broccoli, chopped into florets and small stems
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup canned coconut milk
2.5 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 pinch cayenne pepper
In a skillet sauté garlic in olive oil on medium-low heat for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add broccoli and turn heat to med-high. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until broccoli is bright green and browning in some spots.
Prepare your sauce. To a small saucepan, add all sauce ingredients. Whisk together over medium low heat until combined, thick, and bubbly.
Spoon generously over broccoli; and rice if desired. If serving with rice noodles, toss to combine.
From: fireandearthkitchen.com
Everyone feel free to add your favorite recipes to the website.
For Your Reading Pleasure
So I have been telling you that there is an ulterior motive to ALL of that broccoli you have been receiving. And here it is in living color, on the interweb…it must be true!
Broccoli belongs to the brassica family, otherwise known as a cole crop (derived from the Latin caulis, meaning stem or cabbage) or cruciferous vegetable; and the dieticians (or somebodies) out there have named it one of the Super Veggies. Have a read of the linked article; it’s not just me saying broccoli is the NEW spinach.
Farm News
Well, the wild razzberries are coming in strong! With all of the wet weather, they are fruiting plump and delicious. Lot of purple “green” smoothies on the horizon for Farm WLIG. And the mosquitoes, which usually carry us away while picking, are holding to a dull roar. Amazing! (knock wood) All around, it seems the bug life is less than previous years (well, not potato beetles or flea beetles!) but bugs in general. Anyone else noticing that? My forays into the field with camera set to “closeup” mode are few and far between.
Work this week is geared toward direct seeding, seed starting (in the basement) and initial transplanting of some fall crops. The weeding continues; carrots are one-half “found” and purslane has taken over the bean beds. Someone once told me you can eat the stuff as a delicacy with benefits. Hmm, maybe ya’ll get that next week… (45 things to do with purslane) We’ll try it first…but what do you think?
Have no fear…Razz got to leave for work (in her car, not on foot) this week.
Please bring your boxes back this week. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (thanks!)
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.
Roger and Lara
Online Market is OPEN for Business (Week 29)
Well, I guess Rog’s lifting restrictions are off now!
Life on the Farm (Week 29)
We awoke to another distraction. I can either be overjoyed that I don’t have to go find the carrots seedlings in the weeds today, or I can be majorly disturbed by the fact that we have an 24+" diameter mature box elder tree down across our driveway. The downpour we received yesterday was the proverbial straw on the camel; the soil gave up the ghost on the big old tree’s rootball. Over she came. So the carrot-weed competition shall continue for another few days, and the pile of maple cooking firewood will grow immeasurably. (And I will be able to go to work tomorrow!)
Summer squash is in full flowering kick! We will have squash this week!
Ok, enough yammerin’; I need to get back to the tree and prevent Rog from undoing all of the nice surgeon’s work.
The Market is now open for your produce delights.
Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.
Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .
Recipes for your consideration
Sorry, I’m just going to refer you to the Recipe section on the website for some useful recipes this week. Hard physical labor calls to me.
If anyone has some good recipes for this weeks ingredients, pop on over to the website and enter them there for everyone’s benefit!.
Did You Know…
The box elder tree, Acer negundo, is a small (nope, I don’t agree_), usually fast-growing (certainly is!) and fairly short-lived (_50 years is youngster for at tree, wish it were the same for us!) tree that grows up to 10–25 metres (33–82 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 30–50 centimetres (12–20 in) , rarely up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) diameter (yep, that’s the truth). It often has several trunks and can form impenetrable thickets.
Subscription Box Highlights
Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:
Broccoli
Kale
Cabbage
Head lettuce
Green onions
Kohlrabi
Summer squash
Cucumbers
Thyme
Garlic chives
Start your meal planning now!
We hope to feed you soon!
Roger and Lara
**If you’d like to stop receiving emails, just jump into your account on the website (farmwlig.locallygrown.net, My Account) and scroll to bottom; check appropriate box.
CSA Produce Subscription Distribution -- Week 28
Your box for Week 28
Farm Where Life is Good
Produce Subscription (Week 28)
The boxes are green this week…we need some hot-house peppers to change up the colors! Other colorful things like carrots and beets are on their way, slowly. Beets were transplanted this year, so they are actually growing well but slowly. The carrots, well, let me just say, carrots are NOT my favorite thing to grow. Direct seeded, many have washed away in our flooding and slow to germinate all are consumed by faster germinating weeds. My mission this week, should I choose to accept it, is to go find 1500 ft-row of carrots. Grrrrr. But, color coming soon…
The absence of color— white cucumbers in their protective “Surround” coating.
NOTE: The white powder you may find on the cucs is kaolin clay (Surround), an “inert dirt” we use to deter and confuse cucumber beetles. It is “organic” approved and not harmful to humans; it is actually what was in Kaopectate way back when.
Your boxes will be in their respective drop site locations by 9am Wednesday. (Dropsite Location Details) Find the box with your name and have at it!
If you have any questions, please call Roger on his delivery phone 626 488 5437 (if before 10a) and the farm phone 715 426 7582 (if after 10am).
Again, the brassicas and salad fixings as the focus in your boxes this week; but warm weather veggies are coming right along.
Cucumber, slicing Ahhh, the first cucumbers of the season! We are trying different sizes in the hightunnel, and the small/lunchbox variety as well as the larger slicing variety are represented this week. See what you think.
Broccoli Gosh, I really hope ya’ll like broccoli. It has been a good year for it thus far.
Mesclun Might be the last of the salad mix for a few weeks; hot and wet is not good for the closely planted leaves. We’ll start back up for more in the fall.
Lettuce Again, two different types; a red leaf lettuce and a really red romaine that has a softer leaf, more like a leaf lettuce. The hot temps have them reaching high, about to bolt.
Turnips, salad A few little white crunchies, definitely the last of the season. 
Kale (Red Russian) A bunch of young kale for a nice soup, stirfry or green smoothie.
Cabbage (Napa) One more Napa head; last of the early season. More on the way later in the season. 
Cabbage (Caraflex) The crunchy variety of cabbage with the funny shape. Whip up a nice Dill Coleslaw; THE best!
Garlic scapes Ok, if you haven’t met scapes before, they are the flower stalk of “hardneck” garlic. They carry all of the garlic yum of typical cloves but are used chopped up as a “green” addition to salads, stir-fry, soups and sides. 
Chives I’m thinking it is time for some savory Herb Bread (bread machine-assisted). A tiny, hole-in-the-wall café in Marin County, CA introduced me to this bread. They serve enormous slabs of it with their fresh daily soups. Just the aroma is intoxicating! 
Dill Ditto on the Herb Bread (bread machine-assisted). And the Dill Coleslaw. Or maybe just a sprig or two in a light olive oil vinaigrette.
Recipes for your consideration
Coleslaw is a wonderful salad for lunchboxes. Make ahead and it will keep all week, getting more and more flavorful as the days pass.¬
1 cup Veganaise or Nayonaise
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp maple syrup or sugar
1 Tbsp celery seed, grind a bit in a mortar and pestle to soften seeds
1" bunch of chives, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1 head cabbage, finely sliced
(And increase recipe as you see fit.)
Whisk first 8 ingredients together. Fold into shredded cabbage. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Anyone out there have a bread machine languishing away in the cupboard? Was that a 90s fad? Well, they are fabulous, let me tell you. We have had fresh bread for the past 8yrs since moving out to the farm; no store purchases. And it is really quite easy to do…_honestly, I don’t have a lot of spare time, let me tell you!_ I don’t use the baking feature of the machine, just the dough making aspect. Then I quick knead and shape and put in a standard loaf pan to rise (30-45min and bake 30min). So you DO have to be around the house to accomplish that last bit. But total actual work time is approx 10min.
Herb Bread (bread machine-assisted)
In your bread machine pan, add:
2 Tbsp maple syrup or sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 ½ cup warm water
2 tsp salt
4 cups bread flour (white, wheat or combo)
3 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1" bunch chives, finely chopped (alternatives: 2 Tbsp shallots, fine dice; or 2 Tbsp onion, fine dice)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Makes a 10in x 5in loaf
Set machine to “Dough Mode” and let ’er ride.
When it is done, remove dough from pan, knead 3-4 times, folding over as you go with the goal to shape it quickly into a tube that will fit your loaf pan.
Get your hand wet with water and pat the top to moisten. Make 2-3 slits in top (decoratively) to help with crown rising and place in warm spot for 30-45 min depending on how much wheat flour you used. (I just warm the oven for 1min, then leave it in to rise.) More time for whole wheat, less time for white.
Bake 400F for 30min. Remove and decant from pan. Allow to cool. Slice with a serrated bread knife using a exaggerated sawing motion with very little downward pressure (don’t want to squish it!) The very best is when served slightly warm in thick slabs.
Garlic scapes are a fresh version of the old standby— garlic cloves. Enjoy them blended in a high-protein dressing that will give any fresh offering a profound zing! (If you haven’t used silken tofu before, it is quite versatile. You can find it in the Asian food section of all grocery stores; it is in a 4-5" carton, not refrigerated. Use it to make creamy things higher in protein and without the cholesterol.)¬
2 garlic scapes, rough chopped
1 pkg silken tofu, soft
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice or seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
Add all to blender and whizzzzzzz until smooth and creamy.
Serve as a dip for fresh veggies or thin slightly with soy milk to make a creamy salad dressing.
Everyone feel free to add your favorite recipes to the website.
For Your Reading Pleasure
Bringing it to the Table by Wendell Berry
Excerpt from Michael Pollan’s introduction:
“Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that it would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago. To many Americans, it must sound like a brand-new conversation, with its bracing talk about the high price of cheap food, or the links between soil and health, or the impossibility of a society eating well and being in good health unless it also farms well. But to read the essays in this sparkling anthology, many of them dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, is to realize just how little of what we are saying and hearing today Wendell Berry hasn’t already said, bracingly, before.”
Well worth the read; Mr. Berry is an excellent write with insight into food, farming and our planet that few have put to paper with such foresight. This is a history lesson and a motivation to change what we can ourselves to make it all better.
Farm News
News this week is all about the heat, the rain and the weeds. But enough about that. Let’s see, well, we are moving to “turn” the early hightunnel position 2 and 3 beds over to cover crops for the summer and fall. Position 1 is held by the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers “indoors” right now. The other 2 positions have been yielding our spring fare. Now all of those tired, expended, weed-bogged beds are getting tilled and planted into buckwheat or rye & hairy vetch. We need a quick turn around on one of the positions so we can get the fall/winter plantings in, and the other one must do its duty and build the soil for next season’s heavy feeders (tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.) Wow, the juggling act, huh?
It really takes it outta folks…
“Workin’ hard…workin’ Saturdays!” (What a comparison to last week!)
The pest situation appears fairly stable at this time. Deer entertain Roger all night, every night. Potato beetles are into their second breeding cycle, so we are squishing eggs daily on the young potato plants. Leafy greens of the brassica-family are well past, so flea beetles have nothing to poke holes in right now. And we have been diligent with row covers (and more successful with them too) on the long-lived brassicas, like cabbage and broccoli, so the little green inch worms have not grossed us (or you) out at all this season!
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That said, I just about jumped out of my skin while reaching for the dill…but isn’t he/she pretty!
Please bring your boxes back this week. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (thanks!)
And a SURPRISE first purple sweet pepper of the year hidden in someone’s box! Enjoy the colorful little fella.
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.
Roger and Lara
Online Market is OPEN for Business (Week 28)
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Our volunteers come in all colors and sizes!
Life on the Farm (Week 28)
Our trial with occultation prior to our winter squash planting looks promising thus far. A couple generations of weeds and weed seeds have hopefully been eradicated under 3wks of plastic. Winter squash is in, a wee-tad bit late (ok, really late), but here’s to hoping for a late fall frost! (Everyone cross their fingers for me now really quick and the positive vibes will make it all the way out here to the farm.) We’ve got some funky giant white pumpkins for a fun trial, and a new Sweet Dumpling variety of squash that was given rave reviews by a colleague of mine.
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Before and After: Field 3, Beds 41-50, weed-free and prepped for squash.
We visited with a nice big Fox Snake today who had come in from harvesting our local small pest population out in the fields. It was a good snake day; found another one patrolling our compost heap. Keeping it local and keeping it natural!
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Foxy, our local enforcer.
Rows and rows of potatoes are coming in nicely; just starting to see some flowers. Really bummed about the (planned) new potatoes; they are not yet in flower (which is the trigger to go find the little babies.) It was a substituted variety after crop failure of our first choice organic seed from The Maine Potato Lady. So, either it is a later variety or I am just getting ant-sy. (But seems to me it has been long enough! Patience is a virtue I sometimes lack.)
The Colorado Potato Beetle is well represented here at Farm WLIG; they have not only been holding large town meetings in the potato plantings, but they have immigrated to another field, crept under a row cover and set their little babies to munching on the eggplants (another known favorite of the little twirps.) I had the immeasurable joy of witnessing a little potato beetle baby actually stopping to “eliminate” (you choose the correct word of your choice…I can’t write any of them here!) right in front of me. I am learning an awful lot about bug digestion in this job. Not sure what I think about that self-development area….
Starting life as a Purple Potato.
The Market is now open for some herbs and the leafy things.
Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.
Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .
Recipes for your consideration
Cabbage is loaded with good stuff; phytonutrients, anti-ulcer properties, and lots of fiber. Serving as a cold salad is always nice, but if you’re looking for something simple to do to serve it as a warm sidedish, consider roasting it, inside or out!
1 Head of Cabbage, sliced into wedges or quarters depending on size
Note: Leave the dense stem intact and it will hold everything together until eating.
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lemon juice or seasoned rice wine vinegar, for drizzling (optional)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Slice your cabbage into wedges. Lay them on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Salt and pepper your wedges to taste.
Bake the cabbage wedges for 20 to 30 minutes until tender and golden brown in spots (baking time will depend on the thickness of the wedges).
Serve immediately. (Drizzling a little lemon juice or seasoned rice wine vinegar right before serving adds a nice kick!)
Alternative: Heat up the grill and keep the house cooler. Place the well oil-brushed wedges/quarters directly on the grill. Keep the flames low and watch closely; move to cooler rack if needed.
Napa cabbage works wonderfully with hot-cold salads of the Asian variety. With a nice marinated protein atop, this flavor-filled salad makes a full meal fairly quickly. If you are not familiar with ginger root, buy a small knuckle in the produce section of the grocery and store it in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer. I use a Microplane zester to quickly prep the root for use in all Asian dishes, straight from the freezer, no need to peel. Adds a sweet, tangy flavor to salads, stirfry, hot/iced tea, lemonade among other things.
Spicy Ginger Tofu-Noodle Salad
1 pkg firm/extra-firm tofu, rectangular ½ in cubes
2 Tbsp canola oil
6 Tbsp olive oil
6 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tsp minced/zested ginger root
4 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp pepper flakes
4 green onions or 1.5in bunch chives, chopped
1 package fine rice noodles (Asian section of grocery)
½ head Napa cabbage
1 cucumber, diced
Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil in large pan over medium-high heat; braise tofu, turning every few minutes once they are browned on each side. When well crisped, remove from heat, drain on papertowel.
Mix olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger root, garlic, sugar, chili oil and flakes, green onions/chives in medium bowl. Add tofu to marinate for a few minutes while you prepare noodles and cabbage.
Meanwhile prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
Slice/shred cabbage nice and fine. Place in bottom of large-ish sized individual serving bowls. Add a bed of noodles atop the cabbage.
Add tofu with marinade back to pan and heat through. Divide equally atop the noodle bed. Serve immediately.
Another twist on noodles and cabbage; a little more sedate.
3 Tbs olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, quartered
½ large head Napa cabbage, cored and cut into 1/2in slices
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbs dry sherry
1 cup vegetable stock
1 lb bite-sized noodle, cooked according to package directions
2 scallions or 1in bunch chives, chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds or cashews, coarsely chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned.
Add the cabbage, sugar, salt, and pepper and sauté over very high heat until most of the juices have evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the cornstarch mixture and stock and stir until the mixture boils and thickens.
Stir in the noodles and heat through.
Garnish with chopped scallions, nuts, and cilantro.
Adapted from: Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider
Did You Know…
Air is over 70% nitrogen. We fertilize naturally with nitrogen by enlisting little soil bacteria and several plants in the bean or “legume” family (either “cash crops” that you eat, or cover crops that the soil gets to eat.) Special rhizobial bacteria colonize the roots of legume plants and the plant, if happy with the type, actually set up a factory around the bacteria by creating a little nodule on its rootlets— meet, the nitrogen-producing team. These nodules range in size from a BB pellet to a kernel of corn. They turn pink inside when actively processing nitrogen from the nitrogen gas (N2) found in soil air-pockets. The bacteria contribute an enzyme that helps convert the gas to ammonia (NH3), which the plant uses to make amino acids, the building blocks for proteins. In return, the host plant supplies the bacteria with carbohydrates to fuel the N-fixation process. In annual legumes, N fixation peaks at the flowering stage, but remember, it’s all happening in the roots!
Subscription Box Highlights
Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:
Broccoli
Kale
Napa cabbage
Spring “regular” cabbage
Head lettuce
Salad mix
Garlic scapes
Dill weed
Chives
Start your meal planning now!
We hope to feed you soon!
Roger and Lara
**If you’d like to stop receiving emails, just jump into your account on the website (farmwlig.locallygrown.net, My Account) and scroll to bottom; check appropriate box.
CSA Produce Subscription Distribution -- Week 27
Your box for Week 27
Farm Where Life is Good
Produce Subscription (Week 27)
Ok, the rain stuff again…. (Can I belly-ache enough to jinx us into drought next season?)
Things are actually looking pretty good, considering. The hightunnel growth is absolutely incredible. A foot per week on the cucumber vines. How is that possible? Never mind the time-lapse camera setup, we can catch these puppies growing with the naked eye! Outdoor cucs are coming along too. The melons are just getting over their transplant shock and beginning to reach out a bit. The onions are looking absolutely fabulous! And the weeds are trying to conquer the universe! (But we have them in our sites.)
Your boxes will be in their respective drop site locations by 9am Wednesday. (Dropsite Location Details) Find the box with your name and have at it!If you have any questions, please call Roger on his delivery phone 626 488 5437 (if before 10a) and the farm phone 715 426 7582 (if after 10am).
Brassicas and leaves are the focus in your boxes this week!
Kohlrabi These little space-aged beasties are unique; good for fresh eating/snacking as well as cooking like broccoli (stir-fry) or potato (baked fries) among other methods! 
Broccoli More broccoli; hope ya’ll like broccoli. Lots of seeding and planting to make these little fellas produce prodigiously.
Mesclun Stick a handful or two in your morning fruit smoothie!
Lettuce, 2 heads Two different types, working thru the wide variety we have planted in the underwater field! 
Turnips, salad Another, probably last pearly white bundle for adding crunch to your salads.
Kale (Dinosaur) Potently wonderful dark green kale for green smoothies, lentil stew, or flavorful sesame-ginger wilted kale salad. 
Cabbage (Napa) Huge head of fluffy and crunchy, mildly mustardy Chinese cabbage that serves tasty fresh salads/coleslaw as well as satisfying Asian-style noodles/soups/stir-fry.
Baby leeks These little fillies are long in the field, surviving the winter. Unfortunately they are also entering their second year growing and thus going to flower. So, they have a firm central stalk (looks like a garlic scape in the field; same family) inside the layers of leek leaves. Not grocery store approved, but I couldn’t bear to toss such nicely savory seasoning. Slice lengthwise, rinse the layers well and then chop and use like onion in all of your cooking. They keep quite well too; store relatively dry in plastic. 
Cilantro I have been made aware there are two types of people— those who relish cilantro with intensity and those who categorize it with dishwashing soap. Sorry to the later…I am one of the former!
Garlic chives I’m thinking about finely diced garlic chives with chopped cilantro in steamed rice with a pinch of sea salt and dollop of olive oil. Mmmmm, harvest night’s dinner indeed!
Sage Just in case you need an herb with depth for a rich bean stew for a rainy evening! 
Recipes for your consideration
A quick-reference chart for Green Smoothies from simplegreensmoothies.com
Here’s an easy and tasty recipe for a sweet green morning or afternoon boost.¬
2-4 cups lettuce, kale leaves, or spinach
3?4 cup water (if using all fresh fruit, consider ice cubes instead to make a nice cold drink)
3?4 cup orange juice or peeled orange w/ seeds removed
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1-2 bananas (fresh or frozen)
Handful raw walnuts, pecans or almonds
Add more water to adjust thickness to preference.
Place first two ingredients in a high-powered blender and let ’er rip! Then add fruit and nuts and repeat. Drink one-a-day to keep the cravings away!
For beginners, choose lettuce as your “green” and use less. Your tastebuds will become accustomed to more green as you go.
We need to spread the cilantro around! Whip up this salad dressing for leafy greens, potato salads, pasta salads, cabbage salads, etc.¬
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp sea salt
Pinch ground black pepper
Alternate: 1/4 cup garlic chives in place of garlic cloves
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
From: The Saucy Vegetarian by Joanne Stepaniak
_Polenta is THE versatile staple. Seasoned nicely with leeks, you can eat it soft as described here; or you can spread the leftovers in a baking dish (1/2" thick) and let it cool. Cut it like brownies and store in fridge. You can fry it up for breakfast the next day! _¬
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 large leeks, sliced lengthwise, rinsed and sliced crosswise
2 1/4 cup water
2 cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf (or try a couple of fresh sage leaves)
1 cup dry polenta
1/3 cup grated parmesan-flavor vegan topping (Galaxy Foods)
1 Tbsp margarine
Sauté leeks in olive oil over medium heat. Cover and cook until leeks soften, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups water, broth and bay leaf.
Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mixture is thick and creamy, stirring often and thinning with more water if necessary, about 35 minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in 1 tablespoon margarine and grated parmesan-flavor vegan topping. Season polenta to taste with salt and pepper. Divide polenta among plates.
_ Adapted from Bon Appetit_
Everyone feel free to add your favorite recipes to the website.
For Your Listening Pleasure
If you haven’t heard any of them yet, have a listen to some TED talks.
" TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. "
Informative, funny, ingenious, creative. Much better than the reality TV show du jour!
Farm News
“Workin’ hard…workin’ Saturdays!” (Reference anyone?)
The wet fields are making it ever more difficult to get any direct-seeded crops into the ground, let alone the transplants. I fear a dirth of herbs and roots coming soon. Luckily most of what we do are transplants, and we have been cramming them in right an left on sunny days.
First high tunnel cucumber of the season, shared amoungst the harvest crew.
The first go-round of cover crop and mulch production in the fallow fields just got mowed. The mulch will be used for the outdoor peppers, eggplant and melons. The fields will be turned under and replanted with the summer cover, buckwheat. Bees are anticipating the bounty as we speak!
John running the sickle-bar mower on the 2-wheeled tractor; Rog is still “on the bench”.
Please bring your boxes back this week. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (thanks!)
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.
Roger and Lara