Newsletter - July 2nd

NICK’S FARM REPORT

Chickens on the brain…

July 2, 2010

Well, finally a break from the rain! We hope you are all enjoying a lovely weekend. We are glad to have some more time to seed and plant our next successions of lettuce, bok choi, onions, and more! It is also fun to watch the tomato and pepper plants putting on small fruits. I dreamed last night that some of the tomatoes were almost ripe, but in reality, we are still some weeks away from that.

In other exciting news, this week Nick found the first egg laid by our hens. The birds start by laying “practice eggs”, which are usually very small or very big, and are occasionally ridged from tip to tip. As they get older, the hens begin to produce eggs with more uniform shapes and sizes. We’ve had quite a struggle keeping the hens safe from our resident family of coyotes (a mom and three pups), but the hen-house that Nick constructed seems to be doing the trick. We’re also preparing to slaughter our flock of Cornish Cross chickens early next week, and a grateful to have a group of friends coming out to help.

Livestock certainly represent quite a time commitment, and on some days it certainly feels easier to weed the beets than to lug water to the birds or to chase after some errant hen. However, keeping livestock provides us with benefits in addition to just eggs or meat – we get manure as well! Because we follow sustainable growing practices, we use compost or manure rather than inorganic sources of nitrogen or phosphorus to fertilize our fields. The organic certifying bodies outline a strict set of guidelines to help us time the application of manure so that the foods we harvest are safe from pathogens.

There are a number of reasons why organic farms choose to use compost or manure. These types of fertilizers help to replenish organic matter in the soil. They also allow nutrients to become available to the plants slowly, reducing the runoff of nutrients such as nitrogen, which can cause imbalance in lake and stream ecosystems. Also, by using fertilizer that can potentially be produced on-farm (via chickens, for example) we work towards becoming more independent from outside inputs.

We’re looking forward to taking advantage of the manure produced by our chickens to help improve our soil fertility for the coming season!

In the CSA Bag This Week:

Kale – Kale can be used raw in a variety of salads (see recipe below). To store, rinse with cool water, shake dry, and place in a plastic bag or container in the fridge.

Snow and Snap Peas – Add to salads and stir fries. Store in the fridge.

Basil – Add to salads, pasta dishes, or just inhale deeply. To store, place the basil in a glass of water and keep it on your kitchen counter. Change the water daily.

Cucumbers – Add to any salads as a refreshing, cooling element, or let them star in their own salad (see recipe below). Store in the warmest part of your fridge.

Summer Squash – Great for grilling, either plain or marinated with your favorite vinaigrette. To store, place in a plastic bag in your crisper.

Green Onions – To store, cut off any part of the greens you will not be using and place in a plastic bag or container in the fridge.

Cabbage (Flat Leaf or Savoy) – We’ve included a recipe for an unusual and yummy cole slaw below. To store, place in a plastic bag in your crisper. Cabbage will keep for a long time, and if the outer leaves begin to yellow, just peel them away.

Nana’s Cucumber Salad

(This is one of my grandmother’s favorites)

Slice two cucumbers into rounds as thinly as possible. Slice green onions (I use 2-3 per cucumber, but you can omit them if you don’t like onions). Toss the cucumber and onion with: ½ c red wine or white vinegar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ c water, and ¼ c sugar. Cover and place in the fridge for two hours to overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Kale Salad, 3 Ways

Recipe courtesy of Linda Szarkowski, from the Glenwood Sunday Market

2 small bunches kale, stems removed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup diced, seeded tomato

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 dash cayenne pepper

1. Chop kale leaves into bite-sized pieces.

2. Place the kale in a mixing bowl along with the olive oil, lime juice, and salt, and toss well with your hands, working the dressing into the greens.

5. Mix in the cumin, cayenne, tomato, bell pepper, and avocado.

Variation #1: Substitute lemon juice for lime juice. Mix in 1/4 cup pine nuts & 1/4 cup golden raisins, soaked for about 10 minutes and drained. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Variation #2: Substitute lemon juice for lime juice. Mix in 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives & 1/4 cup diced bell pepper. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Cole Slaw with Peanut Sauce

Shred cabbage, and chop any additional vegetables you would like to add (green onions, pea pods, or shredded carrot are all good additions). You may also add a hand-full of uncooked, crumbled ramen noodles (sounds weird, but it is really good).

For the dressing, mix until smooth:

1/3 cup rice or cider vinegar
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Dash red pepper flakes

(for a peanut-less salad, omit the peanut butter)

Toss your vegetables and ramen noodles with the dressing, using enough dressing to coat. If desired, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or toasted chopped peanuts.