Charmingfare Farm

Corn returns this week along with garlic and radishes among other vegetables. The peaches are starting to fruit and some will be available for you to take home this Wednesday. Summer squash is back once again. Try a little summer squash on the grill with this recipe:

Grilled Sausage with Summer Squash
Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. summer squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb. Italian sausage links (chicken or pork)
1/3 cup mixed herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, mint, and basil, chopped
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1 taplespoons capers, rinsed
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Prepare a medium-hot grill fire. Toss the squash with the olive oil in a medium bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill the squash and the sausage, turning frequently, until the squash is just tender and the sausage is cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. Cut the sausage into 1-inch chunks. Toss the squash and sausage with the herbs, olives, and capers. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Make sure to use those greens! When you cut the greens off of a vegetable like radishes don't just throw them out, they are just as edible as the vegetable itself. Here is a simple pesto you can make with your CSA garlic and radish greens:

Radish Leaf Pesto
Ingredients:
2 cups radish leaves
1 cup basil
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp almonds
1/3 cup olive oil plus more as desired (I use 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Combine radish greens, basil, garlic, almonds, and oil in a food processor and mix until well blended. Add more oil to thin to desired consistency. Stir in cheese. Add salt as desired. If you want to freeze your pesto for later then leave the cheese until until you are ready to serve it.

Cabbage is still available for those who want it. Zucchini, cucumbers, and our allstar lettuce mix will be back again this Wednesday so be sure to pick up some. Zucchini is great on the grill with summer squash and cucumbers are great in a cold soup or salad (make sure to use your lettuce mix).

Have a great week and great food this CSA week.

Summer squash and sausage recipe found here.

Everybody had some fun riding horses this past week at the Charmingfare Farm Summer Camp.

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Corn is finally here at this Wednesday's CSA. America's number one field crop is always a hit at the dinner table. Corn on the cob is a summertime classic but if you've had one too may barbecues lately then I suggest trying out this recipe:

Corn Chowder
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoon. yellow cornmeal
2 Cups whole milk
1 Cup chicken broth
1 pound white new potatoes, peeled and diced
2 ears’ worth of white corn kernels
chives, for garnish
In a medium (2 1/2 quart) saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium flame.  Add the celery, onion, and salt. Saute until onion is soft and translucent.  Add the cornmeal, milk, chicken broth, potatoes, and corn to the saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with chives.

While broccoli has gone by the wayside, we still have plenty of cauliflower for you. Broccoli's forgotten cousin, cauliflower is even more nutritious than it's fellow Brassica. Make cauliflower the focus of your dinner this wednesday with this vegetarian recipe:

Cauliflower Casserole
2-1/2 cups pasta
2 cups diced green beans
1 onion
1 cauliflower
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated swiss cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Cook pasta. Trim the cauliflower, separate into florets and wash. Dice peppers and onion. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a larger pan over medium heat. Stir-fry onion, green beans, and cauliflower for 5 minutes. In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and mix until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper. Mix in 1/2 cup swiss. Once melted, combine sauce, pasta, and vegetables in a casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake 30 minutes. Let cool and serve.

Green beans, zucchini, garlic, and summer squash will be available this week. I don't know about you, but when I see those vegetables together all I can think is "stir-fry". I suggest picking up some farm fresh eggs this Wednesday and making some stir-fried rice, I know I will.

A variety of lettuce mixes and fresh herbs will once again be available this week. On the herb front we have a lot of basil to give out this week. Basil is great in pasta among other things so why not pick up some basil and try your hand at drying your own herbs.

These and other surprises will be here waiting for you this CSA!

New England Reptile Distributors came to Charmingfare Farm today and everybody had a good time. Afterward the kids had some horse-riding fun.

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Beets—love 'em or hate 'em—will be available alongside several other great vegetables at this week's CSA. Beets have a bit of a bad reputation around these parts: a reputation not wholly justified. So if you grew up eating (and hating) canned pickled beets then pick up some fresh beets this week and give them a second chance with this recipe:

Stuffed Beets
Ingredients:
4 cooked beets
2 hard boiled farm fresh eggs
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse the beets and put them whole in a pan of cold water.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the beets are tender. Once the beets are tender, remove them from the water and let them cool a few minutes.  Their skins should slip off. Peel the beets. Cut a small slice on the bottom of each beet so they will stand. Hollow out the centers, taking care not to break the "shells." Dice the scooped out flesh and set aside. Scoop the yolks out of the hard boiled eggs and set aside. Finely chop the whites. Combine the diced beet, egg whites, onion and cilantro in a bowl. Whisk together the vinegar and oil in another bowl, stir in the egg yolks, and season with salt and pepper, then pour over the beet mixture. Fill the beet "shell's" with the mixture and season to taste. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

You probably know how cool and refreshing cucumbers can be. They are juicer than their appearance would lead you to believe. Cucumber's high water content is a little unusual for a vegetable. This is because—and I'm sure the real cucumber aficionados among you already know this—cucumber is actually a fruit. If this is news to you then try making this recipe with a whole new perspective:

Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Ingredients:
2 large cucumbers
1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (to toss with avocado)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint (measure after chopping)
1/2 cup crumbled feta (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt
Peel cucumbers, and scrape out seeds if they are large. Cut cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces and put in colander. Sprinkle with generous amount of salt and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, use paper towels to blot the cucumbers to remove the water and salt. While cucumber is draining, peel avocado and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Put avocado into large salad bowl and toss with the 1 or 2 tsp. lime juice. Wash mint and chop with chef's knife or mini-processor. Whisk together olive oil and lime juice to make dressing and measure 1/2 cup crumbled feta. Add drained cucumbers, mint, and dressing to avocado and combine. Then gently stir the crumbled feta into salad ingredients. Serve immediately.

If a fruit salad is not your thing, then don't worry! Between lettuce, radishes, cabbage pac choi, and broccoli, we have all the ingredients needed for you to make a salad your own way. Fresh garlic and herbs will also be available to spice up your meal whichever way you make it.

The tractor-train ride is back this week and will be departing at 4:30pm and 5:30pm. If you are curious what your vegetables look like in the ground or just want a sneak peek at what is yet to come then I highly recommend it.

I would like to make a little public service announcement before I finish this blog. Please do not touch produce unless you are going to take it. This is for health reasons (we wouldn't want anybody to get sick). We also recommend bringing a cooler to make sure your vegetables stay cold on the drive back home.

I hope you all enjoy your produce and cook up with some delicious meals with this week's CSA.

Recipes found here and here.

Blueberries are sure to be a big hit this Wednesday. We have enough for everybody this week and I know I am excited. No other fruit can fit so well into so many different foods. I usually like to eat them raw, but with the summer heat I decided to find a recipe that was a little colder.

Blueberry Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups blueberries, rinsed and picked over
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
Juice of 1 lemon, about 3 tablespoons
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan, heat blueberries with 1/4 cup of sugar, stirring, until the blueberries pop and the mixture cooks down a bit, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely then refrigerate to chill. In a large saucepan, combine remaining sugar, lemon juice, cream, and milk; heat over medium-low heat until hot and it just begins to simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Do not let the mixture boil. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks; whisk about half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Pour egg yolk mixture back into the hot mixture in the saucepan and cook, stirring, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. A wooden spoon will look coated and when you run your finger over the coating, it doesn't run into the track your finger made. Strain the mixture into a bowl; chill thoroughly in refrigerator or an ice bath. Fold in the cold blueberry mixture. Freeze following ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions.

The selection of vegetables just keeps on getting larger. From cauliflower to green beans (and yellow wax beans for fans), every base is covered. Broccoli will be making a return this week alongside its cousin, cauliflower. Peas, a dinnertime staple, will be available and some garlic scapes are still left as well. If you have a grill, I recommend picking up some zucchini and summer squash and making this mouth-watering sandwich:

California Grilled Veggie Sandwich
Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1 cup sliced red bell peppers
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
2 (4-x6-inch) focaccia bread pieces, split horizontally
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside in the refrigerator. Preheat the grill for high heat. Brush vegetables with olive oil on each side. Brush grate with oil. Place bell peppers and zucchini closest to the middle of the grill, and set onion and squash pieces around them. Cook for about 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes. The peppers may take a bit longer. Remove from grill, and set aside. Spread some of the mayonnaise mixture on the cut sides of the bread, and sprinkle each one with feta cheese. Place on the grill cheese side up, and cover with lid for 2 to 3 minutes. This will warm the bread, and slightly melt the cheese. Watch carefully so the bottoms don't burn. Remove from grill, and layer with the vegetables.

As I said in my last post, you will not need any identification to pick up your share this week (or any other week), you will only need to check in at the sign up sheet in front. Also, if you would like something that we have run out of, please let us know and we might be able to get more for you. On more point of note, the tractor-train ride will not be running this Wednesday due to the heat. Make sure to eat great with the food you get this CSA.

Recipes found here and here.

I hope that you are all enjoying your fruits and vegetables from yesterday's CSA pickup. I would like to take this blog post to clear up a few things about yesterday. There was some confusion among our staff on the matter of checking in; you are not required to show photo ID or your CSA card to pick up your weekly share. You merely need to check in at the table before receiving your share. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Your CSA card will be required to take advantage of your free trips to the zoo for the duration of CSA. Remember, the cardholder must be present in order to get free admission into the zoo. Your three guests can be different every time but the cardholder must be present.

A lot of people have been asking about the Hakurei. What is it? How do you cook it? Why should I use it? Here is what I know about the Hakurei. A Hakurei is a kind of Japanese turnip. Raw Hakurei are crisp and juicy and go great in a salad. Hakurei turnips are juicier than normal turnips and often eaten raw although cooking them is not out of the question. I am sure some of our readers know more than I do, however, so if you have a favorite recipe for Hakurei turnips then post it below in the comments.

Berries, Broccoli, and herbs are the main course at this week's CSA. Sour cherries have been made available for those who requested them last week. The herb garden is brimming with growth so we encourage you to take your share of herbs. If you enjoyed those strawberries as much as I did last week then you will be delighted to know that they are available again this week. Longtime strawberry companion, rhubarb, will also be available. Try them together in this appetizing dish:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced strawberries
3 cups chopped rhubarb
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and ¼ cup flour; mix well. Pour into 9×9-inch baking pan. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar; cut in flour and oats. Sprinkle evenly over fruit. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into serving squares.

The broccoli lovers out there have something to cheer about this week. Fresh broccoli will be available to all full-share holders (we will have some for you next week, half-share holders). Whether eaten boiled, steamed, stir-fried, or raw, broccoli is tasty and good for you to boot. If you are not sure what to do with all your broccoli then try this recipe:

Broccoli au Gratin
Ingredients:
16 oz. chopped fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1-1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup vegetable stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
2 slices whole wheat bread
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1-1/2 or 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and red pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Heat flour and dry mustard in a large saucepan over medium heat. Gradually pour in milk and vegetable stock, stirring constantly until thickened, approximately 8-10 minutes. Stir in cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese until melted. Remove from heat. Pour over broccoli and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese over top

Blueberries will be available to full-share holders this week and half-share holders next week. Sweet yet healthy, blueberries make the perfect snack food.  Take these portable berries to work with you or on a trip out; you can even munch on some of your blueberries on the tractor-train ride. This Wednesday the tractor-train ride will be running not only to the gardens but also to see our Pinzgauer Cattle which are available through our livestock CSA.

Oregano is overflowing the farm this week and ready for you to take home. Pick up some oregano for the winter and try your hand at drying it. Dried herbs last longer and retain their flavor throughout the year.  For those interested in drying out their own oregano try this step-by-step guide.

Head lettuce and lettuce mix will once again be available this week. Perfect for a salad or a sandwich, lettuce has a multitude of uses limited only by your imagination.

We're sure that you will enjoy the delectable fruits and vegetables that have been grown for you this week. Remember, the bounty will only get better as the year goes on!

That time of the year is upon us again; it’s time for the first CSA pickup. Charmingfare Farm’s ripe fruit and vegetables are ready for you to take to your kitchen.

The When

CSA pickup will be from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Wednesday June 23^rd and every Wednesday for the remaining seventeen weeks CSA members and any three guests can also use their membership card to visit the zoo for free during normal hours.

The Where

Show up at the white tent located between the Gift Barn and the Horse barn in order to claim your produce. When you arrive you will be handed your new CSA canvas bag with which to hold your share.

The What

Assume we have NOT WASHED a thing! On hot days be sure to bring a cooler with ice.

Ripe and juicy Strawberries are the main attraction this Wednesday. Eat them plain or include them in a recipe; these red fruit are delicious in any configuration. Try this non-typical recipe to add some spice to your dinner:

Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and julienned

1/2 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and julienned

1/2 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and julienned

1/4 cup finely shredded fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place red onions, jalapeno pepper, bell peppers, cilantro, strawberries, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl, and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove the salsa from the refrigerator, so it loses some of its chill.

We also have a number of herbs and vegetables to satisfy your appetite. Garlic scapes are next on the menu. Garlic scapes are the curly green sprout that grows from a bulb of garlic while it’s still in the ground. Eaten raw or cooked, the mellow garlic taste and mild aroma make a great addition to any meal. Why not make this frittata at your next dinner party:

Garlic Scape Frittata

4 tablespoons butter

1 & 1/2 cups chopped garlic scapes

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup hot water

Salt and pepper to taste

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons heavy cream

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch skillet; add garlic scapes and scallions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add water and a pinch of salt. Cook covered over medium high heat until tender, about three minutes. Drain well and set aside on a plate. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with cream, and salt and pepper. Add remaining butter to skillet. When butter is melted, add greens and spread evenly in the skillet. Add egg mixture. Cover and cook over medium to low heat until top is set for about 2-3 minutes.

Garlic scapes will also go great with our large selection of lettuce. From Red Sales to Buttercrunch, this week we have the right lettuce for any dish. Toss the Elegance Green mix in a salad for a surprising blend of textures and flavors or let Mild Mesclun give your taste buds something to talk about.

Why not take a walk on down to the herb garden and pick up some fresh-cut herbs? Staff will be on hand to cut your selection of oregano, cilantro, garlic chives, rosemary, and thyme.

Once you’ve picked out your share you can take a trip on the tractor train ride to see the gardens. In the garden you can see all the great produce still yet to come this summer. Remember, the bounty gets even better as the season goes on!

The color green is out in full force today as the crops continue growing. The time for harvesting is coming ever nearer.

Next Wednesday is the first CSA pickup. CSA members get to pick up fresh vegetables from our garden every week.

If you have not yet signed up for CSA then it is not too late to do so. Eighteen weeks of fresh vegetables or naturally raised beef, pork, lamb, turkeys and chicken are only a form away.