It has been a month, we have had cold, and snow and some days we thought winter would never end. We are not into spring yet but look at the ten day forecast! The snow is going to melt this week. It is going to warm up considerably which means work will progress on the third tunnel we are putting up, the beds will be prepared in tunnels 1 and 2 and seeds will be started. Spring is coming!

Planning for Spring

Good Evening,

Planning for spring is happening. Seed Catalogs, garden maps, equipment brochures, there is so much to do!

Beautiful Fall Weather

After some nasty weather and rain last week, we are basking in wonderful warm sun. This week we'll work on some fall tillage/cover cropping and work on finishing up the rest of the potato harvest. New carrots planted in August are ready as well as some wonderful fall greens, and those white turnips we love are the size of marbles. The peppers are steadily turning orange, yellow and deep red and the tomatoes continue to produce. What's not to love about Fall? (maybe those pesky Asian Lady Beetles)

I've been trying some new recipe ideas and thought I'd share some of them with you.

When working with hot peppers please be sure to protect your eyes with goggles or glasses - wear gloves and don't touch your eyes. If you don't wear gloves, you may experience numbness in your fingers after handling peppers and still transfer "heat" to your eyes even after washing your hands several times.

Jalapeno Cornbread

(you could also just take your favorite cornbread recipe and add 3-4 finely chopped jalapenos)

1 1/2 c. cornmeal

1/2 c. unbleached white flour

6 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. olive oil

3-4 jalapeno's seeded and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9-inch baking pan or muffin tins (for 12 muffins). Mix dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and blend well. Add the jalapenos and mix to coat (this keeps them from all floating to the top during baking). Add buttermilk, egg and oil. Stir just until moistened.

Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes. Fill muffins 3/4 full and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with butter and maybe a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

This weekend I was inspired to make use of a lot of cayenne peppers that I had left over after market. I actually tripled the recipe. The result was spicy, but not overpowering. I decided that it would make a great "spicy ketchup". Good on potatoes, eggs, etc. I didn't have quite enough tomatoes so I threw in some chopped up carrots. I also strained it through a fine sieve when it was finished to remove the seeds and bits of pepper and tomato skins. You could do this with just about any kind of hot pepper.

Cayenne Pepper Sauce - from ehow.com

1 lb. cayenne pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 slice onion

1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 can diced tomato (28oz) I just chopped up some fresh tomatoes

1 cup cider vinegar

7 oz. water

1. Cut off the pepper stems and cut the peppers into thin slices

2. Combine all ingredients in a large heavy pot and boil for 1 hour.

3. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Remove from heat and cool.

4. Process cooled mixture in blender until smooth. Pour through a sieve to remove seeds and skins.

5. Return the mixture to the pan and bring to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat.

6. Pour finished sauce into a clean glass jar after it cools and store in the refrigerator.

2nd last

Hi

In your box or bag this morning you found some of the following;

zucchini*

tomato

cherry tomato

peppers

leek*

sweet potato

potato-maris piper

garlic*

thyme

carrots

* whole/full share only

Maris Piper potatoes are a favorite in the British Isles. We grew them instead of Kerr's Pink which we had in other years, they are popular in Ireland. Both are well regarded for making roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes. Unfortunately they developed a scab this year from something in the soil. We peeled ours and they cooked up just fine.

The seeds we put in the tunnel last week have germinated and are up and growing! We are looking forward to fall salads and greens. Tonight we seeded spinach, turnips, radish and lettuce outdoors. The Farmers Almanac says that we will have a warm fall so we hope they are right!

One more week of the summer subscriptions!

Feels like Fall

School has started again, and the temps. the next few nights will give things that "fall feeling". I think I'll need to get out some moth balls as extra insurance against all of the moths that have been sneaking into my house. Every time someone comes to the door, we all rush to turn out the lights to try to keep them from coming in again. John has been seeding cover crop on newly tilled areas as things dry out. Tomorrow afternoon the tunnel will be ready for seeding some fall crops. John and the girls pulled shade cloth over the tunnel last week to bring down the soil temperature enough to allow seeds to germinate. After things germinate and are up and growing, the shade cloth will come off again to allow maximum light in for growth.

I have been spending some time indoors canning spaghetti sauce. Last year we managed to empty the pantry of everything tomato so it is time to replenish the stock. If you are thinking of doing some canning and would like some "seconds", just let us know and we would be happy to fill your order for a good price.

As you will notice from your share, the leek did manage to survive the floods of late July/early August. We are still holding our breath about the brussels sprouts though. While some of the seeds we planted before the really big rains did survive, many washed away or did not survive the muddy conditions. Waiting for things to dry up has created a rather large gap in our succession planting schedule.

This week in your share.....

Leek - remember to cut it up in little "circles" and then throw it in the sink for a good rinse. Then enjoy sauteed in your favorite dishes...eggs, stir-fry, soups...

Lettuce - sweet summer crisp

Celery - there is no match for the flavor of home-grown celery. It is not the prettiest, but the flavor is intense and is great in soups and other dishes. Store it wrapped in a bag in the fridge OR wash, chop, bag and toss it in the freezer for convenient use anytime.

Tomatoes - cherry and regular

Peppers - green and some jalapenos - try these stuffed with cheese and baked or grilled for a zesty treat.

Potatoes -

Squash - acorn or carnival(looks like acorn but more colorful)

Parsnips - in the whole shares - these are a great addition to soups and stews, and are also wonderful fried in some butter.

Have a great week!

August 18 already!

The college students left for vacation before school starts up again several weeks ago and now our high school students are talking about being in school next week! Time flies.

This week we have been able to roto-till some ground, burying some rotted plants and weeds. We are incorporating some manure/compost and we will seed some cover crops for green manure.

In the boxes/bags this morning we had;

Filet beans

onion

garlic

potatoes, red thumb fingerlings for full shares, pink pearls for half shares

peppers

tomatoes

cherry tomatoes

beets

basil (full shares)

squash either an acorn, delicata (bright, colorful shaped like acorn squash) or spagghetti (oblong pale yellow)

carrots

eggplant

Pull Those Weeds!!!

It has been a busy week. We were able to spend the weekend with John's parents and celebrate Dad's 83rd birthday. Crossing the state Monday, we saw lots of flooding and areas of standing water and just today viewed pictures of the flooding in the Ames area.

As usual, the work doesn't disappear when you leave for a few days and since the ground hasn't dried up enough yet to hoe, the crew spent the day pulling weeds in the beet rows keeping them from being overcome and digging carrots. Does anyone have any creative ideas for dealing with mosquitoes? I am not a fan of bug spray and would love to hear your ideas.

Pesto - last week you had basil in your share. If anyone is interested in doing some pesto for the freezer, we have lots of basil ready right now - let us know if you'd like a larger quantity. Freeze it in ice-cube trays and then you have an easy way to add a burst of flavor to your favorite dishes this winter. right now we love pesto with pasta served with chopped fresh tomatoes on top.

We keep trying to do our best to bring you variety in your share despite being unable to do any planting due to weather conditions.

This week in your share....

Peppers

Tomatoes

Carrots

Parsley - keep it wrapped up in the fridge. Saute some in a little butter or olive oil and toss with your potatoes.

Potatoes - Austrian Crescent Fingerlings - these are a great roasting and salad potato - also nice for slicing in thin rounds and frying.

Green Beans

Garlic

Onion

Lettuce - a little dirty from mud splash up, be sure to double rinse it. Then how about some BLT?

Pickling Cucumbers - peel, slice, chop - great flavor for salads or just eat them plain

Whole shares also have a few ears of sweet corn - the last of the crop.

Yellow crookneck squash is definitely having a struggle - and seems to be losing the battle - hopefully we'll have some zucchini and patti-pan again later.

Have a great week.