2024 CSA Farm Update: Week 9
Hello everyone and welcome to week 9 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. We had some wonderful rains this past weekend that broke our dry spell on the farm. Summer weather is so interesting to watch. Friday evening, my son Charlie and I were out in the fields hoeing the fall fennel and were observing the different cloud formations around us. To the Southeast, the sky was dark, and the clouds were low. To the Northwest the sky was clear with no clouds except a clear line between the two weather fronts. Gradually the wind picked up from the Southeast and brought the clouds overhead, releasing a very brief downpour of rain. As we took cover, Charlie noticed the shapes of the clouds. At first, we had a lion floating over the farm, then gradually the formation changed shape into a dragon. Then little by little all of the clouds dissipated for the evening, only to return in the night, giving our crops a much need drink.
This past weekend, the farm hosted the GP Summer Picnic. There was much food and fun enjoyed by all. What I enjoy most about the picnic is hearing how people connect to the farm. Some people have cherished memories from the past that the farm reminds them of. For others, Katchkie Farm is their first experience of being on a farm. Somehow, this farm takes visitors out of their day-to-day lives and stirs up something beneficial in them. There is something very unique about a farm, it is nature, but it is also our interaction and working with nature that create the farm landscape. Each farm will have a unique expression of how those two worlds meet. I have to say as a farmer, it is both terrifying and rewarding to have visitors on the farm. The terrifying part is more from the experience of people seeing a work “in progress”. The part I enjoy the most about visitors on the farm is how they can still connect with what the farm is on that day. They seem to look past the weeds, and crops to find something that speaks to them. Stewarding that opportunity for others is a joy.
The crops are coming along well. We have had a few run ins with woodchucks eating our young cabbage transplants and the crows are still quenching their thirst with our tomatoes. This week I plan to put out “bird scare tape.” It is essentially vhs tape with an extra shiny coating. It may deter them enough to get us through tomato season, or at least it will give them a good laugh! This past week, I made my final seeding of beets for the season. This was not just any beet, but the much sought after, Badger Flame beet bred by Ian Goldman. We have had one very nice crop over the past two seasons, but I have not figured out how to get it to produce consistently well on our farm. When it is grown well, it is a large cylindrical bight orange beet with an almost apricot like sweetness. I recently gave up on attempting to get hibiscus to flower in our climate. Maybe this is my new white whale? We will see what comes of them this October.
Delicious Recipes to Try
Broccoli, Corn, & Cherry Tomato Salad with Balsamic-Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients (serves 6-8):
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, divided
2 heads broccoli
2 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup grass-fed plain yogurt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup basil, sliced into thin ribbons
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Bring a medium pot of water with 1 teaspoon salt to a boil.
2. Cut small broccoli florets off stalks, and peel stalks into thin strips.
3. Add broccoli florets to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Strain out broccoli and rinse under cold water until cooled. Pat dry and set aside.
4. Slice corn kernels off cobs and add to boiling water. Cook for 1 minute, until slightly tender. Strain out kernels and rinse under cold water until cooled. Shake off excess water and transfer to a large bowl, along with shaved broccoli stalks, florets and tomatoes.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, thyme, oregano, pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
6. Toss salad with dressing and serve.