P i c k l i s t
Roma (red and gold) tomatoes - corn - carmen peppers - melon -
Edamame - cherry tomatoes - garlic - hottie pepper - parsley - oregano & thyme
This week in farming has been an absolute joy. Since June we’ve spent our time simultaneously planting, weeding, and harvesting, which is always a lot to keep up with and at times totally overwhelming. For example, throughout the season we seed multiple lettuce plantings, brassicas, cucurbits, etc. and these succession plantings are tended and dealt with, while also picking strawberries, blueberries, and every summer veg imaginable. But this week we seeded our last bit of field radishes, and spicy greens, and planted our last tunnel (for Fall CSA harvest). ACTUALLY, I am second guessing myself, I bet we set aside a few more greenhouses for deep Fall veg. Regardless, there was a shift of activity. We are no longer attempting 10 tasks in a day. Huge relief!
Also, with the cool nights and the early moonrise, the weeds are slowing down giving way to just harvesting- that’s it. That is all we have to do, just pick all day. There is a lovely vibrant feeling that comes with the act of outdoor, sunshiny, monotonous tasks that require very little direction. Oh to spend the afternoon in the fresh air filling bushel after bushel! Right now, it’s the best. Bonus points if you happen to be doing said task proximity to a watermelon field. All this said, I need yall to know that this very pleased farmer can turn less than thrilled in a heartbeat if the forecast turns and calls for cold and rain. But for now, the days are pure gold. And at the end of summer when our bodies are cooked, and our brains are fried, weeks like this are the best.
So what are we picking? How do we fill our afternoons? Our focus this week has been on winter squash and carrots. Pick’em/ bushel’em/ bin’em/ and store’m on repeat. Are we smooth sailing? I don’t want to jinx us, but it sure seems like we are close.
FARMY FOODIE PRO-TIPS:
Ripe for the grill: corn - roma tomato - garlic - peppers
PARSLEY/ OREGANO/ THYME/ GARLIC/ TOMATOES OF ALL SIZES?!?
This obviously calls for roast and sauce. SEE WEEK 8 CSA BLOG POST for Mitchel’s how to… and use all the herbs :)
Nancy’s New England Corn Chowder Makes 6 servings
MITCHEL’S NOTES (it’s been 13 weeks of fab recipes, he needs no introduction now)
https://substack.com/@kitchensense/p-148722323
This recipe comes from my friend Nancy Harmon Jenkins, a native of Maine, who knows her way around chowder. She adds cooked beans and sliced cherry tomatoes when the mood strikes. You can subscribe to her On the Kitchen Porch newsletter on Substack.
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 ounces bacon, pancetta, guanciale, or ham fat, cut into tiny cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
3 or 4 ears fresh corn
Pinch red chili powder or flakes
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 cups light chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or crème fraiche
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, tarragon, thyme and/or dill
Combine the butter and a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry until the fat renders and the remaining bits brown and crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove the crisped bits and set aside. Add the onion to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 4 or 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, so they begin to absorb the flavor of the fat.
While the potatoes and onions are cooking, heat a large frying pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using your preferred method, cut the kernels from the cobs—I slice them off the cob over the pan, which I probably shouldn’t advise, but it works for me—and add to the pan. Using a spoon, scrape the cobs to extract any milky liquid—something I’ve never done before Nancy told me to do it—and add this to the pan, as well. Cook the corn kernels, stirring often, until they begin to caramelize and brown slightly, 7 or 8 min utes. A starchy film will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring. Once browned, add a generous pinch of salt and a less generous pinch of chili. Add the juice of a lime, and then transfer everything into the saucepan with the potatoes and onions.
Put the corn pan back on the stove over a medium-high flame and add about half the stock. While it boils, deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon so you get all that flavorful corn goodness that was stuck to it. Pour this into the pot as well, along with the remaining stock. Let simmer a few minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the milk and cream, the bay leaves, and a generous amount of black pepper, and continue cooking for 15 minutes or so until everything comes together. Stir in the chopped herbs. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve.
EDAMAME: BOIL FOR 5 MINUTES/ SALT/ EAT THE PEAS RIGHT ON OUT