1 head lettuce
1 bunch kale
2 bunches herbs
broccoli
green beans
sweet peppers
eggplant
potatoes
tomatoes
Hallelujah, give thanks and praises, deep breath of gratitude, we have made it to late August! We are eating broccoli and tomatoes. The sun has done nothing but shine, the evenings are gorgeous and tranquil and the veggies are flowing. August is always the best time of the summer, spilling into the best time of year, golden, crispy autumn, but let’s go ahead, totally own it and make a major definitive statement, this has been the best August EVER!
Deep in the time of Leo and under this strong, strong Blue Moon, Black Kettle Farm cruises along, every day different, bouncing from one drama (the wheel finally fell off the truck!) to the next, coinciding with victories (record breaking market days!) taking pride in our work, loving our farm friends and neighbors and having hilarious, fun times.
So at this point, everyone gets it, right? It’s just 4 chicks running this farm and making this 100 member CSA, farmer’s market and restaurant sales thing happen. So what do we really, really do??? Well..........
The farm crew meets every day at 7:00 AM in the barn. Monday is huge. After a super quick run down of our weekends, the awesomeness of the past market, how early we went to bed the night before, what the farm cats are up, how glorious the last sunset was etc. we get right down to business and gather ‘round the Things to Do List. We prioritize what needs to happen in the field and then do a major scheduling session for the week. Who’s on pig chores, who is doing deliveries and most importantly, who is cooking farm lunch on Thursday. After that, we head directly to the field and look at the plants, reviewing, and usually adding to, the Things to Do List with a visual of it all. Then it is GO time: divide and conquer. Carmen hits the irrigation and fixes all the that is out of whack. Abi is a champion on the wheel hoe and cleans up aisles in a flash. Carly regulates the root crops and thins and weeds in record time. L.Neale puts around on tractors,leaves tools, hoodies and water bottles in random places and plans what the likes of you all will be eating for the week.
CSA harvest starts Monday afternoon and continues into Tuesday morning. That afternoon is a time of major activity on the farm, as 40 members breeze through the barn to get their produce and 9 members receive their shares at the Riverbend Wellness Center in Kennebunk. Wednesday morning rolls around and we go it all again, this time for the 51 folks in Portland and restaurant accounts. Boxes packed, the huge white van blasts outta the farm and hits the road to the big city. On Thursday we reel it all in and take stock of it all. Always a quality day where no one leaves the farm and we all feel happy inside, accomplishing another fabulous and veggie filled week of the CSA, complete with a big farm lunch on the porch. It’s no rest for the wicked, or the BKF farm crew, as the harvest bell rings early on Friday. We hit the field hard in the AM in anticipation of a rocking Saturday market in Portsmouth the next day. The walk-in cooler full of gorgeous produce and the van full of market gear, I set my alarm for 4:45 for the AMand the crew heads out for summer fun and adventures and/or a weenie roast in the back meadow. Somehow, in collaboration with the sun and the rain and the soil and the plants, we get it all done, the veggies happen and the weeks just fly on by.
Warm Green Bean and Potato Salad
- 1 pound new potatoes
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with 2 inches salted water. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high; add potatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, mashing potatoes slightly, until golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm. Add bacon to skillet. Cook until bacon is browned, about 3 minutes. Add green beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add to potatoes along with lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.
Parsley Hummus - www.nytimes.com
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 large garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half, green shoots removed
1/2 cup parsley leaves
Salt to taste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling if desired
3 tablespoons sesame tahini, stirred well if the oil has separated
Plain low-fat yogurt as needed
Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. Process until the garlic adheres
to the sides of the bowl. Turn off the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chickpeas, parsley
and salt to taste and process to a coarse purée. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Turn on the machine and add the lemon juice and olive oil with the machine running. Add the tahini and process
until the hummus is smooth. It should not be too thick or dry. If it is, thin out as desired with yogurt or water, or
with the broth from the chickpeas if you cooked them. Season to taste with salt. Scrape out into a bowl or mound on
a platter. Run a fork over the surface and drizzle with olive oil if desired. Serve with crudités or pita bread.
BKF Super Slow Roasted Tomatoes.......do this, it rules.
Heat the oven to 250 degrees.
Drizzle oil on a cookie sheet. Slice or cube tomatoes. Place on the cookie sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with salt
and pepper and toss on a few Sungold cherries for good measure.
Peel garlic and add whole cloves to the tomatoes. Place in the oven and let roast for hours, I think that 3-4 is ideal.
Return and enjoy the most delicious, sweet, carmelized, decadent tomatoes on the planet.
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