black kettle farm

community supported agriculture

week 6

july 19 & 20

today’s harvest

2 heads lettuce

1 bunch chard

1 bunch kale

1 bunch herbs

asian eggplant

cucumbers

zukes and summer squash

Black Kettle Farm…let’s do the numbers!

The Black Kettle Farm property is 12 acres. Vegetables are grown on 2 acres, with another 2 acres in soil building cover crops and the remaining 8 acres are meadows and woods.

Black Kettle Farm has been in existence for 3 years, but this is year number 1 on the current (and permanent!) property.

There is work to be done! So we have 2 tractors, 1 greenhouse, 1 barn, 2 ever cranking wells, 1 cute farm house and 1 crumbling garage.

The farm hosts 3 beautiful pigs, 3 old, but pumping pear trees, 7 brand new, but spry apple trees and 1 sassy peach tree.

Black Kettle grows 40 different vegetable crops. This produce feeds our 40 member CSA that reaches 46 households, and 5 restaurants on a consistent weekly basis. The farm also makes it to 1 farmer’s market, every single Saturday in Portsmouth, NH. There are 19 weeks in the CSA season, which means fresh, local veggies for 5 months, and over 1,000 bunches, pounds, and heads of all that Kettle love!

Cucumber Salad

Gourmet | December 2008

2 slicing cucumbers (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds total)

* 1 tablespoon sugar

* 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

* 2 teaspoons grainy mustard

* 1 head crisp lettuce

* 2 tablespoons mild extra-virgin olive oil

Cut cucumbers into thin (1/16-inch) rounds. Toss with 2 teaspoons salt in a colander, then drain 30 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from cucumbers.

Whisk together sugar, vinegar, and mustard in a large bowl, then stir in cucumbers. Marinate, chilled, at least 2 hours.

Drain cucumbers, reserving marinade, and mound on lettuce. Whisk oil into reserved marinade and drizzle over salad.

******Jazz up this super simple, tasty pleaser with lentils for protein, scallions for some zing or parsley just because.

Thai Eggplant Dip

Asparagus to Zucchini

Makes ~2 cups

1 eggplant 1 Tbs. sesame oil

3-4 cloves garlic

1 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro

1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. soy sauce

salt to taste

2 Tbs. rice vinegar

pita bread

Cut off eggplant stems. Pierce eggplant several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and cook in a 350o oven until very soft, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, remove skin. With the motor running on a food processor, add garlic and ginger and mince. Add eggplant and whirl until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except bread. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze. Serve with warm pita bread triangles.