CSA Members 2003: Newsletter Archive

Dear CSA Members,

It's Wednesday night and we have finished harvesting and packing the walk-in. Your boxes are safe and sound and for the first time in recent memory I have a little time to breath, at least until I turn the pump on in bit, so I decided to make use of this lull in the day and give a little more rambling update from the farm; a quarterly report of sorts since this week is the fifth delivery.

With some few exceptions everything is performing beautifully in the fields. The recent string of hot weather is pushing everything over the edge in terms of growth, especially the flowers and the summer crops like squash, beans, and tomatoes. But a picture is worth a thousand words, and only this morning I did a little tour of the farm with camera in hand. The new pics include some shots of us, so you can put a face to the farmers if we haven't already met, some very colorful shots of the flowers, and a bunch of photos of the crops and farm. If you haven't checked out the web site yet please do, these new pictures will be up in the next week (click for our slide show). The some few exceptions mentioned earlier are the onions. Not the alliums, (the family of plants to which onions belong), because we have beautiful leeks and some of the most outstanding garlic I have ever grown, standing next to green onions that don't seem to have grown since late April. Ah well, it's always something.

So much is happening this time of year that it is hard to stay focused in writing this. I mention garlic and want to tell you that we will be starting our harvest tomorrow, I write the word flower and find myself suddenly wanting to go on about the gorgeous planting of snap dragons we cut for this weeks bouquets. So many crops so little time. Oh, and the summer squash, and the beans, they have just begun to fruit! However believe it or not I had a few things in mind when I sat down at the keyboard.

First. Thanks again for your participation in our program. Your investment in the CSA has made it possible for us to accomplish the monumental task of resurrecting an old farm, and turning neglected pasture into neatly groomed fields. You own a share of this farm now, and can look forward to dividends that are beautiful, vibrant and healthful, not to mention delicious. To carry the analogy of share holding and the quarterly report a bit further: To date you have received about $125 worth of produce fruit and flowers, we keep an eye on this and, over the season, you will receive the equivalent of about a 10% discount on the price of your produce, or about $550 worth of vegetables and such. This is another way we can thank you for your investment and is calculated after any other discounts, such as full payment in advance. In this market that's not a bad return, but that is not the reason we do this. Your faith in us and in our farm is always on my mind.

Another way to show our thanks, and show off a bit, is our open house. Please mark your calendars for Saturday August 16th. We have about 65 members and also plan to invite our neighbors to come in and ask questions and tour the farm. Heidi and I will host, and will provide light garden fare like a huge tossed salad and some good local bread and fancy cheeses. This will be an afternoon affair and is historically scheduled for about 1 to 4. If you would like to make a day of it, the surrounding countryside is ideal for a bicycle ride, the farm is bisected by the South Fork of the Chehalis River and a person could easily spend an hour or more walking the banks, and the local towns of Centralia and Chehalis have a bit to offer as well. Centralia is home to the Olympic club, a beautifully renovated hotel, theatre and restaurant, thanks to McMenamins, and also has an unnatural proliferation of antique stores. Chehalis has a renovated theater as well and a recently reopened restaurant and lounge that is both casual and cosmopolitan, at least for Lewis County. We hope to see you and your family and will include directions and a more specific schedule in upcoming weekly notes.

And finally to this weeks produce. You will notice a quick reference list at the beginning of the notes this week, a great idea from one of our members. Now you do not have to wade through the weekly ramblings before knowing what else you might need on the way home from the drop or at the Market. The endive is the frilly loose head that closely resembles a lettuce. It is most often found used sparingly in salads, a recipe for braising follows. The other unusual item this week is bulb fennel. A Mediterranean staple, bulb fennel has a mild anise flavor that becomes subtler when cooked. The bulbs this week are small but the following recipe is worth every bit of effort. Might I also suggest saving some of the delicate fronds from the fennel and slowly sautéing them in a heavy skillet over low heat with some carrots. I would halve or plank the carrots and sauté them in ample butter over low heat slowly until they all but caramelize. Low heat is the key here. The fennel fronds may be added to the pan at the beginning and will impart a sweet flavor to the already sweet carrots, use only the most delicate fronds.

There is one more little story I would like to relate. As a child I grew up in an Italian household. This meant, among other things, that my father tended a small garden in the backyard (surrounded I recall, by old sheet metal, to keep the rabbits out), and had herbs planted around the house. He grew several vegetables and nearly all the greens for our dinner table. Greens like romaine and leaf lettuces, endive, and cress. He would also forage dandelion and wild onion from the yard. As a kid all I wanted was iceberg lettuce and can remember many dinner table debates regarding the merits of these bitter nasty greens over the succulent and flavorless crunch of my favored iceberg. These arguments often ended with one of my father's favorite quotes "You don't know what good is." Eventually I successfully petitioned for my own lettuce to be kept in the fridge along with a bottle of Catalina French dressing. This spared me from the usual leaf lettuce with fresh vinegar and oil dressing my father preferred. Well, things have changed and I now include a sharp green like endive, dandelion, or radicchio in many of our deliveries. My apologies to the iceberg fans who may be offended by these, but trust me, the merits of these greens are very real, both for their taste and health benefits. Many are potent antioxidants and I sincerely hope that you can appreciate them served as suggested or drenched in Ranch dressing I as may have done years ago.

Thanks for listening & enjoy your vegetables.

As always, please call or email us with any questions or comments.

Braised endive

Heat 1 T olive oil in a heavy pan. Sautee a bit of chopped garlic and some thinly sliced onion along with a generous few sprigs of Italian parsley until tender. Wash the endive by separating the leaves and dunking. Without drying the endive, quickly slice in 1-inch wide strips, turn up the heat a bit, and add the endive to the pan, covering so that you are steaming and sautéing both. When the endive is wilted, remove the lid and continue to sauté until all the moisture is gone. Salt and pepper to taste.

Baked fennel

Cut the greens from the fennel about two inches from the bulb. Carefully slice the bulbs through the stem so that you are left with thin flat planks. Steam these in a double pan until tender. This may take twenty minutes and I continually test for done with a fork. Remove the fennel and drizzle with olive oil. Place fennel in a pie pan or similar low baking dish and top with bread crumbs and bleu cheese. Bake in a 375 oven until golden brown.

About leeks

The leeks in this week's delivery can be used any where you use onions. They are better cooked than raw in my opinion, and are great baked. Just slice them thin the long way. Toss in olive oil and bake in a baking pan at about 350 until they are browned. They would also be good sautéed with this week's chard. I would probably start by heating a heavy pan with a bit of oil then adding the leeks either cut into rings or lengthwise and sautéing until tender before adding the chopped chard and cooking down. Dishes like this always benefit by the addition of some roasted hazelnuts or pine nuts.

Boistfort Valley Farm
426 Boistfort Road
Curtis, WA 98538
(360) 245-3796

website: BoistfortValleyFarm.com
email: please use our forms