Stop by and say hello this Friday! We are harvesting kale, lettuce and possibly cauliflower. We also have fresh herbs and seedlings for sale. 3:00-7:00PM.

This time of year is always a challenging one at the farm. Certain crops which shall remain nameless, require countless hours a week to harvest. The humidity can make long days feel even longer for our staff and I won't even mention the weeds. The end of August is also the time of year when we have to say goodbye to team members like Adam as they head back to school. Adam was only with us a short time but he contributed in a big way and he will be missed. We wish him all the best as he starts his freshman year at Marymount Manhattan College where he will be studying acting. I've enjoyed seeing the bonds that form between members of our farm family and I hope that they keep in touch with each other as they go out into the world.

Miraculously, the universe seems to send us help whenever we are short-handed and we hope to welcome a new team member to see us through the end of the season soon. In the meantime, our team is working harder than ever to bring the harvest to our members in time for each share distribution. Share distribution days feel a little like holidays. Holidays where you are hosting 40 of your closest family members and have about a day to prepare. On the menu is an incredible assortment of vegetables that includes everyone's favorites. The team moves at good pace to harvest everything on the list by about 2:00 or so and then starts the final preparations that can include rinsing root vegetables, bagging potatoes, bringing bins and bins out of cold storage and counting to determine share sizes. Time seems to speed up in the hour before pick-ups start so we appreciate the patience of members who may arrive early.

Our farm team starts at 7:30 each day and work well into the evening. Members who live very close to the farm may hear Kevin in the field spraying in the field at night. He regularly sprays a cooper solution approved for organic farms on crops like tomatoes, pepper and squash to keep diseases like cucerbit downy mildew and late blight at bay. He waits until the sun goes down because the winds typically die down at night thus improving the amount of solution that gets on the plants. I suppose at some point, it wouldn't be the end of the world if he accidentally forgot to spray the summer squash...although I do have to make at least one final batch of zucchini bread one of these days.

We don't often have a lot of time to prepare food this time of year but we are trying to enjoy as much of the harvest as we can. Two years ago, one of our members gave me the following recipe for salsa verde that I pull out whenever we have ripe tomatillos. Thank you Brenda!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

1 pound tomatillos (about 15) husked, rinsed and roughly chopped
3/4 of a regular sized ancho pepper
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (1 bunch)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree but not too much. This is an all purpose salsa verde but we just enjoy it with tortilla chips.

If your share size is less than a pound and you would like to try this recipe, you can feel free to take extra if they are available!

It's a share distribution day and the team is hard at harvest. This week, we are thankful for rain showers and mild temperatures. We are also thankful for a strong core team and for the folks who pitch in when their busy schedules allow. People who find themselves with a few extra hours a week and choose to spend them working at the farm. People with full plates who opt to make them even fuller by offering up a few hours to help harvest, hoe rows and plant seedlings in the hot summer sun. I continue to be amazed not only by the dedication of the team we have but by their cheerfulness. Their laughter is often carried by breezes into open house windows and I can't help but smile to myself.

On our Table: When the first batch of zucchini bread came out of Sue's oven, she drove the still warm loaves to the farm to share. Here is her recipe. There is a small batch of loaves for sale at the market table today. It's the best zucchini bread you'll ever taste. I wonder if the local police have ever been dispatched to break up a fight over zucchini bread? Please no pushing.

A very Happy Fourth of July weekend to all!

Working on a farm, there are constant reminders of the past. The earth itself offers clues. Arrowheads have been found in the fields. Bits of old brick, glass bottles and pieces of oyster shell that was once put on the field by Kevin's Grandfather to help balance the soil pH. Adding to that in more recent history, rocks that bear the marks of the blades of the tiller driven over the fields by Kevin and his father. It's so exciting to join the ranks of stewards of this little piece of land. A role we recognize as temporary and one that we take very seriously. We are incredibly grateful that these last remaining acres of the farm have been preserved and we are working hard to make it a success. As a newcomer to farming, that cup of switchel was particular sweet. To me, it was like a toast to life on a farm and a sip of the past. Kristin, thank you for sharing!

As we finalize our planting schedule for the year, I am petitioning for baby beets, dandelion greens and mini decorative pumpkins. I am also urging restraint in the area of summer squash - reminding Kevin there actually is such a thing as too much of a good thing. We're planning to have more pickling cucumbers and hope conditions are right to plant Brussels Sprouts earlier. Also new this year, dill!

Seed deliveries are always exciting, especially when other signs of spring are slow coming. Curly leaf kale seeds are once again in low supply. Seed companies are blaming a "crop failure" for their inability to stock the popular winterbor variety but we're determined to keep searching. Unfortunately, the cost of seeds continue to rise year over year.  We try to save any unused seeds from one year to the next but mice got into them this year and rather rudely enjoyed an expensive snack.

Last week, Rutgers Cooperative Extension specialists and agents of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) hosted a meeting to discuss organic agriculture in New Jersey and talk about the resources available to support organic farmers. It was a nice opportunity to see some other local farmers, talk briefly about the year ahead and exchange information. For instance, the basil downy mildew that has been affecting crops on local farms over the past few years does not yet have an organic answer. The solution for organic farms is to plant and harvest their basil earlier in the season, before the plants have a chance to be affected. Another solution that was mentioned was growing the basil crop in pots and moving them inside at night. Interestingly, lemon basil does not seem to be affected.

We love the farm but taking a day away every now and then is nice. Last Saturday we drove to Lancaster to attend our first Mud Sale, an Amish auction of farm equipment, horses, tools and antiques.  We didn't purchase any equipment but we did bring home two picnic tables that are just perfect for the farm. The event lived up to it's name - the "aisle" in the photo below was one of the more passable ones. A lot of the equipment for auction was fitted with steel wheels and made to be pulled by horses but it was still interesting to know what certain pieces of second-hand equipment sold for since we may be looking to buy similar items in the future. It was cold and raining but fun and we can honestly say the steaming hot chicken corn chowder was some of the best we've ever tasted!