Our Farm Share Potluck was held last Saturday and a good time was had by all. Gathering with members who share a love of locally grown food is one of the highlights of our growing season. What an incredible feast! We are blessed to have such a wonderful group of people supporting our little farm. Most folks incorporated vegetables from their share in their dishes which gave the group a good opportunity to taste new dishes as well as popular favorites. The grilled eggplant roulade with curry cream from the Gershon family kitchen was among my favorites but really who could choose? There was eggplant Parmesan, kielbasa with sauerkraut and potatoes and Turkish braised green beans with greek yogurt. Confetti rice salad, peppers and sausage and my mother-in-law's red-skinned potato salad. Vegetable fritters with cilantro chutney (out of this world!), Aunt Ruth's Butter Beans and several other delicious contributions.

As we turn the calendar to October, our workload is finally slowing down to a more manageable pace. Referring to all the hard work over these past months, several members have asked me if it's all been worth it. The growing season is not yet over but there are several factors that lead us to believe the hours in the field have been time well spent. For example, members have told us they are cooking more and eating healthier because of their farm share. The knowledge that the vegetables from our little farm are in over 80 kitchens in the community every week is truly amazing. It's no secret that nutritious food contributes to good health and an overall sense of well being. If even a fraction of our members are eating better, than we will absolutely put that down in the PRO column. One member told us that his colesterol level has dropped 20 points over the summer!

Now Harvesting: Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Fennel, Eggplant, Peppers and Tomatoes.

We hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy the potatoes in their shares. These "Kennebecs" are a particularly good potatoes with thin skins and good flavor. Appelget Farm was once a large potato farm and our soil is particularly well suited to tubers. We also have the added fortune of having Kevin's father teach us what he's learned about growing potatoes over the years. Who would have guessed that the 50 year old burlap potato sacks in the barn would once again be put to good use?

Pick Your Own: GREEN BEANS and FRESH HERBS (Rosemary, cilantro,  thyme, chives and parsley.)

While you are out in the field, you may encounter grasshoppers, caterpillars and bees busy pollinating. I recently came across parsley caterpillars and was surprised to learn that they grow into the beautiful black swallowtail butterflies! Parsley caterpillars may be familiar to gardeners but I don't recall seeing them before. They may be here this year thanks to our first crop of fennel. They also like parsley, dill, and Queen Anne's lace but I have seen them sampling other things too. I never imaged the array of garden pests I would find at our farm. Earlier in the season, members of our team were equally fascinated and repulsed by the tomato hornworm. We do our best to keep at pests away but really, we are forced to share some of the bounty with the bugs.

Members are encouraged to get out in the field and pick their own green beans this week. We realize that schedules are often tight but this is one of the benefits of a farm share program. If you are unable to pick on your designated pick-up day, you are welcome to come on the alternate day. (Share distributions are on Tuesdays and Fridays). It's amazing how just 15 minutes in the field can miraculously erase a day of burdens.

As you plan your meals for the week ahead, check out a couple of our Potluck Recipes.

Italian Bake with Bell Peppers

3 pounds chicken breasts (cooked & cut into bite size pieces)

6 Italian sausage links (cooked & cut into bite size pieces)  - Mild is more popular with kids but this recipe works well with the hotter sausages too.

2 jars of your favorite seasoned tomato sauce (or fresh!)
1 pound of pasta (I used the twists called Gemelli)
1 large package of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 onion chopped
2 large bell peppers - red & green, cut into chunks

Cooked the chopped onions until brown. Combine the cut up chicken, onion, peppers and sausage.

Boil pasta and drain.

Mix pasta, sausage, onion, peppers, chicken and sauce.

Put in a large deep dish. If it won't all fit, make a little side dish to freeze for lunch later.
Top with cheese and bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Collards and Sweet Potatoes
From the kitchen of Peggy Redman

Our collards and sweet potatoes dish was pretty simple, but unmeasured.  I julienned 2 sweet potatoes and sautéed them in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until they began to soften.  I set them aside. Then I deveined and chopped the collards into pieces about 1” x 2”. I finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, sautéed them in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until the garlic just started to turn tan, then tossed the collards in the heated oil and garlic over medium heat just until the collards turned bright green and softened.  Normally I would have then added in the sweet potatoes and served the dish right away.  Instead we ate it at room temperature. We usually use ½ a sweet potato, 2 cloves of garlic, and 3 TB of olive oil, and plenty collards for 2 people.

If a family isn’t as fond of garlic as we are, you might want to use finely chopped ginger.

This recipe incorporates the 7-minute rule about green vegetables: chop your vegetables small enough to let them cook in less than 7 minutes, because after 7 minutes of heating they start to turn gray instead of green and get the taste familiar in overcooked brussel sprouts.

May your week be bountiful in all ways!

Members have been eating a lot of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers lately!
The plants are thriving and we continue to harvest from them each week. On very large farms, an entire field of a single crop is often harvested mechanically at the same time which destroys the plant in the process. I suppose this method is efficient in some regards, but a single one of these plants is actually capable of producing a lot of vegetables before it tires out. While harvesting by hand can be tedious and hard on the back, it's gentle on the plants which keeps them viable over the course of several weeks.

This viability often means an over abundance of crops since there is no way to turn a plant off or at least slow it down. Fellow farmer Helen Chandler's recent essay for Edible Jersey titled "Problem of Plenty" does a great job describing how it feels to have too much of a good thing. One obvious solution is cutting the plants out but this doesn't seem right given that so many people are hungry and in need of nutritious food. In the future, we can work to fine-tune our planting plans to provide only what our members need but for now, Kevin has been making regular trips to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen where a staff member told Kevin they provide over 1,000 meals a day. A good example of one way a Community Supported Ag Program also supports a community.

One local deer may have heard about our abundance and come to feast on our bounty as a decent sized buck has been hiding within the confines of our fence for days. Nothing quite tops off a long day like chasing a deer around the farm at midnight. This guy is full of bravado and actually stood his ground against Kevin as he approached him! I was not exactly thrilled with my assignment earlier this week to stand alone holding nothing but a flashlight in the lower pasture and point him toward the door if Kevin should successfully scare him in my direction but fortunately and unfortunately, he had other plans and disappeared into the cornfield for another night. If this guy knows what's good for him, he'll move on. Soon. Or there's going to be a venison share for those interested.

Now Harvesting: Beets, Eggplant, Peppers and Tomatoes. Potatoes and fennel will also be at the stand for members this week, a great combination (check out Ina Garten's recipe for Potato-Fennel Gratin).

Pick Your Own:
A fresh crop of green beans is up! From time to time, there are some available at the stand but this may be pick your your this week so plan to take a little time and pick!

IN THE HERB GARDEN: Rosemary, cilantro, sage, thyme, parsley and chives.

We still have plenty of beautiful bell peppers so I have the making of stuffed peppers simmering on the stove.  As for the rest of the week, I'd love to try Grilled Eggplant Paninis replacing the red peppers with figs from John's fig tree. Member Keith recently grilled eggplant and served it with figs at Ben & Uta's and I've been thinking about this combo ever since. I've yet to make Ratatouille yet this summer so that's on my wish list too. Along with a a couple quiet afternoons of sleeping children to accomplish it all!

We have so much gratitude for deeds large and small that's it's impossible to mention them all here. Thank you to John and Dave & Andrea for the fresh figs, a coveted delicacy in our household. Thank you to Kathy and Kenny for their help with farm work while they were visiting on vacation, it was wonderful to see you. To Bruce for all the mowing he has volunteered to do this summer to help keep the farm looking great. To team members for pausing in their work to collect toads, grasshoppers and other farm life for the delight of our girls.

And finally thank you to members like Brenda for taking the time to share favorite recipes with us like this one! Please keep them coming everyone. People are running out of ways to eat eggplant.

RECIPE: SALSA PICANTE
From the Kitchen of Branda Stines

Ingredients

Place all ingredients (excluding lime juice and 1 can of tomatoes) in food processor and process until minced. Add second can of tomatoes and process until you reach the consistency you prefer. Combine mixture with lime juice and salt in bowl. Chill before serving and don't forget the chips!