Author: Core Group

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What’s in the Bag — Week 22

Dear CSA Member

After the storm and many people in the region are still trying to figure how to best manage. The farm was spared and we will be resuming deliveries this week. It rained only a bit and there was one windy night. As we get ready to make this weeks’ delivery, we hope that you have been able to also weather the storm.

The Vegetable Share this week is very large. The Fruit Share will be substantial for the remaining weeks. Our delivery truck will be packed full. This is also the Coffee Share delivery for November. Two more weeks of delivery after this, so if there are Market Place items you would like to order, please do so soon.

Richard Sandhaus, BetterCheaperSlower web based daily info, has made a wonderful recipe using beets and radish. To view the recipe go to www.BetterCheaperSlower.com/CrunchyFallSalad for the recipe, photos and details. There is also a delicious Beet Cake Recipe on the farm website, recipe link. I tried the Beet Cake recipe and substituted 1 cup of grated carrot, 1 grated apple and 1 cup grated beet in place of 2 cups beets. I think the recipe may even be able to use more than 2 cups of grated vegetables but I have not tried out this theory, yet.

New this week are Turnips with Greens. The Turnip Greens are spicy, mustardy tasting greens and should be removed from the turnip and cooked separately. Also new are Brussels Sprouts. They are just delicious. Cut the sprout from the stalk, remove any off colored outer leaves and rinse. Steam or sauté. There are a few crew members that thought they did not like Brussels Sprouts until they tried them fresh.

The Face Book photos are updated on Sunday.

Enjoy the vegetables.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Farmer’s Note — Week 22

This week’s full share is:

Beets-2 pounds
Carrots-1 pound
Brussels Sprouts-2 stalks
Butternut Winter Squash-2
Garlic-4 bulbs
Sage-1 bunch
Radish-1 bunch
Boc Choi-1 bunch
Potatoes-2 pounds
Parsley-1 bunch
Collards-1 bunch
Turnips with Greens-1 bunch

Fruit Share:
1 bag with Fuji Apples, Cortland Apples, Bosc Pears

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What’s in the Bag — Week 20

Dear CSA Member

Rain, rain, and more rain.  The fields are wet and muddy and so are we.  It seems fall has been making up for the lack of rain all summer.  The creeks are full again and the trees must be drinking in the moisture, but it makes for tough picking.  The updated farm Face Book page has photos of the farm during this wet fall weather.  There are also photos of Collards being picked for this week and the Pop Corn.  I have been keeping up with the changing weather and also the changing weeks by updating the photos weekly.  The Face Book site is https://www.facebook.com/StoneledgeFarm if you have not been to the site yet.

We are gleaning the fields, harvesting all of the crops that we can, and then discing the soil.  A cover crop of Winter Rye is seeded and the land is once again ready for winter.  The Winter Rye continues to grow even in the cold, the soil is never really resting.  Just because we can not see growth, there is more life and activity under the soil.

New this week is Pop Corn. It is great to have Pop Corn to send to you. Birds love the small seedlings as they emerge and learn just how to pluck them from the soil.  After a year of planting and then re-planting after birds ate every emerging plant, we stopped for the last couple of years.  The farm has grown and now we have fields that are closer to where we work on a daily basis. Although the birds did take more than their fair share, we have a very good harvest for the CSA members as well. To use fresh Pop Corn take the husk from the cob if it is still on. Let the corn sit for two weeks in a dry spot.  We have been drying the corn in the greenhouse, but the moisture just does not fully leave until the corn is kept inside. After a couple of weeks, take the kernels from the cob by pushing them off with your thumb. Once you get a row going, the others will be easier to remove. About 1/2 of the ear of corn is a good amount to pop at once.  Heat a pot with a cover and a dribbling of vegetable oil. Add the kernels and cover.  You will hear the popping start and then slow.  Take from the heat, add butter and salt if you would like.  Fresh Pop Corn is just delicious.

Honey in a one pound jar is just perfect for holiday gifts for teachers, baby sitters, friends.  Maple Syrup is so sweet and such a treat.  Apple Sauce and Pear Sauce have only fruit with no other ingredients added.  The Fresh Salsa is really delicious.  The weeks are slipping by and we are already on week #20.  To place a Market Place order just log into your account from the farm website home page.  Your order will be delivered with the CSA shares.

Enjoy the fall, the rain and the vegetables.
Deborah
for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Farmer’s Note — Week 20

This week’s full vegetable share is:
Potatoes-2 pounds
Mizuna-1 bunch The Mizuna is very tender and sweeter than spring time planting. Makes a great salad ingredient.
Garlic-2
Collards-1 bunch
Parsley-1 bunch
Radish-1 bunch
Celeriac-1 head-if you have not tried Celeriac in a soup or stew I encourage you to give it a go. The flavor is subtle and adds almost a Parsnip flavoring to the recipe. Once you add Celeriac you will wonder how your soups will make it through the winter without it
Cabbage-1 head
Pop Corn-2 cobs

This week’s fruit share is:
One bag of Bosc Pears, Golden Delicious Apples, Spartan Apples
Just a note. Some of the fruit has some imperfections from the difficult fruit growing season. Two early hail storms completely destroyed many varieties and some were left with lasting nicks to their skin. Local Fruit has been dear this year and we are doing our best to get a good selection each week.

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What’s in the Bag — Week 19

Dear CSA Member

This is the 19th CSA week. Hearty vegetables are filling the share. It has been very cold with a killing frost during the evening. The hale and hearty remain. Many of the leafy greens that survive frosts actually taste even better after a cold snap.

Carrots, beets and celeriac are pulled from the ground. Washed, cubed and sprinkled with a little olive oil, the trio make great roasted root vegetables. Cover with a bit of tin foil if you would like to cut down on the roasting time a bit. Remove the foil near the end of the baking.

Garlic again this week. Pulled from the ground in July, hung to cure in the barn and now perfect.

Butternut Winter Squash, probably one of the best tasting Winter Squash varieties. The Butternut will keep if you can not use it right away. Butternut is perfect with a touch of honey or maple from the farm.

If you would like to order Honey, Maple, Coffee from the online Market Place, just log into your account from the farm website home page. Click on Market under the center photo and place the order. Your order will be delivered with the CSA shares. The weeks are slipping by and some sizes are getting in short supply.

The Face Book page was updated late last week and will be updated this Sunday. Take a look.

Enjoy the beautiful fall and the vegetables.
Deborah
for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Farmer’s Note — Week 19

This Week’s Full Share

Spinach-1 bunch
Butternut Winter Squash-2
Garlic-2
Mixed Greens-1 bunch This is a mix of Arugula, Mizuna and some Bok Choi in all different amounts per bunch. We were afraid that the young greens would not survive the very cold weather.  Very young and tender so you can eat them fresh.
Celeriac-1 bulb. Adds such a wonderful flavor to any soup or stew that you would use Celery.
Red Radishes-1 bunch
Beets-1 pound
Carrots-1 pound

Fruit Share
1 bag with Golden Delicious Apples, Rome Apples, Seckle Pears

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CSA Option for the Winter Months

Optional Winter veggie share from Winter Sun Farms. Stoneledge sells extra veggies to Winter Sun Farms, who buy summer crops and flash freeze them for winter distribution. The veggies are not guaranteed organic (they buy from a mix of farms), but they are locally produced. At present, Carnegie Hill CSA does not plan to distribute WSF products this winter. However, if enough of our members show an interest, we may need to reconsider.

Deb sends the following message from Jim Hyland of WSF:

Hello Stoneledge CSA members,

As many of you know, we have been working with the Kavakos family over the years to buy their great produce and also help them create some wonderful value added products. This year Stoneledge Farms plum tomatoes will be featured in our jarred tomato puree, and we will freeze their winter greens as part of our winter share.

As always Winter Sun Farms will bring the best local Hudson Valley vegetables and berries to NYC this winter. The vegetables and berries are grown at local farms (like Stoneledge) and then frozen just after their harvest at our facility in Kingston, NY. Shares are then distributed once a month from December to April to your CSA. Each share contains seven items. Winter Sun Farms summer vegetables and berries will be a great blast of local flavor this winter.

Winter Sun Farms is excited about our upcoming winter season! We have dropped the 5 month share price to last years’ 4 month share price! The season is from December through April with monthly deliveries to your CSA. Sign up now and receive an extra $10 off the share price! Use the coupon code Stoneledge under the promotion code section when paying at our Farmigo site https://csa.farmigo.com/join/wintersunfarms/winter2012-2013

Our season kicks off in December when your share is projected to include Sweet Corn, Butternut Squash Puree, Green Beans, Peppers, Tomato, Blueberries, and Pea Shoots. New this year, our tomato puree will be in a glass jar which can be stored on a shelf.
Please visit our website for more information www.wintersunfarms.com or if you have any questions about the share, please contact leslie@wintersunfarms.com.

If your location doesn’t offer the WSF winter share please contact us, as we still have time to arrange a distribution to your CSA.

Thank you,
Jim Hyland
President, Winter Sun Farms
www.wintersunfarms.com
845-255-1699