Category: Note from the Farmer

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Week #9 — Note from the Farmer — FARM VISIT– Sept 2, Bruschetta Recipe, What to do with Amethyst Basil?

Dear CSA Member, 
The rain has finally left for a few days.  We are hoping for a good 4 day stretch of sunshine.  The tomatoes are just starting to ripen and the plants are looking great despite all the rain we have had.  The sunshine should make for a good tomato harvest in the coming weeks.  This weeks list will come with a lot of updates.  Due to all of the rain, we have had it is hard to determine the harvest.  An update will be sent out this weekend.
This week you will be getting Amethyst Basil.  Amethyst basil can be used the same way you would use green basil.  You can make an Amethyst basil vinegar to use in your favorite salad dressing recipe or drizzle on fresh bruschetta.  Pairs well with sunflower seed oil.  To make the vinegar add a couple sprigs of basil put in a jar and close.  Let sit for about a week until the vinegar turns a purple color.  Bruschetta Recipe  Click Here
Story’s sweet corn is available on the Marketplace for 4 weeks only.  Story’s sweet corn Non-GMO and conventionally grown.  It is not organic.  There is a limited amount available each week.  If you are interested please order soon. Corn orders must be placed by 12 pm the Friday before your CSA delivery.  If you need help logging in the marketplace please let me know.  
This week is an optional Coffee Share and Dry Bean Share delivery.  Please, do not forget to pickup your optional shares if you ordered them.
*Saturday, September 2nd will be the Stoneledge Farm Fall Festival.  11:30AM-3PM  It is a great day to come to the farm and see how your vegetables are grown, meet your farmers and walk the fields.  We have the grill hot and will have pork as well as grilled Sweet Corn, Portobello Mushrooms and vegetarian chili.  We ask that members bring a dish to share so that lunch is a giant pot luck get together.  Please bring your own place settings, utensils, and cup.   No pets, please.  
Enjoy the Harvest, 
Candice for Everyone at Stoneledge Farm
Bulk Items are added when they become available.  Check the website Marketplace for any new added Bulk Items Daily.  
Additional Marketplace Items: Organic Sunflower Seed Oil, Organic Flax Seed Oil, Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil, Butternut Squash Seed Oil, Organic Coffee, Organic Chocolate, Organic Dry Beans, Maple Syrup and Honey
To order Login https://www.stoneledge.farm/marketplace  Follow the steps.
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Week #8 Note from the Farmer — Annual Farm Visit Sept 2

Dear CSA Member, 
We finally got a break from the rainy weather and the summer plants are loving it such as the tomatoes.  Cherry tomatoes will begin this week!  The squash harvest wasn’t as abundant in comparison to last season due to the rainy wet summer we have been having.  But we are very pleased with the harvests that we have been getting!
This week we will be sending beets!  The beet greens are absolutely beautiful and delicious!  Don’t toss them away.  You can cook the greens the same way you would cook Swiss Chard or Spinach.  You will also be getting the first harvest of Basil.  Please, use the basil up as soon as possible.  It will be picked fresh the day before your delivery but due to the rainy summer, the leaves turn black quickly. 
Check out our Garlic Harvest on Facebook!  The garlic is the best garlic harvest we have had in 8 years!  It is beautiful!  The past winter and prime soil conditions, really helped the garlic to thrive.  The cold and the blanketing snow was key!  The garlic will hang to cure in the barn for 3 months.  We are very excited to hand it out! 
**Mark your Calendars!  Saturday, September 2nd is the Stoneledge Farm Annual Farm Visit!  11:30AM-3PM ***
Enjoy the Harvest, 
Candice for Everyone at Stoneledge Farm
Bulk Items Available this week:  Stoneledge Farm Certified Organic Currants & Pickling Cucumbers. 
Quantities are Limited.  Please order right away if you are interested.
Bulk Items are added when they become available.  Check the website Marketplace for any new added Bulk Items Daily.  
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Letter from Farmer, What’s in the Bag

What’s in the Bag – Week #7

Dear CSA Member,

It has been very rainy these past few days. With all that rain comes a lot of mud! We all have been working hard to get the vegetables picked, washed and packed. The plants are holding up to the rain pretty well. The cucumbers have been enjoying these wet and damp days and have been producing like crazy. This week a bounty of cucumbers will be in your shares. Share your favorite cucumber recipe on Instagram or email them to the farm and we will add it to our Recipes page.

You will be getting more summer squash this week! Below is a Stoneledge Farm favorite summer dessert! You can use any type of squash for this recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups shredded summer squash or zucchini
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini. Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

More Recipes on the Farm Website – https://www.stoneledge.farm/csa-program/recipes

Bulk items available this week: blueberries, Italian flat leaf parsley, cucumbers & currants. (Currants are an acquired taste!) If you are interested, please order soon as quantities are limited.

Bulk items are added when they become available. Check the website Marketplace for any new added items.
To order, log in to your account and click Marketplace. Follow the steps from there.
Quantities are limited. Please order right away if you are interested.

Enjoy the Harvest,
Candice for Everyone at Stoneledge Farm

–Did you know? / Interesting fact: A crimini mushroom grows into portobello mushroom.
–We hope you are enjoying your sweet fruit shares! The sweet blueberries are locally grown without any sprays.

What’s in the Bag?

2 summer squash
Eggplant
1 head early Jersey Wakefield cabbage
Heirloom Specialty Arrow Shared Cabbage
1 head Red Oak leaf lettuce
1 head Green Oak leaf lettuce
1 bunch white scallions
1 bunch thyme
Cucumbers
Will send update

Optional shares this week:

Mushroom share
Portobello

Fruit share:
1 basket red sweet cherries
1 blueberries

Stoneledge Farm LLC
info@stoneledge.farm
www.stoneledge.farm
Mailing Address Only:
359 Ross Ruland Road
South Cairo, NY 12482

LIKE us at https://www.facebook.com/StoneledgeFarm

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Week #6 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!  It turned out to be a beautiful day!
As the leafy greens are winding down the Squash, Cucumber, Eggplant and other summer vegetables are ramping up!  The summer vegetables are all flowering and they are all growing beautifully.  Check out our Facebook and Instagram for photos.

New this week is fresh mint.  Here are some delicious ways to use mint.  https://www.elizabethrider.com/10-ways-use-fresh-mint/  One of our favorites is making a mint ice tea.  Great for a refreshing Hot Summer Day!  You will also be getting Fennel this week.  Here is a link with some great ways to prepare and eat fresh fennel. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/five-ways-to-eat-fresh-fennel-78022417/

Escarole will be coming this week as well.  It looks smaller to lettuce but it is an Italian cooking green.  It pairs well will Chicken and beans.  It is very popular being cooked with white beans.  It is a bitter green but has a milder flavor when cooked.

If you have any other recipes you would like to share please email directly to the farm.  We can add them to our website.

Fruit in Bulk Available this week:  Blueberries and White Cherries.
Vegetables in Bulk Available this week:  Garlic Scapes, Scallions, Spinach
To order Login to your account and Click Marketplace.  Follow the steps from there.
Quantities are Limited.  Please order right away if you are interested.

Enjoy the Harvest,
Candice for Everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Week #5 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member,

Your CSA delivery will take place this coming Thursday, July, 6th. This week the Fruit Share begins and also Dry Bean and Coffee shares will be coming as well. It is important that you pick up your share this week. If you aren’t able to pickup your optional shares please contact the farm right away. info@stoneledge.farm

The fields are slowly changing. Everything was once green is now filling with bright summer colors. A new set of photos of the potato fields in bloom has been posted on the Farms Facebook and Instagram page. Potatoes are beautiful when in bloom. Take a look.
https://www.facebook.com/StoneledgeFarm/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

You will have another interesting week this week. New in your share is Summer Squash, Scallions and Summer Savory. We have been very lucky with the corporation of the weather. We have had just the right amount of rain each week and the produce is looking beautiful and growing happily! Everything is looking great out in the field!

The Marketplace is open with Bulk Garlic Scapes and Bulk Fruit. If you are interested please log into your account and click 2017 Marketplace. Orders must be received before 1pm the day before your CSA delivery.

Happy Fourth, of July!
Enjoy the Harvest,
Candice for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Week #4 — Note from the Farmer — last days to order a fruit share

Dear CSA Member,

No 4th of July delivery that delivery will take place on Thursday July 6th.

The lettuces are still coming on strong.  It won’t be that much longer until the lettuce is suddenly gone until the fall.  Lettuce will not grow well in the hot months of July and August.  Fill your salad bowls and enjoy them while they last!

The weather has been cooperating nicely for us.  Warm sunny days with a nice mix of rain.  We did have one day with torrential rains but, the plants really seemed to handle it well.  The summer squash plants are flowing and will soon be producing.  They look great!  Check out our Facebook / Instagram for updated weekly pictures.   Stoneledge.Farm

Fruit shares will begin the first week in July. If you haven’t ordered your optional fruit share please order soon.  The deadline is the Sunday the 25th.  For more information about the fruit, share go to our website.  https://www.stoneledge.farm/csa-program/fruit-shares

I would like to add an optional share (Fruit Share, Coffee Share, Mushroom Share) to my existing Vegetable Share.  How do I update my current Vegetable Share order?
1.  Optional Shares can be added to your original Vegetable Share order anytime up until delivery starts or the optional shares are sold out for that CSA site.  The Mushroom Share, Coffee Shares both start with the first CSA delivery.  The Fruit Share will start with the 5th Vegetable Share delivery when local fruit is available.
2,  Log into your account with your e-mail and password by selecting Member Login on the farm website home page.
3.  Enter your e-mail address and password.  If you have forgotten your password select the Forgot Password and a link will be e-mailed to your account directing you to set up a new password.
4. Place your order by selecting the optional shares and adding them to your cart.
5. Complete the payment section.
6.  A confirmation e-mail will be sent.
If the Vegetable Share is split between share partners, each share partner can add individual Optional Shares to the order.  Follow the directions below.

Enjoy the Harvest!
-Candice

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Week #3 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member, 
Refrigerators will continue to be full of spring greens this week.  There is nothing that can beat a salad spinner this time of year.  Your lettuce will last up to a week in the salad spinner or in a plastic bag.  We are expecting heavy rains these next couple of days.  We give all the lettuces a good rinse before we send them but with all the rain coming they will need a good wash when you get them home.  You can chop the ends of the lettuce off and rinse the lettuce under cold water.  You will be getting purslane this week.  Purslane makes a great addition to a salad and is a rich source of omega- 3s.  Enjoy the spring lettuces and greens while they last because we will soon be moving into the summer veggies such as cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes.  Everything is looking beautiful!
This week you will be getting Garlic Scapes.  Each year the Garlic Scapes are harvested off the tops of the garlic plant.  The scape grows from the center of the above ground portion of the garlic plant.  This allows the plant to concentrate on growing large garlic bulbs.  We have a great Garlic Scape Pesto recipe on our website.  You can also substitute your favorite basil pesto using this recipe.  https://www.stoneledge.farm/csa-program/recipes/garlic/126-garlic-scape-pesto  
Kohlrabi will be in your share this week as well.  You should always peel your kohlrabi before preparing your meal.  You can add Kohlrabi to soups, stews, roasted and steamed.  Don’t forget to use the greens.  The greens have a very similar taste to collard greens.  They can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked.   
If you have any recipes you would like to share please send them to the farm and we will add the to our recipes page.  info@stoneledge.farm 
Enjoy the Harvest,
Candice
The Online Marketplace is open.  Offering Coffee, Chocolate, Seed Oil’s, Dry Beans, Honey, Maple Syrup, and Mushrooms.  To order login to your account and click Marketplace. 
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Week #2 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member, 
We are finally getting a break from the cloudy and wet weather.  The soil is nice and moist.  It will do great with these 80-90 degree days we have ahead of us.  The plants will be growing quickly once the warm sun is fully out.  We have been working hard in the tomato patch this week.  The first step was to stake the tomato plants and the second step was to tie them up with twine.  This allows air to flow through the plants and, for the plants to grow strong and tall to hold the future tomatoes.  
We also have been working diligently to keep the weeds down in the field.  Even though there hasn’t been much sun the weeds do grow quickly in the damp weather.  We use various different cultivators and what weeds we cannot get with the tractor we have to go through and get by hand. 
The Marketplace is open for the season.  There are a couple of new products being offered this season.  We have local and certified organic dry beans.  (Pinto, Red Kidney and Black Turtle Beans)  Also, new on the marketplace are local seed oils.  (Organic Sunflower Seed Oil, Organic Flax Seed Oil, Butternut Squash Seed Oil and Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil)  For more information on the dry beans and oils, you can go to the farm website and click the CSA program drop down tab and find the information on these items.  To order log into your account, click Marketplace, and follow the steps. Your marketplace order will be delivered with your next CSA delivery. 
This week is the last week for transplants.  This plant should be planted right away in a pot or directly outside in your garden.  The pot we are sending is a decomposable pot and can be planted directly into the ground or larger pot.  The plant should have a good amount of sunlight daily and should be checked to see if the soil is dry and needs to be watered.  
For produce recipes, you can go to our Recipe and Produce ID section on the website.  https://www.stoneledge.farm/csa-program/recipes If you have any delicious recipes you would like to share please send them to info@stoneledge.farm and I will add them to the recipe page.
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First Delivery — June 6th– Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member,

The first week is always very busy and full of activity! We have been busy cultivating the fields, transplanting new crops, planting the sweet potatoes, seeding fall crops, and getting the fields ready for the next set of plants that will be ready in the greenhouse. We are expecting some heavy rains to come through within the next couple days and need to get as much done as we can beforehand. Compared to last spring we have had a cool damp and very windy days. Last spring there was no rain and it was just about 80 degrees every day. The early spring greens are really enjoying the moist soil and are growing happily!

It is that time of year again, get your salad spinners out! Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce! Greens will fill the bulk of your share this week. It has been a long winter and, I don’t know about you but, I am ready for some fresh salad! This week you will be getting Mirlo Butter Head Lettuce. This is a new variety this season that we had a lot of requests for. We found this great red and very tender variety to try this year. You will also be getting a bunch of Red Cherriette Radishes along with, a few other varieties of lettuce to go in your salad. You can chop up the radish leaves nice and fine. They make a great addition to your salad.

Some of the spring greens such as the Box Choi and Chinese Cabbage will have small round holes in the leaves. This is caused by a tiny insect called the Flea Beetle. We have worked diligently to keep the number of beetles under control by using a very long cloth called row cover. We will walk the row cover out over these specific beetle loving crops and stake the row cover down every five feet. These beetles still manage to outnumber us. They only left cosmetic damage and will not in any way affect the flavor of the greens.

The Stoneledge Farm website has some great recipes if you aren’t sure what to do with an item you can refer to our website or, if you have a great recipe for an item you would like to share please email the farm and I will gladly add it to our recipe section. info@stoneledge.farm

We hope you all enjoy your first week’s harvest! Below are a couple notes for this week.

Enjoy the Harvest,
Candice for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Note from the Farmer — May 24, 2017

Dear CSA Member,

We are a little over one week away from the first CSA delivery of the 2017 season! Very exciting! We have been preparing for this since November.
If you would like to add optional shares to your account please add them soon. They do sell out! The last day to order these optional shares is listed below.
Dry Bean- SOLD OUT Mushrooms- June 1st Coffee- June 21st Fruit- June 26th.

The Online Marketplace is Now Open! Dry Beans are available on the Marketplace if you are interested. You are able to log into your account and place your marketplace order by clicking 2017 Marketplace. Your marketplace order will be delivered with your first CSA delivery.

First CSA Delivery
Tuesday, June 6th

CSA Share are still available in some locations. If you could help spread the word to friends, family and coworkers that would be great! Thank You!
Below is the farm update from Pete Jr.

-Candice

Farm News Update:

The past several weeks has been a flurry of activity. The main objective has been to get the many transplants out of the greenhouses and into their permanent home in the fields. Most transplants have a window of only a couple days when they are an ideal size for planting. Too small and they will not have roots necessary to survive. Too large and the plants can be elongated and quickly damaged by the sun and the wind. The weather has cooperated and we are starting to finish up the first big push of spring plantings.

As I write this the crews are finishing up the last of several thousand squash and cucumber transplants. I spent the last couple days direct seeding into the fields. The first seeding of beets, beans, carrots, popcorn and more are awaiting the imminent rain that is set to come in over the next couple days. The fields are full of small transplants that will certainly benefit from a rainy day or two! The spring greens are doing well and nearing maturity. The fields of lettuce and salad greens look perfect so far. (I can’t wait for some fresh salads and a good stir fry!)

Today’s tasks include finishing up the squash transplants, cultivate for weeds, hill the potatoes and cultivate some more. Our crew is doing a great job! I’m sure you will all be pleased in the coming weeks.
Thank you all for your continued support and please pass the word to friends, family, and neighbors. Only a few days until the 2017 season begins and we rely on all of you to help spread the word and keep our membership strong and our farm moving forward.

I will be sure to keep you updated on all the latest.

Enjoy your day!
Pete Jr.