Helsing Junction Farm Newsletter Archive

July 28-30, 2009

Greetings from Helsing Junction Farm!

Adelfo and Esteban with an early tomato harvest

We are loving all of this summery sun here on the farm.  It’s exciting to watch as tomatoes blush and beans flower, over the course of a long bright day (okay we don’t get out much).  Like a dog chasing its tail, we are circulating irrigation pipe all hours of the day and night, trying to keep everything from drying out.  With more than 25 acres to water still, we have to stay on schedule or fall irrevocably behind, though now at least we are harvesting and tilling in crops instead of planting them.  Beans, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, onions, corn, and tomatoes will all be ready for harvest in the next few weeks and we can’t wait.  The bees have been doing their best to pollinate everything thoroughly and the sun is doing the rest.  This may be the earliest we have ever had tomatoes and even the early ones taste like they are full of sunshine!  

We wanted to take some time to explain the flow of produce in your boxes each week and why the large shares sometimes get vegetables in their boxes before the small shares do, or why Tuesday’s or Wednesday’s boxes get something one week that Thursday’s boxes don’t or vise versa…We have 800 members as we did last year, 400 people who pick up on Tuesday and Wednesday and 400 people that pick up on Thursday.  Of the 800 members, we have about 200 large shares and 600 small shares.  Our 3 major harvest days are Monday from 6-3, Tuesday from 6-1 and Wednesday from 6-3.  Usually we aim to plant at least 1 row foot per person of most vegetables like beans, herbs and carrots that are planted several times over the course of the season.  With vegetables that are planted once and harvested off of for weeks in a row such as tomatoes or peppers, we aim for a certain number of plants per CSA members.  These numbers are based on detailed records from the past about how many row feet we have planted and exactly how much and when we delivered it.  Usually this is enough information to give us a very educated guess about when things will ripen and how much we will be able to produce per square foot of ground.  The variables that can’t be accounted for are how well germination will be or what pests, disease or weather will we face, with those forces interacting with each other as well.  Plants don’t fruit or flower at exactly the same time for a variety of reasons.  With tomato plants for instance, when the 1000 row feet we have planted begin to mature only 10 percent are ripe and it takes another month for the bulk of the planting to come on.  We have to pick and distribute what is ripe, so we give the 100 pounds we have harvested to the large shares, with the intention of distributing to the small shares as soon as more are ready.  We try to keep track of who is getting what and when so that everyone gets their fare share.  Some vegetables like eggplant, that are less popular than others, we plan on giving every other week as a form of compromise between those who love them and those who don’t.  

Which brings us to a whole other issue about the variety of produce that we include in the weekly shares…Late Spring/Early summer when CSA delivery first begins, there is a limited amount of produce available.  Basically what is ready early in the season is anything that is cold hardy and takes 80 days or less to grow, as the earliest we can usually plant is April 15th.  This is mostly greens, beets, herbs, carrots and peas as you well know as you have been eating it steadily for the last 6 weeks!  We try to provide a well rounded mix as possible and not to overwhelm members with lots of greens.  This seems to stem the flow of complaints that we get about having too many greens in the boxes, but has legitimately created a flow of complaints about the lack there of.  This leaves us in a quandary that we have never been able to solve in a wholly satisfactorily manner.  We are debating the idea of creating a smaller share than the one we currently call a small share, which would make the small share we have now a medium sized share.  We would keep the “new” small share very basic, with out a lot of the more unusual vegetables, herbs or greens and perhaps put a little more of those vegetables in the “medium” sized share.  What do you think?    

One of the most difficult challenges we face as a CSA program is its one-size-fits-all aspect.  It certainly seems to take a certain kind of person to be in a CSA.  You have to be flexible enough to take what comes your way (no choice at all!!), but organized enough to get through your box each week and to not mind composting the occasional herb bunch or endive.  We understand that being in a CSA is a big commitment that not everyone has the time or inclination to swing.  You have to remember to pick up your box each week (easier said than done), put it all away, cook it and eat it all too.  We want to give people a good value for their money, but we don’t want to overwhelm them with too much food either, which has been an issue in years past.  

Unlike most other farms, since we mainly distribute produce through our CSA, what we grow is what you get, the good, the perfect and unfortunately sometimes the ugly.  We strive for good quality control, but for a variety of reasons (erratic weather, pests, etc), some of the produce you receive isn’t always perfect and some week’s boxes are fuller than others.  Hopefully though, most of the produce you receive is of high quality, and that you receive your money’s worth over the course of the season.  We aim to provide 10% more produce than what you paid for, which we hope gives us a little leeway to include produce that is more marginal looking instead of wasting it (sorry about those weird looking lettuce!).  Though that said, we usually try to donate any questionable looking produce to the food bank or the Thurston County Gleaners Association, to whom we donate thousands of pounds annually.  
 
Well how do you figure out pricing on the weekly boxes, you may be wondering?  We base our prices on a combination of the Olympia Food Co-op (which has the most reasonable prices in town), and the Olympia Farmer’s Market (who’s prices are a bit higher).  Each week when we determine what is ready to harvest and what should go in the boxes, we assign a price to each item in the box.  Small shares should receive at least $26.50 a week in produce (that’s including 5% more in produce than the $25 a week you pay for) and large shares should receive $38 per week in produce (which also includes 5% more in produce than the $36 per week you pay for).  The boxes are at that mark or above right now and we hope they will remain well over that for the remainder of the season.  Last year’s CSA boxes contained 10% to 20% more produce than the price of a share.  There is no reason to think that this year will be any different.  

We are always open to hearing about problems you are having with the quality or quantity of our produce and we are more than happy to do something about it.  Also if something has been left out of your box and you would like a replacement, please let us know!  We are a small, family-owned business and when you communicate, you are communicating directly with us.  Although the amount of complaints that we have received have actually been very few and far between, we figure that it is best to learn what we can from them and to use them as guidance in our communication with you, our CSA members.  Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!         

Due to the high temperatures may we suggest trying to pick up your box as early as possible this week. If your produce looks wilted, you can run it under cold water before storing it in plastic bags in the fridge.

This Week's Shares

Recipes

Pesto:   
-Add to the bowl of a food processor or blender, ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1-2 cloves garlic, a handful of pine nuts or walnuts, ¼ tsp salt, and 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.   Blend well.
-Then add 1 bunch of basil.  (You don’t have to remove any of the stems.)
-Blend until smooth and creamy.  You should have about 1 cup. 

Linguine with Fresh Shell Peas:
-Start heating a pot of water for the pasta.
-Shell 1# of fresh shell peas.
-Chop up ½ bunch of chives and 4 cloves of garlic.  
-Melt 1 TBS butter in a wide skillet. 
-Add the chives and the garlic and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.
-Add the shelled peas and cook until they’re bright green and tender about 1-2 minutes. 
-Season with salt and pepper.
-Boil 1# linguine until al dente and then drain.  
-Add the pasta to the peas, along with ½ bunch chopped basil or dill and 2 TBS butter.  Toss together.
-Serve along with a dish of freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.

New Potato Salad:
-Cover 2# of whole new potatoes with water by 1 inch in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, then bring to a boil with 1 tsp salt.
-Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, then drain.
-Whisk together 1/2 bunch chopped chives, 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard, 1 TBS whole-grain mustard, 2 TBS white-wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add 3 TBS olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
-When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, halve them, then add to vinaigrette along with 2 TBS chopped basil and 1 TBS finely chopped rosemary and toss to combine.
-Serve warm or at room temperature.

Grilled Summer Squash:  
-Light your grill your b-b-q.  
-Cut 1-2# summer squash the long way into ½ inch thick slices.
-Rub or brush both sides of the zucchini with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Put the squash on the fire when it’s medium hot.  
-Grill them turning once until grill marks are visible, about 10 minutes.  
-Transfer to a platter and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar and some chopped basil or dill. 
-Serve hot or at room temp.

Polenta with Early Summer Vegetables:
-Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
-Wash 1 bunch of rainbow chard then cut it into thin ribbons, stems and all.
-Add 1 TBS olive oil to a sauté pan.   
-Add 1# of summer squash sliced into thin rounds and 5 cloves of chopped garlic and cook 5 minutes.
-Add the rainbow chard and ½ bunch chopped chives and stir until chard is just wilted.
-Slice 1 tube of pre-cooked polenta into rounds.  
-Fit the polenta rounds together tightly in a heavy ovenproof frying pan (such as a cast iron skillet).  -Sauté over medium-high heat until browned on both sides.
-Top the polenta with the vegetable mix, then sprinkle ½ cup crumbled feta cheese over top.
-Bake for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted.  
-Top with some chopped basil.  

Penne with Summer Squash, Ricotta and Pine Nuts:
-Put salted water on to boil for 1 pound penne pasta.
-Remove 1 cup whole milk ricotta from the fridge and spoon onto a plate so it will warm to room temperature.
-Slice about 1½ pounds summer squash into thin strips about the size of the penne.
-Heat 2 TBS olive oil in a sauté pan and add the summer squash.  Sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
-Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic.  Remove the pan from the heat.
-Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
-When the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and add it to the summer squash.
-Toss together, season with more salt and pepper and then add spoonfuls of the ricotta until all is incorporated.
-Top with some shaved Parmesan or dry jack cheese, 1 TBS finely chopped basil or dill and some toasted pine nuts.

Catalan Style Rainbow Chard:
-Boil a pot of salted water.  Wash 1 bunch of rainbow chard (stems included).
-Blanch the whole leaves for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and run under cold water.  Coarsely chop them.
-Thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic, and then add to a large skillet along with 2 TBS olive oil.  Cook over medium 2 min.
-Remove the garlic and then add ¼ cup currants or raisins and ¼ cup pine nuts.  Cook 2 minutes more.
-Add the greens and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Because of the heat, here are a few salads from The New York Times, July 22, 2009 issue.
The Minimalist:  101 Simple Salads for the Season  By MARK BITTMAN

Blanch rainbow chard, then drain and shock in ice water. Squeeze it dry, chop it and toss it with toasted pine nuts, raisins, olive oil and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. Capers are good, too. Quite elegant, actually.

Roast beets whole, then slice or cube and toss with a little chopped garlic (or a lot of roasted garlic), toasted walnuts, orange juice and olive oil.

Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons. Put them on anything, but especially tomato and basil salad. This you will do forever.

Peel beets and grate them in a food processor. Mix equal parts plain yogurt and tahini, and toss with the beets along with lemon juice and za’atar (a mixture of toasted sesame seeds, dried green herbs and ground sumac; you can make it yourself using dried thyme).

Cold not-sesame noodles: Combine about a half-cup peanut butter with a tablespoon soy sauce and enough coconut milk to make the mixture creamy (about a half cup), along with garlic and chili flakes in a blender or food processor. Toss sauce with cooked and cooled noodles, a load of basil, and/or cilantro, and lime juice. Shredded carrots, raw peas and chives optional.

Sort of classic pasta salad: Pasta, artichoke hearts, sliced prosciutto or salami, chopped tomato. Dress with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar, perhaps with some mustard.

Cook short-grain white rice in watered-down coconut milk (be careful that it doesn’t burn) and a few cardamom pods. While warm, toss with peas (they can be raw if they’re fresh and tender), chopped cashews or pistachios, a pinch of chili flakes and chopped raw rainbow chard.

Toss cooked, cooled farro, wheat berries, barley or other chewy grain with chopped-up tomatoes. Add olive oil, lemon juice and thinly sliced romaine lettuce; toss again, with ricotta salata or feta if you want.

Trim crusts if necessary from day-or-two-old bread (or even three-day-old bread), cube and marinate in black olive tapenade thinned with more olive oil. Add chopped capers and toss with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. (Anchovies optional.)

Helsing Junction Farm
12013 Independence Road, Rochester, WA 98579 | (360)273-2033
helsingfarm@msn.com | www.helsingfarmcsa.com

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