By Sarah
It is rare for a farmer to say that the weather has been perfect, usually there is some tweak we would like to make to it. I would not say that the current weather is perfect, I would prefer less wind, and more warmth and fog. However, this spring was pretty miraculous. It offered me a rare opportunity to learn about our soils in a new way and to witness the possibilities of tilling warm soils with moisture.
At the start of the spring, with the insanely warm March, I was definitely on edge and worried, mostly about the grass. As a general rule, I never till our fields until April 1st. If we tilled in March and then received a large dump of rain, our clay fields would not recover. By the time we did till on March 29th, the soil was on the drier side. I was worried about the breakdown of the cover crop and the subsequent tillages. Then 2 inches of rain came. The amount could not have been more perfect, just enough but not too much. And then another inch arrived after that. It was incredible. The soil looks beautiful, it is awake and alive.
Open Field Farm 2025 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members
Upcoming Event: Potluck Friday 6/12 at 6 pm
CSA Barn Hours:
Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm
Pick List:
Eggs
Nicola Yellow, Red, and Fingerling potatoes
Merlin Beets
Fresh Garlic
Fennel
Madeley Kale
Cilantro
Strawberries
Whole Dried and Ground Hot Peppers
Herbal Tea Blends
Fresh cornmeal
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Apricots from Heartwood Farms
Beef Bone Broth (Made by Olla Products)
Apollo Olive Oil
Revolution Bread available
Open Field Farm Swag!
Strawberry Sumac Cake, from nytimes.com
FOR THE STRAWBERRIES
2 cups chopped hulled strawberries (1-inch pieces), plus 1 cup strawberries, halved
1 teaspoon ground sumac
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CAKE
1 cup/240 milliliters plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
1 cup/152 grams stone-ground yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1 cup/200 grams plus 2 tablespoons/25 grams granulated sugar
½ cup/120 milliliters half-and-half
¼ teaspoon ground sumac
Prepare the strawberries: Combine the chopped strawberries, sumac, sugar and vailla extract in a small bowl and set aside to macerate, a process of letting the berries soften and release their juices.
Meanwhile, prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a springform pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs and 1 cup/200 grams sugar on medium-high speed until very pale and light yellow in color, about 3 minutes. The mixture should thicken and make ribbons that slowly lose their shape when they fall off the whisk attachment. With the mixer on high speed, slowly add the remaining 1 cup/240 milliliters olive oil and beat until everything is combined.
Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly begin adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions, adding the half-and-half in between additions. Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the diced strawberries and their liquid. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Arrange the halved strawberries on the top.
Bake for 65 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake is becoming too brown before the center has set, cover loosely with foil.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons/25 grams sugar with the sumac. Sprinkle the cake with the sumac sugar while still slightly warm.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack or release the springform ring and remove it. (If using a standard cake pan, some sugar may fall off of the cake. Use parchment or wax paper to catch any stray sugar and sprinkle back over the cake.) Let cool completely before serving. Store leftover cake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 1 day (or refrigerate up to 4 days).