Waste streams

By AJ

I literally used to eat out of dumpsters. This may or may not have been over a decade ago but it was a huge source for feeding myself and others. It used to be a lot easier than it is now, when you could literally just open the lid of a dumpster and grab perfectly edible food. Now, because of "liability" (*cough* *capitalism*), most food items deposited in a dumpster are run through a compactor, rendering the things inside inedible and unattainable. As a farmer amongst the production of produce, it is far less necessary (and desirable) to seek out the "trash". But i think a lot about eating "trash" all the time, chewing on ideas of how to use the ugly and less-desired food products.

Today, for example, as I was stocking the meat freezer, i was trying to come up with ideas for going through organs. We end up with an excess of organs from our precious animals at the end of the year because we just don't go through them all. I started dehydrating the livers and hearts and kidneys for dog treats. Big hit around here. But even so, it is hard to go through everything. 

And then there's all the funky produce that ends up on the counters of us farmer folk because we don't want to give it to the compost. (We don't starve our compost either though, so don't worry. And I will mention here that I enjoy the practices and ethos we have here at the farm, when it comes to "excess".)

Part of what drew me to farming was the idea of having access to feeding the larger community. I often envision a local system that is capable of redirecting its excess food products from the dumpster to the mouths of community members. As i've aged in this profession, i've found I don't have the energy to address accessibility all by myself. Be that as it may, I have been using a lot of my brainspace envisioning "free food stations", or community fridges-- a few places where community members can bring, swap, and take food items. This would require some volunteers, from businesses willing to offer space, donations, to folx dedicated to keeping it clean and accessible. 

This is something I want for Petaluma. As it quiets here on the farm a bit, i delve more into my mind and ideas. And as a way to start gaining momentum, if there are any members who would be enthusiastic about molding this idea with me, lets talk! And grab some organs for your dogs, while you are at it. 

So, anyway, Eat Trash and Feed People.

My recipe this week is whatever you can make with what's getting funky in the fridge.

CSA Barn Hours:

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Red Gold, La Ratte Fingerling, and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Cortland and Cabernet Red, Cipollini Sweet Onions, Monastrell Shallots

• Leeks

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Purple Top Turnips

• Purple Daikon and Watermelon Radish

• Joan Rutabaga

• Mars Celeriac

• Hablange Parsnip

• Kossack Kohlrabi

• Primo and Caraflex Green and Ruby King Red Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower and/or Covina Broccoli

• Brussel Sprouts

• Radicchio, Sugarloaf, and Castelfranco

• Celery

• Lettuce Mix (During the winter, when our tender crops are all coming from the tunnels, we only offer lettuce mix. We will not have lettuce heads until next summer. We hope to offer lettuce mix consistently until then.)

• Red Russian Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Mei Qing Choi

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro (We should have parsley again in a few weeks. It is growing slowly in the tunnels.)

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut, and Delicata Winter Squash

• Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

• Pick your own herbs, mostly in the herb circle (and maybe a few flowers)

• Sonora Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• New! Stoneground cornmeal from our dry corn! FYI: It does have large pieces of the outer skin in it which creates a different texture than the more uniform cornmeal. If you do not enjoy this, you can sift it with the right size screen. (Please BYO jars!)

• Tea Blends (Please BYO jars!)

• Whole Korean dried hot peppers

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread will be on a break while Eli recovers from illness. We wish him a smooth recory!

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Animal appreciation

By Abby

Biodiversity on the farm is a great reminder of regenerative agriculture. There are several species of birds that live in and pass through the fields. 

The migrating geese have been music to us each morning and evening.  Sparrow flight patterns are amazing designs.  Crows get stronger for the winter with thick cucumber and squash seeds from the mowed summer fields. I feel lucky knowing that I sleep within 50 feet of owl!! Appreciation of bird life also comes with harvesting the older chickens this month. 

Domesticated and wild animals are a part of the same cycles of life, as we are also a part of nature. Sending out my gratitude for animals for sharing their powers and healing with us. 

This week: Open today from 2 pm -6pm; Closed Friday

CSA Barn Hours:

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Red Gold, La Ratte Fingerling, and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Cortland and Cabernet Red, Cipollini Sweet Onions, Monastrell Shallots

• Leeks

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Purple Top Turnips

• Purple Daikon and Watermelon Radish

• Joan Rutabaga

• Mars Celeriac

• Hablange Parsnip

• Kossack Kohlrabi

• Primo and Caraflex Green and Ruby King Red Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower and Covina Broccoli

• Brussel Sprouts

• Radicchio, Sugarloaf, and Castelfranco

• Celery

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Red Russian Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Parsley and Cilantro

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut, and Delicata Winter Squash

• Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

• Pick your own herbs, mostly in the herb circle (and maybe a few flowers)

• Sonora Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• New! Stoneground cornmeal from our dry corn! FYI: It does have large pieces of the outer skin in it which creates a different texture than the more uniform cornmeal. If you do not enjoy this, you can sift it with the right size screen. (Please BYO jars!)

• Tea Blends (Please BYO jars!)

• Whole Korean dried hot peppers

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread will be on a break while Eli recovers from illness. We wish him a smooth recory!

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Russian Carrot Pie, from molliekatzen.com

• 1 Tbs. butter

• 1 egg

• 1 cup finely minced onion 

• 3 Tbs. fine bread crumbs

• 1/2 tsp. salt 

• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lb. slender carrots, thinly sliced 

• 3 Tbs. minced fresh dill (1 1/2 tsp. dried)

• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 3 Tbs. minced fresh mint (1 1/2 tsp. dried)

• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 

• paprika for the top

• 1 Tbs. unbleached white flour 

• 1 Nut Crust, unbaked

• 1 1/2 cups firm cottage cheese 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft (about 5 to 8 minutes).  

Add the carrots, garlic, and lemon juice. Cook and stir until the carrots are tender but not mushy- about 8 more minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, mix well and cook for about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.  

Beat together the cottage cheese and egg in a large bowl. Stir in bread crumbs, black pepper to taste and fresh herbs. Add the cooked carrot mixture (It is okay if it is still hot.) and mix well. Spread into the crust and dust with paprika.  

Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F, then turn heat down to 350 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. Let it cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. 

Nut Crust:

• 6 Tbs. cold butter, cut into small pieces

• 1 1/4 cups flour (use mostly white with a little whole wheat)

• 1/2 cup finely minced nuts of your choice

• 1/4 tps. salt

• about 3 to 4 Tbs. cold water 

Use a pastry cutter, two forks or a food processor to cut together the butter, flour, nuts and salt until they make a uniform mixture resembling course cornmeal. (food processor will accomplish this in just a few short bursts.) Finely minced means just this side of ground.  

As you stir with a fork (or as the food processor briefly runs) add the liquid, a little at a time, until the dough holds together. The varying humidity will affect the amount of liquid needed.  

You can now wrap the dough and chill it to roll out later or you can roll it immediately, using extra flour, as needed, to prevent sticking. Transfer carefully to a 9-10 inch pie pan and form a crust with an edge. If not filling and baking soon, refrigerate until use.​ 

Gratitude for community and Atticus

By Sarah

Thank you to everyone who came to the Harvest Festival, to the crew and members who helped make the day happen, to the flowers and Celeste, and to the land and the creatures! Also, you may have noticed our beautiful, new to us, popcorn machine, a special gift from Alan and his dad, allowing us to make bountiful and delicious popcorn with ease. The farm was full of people, crafting, eating, and celebrating another beautiful and precious growing season.

We also want to give our thanks to Atticus, the bull. Unfortunately, he injured his leg and we had to put him down. We are saddened by the loss and will miss his peaceful presence in the bullpen. While we do our best to appreciate each animal on the farm, Atticus stood out with his calm energy. The other animals in the pen were drawn to him. Danny shared his reflections on Atticus, along with the other animals he tends, at the All Member Meeting. He moved us all to tears. (It was actually Celeste who spoke, reading Danny’s words.)

CSA Barn Hours:

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Red Gold, La Ratte Fingerling, and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Cortland and Cabernet Red, Cipollini Sweet and Onions, Monastrell Shallots

• Leeks

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Purple Top Turnips

• Purple Daikon and Watermelon Radish

• Joan Rutabaga

• Mars Celeriac

• Hablange Parsnip

• Kossack Kohlrabi

• Primo and Caraflex Green and Ruby King Red Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower and/or Covina Broccoli

• Brussel Sprouts

• Radicchio, Sugarloaf, Castelfranco, Frisee, and Escarole (Last week of frisee and escarole)

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Parsley

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut, and Delicata Winter Squash

• Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

• Pick your own herbs, mostly in the herb circle (and maybe a few flowers)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• This season’s first Tea Blends (Please BYO jars!)

• Whole Korean dried hot peppers

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Frozen Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Miso Sesame Winter Squash, from 101cookbooks.com

• 2 pounds delicata squash (~3), halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch inch thick pieces

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

• 1 tablespoons molasses

• 1 teaspoon tamari or shoyu

• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 1 heaping tablespoon white or yellow miso

• 2 freshly squeezed orange juice

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C, with a rack in the middle.

In the meantime, in a medium-size bowl, whisk together the molasses, tamari, maple syrup, miso, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the sesame oil. Toss the squash in the marinade

Transfer the squash to a 2-quart baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until a good amount of the marinade boils off. Toss gently a couple times along the way. Finish under the boiler if you like, or if you like a bit of extra color on top. Remove from the oven, and season with salt, if needed.

Crafting Inspiration

By Sage

Yesterday’s early morning showers and crisp air made it feel like winter is really on its way. As the days get colder and we begin to approach the holiday season, I have found myself wanting to spend more time doing cozy activities. I learned how to crochet last winter through Youtube tutorials and have enjoyed the newfound ability to create handmade gifts for loved ones. Recently, I tried a new project using yarn from our sheep and although it didn’t turn out exactly how I had imagined, it was a great learning experience and inspired me to start crocheting holiday gifts a little bit early. I bought a bottle of Rit dye, used it to dye some of our yarn, and was happily surprised by the results. There are so many colors available online, and the options are really endless! The most difficult part was probably untangling the yarn after the dyeing process, but I am sure there are ways to keep the yarn from tangling. I hope that some of you will be inspired to use our beautiful yarn to make presents for your loved ones this winter! I think it is a wonderful gift to give and receive. 

CSA Barn Hours:

• New hours this Week! Winter hours: 2:30-6PM

  (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

Pick List:

The hardness of the frost two weeks ago not only ended the summer crops, but also affected the lettuce, cilantro, and dill that were planted in the fields. We hope to have lettuce heads next week, although they will be small. In the tunnels, the crops are protected from the frost and excess rain. The lettuce mix, spinach, and cilantro from there should be ready in a few weeks, but we will not have dill (or basil) until next summer. We will add a few more winter crops next week: parsnips and cipollini onions, plus we hope to have broccoli.

• Eggs

• Red Gold, La Ratte Fingerling, and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Ailsa Craig Sweet and Cabernet Red Onions, Monastrell Shallots

• Leeks

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Hakeuri Turnips

• Purple Daikon and Watermelon Radish

• Joan Rutabaga

• Mars Celeriac

• Kossack Kohlrabi

• Primo and Caraflex Green and Ruby King Red Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Sweet Peppers (Time to freeze!)

• Radicchio, Sugarloaf, Frisee, and Escarole

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Parsley

• Joe E Parker Green Chiles

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut, and Delicata Winter Squash

• Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

• Pick your own herbs, mostly in the herb circle (and maybe a few flowers)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• This season’s first Tea Blends (Please BYO jars!)

• Whole Korean dried hot peppers

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Frozen Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Stewed Kabocha Squash, from justonecookbook.com

A recipe that I love making in this season features our delicious kabocha squash. It is a very simple recipe that highlights the texture and flavor of the pumpkin and pairs well with other Japanese dishes. My grandmother makes delicious stewed pumpkin for us every winter and this recipe closely replicates the way hers tastes. 

• 1 lb kabocha squash (½ small kabocha)

• 2 cups dashi (diltued as indicated on bottle) - dashi is a fish or seaweed based broth that you can find at Asian markets. I haven’t tried this recipe with other broth bases, but I’m sure it would be just as tasty :)

• 2 Tbsp sake

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• ⅛ tsp kosher salt

1. Carefully cut the kabocha into wedges, then equal 2-inch pieces. Leave the skin on because kabocha skin is edible and nutritious.

2. In a large pot, place the kabocha pieces in a single layer, skin side down.

3. Add the dashi, 2 Tbsp sake, and 1 Tbsp sugar. (Tip: Swirl the pot to mix the seasonings so you don‘t break the kabocha pieces.)

4. Cook on medium high heat and bring it to a boil.

5. Add 2 tsp soy sauce and ⅛ tsp kosher salt, and swirl the pot again to mix the seasonings. The cooking liquid should come three-quarters up the sides of the kabocha pieces; if it does not, you can add a little bit of water. Bring it to a boil again.

6. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium low to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for 20–30 minutes (depending on the size of your kabocha pieces and how long it takes the skin to cook). You can tell it‘s done when the orange flesh of the kabocha has tiny, thin cracks near the skin or a bamboo skewer pierces the kabocha easily. If you feel that the liquid is evaporating too fast, you can cover the pot with a pot lid 

7. Remove from the heat and let the kabocha sit covered with a pot lid until cool, about 30 minutes. This helps the kabocha absorb more flavor as it cools. You can serve it at room temperature or reheat before serving.

Storage Tetris

By Sarah

Most of the large harvest if storage crops are complete, with just celeriac, parsnips, and cabbage remaining to be brought in. We hope to have space in the coolers to add the cabbage next week and then can slowly work in the parsnips and celeriac throughout the winter. They both hold well in the field, unless the gophers get to them. We are grateful this year that so many crops did well and we have an abundance to offer throughout the winter. The winter squash, carrots, beets, rutabaga, radishes, and kohlrabi are beautifully sized and we have plenty. The potatoes are not quite as big but mostly look lovely and we are happy with the amount. In contrast to the past several years, our storage yellow onion crop did not do well but we do have lots of shallots and red onions!

We planted the first succession in the tunnels last week, tucking in plenty of kale, lettuce mix, spinach and more. As it gets colder outside, the tunnels remain warm and we enjoy being in them for a break from the cold.

We hope to see you all this Saturday at the Harvest Festival!

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Harvest Festival this Saturday November 4th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Last week of summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Red Gold, La Ratte Fingerling, and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Cortland Yellow and Cabernet Red Onions, Monastrell Shallots

• Leeks

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Hakeuri Turnips

• Purple Daikon and Watermelon Radish

• Joan Rutabaga

• Mars Celeriac

• Kossack Kohlrabi

• Primo and Caraflex Green and Ruby King Red Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Sweet Peppers

• Radicchio, Sugarloaf, Chioggia, Frisee, and Escarole

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley

• Joe E Parker Green Chiles

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, and Delicata Winter Squash and Winter Luxury Pumpkin

• Pick your own herbs, mostly in the herb circle (and maybe a few flowers)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Friday (Frozen bread on Tuesday)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Cauliflower Gratin, from nytimes.com

• 1 small-ish head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), green leaves removed

• Olive oil, for drizzling

• 1 small leek, white and light green part only, very thinly sliced

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 6 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated (about 1½ cups)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice cauliflower head lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices, including the core and leaves. (Some smaller bits will fall away: That’s fine. You’ll use them as well.)

Drizzle some olive oil onto the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. (An oval, square or rectangular dish will all work.) Layer about a third of the cauliflower along the bottom, and about a third of the leeks. Season with salt and pepper, and repeat until all of the cauliflower and leeks are used. (Don’t worry about perfectly layering them.) Season with salt and pepper and drizzle cream over. Scatter cheese on top, and season again with salt and pepper. Lightly cover with foil and place in the oven.

Bake until cauliflower is nearly tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cream has thickened and reduced nearly completely and the top is golden brown and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before eating.

Hygge

By Gemma

Welcoming fall is a delicate thing. I can feel myself excited for colder nights and mornings because of the ample opportunity to sink into coziness. As we’re pushing to get the big bulk harvests ready to store for the winter, I have a stronger appreciation for warm beverages, and sleepy evenings. In Danish culture, being comfy and cozy is paramount, they even have a word to describe this somewhat elusive energy. Hygge. Hygge is defined as: a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. It is regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture. As fall trickles in, and the wind sweeps our hair and rain penetrates the soil, I hope we can all counterbalance our hustle and bustle lifestyles with a respect for rest and sprinkle in the idea of Hygge. 

Pick List:

The summer crops are coming to an end! It seems like a frost will come this week or weekend, ending the season for most summer crops. We are clearing out the sweet peppers from the field today but will be able to offer them for several weeks from storage.

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow and Cabernet Red Onions

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Red Gold and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Hakeuri Turnips

• Kossack Kohlrabi

• Primo and Caraflex Green and Ruby King Red Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Covina Broccoli

• Summer Squash and/or Cucumbers (Last week!)

• Sweet Peppers

• Radicchio, Sugarloaf, Chioggia, Frisee, and Escarole

• Lettuce

• Celery

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley

• Hot Peppers (Last week)

• Joe E Parker Green Chiles

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, and Delicata Winter Squash and Winter Luxury Pumpkin

• Pick your own Strawberries (Ask for directions and be sure to follow the signs! Last week!)

• Pick Your Own Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Heartier foods are taking the spotlight in my cooking these days: Root heavy recipes and soups are in my dreams. But I love a good breakfast hash, with leftover roasted squash and an egg (or two). This recipe is a creative take on hash browns, except with spaghetti squash, I’m hoping to try as many variations of roasted vegetables as possible in the coming months! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked shredded spaghetti squash

• 1 tbsp oil *olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, press the water and moisture out of the squash with paper towels or wring out in a clean kitchen towel.

3. Form patties – 2 tablespoons in size – and press the patties firmly between your palms.

4. Place the patties gently on the warmed skillet and let cook for 5-7 minutes per side. Only flip these once if possible to get the nice browned effect.

5. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then serve warm.

Harvest festival, Dahlias & Altar

By Celeste

Like every year we welcome you and your family to our last event of the year , the Harvest festival, where we will have pumpkin pie , herbal tea , apple cider , popcorn , and our popular wreath making station .

Every year when summer arrives and flowers are beautifully grown i start to harvest bunches of different kinds of drying flowers then i hang them in the csa barn for at least 2 weeks or until fully dried which im sure all of you noticed.

We offer 20 different flower options for wreath making : nigella, gomphrena, feverfew, craspedia, yarrow, lavender, celosia , flax , statice, basketflower, cempasuchi, scabiosa, frosted explosions grass, popies, broom corn, larkspur, safflower, strawflower, amaranth, sweet annie , our most used accent flowers are Strawflower , larkspur and Statice . Your wreath should last between 1-3 years if kept out of direct sunlight, wind and humid conditions. ( and it also depends on your flower choices )

Thank you so much for those of you who help me this year dried some of this flowers , i had such of great time getting to know you. Shout out to Jeanne , Zoreh, Paulina , Taralynn and my coworker Alyssa.

Thank you Dahlias

It is that time of year were we express our gratitude to the dahlias, I am beyond thankful for this year’s blooms , they did so much better than last year. This year we chose not to fish the dahlias , and to water them sooner .

You will noticed that i had label each tuber with a black sharpie and masking tape by color and cut the plant , they will stay buried without water for 2 weeks for them to get cured then i will dig them up and stored them until next year. I left some T-post for you pay attention were this tubers are , please watch your step and still do not jump/ walk over the bed ; and please make sure children and dogs do not pull out the dahlia bulbs . One bed is still up so grab as many as you can.

Altar - Dia de Muertos

One of my favorite festivities , yes festivities is to celebrate the life of those who have passed away to the spirit world. I will be creating an Altar to commemorate our beloved ones like last year so I welcome you to participate again with bringing a picture frame of that one person ( or as many as you want ) that is no longer with us to set it up in the altar , and if you can it will be great if you can bring their favorite treat as well ( candy , fruit , bread , etc. ) i will start making the altar on the 26 of October in the shed of the csa barn so bring all your items before this date and leave it inside the csa barn.

Typically altars are put up from 10/28 - 11/2 , but im not planning on working on Sunday. The 31st of October is the day to be said when the portal from both worlds starts to open and spirits start to visit us .

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Harvest Festival Saturday November 4th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow and Cabernet Red Onions

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Red Gold and Yellow Finn Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Pink Beauty Radish

• Hakeuri Turnips

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers (Lots! Time to pickle!)

• Finale Fennel

• Sweet Peppers

• Primo and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Covina Broccoli

• Chioggia, Frisee, and Escarole

• Lettuce

• Celery

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds! (May be last week, may be limited)

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Winter Sweet Kabocha, Spaghetti, Acorn, and Delicata Winter Squash and Winter Luxury Pumpkin

• Pick your own Strawberries (Ask for directions and be sure to follow the signs!)

• Pick Your Own Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Friday (Frozen bread for sale on Tuesday)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Calabaza en Tacha, from muybuenoblog.com

• 4-to 5 pound pumpkin

• 2 cups water

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 5 whole cloves

Spiced Piloncillo Syrup

• ¼ cup water

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 8 ounces piloncillo , or 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

Rinse off the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap. Using a serrated knife cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the pumpkin seeds. Scrape out the stringy layer (pulp) with a spoon. Discard seeds and pulp. Cut the pumpkin into 3- to 4-inch slices leaving the skin on.

In a large pot, steam the pumpkin in water, cinnamon, and cloves making sure to keep the lid on tight, for 20 to 40 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. The pumpkin is ready when your fork slides easily into the flesh.

In a small saucepan place water, cinnamon stick, and piloncillo on a very low heat until the piloncillo melts. Be sure to stir frequently.

Serve slices of pumpkin with syrup.

Dry Corn

By Cecilia

As this week’s blog writer, I feel a personal responsibility to warn everybody that there is a very large inflatable dragon on the farm. 

 Anyway, dry corn is a crop that we have been growing for the last couple years on a very small scale, with the long term goal of being able to offer cornmeal and popping corn(!) in the way that we offer flour.  We have kept it small scale so that we can learn about how to grow this crop in our specific microclimate and in our unique soil.  One of the most fun parts of experimenting in this way is trialing different varieties.  There is so much diversity in dried corn varieties, and it feels like we could be experimenting forever.  Even though we might not be offering this year’s crop to members, I want to invite everyone to peek in the greenhouse behind the CSA barn and just look at how beautiful the cobs are.  While harvesting and laying them out, it was almost impossible for me to stop staring and taking pictures.  The yellow and orange variety that we have in there is a classic cornmeal variety, while the pink and black ones are popping corn. 

 In other fall news, we are slowly adding more and more chicories to the CSA barn!  This week we harvested the first heads of Chioggia, and I felt inspired to find a chicory recipe for everyone. 

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Harvest Festival Saturday November 4th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers (Lots! Time to pickle!)

• Annina and Diamond Eggplant (Last week, may be limited)

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Pink Beauty Radish

• Primo and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Covina Broccoli

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Chioggia, Frisee and Escarole

• Tomatoes of all kinds! (May be last week, may be limited)

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Friday (Frozen bread for sale on Tuesday)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Southern-Italian Style Sautéed Chicories

from mediterraneanliving.com

• 1 large bunch chicory (around 1 pound)

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)

• 4 anchovy fillets in oil

• 2 tbsp raisins

• 2 tbsp pine nuts

• 1 tbsp brined capers (if you use the salt-cured variety make sure to rinse them well)

• Sea salt, to taste

Wash the chicory greens, cut into 2-inch pieces and cook in boiling unsalted water for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. **** If you are using endive, escarole, radicchio or dandelion leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces and add to boiling water for about 30 seconds or skip the boiling process altogether and just add raw greens to the frying pan.

Drain the chicory and rinse under cold water. Then, squeeze out the excess moisture using your hands.

In a large frying pan, add oil, garlic, hot pepper flakes and anchovy fillets. Stir for 30 seconds on medium heat until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is starting to sizzle and turn slightly gold.

Add greens, raisins, pine nuts and capers. Toss gently for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add salt, to taste. As capers and anchovies are already salty you shouldn’t need much.

Serve hot or room temperature.

Short ribs and Beans

I know we are all very excited for the seasons change, though it seems this week we will have a (hopefully our last) small heatwave. We have officially moved into doing fall projects such as: moving the tunnels to thier fresh winter pads, cutting the winter squash and gathering the pumpkins/ gourds for your fun fall needs. We also successfully harvested our first round of winter carrots, which I'm sure many of you will be thrilled to hear that we got a robust amount of.

I can personally attest that my body is ready for the slow down of winter and to have space to go inward and recoup from the summer season, but we are not quite there yet as fall asks us workers to push a little more in order to have a good storage supply of food to get us all through the winter. In order to maintain health in body and heart, I'd like us all to remember that eating enough warm rich foods will help us all to maintain energy to continue our days in a way that we can be present. We still have some hot peppers and are beginning to put our more stewing/ braising meats, I encourage you to use these foods to ensure your immune system maintains itself through the changing of the seasons. Stay well out there! 

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Harvest Festival Saturday November 4th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers (Lots! Time to pickle!)

• Annina and Diamond Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Primo and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Covina Broccoli

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Frisee and Escarole

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Friday (Frozen bread for sale on Tuesday)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

My favorite recipe for beans

• 1.5 cups of kidney beans

• 1 package of our short ribs

• 1 large yellow onion

• Half a head of garlic

• 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorn

• 2 pinches salt

• 1-3 hot peppers of your choice

Cover with water, about 2 or 3 cups.

If using a slow cooker, use the high setting until done. I like to leave it in through day while I work, about 8 hours. 

If on a stove top, allow to come to a boil then reduce down to a low simmer for 3 hours. It will be ready to eat after that though I highly suggest to slow it more time to get the most out of the short rib flavor. 5 hours is my suggestion. 

Lingering in Happiness

By Alyssa

Lingering in Happiness

Mary Oliver

After rain after many days without rain,

it stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees,

and the dampness there, married now to gravity,

falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground

where it will disappear—but not, of course, vanish

except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,

and the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss;

a few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole’s tunnel;

and soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,

will feel themselves being touched.

During harvest this morning, we saw so many small creatures out and about, enjoying the damp of last night’s rain – several little green frogs, a toad, a praying mantis. The air smells so fresh. I have mud on my rain boots, and the cuffs of my pants and sleeves are all wet. It might have been my imagination, but my midmorning cucumber snack tasted so spectacularly fresh and sweet.

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig Sweet and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina and Diamond Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower or Covina Broccoli

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Beef – Scallion – Tomato Stir Fry

A riff of two Woks of Life recipes:

https://thewoksoflife.com/beef-tomato-stir-fry/

https://thewoksoflife.com/scallion-beef-stir-fry/

1 lb ground beef

6-10 tomatoes, depending on how saucy/tomatoey you want it, roughly chopped

2-4 sliced scallions (they’re huge this week! perfect for stir fries!) – reserve some green parts for garnish

1 summer squash, sliced into half-moons

a few handfuls of shredded collard greens or cabbage

1 red long onion, diced

1” piece of ginger, minced or grated

a few cloves of garlic, minced or grated

soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, white pepper, and chili powder or oil to taste

Shaoxing cooking wine if you have it (otherwise the liquid from the tomatoes is enough to deglaze)

neutral cooking oil

1.     Prep your veggies and get all your ingredients ready.

2.     Heat a wok or a large cast iron pan on high heat until smoking. Add the ground beef and break up; cook without stirring until browned. Season meat with salt.

3.     Once one side of the beef is browned, flip and add your aromatics (scallions, onion, ginger, garlic). Cook, stirring, for thirty seconds or so, until the aromatics are fragrant.

4.     Add in your summer squash and cook, stirring, for another few seconds.

5.     Deglaze with shaoxing wine if you have it.

6.     Add your chopped tomatoes. If you don’t have shaoxing wine, the juice from the tomatoes should be enough to keep your wok or cast iron from getting too dry.

7.     Add shredded greens.

8.     Cook, stirring, until everything is bubbling and cooked through to your satisfaction. Season with soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, and white pepper to your taste. Be careful with salt if you are using soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili oil – each condiment already has some seasoning, so it can be easy to over-salt. I like it spicy so I always add chili oil, but it certainly doesn’t need it to taste good!

Rams n lambs

By AJ

If you have ever been driving by pasture and wondered why you see sheep with bright-colored marks on them, there are… a lot of reasons, actually. But here, the only time you will see such marks on our ewes is during breeding season. The ram wears a harness with a crayon on the front so that we have a pretty good idea when the ewes are bred, based on how many brightly colored butts we see. 

Our ramly ram this year is one of our lambs from 2022, named UGG. I could be remembering wrong, but i’m pretty sure that the name originated from Teddy. We use letters of the alphabet to name our lambs. If the mothers name starts with a "B", for example, then the lamb from that ewe will also start with a "B". So Uni (RIP) would need lambs that have names starting with a "U". It's a trickier letter of the alphabet, AND we want short names so that we can fit them on an eartag. Thus, Ugg.

Ugg is big (bigger than I was hoping, actually) and has an adorable wrinkly face. He will be down with the ewes for a little over a month before he heads back up to the “bachelor pad” with the other rams and bulls. It is rare to see our rams out of the pad, so if you get a chance to check out the sheep, look for the harness!

Sheep have  a gestation period of about 5 months, so mid-September is a perfect breeding season for us. It puts lambing between mid-February and mid-March, just before we start to ramp up on the vegetable side of things. Once Ugg has done the deed, the bred ewes with join back up with the rest of the flock, nibble on alfalfa, shelter from the winter rain, and slowly get larger. And then we wait. Until it’s time for lambs!

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck This Friday September 22nd (Date Change!)

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig Sweet and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Rhonda Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Easy Tomato Pie, from thekitchn.com

• 1 pie dough (enough for a 9-inch pie), homemade or store-bought

• 2 pounds tomatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

• 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 packed cups), divided

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 small shallot, halved and thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Prepare the pie crust. Arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat to 425°F. Meanwhile, roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch round, then transfer to a 9-inch pie plate (regular, not deep dish). Roll the edges over on themselves and crimp the crust. Freeze while the oven heats, at least 15 minutes.

Prepare the tomatoes for the oven. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.

Bake the crust and tomatoes. Remove the crust from the freezer and line with parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Place the tomatoes on the upper rack and the pie crust on the lower rack. Bake until the edges of crust begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add cheese to the crust and bake again. Remove the crust from oven (leave the tomatoes in), and remove the parchment and pie weights. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden-brown, about 5 minutes more. Remove the crust and the tomatoes from the oven (the tomatoes should be slightly wrinkly and look dry on top). Let both cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Make the topping. Place the mayonnaise, Parmesan, Dijon, remaining 1 cup Cheddar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Layer the tomatoes and shallots in the crust. Place half of the tomatoes in the crust in a single, even layer, then sprinkle with half the shallots. Repeat layering the remaining tomatoes and shallots.

Top with the basil. Tear the basil leaves and scatter them on top.

Top with the cheese mixture. Dollop the mayo-cheese mixture on top and spread into an even layer.

Bake, then let cool before slicing. Bake until the crust is deep golden-brown, the filling is bubbling, and the cheese is beginning to brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to see if crust is browning too quickly, and tent loosely with aluminum foil if needed. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Bee Sting

By Abby

While in the garden the other day, I got two bee stings on my ankle. Ouch! We have herbal remedies nearby. I quickly chewed up some plantain leaf and yarrow leaf. I secured the poultice to my ankle with a bandage, and no more sting! They were itchy the next day, but no pain at all.

I highly recommend knowing where these plants live in the garden and perennials, in case you get stung while frolicking at the farm!

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday September 22nd (Date Change!)

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cippolini and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Rhonda Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Tomato salad with Thai basil

Sliced tomatoes
Green beans, blanched and chopped
Chopped cucumber

First put the tomatoes and cucumber in a colander, and put the colander in a large bowl. Salt generously to sweat the water- drain after 10 mins. Add green beans. The veggies still have a lot of water so the dressing can be thick.

Dressing:
Grated ginger
Splash of Soy sauce
Splash of Fish sauce
Sweetener of choice
One chopped hot chili 

Add Thai basil leaf and/or flower, and chopped peanuts

Slow down

By Sage

I hope everyone has been enjoying these past few weeks of warmth that have finally started to feel like summer. It has been hot out in the fields which has been a good reminder to me to slow down and take breaks after work so that I am well rested for the next day. I think that in the peak of summer activity when everyone is busy making the most of the sunny days, it is especially beneficial for all of us to make time to slow down and reflect. Things were growing a bit slower this year with the cold and rain in the winter, but this recent flush of production has created such bounty that the csa barn feels like it’s overflowing with gorgeous food. I hope you all can find some stillness within the busyness of summer to settle in and get ready for fall which is already on its way. 

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday September 29th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Rhonda Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Corn (possibly only on Tuesday)

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Below is a strawberry tart recipe from yourhomebasedmom.com that would be a perfect summer dessert to make the most of our recent flush of strawberries :)

• Flour

• Butter

• Sugar

• Salt

• Cream cheese

• Sour cream. Could substitute with Greek yogurt.

• Sugar

• Egg

• Salt

• Vanilla Extract

• Lemon zest

• Strawberries

• Red currant jam

Pastry Crust

A food processor is the easiest way to make the pastry crust for this strawberry tart but it can also be done by hand. I use frozen butter and use my cheese grater to grate the butter so it is easier and quick to incorporate into the dough.

Add your flour, butter, sugar and salt into the food processor. Pulse until mixture is crumbly.

Add a little bit of cold, ice water into the mixture a tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture turns a pale yellow and starts to clump together.

Bring dough together with your hands and form into a ball, Flatten the ball and wrap in some plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick into a circle that extends about 1 1/2 inches beyond the edges of the tart pan.

Use your tart pan to make sure your circle of dough is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tart pan. I use a tart pan with a removable bottom. If you are making one large strawberry tart, this is the tart pan I use.

Lay dough into the tart pan and push down into the bottom and up the sides. Remove excess dough hanging over the edges. Dough should be even with the top of the tart pan.

Wash strawberries, remove tops and drain on paper towels.

With a fork, prick the dough, this will prevent the dough from bubbling up while baking.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly golden brown.

Strawberry Tart Filling

While the crust is baking you can assemble the custard. The custard could also be made the day ahead and refrigerated to save time if needed.

Mix together cream cheese which is at room temperature, sour cream, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until smooth.

Spread a layer of the custard on the bottom of each strawberry tart, about 1/2 inch thick. You may have extra custard.

Bake the tarts for about 15 minutes or until custard is set. Cool at room temperature before adding berries.

Mix together cream cheese which is at room temperature, sour cream, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until smooth.

Spread a layer of the custard on the bottom of each strawberry tart, about 1/2 inch thick. You may have extra custard.

Bake the tarts for about 15 minutes or until custard is set. Cool at room temperature before adding berries.

Place berries on top of custard, gently pushing on them a bit. Place the strawberries, cut side down starting with one in the middle and adding a row around it.

In a saucepan, combine jam and water and heat over low heat to create a glaze.

Brush glaze over the top and sides of the fruit.

Remove tarts from the tart pan and serve on a pretty plate.

Keep the tarts refrigerated until ready to serve. 

BBQ and Baseball

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our summer celebration. We were fortunate to have a beautiful afternoon: warm but not too hot with a bit of a breeze. We feasted on so many delicious dishes!

Baseball was a great success. Thank you to the adults who joined in and led the teams. Seth and I met on a farm near Hudson, NY. The farm was one aspect of a larger community, including a school and camp. We played community baseball in the summer and loved the tradition. During one of the first summers of this CSA, we hosted farm baseball every Monday, but that was a too much! Still we look forward to the annual tradition.

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday September 29th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Corn (We are on our last planting. This could be the last week.)

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Parsley and Basil (Cilantro and Dill will be back next week.)

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons (Just a taste to start)

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Frozen bread this week

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Grilled Eggplant & Soba Noodle Salad With Nearly Nước Chấm, from food52.com

• 7 ounces (200 grams) soba noodles

• 2 large eggplants (about 1 ¾ pounds/800 grams)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 -inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

• Sea salt, to taste

• Ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) Nearly Nước Chấm (see below)

• 1 cup Asian herbs, such as Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, cilantro, green onions, or perilla leaves, finely sliced

• Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the nearly nước chấm:

• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) lime juice

• 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 4 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 fresh red chile, finely sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Position a rack so the food will be about 2 inches (5 centimeters) from the heat source and heat the broiler to high.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain immediately and run under cold water until the noodles are completely cold. Set aside to drain.

Slice the eggplants into discs ½ inch- (1 ¼ centimeters-) thick, then lay them flat and slice them into batons. Place the eggplant on a sheet pan, drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the ginger and garlic. Season well with sea salt and broil for 5 minutes, watching the eggplant closely so it doesn’t burn. Flip the eggplant over and broil for another 4 to 5 minutes, again watching closely, until the eggplant is tender and golden. Remove from the broiler and transfer to a plate. While still warm, pour over the nearly nước chấm and toss to coat.

Combine the eggplant, noodles, and herbs in a large bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper. Toss well. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve with the peanuts scattered over the top.

For the nearly nước chấm:

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Bye for Now

By Kelsey

I’m sure pretty much all of you have noticed by now that I’m very pregnant! With the shift into my third trimester, I’ve felt a big shift in my energy. I’m feeling the need to go inward, consolidate my energy, and prepare for everything to come. So this means I won’t be seeing you in the barn on CSA days anymore. Stocking the store and seeing your friendly faces each week has been a very fun part of my job over the last couple years and I’ll look forward to doing it once again when I return from my maternity leave in the spring, hopefully with a baby in tow! But for now I will be focusing on finishing up the herb harvest over the next couple months, as well as getting our house ready and resting as much as possible!

I wanted to give a quick shoutout to two Open Field herbs that have been supporting me during my pregnancy: nettles (which I wrote all about in my blog post from 6/6) and marshmallow! I’ve been drinking tons of infusions of both. The nettles are helping me boost my mineral stores and the marshmallow is helping me hydrate, which has been very hard to do on all the hot days we’ve had over the last few weeks! 

Upcoming Events:

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Corn (We had our first big harvest of corn on Friday. We have a small harvest for Tuesday and may have more Friday but definitely by next Tuesday. Corn is the hardest for us to predict. We have 4 plantings and should have it in some amount for the next month.)

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Covina Broccoli

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Parsley and Basil

• Galahad and Caiman Tunnel Tomatoes; New Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes

• Jalapeno Hot Peppers

• Melons (Just a taste to start)

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Baba Ganoush, from tasteofhome.com

• 1 medium eggplant

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450°. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Place cut side up on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil over cut sides. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and paprika. Bake until dark golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove eggplant from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Peel skin from eggplant; discard. Put flesh into a food processor and pulse to mash; transfer to bowl. Stir in tahini, garlic, lemon juice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon into serving dish. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with parsley and additional paprika.

Slow Return

By Sarah

Now that we have edged past the first of August, you can feel the light shift and the time speed up. We are growing closer to the equinox and away from the long days of midsummer. In the fields, you watch the plants reacting to this change: most of the pumpkins and squash are formed and the plants are beginning to die back. The cabernet red onions have senesced and need to be harvested soon. And yet, as Gemma mentioned in the last post, the fruits of summer are just starting. We are so happy to have a full barn again and to eating all the deliciousness of the season.

Upcoming Events:

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Candy Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Shiraz Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Corn (We had our first big harvest of corn on Friday. We have a small harvest for Tuesday and may have more Friday but definitely by next Tuesday. Corn is the hardest for us to predict. We have 4 plantings and should have it in some amount for the next month.)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Galahad and Caiman Tunnel Tomatoes; New Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Charred Zucchini and Corn with Basil Caesar-ish Sauce, 

from Tenderheart, by Hetty Lui McKinnon (https://emilyrnunn.substack.com/p/two-super-salads-from-a-vegetable)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 small zucchini (about 2 pounds), trimmed and cut diagonally into slices ⅜ inch thick

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

• 3 ears corn (about 2 pounds), husks removed

• Big handful of mint leaves

• Big handful of basil leaves

Basil Caesar-ish dressing

• 4 teaspoons capers, rinsed

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

• ¼ cup tahini

• Sea salt

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in some olive oil and, working in batches, add the zucchini, season with a pinch of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper and pan-fry for 2 minutes until golden and charred. Flip over and char the other side. Transfer the zucchini to a colander, drizzle with the red wine vinegar and set aside.

Drizzle more olive oil into the same pan and add the corn. Season with sea salt and pan-fry, turning often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until all sides are slightly charred. When cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife.

To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times, until it becomes a thick paste. Add ⅓ cup of water and blend or process until smooth. Taste and season with sea salt.

To serve, combine the zucchini, corn, mint and basil leaves.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss to combine. When ready to eat, drizzle the basil Caesar-ish dressing over the top and serve immediately.

Substitute • Ears of corn: 2 cups frozen corn kernels • Tahini: regular or vegan mayonnaise

Vegetable swap • Zucchini: broccoli, eggplant

Hello August, Bring on the Harvest!

By Gemma

It can be challenging to stay present in the heat and haze of August sun and foggy humid mornings. However, the joyful abundance of August is blatant and undeniable. The height of summer can often be a tumultuous and overwhelming time for farmers. That’s not to say that the notion is irrelevant or doesn’t apply, but personally I enjoy the narrowed focus of summer months. The time slips away quicker this time of year. Most days we’re out harvesting, not only on our CSA pickup day schedule like in the previous months, where we’re gleaning as much as possible from our fields. The simplicity of harvest is kind to my scrambled brain which takes its time to function in the heat. I’ve never worked on a farm producing as much as we do here and it’s truly incredible to see the trailer full of overflowing totes. 

This time of year holds a special place in my heart because some of my favorite vegetables are finally ready to eat! Broccoli is my current obsession, though I can never pick a true favorite. Corn, green beans, zucchini, lettuce and potatoes are my Dad’s favorite vegetables and harvesting them reminds me of the elaborate but simple menus he would create for the backyard summer barbecues we'd have. The feeling of late summer is so special to me I wish I could keep it in a jar. Speaking of, I did my first preservation project of the season on Saturday. I made pickles and dilly beans from our green beans, pickling cucumbers, dill and garlic. Yum! 

Another upside of having so much food is that the animals we feed out our compost to are eating real good. The sheep and chickens as well as our household pets get to share the bounty. My rabbit is enjoying the fruits of an abundant summer, and she’s grunting with joy when I bring her her daily cup of greens. I know Sarah’s new pigs are having their way with the abundance as well. It feels so good to share and enjoy what we’ve been working so hard to grow, with ourselves, our animals, and you all. 

It was a pleasure to meet some of you in the Barn last week! Hope to see you around.

I've included a recipe I love to snack on and it's best with homemade pickles!

Upcoming Events:

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Shiraz Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Corn (We had our first big harvest of corn on Friday. We have a small harvest for Tuesday and may have more Friday but definitely by next Tuesday. Corn is the hardest for us to predict. We have 4 plantings and should have it in some amount for the next month.)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Galahad and Caiman Tunnel Tomatoes; New Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Dill Pickle Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened

• ¼ cup pickle juice

• ¼ cup dill pickle finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped

Instructions: 

1. In a medium bowl, stir or whip cream cheese until smooth.

2. Gradually add pickle juice to the cream cheese, mixing well after each addition.

3. Stir in chopped pickles and fresh dill.

4. Add more pickles or juice till you have your desired texture

5. Refrigerate the dip for at least 30 minutes before serving.

6. Serve with your favorite potato chip!

Maravilla de Flores

By Celeste S.

As all of you can see the flower field is looking beautiful and more colorful then ever before; i keep telling Sarah that i think this year the flower field looks more gorgeous than past season (of me working here) , it may be that finally we have green pathways or maybe because this season the Dahlias are blooming or it could be that now with my experience just by observing each section of flowers I know what they need for them to flourish. Y Son tan Bellas !

I don’t really think i have a favorite flower, they all are uniquely charming that my favorite thing of them is seeing how the bumble bees are curled up inside a poppy on a foggy morning; or how a hummingbird squishes between bugs and honey bees to get some of that nectar too; or just watching my toddler eat cempasuchi petals or basil as a snack.

My week consists of weeding 3 days a week , 1 day of pinching / Dead-heading, and 2 days of harvest.

There’s still not much to harvest precisely for the wreath making on November, but can’t wait for the field to be abundant enough to invite all of you on a Saturday morning to join me harvest.

I want to give a special to shout out to Jeremy Engman; he help me last year harvest lots of Cempasuchis (aka Giant Orange Marigolds) and Margrethe .

The flower field is a such special place to me in the farm, i have cried weeding the beds , i have laughed at loud pinching some celosias , i have reflected on certain situations, i work with my toddler between the flowers , i think it deserves a proper respect since it give us so much beauty , so remember :

• Walk only on the Pathways (Clover beds)

• Do not jump over flower beds

• Harvest only with clippers/scissors

• Wash your hands after ( there’s a few toxic flowers in there)

• Keep your dog on a leash

Enjoy this space with a picnic on a Sunny day , or a photoshoot with your family.

May this season overfills your home with beauty and colors.

“I hope you are blessed
With a heart like a wildflower.
Strong enough to rise again
After being trampled on.
Tough enough to weather
The worst of the summer
And even able to grow and flourish
In the most broken places”
⁃ unknown

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck This Friday, August 4th

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Candy Fresh Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Garlic (Last week-limited amount)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Shiraz Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Hakurei Turnips

• Pink Beauty Radish

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant (may be limited)

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Jade Green Beans

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Galahad and Caiman Tomatoes (may be limited)

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale!

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

We only seed one planting of the green beans in the fields as they are so time consuming for us to pick; the succession plantings are all in the pick your own field. We always hope for a bumper crop so that we can make dilly beans! Please join us in preserving them so we do not waste them!

Lacto-fermented Dilly Beans, from culturesforhealth.com

Yields 2 quarts

• 2 quarts water

• 4-6 Tbsp. sea salt

• 1 pound young green beans, trimmed

• 2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• 1 tsp. black peppercorns

• 2 large handfuls of dill (flowering heads preferred, but leaves work well too)

1. Dissolve sea salt in water to make a brine. Set aside .

2. Divide the red pepper flakes, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and dill between 2 quart-size glass jars.

3. Place the green beans on top of the seasonings, straight up if they are long and thin or sideways if thicker and cut into chunks. Cover with brine solution, leaving 1 inch headspace at the top of jar

4. Cover the jar with a tight lid, airlock lid, or coffee filter secured with a rubber band.

5. Culture at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) until desired flavor and texture are achieved. If using a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure.

6. Once the beans are finished, put a tight lid on the jar and move to cold storage.

Vinegar Dilly Beans, from freshpreserving.com

Makes about 6 (16 oz) pint jars
An old family classic! Feel free to kick up the flavor by adding a few pinches of crushed red pepper or chili powder to the brine.

• 3 lbs green and/or yellow wax beans, trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces (about 4 inches)

• 3 3/4 cups vinegar

• 3 3/4 cups water

• 1/3 cup salt

• 6 cloves garlic, crushed or thinly sliced

• 6 springs of dill

• 6 pint jars

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.

2. Combine vinegar, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve salt.

3. Place 1 clove crushed garlic and 1 dill sprig into a hot jar. Pack beans cut side up leaving a ½ inch headspace.

4. Ladle hot brine into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

5. Process jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

Celtuce

By Cecilia

You may have noticed last week that we have a brand new (to us) vegetable in the barn.  This is the first year we have grown celtuce and I hope that everybody gets a chance to try it before we run out.  I love it.  I want all of you to love it, too.  Ashely included a recipe for it in last week’s blog post and I would love to hear if any of you tried it.  I’m not going to include another celtuce recipe this week, but I do have some suggestions:

Peel it!
Chop it!
Shave it!
Cook it!
Eat it raw!
With spices and herbs!
Without spices and herbs!
It’s delicious!

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday, August 4th (Date change!)

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Candy Fresh Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Garlic

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Hakurei Turnips

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfinn Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Celtuce (see recipe below!)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale!

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Cold Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce, from nytimes.com

• Kosher salt

• 10 ounces soba noodles

• 1 medium zucchini or cucumber (about 6 ounces)

• 5 turnips (about 4 ounces)

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• ½ cup roasted salted peanuts (about 2 ounces), roughly chopped

• 2 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped

• Handful of cilantro leaves

• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

FOR THE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

• ½ cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons chile oil or hot sauce, plus more to taste

• 1 garlic clove, grated

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the soba, stir to prevent sticking, and cook according to package instructions until just tender. Rinse under cold water until the noodles are completely cold.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, sesame oil, chile oil or hot sauce, and garlic. Add ¼ to ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until the sauce is a pourable consistency. Taste and add more chile oil or hot sauce as desired; set aside.

Cut the zucchini or cucumber and turnips into ⅛-inch thick slices, then cut into thin matchsticks. Place them all in a large bowl.

Loosen the soba noodles by running them under some water, then allow to drain again. Add them to the vegetables, add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and toss to combine.

When you are ready to serve, drizzle with spicy peanut sauce and top with peanuts, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, with lime wedges alongside.

Team Work

By Ashley

The Crew dynamic is smooth these recent weeks. When the fields are producing and we are harvesting just about every day there is ample opportunity for team building. We learn to flow with one another, we learn how another moves and learn to anticipate what an individual will do when we are working together. This anticipation, or learned knowledge of one another, feels different than the frequently spoken about trauma response of a person interacting with emotionally dangerous people. This anticipation resembles things much closer to a sibling knowing how to annoy their brother, or a husband knowing how his wife likes her coffee. It's an intimate knowing where the somatic movements of our everyday lives revolve around one another. 

The crew talks to one another all day long; we know each other's politics (risky, I know) we know each other's moods based on how interactive or distanced one person is, we know each other's work tool preferences and even which tasks one person likes or dislikes and we take on that task to compensate for someone's taste. It's a beautiful dance we do with one another and one that takes practice and also willingness. 

There is a safety that must be felt between people to let our guards down and truly come out of our shell. I also believe there must be safety felt in a work place in order to perform as well as we possibly can. We have to make mistakes, we have to ask questions, and we have to feel safe enough to feel confident. Though we are not perfect, I can sense everyone's nervous system being relaxed enough that we can flow to and from the fields with one another with little hiccups and lots of laughs. We genuinely enjoy one another (even when we have hard days!) 

The next time you see us in the mule driving to our next task together, listen out for the loud laughter that usually accompanies our group. This hard work is made easier because we are all together. 

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday, July 28th

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions (Last week!)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Garlic

• Hakurei Turnips

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfinn Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Song Cauliflower

• Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Celtuce (see recipe below!)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Only frozen bread will be available this week

• Pick Your Own Flowers & Herbs

Stir-fried Celtuce Stem

• 200 g Celtuce Stem

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn

• 2 dried chili peppers , cut into sections

• 2 tbsp. cooking oil

• pinch of salt

1. Remove the leaves and then peel off the hard skin from the head.

2. Then cut the long stem into sections around 3 cm wide and further cut it into slices. You can also choose to cut them into small strips.

3. To start, heat the wok until really hot firstly, and then place in garlic, chopped dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorn. You can skip the dried chili and Sichuan peppercorn and make a garlic flavor stem celtuce stir fry.

4. Place the slices in, and add salt. Mix well. Drizzle some sesame oil before transferring out.