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Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Powisset Upcoming Events & Programs


Friday marks our first Friday Farm Dinner of the season! We are psyched to have Chef Didi Emmons with us for the entire season. Castle Island Brewing will be servng/selling their beer and The Railroad House Band will be providing the entertainment. Friday Farm Dinners will be held every other Friday through September. Check them out on our web site here!

This Saturday marks Opening Day for the Powisset Cafe! The Cafe will be open on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month through CSA season (ending Oct 21st) from 10-2pm. We will be serving breakfast, lunch and coffee/tea. On the menu this week you will find lemon scones, veggie frittata, farro salad with turnips and greens and cherry hand pies (which we were delighted to test out yesterday) and of course coffee & tea! These goodies will be made with as much farm fresh produce as possible! So stop in after CSA pickup or make a day out of it and come on by! 

Calling all Photographers!
You are invited to enter the 2017 Powisset Farm Photo Competition!  Register & bring in your photos by July 10th. Exhibit & Voting will take place from July 13-August 8 in the barn. A “Meet the Artist” wine and cheese reception will be held on August 13, 4:30 -6:00PM, where the winners will be announced. All photographs must be taken at Powisset Farm (anywhere on the 100 acre property). Photographers of all ages, and all skill levels are welcome. Come be part of the fun! For complete show guidelines, and to register, email toddimmick@gmail.com or pick up a registation form at the farm!


Monday, June 26, 2017

Summer CSA Week 3



 
**THE CSA AND FARM STAND WILL BE CLOSED TUESDAY JULY 4TH**

Howdy folks!,
Happy week 3! Just a note, we will not have CSA pickup next Tuesday. Enjoy the 4th of July!

Small Share members: Last name starting with A - L pickup this week

In this weeks share we have:
Lettuce
Broccoli
Spicy greens
Cooking greens (your choice of one bunch of kale, chard, or collard greens)
Scallions
Radishes
Beets
Bok Choi
Garlic Scapes

This week I want to highlight radishes. Fresh radishes have a crisp, peppery bite that I quite enjoy. I put them on salads, dip them in hummus, eat them sliced on hearty bread with butter and arugula, or pile them onto fresh fish tacos. (Pick up your local catch from Jordan's Seafood -- he's at the farm on Tuesday afternoons.)

For those who don't love the spiciness of radishes, I suggest quick pickling them. The pickling process mellows the bite but maintains the fresh crispness of the radish. Pickled radishes are fantastic on sandwiches, salads, or just out of the jar.

Once again, remember, no CSA pick up on the 4th of July. So, this week pick up a delicious ready-to-bake strawberry rhubarb pie from Bushel and Crumb in the farm stand! It will make a fantastic addition to any 4th of July picnic.

Your farmer,

Zannah






Monday, June 19, 2017

Summer CSA Week 2

Week 2:

Wow what an incredible first week of distributions to kick off the summer CSA season. I really enjoy welcoming you all back onto the farm at the beginning of the summer. Looking forward to seeing the rest of our half share folks this week. This week is week two (even week) so if you have a half share and your last name starts with M-Z then this is your week to pick up your share!

This is also the first week of the fruit share. The share will be delivered on Tuesday. If you have signed up for a fruit share you can pick it up Tuesday (recommended), Thursday, or Friday.


Needing the tractor head lights
to wrap up a long day
Every Monday I take a crop walk around the farm to asses what is ready to harvest for that weeks CSA as well as what looks like it will be ready in the coming weeks. I really savor this time to slow down and check in with every inch of the farm. I also scout for pests in the fields and make a plan to deal with them. This year I am partnering with UMASS extension who is sending a graduate student to the farm every week to collect data on out pest populations and best practices in controlling them using organic methods. Our first wave of cucumbers is almost ready and we will likely be harvesting next week. The broccoli is also on the cusp of being ready.

 

After a bit of a slow start due to the cool spring temperatures the farm is really starting to fill out. This week brings more diversity to our harvest list.
Your share this week

In this weeks share:

Lettuce

Scallions
Beets
Arugula
Pick one cooking green (kale, collards, or chard)
Spinach
Garlic Scapes
Radishes

Our peas were hit hard by a pest this week called the seed corn maggot. Seed corn maggot is the pupa of a fly. They lay there eggs on the surface of the soil and burrow down into the soil. They prefer to eat large seeds like corn, peas, and beans. Our peas were affected as well as one of our plantings of beans. We still have a shot at spring peas from one of our plantings but unfortunately no peas for picking this week.

* The strawberries are just beginning to fruit but there are not yet enough to open them for picking. Please be respectful of your fellow CSA members and the Powisset Farm staff and refrain from picking the strawberries this week.

PYO:
Herbs

I often get asked the question "what is a garlic scape and what do I do with it?" Garlic scapes are flower stalks that garlic  plants develop this time of year. We harvest them before they go to flower because this will cause the plant to send energy into the bulb and create a bigger garlic bulb. Garlic scapes are edible and can be made into pesto, sliced into coins and sautéed with greens, chopped and sprinkled on salad, or pickled.

Your Farmer,

Zannah

Sunday, June 11, 2017

CSA Week 1!!!


Apprentices Diane, Phil, and Jared have been
working hard on the farm this spring
Baby cucumber, they will be in your CSA
in just a few weeks
Week 1:

Wow, summer is here.  As I sit down to write the first of twenty summer CSA blog posts it is a scorching 93 degrees. What a difference a few days (and 365 days) makes. Overall this has been a cool wet spring but my memories of spring quickly fade on days like today. I am incredibly grateful to see the pond next to the barn at peak capacity. With all this rain, the water table has been recharged after last year's extreme drought. We have been working hard all spring preparing the farm for your arrival, and here we are: week one of the summer vegetable CSA. For folks who have purchased a half share, this is week 1 (an ODD week). This means, if your last name starts with A - L this is your week! Folks who have a half share and who's last name starts with the letters M - Z, we look forward to seeing you next week.

If you didn't make it to CSA orientation you will notice a few
 
These two melt my heart
changes in the distribution barn when you arrive to pick up your share. As always please check in at the counter and lets us know you are picking up your share. Items in the share will be listed on the chalk board by the entrance as well as on the chalkboards above the display tables. Also we don't provide bags so please bring your own reusable bags.


Farm softball!

What's in the week 1 share:

Head lettuce, arugula, green garlic, choice of cooking greens (chard, kale, or collards), spinach, and pop corn.

Pick Your Own:

Choice of herbs: Thyme, oregano, and sage
A favorite Powisset past time

You may be scratching your head wondering what to do with green garlic... Green garlic is garlic that has not yet fully matured. It is tender and more mild than cured garlic. You can slice or mince the white end as well as some of the green stem. Use it as you would a clove of garlic or toss it fresh on salad. For a more in depth explanation as well as a green garlic pesto recipe follow this link:
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2011/02/15/green-garlic-pesto-recipe/
I like to toss some greens like arugula, kale, or spinach into my green garlic pesto and toss with steamed pasta, or spread on some good bread.

Your farmer,

Zannah





Saturday, June 10, 2017

Powisset Happenins!

It's been a while since I have filled you in on what is going on at Powisset Farm! There has been so much, that it is hard to keep up!

First of all, thank you to all who came out on Memorial Day for Springfest! Despite the chilly temps, we all had a blast. A couple of our favorite activities were the pie-eating contest (right) and the Powisset Cafe (left)! For those of you who also enjoyed the Powisset Cafe, know that it will become a regular thing this summer so stay tuned for details. We are still looking to hire a Manager as well as some counter and food prep help. If you know someone who is interested in working at the Cafe every other Saturday I'd love to hear from you (nnacamuli@thetrustees.org). Lastly, in addition to hosting a Spring Festival, this year on September 16th we will be holding a Harvest Festival so mark your calendars!
What's to Come? Well, besides the excitement of the CSA and farm stand opening on Tuesday(!), below are just a few of our upcoming events and programs!

Sunday, June 18th, 11-1pm: Fathers Day Bluegrass BBQ: Join us as we celebrate dad by enjoying food catered by Blue Ribbon BBQ, music by the Railroad House Band, lawn games, animals and much more! Beer (provided by Jack's Abby Brewery) and wine will be available for purchase. Registration will close on Thursday so sign up today!

Saturday, June 24th, 10-12pm: Strawberry Shortcake: From the Fields to the Kitchen: This is our 3rd annual strawberry shortcake class and it is always a sell out. While we won't be able to pick strawberries due to the timing, we will be collecting eggs (for the biscuit wash) and mint to adorn the shortcake! 

Friday, June 30th, 6-8pm: Friday Farm Dinner: We are excited for our first farm dinner of the season! Chef Didi Emmons will be cooking up a storm using seasonal produce from the farm and we will enjoy music by the Railroad House Band, beer from Castle Island Brewing, lawn games, and the scenic view of the farm at sunset. Come early (at 5:30pm) for a farm tour with one of our farm staff! We will be holding Friday Farm Dinners every other Friday through September.

We hope to see you at one or all of these events!