CSA Week Seven / CSA Member Potluck!

CSA Distribution/Farm Stand Hours

Tuesdays 2:30pm-6:30pm

Thursdays 10:30am-6:30pm

Saturdays 10:00am-4:00pm

Powisset Café Hours

Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm

Barnyard Hours ($5/person)

Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:00pm

Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm

Dragonfly on its perch

Before jumping into the blog, I want to advertise for the upcoming CSA member potluck dinner! Some of our members and staff have been gracious enough to organize this get-together, and it will be a great way to generate a stronger sense of community around the farm. It will take place on Thursday, August 2 at 6:00pm. Bring food and a smile and prepare to enjoy the farm with the people that make it possible!

Hello carrots!

Another week, another successful harvest at Powisset Farm. As I’m sure you have noticed, the summer squash plants have been working hard to pump out their beautiful fruit. We are already moving into our third planting, with more to come. Carrots were a big hit last week, and there will be more in this week’s share. If you can postpone eating them long enough to bring them into the kitchen, I recently had an excellent side of julienned carrots and broccoli that were drizzled in a mix of balsamic vinegar and Italian dressing before being roasted. There are many great recipes out there to mix up familiar vegetables, but I find that the simplest ones are often the best. Since Mother Nature did a great job providing us with this food, very little is needed on our part to turn the vegetables into a great meal.

Our big harvest challenge of the week took place in the garlic field. The garlic had grown to an ideal size to be picked and hung to cure, but an impending rainstorm had us nervous that we would not get it out in time. Of course, it is not ideal to bring wet garlic indoors when the mission is to dry it. Thanks to the quick work of our crew, we were able to complete the harvest just in the nick of time and head inside to tie and hang the plants as the rain pitter-pattered overhead on the plastic roof of the greenhouse. The curing process will intensify the flavors of the garlic and increase anticipation for the day when it is ready for distribution.

In this week’s share, we have

Bird's nest in the massive weeds

• Summer Squash/Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Salanova
• Bok Choi
• Kohlrabi
• Potatoes
• Cilantro or Dill
• Basil
• Chard
• Fennel

Pick your own

• Bush Beans
• Herbs

Friday Farm Dinner on July 27

In addition, there is a Friday Farm Dinner coming up on July 27 from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Music is by the Railroad House Band, and a gorgeous dinner will be prepared by Chef Didi Emmons featuring lots of Powisset’s yummy vegetables.

On Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29, the Gazebo Players will be performing Shakespeare’s Othello at Powisset. The performance is free to the public and runs from 5:00 to 7:00pm on both nights.

The Notch Biergarten will be returning to the area this weekend (July 27, 28, 29) at Rocky Woods. They will be there on Friday from 4:00-8:00pm featuring al fresco fresh stone hearth pizza from Stone Comfort Pizza, on Saturday from 12:00-9:00pm featuring Wagwan Jamaican Jerk Bar, and Sunday from 12:00-6:00pm featuring more fresh pizza. There will also be guided hikes to the beaver condominium complex on Echo Pond on Friday and Saturday nights.

Please also remember that we would love to have you visit our barnyard and café! Both are great activities for all ages. The café provides excellent food and the barnyard offers a behind-the-scenes look at the agricultural operations run by the Trustees. Also, the animals are just plain cute!

Because so many people inquired about it, the General Manager of our region, D.A. Hayden, was nice enough to include the recipe for the Zucchini cookies that she made last week. They are an extremely tasty way to utilize some of the many zucchinis that have been harvested lately!

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE-CHIP ZUCCHINI COOKIES

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Cool: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white sugar

1 cup margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together in a bowl.

Beat the sugar and margarine with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat the first egg into the butter until completely blended; beat the vanilla into the mixture with the last egg. Stir the zucchini through the mixture until evenly distributed. Mix the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips, mixing just enough to evenly combine. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in batches in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

CRAISIN ZUCCHINI COOKIES

Prep time:  15 minutes

Cook:  10 minutes

Cool:  20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 cup grated zucchini

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup raisins or craisins

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg then stir in the zucchini. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into the zucchini mixture. Mix in raisins. Cover dough and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven until set. Allow cookies to cool slightly on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed

In large bowl, beat softened butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy.

Stir in vanilla, then stir in powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar as needed until frosting is a thick spreadable consistency.

Spread or pipe frosting on cooled cookies, cakes or cupcakes.

-If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to let us know! We always enjoy conversations with our wonderful members.

Hope to see you soon,

Jeff Hoodlet

Farm Apprentice