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Monday, September 24, 2018

CSA Week 16 - The "Harvest" Misconception

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 ($10/child, $5 for Trustees members) UPDATED HOURS

Thursdays 11:30am-1:30pm
Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm
"Hey, who covered my eyes?!"

Hi all, I hope that you have had a great week. We have just a couple reminders to attend to again before the weekly updates.
  • Firstly, please don’t forget to take our CSA survey. Your feedback is invaluable, and we want to make our farm as awesome as possible for you!
  • Also, please note that the barnyard hours have changed. Instead of being open on Wednesdays, the barnyard will now be open on Thursdays from 11:30-1:30.
  • We are holding a raffle for two handmade mahogany Powisset Adirondack chairs. Check out the beautiful pieces at the property! Tickets are $50 each, and only 100 tickets will be sold.

In this week's share
  • Tomatoes
  • Turnips
  • Chard
  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Potatoes
  • Leeks
Fall has arrived on the farm. Not just on the calendar, but on the thermometer as well. Today was grey and left us stopping at our cars for more layers for the first time since May. Harvesting turnips forced us to brainstorm how we used to keep our hands warm before the three-month long heat wave turned our brains to mush. Instead of figuring out which crops needed watering, we focused on which crops needed to be covered first to keep them warm. Before long, it will be time to keep an eye on the weather for frost and to cover everything with remay.

Sticking with the theme of fall, I thought it would be fun to address some fall misconceptions about farming. We often face questions about “harvest season” and “the harvest,” but as CSA members, you know that harvests occur over many months instead of one big event at the end of the season.  It is true however, that harvests change towards the end of the season. Spring began with spinach and other greens and root vegetables, and this is how it will end. Spinach is a cold-hardy crop that does well in chillier temperatures, as do root vegetables like radishes, turnips, beets, and carrots. Throughout the summer, heat forces leafy crops like spinach and lettuce to “bolt,” or shoot skyward in preparation for going to seed. This causes the crop to become bitter and undesirable. On the same note, cooking greens like kale and chard tend to do well in cooler temperatures. They are back in force, and will hopefully be in the share for weeks to come.

A friendly newt taking shelter in the weeds
The last of the fall harvest tends to bring the beets, kohlrabi, turnips, and most importantly, carrots. These are our bulk storage crops, and can be kept in proper root cellar conditions for weeks. We spent many hours weeding our beets and hope that they will produce a quality yield before long. Our turnips have been quietly getting bigger for over a month, and should lead to happy members looking for fall flavor in their kitchens. Carrots, one of the most difficult crops to grow, have done well on the farm this year and will hopefully keep the trend alive until the last distribution. Having to stay in the ground so long, weeds are the biggest problem for carrots. We weeded them recently, and we hope that they will swell in size until the frost sweetens them up!

Lastly, we should quickly address what we will call “squashgate.” It is true, squashes (including pumpkins) can be harvested late into the fall. However, many squashes, including our own, are harvested in the heat of summer and left to cure for weeks on end. While some squashes cure on the vine, others are less than ideal to prepare until their color changes. When strolling around your local market or hay ride this fall, please enjoy this little bit of insider farm information.

Enough with the boring crop info, here is another guest post from one of our loyal members. Let’s keep summer going with this amazing recipe for salsa! Fall flavors can be great, but variety is the key to life, and this tasty and nutritious salsa will brighten up any grey autumn day!

Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet
Farm Apprentice


Summer may be past us but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep the party going with a little Salsa.... to dance or eat! I’d go for both.

Make good use of those tasty tomatillos and feel great about it too...
Tomatillos are not only high in fiber and antioxidants, but are also a great source of niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin has been shown to promote a healthy lipid profile. Just 1 cup of chopped tomatillo packs 15% of your daily niacin requirement!

Fiesta Salsa: a party in your mouth!!!

It’s really easy to come up with a great salsa when you have a great, fresh produce like we do. In this particular variation, I mixed chopped tomatillos, chopped yellow and red tomatoes, one finally chopped jalapeño, one small chopped onion. Add 1 clove of crushed garlic. Drizzle with olive oil & the juice of half a lime. Add some fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Delicious over black beans and rice, or an awesome accompaniment for taco night! If you like your salsa on the sweeter side, try adding in small cubes of fresh mango.


Cheers!

Shira B. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Please Read if Picking up on Tuesday 9/18

Hi CSA Members!

We just wanted to let you know that our well pump is having issues and is in the process of getting fixed.

This means that the farmers haven't been able to wash the delicious vegetables they harvested for Tuesday's CSA pickup. We'll be open today during our usual CSA hours if you would like to pick up today,  but just wanted to give you a heads up that the vegetables will still have LOTS of field-fresh mud on them. 

You’re also very welcome to pick up your CSA share on Thursday or Saturday if you would prefer to wait for cleaner veggies - we should have water back by then. 

Thanks so much for your support for local food!
Sarah Kelly
CSA Coordinator

Monday, September 17, 2018

CSA Week 15 - Healthy Living on the Farm

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 ($10/child, $5 for Trustees members) CHANGING BEGINNING THIS WEEK

Thursdays 11:30am-1:30pm
Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm

Hi all, I hope that you have had a great week. We have just a couple reminders to attend to before the weekly updates.
  • Firstly, please don’t forget to take our CSA survey. Your feedback is invaluable, and we want to make our farm as awesome as possible for you!
  • Also, please note that the barnyard hours will be changing beginning this week. Instead of being open on Wednesdays, the barnyard will now be open on Thursdays from 11:30-1:30.
  • We are holding a raffle for two handmade mahogany Powisset Adirondack chairs. Check out the beautiful pieces at the property! Tickets are $50 each, and only 100 tickets will be sold.
  • Lastly, please be sure to take the proper amount of fruits and veggies in your share. We understand that sometimes it is tempting to grab a little extra of something, but please fight the urge. We spend the season preparing crops with a certain number of shareholders in mind, but lately we have been running out of some things that we should have had enough of. We just want to make sure that there are enough veggies for everyone to pick up their fair share!

Thank you!!

Thank you, Pathways for rescuing our Fall brassicas from the weeds!
It was great to bring lettuce back into the share last week. Summer (especially one with so much heat) is not conducive to producing quality lettuce. A combination of factors cause it to grow poorly and become bitter. Fall lettuce however, is quite tasty and looks beautiful so far. We will keep crossing our fingers that conditions cooperate. Our second plantings of kale and chard have been excellent as well. The plants are extremely healthy so far, and the leaves are quite tender and flavorful. Perhaps the biggest unsung hero of the distribution was the celery. This often-bland vegetable is quite difficult to grow into big and flavorful plants, but Andrew’s methods brought us excellent specimens this season. Even the celery greens make a great addition to a dish.

Without further ado, I would like to thank one of our members, Shira Brown for a guest post this week! We are so appreciative of her family’s continued support of the Powisset community. I look forward to trying her recipe for an Awesome Autumn Salad this week!

 Hello fellow CSA families!
 
It's been another amazing season... the 6th for my family I think, but truthfully I have lost count, as the farm seems to be THE place for being present and losing track!
I realize we may be long overdue in showing the love to our hard-working farmers and should start talking about how we’re all making good use of the incredibly fresh, abundant, organic produce that shows up in our kitchens all season as a result of their  work and dedication.

As a pediatrician and mom of three who loves to cook, a kitchen filled with the colors of Powissett is not something I take for granted. It has provided immense joy and has helped us teach our children how important nutrition is-- and picking in the fields with children certainly leaves a lasting impression. Years ago during our first season, my daughter's preschool teacher called me unexpectedly and said "there is nothing wrong, but I am calling because we are wondering why Noa is eating leaves from our classroom plants..." I was secretly very proud.



Being at the farm can also be a major mood booster for a cranky child (or anyone for that matter)!  Below is a photo of our youngest from this past week. After a long, rainy day at school, the sky opened up beautifully over the fields and she was in her happy place for sure.

Health, well-being and pure enjoyment is right at our fingertips. We should all embrace that, along with the dedicated team of farmers that brings this blessing to us week after week.

That being said, let's talk food!... 

Delicata squash. If you've slowly been accumulating a team of these cute little guys over the past few weeks, waiting for ideas, check out these fun nutrition facts and awesome autumn salad recipe below for inspiration.

Delicata squash:
- the skin is edible! Delicata is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which aid in digestion. When cooked properly, the skin is tender and delicious.
- a great source of Vitamin A, which supports vision.
- a great source of Vitamin C. (fight the fall head cold going around!)
- Rich in carotenoids and antioxidant compounds. Research into the cancer-prevention benefits of antioxidants is incredibly promising.

We hosted a dinner this week for friends visiting from overseas. This is the dish that stole the show...

Awesome Autumn Salad with Caramelized Delicata Squash, Toasted Pecans and Pomegranate Arils:

To prepare Delicata Squash:
Slice 2-3 squash pieces the long way and remove seeds, then Cut into half inch crescents. Coat in 2 to 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil; sprinkle with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Caramelize squash slices in a frying pan for 5 to 6 minutes on each side

Salad base:
6-8 cups of baby arugula 
Seedless cucumber, Thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
Arils from one pomegranate
Chopped, raw pecans— Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and toast in a pan on medium heat.

Dressing:
1/3 cup of 100% pomegranate juice
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup EVOO
1-2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice (Meyer lemons are in season and work great to add brightness) 
1 clove crushed garlic
Salt & paper to taste 

Whisk together all ingredients for dressing.
Toss arugula & cucumbers with dressing to coat. Assemble salad with remaining ingredients and top with caramelized squash slices. 
So good.
 

I'd love to shine the spotlight on something new each week! If you'd like to see one of your favorite recipes featured in a future email, please send it along! Let's keep the convo going.

With gratitude for our lovely community,
Shira Brown


  • If you have any questions or recipes to add, please don’t hesitate to send them to myself at jhoodlet@gmail.com, or our manager Andrew Kelly at akelly@thetrustees.org.


Hope to see you soon,

Jeff Hoodlet
Farm Apprentice

Monday, September 10, 2018

CSA Week 14 - A Break From the Heat

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 ($10/child, $5 for Trustees members)

Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm

In this post
Turtle rescue from the Powisset Farm Freeway
This week’s share
Upcoming events
Better weather
Scalloped potatoes and leeks

This week’s share
Tomatoes
Leeks
Celery
Carrots
Chard/Kale/Collards
Delicata Squash
Carnival Squash
Lettuce

Pick your own
Cherry Tomatoes
Hot Peppers
Shishito Peppers

Life is still buzzing at the farm even as fall quickly approaches. We had one of our busiest days of the season in the farm stand on Saturday. Over one hundred CSA members picked up their shares and new visitors went in and out of the barn while visiting the Notch Brewing biergarten. Our season is over halfway complete, but we still have some of our most exciting events ahead of us...

-Notably, our Powisset Pig Roast will take place on Sunday, September 16.
-We also have our final Friday Farm Dinner on September 21.
-On Sunday September 30, the farm will fill with people celebrating the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
-Although over a month away, our Harvest Fest will be on October 14. Harvest Fest is one of our biggest events, and should be a blast!

Along with these large events, we have many other goings-on at Powisset, including cooking classes in our kitchen. If you are interested in any of these happenings, please check out our events page!
 
A rare mantis is a welcome beneficial insect on the farm!
The weather is always in the front of our minds at the farm, and this doesn’t change with the seasons. It has been far more comfortable working in the cooler temperatures and it has given us a chance to plant our last round of fall lettuce without the concern of the plants being stressed by the extreme heat that we experienced throughout the summer. It looks like we will see some more warmth and humidity in the coming week, but nothing like we saw in July and August. The high humidity carries the potential to propagate disease in the crops, but the temperate late summer weather is a change welcomed by the plants and farmers alike.

To help brainstorm about one of our upcoming veggies, I found a recipe for scalloped potatoes and leeks. Leeks are a good source of vitamin K, manganese, vitamin B6, copper, iron, folate, and vitamin C. They are also an excellent source of flavor. I cannot take any credit for this recipe, but I will definitely be preparing it this week. We have a wide variety of potatoes in the farm stand that would work beautifully with this dish. If you have any other great recipes that you are willing to share, I’m sure that your farmers and fellow members would be excited to hear about them!  It is a long season full of some lesser-known foods and some foods that we know all too well and are looking to prepare in different ways.

Here is the link for the scalloped potatoes and leeks recipe: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/scalloped-potatoes-leeks

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon margarine
  • 2 cups thinly sliced leek
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 3/4 pounds yellow Finnish or red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 1 2/3 cups 1% low-fat milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
How to Make It

Step 1
Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; stir well. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until the leek is tender. Remove from heat; set aside.
Step 2
Arrange one-third of potato slices in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with half of leek mixture. Repeat layers, ending with potato slices.
Step 3
Combine milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and egg in a bowl; stir well with a wire whisk. Pour over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over potato mixture, and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until browned.
 
A quiet grey Saturday far from the bustle of the biergarten

With the final days of summer upon us, we encourage you to make the most out of your time at the farm! Enjoy walking along the trails that lead along the fields and through the back pasture, or check out one of our programs or events that you have been eyeing over the past months. While you are in the area, why not check out Noanet Woodlands or Rocky Woods too? We hope that Mother Nature will give us some time before frost blankets the ground, but this is your opportunity to enjoy the outdoors without falling victim to instant dehydration or frostbite.

Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet
Farm Apprentice

Monday, September 3, 2018

CSA Week 13 - Fall Crops Take Center Stage

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 ($10/child, $5 for Trustees members)

Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm

In this week’s post
  • This week’s share
  • Moving into fall
  • Outstanding in the Field
  • Other events at Powisset!
This week's veggies!

  • Tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • Summer Squash/Zucchini/Cucumbers
  • Delicata Squash
  • Cooking Greens
  • Scallions
  • Basil

Pick your own
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Hot Peppers
  • Raspberries
  • Herbs
Labor Day is usually a marker of fall in New England, but the heat didn’t seem to receive the message. We continue to be plagued with high temperatures even as we tend to our final plantings of crops. Throughout the season we have a certain amount of security in our successive plantings. If one round of lettuce or squash has trouble, we can get squeak by if another planting produces effectively. We have reached the point in the season where there aren’t any future plantings left to rely on. With the exception of some spinach in the greenhouse that is almost ready to go into the ground, there aren’t any more seedlings left. This is a great feeling that tells us that we have accomplished so much this season. However, it also means that we are babying the last round of crops to ensure that they produce as much as possible so we can finish off the season with a bang. As we harvest kale, chard, and collards, we take extra care to pull weeds and clean dead leaves off the plants, giving them ideal conditions to thrive. Fall plants are often the tastiest, so the carrots and lettuces have also received additional attention over the past couple weeks. I had the pleasure of working in the lettuce with a group of volunteers from Pathways. They were an absolute pleasure to spend time with, and we were able to complete multiple beds of weeding.
 
This time of year also has us thinking about next year while our challenges and successes are still fresh in our minds. As we work, we take note of which crops did best in the fields and in the farm stand. We have appreciated all of our members’ input with this information. We grow with our community in mind, and we get the utmost satisfaction in stocking the barn with veggies that enter kitchens as quickly as they come in from the fields. Our manager, Andrew Kelly has done a great job at overcoming challenges in the fields and planting crops that our consumers are most interested in, while also bringing in different veggies that give members a new experience. Just over halfway through his first season as manager, he is already focusing on making next season even better.

In other news, we hosted a dinner with Outstanding in the Field on Saturday. It was a beautiful event that allowed us to put the farm on display for new guests from across the country. We would like to give a special thanks to the Outstanding crew and chef Jamie Bissonnette for coming to the property and creating a spectacular experience. I would highly recommend attending one of these dinners in the future or visiting one of Jamie Bissonnette’s three restaurants in Boston.

Thank you chef Jamie Bissonnette and
Outstanding in the Field!
If your children are feeling the back-to-school blues, try bringing them to the farm to enjoy our barnyard experience! Fresh air and sunshine are the best medicine, and those animals are a pleasure to be around at any opportunity. If you are looking for a grown up experience at the farm, please consider attending one of our two remaining Friday Farm Dinners on 9/7 or 9/21. Notch Brewing is also returning to the property on Saturday from 12-7pm and Sunday from 12-6pm.  The Powisset Pig Roast is another event that only comes around once a year. Registration will close on September 9, so register now while you have the chance!




Hope to see you soon!

Jeff Hoodlet
Farm Apprentice