Farm Message for Saturday, October 3, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News

For the week preceding Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

Hi folks,

Summer is now officially over, and the maple trees' changing leaf colors prove it. We've had several nights in the high 30s, and even fired up the wood stove last Saturday evening after returning from market in the rain. It felt good. We also got to see both of our “away from home” children over the weekend, which was great. And we took a 12-hour break from the farm and went to the Celtic music festival we attend each Fall in Bethlehem, PA. Nothing like sitting outside, drinking beer, listening to fiddles and bagpipes on a Sunday morning to make you feel like you're on break!

This week's planned produce: New or back-on-the-list items underlined. Some items sell out fast. As at any farmer's market it's first-come, first-served.

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Greens: arugula, baby Asian greens, bok choi, braising greens, cabbage, chard, Lettuce (bibb, red leaf, romaine), mesclun, microgreens, kale, pea shoots, baby spinach.
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Veggies: beans (green, wax, Romano), beets, broccoli, carrots (bunched and roots), cauliflower, sweet corn, English cucumbers, eggplant (Oriental), garlic, onions (cippolini and red), peppers (bell, assorted chiles), potatoes (five or six kinds), radishes (French breakfast), rhubarb, scallions, shallots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (standard red, yellow, green, assorted heirlooms, Romas, canners, cherries), sweet white turnips, yellow squash, zucchini, winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, kabocha)
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Herbs: Italian basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, peppermint, sage, rosemary, sorrel, thyme
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Mushrooms: crimini, portabella, log-grown shiitake, white
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Berries & fruit: blackberries, blueberries, ever-bearing strawberries, apples (Fuji, golden delicious, honey crisp, Jonathan).
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Other items: the usual eggs, butter and cheeses. Also Keswick cheddar, feta and ricotta.

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On sale or reduced:
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Roma tomatoes by the 10# box
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10# boxes of winter squash seconds
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3 pound bags of seconds potatoes
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ricotta cheese.

On the farm: In spite of my back, we're running pretty much flat out here, trying to get in the harvest and put our fields “to sleep” before winter really sets in. We hired a crew of three people to help with potato and squash harvest last week, and that certainly helped. What remains to be done? We have about a dozen more rows of potatoes to dig, out of the initial 84. Our new potato harvester does not, as it turns out, work on fingerling potatoes – due to their size and shape – and fingerlings represent about a fifth of our potato acreage. So we're doing them the old way, which takes a lot longer. As soon as the potatoes are all out – which I hope will be tomorrow – we'll pull up all the plastic from the winter squash fields, spin on our rye/vetch cover crop mix, disc those seeds in, and we're done! Off to Florida for the winter (riiiiiight.......) Whoops, what I meant was continue processing those tons of potatoes and winter squash, and continuing to harvest herbs and greens and peppers and celery and celeriac from our garden, the greenhouse, and the high tunnel. There is no call for frost for the next ten days, which will put us well beyond our average first-frost date of October 1 (tomorrow!).

Price discussion: Last week I went into quite an in-depth discussion about our prices, compared with several DC grocery stores. If you missed it and are interested, it was also posted on the blog. (www.starhollowfarmcsa.blogspot.com).

CSA-Specific Information

Planned CSA produce for this week:

This week the plan is for a head of broccoli, a bunch of Swiss chard, head of bibb lettuce, an onion, a quart of baby potatoes, some sweet mini-peppers, Roma tomatoes, several delicata winter squash, and two Jonagold apples. Enjoy!

Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Samir and Amy for their help handing out orders last weekend. We appreciate the help!


Thanks for your support!

Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm

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Farm to School support from USDA

Kind of exciting news from USDA for the farm to school movement:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/PressReleases/2009/PR-0441.htm

"USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will team together and form 'Farm to School Tactical Teams' to assist school administrators as they transition to purchasing more locally grown foods. "

I've talked with Randy briefly about it and I know there are all kinds of barriers, but it just seems so promising in general. As someone who works at USDA, it's also really nice to see how quickly USDA is getting behind these efforts. The movement has already been taking off and with USDA support, removal of barriers, etc, there just might be some real changes in school lunch! Just thought I'd pass on the news.

Constance

formatting problems

Hi CSA bloggers,
Does anyone use this blog program enough that they know why, when I copy and then paste a fully formatted text into this window, it automatically drops all the formatting? Seems odd, especially since the first few weeks I did it it was right, and left the formatting intact. I've since tried pasting it in in html, but that didn't work either.
Randy

Farm Message for Saturday, September 26, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News
For the week preceding Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Hi folks,
It's been a big week for us so far, and it's just Wednesday morning. I hurt my back several weeks ago, right before the start of the main potato and squash harvest season. We've been trying to figure out how we could get tons of potatoes and squash out of the ground when I can't lift more than 5 or 8 pounds. The obvious answer – hire some help – is one that I always put off as long as possible. I always overestimate my abilities, but this time it was obvious I couldn't do it myself. So we put an ad in the paper last Friday for help picking. In the past when we've run ads for farm help, we were lucky to get one call. This time we've probably had 50 calls, perhaps as our listing was one of only about 10 in the local paper under “help wanted.”
Monday morning at nine o'clock we had three people here, ready to work. In the first two days of the week they harvested 128 boxes of winter squash, or approximately 5,100 lbs. Also harvested were 10 rows of German Butterball potatoes, 36 boxes or approximately 1200 lbs. Only 60 more rows of potatoes to go! The irony is that we actually have a reduced offering of potatoes and squash in the store this week, as managing this crew is a full-time job for me, thus we don't have the usual amount of time to wash, sort, prep and pack produce. If the store offerings look a little light, that's why.... lack of time!
Price discussion: Those of you that have been with us for awhile know that about once a year or so we delve into this price discussion. It's probably something that most businesses don't want to talk about with their customers, but we actually think of you more like part-owners, so we're going to share (!)
Price calculations: One of the big challenges of doing this business is knowing the right price to charge for our produce. Our method for calculating prices is not hard-and-fast, but consists of several factors:
what our Co-op is selling the same items for – wholesale – in the DC market, as they research price lists from 4 or 5 produce distributors around DC, factor in any premium for organic, and relative amounts available: very little means prices are higher, lots available and prices are lower.
what I pay for produce I get from other farmers. (I always pay them what they ask, then set the price accordingly, as opposed to telling them what I'll pay and then going from there.)
My sense of propriety based on doing this for 18 years, which means that I generally feel that things shouldn't cost so much, since I'm remembering how much I charged for an item 15 years ago, and today's prices sound high! (Just part of getting older, I know, as we listen to my mother talk about loaves of bread for a nickel, and I think about the Firehook Bakery breads we're selling for $4.50 at the farm stand!)
Price comparisons with local stores: I was talking about these price issues with Alice -- one of our long-time helpers and friends at the farm stand – two weeks ago, and she offered to take our price list for that week – September 12th – and do some comparisons with three local stores: Safeway, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods. She put together a spreadsheet of the results, accounting for whether the produce was organic or not, on sale or not. Alice looked at about 60 items total: 40+ vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and fruit. I looked over the spreadsheet to see what could clearly be gleaned from it and will attempt to summarize below. Note that I was looking at all three stores together, and if I had only looked at one, my results would have been a bit clearer – probably.
Price summary: On about half of the items the results were muddled, meaning we were higher than some, lower than some. On the other half, the following statements can be made:
On about 40% we were cheaper than any of the three stores
(beets, baby potatoes, fingerling potatoes, cauliflower, English cucumbers, leeks, crimini and portabella mushrooms, regular and special (i.e., Honey Crisp) apples, peaches and pears)
On about 35% we were higher than any
(arugula, bok choi, celery, corn, garlic, scallions, winter squash, all berries)
And about 25% of what we offer is not available at any of the three
(braising greens, microgreens, cippolini onions, purple potatoes, Lima beans, mini orange sweet peppers, rhubarb)
Of course, this was from one particular day's prices. The stores' or our prices and availability may be different this week, as we've moved into or out of a main season for any particular crop or item. Supply, demand, all of that, you know. But one thing we try to do is be more consistent with prices, whenever possible, not changing them from one week to the next, although maybe we should do that more, to reflect current status.
Why would we be higher on some items? One thing comes to mind – scale. When I see something like scallions or radishes on sale in the grocery store for $.79 or $.99 it makes me shake my head, because I think of how much work it is to grow those items, weed them, try to keep the bugs away, harvest, wash, sort, bunch, and how can you possibly do that, then get them to market, AND MAKE MONEY, at $.99/bunch? Garlic is one of my prize crops; I love it and care for it and try to provide a really good product, in this case the tastier hardneck varieties. I think most of what is in the stores is softneck, and much of that now comes from China, where labor is cheaper, as garlic is another very labor intensive crop. I just can't do it for less. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Produce Quality: One thing Alice pointed out was that the numbers say nothing about produce quality. At two of the stores she thought the produce looked, well, really not very nice (actually she said it “smelled”). At the third it was very nice. And if we ran the above comparison only with the store where the quality was very nice (providing a more realistic comparison with our own produce – in my opinion) the results would have been different, with at least 50% of our prices being cheaper. I won't name that store, but their CEO is in pretty hot water right now over some health care comments he recently made.
Comments/suggestions: If you have any regarding this topic, we'll listen. (Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut!)
Star Hollow Farm blog: The blog is located at www.starhollowfarmcsa.blogspot.com.
CSA-Specific Information
Planned CSA produce for this week:
This week the plan is for a head of the season's first cauliflower, a bunch of collard greens, some red beets, a garlic, some purple potatoes, shallots (a mild member of the onion family), a sprig of sage, some fuji apples and a bosc pear. Enjoy!
Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Susan and Patty for their help handing out orders last weekend. We appreciate your help!

Thanks for your support!
Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm
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Tomatoes and Okra!!

Here's another find from supercook.com -- I entered okra, tomatoes and bacon and got this. The tomatoes, okra and onion were from Star Hollow. I also added orange snack peppers. I poured off most of the fat from the applewood smoked bacon I used. I also recommend a high temp so that the okra doesn't get too mucilaginous.

Sauteed Okra with Heirloom Tomatoes and Bacon Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis, authors of "The Gift of Southern Cooking," share their wonderful sauteed okra recipe paired with heriloom tomatoes and bacon, which is a great dish to serve during any get-together.

INGREDIENTS Serves 6. 5 slices bacon 1 pound okra, washed, trimmed, and sliced about 1/2 inch thick 1 large sweet onion (preferably Vidalia), cut into 1/3-inch wedges Coarse salt Freshly ground black pepper 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

DIRECTIONS In a large skillet, cook bacon over low heat until it is crisp and fat is rendered. Remove bacon and set aside. Add okra to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion wedges, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, partially covered, until tomatoes are just heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble bacon slices over tomatoes; serve warm. First published September 2008

Broccoli!!

Ok so it's not a traditional broccoli recipe, but I entered shrimp and broccoli into supercook.com and got the following. Instead of linguine, I used steamed broccoli. The broccoli, butter, parsley, shallots, garlic (and the scallions I added as well) were all from Star Hollow. I used about half the butter and less than a tablespoon of olive oil. I also skipped the salt/ pepper and pasta water.

Ultimate Shrimp Scampi Broccoli Recipe #193709

This is a super simple recipe for shrimp scampi. Such a rich and elegant dish! For the white wine, I would recommend a Pinot Grigio. This is my take on a Tyler Florence recipe from Tyler's Ultimate!

by KPD

20 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 4 -6

• 1 lb linguine, cooked and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Saute garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in large skillet.
2. Add shrimp to skillet, cooking until pink about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan.
3. Add wine and lemon juice to skillet. When mixture comes to a boil, add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter melts, return shrimp to pan and add parsley, cooked pasta and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Toss to combine.

Any volunteers for Saturday at the truck?

Hi all,

Unfortunately I missed the fact that one of our truck volunteers for this Saturday dropped out of the CSA two weeks ago (she loved it but said it was too far from her home in Capital Hill). She didn't remind me to take her off the CSA calendar, and I didn't think of it.

We need someone for the 9-11 slot. If we can't find anyone, I'll do it myself, but if you would like to, now's your chance!

Thanks,
Randy

Farm Message for Saturday, September 19, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News
For the week preceding Saturday, September 19th, 2009
Hi folks,
It has been the most beautiful weather here so far this week. Yesterday Sam and I harvested a patch of potatoes, and it was just so nice to be out in the fields. Today I was out at the packing shed washing and sorting potatoes for hours (not quite so perfect the activity to enjoy the weather) but still it was a great day. Hope yours was too. Enjoy!
On the farm: We've had our first potato let-down.... We harvested 1200 row feet of German Butterball potatoes, an heirloom variety that won the “Best Tasting Potato” award at Rodale's annual potato cook-off, and which we've grown before and done real well with. So this year we planted more than ever – about 3000 row feet – and while we got a crop (the blight didn't seem to hurt), it was pretty disappointing. The tubers tended to be small, but more importantly most have a little bit of “scab” on the skins. It comes from a soil-borne bacteria and is mostly just skin deep, but our most beautiful potatoes are now smallish and a bit ugly. Dang! We were trying to think of how to present them to you, and hit on the idea of soup. How does that strike you? Since they're gonna get pureed anyway, who cares if they're small and ugly? (Well, I wish they weren't too.) Our sorrel patch has produced a great crop, so we'll include a sorrel soup recipe along with most of the ingredients necessary. If you haven't made it yet, it's a real treat, especially because it's just as good the next day as a cold drink (think green V8 juice) as it was the night before.
Star Hollow Farm blog: The blog has had very little action over the last few weeks. I'm guessing that blogs are only interesting and useful if they're used regularly. (www.starhollowfarmcsa.blogspot.com).
CSA-Specific Information
Planned CSA produce for this week:
This week the plan is for a head of broccoli, several ears of corn (probably the last of the year), an onion, red pepper, assorted chile peppers, red tomato, Franco-Prussian soup ingredients (French sorrel and German Butterball potatoes), a couple of the last peaches of the season and the last cantaloupe for the CSA. Enjoy!
Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Megan and Christine for their help handing out orders last weekend. We appreciate your help!

Thanks for your support!
Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm
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Farm Message for Saturday, September 12, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News

For the week preceding Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Hi folks,

It's Fall again (not according to the calendar, but certainly in our minds). Even after a not-very-hot summer the change in the atmosphere is always welcome, even if it signals the coming of winter, again, eventually, hopefully not for a long while. I grew up on the West Coast where it didn't ever freeze and the shift of seasons was so minor as to be easily missed. One of my great pleasures living on the East Coast is seeing – feeling – those changes, enhanced of course by our outdoor work. Enjoy!

This week's planned produce: New or back-on-the-list items underlined. Some items will sell out early.

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Greens: baby arugula, baby bok choi, braising greens, rainbow chard, Catalogna dandelions, kale, lettuce, microgreens, pea shoots, baby spinach, turnip greens.
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Veggies: beans (green, Lima, Romano), beets, broccoli, carrots, celeriac, corn, cucumbers, eggplant (Oriental), leeks, okra, onions (red sweet, yellow and cippolini), peppers (sweet and hot), rhubarb, scallions, shallots, tomatillos, tomatoes (standard, Roma, heirloom and cherry), yellow squash, zucchini, and butternut squash.
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Herbs: basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, peppermint, sage, sorrel, tarragon, thyme.
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Mushrooms: crimini, portabella, log-grown shiitake, white.
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Berries, melons, fruit: blackberries, blueberries, ever-bearing strawberries, cantaloupe, Gala apples, peaches (end), Bartlett pears, Stanley prune plums, and seedless grapes.
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Other items: the usual eggs, butter and cheeses, but with the addition of the garlic/dill chevre, ash logs and demi sec goat cheeses. The usual preserves, with the addition of tomato jam last week and peach jam this week.
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On sale or reduced: our log-grown shiitakes, the Roma tomatoes by the 10# box, bags of seconds potatoes -- about half price – most are seconds due to mechanical damage from the harvester :(

On the farm: We've been at the potato harvest since Monday morning, with lots coming in, and in general they're looking good for size and quality – doesn't look yet as though the blight hit them where it hurts. The biggest disappointment to us is the degree of mechanical damage our new potato harvester is causing to the tubers as it digs and shakes them. So, on the plus side, those of you really pinching pennies should be able to find half-price seconds available in the store each week throughout the winter!

Open farm weekend: We had a great time over the long weekend with those of you who made the trek up here to see where we live and work and grow your food. It's so nice to make the additional connection of having you (and your families) up here at our place, sharing our farm and home with you. Thanks to all of you who came!

Star Hollow Farm blog: Post on the blog or check others' posts if you are looking for or willing to offer a ride (www.starhollowfarmcsa.blogspot.com).

CSA-Specific Information

Planned CSA produce for this week:

This week the plan is for a head of bibb lettuce, an English seedless cucumber (grown in a Pennsylvania greenhouse), some of the last sweet corn, LaRatte French fingerling potatoes, a tomato, one of the first butternut squashes, the first honey crisp apples, the last peaches, and a jar of homemade jam. Enjoy!

Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Kristen & Kayla and Karen for their help handing out orders last weekend. We appreciate your help!


Thanks for your support!

Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm

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