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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