Farm Message for Saturday, November 21, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News

For the week preceding Saturday, November 21, 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hi folks,

I got 5 of 6 rows of potatoes harvested yesterday and today in the last patch... just one to go... just another 200 feet... I can do it... I'm gonna make it. We've been selling lots of potatoes wholesale, but retail (which includes this online market and CSA) is very slow for potatoes this year. So I hope ya'll just really get into eating potatoes like this was Ireland and this was 1848. Or not. Bad allusion.

We're looking forward to having most of our families here at the farm for Thanksgiving and enjoying some good food and company. It will be nice to have a weekend off also! Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving also.

Last Sunday was our Sam's 18th birthday, and we took him down to Harper's Ferry, WV, specifically to go to the Appalachian Trail headquarters there. He's talking about hiking the trail after he graduates this coming spring. We'll see. It was a beautiful day, and Harper's Ferry is quite a happenin' place. In addition to the historical part of town, there were dozens of whitewater kayakers on the Shendandoah River right in front of everyone running the white water. Across the Potomac, on Maryland Heights, there were rockclimbers in full view. We walked across the railroad bridge and also up to Jefferson's Rock for the view. If you've never been to Harper's Ferry, it's a pretty neat place, and probably not more than an hour from DC.

This week's planned produce: New or back-on-the-list items are underlined.

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Greens: arugula, cabbage, chard, dandelion, lettuce (bibb and Romaine), wildfire lettuce mix, kale (Lacinato and Russian Red), spinach, tat soi.
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Veggies: broccoli, carrots (orange and maroon), fennel, garlic, leeks, onions (cippolini and yellow), parsnips, potatoes (five or six kinds), Black Spanish radishes, shallots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (red, yellow and grape cherry), winter squash (acorn, butternut, delicata, Confection kabocha)
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Herbs: cilantro, dill, parsley, peppermint, sage (fresh and dried), rosemary, thyme
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Mushrooms: crimini, Gray Dove oyster, portabella, shiitake, white
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Tree fruit: bosc pears, apples (Enterprise, Fuji, Gala, Golden, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Stayman).
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Other items: the usual eggs, butter, cheeses and preserves. New this week is yogurt cheese.

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On sale or reduced:
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baby potatoes in quarts
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Austrian Crescent fingerling potatoes
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5 pound bags of Butterball potatoes
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10 pound boxes of winter squash seconds

Winter squash website: http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm

Upcoming market schedule: We will be taking Thanksgiving weekend off—no CSA or online market or farm stand on November 28th. Then there will be 3 Saturdays in December when we come down, before we take off for Christmas.

Winter schedule: Here is our schedule for the next couple of months.

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Nov. 21: normal online orders and farm stand
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Nov. 28: CLOSED
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Dec. 5, 12, and 19: normal online orders and farm stand
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Dec. 26: CLOSED
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Winter 2010: online orders only, every other week.
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(Winter delivery dates: Jan. 2, 16, 30. Feb. 13, 27. Mar. 13, 27)

CSA-Specific Information

Planned CSA produce for this week:

This week the plan is for Lollo Biondo lettuce, broccoli, cooking celery, parsnips, Carola gold potatoes, garlic, a large leek, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, dried sage, and some pink lady apples. Happy Thanksgiving!

Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Kate and John & Matt for their help handing out orders last Saturday. We appreciate the help.


Thanks for your support!

Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm

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Turkey

Does anyone know of a local farm to get a Thanksgiving turkey from? I am preferably looking for an organically raised free-range turkey.
I know it is a little late in the game.. but thought I would try!
Thanks,
Mira

Farm Message for Saturday, November 14, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News

For the week preceding Saturday, November 14, 2009

Hi folks,

Okay, I admit it—I'm whooped. I thought the season was over about a month ago when we got most of the potatoes out of the field. But it just keeps on going and going! I'm not sure there is an end in sight. Yesterday and today I washed and packed about 30 cases of potatoes for wholesale, nice because it was relatively warm and my hands weren't in freezing water. Also planted about half of our seed garlic—3600 German white hardneck cloves—our biggest and best from last season. But there are still about 1000 feet of potatoes to dig in ground that's too wet for the tractor, and 500 bulbs of Romanian Red garlic to “pop” and plant.

I want to go to a tropical beach somewhere and drink margaritas all afternoon... (but in reality there is also firewood to split and more potatoes to wash and tractor maintenance to get after, so the margaritas will just have to happen around the wood stove here in the living room on Saturday night!)

This week's planned produce: New or back-on-the-list items are underlined.

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Greens: arugula, bok choi, cabbage, dandelion, lettuce (bibb and red leaf), wildfire lettuce mix, kale (Lacinato and Russian Red), spinach, tat soi.
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Veggies: broccoli, carrots (orange and maroon), fennel, garlic, leeks, onions (cippolini and yellow), parsnips, potatoes (five or six kinds), Black Spanish radishes, shallots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (red, yellow and grape cherry), winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, kabocha)
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Herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, peppermint, sage, rosemary, thyme
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Mushrooms: crimini, Gray Dove oyster, portabella, shiitake, white
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Tree fruit: bosc pears, apples (Fuji, Gala, Golden, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Stayman, York).
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Other items: the usual eggs, butter, cheeses and preserves. New this week are Sarah's Chow Chow and Tracey's apple sauce, plus wineberry and apricot jellies.

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On sale or reduced:
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5 pound bags of Rainbow Mixed potatoes
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10 pound boxes of winter squash seconds

Wanna know anything about winter squash? We found this site online, and it seems to do a good job of comparing and contrasting lots of different squashes. http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm

Upcoming market schedule: We will be taking Thanksgiving weekend off—no CSA or online market or farm stand. Then there will be 3 Saturdays in December when we come down, before we take off for Christmas.

Winter schedule: We plan to switch over to coming down every other Saturday this coming winter. Our schedule will be posted starting in December.

CSA-Specific Information

Planned CSA produce for this week:

This week the plan is for Lacinato kale, an onion, sangre red potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, crimini mushrooms, yellow hothouse tomatoes, a few sprigs of parsley, bosc pear and Enterprise apple. Enjoy!

Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Kevin (two weeks in a row!) and Alix for their help handing out orders last Saturday. We appreciate the help.


Thanks for your support!

Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm

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Farm Message for Saturday, November 7, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News
For the week preceding Saturday, November 7th, 2009
Hi folks,
We had a short “away from it all” experience last weekend, taking off Sunday morning for the PA Renaissance Faire on the last day of its season. Lots of silly people dressed up and partying like it was 1599. All with some fun music, good old-fashioned fire-eating and acrobats, and finished off with a good hearty jousting tournament. We also went to Allentown and saw daughter Anna, and the new play she's in at college.
This week's planned produce: New or back-on-the-list items are underlined. Some items sell out fast. As at any farmer's market it's first-come, first-served.
Greens: arugula, baby bok choi, cabbage, young mixed chard, cress, dandelion, lettuce (green, Romaine and red leaf), kale (Lacinato and Russian Red), microgreens, mizuna, pea shoots, rapini, spinach, tat soi.
Veggies: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots (orange and mixed), cauliflower, garlic, leeks, onions (cippolini and yellow), parsnips, potatoes (five or six kinds), French Breakfast radishes, shallots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (greenhouse reds and yellows), sweet white turnips, winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, green kabocha)
Herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, tarragon, thyme.
Mushrooms: crimini, farm-raised Gray Dove oyster, portabella, farm-raised shiitake, white
Tree fruit: bosc pears, apples (Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, IdaRed, Jonathan, Stayman, Enterprise organic apples.
Other items: the usual eggs, butter, cheeses, and preserves plus:
5 new items from Sarah's kitchen – homemade ketchup, salsa, pickled red beets, kosher dill pickles and zesty pickle spears.
3 items back from Whispering Brook Dairy: smoked cheddar cheese, farmer's cheese, horseradish cheese
2 items back from Pipe Dreams Fromage: Ash buche (log) and demi-sec rounds goat cheese.
On sale or reduced:
5 pound bags of Rainbow mixed potatoes
10 pound boxes of winter squash seconds
butternut squash and cabbage prices reduced
On the farm: Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes... And then winter squash, winter squash, winter squash. Wash, sort, pack. Sort of feels like all we do these days. Oh yeah, and try to plant garlic whenever the ground dries out enough, maybe some today.
Where have you placed online orders from? We asked folks last week if they'd ever placed orders in our store from overseas (or out of the area in general) and then picked up on Saturday in DC. Here's what we got; Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Sweden, Tanzania, Vietnam, Virgin Islands. All simply for my amusement... never thought of that possibility when we started the online farmer's market!
Schedule change notices:
Upcoming market schedule: Things stay the same until Thanksgiving weekend. We do not come down then. Then there will be 3 markets in December before we take off for Christmas.
Winter schedule change: We plan to switch over to coming down every other Saturday this coming winter. We really need a break from the year-round routine after five years of year-round marketing, and figure that during the winter most of what we have are storage items that hold perfectly well from one week to the next in your refrigerator just as well as in our cooler.
CSA-Specific Information
Planned CSA produce for this week:
This week the plan is for a small celery from our high tunnel, cabbage, broccoli, garlic, carrots, an onion, Carola gold potatoes, a red hothouse tomato, a small delicata and a small acorn squash, an an organic Enterprise apple. Enjoy!
Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Tom and Sarah & Kevin for their help handing out orders last Saturday. We appreciate it!

Thanks for your support!
Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm
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Farm Message for Saturday, October 31, 2009

Star Hollow Farm News
For the week preceding Saturday, October 31st, 2009
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Hi folks,
Another dreary, gray, rainy day here on the farm, but yesterday was beautiful, so I'd better not complain! I still have a bit of field work to finish off – pulling plastic mulch mainly – and we can't seem to get a string of warm days together to actually dry out the ground enough to be able to get the tractor onto the field. Two Saturday's in a row now I've come home from market to find 3 inches of water in the rain gauge.
This week's planned produce: New or back-on-the-list items are underlined. Some items sell out fast. As at any farmer's market it's first-come, first-served.
Greens: arugula, cabbage, chard (rainbow), cress, dandelion, lettuce (green, Romaine and red leaf), kale (Lacinato and Russian Red), microgreens, mizuna, pea shoots, rapini, spinach, tat soi.
Veggies: broccoli, carrots (orange and mixed), celeriac, garlic, leeks, onions (cippolini and yellow), parsnips, peppers (bell, paper lantern chiles), potatoes (five or six kinds), French Breakfast radishes, shallots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (heirlooms), winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, kabocha)
Herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, peppermint, sage, rosemary, sorrel, spearmint, tarragon, thyme
Mushrooms: crimini, farm-raised Gray Dove oyster, portabella, farm-raised shiitake, white
Tree fruit: bosc pears, apples (Fuji, Gala, IdaRed, Stayman .
Other items: the usual eggs, butter and cheeses.
On sale or reduced:
5 pound bags of White potatoes
15 pound boxed of seconds potatoes
10 pound boxes of winter squash seconds
On the farm: We've definitely started to shift gears from fall harvest mode into more winter-oriented mode, but processing all those potatoes and squash take up a lot of time. Each week we wash, sort and pack 200-300 pounds of potatoes, a like amount of winter squash, and portion them for the CSA and online market. We're also selling some to the Co-op. I keep thinking I'm going to start having some “project time” real soon, but it hasn't happened yet.
Where have you placed online orders from? We tend to think that here we are on the farm in Pennsylvania, and there you sit in your offices or homes in DC and on Wednesdays you place your orders and they drop into our “in” box. Several years ago a customer told me that she had placed her order from Saigon on Wednesday, then picked up in Adams Morgan on Saturday. I was amazed. Jason stopped by the truck last Saturday and wondered if Amy had placed their order from her job in Peru. I was telling him how that possibility still kind of blew my mind, when Lindsay – handing out boxes at the truck – said that she had ordered awhile back while on assignment in Pakistan. Wow. I'm amazed, in part that they even thought about our farm and produce while in such exotic places. Which leads me to ask you all to let me know what sort of interesting places you've placed orders from – just for our own jollies). We'll report back next week (and we'll leave names off, so that your CIA covers won't be blown).
Upcoming market schedule (repeated): We have 5 more weeks until our schedule changes – Thanksgiving weekend. We do not come down then. There will be 3 markets in December before we take off for Christmas.
Winter schedule change (repeated): We plan to switch over to coming down every other Saturday this coming winter. We really need a break from the year-round routine after five years of year-round marketing, and figure that during the winter, most of what we have are storage items that hold perfectly well from one week to the next in your refrigerator just as well as in our cooler.
CSA-Specific Information
Planned CSA produce for this week:
This week the plan is for Romaine lettuce, cauliflower, green bell pepper, carrots, baby potatoes, leeks, chives, granny smith apples. Enjoy!
Adams Morgan CSA volunteers: Thanks to Chris & Heather and Lindsay for their help handing out orders last Saturday. We appreciate the help!

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