field notes - Isabelle Farm

22, 2013 n volume 5, issue 7
FIELD NOTES
july
read on for farm updates, team bios, recipes & more
I
t’s hard to believe it is already mid-July and the
7th week of CSA. It’s fun to walk the fields these
days and see so much changing so fast. During
our field-walk today, we harvested a watermelon to
see how it looked inside. Jason plucked it off the vine
and, before cutting it open, he said, “What color do
you think it’s gonna be?” I predicted “light pink” and
Jason “bright white”… When he cut the melon open
it was wonderfully pink inside and well on its way
to being ready for harvest. The flesh was crisp and
tasty and told the tale of the sweetness that is soon
to come, maybe as soon as next week. Then again,
melons are ready when they’re ready, and no matter how ripe a melon may look, watermelons aren’t ready until the tendril closest to
the fruit is dry and cantaloupes must roll off the vine with just the slightest nudge.
It takes a patient, experienced harvester to time the harvest of melons right.
As we continued to walk the fields, we were glad to see the peppers taking
shape. The plants seem to have doubled in size since the crew weeded them.
We grow many varieties of peppers from sweet to hot and some in between.
Shishitos are in your share this week and they are sometimes pretty mild, but a few
can getcha. This is a very diverse pepper. It can be used in a stir fry, pickled or pan
fried whole (my favorite). Yum! Generally, this time of the season, the peppers are
not too hot, and if you harvest just after they’ve been watered, the heat seems to
dilute. As the hot days of summer continue, peppers tend to get hotter.
This year, we are growing more mild roasting peppers than in years past to hopefully (cross your fingers)
have a truly mild pepper with a little more kick than a bell pepper but not one that sets off back sweats.
My favorite pepper in the field right now is the Fresno chili. It is so unique. Most of the peppers start off
green and then turn yellow or red, but not this one: It starts off a deep purple (even the plant and leaves are
purple) and then turns a bright, yet deep, red hue. It is this beautiful purplely-red that makes this pepper
stunning (and tasty sweet with just a little heat).
Just around the corner as well are the tomatoes, another one of my favorite crops for sure. I have happily popped a few in my mouth and they taste sweet and tangy. I pretty much deprive myself of tomatoes
until our fields are ready and then I eat until my heart’s content each season (and put up 50+ jars of sauce
to last the year). We hope to have these in your share next week, but it could be two. The smaller tomatoes
always come in first. “Sungold,” a true cherry tomato, and a smaller variety we grow called “Glacier,”
always comes on strong before all the slicers and heirlooms that we grow.
This week, eggplant will debut in your share and it is one of our favorite crops to grow. This season,
I would say, eggplant had the most challenges to contend with (potato beetles being number #1), but the
plants have rebounded and the taste is nutty and delightful. We hope you enjoy this crop transition from
leafy greens to summer’s best in the weeks to come. -Tiffany Cooper
In everyone’s share
this week
Swiss Chard
Herb Bundles
Beets (Golden or Red)
Cucumbers
Shishito Peppers
Eggplant
Cauliflower
Large shares also receive
Cabbage/Lettuce Mix &
additional peppers & eggplant
WHO’S GROWING YOUR FOOD?
Oh that the world were filled with more people like Elizabeth Waste ... She’s one of the most upbeat, warm, hard-working
and reliable people you’re likely to meet. (And it’s not just me who thinks so!) Time and again, friends of the farm tell me just
how much they enjoy Elizabeth’s presence-whether it’s in our farm stand, at a CSA pickup or while she’s giving a farm tour.
A yogi, runner, climber and passionate foodie, Elizabeth was born and raised in the small town of Lyme, New Hampshire (pop. 1,800), where she lived until graduating from high school.
“When it came time to apply to colleges, I only looked at schools in
cities,” recalls Elizabeth. She ended up attending Clark University in
Worcester, Massachusetts, from where she earned a major in Geography and a minor in music. Why geography? “It had the most courses
that interested me ... environmental sciences, cultural sciences....” No
wonder, then, that Elizabeth’s journey since leaving Lyme has included
stints with Global Youth Connect in Bosnia, a year in Boston, two
months WOOFing in Southern France and Corsica, a couple of years
working for the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire, and
a glorious stint in Baja while earning her yoga certification from the
Yandara Institute.
Elizabeth ended up in Boulder in August 2010, with the plan of
earning a master’s in Geography. After a semester, she concluded that
track wasn’t for her and returned to her roots, teaching at a Waldorf
Preschool in Lyons. “My parents were both teachers, and I guess it’s in my blood.” Lucky for us, a love of growing and eating
organic food also is in her blood: “My dad had a big vegetable garden growing up and cooked us delicious family dinners.”
There’s no doubt about it, Elizabeth caught the good-food bug: Whether she’s making gallons of baba-ganoush to freeze,
canning, or experimenting with making fermented foods, Elizabeth makes the most of the food we grow and that she harvests,
sells and distributes (yes, another one of her attritributes includes versatility ... here at the farm she’s as adept in the field as she
is in the farm stand). As for the future, Elizabeth has an impressive list of life goals but doesn’t seem too hung up with taking
one route or the other. Whatever path she takes, our
bets are on Elizabeth having fun and finding personal
fulfillment wherever she may be. -Natalie Condon
This is the 6th season that ZOLO
Executive Chef Brett
Smith and his team will
be coming out to our
While most veggies provide an abundance of nutritional
home farm fields for a
benefits, Swiss Chard purveys more than most, some of
peak-of-season farm dinwhich are quite unique. Recent research has shown that
ner, and these are events
chard leaves contain at least 13 polyphenol antioxidants,
to which we all look
including kaempferol, the cardioprotective flavonoid
forward every year.
that’s also found in broccoli, kale and strawberries, among
Each time they come out
others. Chard also contains a flavonoid called syringic acid,
to the fields, Chef Brett and his team create a
which has received special attention in recent research
new menu that highlights the best of what’s
due to its blood sugar-regulating properties. Like beets,
in season here at the farm. Few restaurant
teams can make these logistically complicated chard also is a unique source of phytonutrients called
table-to-farm events look so easy and make our betalains, which have been shown to provide antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. Scientists
fresh-harvested produce taste as delicious.
have identified at least nine betacyanin pigments in the
If you’d like to come experience “ZOLO Love”
reddish-purple stems of chard and the reddish-purple
in person, book tickets now, as ZOLO has a
devoted fanbase and these events always sells veins in the leaves. In the yellowish stems and veins,
out early. Go to www.zologrill.com to purchase at least 19 betaxanthin pigments have been identified.
The short of it: Chard is as good for you as it is beautiful!
tickets and learn more.
SOURCE: whfoods.com
save the date: August 26th
FOOD FACT
TIFFANY
RECOMMENDS...
Tiffany Cooper loves preparing food
almost as much as she loves growing it.
Throughout the season, this culinary school
graduate and instructor will provide tips on
how to make the most of what’s in your share.
Bon appétit!
Italian-Style Salsa Verde
Hoisin-Glazed Eggplant
½ cup parsley, coarsely chopped
¼ cup chives or dill, coarsely chopped
¼ cup mint or tarragon, coarsely chopped
¼ cup shallots coarsely chopped
2 T. sage leaves
2 T. capers, finely chopped
¾ tsp salt
1 ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, combine all herbs with shallots, capers,
and salt. Whisk in olive oil. Taste and adjust salt. Chill overnight if possible, so flavors can marry. Makes 1 ¾ cups.
1. Heat grill pan or outdoor grill to medium.
2. In small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce and
1 T. of the oil; set aside.
3. Halve eggplants lengthwise; score both sides in a
crisscross pattern.
4. Brush both sides of eggplant halves with remaining
oil, season with salt. Cook until charred and tender,
6-7 minutes per side. You want the eggplant flesh
to be soft.
5. Brush both sides generously with reserved hoisin
mixture; grill each side again just to glaze, about 2
minutes per side. Serve hot.
Sautéed Shishitos with Manchego
Cucumber-Feta Salad
Your shares this week include an herb bundle with this
salsa verde in mind. It makes adding flavor to your favorite
foods easy. Enjoy tossed with pasta or potatoes, as a
garnish for eggs or fish ... the possibilities are endless.
1 T olive oil
2 oz. Manchego Cheese or more to taste
Sea salt to taste
1. Toss peppers with olive oil. Heat a large heavy skillet
over medium high heat.
2. Add peppers and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently,
until the peppers are slightly brown and blistered.
3. Sprinkle the peppers with manchego and sea salt to
taste. Serve the peppers with a small dish on the side for
discarded stems.
¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
2 T oil
1 eggplant
Salt to taste
2 cups cucumbers, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 oz feta, crumbled
1 T mint, coarsely chopped
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine cucumbers, scallions, olives, feta and mint
in a large bowl.
2. Whisk oil and lemon juice in a small bowl; season
dressing with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad;
toss to coat. If needed, season with additional salt and
pepper to taste.