B & H Organic Produce

2011-10-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Members of B & H Organic Produce,

This week is our last CSA delivery. Where has the time gone?

The CSA has been a great experience for us this season. We will surely do it again next year. And as of now we will keep the system as it is, including price.

We have enjoyed serving our customers and meeting their needs. Even though this was not our best growing season ever.

The next few weeks will be filled with garden clean up and preparation for next spring. As farmer’s we are always looking ahead to the future.

In the winter I spend my time with paperwork, seed ordering and planning. And in late February I will start the seeds for the garden. Can you believe that we start tomato seeds in March, which won’t be harvested until July and in a better year will yield until October. That is 8 months of babying those amazing tomatoes.

I love planning the garden. Everything looks so good on paper.

We will be sending out information for the 2012 CSA season in January. So check you email inboxes.

I plan to send you all a survey about the past CSA season to help us improve our service for next year. Your comments are very important.

As for rewarding the members who took time from their busy schedules to work on the farm. Well, I haven’t decided what to do yet. I would love to give you an extra delivery of vegetables the week before Thanksgiving. However, this will depend on the weather and how the crops are growing. So check your email for your reward in the next few weeks.

We had planned and hoped to have Brussels sprouts for you for this last week. However, they haven’t quite sized up and because we haven’t had a good frost they just aren’t so sweet.

The West Reading Farmer’s Market continues until November 20^th. We will be selling produce at Hartz Natural Foods until the ground freezes.

For now enjoy your last week of produce and many thanks to you all for your support.

Sincerely,

Erica Bowers Lavdanski

This week's harvest;

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

White potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
salad mix 1/2 lb
Beets 1.5 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb - limited quantities
You may receive 2 orders of greens - 3/4 lb of kale or collard greens or mustard greens mix or baby pac choi or ½ lb land cress (similar flavor to watercress but grown in soil instead of water).
Winter Squash- Butternut. 1 fruit.
Cabbage 1 head - this could be green or savoy
Daikon Radishes
Broccoli - 1 lb - probably can't fulfill double orders
Celeriac (celery root) - 1 root
Sweet Potatoes - 2 lb - we are buying in these potatoes from a local organic farm. Only one order per share.
Baby turnips ¾ lb

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like. Most of these are limited quantities. Will be given on a first come first serve basis.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Carrots- 1.5 lb
Beets 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Collards 3/4 lb
Lettuce- 3 small heads
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.
Italian Parsley- 1/8 lb

2011-10-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Members and Friends,

Only 2 weeks left of our CSA.

As a farmer I am subject to the laws of Mother Nature. It is part of the beauty of what I do. When I am around other farmers I hear them constantly complain about the weather. I know in other circles it is a conversation piece. I do try to limit my complaining about the weather. I had a fellow farmer ask me “ So what do you think God is teaching us with this weather?” My response was “patience and gratitude.”

I often think we are so blessed compared to other parts of the world. How could we complain? And most of the time I can honestly say I have seen worse.

However, now that I have a bit of time to reflect on how the season went, I can see a constant struggle.

We went from an unusually wet spring to sudden hot and dry conditions to sudden wet and cool conditions. Yes, we plant a variety of crops to make up for the variances in weather. But, this year tested all the boundaries. And not to mention we had a major employee quit mid season.

In the end I am proud of what we have produced so far.

Something that most people fail to realize is that in farming you see the results of bad weather 2-3 weeks after the weather has passed. The problem with this is that the customer has forgotten that the weather extreme ever occurred. So for the past month and a half of straight rain we will see the effects in the last 2 weeks of our CSA harvest and the end of our market season.

And now we see why a CSA is really important. While you still had produce in your boxes, you did not have the abundance I would have hoped for. You still would have had the same 4 or 8 item boxes but I would have liked to offer more in the extras selections. The truth is we were mostly just squeezing out what we gave you.

But, because of the CSA we will not fail as a farm. Because of our CSA members we will be able to dust off our boots call it an end of season and prepare for next year. We will pray for better weather in 2012 but we will thank God for what we get.

So once again I thank you members for standing by us and supporting us in a tough journey.

Do you have any CSA boxes? I would love to have them back. So in the next two weeks check your trunks, garages and basements. The boxed cost $1.80 a piece. Every little bit counts.

I will be taking Saturday October 22^nd off. So, no member work hours that day. However, I will be available 9 am till 4 pm on Saturday the 29^th if anyone would like to work off his or her hours on that day.

For this week I will give you some meal suggestions with our veggies currently in season:

· Butternut Squash and leek sauce with sautéed mushrooms over oven roasted chicken. Served with steamed broccoli.

· Crust less quiche with shitake mushrooms and beet greens. Served with roasted beets.

· Butternut Squash casserole- brown rice, squash, apples, onions, garlic, kale.

· Tempeh burgers or grilled steaks with grilled sweet potato and cabbage salad.

Enjoy!

This week's harvest;

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

White potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
salad mix 1/2 lb
Beets 1.5 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb - limited quantities
You may receive 2 orders of greens - 3/4 lb of kale or collard greens or mustard greens mix or baby pac choi
Winter Squash- Butternut. 1 fruit.
Cabbage 1 head - this could be green or savoy
leek 1#
Daikon Radishes
Broccoli - 1 lb - probably can't fulfill double orders
Celeriac (celery root) - 1 root
Sweet Potatoes - 2 lb - we are buying in these potatoes from a local organic farm. Only one order per share.
Radicchio- tall or round. 2 heads per order.

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like. Most of these are limited quantities. Will be given on a first come first serve basis.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Flowers- freshly cut- limited quantities.
Beets 1.5 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.
Italian Parsley- 1/8 lb
Garlic Chives - 1/8 lb

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-10-09T16:48:00.001-07:00

October 2011- This is the last blog post from Miriam. We will have to let her go early this year due to the loss of crops at the end of this season. She has been an amazing help. We gratefully send her to Philly to grow veggies for a new neighborhood. Best wishes.

Even with all the wet days recently, it has only just become cool enough to feel like autumn. The shorter days and the cooler weather means that the farm is slowing down. For us, we're starting later in the morning, following the sunrise. For the crops, the tomatoes and the basil have given up. Some things are holding on but won't last beyond a frost, the eggplant and peppers. Some things are strong, the fall greens like collards and komatsuna and the beloved spicy mustard greens. Some crops, like broccoli, get sweeter after a frost. The texture of the farm has changed and the focus of the work has become cleaning up and preparing for the winter and the next season.

Personally, I love the cooler weather. I wear my layers to keep warm and can retire my sun hat. By this time in the season, I have become tired of my work clothes, the heavy pants, the heavy boots. My body, too, is slowing down, readying itself for hibernation. Waking up to cool morning air while cozy in a warm bed is one of my favorite feelings. Unfortunately, it makes it awfully hard to actually get up and get going. This is the season for morning tea and oatmeal, hearty and warm. This is the season for hot apple cider and spicy pumpkin bread. This is the time to sit back and reflect upon the current season and to make plans for the next.

One of my favorite cool-weather recipes:

Senegalese Beef stew with peanut butter (Maffe aux legumes arachid)

(adapted from The African Cookbook by Bea Sandler)

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup oil

2 lbs stew beef (or lamb), cut into 1-inch cubes

6 oz (1 can) tomato paste

18 oz (3 cans worth) water or beef broth

½ tsp crushed red pepper

1 tbsp course black pepper

1 tbsp salt

½ tsp thyme

1 small cabbage, cut into wedges (or 1 bunch collard greens, chopped)

4 medium potatoes, cut into cubes

2 carrots, sliced (or four hakurei turnips, cubed with greens)

1 butternut squash, cut into cubes (you don't need to skin the squash unless you want a smoother texture, but do clean out the seeds and gunk)

1 cup peanut butter

In a 1-gallon Dutch oven or heavy kettle, saute the onions in the oil until soft but not brown
Add the meat and saute until the meat turns color but doesn't brown
Add the tomato paste, water (or broth), and spices. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 1 hour or until meat is nearly done.
Add the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Place the peanut butter in a small bowl and pour in some of the liquid from the pot. Mix until smooth and pour the mixture back into the pot. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve over rice in a large bowl.

This recipe makes a lot of food. I've adjusted the vegetable portions down from the original recipe (it called for eight sweet potatoes!) but you can use as much or as little as you like, so long as it will fit in the pot.

This week's harvest;

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

White potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
salad mix 1/2 lb
Beets 1.5 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
You may receive 2 orders of greens - 3/4 lb of komatsuna or kale or collard greens or mustard greens mix or baby pac choi
Winter Squash- Butternut. 1 fruit.
Cabbage 1 head - this could be green, savoy or nappa (Chinese)
leek 1#
Daikon or Watermelon Radishes 1 lb - very few watermelon radishes
Broccoli - 1 lb - probably can't fulfill double orders
Baby turnips 1.5 lb
Sweet Potatoes - 2 lb - we are buying in these potatoes from a local organic farm. Only one order per share.

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Tomatoes- cherry 1/2 lb - limited quantities
Beets 1.5 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.
Italian Parsley- 1/8 lb
Mint 1/8 lb
Sage 1/8 lb

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-10-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

(Pictured left to right: Miriam planting strawberries, Pamela washing beets and Erica on "Rosie" the tractor.)

Dear Friends and Members of B & H ,

We try to give you useful information and news about what is going on at the farm. I thought you might like to know what a typical day on the farm looks like. Each day is different depending on what we are preparing for. And each person on the farm has a different role.

Here is what a typical Thursday on the farm looks like from each person’s perspective. We begin at 7 am these days and end at 4 pm.

Miriam is my assistant. She was hired to watch and manage the fields. Her jobs include: monitoring irrigation, fertilizing, managing work crews and overseeing of the planting. On a typical Thursday she will help with the harvest. (We harvest something each day. Many crops such as beans, squash, tomatoes and peppers need to be picked every other day.) Then she will fertilize all the crops through our drip irrigation system. We use a combination of compost tea and fish emulsion for this. It is a smelly and tedious job. Then there is usually some major project to undertake currently we are finishing weeding carrots. Then she will mow with the small push mower between the rows of crops planted on fabric mulch. After lunch is usually planting. During the season we plant lettuce each week. Currently we are working on a major strawberry planting. We have 2,000 plants to be planted in the next 2 weeks and Miriam is in charge of getting that accomplished.

Then we have Pamela. She is our packhouse coordinator. The packhouse is where all your veggies are washed and bunched or bagged. This is an indoor job. The least favored job on the farm. Pamela, I refer to her as the most positive person I know, takes on this job with enthusiasm. She takes the vegetables we have harvested that morning and prepares them for sale. Usually on Thursday she washes potatoes for market. All those tiny potatoes we love so much are singly washed by hand by Pamela.

Pamela has an assistant, Doreen. Doreen has been such a great addition the last few months to keep me out of the packhouse and in the fields where I truly want to be.

What do I do on a Thursday. Well it seems I have become the main harvester on the farm. It is my job to know what is in the field and when it is ready to be picked and sold. I do a lot of running around trying to organize everyone and retrieving supplies. And I get to do the tractor cultivating. and mowing as well. If I am lucky and I have time I will get to do some weeding. Now that I own my own business and I am in charge of everything the thing I miss doing the most is weeding.

Paul is always around and about helping us with tractor work , tending the cows, growing corn and soybeans. And most importantly maintenance around the farm. He keep the place together and in more ways than one. I truly believe that his spirit is what makes the farm run. If he weren’t around anymore I think the farm would literally crumble.

We love our jobs. And we have a great crew. Your veggies are grown by people who love what they do.

This week's harvest;

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

White potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
salad mix 1/2 lb
Beets 1.5 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
3/4 lb of komatsuna or kale or collard greens or mustard greens mix
Winter Squash- Butternut. 1 fruit.
Cabbage 1 head - this could be green, savoy or nappa
Parsnips- 1.5 lb
leek 1#
Daikon or Watermelon Radishes 1 lb - very few watermelon radishes
Broccoli - 1 lb - probably can't fulfill double orders

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Tomatoes- cherry 1/2 lb - limited quantities
Beets 1.5 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.
Italian Parsley- 1/8 lb
Mint 1/8 lb
Sage 1/8 lb

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-09-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

A few words about member work hours.

I have been thinking about this blog for quite awhile. And this past Sunday I was reminded of exactly why I decided to add member work hours to the CSA membership this year. We had 2 members volunteering and weeding carrots. I was talking about how I love to teach and interact with customers. For me farming is not just about growing the crops. It is about educating people about why it is important to eat local organic produce. It is about why it is important to eat healthy. I want to show people the rewards of doing so. I love the farmer’s markets and interacting with customers. As I was talking a member was weeding chickweed out of the carrots and eating it. It reminded me of why I started this in the first place. The sheer joy of being in nature, being subject to nature, being close to God and feeling that awesome childlike spirit.

CSA stands for community supported agriculture. Although the financial support is crucial the community aspect is just as important. By doing a CSA in which boxes are delivered the farmer/ consumer contact is eliminated. That is also why I have chosen an ordering system. I want to know you all personally and know the produce you want to eat. Emails are great but I want one on one contact. That is one reason I didn’t do the CSA last year. I felt a lack of contact with many of my customers. And it never fails that the CSA members I have no contact with are the least satisfied.

Having you work on the farm is important to let you know the immense, and I mean immense, amount of work it takes to produce one of those boxes each week. The volunteers who have come have been extremely helpful. But it is not about the labor for me. It is the interaction. It is the realization that we are humans working extremely hard to share our labor of love with you. And by you working with us you too are participating in that labor of love.

If you cannot or do not want to work on the farm fine. Just let me know. If anyone understands busy it is someone like me who works 80 + hours a week. I don’t want to be a drill sergeant. I want you to come because you see that value in where your food comes from.

I am surprised at how many people are opposed to the whole idea. Many CSA’s are run solely on member labor. So instead of forcing anyone to work I will have to reward those who did work hard. I will let you know the reward as we see how the season finishes out.

I am blessed to have wonderful supporting members. I am grateful for all of you. No matter what your contribution has been. And yes, financial contributions are crucial.

This labor of love is important to many of us for many reasons. And with out your support I don’t know where I would be.

Many blessings to you all,

Erica

This week's harvest;

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

Fingerling potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads salad mix 1/2 lb
Beets 1.5 lb or carrots 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
3/4 lb of komatsuna or kale or collard greens
Winter Squash- Butternut. 1 fruit.
Beans ¾ lb or cabbage 1 head
Parsnips- 1.5 lb
Frisee- 2 heads.
leek 1#
Daikon or Watermelon Radishes 1 lb

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Tomatoes- cherry 1/2 lb - limited quantities
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.
Italian Parsley- 1/8 lb

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-09-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

As promised here is Miriam's blog about beneficial insects from our 3rd annual Rt 10 Tour on August 27th.

September 2011

A couple of weeks ago we held a tour at the farm and I gave a lecture on beneficial insects. I filled myself up with a lot of information leading up to the talk, so I thought I'd share a little while it's still fresh.

Beneficial insects fill two very important roles, as pollinators and pest killers. Traditionally, farmers hired honey bees to do the pollinating work, but with the current colony collapse crisis we aren't seeing many honeybees in the field. So who's doing the pollinating for our squash and tomatoes? A combination of native bees, wasps, butterflies, and flies. Native bees are by far the most efficient pollinators in that list. However, native bees tend to be solitary insects, meaning that they don't build hives or swarm. They nest in abandoned insect holes in wood or in tunnels in the ground. We've installed a nesting site for mason bees near our store, a 2x6 with holes drilled in it under an eave for protection.

Wasps perform in both roles, as pollinators and pest killers. In the case of wasps, the killing is in order to provide food for their young. The adults generally eat pollen and nectar (which is why they can pollinate). Some wasps are parasitoids, laying eggs in caterpillars and other insects. The larval wasps develop inside the caterpillar, sapping its strength from within. The larvae will then eat their way out of the worm to form cocoons and eventually hatch out as adult wasps. If you see these cocoons, try to resist squishing the worm so that there are more wasps in the garden to work for you. You may want to move it away from your tomatoes, though. Other wasps will kill or scavenge insects to bring back to their nests for the young to eat. To encourage nesting near the fields (and away from our buildings), we've put up bird houses without bottoms. The house will be a protected space and removing the bottom makes it unsuitable for birds, so there won't be competition for the space.

Other insects are hunters, like ladybugs and praying mantises. Ladybugs love aphids but will eat other soft-bodied insects as well (like caterpillars, scale, even potato beetle eggs and larvae). We get a lot of ladybugs here at the farm and generally don't have much trouble with aphids, so I think we're doing something right. It's important to recognize the different life stages of the ladybugs so you don't squish them by mistake. The larval stage looks very different from the adults. (There are some pictures in this article about ladybugs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladybug )

In general, to attract beneficial insects into your garden, the best thing you can do is have flowers mixed in with your veggies, especially native plants with clusters of small flowers. You can also allow your herbs and some of your brassicas to flower (like broccoli, arugula, and mustard greens). Here at B&H, we plant our flower crops and herbs in the same fields as our veggie crops. We also have the advantage of being surrounded by pasture which provides food and habitat. However, the biggest thing we do is to avoid using insecticides. This means that sometimes we have the unpleasant task of squishing a lot of bad bugs. However, nature tends to do a better job of keeping the pests in balance when we don't interfere.

Tips:

Attract beneficial insects with a variety of flowers interspersed with your vegetables (native plants with many small flowers are best). You can allow some of your crop plants to flower as well, especially herbs like dill and parsley. Try to choose a wide range of flowers so that there are a variety blooms throughout the season.
Avoid using pesticides, since they will kill your good bugs as well as the pests. If you do use pesticides, try to target the pests directly and use sparingly.
In dry weather, provide a shallow water source, such as a saucer filled with pebbles or a hose dripping onto a board.
Mulch your garden and include some low-growing plants to provide habitat and retain moisture.

Web Resources:

Penn State Cooperative Extension, Center for Pollinator Research

http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

http://www.xerces.org/

Fine Gardening, “Attracting Beneficial Insects”

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/attracting-beneficial-insects.aspx

This week's harvest;

his week’s harvest list:

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

Purple potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
Beets 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
3/4 lb of chard or kale or baby pac choi or ½ lb dandelion or ¾ lb collard greens
Winter Squash- Spaghetti or Butternut. 1 fruit.
Beans ¾ lb
Parsnips- 1.4 lb
Tomatoes- cherries or larger. More cherries. 2 lb. Limited Quantities.
Frisee- 2 heads.
leek 1#

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Poblano peppers- 1.5 lb – these are the peppers used to make Chiles Rellenos.
Basil 1/4 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.
Italian Parsley- 1/8 lb

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-09-11T16:10:00.001-07:00

Pictured above:
1. Field 1 flooding- our fall crops
2. Field 2 flooding- our potato and squash field
3. Our driveway.

Dear Friends and Members,

I know I said I would post Miriam’s information on beneficial insects. I will postpone her blog until next week. For now I believe a flood update is in order.

Please visit the blog to see photos of the flood.

I was delivering the CSA boxes when the flooding occurred. I am so thankful I did not have to witness the event. Seeing the photos Miriam took was enough to make my heart race.

Thank you Hartz Members for braving the flood waters when possible to pick up your veggies. And if not for taking the time to come back the next day to pick up.

We were very lucky compared to many of our fellow farmers up north and to the west. At this point it seems we suffered minor damage. Although, the flooding occurred in the field with our last plantings of greens. So we will just have to wait to see if anything comes up. This includes our fall spinach.

The main way you will be affected by the rains is that you will find that the crops picked after the rain will not store very well. There is excessive moisture in the fields. This creates spoilage in the vegetables.

Take care this week. Eat the greens as quickly as possible. Keep greens and other cold items in the refrigerator. Try to let all items have access to air. (Don’t store items in plastic). If you cannot eat greens right away keep them cold and put paper towels in your crisper to soak up the excess moisture.

We will do our best to clean the veggies as much as possible. However, when veggies are clean they tend to spoil faster. The dirt keeps them longer. Perhaps it is the minerals in the dirt. Actually, I have been told that in farmer’s markets in Europe no one washes the veggies before selling. I have worked with Europeans who were appalled at how we wash vegetables in this country.

Tomatoes are few and far between. Tomatoes hate cold wet conditions.

At this point we will take everyday as a blessing and be grateful for what we get. On that note I think you will find we still have quite a bit to offer this week.

And here are some recipes to try out for all the beautiful winter squash:

Two different recipes for pumpkin chili. Remember any of the squashes can be substituted for pumpkin.

http://www.ordinaryvegetarian.com/2010/11/vegan-mofo-8-pumpkin-black-bean-chili.html

http://kitchenwithbrina.blogspot.com/2009/10/veggie-pumpkin-chili.html

Two recipes for stuffed pumpkin:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/27/dining/271NREX.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2250,154182-225200,00.html

This week’s harvest list:

Full share: (you may receive any of these items)

Purple potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
Beets 1.5 lb
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb
Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
3/4 lb of chard or kale or baby pac choi or ½ lb dandelion or ¾ lb collard greens
Winter Squash- Giant pumpkins, red kuri or delicata squash. Super tasty and nutritious. 1large or 2 small.
Beans ¾ lb
Fennel – 1 bulb – only for members who have not yet received fennel.
leek 1#

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets
Italian parsley
Frissee

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Poblano peppers- 1.5 lb – these are the peppers used to make Chiles Rellenos.
Basil 1/4 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Caribbean Seasoning Peppers. They look; taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.

2011-09-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I have to change the date on our CSA potluck. We are changing the date from September 17^th to October 1^st. We will also change the time to 5 pm. Something very big came up for the 17^th. http://www.wyebrookfarm.com/news/2011/8/11/wyebrooks-first-pig-roast.html

This is an event no one will want to miss. You should make it out if you can.

Don’t forget to contact me with your work schedule.

Here is our blog.

Next week Miriam plans to give you all a summary of her “Beneficial Insects” talk at our Rt. 10 tour last Saturday. So I decided to talk about the other side of it all.

Killing pests.

As an organic farmer my main job is an insect assassin. I am not a killer by nature. In fact I was a vegetarian for 16 years. I feel sick every time I have to “take care of “ a groundhog. But, I have realized that in my garden it is survival of the fittest and I do intend to survive.

With that said I refrain when possible from killing bugs and creatures that eat our crops. I am willing to share. The fact is that they all have a lot more time and drive than I do.

I previously worked at a farm where I spent many hours dressed in suits with a loud sprayer attached to my back spraying for insects. Although the sprays were organic in nature they were still dangerous to inhale or to touch the skin. The suits were very hot to wear and the sprayer very uncomfortable.

I decided when starting my own business that I would not spray. And for the first 4 years I did not spray a bug. I spent a lot of time squashing by hand or forcing the insects into a bucket of soapy water.

We have lost quite a few crops to insects and yields are always affected. Last year we lost our whole Brusselsprouts crop. This year I drew the line. When I saw the Brusselsprouts dramatically decrease in health I broke out the neem oil. Neem is not harmful to humans. The main ingredient in my toothpaste is neem. It doesn’t burn the skin or irritate the nasal passages. No need for protection when spraying.

So we decided to spray the Brusselsprouts and it worked. The next day there were very few of the harlequin beetles that suck the life out of those scrumptious veggies.

For a measure of safety I sent out my crew to do another spray today. Midway through I saw our trusty volunteer, Beth, charging down from the upper field. She ran up to me with the most beautiful praying mantid in her hands. “ I had to save her. She is laden with eggs.” So Beth washed off the praying mantid and we placed her in our overgrown asparagus patch. She was saved.

I thought the neem was a miracle cure for those bright colored Brusselsprout assassins. But, in the end I realized once again that spraying, organic or not, harms the good with the bad.

I hope we all enjoy the sprouts this fall. I will certainly think very hard before spraying again.

This week’s harvest:

Full share: ( you may receive any of these items)

Purple potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 2-3 heads
Beets 1.5 lb
Tomatoes - 2- 3 lb many shapes and colors.
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb or Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
3/4 lb of chard or kale or baby pac choi
Winter Squash- Giant pumpkins, red kuri or buttercup squash. Super tasty and nutritious. 1large or 2 small.
Beans ¾ lb– half shares only
Fennel – 1 bulb or leek 1#
Garlic- ½ # all members will receive garlic unless they request otherwise.

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Garlic chives 1/8 lb
Hot peppers - 6 peppers – we have tons so order more.
Basil 1/4 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Carribean Seasoning Peppers. They look, taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.

2011-08-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Thank God. We mostly survived the storm unaffected. There is minor damage but it could have been a bad scenario for the garden. I was mostly worried about the peppers and the tomatoes. When I left the farm this afternoon the peppers only sustained minor breakage. The tomatoes were leaning very close to the ground but were still loaded with fruits. The lower field did not flood out all the fall seeding. And no hail to report, Hooray!

The West Reading Farmer’s Market was cancelled this morning. This was the first time in the history of the market. It was sad to not see all the wonderful faces but oh so nice to sleep in this morning. We were also blessed with an amazing dinner at Papillon Brasserie last night. Philip is an extremely talented chef. It is so great to see my veggies all dressed up in their finest.

Despite the weather our event on Saturday was a success. Miriam gave a very informative talk on beneficial insects. I learned a lot.

We have just passed the half waypoint for the CSA. I have enjoyed the experience so much this year. I really appreciate all your feedback and cooperation pulling off a semi complicated system.

We have had a few members complete their work hours. I am still hoping to hear from quite a few of you to schedule your hours.

This past week marked the last of our direct seeding in the field. With the cool mornings and later starts we can really feel fall approaching. There is always sadness for me this time of year. It is kind of like the end of vacation when you are thinking of returning home and leaving a beautiful tropical island. You will be happy to be home but oh so sad to leave.

Best wishes to all of you that are starting back to work this week or starting back to school. May it be as rewarding of a year as our summer has been for us.

This week’s harvest:

Full share: ( you may receive any of these items)

Red Gold potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 3 - 4 heads - some shares may receive 2 orders of lettuce.
Beets 1.5 lb or Carrots 1.5 lb ( no greens on the carrots)
Melons - you will either receive cantaloupe or watermelon. Few cantaloupes left. This is probably the last week for melons.
Tomatoes - 2- 3 lb many shapes and colors.
Mixed colors and shapes of sweet peppers 1.5 lb or Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1.5 lb
3/4 lb of chard or kale
Winter Squash- Giant pumpkins, red kuri or buttercup squash. Super tasty and nutritious. 1large or 2 small.
Beans ¾ lb– full shares only.
Fennel – 1 bulb
Leeks – 1 #

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items. Probably not beans.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Garlic chives 1/8 lb
Hot peppers - 6 peppers
Basil 1/4 lb
Aji Dulce Peppers- ½ lb. These are also known as Carribean Seasoning Peppers. They look, taste and smell like a hot pepper but have no heat. They are excellent for seasoning.

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-08-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today was our organic inspection. So why be certified organic? After all we are a small farm and do all of our sales via direct marketing. Every year we have an inspector come to the farm to verify our paperwork and make sure we are not violating any of the organic standards. It is a slow process in the midst of the busy season.

So I repeat, why be certified organic?

First, it is a selling point at market. This is especially so at a time when many farmers are claiming their produce is “organic” or “naturally grown.” Being “certified” is a way to distinguish ourselves from many other farmers.

Second, being a part of the Pennsylvania Certified Organic (our certifying agency) team is an ethical stance. PCO is a grassroots organization that is fighting for the plight of the small farmer and the safety of our food system. PCO is regularly represented in Washington as the higher politicians decide the standards to which all of our food is grown. Since the USDA took over certification of organic foods there has been quite a lot of corruption in the organic marketplace. The USDA is working for large farms that are in it to get a better price point. PCO however, is there to protect the average person who wants clean food.

Every year we submit a tedious amount of paperwork and spend about $1,000 to be certified. This crazy for a small farm such as ourselves. But, we believe in the movement. Paul, my business partner, has been experimenting with organic agriculture since the 70’s. He, along with Mr. Rodale and a host of others, were the first to start the organic movement in Pennsylvania. He is truly a grandfather of the movement. He grew up as a conventional farmer and switched over when it was very not cool to do so. He was ridiculed by the local community for his courage to stop using pesticides and herbicides and protects the land he cares dearly for.

Paul is currently on the board of PCO. Although it is more work than he needs he is representing the heritage of organic agriculture. We need people with conviction to stay involved and protect our food movement.

Although it seemed so uneventful today I knew I was helping the movement. By supporting our farm you too are supporting the movement of organic foods, protected farmland and food security.

Thank you all.

This week's harvest.

Full share: ( you may receive any of these items)

Red Gold potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 3 - 4 heads or salad mix 1/2 lb bag
Beets 1.5 lb - without greens
Carrots 1.5 lb - without greens
Melons - you will either receive cantaloupe or watermelon.
Tomatoes - 2- 3 lb - you may order multiples of tomatoes. And some shares may receive 2 orders.
Green or Purple sweet peppers 1lb or Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1lb
Summer Squash 5 fruits
3/4 lb of chard, kale or baby pac choi
Cabbages- 1 head of savoy
Winter Squash- Giant pumpkins or buttercup squash. Super tasty and nutritious. 1 fruit.

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets
Beans - there are very few. 1 lb
Husk cherries - 1 pint.

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Mint 1/8 lb
Anise Hyssop 1/8 lb
Hot peppers - 6 peppers - you may have lots of these if you like. Please indicate the quantity you would like.
Basil 1/4 lb
Tomatoes - 1 extra order per share please.

2011-08-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from my assistant Miriam.

August 2011

One of the things I may miss if I follow my dream to become an urban farmer is all the wildlife around here. Just this afternoon, I looked up from laying out irrigation lines to see a great blue heron, coming in for a landing just beyond the pasture fence. Last week, a hawk swooped in just above our heads on its way to the barn roof (to scope out the chickens, most likely). If I manage to stay up into dusk, I love to see the bats flitting around, doing their part to combat our insect pests. These moments from nature are a good reminder for me to not get too over-focused in what I'm doing. There is a whole world out there beyond the row I'm weeding. Sometimes, the world is even in the row, as when I kept scaring up the same toad while weeding leeks.

I also like to see our insect helpers. There are so many pests out there, eager to take advantage of our hard work. We make it easy for them, providing large areas of tender plants. We do our best to keep the plants strong and healthy so they can protect themselves, but it's also nice to see ladybugs and praying mantises patrolling the fields. There are also wasps and spiders and other creatures that see our pests the same way those pests see our rows of vegetables, as a large amount of tasty morsels. One of the reasons we don't spray insecticides here is because the insecticide can't tell the difference between good and bad bugs. I'd rather let nature help us out as best she can, with ladybugs and wasps and bats. That leaves me to concentrate on caring for the plants.

I got creative for our farm lunch this week. With so many watermelons coming out of the field, I wanted to do something with them, but I was assigned to make a side dish. What to do? Well, make something savory out of the watermelon by adding a salty flavor. I thought white miso would work and it's an unusual flavor for those of you who want to try something new. I chose to use a watermelon that wasn't quite ripe, so there wasn't too much sweetness, but I think it will work even with riper melons (you just may want to add more miso or lime juice for balance). Here's the recipe:

Savory Watermelon Salad

1 watermelon, cubed

½ cup mint, chopped

2 ounces white miso

¼ cup limejuice

Mix the mint and watermelon. Stir the miso into the limejuice to make a smooth liquid. Dribble this liquid into the watermelon while mixing to get an even coating on the watermelon. Serve chilled.

I would just like to send out a big THANK YOU! to all of you who came out and volunteered this week. What a big difference. We have been blessed to temporarily fill the spot of our missing intern. I am taking it day by day and being extremely grateful.

This week's harvest.

Full share: ( you may receive any of these items)

Red Gold potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 3 - 4 heads or salad mix 1/2 lb bag
Beets 1.5 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb
Melons - you will either receive cantaloupe or watermelon.
Tomatoes - 2- 3 lb - you may order multiples of tomatoes. And some shares may receive 2 orders.
Green or Purple sweet peppers 1lb or Eggplant (small purple, green, large purple or orange) 1lb
Summer Squash 5 fruits
3/4 lb of chard, kale or baby pac choi
Cabbages- 1 head of savoy
Winter Squash- Giant pumpkins or buttercup squash. Super tasty and nutritious. 1 fruit.

Half Share:

Any 4 of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share) Some of these items are in limited quantities so can be ordered on a first come first serve basis.

Fresh cut flower bouquets
Beans - there are very few. 1 lb
Tomatillos 1 lb
Cucumbers 6 fruits.
Husk cherries - 1 pint.

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Mint 1/8 lb
Anise Hyssop 1/8 lb
Hot peppers - 6 peppers
Basil 1/4 lb

Shillington shares will receive blackberries this week. The other sites have already received berries at some point in the season. If you did not berries yet this season you will get them next week. (By berries I mean raspberries or blackberries.)

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

2011-07-31T15:42:00.001-07:00

(this second picture is of our kitten Butternut on a very hot day)

The life of a farmer is totally seasonal. All at once. “Make hay while the sun shines.” Right now is the peak of the season. In about the middle of August we begin to see the change of the crops and head more into fall mode. But, for now we are non-stop, dusk till dawn. Mostly, I am running around so fast I don’t notice the heat. This is not so for my crew. This time of year I am just trying to keep them holding on and dangling the prize of fall in front of them. Though they are wilting in the heat. And this week we lost one of our full time crucial employees, Zoe.

We love what we do. We are passionate. And the fruits of our labor are many. We have so many blessings we cannot count. And we cherish those of you who support us.

Along with the feast or famine come crops of plenty and crops, which fail. Failure comes from improper care, weather, disease, weeds or insects.

Our insect troubles this year come from the cucumber beetles and the squash bugs. They are small and numerous. The only way to truly combat them is to spray insecticide. Since we will not resort to that method we are at their mercy. The problem with these insects is not that they eat the crops. It is that they infect the crops with a disease. Our plants have been infected and are holding on for dear life. This disease is not harmful to your health and you would not even know when eating the fruits. However, it makes the plants weak and the fruits fewer.

The plants infected are: cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash and melons. This would be the reason for the unripe melons. The plants died back and showed all the signs of ripeness however, they vines are prematurely dying before the fruits are ripe.

And then that brings me to the winter squash. Some of them are ready now. This is very unfortunate because no one is feeling ready for pumpkins or buttercup squash. However we have them and the pumpkins are huge.

When we live by the rules of Mother Nature we take what we get and we are grateful.

Tomatoes are coming in full force now. And peppers as well. Eggplants are always slow to the finish line.

I think you will find your waiting for veggies in the spring will be paid off in the coming weeks.

We would be grateful for any volunteer hours now that we are short on help. Please contact me to let me know when you would like to come. Monday through Friday 6 am till 4 pm and Saturdays 2 pm till 5 pm.

Thank you,

Erica

This week's lunch:

Unripe watermelon salad with feta cheese, mint and a miso dressing. Awesome!
Veggies wraps- roasted carrot and beet quinoa wraps and sliced veggies with cheddar cheese and avocado.
Tomato Curry salad with cucumbers and basil.
Cantaloupe and nectarine sorbet with blackberries
Spelt shortcakes with peaches.

This week's harvest: A real treat for you nightshade lovers.

Full share: ( you may receive any of these items)

Red Gold potatoes 2 lb
Lettuce- 3 - 4 heads or salad mix 1/2 lb bag
Beets 1.5 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb
Melons - you will either receive cantaloupe or watermelon.
Tomatoes - 2- 3 lb - you may order multiples of tomatoes. And some shares may receive 2 orders.
Green or Purple sweet peppers 1lb or Eggplant (small purple, green or orange) 1lb
Summer Squash 5 fruits
3/4 lb of chard, mustard greens or baby pac choi
Cabbages- 3-4 baby heads of green or purple or 1 head of savoy

Half Share:

Any of the above full share items.

Optional Items: (these count as an item in your share)

Fresh cut flower bouquets
Beans - there are very few. 1 lb
Winter Squash- Giant pumpkins or buttercup squash. Super tasty and nutritious. 1 fruit.

Extra Items: (these do not count as an item) - Please let me know the quantity you would like.

Mint 1/8 lb
Anise Hyssop 1/8 lb
Hot peppers - 6 peppers
Basil 1/4 lb

If you continue to have trouble with your melons please let me know. We harvested lots and I would like to see them be eaten.
Have a super week,
Erica

2011-07-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

This blog was written by our intern Zoe. It seems she has learned a bit more than the techniques of farming.

These past few weeks have really shown me how hard farm work really is. There is always an endless list of tasks to be done, from harvesting to weeding to pruning and everything in between. And this hectic.

Our busy schedule makes days slip by at an eerily rapid pace. I find myself constantly growing happier and happier to be exposed to the amount of effort that it takes to put food in my belly. This is a concept that I think has drifted far away from most people’s realm of consciousness. Farming is something that is so deeply rooted in human existence, a practice that we have utilized since humans became non-nomadic, and will forever utilize until our species becomes extinct. But it is a practice that we have altered so drastically in the past century that it is unable to be called farming. With human’s desire to make everything about this world as easy and effortless as they possibly can, we have lost sight of the importance of the quality of food we eat. Commercial farming practices are so centered on speed and efficiency and keeping costs low that the products they are growing are lacking in that which makes food so wonderful; taste and nutrition. I can’t wrap my head around why we have allowed ourselves to settle for these inferior products.

Why will we eat a tomato with next to no flavor or nutrients just to cut a few dollars off of the grocery bill? It is a never-ending conundrum, stemming from our desire to eat what we want when we want it (even if when we want it, it is far out of it’s growing season). But what people fail to realize is that although money may be saved at the super market, it will later be spent on doctor visits and other medical expenses. We get ill because of all of the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and all those other scary chemicals that are applied to the crops.

I know that this problem that we’ve created for ourselves is one without a solution. There will always be people who are focused on quantity rather than quality, and this group of people will continue using detrimental practices in order to achieve their goals. So really the only thing that we can do is change our own personal habits, and by supporting this farm that’s exactly what all of you are doing!

Coming to work here this summer has done for me more than I will ever be able to put into words. I feel I am a new and improved version of the person I was when I arrived. The work that I’m doing in order to grow these crops makes me exponentially more appreciative of eating the food that is produced as a result.

I’m starting to think about the end of my stay here, for it is nearing too quickly for my liking, and I know that I will not be able to go back to eating tasteless produce from the grocery store. I’ve started to can some of the vegetables that we are growing which is very new to me and I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s a really great way to be able to eat good vegetables in the off-season and to avoid those super market veggie-impersonators as much as possible.

Here is a recipe for a beet and quinoa salad with feta cheese and a lemon and honey dressing, it’s a fresh and light dish that’s really great in this hot weather.

Ingredients:

2 good-sized beets

3 cups of cooked quinoa

One red onion

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

However much feta you want

Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the beets until they are tender (you can also boil or steam them but I prefer the taste of roasted beats for this recipe). Dice the cooked beets and the onion into fairly small pieces and toss with the quinoa and the feta cheese. Mix the lemon juice, honey, and olive oil together and dress immediately before serving.

Here are step by step instructions for roasting beets if you do not know how, it is very simple to do but it will take about 40 minutes for them to become tender so make sure you give yourself ample time.

http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/ss/How-To-Roast-Beets.htm

This week's harvest list:

Full Share:

Beans 1 lb or cabbage 2 small or 1 large - most likely beans
Yukon Gold Potatoes 2 lb
Carrots 1.5 lb or Beets 1.5 lb
Braising Mustard Mix, Komatsuna, Swiss Chard or Kale - 3/4 lb. Not very much kale.
Lettuce 3 - 4 heads
Salad mix 1/2 lb bag
Cucumbers 4 each or Squash 4 each. We have more squash than cucumbers.
Green or Purple Peppers, Tomatoes (heirlooms of various sizes) or Eggplant. These are all still in short supply I will do my best to spread them around.

Half Share:

Honestly it could be any of the above items.

Optional Items: (This will count as one of your items)

We have gorgeous bouquets of flowers. Just sunflowers or mixed bouquets.

Extra Items this week: (These are items which do not count towards an order. Please let me know the quantities you would like. These are on a first come first serve basis.)

Head lettuce
Hot peppers
Basil
Mint
Anise Hyssop aka Korean Mint

A note on melons. I received your emails about melons. Mostly good but a few not so good. If you did not let me know about your melon please do so. I will be adding an additional item either this week or the next to make up for unripe melons. There are more melons on the way but I am too nervous to add them as an item. I may substitute melons for one of the items above if I truly feel they are ready.
Ideas from members about what to do with an unripe melon. Pickle it, feed it to the chickens or make martinis. I like the last idea best!!!!!!!!!
If in any case you feel an item is unacceptable please contact me and let me know.
A note about the peppers: I was taught by a farmer/mentor to harvest peppers with a blemish. He felt that green or colored they were sweeter with a small blemish. I have to agree and in his 30 years of CSA experience non of his members complained. So you probably will find peppers with a blemish in your box.
Thank you all and have a super week.

2011-07-17T14:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

What an exciting summer. Like everything it has it’s peaks and valleys and so far this is turning out to be a usual summer.

Personally I like the heat. It is nice to seek shade but all in all I prefer this to winter. We are very blessed at the farm to have water for our crops. Our water comes from a mountain spring. It is the best tasting water I have ever drank. And all of our crops drink the same water. However, nothing substitutes for rain and the lack of rain is certainly taking its toll on quite a few of the crops.

We are careful to put down irrigation every time we plant. This insures that we will have water no matter what the weather conditions are. Mostly for us dry weather is a good thing. It keeps the weeds down and disease away. Did you know that wet years produce disease and dry years produce insects? I am sure you have noticed the holes in the leaves of the leafy greens.

Here is an update on some of our crops:

Broccoli: One of the most popular vegetables. I would say this has always been the most challenging for me to grow. Broccoli is plagued by at least 4 different insects. We have to plant broccoli under a cloth to protect it from insect damage. The cloth though produces extra heat, which the broccoli hates. And these hot temperatures are rough on the broccoli plants. We put a lot of effort into growing broccoli with very little results. The perfect heads of broccoli you see in the grocery store are a fantasy for me. It is actually more common to have misshapen heads. And then on top of the broccoli being miserable about the heat a family of groundhogs moved in and ate what was savory. They are smart creatures. We have been doing our best to get any broccoli in your boxes. We will continue to try. And with the help of 4 volunteers we were able to almost finish our fall broccoli planting.

Tomatoes: I would say this is the most popular vegetable. Tomatoes are plagued by disease in the Eastern part of the US. I am happy to report that our plants look fabulous and have no signs of disease. They are loaded with fruit. Now we are just waiting for them to ripen. Tomatoes need warm nights to ripen so even though the days are hot the cool nights do not ripen tomatoes. You should expect tomatoes by next week.

Garlic: This crop is not doing well for us this year. There are many factors leading to their demise. There will be garlic but it will be short lived.

Due to the slow spring our boxes were a bit meek in the beginning of the season. Instead of just giving you greens for 4 weeks I chose to give you small quantities of other items such as carrots, cucumbers and beets. Now that we are hitting the peak of our season we have been able to increase quantities. I will do my best to satisfy your needs. Everyday I wake up and I am grateful for what I have although it might not be what I need to fill boxes. Just wait; we will all be rewarded for your patience. Don’t forget to keep checking for our extras even if you don’t want to order.

I would like to thank our volunteers this week. We had 4 non -member volunteers this week to plant broccoli and weed. We had 3 members come and dig the rest of our spring carrots so that we can plant cover crops in that area. We are ready to accept Saturday work hours. The Saturday hours are from 2 pm – 5 pm. Otherwise, we are accepting work hours Monday through Friday 6 am till 4 pm. Please send me an email with a date you would like to volunteer. We will need help in the fall as well.

And one more note: please contact my cell number is you are having any issues or need to speak with me 484-955-1098. I rarely check the office phone number. Or you can email me.

Here is this week's list:

Full shares:

Yukon Gold Potatoes: 2 lb
Carrots: 1.5 lb
Beets: 1.5 lb or Peppers 1.5 lb
Salad mix : 1/2 lb
Beans: 1 lb or cabbage 1 large or 2 small heads
Kale or Chard: 3/4 #
Cucumbers or Summer Squash: 4 fruits each
Lettuce: 1 large or 2 small heads

Half shares:

Yukon Gold Potatoes: 2 lb
Carrots: 1.5 lb
Salad mix : 1/2 lb
Beans: 1 lb or cabbage 1 large or 2 small heads
If you would like an item from the full share list let me know. Peppers are just coming in and in short supply. Don't worry you will get them next week. I will do my best if you want them this week.

Optional Items (these are items we have but in fewer quantities which you could order as a substitute for one of the other items):

Fresh cut bouquets of Sunflowers.
Fresh cut bouquets of arranged flowers.
Arugula: 1/2 lb - It is strong but excellent if you like the taste of arugula.

Extra Items this week: (these do not count as an item in your boxes).

Basil: we have Italian, Lemon or Purple. They make a nice combination for pesto. We normally pack them in 1/4 lb bags. I can give you larger quantities. This will be an ongoing extra item so let me know if you would like to make a large batch of pesto. This is a first come first serve basis.
Herbs: 1/8 lb bunches: french sorrel, marjoram, oregano, lavender, peppermint or spearmint. We have large quantities of mint.
Hot peppers: 1/4 lb - These are mixed from mild to hot. They come in all shapes and colors. The bag will be mixed.

Thank you so much. It is a real joy to have you as members,

Erica

2011-07-10T15:29:00.001-07:00

Blog post from my assistant Miriam,

In the past two weeks or so, the farm has really taken off. Plants are visibly growing from day to day. Our spring plants are retiring, settling down to blossom and seed. Our summer vegetables are growing up. The tomatoes need pruning every week, sending out ever more branches and leaves, flowers and small, green fruit. The potatoes are flowering and the peppers. Beans are stretching out amongst their leaves and stems, making harvesting a game of hidden pictures. The cucumbers are here, overabundant, and the patty pan squash I didn't know I was waiting for. This is when the hard work of spring begins to pay off.

Farming is always about change. Priorities shift with the season, with the weather. One of my frustrations is that projects are sometimes abandoned in the middle, especially hand-weeding projects which take care and time, but often sink to the bottom of the to-do list. This season, though, we've been able to get a lot done and have lost sight of very little. We had a lot of help, from some dedicated volunteers, the first of our CSA members putting in their required hours, and our intern Katherine who is leaving us for her next adventure. We are grateful and the farm is flourishing.

Here is a recipe from one of our farm lunches:

Quinoa Risotto with kale and sweet sake

4 garlic scapes, chopped

1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

2 carrots, shredded

2 cups quinoa, well rinsed

1 cup sweet cooking sake

3 cups vegetable stock

¼ cup soy sauce

½ tsp black pepper

salt

· Put kale in a bowl and add the soy sauce, black pepper, and ¼ cup of the sake. Mix well and set aside. Stir occasionally as you're preparing the rest of the meal to keep the kale from drying out.

· In a large saucepan, bring the stock, the remaining sake, and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the quinoa is almost tender to the bite but slightly hard in the center, about 15 minutes.

· Stir in the carrots, garlic scapes, and kale with all the marinade liquid. Simmer until the quinoa grains have turned from white to translucent, about five minutes longer.

· Season with salt and pepper to taste.

· Serves 6 as a main dish.

This week's harvest:

Full share's can look for:

carrots- with tops 1.5 lb
beets- with tops 1.5 lb
salad mix (1/2 #) or 2 heads of lettuce
beans - 1 # or cabagge - 2 small or 1 medium head
3/4# or either: kale, komatsuna or chard
4 cucumbers
4 summer squash
Radicchio - 2 heads
or one of the miscellaneous items below

Half share's can look for:(same quantities as above)

salad mix or lettuce
beets or carrots
cucumbers or summer squash
beans or cabbage
or one of the miscellaneous items below

Miscellaneous items:

Fresh cut flowers
hot peppers
broccoli
herbs: mint, cilantro, basil, marjoram
kale, komatsuna or chard
Radicchio

Our special lunch this week:

Spring mix salad with an Asian Sesame dressing.
Chilled summer green soup: spinach, zucchini, butterhead lettuce, basil, parsley, soymilk, lemon juice, and mint.
Hummus with sliced cucumbers
Cabbage and Carrot tacos with basil, salsa and cheese.
Radicchio, Bean and Rice Salad.

Don't forget that you must let me know by Tuesday at 2 pm what you would like for the week. We will increase our quantities on lettuce (because they are smaller heads), summer squash, radicchio, beets and carrots.

If you would like to make pickles this may be the last week to order pickling cucumbers. They will be an extra item for this week. Please let me know how many.

I am sending this as an email just for this week. Otherwise, please check the blog on Sunday evenings for our weekly list.

Thank you,
Erica

2011-07-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from our intern Katherine:

This past Friday was the biggest harvest so far this summer. It is so exciting to see how much produce there actually is after a harvest day! It definitely makes all the hard work worth it. Two new delicious items that are beginning to come in are squash, and raspberries. During one of my lunch breaks this week, I was very content with picking (and eating) some of the wild black raspberries we have growing on the farm. This weekend I tried a new recipe with the squash. I made an arugula pesto pasta salad with zucchini in it, and I was very pleased with it. I found the recipe on hogsbackfarm.com. Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad with Zucchini 1 bunch arugula? 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (to taste)? 1 zucchini? 12 oz. rigatoni or penne pasta? ½ cup olive oil? ½ cup parmesan? salt and pepper to taste Start the pasta water. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, and then in half again lengthwise. Do this a couple more times until you have long quarter inch wide strips of zucchini. Now chop them into inch and a half matchsticks. Add the pasta to the boiling water, while it cooks make the pesto. Cut the arugula above the rubber band, wash and spin-dry the leaves. In a food processor add the arugula, oil, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper. Run the processor until you have a nice consistency, drizzling more oil in if it is lumpy. When the pasta is done, place your colander in the sink. Put the zucchini in the bottom of the colander and drain the pasta. This is my lazy approach to cooking some vegetables. Slice them into small pieces and let something else cook them. Between having the boiling water dumped on them and the hot pasta sitting on them the zucchini should be nice and tender. You can wait a minute and dig one out from the bottom and see how it is. When ready add the pasta and zucchini and pesto to a large bowl, toss and top with a more parm, salt and perhaps a drizzle of balsamic. Can be enjoyed hot or as a cold pasta salad. You could certainly add basil and peas to this dish as well We have been getting a lot of help from volunteers lately, which is really wonderful. It feels great to get so much accomplished in a day. All of the help is so appreciated! Last week we put oats down as a cover crop for a section of field 1. After fiddling with some hoses, and “playing” in the sprinklers, the overhead irrigation has been set up pretty well. I am sad to say that this will be my last blog entry of the summer. I have learned so much working at B&H, and wish that I could have more time here. On the 17th of July I will be leaving to work at a camp until I go back to college.

We were happy to entertain a member volunteer at our lunch this week. We ate:

Cabbage, cucumber, cilantro, mint and kale spring rolls with baked tofu.
Pasta salad with a raw Alfredo sauce (cashews and sunflower seeds)
Spicy Mix salad with a dressing of roasted beets, greek yogurt and lemon juice. ( see picture above of the amazing color). Topped with feta cheese.
Squash and Basil Salad mixed with black beans and brown rice.
Black Raspberry turnovers.

Here is our harvest list for this week:

carrots
beets
salad mix- we have extra if anyone wants more.
beans
lettuce
komatsuna
cucumbers and picklers too.
summer squash
fresh cut flower bouquets
basil
cabbage
kale
chard
broccoli
beans
herbs: oregano, marjoram, mint, anise hyssop (Korean Mint).

2011-06-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Members of B & H Organic Produce,

This season has begun as quite a roller coaster of weather. I learned many years ago to quit complaining about the weather because it makes no difference anyway. I feel so grateful to wake up everyday and be able to spend the day outside. And on those 100-degree days I smile and remember January.

We have finally moved through our 2-week delay of produce. We all stood around begging the plants to grow, grow, and grow. And after last week’s 2 inches of rain and plenty of sunshine they grew. I am at the farm everyday but it seemed like Monday morning everything had doubled from Sunday.

Now we have bigger things to pray for…Weeds to grow slower than the vegetables. Fat chance. This is just the same as complaining about the weather. Will I ever learn?

Weeds are our biggest labor expense and challenge at the farm. Although, I have a hardworking staff we still can’t seem to keep up with the weeds. This year we implemented quite a few new tools and techniques to give us an upper hand.

First of all, I am proud to say that Paul has really got our cultivating tractor, Rosie, humming. The cultivating tractor is a tractor with many hoes on the bottom. I can drive this through the field and weed enough in 2 minutes to replace 4 people working for ½ hour. This is big improvement.

We are using quite a bit of woven ground cover to plant into. Many farms plant into plastic. It is what has made produce affordable. It keeps weeds down and gives summer crops a jump on the season. I have avoided using the plastic because well, it is plastic. Most farmer’s use a plastic which cannot be reused or recycled and ends up in the landfill. Our woven fabric mulch is about 5 times the price but we can reuse it year after year after year.

And last but not least cover cropping. I know many of you have heard me say we were taking a field out of production to put it in cover crops. What are cover crops? They are crops such as rye, oats, or peas grown simply to cover the soil and prevent erosion and build up humus. The crops are grown until they create ample mass and then are tilled into the soil, feeding the microorganisms a green food. Kind of like a green smoothie for the worms. Most of field one was planted with oats this week. So the brilliant green lawn you will see behind the store will actually be our “cover crop.”

A little note about the harvest list in the weekly emails. It is really hard to make. It is amazing how much the garden changes between Friday and Tuesday, especially this time of year. I try my best. I will admit that there are often items harvested and put into boxes on Wednesday that were not on the list on Friday. It is not an easy job and has not gotten easier over the past 10 years. I do my best and try really hard to make sure your boxes are balanced and not the same from week to week. Also, the quantities will certainly increase. A few items such as carrots, cucumbers and squash will increase in amounts. For now I just wanted to vary the boxes.

Volunteer hours. We had our first volunteers this week. And they worked very hard. We could not have gotten the planting done today without them. Thank you very much. It led me to understand that Tuesdays and Fridays are not the only days we could accept volunteers. I will open the volunteering to Monday through Friday from 7 am till 4 pm. We will be offering Saturday hours soon and certainly in the fall. In the fall we will need lots of help to bring in the storage crops. Any help at any time is wonderful. Stay tuned for Saturday hours opening.

Any member out there computer savvy? I need help figuring out how to create members as subscribers to our blogs. I thought this would be simpler. Please let me know if you can help. This would certainly count towards your hours.

Thank you all so much and have a super week,

Erica

Harvest list for this week:

carrots
salad mix
beets
arugula
radicchio
squash
cucumbers
lettuce
kale
chard
basil

Our lunch menu this week:

cold summer squash soup with basil: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/curtis-aikens/summer-squash-soup-with-basil-recipe/index.html
homemade spelt pizza with a sun-dried tomato and broccoli pesto, sauteed squash and onions.
Butterhead lettuce salad with radishes and a homemade fresh herb ranch dressing.
Swiss Chard Tart: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/10/swiss-chard-tart-recipe-tourte-de-blettes/ This will knock your socks off. It is not what you would think in either flavor or texture. You will look at swiss chard differently.

Thank you all so much and have a super week,

Erica

2011-06-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Zoe's Blog:

It’s hard to believe that another month has already passed, and with days getting longer (and hotter) I can really feel the season gathering steam. It’s quite miraculous to see the transformation that the earth has undergone in these past few weeks; the surrounding hills suddenly green and the ground at my feet suddenly bursting with fruits and vegetables that are almost too good to be true. This month’s theme I would have to say is strawberries, strawberries and more strawberries. Shortly after I arrived on the farm I remember digging and replanting strawberry plants, taking from the densely populated sections and making new, neater rows. This got me so excited for when they would begin to produce; I started thinking of strawberry pies, strawberry jam, strawberries on ice cream, and all the other ways I like to eat these delectable little fruits. But I wasn’t thinking about picking them so much until we actually had to start picking them. I can recall some seemingly endless hours, hunched over an impossibly dense thicket of plants, scouring through the plethora of weeds and the knotted stems of the strawberry plants in search of those bright red berries. It was kind of tranquil at times, eventually I would fall into a sort of rhythmic trance and my thoughts would stray from the berry patch while my eyes remained in searching mode. Other times, all I could think about was picking that last strawberry for the day, stretching out my back and moving on to a new task. But I soon learned that there is never a last strawberry. We could spend hours and hours amongst the rows, picking every ripe strawberry that existed, and then, with all this glorious sunshine we’ve been having lately, return five minutes later to find that hundreds of more berries have gone from not quite ripe to red and juicy and ready to go. Luckily we called it quits after one thorough search, only to return a couple of days later to do it all over again.

After these brutally hot days spent amongst the strawberries, I often rewarded myself with a dip in the creek that runs along the edge of our property. The water is surprisingly cold in contrast with the humid summer air and there is nothing that could be more refreshing. The creek is quite shallow though, only running about five or six inches deep through the section I like to spend my afternoons in, so I usually just lay down on my back and let the water run over me like a horizontal waterfall. And then, once my core body temperature returned to a tolerable level and my entire being felt fully refreshed, I’d crawl into bed and sleep like a stone.

Spinach Salad with Strawberry Mustard Dressing

I ate this salad all the time when we had an over abundance of spinach. Those who tend to dislike mixing different flavors together may not like it so much but if you are feeling daring then definitely give it a shot, it’s really quite delicious!

2 cups fresh spinach, stemmed

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled

3/4 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (optional)

1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)

Wash spinach and cut/rip into bite size pieces. Put in a bowl and set aside. In a small jar or any container you can shake rather vigorously, put in mustard, oil, and garlic. Take three or four strawberries and mash them, either in a bowl or, if you’d rather you can just squish them between your fingers. Make sure to catch all the juice and add this to the mixture in the jar. You can avoid adding the pulpy sort of remains of the strawberry by holding it back with a spoon as you pour, but personally I like that part. Return the lid to the jar and shake until well mixed. Add water to thin it out if desired. Add the garbanzo beans and the feta to the spinach, and slice the remaining berries onto the salad. Dress just before eating.

Not sure what to do with all the radishes? So many radishes and they are spicy due to the hot temperatures. Did you know that if you cook them they become more mild? You can roast them, saute them or grill them. And even better the greens are edible and very good for you. Last night I sauteed the radishes with their greens, onions and garlic, then I added beans and made burritos.

This week's harvest list:

kale
summer squash
carrots
salad mix
arugula
lettuce
baby pac choi
komatsuna
radicchio
basil- Italian, purple, lemon.
herbs: garlic chives, oregano, marjoram, anise hyssop, chives, and mint. (We don't usually give herbs as an item unless requested. Except for basil.)

This week our community meal: As you can tell we eat well on the farm.

homemade mulberry jam on homemade challah bread
kale pilaf seasoned with a sweet sake
wild greens salad (purslane and lamb's quarters), with almonds and dried cranberries. Finished with a Greek yogurt and lemon dressing.
Marinated and baked tofu
meringue cookies
greens dip (chard, kale and spinach blended with yogurt, garbanzo beans) with homemade sesame crackers.

Thank you all so much for your support and have a great week,
Erica

2011-06-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and CSA Members of B & H Organic Produce,

I would first like to thank all of you for your support. It is great being back at market and in the swing of things.

We are still working through our 2 weeks of delayed planting due to the rain earlier in the spring. While our spring crops were slowed, soon enough we will be jumping in to summer crops.

Farming is all about rolling with the punches and being patient. I seem to be doing both of those things well this year. Although I feel very stressed when my loyal customers come to market and we are sold out of veggies. Bare with me , it will be better very soon.

I am extremely blessed to have such a wonderful work crew this year. We have extra help for the beginning of the year and I am using it wisely. We are making strides in cultivating, processing and irrigating. A little positive energy goes a long way and we have a lot of positive energy.

Our CSA is full for the season.

We are so happy to have all of our members and to be able to provide them with quality produce. From time to time (including this week) we will be buying in a few items to round out our boxes. We will be buying from our friends who are organic farmers close to home. We guarantee quality!

I am still waiting to hear from most of you about volunteer hours. Each “share” must complete 8 hours in the season. For now we only have Tuesdays and Fridays (7 am till 4 pm) available for volunteering. Soon we will be adding Saturday hours.

Just a reminder, you should wash all of your produce. We do prewash many items but they are not ready for consumption. Most people think you don’t need to wash organic produce because it wasn’t sprayed with chemicals. The ironic part is that you cannot wash off the chemicals. You need to wash the produce to eliminate germs, dirt and insects. In our farming practices we do manage run off from our cattle but we are unable to control other animals in the field such as deer, rabbits and groundhogs.

Thank you all for your support and have a super week,

Erica

Our harvest list for this week:

· Lettuce

· Salad mix

· Arugula

· Kale

· Baby pac choi

· Summer squash: green and yellow zucchini, patty pan squash

· Mixed basil medley: lemon, Italian and purple

· Radishes

· Turnips

· Endive / Frisee

Coming soon:

· Cucumbers

· Beets

You can expect tomatoes around the middle of July and carrots by the beginning of July.

Endive Recipes: http://www.yummly.com/recipes/endive-frisee

Don’t forget to visit our recipe blog: http://bhrecipes.blogspot.com/

Each week we are doing farm lunches. I will be including the menus from each week:

6/2

· Cold spinach and cashew soup

· Quinoa salad with red onions

· Spinach empanadas

· Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

6/9

· Radish and Carrot salad over quinoa and butterhead lettuce

· Kale salad: http://happyfoody.com/2008/02/12/raw-kale-avocado-salad/

· Spinach quiche

· Frozen strawberry yogurt pie

Today's recipe for Sunday West Reading Market.

2011-06-05T02:34:00.001-07:00

Today's recipe for Sunday West Reading Market.
This is a great salad dressing for any Asian green. At market today we have Baby Pac Choi, Komatsuna and Spicy Mix.

Mustard Green Salad Dressing

1-2 crushed Garlic cloves (or finely minced), but crushed garlic really brings out oils, thus the flavor
1 crushed or minced Thai Chili (customize your spice level)
1/2 squeezed Lime (or about 1 heaping Tablespoon)
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar (optional)
1/2 cup Fish Sauce (add more for extra fish sauce depth)
1/2 cup Water

Blend all ingredients together.

http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/vietnamese-recipes-2/viet-fish-sauce-dip/

This great over freshly chopped raw Komatsuna, Baby Pac Choi or Mustard Greens.

2011-06-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
The first CSA pick up went very well. Everyone picked up!!!!!!!!! Give yourselves a big pat on the back. Don't forget to bring a bag and leave your box behind for another delivery.
Below is a blog from my assistant Miriam. In case you have not noticed we have been posting blogs from our interns and Miriam. This is to give a you a better understanding of what goes on at the farm. And not just from my eyes. The recipe here is great we had it for lunch this week. Following the blog is the harvest list for June 8th.

June, 2011

I can remember when I was young and my dad had his little garden plot in our backyard. He grew the same three crops every year: sugar snap peas, pole beans, and red tomatoes. I would eat the peas and beans straight off the bush but wouldn't touch the tomatoes. Maybe I took those beans and peas for granted because it wasn't until later, when I had a garden plot of my own, that I discovered the sense of wonder in vegetable plants. The luxurious abundance of leaf and blossom. How pretty those blossoms could be! And how each kind of plant had its time, its habits, even its scent. In a way, gardening is easy. Plants want to live, to grow strong, to make seed for the future. It's not the end of the world if some of those peas don't come up. There will be some to pick and eat regardless. If not this plot, if not this year, then somewhere else, some other time. There will be peas again.

In farming, that little plot grew big. There is more to do, more to keep track of, and more is riding on the success of the crops. It's easy to lose that sense of wonder. Now that I know what potato plants look like above the ground, it's not as magical to see the first stout leaves pushing through the soil. I check them to make sure they're doing well. I do my best to see to their needs. I add their care to the list of farm chores. They are a responsibility now. But that wonder is part of what drew me to farming in the first place, so I'm doing my best to keep it. In finding new varieties of vegetables to try, in a market display when our hard work gets transformed into beauty, in a hidden cache of field peas that escaped the tiller, showing off their sweet, pink flowers. I can also keep the wonder alive by sharing it, when those potatoes show up at market, when those pea flowers show up in the salad mix. And in sharing the magic, remembering the wonder, I can find the day-to-day joys that keeps me farming.

We've been swimming in spinach these past few weeks, so I'm going to give you one more spinach recipe.

Spinach pastries (Empanadas de espinacas)

Adapted from Tapas, by Richard Tapper

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 bunch spinach, stemmed, washed, and chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

pastry – empanada or puff pastry, cut into 4 inch circles

1 egg beaten with 2 tsp water

Keep the pastry in the fridge after you cut out the circles. I use any appropriately sized, clean can or jar to do the cutting.
To cook the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and fry until the onions are soft, about three minutes. Add the spinach and toss until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool.
Squeeze out any liquid from the spinach mixture (too much liquid will soften the pastry and keep it from sealing). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
When filling the rounds, the dough will behave better if you fill only four or five at a time, leaving the rest in the fridge. Put about 2 teaspoons of the spinach mixture in the center of the circle. Fold the circle over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 475. Arrange empanadas at least ¾ inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Brush with the egg wash and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Best eaten while still hot from the oven.

There is a lot of room for variation with this recipe. You can add some finely chopped chorizo or ham. Try it with mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar. My favorite version leaves out the onion and adds a roasted red pepper, cut into strips. And remember, any kind of green will work! Kale and chard, beet greens, mustard greens, arugula... Whatever you have, it's worth a try.

What we are harvesting this week:

arugula
radishes
turnips
lettuce
salad mix
kale
herbs: oregano, mint, marjoram, sage, garlic chives
strawberries - only 1 order per share
komatsuna

Enjoy the greens while they are crisp and fresh. A great way to start the summer.
If you wish to order, don't forget to have the orders in by Monday evening.

Thank you and have a great week,
Erica

Komatsuna

2011-06-01T03:13:00.000-07:00

Congrats you picked up your first CSA box!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you find something in your box you could not identify?
Did you visit the recipe blog and could not find it?
Well it was probably Komatsuna,
This one of my favorite Mustard Greens. It is very mild. This is the green used in the Vietnamese restaurants for their mustard green salad.
Yes, you can eat it raw, you can steam it, you can saute it or stir fry it.

Komatsuna (mustard spinach)
This nutritious and versatile hardy winter vegetable is starting to make an appearance in the west. Smaller and more delicate than mustard greens, with a flavor similar to spinach, the straight, long deep green leaves have a light green stem. Komatsuna contains far more vitamin C and carotene than spinach, and is believed to have cancer-fighting properties. I often stir-fry roughly chopped leaves lightly in vegetable (or olive oil) with a little garlic, salt and black or red pepper.
(http://www.savoryjapan.com/ingredients/vegetables.html)

Enjoy!

2011-05-27T18:17:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends of B & H Organic Produce and Welcome CSA Members.

This year has been very interesting. It is the wettest spring I can remember. This set us back quite a bit and our first planting in the mud was pretty spotty. The upside is that somehow I managed to pull together the most amazing crew of people to work with me this season. There is so much positive energy and joy. The veggies can’t help but grow. We are totally caught up with planting and very ready to begin the market and CSA season.

The Elverson Farmer’s Market begins Saturday May 28^th at Livingood Park 9 am till 1 pm. And the West Reading Farmer’s Market begins Sunday May 29 th 500 block of Penn Ave 9 am till 1 pm. And of course the CSA begins on Wednesday June 1^st.

I am very excited to get going again and to see all the faces I have missed so dearly over the winter. You all mean more to me than you will know.

This week we are harvesting:

· Strawberries

· Spinach

· Salad mix

· Radishes

· Kale

· Baby Pac Choi

· Lettuce

· And if you are interested in herbs we have: oregano, marjoram, mint, sage, and garlic chives.

· Komatsuna- mild Asian mustard green.

If you ordered a meat share through our CSA it will be delivered the first drop off of each month. That means you will be receiving your first meat share on Wednesday June 1^st.

Aren’t sure what is in your box. Please check our recipe blog http://www.bhrecipes.blogspot.com/ I worked for several years compiling this information just for the CSA. I would love it if you would add your comments and your own recipes as well. Remember that if you copy recipes you must site the original author.

You do not have to order for the CSA each week. Only order if there is something your absolutely want or do not want. If you do not order we will pack a very well rounded box for you. I have been doing this for a long time and I know what most customers are looking for.

Thank you all so much and have a super week,

Erica

2011-05-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hello loyal B&H blog followers! My name is Katherine, and I will be an intern here until July 10^th. I am a Biology major at Palm Beach Atlantic University down in Florida, but I will be home in Wyomissing, which is not too far from the farm, for most of the summer. Just last Monday I began working on the farm. I have not had any previous experience working on a farm, but ever since I was little I remember begging my parents to move to the country where we could live on a farm. Just recently, organic farming in particular has become even more of an interest to me. B&H Organic Produce seemed like the perfect fit for a summer internship, and it is! I love that every day that I come to work I learn so much. I love that on lunch breaks, when it is nice out, I can sit in the cool shade and enjoy the view of the farm with the mountains in the background. I love that I am getting hands on experience with a job that I’ve had an interest in since I was young. I love that I get spend my days working outside. I love that I am coming to understand the importance of the work done at B&H Organic Produce, and at any organic farm for that matter.

Last week we planted one of my favorites, tomatoes! Growing up I was never a fan of tomatoes; my sister and grandpa used to sprinkle sugar on tomato slices, I did not even like watching them eat that. Now, I feel as though a sandwich is not a sandwich without a tomato. Thank goodness for changing taste buds, or I would still be missing out! One of my favorite foods to eat with tomatoes in it is fresh mozzarella and tomato salad, but I must say that my Mom’s tomato sauce is pretty tough competition to the classic fresh mozzarella and tomato salad. The recipe she uses is actually a slight variation from one that she found in the “Joy of Cooking” cookbook. Here is the recipe with her modifications:

Heat in a medium saucepan over medium heat:

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Add:

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in:

One 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, with juice, broken into pieces

1 T dried basil

1-2 t dried oregano

Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in:

1-2 t sugar

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat through, about 5 minutes.

Another exciting thing that happened last week was that we cleared out all the plastic and metal scraps from the frame of the greenhouse that collapsed in the winter. It was great to get all of that stuff out because it means we are a little closer to getting another greenhouse.

Looking ahead, May 21^st is our Open House. There will be tours of the farm, where people can ask questions, see what an organic farm is like, and learn all about where their food comes from. For the children there will be a whole area with different games and baby chicks. I hope to meet most of you there!

Our intern Zoe

2011-05-14T04:43:00.001-07:00

Hello, my name is Zoe and I am an intern here for the summer. May 11^th marks the one month anniversary of my arrival on the farm, and so far I am absolutely loving it. I do not come from any sort of farming background, so everything that I am doing here is a first for me. I am currently in an interim period between high school and college, as I was unwilling to follow the “normal” path and dive head first into higher education. So this past year I have been trying, without much success might I add, to figure out what I want to do with my life. And after a few existential meltdowns and one somewhat spontaneous decision later, I find myself here. And I could not be happier.

Every night I fall asleep, back aching, legs sore, skin drenched in sun and dirt, and yet I am always excited for the day to come. I’ve already learned so much here, more than I even expected to. And not only about farming either; I’ve acquired knowledge about business, cooking, medicine, even dancing (thanks to Miriam who let me accompany her to a contradance, which was more fun than I could have ever imagined). But I think that one of the most significant things I am learning is to live off of what the land is producing, in the case, spinach. I can safely say I have never eaten so much spinach in my life, but hey, who could complain about a nearly limitless amount of fresh spinach leaves, as long as my head and as vibrant as a St. Patrick’s Day shamrock button? Not I, that’s for sure.

With this abundance of spinach comes a wide variety of ways to prepare and eat it, from soup to salad to stir fry and everything in between. There’s nothing tastier than a simple dish of spinach sautéed with garlic and olive oil, or a nice creamy spinach soup (for which I have written up a recipe), or an omelets made with farm fresh eggs to accompany your farm fresh spinach. But personally, I like to eat spinach fresh and raw. For dinner I will usually take a hefty bunch of the giant green blades, wad them up in my hand and bite the leafy sphere as if it were an apple. The taste of summertime earthy greenness erupts onto my taste buds and perfectly epitomizes the feeling that the aestival season is upon us. And after a horrible cold wet depressing winter that this past one has been, there is nothing in the world that tastes better to me.

Creamy Spinach Soup

1/2 of a Vidalia onion

2 cloves garlic

Olive oil (or butter, whichever you prefer)

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt

2 cups water

1 pound of fresh spinach, stems removed

salt and pepper to taste

Sauté spinach with garlic and oil until wilted. Put in food processor until spinach is in fairly small pieces, but not completely pureed. In a medium saucepan, sauté garlic and onions (both should be diced) in oil (or butter) until onions are soft. Add yogurt and water and mix well. Add spinach and cook on medium heat, stirring periodically until it reaches desired thickness. Enjoy hot or cold, or for a special treat try it au gratin, with a layer of melted Swiss cheese on the surface.

Miriam's Blog

2011-05-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Miriam and I am the assistant farmer at B&H this year. I was an intern last year, so some of you may remember me from the farmer's market and other events. You may not see as much of me at market this year since I'll be focusing on the field work down on the farm but you are welcome to come out and visit us. I'll also be showing up here on the blog from time to time.

My journey to B&H has been a winding one. I started out my adult life thinking that I was going to be an electrical engineer, but it didn't take. I worked as an electrician for a couple years in Philadelphia and although I didn't mind the job, it just wasn't the right kind of dirty. I came to farming after studying permaculture and natural building and thinking hard about who I want to be. My long-term goal is to have my own urban homestead and small market garden in Philadelphia so I can provide for myself as much as I can to meet my own needs. This is my third full-season as a farmer and I still enjoy the work, so I think I'm on the right track. I love being outside, working hard, and feeling connected to the world around me.

It is springtime and here at B&H, we are playing peek-a-boo with the rain. As soon as the soil dries, we disc and harrow and seed and plant until the clouds form again. Because of this, we got a little behind on our planting schedule, but with dedication and hard work we've managed to catch up. We have lots of greens germinating in the field and we've transplanted the broccoli and cabbage that we started in the cold frames. The bare-root transplants have taken to their new homes, so our cold frame experiment this season was a success. With all the extra room for root growth, the plants started out larger than they would have been in cell flats, which is our usual method for starting new plants. Very soon now we'll start our summer crops, your favorite tomatoes and eggplant and summer squash. But to give you a taste of the market season coming up soon, we're already harvesting the spinach we planted last fall, the rhubarb is in full-leaf now, and the strawberries are blossoming.

Spring also means that I have some projects of my own. I get excited by the first flowers of the season, dandelions and violets and even the weeds in the fields since they signal the start of the farming season when I can get my hands dirty again. But I figured there's something else I can do with these plants other than look at them, so I started making wine. Last year I made one gallon of dandelion wine and it turned out very well, so this year I'm making two gallons. I'm also trying violet wine for the first time. Unfortunately, it will be a few months before I can taste it, so I don't know if I can recommend it. Here's the recipe for the dandelion wine, but if you'd like to try it you'd better move quickly. Our first spring flowers are starting to give way to late spring plants.

Dandelion Wine

Adapted from Jack Keller's wine website: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

· 2.5 qts dandelion flowers

· 2.5-3 lbs granulated sugar (less sugar makes a dryer wine)

· 4 tangelos or oranges – you will use a very thin paring of the outer skin (no white) and the juice (strained – no pulp)

· 1 gallon water

· ¼ tsp wine yeast (I use Red Star Premier Cuvee)

· 1 gallon fermentation vessel (glass jug) and fermentation trap (also call an airlock)

The recipe I follow says to pick the flowers at mid-day, when they are fully open. I tend to pick them in the late afternoon. I figure it's all right as long as the sun is shining. Once picked, keep the flowers cool until you are ready to process them. Remove as much of the green from the flower heads as you have the patience for. (This year, I am running an experiment. With my first batch, I removed all the green, which took several hours. With my second batch, I merely pulled the whole tops from the stems, which took about 30 minutes.)

Boil one gallon of water. Put the prepared flowers in a crock and pour the boiling water over them. Cover with a cloth. Let this mixture steep for two days. The crock can be ceramic, glass, or stainless steel. Don't use aluminum.

After two days, pour the flower mixture back into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the outer parings of the tangelos (be careful not to get too much white pith with the peel) and boil for ten minutes. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag back into the crock and add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Let cool to room temperature.

Once cool, add the yeast and tangelo juice. Stir well, then pour into your fermentation vessel, fit the fermentation trap and keep in a cool, dark place until the there are no more bubbles rising through the trap. This should take 2-3 months. At this point, the wine is ready. It's a good idea to siphon the wine out of the vessel so as not to disturb the sediment on the bottom. I think it's good for drinking right away, but you can also bottle it and let it age for six months to a year.

Extending Our Season.

2011-03-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

Pictured here you will see the process of building and insulating a cold frame for extending your growing season without a greenhouse. The first 2 pictures are of building the frames out of slats of cedar. Then we staple translucent film to the outsides.

When the frames are built we added a 2 inch layer of perlite for insulation. Next, we placed heating tape (used to insulate pipes). And lastly 3 inches of potting soil, which is a mix of peat moss, compost and more perlite. In the last photo you will see the first of our baby plants growing.

We have been experimenting this spring with ways to extend our season without a greenhouse. For the most part we have been successful. As you saw in the previous blog we turned a room into a plant nursery. Our first wave of plants are already outside awaiting the warm weather to be planted in the ground. The first wave of plants consist of broccoli, cabbage and kale. They are resting in our cold frames waiting for the soil to be ready to be worked. We hope to start planting in the fields next week.

Many of the other plants inside are waiting for even warmer weather and to be sold to home gardeners as starts for their organic gardens.

We sell many of our starts at our store. The others are sold at Sugarbush Nursery. Here is a general list of what we will be selling and when:

· April 1^st Stawberry roots

· April 15^th Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Kale, Broccoli, Cabbages, Leeks

· April 30^th Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Celeriac

Please contact us if you have questions.

We have additional shares available for our CSA!

We sold all the original shares. However when we found out that Miriam would be returning to work with us this season we were able to expand our membership. Please see our website for applications, prices and further information.

Happy Spring!

Beginning of the Gardens!

2011-02-18T08:03:00.001-08:00

Beginning the Gardens.
Often people ask me what I do all winter. It may be hard to imagine but the growing season starts in mid February and goes until the end of December. Yes, there are times when the workload is small and times when it is enormous. And what do I do for the month and a half when I am not growing? I am doing paperwork, planning the fields, ordering seeds, signing up CSA members, working on the website, waitressing and cleaning my house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As many of you know we lost our greenhouse in February of 2010. It was a rough way to start out a beautiful growing season. At the last minute, last year, I fashioned a grow room in the basement of the intern house on the farm. It was inefficient but got the job done. This year I have taken the same idea and made it efficient.
Pictured above are the stages of creating our "Grow Room." The walls are well insulated and the floor covered with plastic. We put in our market tables and hung some CFL soft white lights. We are energy efficient and ready to start the season.
Yesterday, was the first day of seed planting. I started celeriac, parsley and pansies. And when they have germinated at 75 degrees I will be ready to turn the heat up to 85 degrees and start the tomato seedlings (next week!).
The new year has officially begun and the intentions for fresh nutritious foods are germinating as we speak.
We still have CSA shares available. Our website is still not quite up to date. If you are interested in becoming a CSA member please contact me for applications or questionnaires.

Our CSA Back By Popular Demand

2011-01-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

Our CSA Back By Popular Demand
We finally have the details of the CSA worked out. The information will not be available on our website right away. And it will be a few more days till I can put my email list back together. Please note that we have quite a few changes this year, you will want to read through the information carefully. We are hoping to keep improving our services. For now please email me to receive the questionnaire and application. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Erica Lavdanski 610-372-8318 bhorganics@gmail.com
Trying to decide if a CSA is right for you? Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-e7asz-XE0

B & H Organic Produce CSA

What it is: Community supported agriculture is a way for you to become more involved in your community by supporting your local farmers. In exchange for paying in advance, you receive fresh picked healthy vegetables for you and your family throughout the season. No matter what the farming season will be we commit to delivering fresh, local, healthy vegetables to you.

How it works: The produce will be harvested, cleaned, packed in a box, and delivered to the pick up location of your choice each week. Deliveries will be made on Wednesdays and the produce is picked on Tuesday. You will have the opportunity to view the items for harvest as of Friday evenings via our Blog. You will be able to request specific items you would like for the week by emailing us by Monday evening. We will do our best to fulfill your requests but cannot guarantee exact orders. You may contact us if you will not be able to pick up your produce that week. If you are planning on going on vacation you may have a friend or neighbor pick up your produce. If you contact us ahead of time we will be able to make special arrangements for you to get your produce. We will not be held responsible for items that do not get picked up and these will be donated to the host of the pick up site. The produce will be delivered in our wax boxes. Please bring a bag to remove your items from the box. We will ask that the boxes not be taken home.

Our Farm: We are a small farm that specializes in growing greens (lettuces, salad mixes, kale, swiss chard etc). You can expect to have mostly greens in the beginning of the season. In mid season you may find the greens are a bit sparse due to the hot weather. We grow a lot of greens because they are nutritious, but also because they are a sustainable crop. A full share can expect to have at least 2 greens per box and 1 green for half shares. In addition, we grow unique colors and varieties of the vegetables and provide an array of heirloom varieties. Therefore our CSA is targeted towards members who are adventurous in the kitchen and with their palate. Our CSA is designed to have a strong relationship with the farmer and the consumer through regular communication. In addition this year we will be requiring members to work a minimum of 8 hours on the farm. We are interested in having our members create a close relationship with their food and their farmers. There is a wide variety of jobs on the farm as well as flexibility of hours.

Vegetable Share: Please visit our website and blog to see what we grow www.bhorganicproduce.com. Note that the produce we provide is seasonal (fresh/local). For example, we will not be able to provide spinach in the middle of summer. In order to meet customer demands and to ensure variety of the vegetables in your boxes we will be ordering in selected items from a local certified organic farm. We hope this will help with our efficiency and cost effectiveness.

A full share share receives 8 "items" per week. An item is a bunch or unit of produce which we package. We try to match this unit to what you would find in the grocery store. Some examples are:

* 2# potato

* 1 head leattuce

* 1 bag salad mix

* 2 # tomato

* 1# peppers

* 1.5# carrots or beets

* 1# bunch greens such as kale or chard

* 2# cucumber or summer squash

* 1# beans

When: Our CSA season will run 22 weeks June 1st through October 26th.

Where: 3 Berks County locations, choose one site below for your pick-up

Shillington: 138 Washington St, Shillington, Pa Wednesdays 4pm-8pm

Hartz Natural Foods: 211 Twin County Rd Morgantown, PA

Wednesdays 2pm till 6pm

West Reading: 330 Franklin St, West Reading, PA Wednesdays 4:30pm –8 :30pm

Costs:

Full Share: $650.00 (8 items per week) $600.00 if paid by March 1^st, if picking up at Hartz Natural Foods or if you are a returning member.

Half Share: $375.00 (4 items per week) $350 for returning members.

Meat Share: This year we will be adding meat to our CSA. The meat share is optional. We will be offering free range, non-hormonal beef and chicken from our farm. All of our meat is frozen. The meat will be delivered the first Wednesday of each month with your vegetable delivery.

Option 1: 1 3# whole chicken and 1# ground beef. $95.00

Option 2: 1 3# whole chicken, 1# ground beef and 1 8oz steak. $125.00

Option 3: 2 3# whole chicken. $125.00

Option 4: 2 3# whole chicken, 2# ground beef and 2 8 oz steaks. $250.00

If you are interested in the CSA as a new member please fill out a questionnaire. If you are a returning member please fill out the application and mail it to us. Spaces are limited this year. We will be hand - selecting customers to ensure that they are a good fit for our CSA.

2010-12-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Dear friends of B & H Organic Produce,

Wow, winter is officially here. I know it is December but it feels suddenly cold. I am having allergy symptoms. I say it is because I am allergic to winter. My friend in Acupuncture school says it is "Cold Wind Disease." Either way, I am hibernating with my computer and my fire place.
Last week we worked very hard to clean out the fields. We harvested everything we could from the field and packed it away for winter storage. Then we removed the remaining row covers, hoops and irrigation. It is sad to see it end but it is too too cold to be working outside.
We still have quite a bit of root crops stored that are sweet and ready for eating. And they will still be more fresh than any of the crops at the grocery store. We will be doing our weekly deliveries until there is nothing left to deliver and we will still be stocking our store.
The seed catalogs are rolling in. I can't wait to get to them. But, first I must deal with the piles of paperwork which have been waiting and accumulating all season.
Here is what we will be delivering this week. Please email me your orders by Wednesday evening.

savoy cabbage $2.00
celery root $1.50
baby red beets $2.00
salad mix $4.50
turnips $2.00
daikon $2.00
lettuce- romaine or butterhead - 2 small heads or 1 large $2.00
carrots- red or orange- no tops $2.00
fennel- smaller heads $2.00
pac choi $2.00
butternut squash - smaller $2.00

Thank you all so much and stay warm,
Erica

2010-11-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

Thanksgiving is over for another year. Thanksgiving is very appropriate as a time for a great harvest and then preparing for a winter's rest. I actually took almost 4 days off. That is a bit indulgent after working for 6 months with only 1 day off. I loved lounging around with my husband and eating yummy foods.
We are now in the mode for cleaning up and getting the garden ready for bed. Pictured above 1 and 2 are the view from our new field looking out into the valley; picture 3 is 50 acres of daikon radishes planted for a cover crop.
This will be our last week of work with our employees. It is always so sad to see our interns go for the season. For the past 10 years I have been working on farms with seasonal help, and yet this never becomes easier. The interns become your best friends and family. Lisa left us a month or so ago and Miriam will be leaving this week. So so so many thanks for all of their hard work and enthusiasm. I have never had a more positive (and I do mean positive) working environment in my life. Thank you. And to Pamela whom is priceless, and thankfully she will be with us next season.
Well if there is anyone out there reading this and they would like to order produce for this Thursdays drop off, send me an email with your order by Wednesday evening. This is what we will have this week:

carrots- red and orange $2.50
beets- baby red $2.00
lettuce- romaine or butterhead $2.00
spicy mix $4.50
arugula $4.50
daikon radishes $2.00
savoy cabbage $2.00
fennel $2.00
baby pac choi $2.00
turnips $2.50
celery root $1.50
butternut squash $3.00

And don't forget we have produce in our store!!!!!!!!!! Hartz Natural Foods.
Thank you all so much for all of your support.
Erica

2010-11-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

Pictured here 3 essentials for your Thanksgiving Feast: Fennel, Carrots and Celeriac (Celery Root).
Thanksgiving is less than a week away. I cannot believe it. We worked very hard this summer to be sure we would have enough vegetables to make your Thanksgiving meal very local and very tasty.
My husband and I host Thanksgiving for our families. It is truly a celebration of our harvest and hard work. Each year the menu changes based on what is best from the garden. We begin with a turkey from Shollenberger's Organic Farms (West Reading Farmer's Market). Then we add all the yummy vegetables. Here is what our menu will look like:

Butternut squash and apple soup: I like to leave this unblended. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/butternut-squash-soup-recipe/index.html I will use leeks that I have saved from our harvest as well as a stock that I make continuously throughout the season.
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/roasted-beets-with-feta/Detail.aspx I will use our baby red beets and the Fromagina goat cheese from Amazing Acres Goat Dairy at the West Reading Farmer's Market.
Fennel and Leek stuffing: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fennel-sausage-stuffing I like this recipe except I skip the sausage.
Celeriac Au Gratin: http://www.a-taste-of-france.com/celeriac-au-gratin.html
For dessert Butternut Squash Pie (aka Pumpkin pie)http://southernfood.about.com/od/pierecipes/r/r71128d.htm Butternut Squash makes a better pie than Neck Pumpkins. As one customer says "you get more bang for your buck."

Other holiday ideas:

Honey glazed carrots topped with goat cheese.
Sauteed Broccoli Raab with shredded parmesan. I just had this at Papillon and it was amazing.
Dirty mashed potatoes: use our petite potatoes and don't peel them. The peels still have all the minerals in them. Also, this is more fun than plain white potatoes.
Mashed turnips- Our hakurei turnips are great when made the same as potatoes for mashed potatoes. Also, they are lighter when you already have a heavy meal.
Roasted root vegetables- we have an array of colorful vegetables to make this dish very fun: daikon radish, watermelon radish, carrots (red and orange), beets (be careful these will bleed), celeriac, potatoes, turnips, fennel.
Try baby pac choi instead of celery in your stuffing for a fun twist. Baby Pac choi is also known as chinese celery and can be used in place of celery in almost any dish.
Don't forget our famous salad mix which is sure to impress the family. This makes any salad gourmet.

We will be doing deliveries on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to West Reading to ensure your Thanksgiving is local and fresh. Deliveries will be made after 4:30 pm each evening. Please email me with your order by Monday evening (bhorganics@gmail.com, yes I can receive emails at this address). I will respond with an email and the details of your pick up as well as a total. We will have a large selection of items at market on Sunday. If you are afraid you will miss something email and let me know so that I can save you what you need. Here is what we will have available:

carrots- red and orange $2.50
beets- baby red $2.00
lettuce- romaine or butterhead $2.00
mustard greens $2.00
daikon radishes $2.00
savoy cabbage $2.00
fennel $2.50
baby pac choi $2.00
salad mix $4.50
broccoli raab $2.00
turnips $2.50
watermelon radishes $2.00
celery root $1.50
butternut squash $3.00
potatoes- kennebec (white potato) #2- $3.50

Thank you all so much. Have a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving.
Erica

2010-11-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

(here are the cows enjoying the carrot tops from market)
Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
I think things are finally back to normal.
All the love at market on Sunday really helped me out.
Not to mention the love of my new friend and a friend Louise whom spent 1.5 hours working the kink out of my neck from all the stress. Yes, the whole email ordeal was literally a "pain in the neck."
For this week I will be using the blog to send out my mass email. I am looking into an email service but I am not sure I will be able to have it up and running by this week. So please pass this message along to anyone whom may be interested.
One week of market to go. And I expect this to be a big one with Thanksgiving just days away. I will be posting a list this Friday for what we can deliver before Thanksgiving. I will be delivering on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to West Reading for your convenience. Although, we will have the same items at market. You may also reserve items for pick up at market on Sunday.
Here is what we will have for market this week:

carrots- red and orange
beets
lettuce
mustard greens
daikon radishes
savoy cabbage
fennel
spinach
baby pac choi
salad mix
broccoli raab
turnips
watermelon radishes
arugula
spicy mix
collard greens
celery root
butternut squash
potatoes

Recipes:
This week's feature is Celery Root aka Celeriac.

http://www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk/vfl.aspx?page=570 This is Baked Celeriac. Almost like cheesy chips.
This is totally sinful and awesome http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/baked-creamy-celeriac-and-potato-gratin
And you can eat it raw http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001955344

Here is what we will be delivering this week, Thursday November 18th:

carrots- red or orange $2.50
lettuce- romaine or butterhead $2.00
mustard greens $2.00
daikon radish $2.00
savoy cabbage $2.00
fennel $2.50
baby pac choi $2.00
salad mix $4.50
broccoli raab $2.00
turnips $2.50
celery root $1.50
butternut squash $3.00
potatoes- kennebec (white potato, larger, can be peeled, not quite baking size)

Please have your orders in by Wednesday evening.

Keep an eye out for our Thanksgiving recipe blog coming in the next day or two.
Have a great week,
Erica

Hackers

2010-11-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Customers,
Yes, my email was hacked and they emailed all of you an email stating that I was stuck in London and needed money. Well rest assured I was at the farm cleaning our irrigation lines and weeding asparagus. Unfortunately, they erased all my emails, my contact lists, and they had all my emails forwarded to them. Fortunately, there were so many people around to support me and help me figure it all out. Unfortunately, I could not contact you all till it was too late and some of you I was not able to contact at all because I do not have an accurate contact list.
I apologize for the inconvenience. I reported this to: the local police, the FTC, IC3 and Google. I thought Gmail was the safest email out there. Although I know it could happen to any one, google was not supportive at all.
I am still unable to retrieve my email list and will probably not be able to do so. I had to singly type in 700 email addresses last night to send the message to those of you whom I have addresses.
Please spread the word to everyone you know. It is impossible to get the money back and impossible to track these people in Nigeria whom hacked into a computer in California to pull off this scam. Be aware of suspicious emails. Do not send money to anyone whom you are not 100% positive is whom they say they are.
I had been looking into one of those email services for next season. At this point I want to check their security. I will not be sending any more mass emails until I can find a safer way to send them out. For now I will be using this blog to contact you.
I can receive emails at bhorganics@gmail.com, but at this point I am only allowed to send one out at a time. I am assuming that the hackers are done with my email address for now.
If you or anyone you know has sent them money please contact me.
And please, please let everyone that you know, know about these scams. They are happening to everyone.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
We will be at market on Sunday. I love being a farmer and being in the field and at market makes all this worth it.
Erica

2010-11-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

To all of our customers,
Our email account was hacked into. I did not send that email!!!!!!!!!!!! Please do not send anyone money!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please Please Please. I am here safe in PA.

Hacked

2010-11-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

2010-11-08T09:46:00.001-08:00

(Pictured is an entree at Papillon. Butternut Squash puree topped with baby pac choi, served with risotto cake topped with scallops. This made my mouth water reading about it. I tried my best to recreate it this week.)

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
The market was blustery and cold. Thank you all for coming out. It is amazing how dedicated you all are to the market. It was a great day.
We still have 2 more weeks. We will be at the market on November 21st the Sunday before Thanksgiving for all your holiday needs. We will also be doing our weekly West Reading delivery a bit early that week. We will be delivering on Wednesday after 4:30. I will send out the list of what will be available on Sunday evening and orders will need to be placed by Tuesday evening. The Wednesday delivery will most likely be the same items as what we will have at market on Sunday.
We are still working on our cleanup as well as harvesting for our winter storage. It is hard to be motivated in the cold so we are hoping for warmer temperatures by the end of the week.
This Sunday we will be offering 10% discounts to our former CSA members whom visit market. Consider it a customer appreciation. At this point we are planning a CSA for 2011 although we still have to figure out the details. Stay tuned for that information in January.
A quick apology about our salad mix. In case you have not been to the farm I should let you know that we do not have a greenhouse. All of our crops are field grown. This is a bit tricky this time of year. We plant extra in the early fall and cover everything with a frost cloth. With last week's very cold nights some of the greens suffered frost damage. We tried our best to clean this out but some of the leaves were tricky and ended up in the salad mix. These leaves are fine to eat but tend to spoil faster than the other items. We strive for the best tasting and long lasting salad mix. If you have had a problem with the salad mix please let me know. We would be happy to make it up to you. Also, if you have had a problem with any of our products please let me know. It may be a problem we are not aware of and can correct. We learn a lot this way. Many complaints/ observations teach us valuable lessons.
So many of you ask me every week for recipes and ideas for cooking. I am so happy to introduce to you another friend of mine Suzie Carpenter whom teaches cooking classes for healthy seasonal eating. We are blessed to have so many opportunities in our area to learn how better to care for ourselves as well as enjoy all the fresh flavors. Check out Suzie's website for her upcoming classes. There is one this week for Holiday inspiration. YUM! http://www.suziecarpenter.com/events/
Lastly, I would love to thank the Impellizzeri family for visiting the farm this week. They won a tour of our farm at the Taste of West Reading this Summer. It was so great to have the children in the garden. I was so grateful for their openness and enthusiasm. I loved spending time with this wonderful family.
And now, for this the list of what we will be bringing to market next week:

spinach
mustard greens
salad mix- with less flowers due to the frost
carrots
beets
daikon radish
lettuce
broccoli
peppers
cabbage
fennel
baby pac choi
broccoli raab
radishes
turnips
arugula
spicy mix
kale
potatoes
butternut squash

Recipes for this week: I spend either Sunday or Monday evenings preparing dinners for most of the week.

last night's dinner inspired by Chef Phillip Davis at Papillon (check out our blog for a picture of his entree http://bhorganics.blogspot.com/). We had Butternut Squash Puree topped with Roasted Baby Pac Choi, and Roasted Halibut (caught by my very good friend Kelly), topped with a Mustard Green Pesto.

Butternut Squash Puree- first I roasted the butternut squash and when it was soft I blended it with a little bit of tamari, 2 tablespoons of stock (becareful not to make it too runny), and an even smaller amount of raw honey. I spread this as a thin layer on the bottom of the plate.
Mustard Green Pesto- I love making pestos with lost of different kinds of greens and herbs. It is a great way to store them. I made this pesto and then froze the leftovers. This way I can have the greens later in the winter. First, I toasted about 1 cup of walnuts in the oven. Then I blended them with 1 bunch of mustard greens, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoon of goat cheese.
Roasted Baby Pac Choi- I sliced a larger pac choi in half lengthwise and placed this in the roasting pan with the halibut drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. I roasted them for about 25 minutes.

And for this week's soup: ( I try to make a soup every week even in the summer. This is a great thing to have for meals on the go throughout the week) African Peanut Soup. http://showmevegan.blogspot.com/search?q=african+peanut+soup As usual I changed it up with my own interpretation. I used carrots in place of the sweet potatoes. I also added turnips, lots of ginger, too much hot pepper, our seasoning peppers, and celery root. This was my version of the recipe last year when I made it. : I substituted delicata squash for the sweet potatoes and added hot peppers, kale and in place of the tomatoes I used apples, beets and carrots. Yum!

For this week's weekly delivery:

mustard greens $2.00
salad mix $4.50
carrots- red or orange $2.50
beets - red $2.50
daikon radish- $2.00
lettuce- butter or romaine $2.00
potatoes- butterball #2 $3.50
cabbage- savoy $2.50
broccoli #1 $3.50
peppers - 1# $2.00
fennel- $2.50
baby pac choi $2.00
broccoli raab $2.50
radishes - purple or french breakfast $2.00
turnips- $2.00
arugula- bunched $2.00
butternut squash - $3.00

Thank you all so much and have a super week.

2010-11-01T12:47:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

November is here and the weather sure feels like it. But, we are not giving up yet. We use row covers on all our frost sensitive crops so that we can continue to reap the benefits of our hard summer labor. The West Reading Farmer's Market will continue for 3 more weeks until November 21st. We are still out there when it is cold. And we will have all your needs for your amazing Thanksgiving dinner.
Our store, Hartz Natural Foods also carries our produce. Come in and check it out.
On the farm we are busy harvesting and trying to bring the crops in for winter storage. Did you know that all root crops (radishes, turnips, carrots, potatoes etc.) can be stored in your refrigerator through the winter? I was even eating cabbage until April of last year. I simply store my roots in a plastic bag in my crisper. You must check them periodically for spoilage. If there is a rotten root int he bag I remove it and was the other roots for continued storage. Be sure to remove the greens as they will spoil quickly. Also, if you are harvesting from your own garden with storage in mind- don't wash the roots- the minerals in the dirt will help to preserve them longer.
This is what we will have at market this week:

spinach
mustard greens
salad mix- with less flowers due to the frost
carrots
beets
daikon radish
lettuce
broccoli
peppers
cabbage
fennel
baby pac choi
broccoli raab
radishes
turnips
arugula
spicy mix
kale
potatoes
butternut squash

Recipes this week:

Our dinner this evening:
Roasted chicken with a fennel cream sauce (http://www.greenchronicle.com/recipes/fennel_cream_sauce.htm I think I will add leeks and use plain yogurt in place of the cream). Served with sauteed Broccoli Raab (simply placed in a hot pan with olive oil and garlic sprinkled with a bit of salt). And mashed turnips ( I will prepare these the same as mashed potatoes, but this will be a lighter version)

Tomorrow night:
Pot Roast in the crock pot. Eye round roast with carrots, garlic, onion, celery root, daikon radish, turnips and fingerling potatoes.

On Wednesday night:
Organic egg salad in radicchio cups.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

For our midweek deliveries:

mustard greens $2.00
salad mix $4.50
carrots- red or orange $2.50
beets - red $2.50
daikon radish- $2.00
lettuce- butter or romaine $2.00
broccoli- 1# $3.00
peppers - 1# $2.00
fennel- $2.50
baby pac choi $2.00
broccoli raab $2.50
radishes - purple or french breakfast $2.00
turnips- $2.00
arugula- bunched $2.00
butternut squash - $3.00

Please have your orders in by Wednesday evening.
Thank you all and have a great week,
Erica

2010-10-25T12:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Farm life can be pretty glamorous. You can check out photos on our blog ( http://bhorganics.blogspot.com ) of the irrigation pipe laying last Thursday. It was such a brilliant fall day. Four of us managed to lay 700 ft of pipe and fill in around the pipe in one day. It was so impressive and satisfying. And then to top of a victorious day, the entire B & H staff. (5 full timers and 2 volunteers), dined at Papillon. From "rags to riches". It was fantastic and Phillip gave us the royal treatment. What beautiful way to celebrate all the hard work of the season.
And then on Saturday I was able to take my first full day off in 4 months. I relished in the beautiful weather with my husband. I am so blessed. Farming is very hard work but the rewards are endless.
We still have 4 more weeks of the West Reading Farmer's market. I don't want it to end. I also don't want the season to end. We had a hard frost over the weekend and so we are going to officially say goodbye to our tomatoes. I have been babying those plants since March, that is a total of 7 months. WOW!
This coming Sunday at market is Halloween we are giving prizes to customers whom come dressed up to market.
Here is what we are bringing to market this week:

baby pac choi
carrots
daikon
mustard greens
broccoli
cabbage
lettuce
fennel
salad mix
broccoli raab
radishes
turnips
arugula
collards
beets
chard
kale
leeks
butternut squash
potatoes

And recipes for this week:
Our featured crop this week is Broccoli Raab: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/BroccoliRaab.htm
When we here of Broccoli Raab we think of a minature broccoli head with lots of greens. This is a selected and bred variety which originally came from the wild variety which has more leaves and tiny buds / broccoli heads. This is one of my favorite greens. It has a nice mustard flavor which can be used in a variety of dishes. As with any of the greens it is best when wilted not overcooked.
Broccoli Raab ideas:

lasagna- this is so so good
Lightly wilted and placed as a garnish with salmon topped with a light mushroom broth
Sauteed with garlic and olive oil topped with parmesan cheese.

Any one have any recipes they would like to share? Please pass them along. I can use all I can get. I saving up to add a recipe section on to our website.

Thank you all and have a super week,
Erica

2010-10-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Well we braved our first frosts and seemed to have come out alright. Frost means sweeter veggies such as: carrots, turnips, radishes, and dark leafy greens. You would be surprised at how sweet a turnip can be.
Our newest irrigation ditch was dug yesterday. We have a lot of work to do in running the pipes. The new irrigation line will service our newest field on top of the hill. So if next season you don't veggies behind the garden that it because we are going to be using a new field in order to create a better crop rotation. We are growing and putting in more infrastructure every year. It is very exciting.
At market this week we will have:

potatoes
carrots
daikon radish
mustard greens
arugula
spicy mix
cabbage
broccoli
fennel
pac choi
radicchio
peppers
salad mix
radishes
turnips
beets
leeks
kale
collards
chard
garlic
butternut squash

Recipes:
Fennel baked with Parmesan: for all those whom don't know the wonders of fennel this will expand your world.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Fennel-with-Parmesan/Detail.aspx

Fritatta: I like to make these with all sorts of combinations. Essentially a fritatta is a quiche without a crust. This week I made a Fennel Eggplant Fritatta.
1 bulb fennel (sliced thin), 1 red onion (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 medium sized eggplant (cubed). Saute all these ingredients until tender (about 10 minutes). Add 5 paste tomatoes (chopped), 1/2 bunch swiss chard (chopped). Saute until greens wilt.
In a roasting pan coated with olive oil place thin slices of zucchini for a crust. Top with saute mixture. With a whisk, beat 6 eggs and 1 cup plain yogurt, season with salt and pepper and pour over contents of roasting pan. Top with raw cheddar cheese and goat cheese. Bake at 375 until solid (about 45 minutes).

Baked Leeks: This recipe comes from a former roommate of mine whom is from Germany.
1# leeks cleaned sliced vertically, green tops removed.
2 tablespoon raw butter
1/2 cup stock
Bake leeks (at 475), with butter and stock until the leeks are soft.
Blend in a food processor until a paste is formed. Spread over crostinis. Enjoy!

There is an upcoming event I think you will all be interested in:
The class is being hosted by a friend and market customer. They will be using our produce. This is a great way to learn eat seasonally and love it.
Fall Favorites Cooking Class
QUICK & HEALTHY MEALS USING SEASONAL FOODS
Savory sweet potatoes, tender winter squash, robust dark leafy greens, hearty and energizing grains...is your mouth watering? If you love fresh, delicious fall foods but have trouble finding the time to prepare homecooked meals, then this class is for you!

Certified health and nutrition coach Ann Murphy leads this fun and informative cooking class on cooking the fresh foods of the season - the quick and easy way! You'll be amazed at how simple it can be to make delectable dinners, soups, and dessert with local fall foods. As a mother of three, Ann has spent years experimenting with recipes to make meals as easy and healthy as possible - not to mention flavorful for a variety of picky palettes! She is a dynamic and motivating teacher with loads of tips onmaking cooking more fun and less stressful, and on the far-reaching benefits of seasonal eating.

CLASS INCLUDES:

generous sampling of over 5 recipes

complete packet of recipes and instructions

tips and resources

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 6:30-8:30
$50/ PERSON; $85 FOR TWO
REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!

This weeks West Reading delivery will be:

Rhubarb $2.00
Carrots - red or orange $2.50
daikon radish $2.00
Mustard Greens $2.00
Arugula - bunched $2.00
Fennel $2.50
Pac choi $2.00
Peppers- mixed quart $2.00
salad mix $4.50
radishes - french breakfast or purple plum $2.00
turnips- $2.00
red beets- $2.50

Please have your orders in by Wednesday evening.
Thank you,
Erica

2010-10-04T16:27:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

Fall is certainly upon us. Looking back I feel so blessed for how the season has progressed. I will be sad when the garden finally goes dormant (hopefully not till January). However, I will be looking forward to an even better 2011.

Only 2 more weeks of the Elverson Farmer's Market, and 7 weeks of the West Reading Farmer's Market. When the markets end we will still be picking. You will be able to find our produce in our store, Hartz Natural Foods, until the ground finally freezes. Hartz Natural Foods does sell organic produce year round and tries to source it as locally possible. And of course we will be selling to Papillon until we no longer have produce. Have you eaten at Papillon yet? If not, do so as soon as possible while the B & H Produce is plenty. http://www.papillononpenn.com/
Here is what we will be bringing to market this week:

potatoes
tomatoes
eggplant
garlic
winter squash
carrots
mustard greens
beets
salad mix
arugula
dandelion
baby pac choi
lettuce
peppers
radish
turnips
spinach
chard
kale
leeks
daikon

Recipes for this week:
Radish Salad: Radishes are one of those vegetables in which many have aversions to. Radishes are great roasted as well as raw on a salad. When radishes are cooked they loose their heat. We grow salad radishes (small), daikon radishes (huge) and watermelon radishes (small daikons). Radishes are eaten as their own salads in Japanese cuisine. Here is a Japanese very simple radish salad:
1 bunch radishes, sliced or cut into matchsticks
2 tbspn rice or balsamic vinegar (or a combination of the 2)
1 tbspn soy sauce
1 tsp honey, maple syrup or agave nectar
2 teaspn sesame oil
2 cloves garlic chopped

Hakurei Turnips:
The turnips we grow are not your grandmother's turnips. At least not if you grew up in Berks County. We grow the Hakurei Turnip which is a Japanese salad turnip. They have the texture of a radish with a little less heat. You can use them any way you would traditionally use turnips. They have none of the bitterness of a traditional purple top white globe turnip.
My favorite way to eat them is sliced raw with a few drops of soy sauce. This is a great substitute for chips.
They also make wonderful Kim Chee.

Eggplant chips:
This is an experiment I tried this week. Simply slice eggplant and dip in an egg wash. Place on a cookie sheet, greased with olive oil, bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Flip and top with hemp seeds and Parmesan cheese bake until the cheese becomes crispy. This is a very less greasy form of eggplant parmesan. Great for sandwiches or over spaghetti squash.

This week's home deliveries to West Reading, please have your order in by Wednesday evening:

mustard greens $2.00
salad mix $4.50
beets $3
arugula bagged $4.50
baby pac choi $2.00
lettuce- romaine or butterhead $2
peppers- mixed box $2,50
daikon radish $2.00
Hakurei Turnips $2.00
Swiss chard $2.50
collard greens $2.50

Thank you all again and have a super week,
Erica

2010-09-28T16:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Happy fall to you all. And what a wonderfully rainy day.
We are very happy for the rain. As you all know this has been an extremely dry summer. It is such a contrast to the moist summers we have had in the past few years. At B & H we are blessed with access to mountain spring water which flows right through our irrigation lines and deep to the roots of the plants. We have been luckier than others this year. And I suppose that has a lot to do with the abundance of crops we have coming in at this time. Now is harvest time and we are blessed with a large selection of beautiful vegetables. This is what we will be bringing to market this week:

potatoes
tomatoes- still tons!
eggplant
garlic
winter squash
carrots
mustard greens
beets
salad mix
arugula
baby pac choi
lettuce
peppers
radishes
spinach
chard
kale

This weeks recipes:

Arugula salad:
This is a true favorite in my house.
Fresh arugula- we have it small in bags and in bunches as well. Don't be afraid of the bunches. It is still tender and delicious. This is also a better deal.
Topped with slices of Garden Peach Tomatoes- these are the small yellow delicate beauties we bring to market. Almost no acid. A wonderful contrast to bitey arugula.
Goat Cheese- I love the Fromagina from Amazing Acres goat Dairy. This has a soft texture.
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Enjoy!

Aji Dulce: These are new peppers we are growing this season and they are in high demand. They are yellow look a likes to the habanero but with no heat. They are used for seasoning only. Get to market early to score these babies. They are perfect for adding to your hot sauces. Here is a base stock recipe given to us by a market customer. This is a Venezuelan recipe to be used for soups, beans, rice and anything you feel creative with.
Puerto Rican Sofrito:
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
10 aji dulce peppers
3 medium tomatoes chopped
4 onions cut into large chunks
3 medium heads of garlic peeled
25 cilantro leaves with stems
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

In a food processor, combine peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Add cilantro, salt and pepper. Process it to the consistency of semi-chunky salsa. Place in a freezer bag, and use as needed, or freeze in portions.

Weekly deliveries to West Reading will be delivered on Thursday evening after 4:30 pm. Please have your orders in by Wednesday evening.

tomatoes- mixed quarts of red or heirloom $3.50
mustard greens $2.00
salad mix $4.50
Arugula bunches $2.00
baby pac choi $2.50
lettuce- butterhead or romaine $2
swiss chard $2.50
kale curly or dino $2.50
red beets $3.00

Thank you all so much and have a wonderful week.
Erica

2010-09-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Welcome fall. What a wonderful time of year. Everything seems so nostalgic in fall. Finally the fieldwork seems manageable. This is the best time of year for working outside. I am relishing this weather because it won't last long. I will try not to make this such a long email. I just always seem to have so much to share.

Thanks so much to all of you whom came out the to Fall Festival at the Elverson Market. I had a wonderful time. It was especially nice to have my husband singing in the background. He is so great. I also loved having the game at the stand. It really opened up conversation. I know you have been waiting anxiously to hear the winner and answers.

There were 164 potatoes in the jar- the winner is Matt Mulhull with a guess of 151.
The pumpkin (or actually it was a red kuri squash) weighed #11.71 - the winner is Mallory Spahr with a guess of #11
And the mystery vegetable was a Turkish Orange Eggplant- we only had one eggplant guess and that was from Jon Fetter.
We had no chicken winners.

Congrats to all of our winners. I will be contacting you individually and you may pickup your coupons at the Elverson Farmer's Market.

Ever wanted to work on a farm? We are in need on volunteers on Friday September 24th, Thursday October 15th and Friday October 16th. If you are interested please contact me. On Thursdays we work from 8 am till 4pm and on Fridays we work from 7 am till 7pm. Any amount of time is a help.

This is what we will have for market this week:

kale
chard
salad mix
arugula
radishes
spicy mix
peppers
basil
baby pac choi
lettuce
beets
carrots
tomatoes
eggplant
potatoes
garlic
winter squashes.

Recipes for this week:
Carrot Lentil Soup

This is an adaptation creation. A quick soup for even in the summer.

½ cup lentils (dry green or red)
1 medium onion chopped
½ pound carrots chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable broth powder
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 cup yogurt (plain goat yogurt is perfect for this)

Sautee onion, and lentils in 2 tablespoon olive oil, for 5 minutes. Add water and vegetable broth and bring to boil. Add carrots and simmer until carrots are soft. In a food processor prepare a cilantro pesto: garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, & cilantro. Blend the broth mixture with the pesto and yogurt in the food processor. Garnish with a dolup of yogurt and a sprig of cilantro. Enjoy. Serves 4.

Arugula Pesto Recipe

In a food processor or blender combine: 1 8oz bag arugula, 1 cup raw almonds, 8 oz goat cheese, 1bunch clove garlic, 1 cup olive oil, 1 tspn salt, 1 tspn cumin, & 6 fresh sage leaves.

And this week we will be doing weekly deliveries to West Reading. Orders are delivered on Thursday evenings after 4:30 pm. Please have your order in by Wednesday evening.

Kale- curly or dino $2.50
Swiss Chard $2.50
Salad Mix $4.50
Arugula- bunches $2.50
Radishes $2.00
Spicy Mix $4.50
Basil $1.50
Baby Pac Choi $2.50
Lettuce- butterhead, romaine or red leaf $2.00
Tomatoes- Quarts choose between red or heirloom or a mix $3.50
Potatoes- #2 $3.50

Thank you all so much and have a wonderful week,
Erica

2010-09-13T13:43:00.001-07:00

These are the new additions on the farm P.J. and Betty. They are the lights of my life (at the farm).
Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

Hello friends.
Sorry we missed a few of you at market this weekend due to rain and other events. Just a reminder that we will be at market in all weather except lightening and even that has been known to happen. The Elverson Market runs for 5 more weeks (until October 16th), and the West Reading Farmer's Market runs for 11 more weeks (till the Sunday before Thanksgiving). Even though fall is just around the corner we are still ready to go.

Speaking of fall, the Elverson Farmer's Market is having a fall festival during market this Saturday. There will be food, activities for children and live music (my husband). The event will run from 9am till 1pm (market hours).

Did you know that we raise and sell beef and chicken? We bring meats with us to market but they must be stored in the van in a cooler and so I don't believe that most people know we sell them. All of our meat is sold frozen and in parts (we do sell whole chickens). We don't bring all of the cuts of meat to market because it is a lot to haul around. Our store, Hartz Natural Foods, sells the meats year round Monday through Saturday 9 am till 6pm. The meat is hormone and antibiotic free, butchered humanely, grass fed and free range. If you were at the farm anytime this summer you would have seen how serious we are about free range. I considered the chickens "out of control range". They ate too many tomatoes. And our cows love KALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say we give our animals lots of love and primo food. Our price list for the meats are on our website http://www.bhorganicproduce.com/ . However, the availability of the cuts and pricing is subject to change. Please feel free to call our store and find out specific information 610-286-5268. And if you would like me to bring a cut of meat that I do not usually bring you can email me and I will bring it to market for you.
Here is what we typically bring to market: (we only bring whole chickens to the West Reading Farmer's Market and we do not sell chicken at the Elverson Market).

Beef:

Chip Steak
Patties
Beef cubes
Ground beef
Sirloin steaks
Delmonico steaks
Tenderloin (Filet) steaks
NY Strip Steaks

If you would like more information please let me know.

And now for what we will be bringing to market this week:

kale
chard
salad mix
arugula
radishes
peppers
baby pac choi
lettuce
beets
winter squash
flowers
tomatoes
potatoes
garlic
carrots
basil

And for this week's recipes:
Recipes: These come from a former CSA member and good friend.

Curried Greens:
1 pound greens (Chard, Kale or Beet Greens or mix them all)
2 cloves Garlic
2-3 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 cup finely chopped tomates
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
3/4 pound potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Wash and drain greens, removing any coarse stems and midribs. Cut into half inch strips.
In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar.
Heat oil in a skillet and saute onion over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the spic and tomato mixture, mix well, and cook for a few minutes.
Add the potatoes and 2 cups water.
Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add greens and cook for 10 minutes more, or until potatoes are done.

Pesto:
4 cups basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts (I also have substituted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or pistachios)
1/2 cup Italian Parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese (I love the Goat Parmesan from Debbie at the market)
Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts, parsley and salt into a food processor or blendor with Olive oil. Process adding enough oil to make a smooth paste. Add the cheese and process a few second longer.
To Freeze: I put this mixture in ice cube trays. I freeze it and then take it out and store in a plastic baggy in the freezer. This gives me the appropriate proportions. Use a different ice cube tray than you would normally use for your ice (it will scent the tray).

Potato, Swiss Chard and Bread Soup:
3/4 pound potatoes, rinsed and cut into cubes
Salt
1/2 pound Swiss Chard
1/2 cup day old Italian Bread, diced without the crusts
1/4 cup Olive Oil
6 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed hot pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese

Pour enough cold water over the potatoes in a deep, heavy 4 quart pot to cover by 3 fingers. Salt the water lightly and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the water is at a gentle boil and cook the potatoes, covered, until they are tender but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, strip the chard leaves from the stem. Cut chard into 1 1/2 inch strips and stir them into the water after the potatoes have been cooking about 5 minutes.
Stir the bread into the pot after the chard has been cooking for 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt and cook until the potatoes and chard are tender and the bread is falling apart.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add chopped garlic, sprinkle with crushed red pepper and cook until garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add contents of skillet to the pot. Stir well. Serve soup topped with grated Romano.

We will be doing our Thursday pickup this week. If you are interested please have your order in by Wednesday evening for Thursday after 4:30 pm delivery.
As you can see the greens and the garden are coming back alive with these cool nights.

kale- curly or dino $2.50

chard $2.50
salad mix $4.50
arugula $4.50
radishes- $2.50
baby pac choi $2.50
lettuce- romaine, butter or red leaf $2
beets $3
red potatoes $3.50
carrots- red $2.50

Thanks so much and have a great week,
Erica

2010-09-06T12:56:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

First and foremost please check out our cooking class this Saturday the 11th from 2-4pm (flyer attached). This is an intimate class which focuses on the energetics of food and seasonality. You can't get much closer to your food than learning preparation tips right next to where it is grown. The class is under the shade tree right next to the garden on the farm. Let me know if you are interested.

This was a superb weekend. ( Although, the wind beat me senseless at market on Saturday.) The support and love of our customers was so invigorating.
I hope you are all having a nice Labor Day. The weather could not be better.

On Saturday September 18th we are having a fall festival at the Elverson Farmer's Market. There will be very special live music (my husband), delicious food and fun family activities. This event will be held during market hours, 9am till 1pm Saturday mornings at Livingood Park.

At market this week we will have:

kale
chard
arugula
basil
baby boc choi
salad mix
lettuce
beets
carrots
flowers
tomatoes
potatoes

And for this weeks recipes:
This week we are talking about winter squash. Winter squash includes more than just butternuts or acorn squash. We grow several different varieties including: spaghetti, red kuri, blue hokkaido, buttercup, butternut and delicata. Each have their own unique flavor and texture. They are all high in vitamin A and fairly sweet. They can be eaten savory or sweet. Winter Squash can be stored (when properly cured) for several months. Keep an eye out for the different varieties as we bring them to market. Here is a standard way to prepare all of the squashes.

Cut open the Squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Place open-side down in a baking dish with 1 inch of water. Roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked on the inside.

I personally like to just add butter and salt and pepper when I am in a savory mood or if I am in a sweet mood I will add honey and cinnamon.

Here are a few other recipes: all types of squashes may be used interchangeably.

Butternut squash soup: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/butternut-squash-soup-ii/Detail.aspx
Squash gratin: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/11/05/gratin_of_red_kuri_squash/
Sweet baked winter squash: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/buttercup-squash-with-apples-cooking-for-2/bd3b3b96-132a-445f-a932-e0e4fd7b296e

For the Thursday West Reading deliveries we will have:

Curly Kale- $2.50
Basil- $2
Baby Boc Choi- $2.50
Romaine lettuce- $2
Fresh Cut Flower Bouquets - $5
Red Potatoes - #2 - $3.50

Please have your order in by Wednesday evening.
Have a super week and thank you all,
Erica

2010-08-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Hello to September and Back to School. I hope all you teachers and students are ready and eager for the up and coming year.
Fall is in the air and a new season begins for us as well. I am not rushing the end of the season although I am looking forward to the break. If only all the work could be spread out a bit.
If you are new to receiving my emails: I send them out weekly. You can email me to disengage from the list at any time. I will be sending out lists of what we are harvesting for the week, events we are involved with and recipes. I post the emails on our blog http://bhorganics.blogspot.com/ each week so that you can archive the recipes.
The 2nd annual Rt 10 Organic Grower's Tour was this past weekend and it was a huge success. Our interns Lisa and Miriam worked very hard to give a great tour. I don't know what I will do without them. I will post photos on the blog. We had a great turn out of new faces and very interested listeners. We are so grateful for all of you.
Our last event of the season is coming up on September 11th. (see attached flyer). This will be a seasonal cooking class instructed by Bonnie Showalter a longtime friend and yoga teacher. This is fresh local food at it's finest with a focus on flavor and especially preserving the energy of the food you eat. Please contact me if you are interested we are keeping the class small so reservations are required.
What we will be bringing to market this week:

kale
chard
peppers
basil
boc choi
lettuce
salad mix
eggplant
carrots
winter squash
garlic
flowers
tomatoes
potatoes

Recipes:
These recipes came straight from my October 9th 2009 blog. I felt is was appropriate even now and made my stomach grumble when I read it.
Many of these recipes were submitted by our CSA members. The others I found by just googling "Eggplant Kale Recipe".

"hey, i made this last night, with B&H potatoes, onion, garlic, and kale of course! very good. " - a West Lawn Member.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/potato-kale-soup-recipe
"This is for your request for kale recipes. I actually did use this for the beet greens, but I'm sure they're interchangeable. It does take a LOT of greens. I used both the tops of the beets you gave me, plus the separate package of beet greens. I also lightened it a bit with part-skim ricotta. Even the 6 year old ate it up." http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/beet-green-gratin-recipe/index.html
Eggplant Parmesan with Homemade Kale and Mushroom Tomato Sauce served over Spaghetti Squash. I winged this one. I breaded the eggplant with panko to lighten them up a bit. I sweetened the sauce with fresh apple cider from the market. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/EGGPLANT-PARMIGIANA-WITH-BELL-PEPPER-AND-KALE-50036604
I made a Kale and Potato Coconut Korma. For an extra treat serve this over spiced lentils. I actually used store bought sauce from Palace Foods http://palacefoodsinc.com/ (which is a local Reading company). But I found this recipe too. http://thebuddingcook.blogspot.com/2008/07/vegetable-kurma.html
And this is what I will be making on Sunday night. I love this blog by the way: http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=294

Well I think this should keep you all busy for a while.

We will not have Thursday deliveries this week. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Thank you again and have a great week,
Erica

Rt 10 Organic Grower's Tour

2010-08-23T14:05:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Rt 10 Organic Grower's Tour
This is a not to be missed event. This Saturday August 28th at Sugarbush Nursery, B & H Organic Produce and King's Herb Nook.
A unique chance to have a free tour and one on one information from Organic growers in your own backyard. Tours and lectures are at 11 am, 1pm and 3pm. You can attend any of the events you choose and receive 15% off of selected items at each location. If you attend all 3 events you will be registered to win a $25 gift certificate to one of our businesses.
Sugarbush will be featuring: Invasive plant identification
King's Herb Nook will be giving herb walks
B & H Organic Produce: I along with my interns will be giving a tour and discussing the many mulching techniques we have tried this season.
Again it is a free event and we would love to see you there. See the attached flyer below for more information.

What we will be bringing to market this week:

potatoes
garlic
tomatoes
flowers
eggplants
salad mix
lettuce
peppers
basil
swiss chard
kale

And recipes for this week come from the archives of our blog.

Honey Baked Tomatoes: I heard this one on the radio and had to try it: http://www.whyy.org/91FM/chef/recipe235.html Excellent!
Roasted Tomatoes: this is a play on the above recipe. I make a big batch each week and eat it on everything.
Roasted Tomatoes Recipe

Mix chopped paste tomatoes (1 quart), garlic (2 cloves), basil (1/2 bunch), olive oil (1/4 cup), salt and pepper (to taste). Place on a Cookie sheet and bake at 200 all overnight. These tomatoes may be stored in a zip lock bag in your refrigerator for 6 months! If you chop it all small enough you can freeze it too.
B & H Salsa

3 white onions with greens, 3 lb heirloom tomatoes, 6 hot peppers, 3 bell peppers, 12 cloves garlic.

Grill all of these ingredients as is until charred. Place everything in a food processor and blend until smooth. Boil down in a stock pot until desired consistency (about 3 hours). Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 tbspn honey. While this is cooking down blend 3 bunches of cilantro (from Rosie at market) with the juice of two limes. When salsa is at desired consistency add the cilantro - lime mixture and serve.

Thank you all so much and have a great week,
Erica

Let it Rain!!!!!!!

2010-08-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

The pictures here: 1- our unplugged tent set up at the Taste of West Reading
2- Miriam our intern. Whom I would be lost without. Say hello to her at market this week.

What an exciting weekend. We had 2 very busy fun filled days at market this weekend and then to top it all off last night was The Taste of West Reading. I had no idea what to expect but the wonderfully motivated people of the West Reading Main Street really put on a gala. It was beautiful. Thank you all so much for all of your hard work and to the chefs as well. I had a great time.
Not to be missed will be the Route 10 Organic Grower's tour on Saturday August 28th. This is a great event that we host each year with Sugarbush Nursery and King's Herb Nook. A free educational event! We each gives tours at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. We will be supplying snacks, and there will be 15% off of our products for the participants of the tour. This year Emily's restaurant will also be participating by using our produce for one of their dinner specials. Please open the flyer below for more information. Tickets do not need to be purchased ahead of time.

This is what we are harvesting this week:

garlic
tomatoes
eggplants
summer squash
cucumbers
fresh cut flower bouquets
salad mix
lettuce
arugula
peppers
basil
kale
potatoes
kale
chard

And since I hardly ever mention it: We sell meat as well.
We raise beef and chicken on our farm. If you have been to the farm recently you could not have missed our chickens. (They are certainly eager this year. And eating lots of organic tomatoes whether I like it or not.) Our meat is raised without hormones or anitibiotics, all the meat is free range. All meat is frozen and sold in cuts (except whole chickens). We bring a limited selection of meats to market each week because it is a lot to haul around. We do not bring the chicken to the Elverson market because of labeling. The meat is sold all year in our store Hartz Natural Foods which is open Monday through Saturday 9 am till 3pm. You may see a list at our website www.bhorganicproduce.com.

Recipes for this week:

I decided to choose Eggplant for the main ingredient this week because it is common for customers to ask me how to prepare it. I simply googled "Eggplant Recipes" and came up with so many options. However, this one site seemed to have it all including preparation tips; http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_eggplant_recipes there is something for everyone here.

And Papillon served an amazing Ratatouille at the Taste of West Reading using all my veggies. He serves this as well as an amazing heirloom tomato salad that everyone raves about. Now is the time to get over there and see what wonderful things he does with our produce.

I am sorry that we will not be doing weekly deliveries this week. Market was so busy this weekend I need to recharge my batteries.

Have a super week,
Erica

2010-08-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Welcome to August. I can hardly believe it is here already. In the early morning I can already feel a change in the air and a definite change in the light. I love fall, but will be sad to see the garden go dormant. Personally, I would love summer all season, but I know the soil needs a rest too. In the next few weeks we will be working on putting our open ground to rest for the season. Our final till, cover crops and then our fall fertilizer. All in preparation for another wonderful year ahead.
This week at market we will have:

fresh cut flower bouquets
potatoes
tomatoes
cucumbers
summer squash
garlic
salad mix
eggplant
peppers
basil
kale
chard

This weeks recipes will be raw. In honor of the Raw Food Challenge for August and also in honor of my husband fasting this week.

Fresh Juices: this is what my husband Mike has for his menu tomorrow.

Bloody Mary: Tomatoes, parsley, lemon, carrots, cucumber and beets!!!!!!!!!
Cucumber Mint: just cucumbers with a hint of mint
Carrot Beet Ginger: pretty standard.

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=460045

Greenie Guacamole: this uses raw swiss chard and gives tips for how to breakdown the bitterness.
http://goneraw.com/recipe/greenie-guacamole

A tip for this week: How to freeze whole tomatoes. This is a blessing for me- I have limited time and a home without air conditioning. This way I can make my sauces, salsas, catsups and pastes in the winter when I need to heat my house. http://www.ehow.com/how_5077856_freeze-whole-fresh-tomatoes.html

Thank you all and have a great week,
Erica