Weekly Share September 22nd – 28th

Baby Tatsoi

Mizuna

Mustard Greens (Southern Giant & Japanese Red)

Napa Cabbage

Heirloom and Salad Tomatoes

Baby Daikon Radishes

Shishito Peppers

Chiles (Khmer, Cuban Hat, Serrano)

Baby Leeks

This has been a whirlwind of a month so far. We have been having more visitors than we are accustomed to what with our first farm supper and now this weekend as part of the Richmond area Farm Tour. It is wonderful to share our space and story with our shareholders, customers, and people interested in small-scale intensive farming. For us our farming is so inextricably linked to cooking and eating that we find it very rewarding to find individuals who want to cook with delicious food and because of that want to know more and get a better picture of what it takes to get food onto your tables. Besides all the visitors, we are also in the midst of getting our Winter crops going, thinking about what we will need all the way through next March. Sometimes it is hard to conceptualize that far ahead, but for us to have the crops we want and to continue experimenting with what can survive through the winter, when it should be planted, under cover or not, etc. we have to be starting transplants now and direct seeding has to take place before the middle of October. We are really lucky because in the next month we will be having a 96 ft by 30 ft high tunnel constructed in our back crop field. This high tunnel will allow us to extend our growing season more effectively and have more crops through the winter and spring season. This high tunnel will also allow us more covered space for our nightshade and curcurbit crops in the summer. As we have written before these crops can be healthier and less disease prone when we can control irrigation and keep their foliage dry. This high tunnel project has been funded by the USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Services and we are grateful that such assistance exists, as it is not a project we could have financed ourselves. Lastly this month has been filled with lots of poultry work; we currently have two more batches of broiler chickens on pasture and two different flocks of Muscovy ducks. This coming Thursday we will process the first flock. Duck processing is one of the most labor-intensive activities we have on the farm. Every year we question whether it is worth it and then we taste the duck and decide well yes it is. So our weeks are staying full and busy, the days get shorter and cooler, and farming continues.

This week’s share includes a lot of cooking greens, hopefully you have missed them enough that you are excited for many different green dishes. The leeks, daikon, napa, and mustards can be used for kimchee, if you are so inclined, you can look back to last May for our recommended recipe. We have included a few different chiles of various heat; the Cuban Hat has some heat, is delicious in eggs, pico de gallo, or a salad, and pairs well with avocado; the Serrano can be used both raw or cooked, and the Khmer is the hottest and is delicious added whole to a stir-fry or sautéed greens. This will be the last of the shishito’s for the share, please enjoy and try them blistered or tempura battered, so delicious. Check out the recipes and enjoy the share…..Brian and Autumn

Salad Play – tatsoi, daikon, and candied walnut salad

Stir-fried Napa cabbage and leeks with noodles

Orecchiette With Mustard Greens

Shishito Peppers Tempura

Monkfish Nabe with Mizuna –Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu