Stone Soup
The Newsletter of Stearns Farm CSA
July 17, 2010 Volume 11, Number 7
In This Issue:
| ON THE STAND THIS WEEK: head lettuce; carrots; summer squash, zucchini, and patty pans; cucumbers; beets; red cabbage, garlic, peppers. PYO: braising greens of chard, kale, and collards; green beans; blueberries; raspberries; tea herbs; culinary herbs; a bouquet of flowers. COMING UP: mini bunching onions, early potatoes, onions. |
From the Field: Weeds/Susan Peters
The farm shimmers between the rain showers
It’s hot. It’s been hot for weeks now. What is a farmer to do? What is a plant to do, for that matter? One thing a plant can do is reach its roots down, deeper into the ground and search for some moisture there. Another option that some plants on the farm have is to snuggle down into the weeds next to them. If a crop has not been weeded recently, it has some company in the soil, to help shield it from the incessant dry heat and to help it hold moisture from the morning dew or a recent rainstorm.
We are continuing to irrigate as necessary. You probably saw the sprinklers we set up last week, to water some of the crops, like the parsnips, beets, and lettuce. You may have even doused yourself in the cool water, on your way out into the field to pick some green beans or blueberries. Luckily, we have had a little bit of rain in the past week, which has helped, but we do need more.
More rain also brings help to the other plants that grow every year on a farm: weeds. I heard Kathy say to someone this week, that a weed is just a plant we don’t want growing where it is growing. Just like the insects that eat and damage our crops, weeds are “pests” we want to get rid of, so that our food will be nutritious and tasty and look good, too. Weeds get in the way and stifle the growth of the crop. We try to co-exist with them and our insect friends on the farm, giving them an inch here, taking away their home in the carrot bed, there.
This year, weeds are helping us out a bit by keeping moisture close to the plants and in the soil, and perhaps we could thank them for that. I know I did as I pulled them out of a bed we were going to plant corn in at the Parkland the next day. I was worried because we do not have irrigation at the Parkland (we have to bring water on the tractor), and I thought the soil would be very dry from the ninety-degree heat all week. I was also annoyed at these weeds, because they would not stay out of this bed, and I had to go through again and take them out. To my surprise, I stuck my finger in the bed, and the soil was moist. We would be watering-in the corn anyway, but the corn would be even more comfortable now, thanks to the amaranth that held it’s place for a while.
I know that our gratitude to the weeds in the few situations in which we appreciate their presence on the farm will make them more amenable to our attempts at controlling their wild ways in general. So, thank you, dear amaranth. You helped our corn. Now, would you please stay out of the broccoli!
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Garden Showcase: Red Cabbage/Donna Savastio
Red cabbage in the field
That being said, cabbage is far from stupid when it comes to good nutrition. It contains lots of vitamin C and is also high in the B vitamins. Interestingly, red cabbage contains more vitamin C than the green cabbage does. You should be aware of the fact that lengthy cooking of cabbage will tend to minimize its nutritional value. Pickling or fermenting your cabbage will preserve its vitamin C content to help get you through the cold winter months.
Keep your cabbage stored in the refrigerator but do try to serve it at the peak of its freshness. Fresh picked cabbage will surprise you—it is quite a different vegetable than the old heads of cabbage they have hanging around in the grocery store! It will have a lovely sweetness when it is still fresh—over time that sweetness fades. It can be eaten raw in cole slaws, pickled as sauerkraut, added to soups and stews, boiled, steamed, braised, stir-fried and stuffed. A small splash of vinegar toward the end of cooking will help to enhance the flavor of your cabbage. Some people object to the smell of cooking cabbage, which can be a bit sulphuric. If the smell bugs you try not to cook it too long— the longer you cook it the more it will smell! Some folks claim that adding a whole walnut or a celery stalk to the cooking water will help to minimize the odor. Some flavors that go well with cabbage are fennel seed, butter, vinegar, sweet and sour, apples, onions, chile peppers, garlic and ginger.
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The Garlic is Ready
Harvesting garlic, 2009
Drying: Brush off some of the soil from the outside—do not wash the garlic. Leaving the stalks on, tie them up and hang them in a cool, dark, dry and airy spot for a couple of weeks. A basement or the back of a garage can work well. When they are dried, cut off the stalks and store the bulbs in a mesh bag under the same conditions. Properly cured, they will last for several months.
Refrigerating: You can also keep cloves in olive oil in the refrigerator for a few months.
Freezing: Another option is freezing. Peel and mince the garlic, and then mix it with olive oil. Freeze in ice cube trays. When frozen, pop it out of the trays and place in a plastic container or freezer bag. Then you can take out just the amount you need all winter long.
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Farm News: Volunteers Needed
Volunteers Needed for the Surplus Distribution Team: We would like to add one or two members to the team of people who come in on Saturday mornings, as needed, to pick up surplus of vegetables to deliver to local shelters. Training will be provided: new volunteers will work alongside one of the members who is already an expert.
This is an “on call” task: farm staff contact the volunteer of the week on Friday evening to let him/her know if services are needed on Saturday morning. If you are interested in more information about this important part of the Farm’s contribution to the community please contact Sara Abramovitz at saralarry
verizon.net back to top
A Day in the Life: Just Weedin' in the Rain
Weeding is central to the work of July. So, rain or shine, that's what we do. The rain made it pleasantly cool on Wednesday, but also very muddy.
Kathy’s mission: weed the Herb Garden. | Watch out weeds—Kathy is coming for you!. |
Mud everywhere. | Progress |
While Kathy weeded the Herb Garden, crew and sharers tackled the strawberries. Susan and Casey got started.  | Sharers joined them after finishing up in the peppers.  |
 |  |
 | And before long, it was a cast of thousands. |
Meanwhile, a lone sharer took on the melon patch. | Look at that gorgeous melon! |
And while all that weeding was going on our newest crew member, Aaron, fertilized the peppers and eggplant with fish emulsion. | Fish emulsion is stinky, but the plants love it. |
Back in the greenhouse, a crew of volunteers from Lisnow House in Hopkinton was filling flats that will be seeded with spinach for fall harvest. | The spinach that will grow in these flats will be transplanted into a bed where something else grew earlier in the season. Succession planting is why get a wide variety of vegetables on the stand throughout the season. |
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Neighborhood News
Did you know that our neighbor and friend, Doug Stephen, owner of Eastleigh Farm, has recently opened a retail store that sells fresh milk and ice cream? The store sells both raw milk and pasteurized milk, as well as ice cream made from Eastleigh’s milk and eggs, cheese, and frozen yogurt from other local farms. Eastleigh is now offering a milk CSA for those interested in regular supply of raw milk. For more information visit Eastleigh’s website
http://www.eastleighfarm.com or stop by the store for an ice cream. Eastleigh is located at 1062 Edmands Road, just down the road from Stearns Farm.If you’re looking for a way to beat the heat and want to venture a little farther afield, check out the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, which is hosting a one-night only showing of “Ingredients” a critically-acclaimed documentary about the local food movement as part of its ongoing Green Screens series. According to the Coolidge’s website, “ ‘Ingredients’ reveals how people around the country are working to bring good food back to the table and good health back to our communities. Narrated by Bebe Neuwirth, the film takes us across the U.S., from the diversified farms of the Hudson River and Willamette Valleys, to the urban food deserts of Harlem, to the kitchens of celebrated chefs Alice Waters, Peter Hoffman and Greg Higgins.” The film is being screened on Thursday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m. For more information visit
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Upcoming Events
| July 17 | Garlic Harvest |
| July 21 | Children's Garden Work Day |
| August 13-15 | NOFA Northeast Organic Farming Association Summer Conference |
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Our Mission
To preserve the historic Stearns farm as a sustainable all-natural garden, providing locally grown food in partnership between the land, the farmer, and the community
- by using the CSA model
- by providing fair compensation, adequate working conditions, and support to the farmer
- by practicing good stewardship
- by donating excess food to the needy
- by encouraging the community to actively participate in the farming process
- by providing learning opportunities
- by fostering relationships between the CSA and the wider community and
- by providing a beautiful place that is nourishing to body and soul.
Contact Us
Stearns Farm CSA862 Edmands Road
Framingham, MA 01701
(508) 371-4310
| Name | Position | Contact Information | |
| Stearns Farm | Main phone | contactstearnsfarmcsa.org | 508-371-4310 |
| Trish Stefanko | Farm Manager | t8588hotmail.com | 508-887-5649 |
| Rachael Potts | Assistant Farm Manager | vintage.greens.farmgmail.com | |
| Cathy Briasco | Administration | stearnsfarmbriasco.org | 508-358-4167 |
| Sara Abramovitz | Volunteer Coord. | saralarryverizon.net | 978-443-9747 |
| Aliya Ewing | Children's Garden | aliya.ewinggmail.com | |
| Tom Yelton | Webmaster | webmasterstearnsfarmcsa.org | 978-443-5138 |
See Also Public/Staff and Public/Volunteers to contact a specific person.
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Recipes: Red Cabbage, Purple Basil
This week we have red cabbage, and I have tried to choose recipes that will help you find different ways to prepare it, both raw and cooked. We will also be getting our share of fresh garlic this week, which goes beautifully with the red cabbage. And don't forget that we have lots of gorgeous herbs at the farm that are perfect for picking. Right now our dill and cilantro are looking fantastic, so be sure to cut some to take home to use fresh in your recipes.
If you haven’t tried the red rubin basil you should try it this week, while it is looking so wonderful. It has a lovely reddish-purple color and a really nice flavor that is a bit different from the green basil. I think it is a bit milder than the green but others disagree. Try it for yourself and see—I bet you will enjoy it!
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Smothered Cabbage Venetian Style
Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella HazanServes 6
Any variety of cabbage works well with this recipe- our lovely red, Savoy or the common green variety. The Venetian word for this method of cooking is sofegao, or smothered.
2 pounds of green, Savoy or red cabbage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Detach and discard the first few outer leaves of the cabbage. The remaining head should be shredded. You can use a food processor for this or you can do it by hand. If you do it by hand, slice it off the whole head, turning the head around as you do a section. Gradually you will expose the core, which can be discarded.
Put the onion and olive oil into a large saute pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook until the onion starts to color and then add the garlic. Cook the garlic briefly and then add your shredded cabbage. Turn the cabbage over 2 or 3 times until well coated and cook until it has wilted.
Add salt, pepper and the vinegar. Turn the heat down to very low and cover the pan tightly. Cook for 1/2 or so until it is very tender, turning from time to time. If the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, add 2 tablespoons of water. When done taste and correct for salt and pepper. Allow to settle a few minutes off heat before serving.
printable version
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Red Cabbage Cole Slaw
Adapted from The Rachel Ray ShowServes 6
In the usual Rachel Ray fashion, this is very quick and very easy. You could make it very pretty by varying the colors of the sweet peppers to go with the gorgeous purple-red color of the cabbage!
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup (about a large handful) of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 gloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ of a large head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (you could use a green pepper, red, yellow or orange)
3 stalks of celery from the heart, thinly sliced on a bias
4 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, parsley and garlic. Season the dressing with salt and black pepper. Add veggies to bowl and toss to coat. That’s all there is to it!
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Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon
Adapted from Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland by Lucia WatsonServes 6
This recipe is for our esteemed farm manager, Kathy Huckins, who grew up in the Heartland!
Lucia Watson is a well-known chef who owns Lucia’s, a restaurant in Minneapolis. Her family has deep roots in Minnesota, and both her grandmother and mother were outstanding heartland cooks, and have passed their talent onto Lucia. If you don’t know it, this is a wonderful cookbook. In order to keep the red cabbage crisp in this recipe, she says to toss it with the vinegar before cooking- an old German trick! This dish is also great the next day served at room temperature.
3 strips bacon or 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium head of red cabbage, shredded
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup apple cider or apple juice
4 whole cloves
1/3 cup sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large deep skillet or kettle, fry the bacon (or, if using butter or oil, heat over medium heat). Leave the drippings in the pan and drain the bacon on paper towels. Crumble the bacon and set it aside for garnish. Saute the onion in the fat until limp and brown. Toss the shredded cabbage with the vinegar in a large bowl, then add this, along with the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper to the pot and simmer, uncovered, until the cabbage is bright and tender but not soggy, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with the crumbled bacon.
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The purpose of this recipe page is to share ideas for enjoying Stearns Farm produce. This year we are going to focus on combinations that use as much as possible of the current week’s ingredients. The arrival of each vegetable, fruit or herb adds to our options for fresh, truly seasonal meals. One of the pleasures of this kind of eating is the chance to flex our creativity and combine our discoveries to keep things interesting and have fun as we prepare and preserve the harvest.
What do you do with your Stearns Farm produce? Please share your recipes, vegetarian and vegan options, family favorites and seasonal menu ideas. Send recipes, questions, tips on storage and food preservation, and other suggestions to dsavastio
verizon.net. Thanks!back to top
Revision 1. Last edited Fri 16 Jul 2010 9:10pm by NaomiSofer