Stone Soup
The Newsletter of Stearns Farm CSA
August 28, 2010 Volume 11, Number 13
In This Issue:
| ON THE STAND THIS WEEK: Salad greens, carrots, sweet and hot peppers, slicing, heirloom and plum tomatoes, cucumbers, tender sweet cabbage, broccoli, red and sweet onions. PYO: Culinary and tea herbs, cherry tomatoes, braising greens of collards, kale and chard, husk cherries, tomatillos, edible flowers, a bouquet of flowers. COMING UP: potato medley of blue, rose, red and white varieties, early winter squash. |
From the Field: Ramblings of Late August/Kathy Huckins
The rains came this past week, stayed a few days longer than we wanted and left 4 inches of much needed moisture. All those rain dances you have been doing paid off. What a treat to be cool or even a bit cold for a day or two. Even wearing socks to bed was unusual. A few hundred dollars of irrigation water and labor were saved by the farm. It is wonderful when every crop gets wet evenly. Nature is good that way. Not like when we water using our irrigation equipment, the center of the field getting wet and the ends getting just a sprinkle.So you would think that every vegetable would be happy with this moisture. Not the ripening tomatoes. The plants themselves loved it, but the growing tomatoes found the moisture too much for their skins and began to crack. Some of the cracks covered over, but many were lost to juice. The height of our tomato season came last week and is leaving fast, just like every other crop this year. Quick in, quick out. It is lucky for us that we planted late tomatoes that are just coming in now to replace our tired mid season varieties. We have been grateful for every single precious tomato following a year of none. What a treat to slice, dice, stew, sauce and dehydrate these colorful orbs.
This week we worked up the fields where the onions and melons and early carrots and beets lived. The onions are mostly curing in the greenhouse, the melons are just a tasty memory, the early roots hardly remembered. How the season flies by. We will be planting cover crops in those fields to protect and hold the soil till the spring.
The blueberries also got our attention, with wonderful help from Boston Cares. With gratitude for their bountiful fruit this season, we weeded around their bases and then applied a thick carpet of pine needle mulch. They love this acidic addition to their lives. Soon they will reward us with their brilliant deep red color as their leaves bid goodbye for the season. Then in late winter, they will await our pruning so they will be ready to produce for us next July.
We are seeding turnips, bok choy, spinach, greens and radishes for the winter share. Also carrots and onions that we will put in covered tunnels over the winter to harvest in the melting of February and March. We used to stop planting in August for the summer share and then close down the farm by November. Now, since we have learned that it is possible to grow crops over the winter, we just keep planting all the way till November. It keeps us hopping and scheming and planning all year long. But to grow crops in the winter is a miracle in New England. Who would have thought it possible!
The Parkland is busy this time of year. We are harvesting potatoes, row by row. The cabbage and broccoli are coming up just right, and the winter squash is peaking out from the plant leaves and weeds that shelter it. The popcorn is drying on the stalk, and the late sweet corn we planted is trying to recover from the dry spell. The woodchucks have had their feasts, but have left some for us as well. Generous of them!
On one of those wet days this week as we were topping onions in the greenhouse, preparing them for storage, a female humming bird flew into the greenhouse. She kept bobbing on the ceiling, trying to get out. We tried to coax her down a bit so she would fly out the door, but were not successful. A few times she rested on a greenhouse rib, exhausted from her attempts to find freedom. Then Susan gently approached her and with great tenderness put her hand around this tiny being and walked her outside. She stayed in Susan's outstretched hand for a minute, and then flew off. What a treat to see a hummingbird up close.
So much happens here every day. We make a lot of it happen, but much of we just witness. We become the observers, in awe of how nature works, grateful for this small parcel of land we try each day to tame. It feeds us in many ways, beyond the vegetables. Take a slow walk around the fields soon, walk down a bed and just stand there and listen for a few minutes. I promise you—you will have a story to tell.
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Vegetable Showcase: Husk Cherries and Tomatillos/Donna Savastio
This week we will have husk cherries and tomatillos available for pick-your-own. These are interesting additions to our heap of summer produce as they both have quite unusual, distinct flavors and they both grow inside of husks. Husk cherries are ripe when they turn orange and the husks become papery. Ripe tomatillos are green and their husks will be papery and starting to split. Both husk cherries and tomatillos fall to the ground when they are ripe, so you can actually gather them from the ground rather than picking them off the plant.
Husk Cherries, also known as ground cherries, cape gooseberries or Peruvian cherries, are sort of an oddity in the produce world. From the species called Physalis, this group has fruits that are commonly enclosed in papery calyxes and are called "Chinese lantern plants" because of this unusual formation. The genus is characterized by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk that look like tiny tomatillos. You won’t find these grown on a large scale because their picking tends to be too labor intensive for large commercial farms. They are used for desserts and salads, and their high pectin content makes them great for preserving. Eaten out of hand also seems to be an excellent choice for enjoying them. As for their unusual taste, I have heard them described as pleasingly tart at first bite, followed by an intensely fruity, somewhat sweet, almost floral taste—like a cross between a tomato and a grape. They are also delicious when dried like raisins. Tomatillos, which translate to “little tomatoes,” are often the stars of Mexican and Southwest cooking. The tomatillo, also called the husk tomato, is just one of nearly one hundred Physalis species and they are a relative of the ground cherry. Varying from one inch in diameter to plum-sized, resembling the green cherry tomato, the tomatillo (pronounced tohm-ah-TEE-oh) is considered a culinary delicacy. The green fruits are enclosed in a wrapper-like husk creating the appearance of an Asian lampshade. Easily peeled away, the fruit is inside this dry papery cover. Having a unique gelatinous texture, the flesh offers a zesty sweet and spicy flavor with a citric edge. This fruit is most often cooked to develop its excellent flavor, as the raw fruit has a sharper acidic taste. More popular cooked than raw, tomatillos are excellent in cooked salsas and sauces but also can be used raw for salads, guacamole, gazpacho or use as a garnish for cold soups. Tomatillos love the company of herbs and spices and onions, cilantro, chili peppers and garlic enhance their flavor.
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Flower Garden Spotlight: Scabiosa/Kathy Powers
Scabiosa (pronounced scab-ee-OH-sah) is commonly called "pincushion flower" and is quite aptly named for its rounded flower head with tiny tubular flowers. Its tall thin stems naturally flop over a bit so our plants are staked, making them easy to find in the first flower bed. We have a range of varieties and colors including Black Knight, which is a very deep maroon, almost black; other colors you will see include lavender, pink and white. The seed heads of this plant are also quite beautiful; cut a few for your dried arrangements.Cutting and Preserving your Flowers
Remember that our flowers are to be cut half way down on a stem, right before a leaf bud. Cutting on a slant helps with the thicker stems, giving them more surface area to obtain water. Put your bouquet in water immediately and on a hot day, cool it off when you get home. When you are arranging your flowers, cut off any leaves that are below the water line in your vase and try to keep your flowers out of direct sunlight. Enjoy!
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Herb Garden Spotlight: Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)/Nadine Salisch
“The Stinging Nettle” /A. E. Housman
Photo by Nadine Salisch
The stinging nettle only
Will still be found to stand:
The numberless, the lonely,
The thronger of the land,
The leaf that hurts the hand.
That thrives, come sun, come showers;
Blow east, blow west, it springs;
It peoples towns, and towers
Above the courts of Kings,
And touch it and it stings.
An article about stinging nettles can’t possibly begin with anything else but the most frequent reaction to the plant: The “Ouch!” that even made it into folklore and poetry numerous times. Now that it’s out, we can actually look into all the other, much more pleasant characteristics of this truly versatile plant.
Stinging nettles belong to the very large family of Urticaceae, which can be found worldwide and counts over 2600 species. It includes the Asian Ramie (Boehmeria nivea), a popular plant in the textile industry, which is used to produce a fiber very similar to cotton. Nettles, although extremely sturdy in many different conditions, thrive on moist grounds that are rich in phosphorous and nitrogen, which is why they populate areas of human habitation. They are the exclusive larval food for many species of butterflies and moths, including the popular European Peacock Butterfly and the Small Tortoiseshell. Although they are therefore often times covered in caterpillars, the small greenish-brown blooms of nettles do not attract pollinators at all-–Urticaceae are pollinated by the wind.
Nettles are incredibly versatile as a medicinal herb. Traditionally used as a “blood cleanser” in the spring, dried or fresh nettle leaves support the formation of red blood cells due to their high levels of iron and vitamin C, while their diuretic effect washes out excess liquid buildup in tissues. The latter is also the reason why nettles, along with bearberries and cranberries, are used in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Fresh nettles have traditionally been used in a somewhat painful procedure called “urtrication”, in which bare skin is deliberately flogged with fresh nettles to temporarily reduce the symptoms of rheumatism. The success of this method might simply be ascribed to the distraction caused by the additional pain, but recent studies have actually shown that nettle leaf extract has a distinct anti-inflammatory effect in the treatment of arthritis. Nettle root extracts, on the other hand, is currently being studied in the symptomatic treatment of urinary problems associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, which affects a majority of men over 50.
As if the medicinal benefits of nettles weren’t enough, nettles are also delicious and healthy as food—and don’t bite back after cooking or drying. Fresh nettle leaves are high in vitamins, magnesium and calcium and contain up to 25% protein in dry weight, which is extremely high for a herbaceous plant! Used like spinach, nettles make a nice addition to soups, pesto, or pastry and pasta stuffing. Infusing a soup spoon full of dried leaves in boiling water for 10 minutes gives you a delicious tea with all the health benefits described earlier.
I still haven’t explained what makes stinging nettles sting, right? Like with most of its roughly 60 siblings in the nettle family, the leaves and stems of Urtica dioica spp are covered in innumerable stinging hairs, which easily penetrate the skin and break off to the touch. They are covered in a mixture of formic acid – the substance that makes ants sting, too, and the neurotransmitters histamine and acetylcholine. Ouch!
To harvest nettles wear gloves, and cut the upper 30% of the stems. Older nettles will pierce through thin gloves (cloth gloves), but the younger ones and the upper parts don't.
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Stearns Farm and the Community: Boston Cares
Photo by John D'Souza
A group of Boston Cares volunteers at Stearns Farm once a month, as they have been doing for a number of years. The members of the group may change from month to month, but the relationship between Boston Cares and the Farm is ongoing. This structure allows the crew to count on a certain amount of help on a given day, and it allows Boston Cares volunteers to work at Stearns just once, or repeatedly over time.
Below are some pictures of the many people—volunteers and sharers—who worked at Stearns last Saturday. Thank you everyone!
The Boston Cares group that worked at Stearns on Saturday included John Sequeira and his two daughters Coco (5) and Paloma (7) from Cambridge, who chose this project because the girls both love farms and being outside.  | All three worked on dumping old peat out of planting trays, washing the trays, and laying them out to dry.  |
A big group of sharers and volunteers worked weeding the blueberries, including Jenny Garrett of Southie and Amy Buell of Cambridge, both of whom said that they would love to come back to Stearns.  photo by John D'Souza | While they weeded, Laura Schragen and Taylor Schoettle raked the old crop out of the adjoining bed.  photo by John D'Souza |
John D’Souza was the project leader; he is a veteran Boston Cares volunteers who has worked at a number of other farms but was also new to Stearns. He hopes to come back with the September group.  | Sarah Schoettle came with her son Taylor (15). She got Taylor involved with Boston Cares as a way to help him fulfill his community service requirement, but Sarah says, she has really enjoyed doing the project with Taylor. |
Lisa Cordner is a veteran Boston Cares volunteer who seeks out outdoor projects. She has worked on various farms projects and done some invasive weed cleanup and river cleanups, among other things.  | Our own Diane Kelzer worked across from Lisa,  |
And sharer Rich Leonard brought mulch to replace the weeds.  | We even had an unaffiliated volunteer: Bob Wolf and his son Galen (14) who live in Franklin heard about the volunteer opportunity through the Boston Cares website and came by to help because they could. |
Meanwhile, a group of sharers worked with Trish to liberate the strawberries.  |  |
While our youngest sharers played in the Children’s Garden while their parents worked or picked their share.  |  |
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Upcoming Events
| August 31 | First Fruit Share pickup for Tuesday sharers |
| September 3 | First Fruit Share pickup for Friday sharers |
| September 25 | Harvest Festival and Annual Meeting/Potluck lunch at 12:00 noon |
| October 12 | Last pick-up: Tuesday Alternate 1 shares |
| October 15 | Last pick-up: Friday Alternate 1 shares |
| October 16 | Garlic Planting for 2011 season |
| October 19 | Last pick-up: Tuesday Full shares and Alternate 2 shares |
| October 22 | Last pick-up: Friday Full shares and Alternate 2 shares |
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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 | contact stearnsfarmcsa.org | 508-371-4310 |
| Trish Stefanko | Farm Manager | t8588hotmail.com | 508-887-5649 |
| Sonya Ciavola | Assistant Farm Manager | saciavolagmail.com | |
| Cathy Briasco | Administration | stearnsfarmbriasco.org | 508-358-4167 |
| Sara Abramovitz | Volunteer Coord. | saralarryverizon.net | 978-443-9747 |
| Lauren Rota | Children's Garden | laurenlaurenrota.com | 617-999-6932 |
| Nomi Sofer | Newsletter Editor | nzsofercomcast.net | 508-875-2080 |
| Leslea Linebarger | Newsletter Editor | leslea2verizon.net | 508-624-0802 |
| 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: Husk Cherries and Tomatillos
We have two very interesting ingredients available for pick-your-own this week, the husk or ground cherries and the tomatillos. They are closely related and have similar-but-different qualities in terms of their unique flavors. If you haven’t tried them in the past you should try them now. I have never seen husk cherries in the grocery store, and fresh picked tomatillos are a real treat. They won’t last long!back to top
Husk or Ground Cherry Pie
Author UnknownI found this in an enormous recipe folder that I have but unfortunately, I don’t know who to attribute it to. Whoever it was makes the comment at the end of the recipe “this is one great tasting pie,” and it sounds so interesting that I simply had to include it.
4 cups ground cherries, husked
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons tapioca
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons butter
1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie
Gently mix together the ground cherries, sugar, tapioca, flour and lemon juice. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of the pastry.
Pour the fruit mixture into the pastry-lined pan, and dot the top with the butter. Cover with the top crust or make a lattice crust.
Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 40 minutes, or until golden brown. The fresh cherry pie is ready to serve...this is one great tasting pie !
printable version
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Husk Cherry and Goat Cheese Salad
Adapted from sugarlaws.comServes 4
1 pound lettuce or field greens, washed and spun dry
1/2 pound husk cherries (you also can substitute green grapes for a similar flavor
4 ounces herbed goat cheese of your choice—the basil and garlic goat cheese is good, but so is plain goat cheese)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons basalmic vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
Wash lettuce, remove cherries from their husks, and wash. Dry.
In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix together lettuce, husk cherries, and dressing. Divide onto four plates. Thinly slice goat cheese, distribute slices onto plates (3-4 slices per plate) and serve.
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Pork and Tomatillo Stew
Adapted from FoodandWine.com, recipe by Andrew MurrayServes 4
This is a much easier and healthier version of this well known Mexican-style stew. You could certainly make it a day ahead if you like, then reheat it gently.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large celery ribs, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 Anaheim chile, seeded and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons mild chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Pinch of dried oregano
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
12 ounces potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes or the equivalent of our fresh tomatoes with their juice
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into 1-inch dice
Hot sauce – your own personal favorite
Chopped cilantro for garnish (you could substitute fresh flat-leaf parsley if you don’t like cilantro)
Corn tortilla chips, for serving
In a medium casserole or Dutch oven, heat the oil. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned on two sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the celery and onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the diced chile, garlic, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and tomatillos, cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the pork to a plate and shred with two forks. Meanwhile, simmer the stew over moderate heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir the shredded pork back into the stew and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Ladle the stew into bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with a few tortilla chips.
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Bobby Flay’s Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Lemonyzest.com, recipe by Bobby FlayI just had to post a salsa recipe for the tomatillos. This one is great served with grilled chicken or shrimp, or as a not-your-average guacamole with tortilla chips.
3 ripe Haas avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
3 tomatillos, husked, washed and diced
juice of 2 limes
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (you could substitute red onions)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Carefully combine avocados, tomatillos, lime juice, oil, honey, salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Mix in the green onions and cilantro. May be made up to 30 minutes in advance and refrigerated.
printable version
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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 2. Last edited Fri 3 Sep 2010 8:13am by NaomiSofer