Summer Festival and Heirloom Tomato Tasting at GFF

We'd like to cordially invite you to our annual Summer Festival at the farm this coming Sunday (August 30).  If you would be so kind as to RSVP that you plan to attend, it would help us immensely with our preparations.

Festivals at the Genuine Faux Farm are family friendly events.  Attendees are CSA farm share members, customers of our produce and poultry, family members and farm friends who support what we do.  We also invite those who are interested in joining our CSA farm share program in the future. 

Food at our festivals center around a potluck style system.  We encourage people to bring something to share and we will also provide a grill for those who wish to cook something for themselves.  Some people will bring extra to grill and will use that as an item to share.  The farm will provide iced tea, water and lemonade to drink and, of course, various veggies will make their appearance on the tables as well.  If you wish to bring other beverages, we would prefer that they be non-alcoholic. 

One of our goals for our events is to have "minimal to no waste" events.  We will have table service (plates, silverware) for approximately 50 people and encourage attendees to consider bringing their own table service if it is easy for you to do.  We also encourage you to bring lawn chairs as we have a limited supply of our own. 

Summer Festival Schedule (subject to change if needed):

1:00-3:00  Tom Sawyer Work Time
For those who have interest, we could use some volunteers in the early afternoon to help with set up and preparation.  If you are willing to help, please indicate that this is the case in your RSVP.  If we get enough volunteers, we could have a few people doing other work on the farm.  For example, a few people might help us collect some over ripe cucumbers to feed the birds later on.

3:00-5:00  Huck Finn Play Time
The festival officially starts at 3pm.  It is possible that there may be a little bit of prepping still going on, but we'll certainly start making the transition to just enjoying the day at this point.  We will have a couple of art stations available for all ages.  Please note that we will have some latex paint.  So, if you have children who want to paint, you may want to have them wear appropriate clothing.  We will also try to set up a colored chalk drawing area as well.  We also intend to do our photo scavenger hunt again this year.  You need not attend early to participate in these activities.  We don't anticipate shutting them down unless the weather or other circumstance forces the issue.

For those that have a lawn game that they might like to play (and share with other interested persons), let us know you will bring it and we'll make sure an area is open for the game you have chosen to share.

3:45 Farm Tour #1
Rob and Tammy will provide guided tours of the farm at two or three points during the gathering for those who would like them.  We'll give you the nickel tour and you can feel free to ask questions as we show you our fields and the critters on the farm.

3:45 Feed the Birds
It won't cost tuppance, but I bet the turkeys might like a few cucumbers or other things to eat.  Interested persons can help us get some food to our always interested poultry.

4:00-5:00 Live Music
We have arranged for the Buskers to play at our festival this year.  Rick Truax and Scott Hammerlinck have an acoustic set that will run for an hour and then break for some food.  If we all give them the positive feedback they deserve, they just might play for a bit more after they've had a chance to eat something.  If you attended some of the early Waverly Farmers' Markets on Saturdays this season, you will have had a chance to hear them and have an idea of what they play.  If you haven't had a chance to hear them, then you should come to the festival and enjoy.

Last year's winner: Black Cherry

4:15-5:00 Heirloom Tomato Tasting
The tomatoes have been a bit slow this year, but we should have plenty of varieties for everyone to try.  We will put out a spread of different tomatoes for everyone to taste.  You all get to vote for your favorite.  The winning tomato gets a 'free' blog post and a bump in production for next year!

5:00 Farm Tour #2
If you are not famished and want the nickel tour, here is a second chance for you.

5:00 Food!
In case some heirloom tomatoes are not enough, we will have the grill going starting at 5:00pm and the potluck officially starts.  The grill will run until everyone is done.


6:00 Farm Tour #3 and more Huck Finn Play Time
In case anyone is still interested.  We'll figure to offer a tour one more time. And, hey - if we have all these neat games and art making opportunities and music around - why would we stop?  If you can still move after eating - go for it!

7:00 Bonfire and s'Mores?
It is GFF tradition to have a bonfire and some s'Mores after the potluck winds down.  The tradition only holds if the weather allows.  If it is too windy, we may opt to not start a fire since it has been fairly dry lately.  If conditions are reasonable, we will start a fire and people can opt to make s'Mores.

7:30-8:00 Time to Wind it Down
 As it starts to get dark on the farm, the farmers start to turn into pumpkins.  Well, not literally.  But, they do still need to do some chores after everyone leaves.  If you are willing to help with a little clean up, please let us know.  We might appreciate three to four pairs of hands to help in that department.

We Compost (and more)
In an effort to reduce waste at GFF events, you will notice that we will have containers with different labels.  All food waste will go into the COMPOST bucket.  We do realize that some meat might go into these buckets, but the relatively low volume as compared to our compost piles will not make much difference in this case.  We will have a BURNABLES container for napkins and paper produces.  Another container will take the dishes and silverware we provide (if you bring your own, you'll have to take it with you, of course).  A RECYCLING container will be available for standard recyclable items.  And, a TRASH container will be for whatever is left (it should not be much).

I picked the right bucket!

Weather Whethers
At present, the extended forecast shows some very nice weather for Sunday.  We will publish particulars if that should change. 

Culinary Corner: The Mighty Eggplant

Elizabeth Hinds' latest installment is an entry on how to use eggplant.  Please note her comments about sweating eggplant and her addendum about smaller/younger eggplant.  We tend to agree that sweating isn't something that is appealing and neither of us care for a bitter tasting eggplant.  From a grower's perspective, we can tell you that part of the key is getting eggplant fruit that are "younger."  They may still have some size to them, but that is a function of the growing conditions of the eggplant.  During perfect conditions, a young eggplant can have some decent size.  During poorer conditions, even a small eggplant can be on a plant too long and get bitter.  In order to do our best to insure that you get younger eggplant, we pick try not to leave any fruit on the eggplant for more than one week.  Any fruit that seem 'off' to us are discarded. [ed. RF]

Black Beauty eggplant

I haven't always loved eggplant. Like many people, I was introduced to the underwhelming eggplant parmesan dish and assumed I just didn't like the vegetable. It's not impossible to find good eggplant parmesan, but more often than not the meal is rubbery or soggy, or drowning in sauce. No thanks.

I also found that many recipes required heavy salting to sweat the eggplant and I disliked the resulting texture and no matter how hard I tried, the end result was always too salty for me (**see below). 

Casper eggplant

The real turning point came when I attempted to recreate a spicy eggplant dish for my mom from one of her favorite restaurants. The result was an almost creamy eggplant that was sweet, and savory and salty with a little kick from chili flakes. Because the original recipe includes a lot of ingredients that those with allergies may find problematic, I've included a few ingredient alternatives and where to find them!

Spicy Eggplant

• 1 lb Eggplant
• 1 tsp Tahini (OR 1/2 tsp cornstarch)
• 1 tbsp Raw Sugar (OR 2 tsp honey)
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce (OR 2 tbsp Tamari {Gluten-Free, available in organic section at Hyvee or online},OR Coconut aminos {Soy-free, available online}, OR 3 tsp Worcestershire with 2 tsp water and 1/4 tsp salt)
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce (OR Worcestershire)
• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 3/4 tsp chili flake (optional)
• Canola oil for frying
• Brown Rice, to serve

Extra tools to gather before you start:

1. Baking sheet lined with a towel to place the cooked eggplant
2. A metal slotted spoon to remove the eggplant from the oil
3. A large, heat-proof container for the hot oil after frying

In a medium pot, heat about 1 inch of oil over medium high heat. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Peel the eggplant with a vegetable peeler, then cut into 1 inch cubes, and use one of the cubes to test the oil. When it begins to sizzle, the oil is ready. 

Working in batches, fry the eggplant until golden, stirring occasionally, about 2 mins. As the eggplant cooks, remove them with a slotted spoon and set them on the towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Once you've cooked all the eggplant, pour off the oil into a heat-proof container and set somewhere safe to cool. Place the pot back on the stove and add the sauce ingredients. Cook for about a minute, then add the eggplant back in and stir to coat. Serve with brown rice. 

Pintung Long eggplant

**Even though every eggplant recipe I've ever found instructs you to sweat the eggplant to prepare it for cooking, it's not always necessary! Smaller eggplants, such as those you'll get from GFF, don't have the same bitterness of the large purple vegetables you'll find at the grocery store. If you decide to try this recipe with grocery store eggplant, you still don't have to sweat it first! The high heat of frying will remove the bitterness.

A Look in the Mirror

In this case, the peak I took was into the rearview mirror.  I was looking for a particular picture and I got an idea to look through our files for electronic August farm pictures and see what kinds of things spoke to me.  These are the pictures that caught my attention and I thought I'd share them.

2010 - Kids and Young Turkeys

Mutual Fascination

This is one of those pictures where I wish I had a higher definition picture to share.  But, this is before the arrival of a decent digital camera on the farm.  You need to look carefully, but there IS a fence between the two girls next to the cart and the turkeys.

For those who do not know, we do feed our turkeys vegetables that are not deemed fit for our farm shares or other sales.  When we have festivals, it is not uncommon for us to give our young (and young at heart) attendees a chance to feed the turkeys (and chickens and ducks) some of the produce that is set aside for them.  Also, turkeys know the difference between their farmers (the BIG turkeys) and other people.  So, the picture above illustrates the cautious interest the birds have in the smaller humans.  We also don't think the placement of the cart is a mistake for the two girls!

This is also interesting to us because this was the first season the turkeys were in the pasture North of the Poultry Pavilion.  In fact, it would be the first season the Poultry Pavilion was used for turkeys.  Prior years saw the turkeys residing in the old barn.

2011 - Ye Olde Barn

The last time the barn looked this good

It has been quite some time now since the barn had siding and a roof that almost kept the elements off of whatever was inside.  In fact, there isn't so much an inside to our barn anymore.  Or, at least that is true for the West portion of the structure.

Looking at the picture, I am reminded how much we agonized over the decision to give up on the barn.  The barn is and was a symbol in many ways to us and our farm.  But rather than getting into that, I would rather remember a moment in that barn where I got a real sense why many good rural memories have something to do with a barn.

A neighbor of ours had some bales he needed to store and asked if he could use some of the area in the north half of the barn that still had some decent cover.  We agreed and helped a bit with loading and even more with the removal as he needed bales.  It was a calm day - not too hot, not too cold.  We worked to help Kent unload some bales.  It was good, honest work that didn't require a great deal of thought.  Just a little exercise and the proper amount of caution.  The hay had a fresh scent and the three of us finished the job quickly. 

We took a moment to rest and watched as dust motes floated through beams of sunlight that were coming through holes in the roof or sides of the barn.  We were at peace.  The barn was a place where you could feel good about yourself and the farm.

Up to that point, most of the barn had been a bit of a 'wild and untamed' place for us.  A couple of rooms were in use for hens and turkeys.  But most of the rest was not frequented by us at all.  It was just a puzzle that needed to be figured our and a problem to be solved.

It was at that moment that I realized how a barn like this fit into the life of the farm and how it could be a place of comfort and calm.  It was also at this moment that I understood that this particular barn had lived its life and it was time to begin the process of dismantling it.  Perhaps, one day, we'll have a new building that fits the needs of our farm as we run it better than this one ever did.

2012 - Graduating to Bigger Equipment

Durnik requiring a little problem solving

While we purchased Durnik, the Ford 8n, in 2010, it took some time to acquire equipment to make it useful on our farm.  And, it took even more time for us to learn how to efficiently use these larger tools.  In a way, I feel like this picture illustrates a bit of a graduation on my part to understanding better how to make the tractor and its tools work for us.   I am not trying to tell you that working with equipment like this is impossible or that it was particularly hard.  But, what I am saying is that anytime you learn something that is very new to you, there is a good bit of energy and effort involved - along with a fair bit of trepidation.


I will also gladly admit that I am still learning.  And, I hope that I always will.  But, I can also say that I have become fairly comfortable with these tools over time.

2013 - If the Weather Won't Get Better, Then I Will

Adjusting the flex tine weeder/ Williams Tool Bar

Starting in 2010, the weather for growers such as ourselves has been difficult.  In fact, 2010 was absolutely miserable.  But, by the time we got to 2013, we had made a number of significant adjustments.  Even though we had some conditions that were similar to 2010 - we were better prepared to handle them.  We can't say we had perfect success, but we had many fewer failures.  We were more able to meet obligations and kept our sanity (if you all agree we ever had it).

Every year we have climbed a number of learning curves.  Each season, we try new techniques, tools and resources.  We have not stood still and we continue to get better.  If you could take this picture back in time to the first couple of years on the farm, I might have argued that someone Photoshopped this picture.  There was no way I'd ever work comfortably with that sort of equipment.  But, then again, we thought our CSA farm share program would never have any more than 40 members (if we even got that far).

2014 - A Living Farm Changes

The yellow cart that cost all of $10 to buy and some trials to get to the farm for use.

The picture above shows more changes to me than it might to anyone else because I can see the past configurations of the farm superimposed over this image.  When we first moved to the farm, there was a hog farrowing building at the right.  There was no fence for the poultry pasture in the background.  Instead, that was all giant ragweed and thistle.  We had an old blue truck named Grover (rather than Chumley the red truck).  Our biggest pieces of equipment were a lawn tractor and a walk behind tiller.  Even the green cart at the left was added in our 2nd year - and I suspect there are a couple of people who might remember trying to put one of those together.

There is much more in the picture that shows how things have changed.  But, what is most obvious to me is how well we use what we have.  There are very few tools and resources that do not get used on our farm.  And, if there are some things that fail to have use, we usually give them a chance to live elsewhere once we determine they are no longer useful. 

2015 - Taking Leaps of Faith

The new high tunnel

Of course, the final picture would be of the new high tunnel.  This picture represents our willingness to take significant steps when we feel it is the right thing to do.  Sometimes we wonder why we work so hard to give ourselves more work to do.  We realize demands for our products have changed and that there are uncertainties from season to season.  So, investing the time, money and effort into this project was no small thing for us.

Even so, we are beginning to adjust and integrate the building and new field configurations into the way we do things on the farm.  We don't do a double take every time we go by these fields like we did for the first four weeks after it went up.  The trench that was dug for the water lines isn't the obstacle that it was.  It's now just a normal task for us to go open up the tunnel in the morning and close it at night.  And, in the next couple of days, we'll get our first harvest of green beans from the planting in that building.

We'll be sure to take a pot full of those beans and cook them up for ourselves.  And, when we enjoy eating them at the end of the day, we'll remember why the hard work that brought us to this point was worth it.

The Sun Always Sets (in the Evening)

We've had a number of great sunsets this year and Tammy has been very good at grabbing the camera and taking a few shots.  No further words are necessary at this point.  Enjoy the pictures.  If you wish to see them in more detail, click to open them in their own window.

A Reason to Duck

We do raise a number of poultry on the farm and we have featured our chickens and turkeys in blog posts in the past.  And, a quick look at our blog shows that we've even talked duck in the past year!  But, we finally managed to get a few new pictures and figured it was time to share a bit more about our ducks.

It's not easy to see, but there are 14 ducklings with mama in this picture.

The impetus for this blog post is the successful hatching of some ducklings by the Muscovy ducks we overwintered on the farm for just such a purpose.  Both of our Muscovy hens and all three of our Silver Appleyard hens sat on nests for several weeks.  In the end, only one nest resulted in hatchlings.  And, to be honest, we figured we were going to have no ducklings hatched from these nests.  so, it was a pleasant surprise.

It wasn't easy, but Tammy managed to pick up a handful of duckling.

Earlier in the season, we made the decision that the ducks weren't going to be able to raise their own this year, so we went ahead and ordered some ducklings to be raised for meat.  We managed to get them moved from the brooder area in the Poultry Pavilion a couple of weekends ago.  The process was a bit traumatic for the ducklings, but they tend to act like everything is traumatic until they reach full size.

The adult male Muscovy (Diggle) and one of the females adopted the young ducks

We had some difficulty getting them to stay where we wanted them and had a not so memorable morning clearing brush and moving young ducks AGAIN.  But, eventually, the other adult Muscovy decided she was willing to adopt 20 some young ducks with a little help from the Muscovy drake.

Diggle is looking a little shell-shocked.

Just imagine twenty some odd teenagers moving into your house and looking to you to be their parent.... OY!

But, what about the Silver Appleyards?

Dippet and the Dippettes

Sadly, none of their eggs hatched successfully.  But, that does not mean the grand experiment halts here.  We'll probably keep these guys around another year and see if we can't provide them with a better environment (with more water) to help them out.

Unlike the Muscovys, the Appleyards do quack.  They have decided that Rob needs to be told what to do every so often.  This is especially true if the food is low or the water is dry.  They have been known to line up (about 5 feet away) and outline very clearly in "Quackese" what should be done.  If you look at the picture above, they are starting to get into formation for a 'talking to.'  I suspect this quack session had to do with all of the young ducks now in their pasture.  Sadly for them, this will not change any time soon.

Apparently, this session was more about wanting more water too.  Because they immediately took turns taking a bath in the water right after I got the tub filled.

Well, at least they got results.

The New High Tunnel at Work

Back in June of this year, we put up our second high tunnel.  If you would like to see more about that process, check out this blog post.  It even includes a neat link for a time lapse video of the actual build.

We were finally able to match up a calm day with our full complement of workers AND no CSA distribution on that day where we could move the high tunnel over the plants we put in the ground.  The first time we moved our other high tunnel was a bit rough, so we wanted to be prepared to discover some issues as we went.

The new high tunnel in the West position.

We built the high tunnel in the West position in part because it was closer to a good staging area for the build.  The East position is simply further away from any resources we might have wanted to use.  And, we had less access to grassy areas that we could work in during rain.  As it was, we had to work in plenty of mud - so it was nice to have options.


Unfortunately, the soil in the West position was pretty close to unworkable.  We attribute this to two problems.  First - our excavation work didn't happen until this Spring.  And, the excavation resulted in pulling up some clay that got mixed into the top soil.  Second - we had rain during the high tunnel build, this helped to create a very solid crust in the top six to eight inches of soil.

If you look at the picture at the right, you can see an area that Rob managed to broadfork.  The best he came up with were some BIG chunks of dirt.  If that picture doesn't work, try the next one.  It gives a little more perspective so you can see exactly how bit some of those chunks really are!

It was NOT a pleasure working with this soil.

In any event, the meant we had to give up on the idea of planting in this position of the high tunnel this year.  So, after a good bit of work, we were able to prepare the soil in the East position and get it planted.  You can read about this towards the bottom of this blog post.

New high tunnel in new field position for the rest of the year.

We managed to get the building moved in a little over half a day.  This is longer than it takes to move the older building.  But, the first move is always the most difficult.  As you can see from above, the only weed that was really being successful inside the high tunnel in the West position is button weed.  That alone should tell us something.

Plants acclimating themselves to having a roof over their heads.

The plants currently in this high tunnel position are there for us to attempt to extend some summer crops late into the Fall months.  We already see some success with the bean row getting ready to flower.  The jury is out on the peppers and tomatoes.  The melons should be ok and the sweet potatoes on the far end are an experiment.  We'll see.

Our two high tunnel plan is to move one building in the Spring and one building in the Fall each year.  This allows us to focus one building on early production extension and the other for late season extension.

An in-building water source.

There are couple of major differences between the old building and the new building.  The new building is larger.  But, the odd thing about that is the fact that I don't see this building as being so big.  In fact, I get surprised by how small the other building is.  I'm not sure what that says about me.  The other major difference is the presence of  a water supply inside the building.  It's nice, but not necessary this time of year.  But, once we get into November, it's value will increase significantly.

Now, we need to spend some time addressing the soil quality in the West position.  We've got a plan.  Now we've got to execute it!

Culinary Corner: From Cucumber Cooler to Sandwiches

Elizabeth is not able to provide us with a post for this week, but she will return next week with a post featuring eggplant!  For this week, we'll share a mix of things.

Basil Lemonade
If you were at distribution the past couple of weeks, you were given the opportunity to try Basil Lemonade.  We had a recipe there for interested persons to take a picture of it, but we thought we'd get it out on the blog in case that didn't work for you!

Making the Syrup

• 2 cups basil
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar

(or you can double this with 4 cups of each)
Boil the syrup ingredients together for about one hour.  Let cool and then strain out the basil.  You can store the syrup in the refrigerator if you do not intend on using it all immediately.

Making the Lemonade

• 1 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups basil syrup
• 5 cups of water

Stir the ingredients together and add ice for a refreshing twist on lemonade!

Cucumber Cooler
We also had this refreshing drink available to taste test at our distributions recently!

• 1 cucumber
• 1 qt cold water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• pinch of salt
• ice cubes
• additional cucumber (sliced in rounds)

Partially peel the cucumber and slice off the ends.  Cut into 1 inch cubes and puree in a blender or food processor for one minute.  Strain the juice into a large pitcher, using a spoon to press out as much juice as possible. Add honey, lime juice and salt to the pitcher and stir well.  Finish with ice & cucumber slices.

We'd like to first refer you to our recent post on dealing with the bounty of the season.  If you've looked at it already - great.  If not, take the word of several of our CSA members who have told us that the post was timely and useful.  And, if you have now read that post, you won't be surprised if we tell you that stir fries and frittatas are not uncommon for us.

Stir Fry to the Rescue

The great thing about stir fries is the ability we have to put wide range of veggies into them and then we have an equally wide range of things we can put the stir fry ON!  We're starting to dig potatoes, so putting the stir fry on a baked potato is something we are known to do.  We also use various types of pasta and rice as bases for our stir fries.

Here is one example of a base for a stir fry that we might do:

Swiss Chard with Garlic

• 3 pounds Swiss chard (about 2 large bunches)
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Tear Swiss chard leaves from thick white stalks and coarsely chop leaves, reserving stalks. In a large saucepan or kettle of boiling salted water simmer stalks until tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and drain in a colander. Chard may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead, stalks cooled completely and leaves and stalks chilled separately in sealable plastic bags. 

Mince garlic. In a large skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook garlic, stirring, 30 seconds. Add leaves in 2 batches, tossing to coat with oil and stirring after each addition, and cook until leaves are wilted. Add stalks and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Season chard with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings. Gourmet March 1998

We realize that this doesn't use up a whole bunch of produce.  But, it illustrates a couple of things.  First, you could split preparation time for when you are able to do things.  Tammy, in fact, actually does not boil the chard before using it in a stir fry and we have no problem with that.  But, it gives you a way to have the chard ready to go in advance if you want.

What this recipe does is give you a basic start on a stir fry with swiss chard (for example).  It is not hard to cut up some zucchini, onion, summer squash and pepper and put them in the pan with the garlic.  I might suggest cooking the garlic for a little bit first, then add the harder items and finish with the greens.  The more volume you add to the pan, the more you time you might need to cook it. As you add to your stir fry, you will be amazed by how much produce can be used in one dish!

The Foil Packet on the Grill is Grate... er Great.
If you are grilling something for dinner, add a nice big foil packet of veggies to the items on the grill.  Depending on the veggies and amount your are grilling you may want to put them on prior to the meat (assuming you are grilling meat as well) so they have a chance to cook sufficiently.

Touchstone Gold beets

We have had great success with golden beets, potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, kohlrabi, cucumbers (yes, cucumbers), carrots, eggplant, peppers, onions and other items in foil packets. 

The really great thing about this?  You could make a foil packet for each person in the family.  Do you have someone who absolutely cannot swallow a carrot?  Well, they can put their selection of cut up produce into their packet.  They can opt to add spicing, olive oil, etc as they wish.  Seal the packet up, put it on the grill and remember which packet belongs to each person.

S stands for Simple and Sandwich
A sandwich does not have to be 75% meat, 15% bread, 5% condiments and one small slice of lettuce.  When you have quality produce available, much of it should be fair game for sandwich making.  The two of us and our crew have been enjoying the ability to add fresh heirloom tomatoes, peppers and lettuce to our sandwiches.  Often, the tomatoes are so good that we find ourselves stacking more tomato than meat on the bread!

If you like a bit more of a crunch on your sandwich than a few chunks of pepper might provide, you can try some slices of cucumber or a thin slice of kohlrabi.  And, don't forget a little onion!  But, if raw onion doesn't do it for you, cut part of an onion up and caramelize it.  This can be a nice treat to add to your sandwiches.  If you want to get a bit more exotic, caramelize the onion with some chunks of eggplant (cut to whatever size seems to work with you and your family).

We have found that a nice leaf or two of chinese cabbage is mild enough that it works very well as a lettuce substitute.  Or, if you like the taste of kale or chard raw, they will work just fine for you on a sandwich.

Enjoy the fresh produce and have a little fun trying some new things!
The most important thing is that you should take a moment and let yourself enjoy the season of fresh produce.  That season is a mere fraction of the entire year, so don't let the bounty detract from the opportunity you have right now to enjoy veggies at their peak!

Flower Power

A prior post discussed how we try to feed our pollinator workers on our farm.  We actually had someone ask us a follow-up question that we thought was worth responding to.  They wanted to know if we could show some results of our efforts to attract pollinators.  And, they are correct, if you work hard to accomplish something, it makes sense that you should assess whether or not you are achieving your goals!

Our Flower Companions at GFF
Since we do not grow flowers so we can cut and sell them (though it seems we could do that), it might seem like it might not be an economically sound model to spend time on the flowers on our farm.  But, in case you do not end up buying my arguments by the end of the post, there is one reason that is good enough for us.  We (Tammy and I) like flowers.  Since where we work is also where we live, it makes sense that we should grow some things that make us happy.

So, reason number 1 is...
1. We like the way they look!

Zinnia - from the State Fair mix.

Borage

Calendula

Autumn  Beauty sunflower

 But, we actually have some other reasons why we select some of the flowers we do.

2. They really attract the pollinators

Look in the center and you'll see a bumblebee

 Unfortunately, I'm not always ready to take pictures during the times of the day when the pollinators are most active.  So, you'll have to take my word for it that they love these flowers.  Bees seem to like clover, borage, bee's friend (oh.. now there's a surprise) and squash/melon vine flowers among others.

Oh, and they like buckwheat flowers too!

So, part of the strategy is to make an area so attractive for the pollinators that they will not need or want to go all that far afield to find the nectar they desire.

buckwheat far left, then melons, then zinnia, then melons, then borage.

The more activity there is, the more likely the cash crop you have will be pollinated - and pollinated WELL.  The photo above shows you what we strive for in many of our vegetable plots each season.  But, we rarely accomplish it as well as this.  This year has been a special one for the melon patch and we're very proud of it.

3. Increased Pollination Services Increases Yield and Yield Quality
So, if you are wondering why we are willing to expend some effort in growing flowers other than the "we like them reason" - how about increases in crop production?

Yep, pollinators were here.

Some crops, such as melons, rely heavily on pollinator presence.  Melons and zucchini, for example, will abort inadequately pollinated fruit.  So, if you see small starts that get soft and turn yellow (and then brown) they are examples of a fruit that was not pollinated sufficiently to produce a fruit.  Remember, plants are growing fruit to produce seed so they can propagate - that is their number one goal in life.  If a fruit isn't going to carry viable seeds, the plant will not spend its energy growing it out.

Beans do not rely exclusively on pollinators

Other plants, such as green beans, do not rely exclusively on pollinators.  Wind, rain and other disturbances may be enough to pollinate.  And, some plants are 'self-fertile.'  However, it has been shown that even these plants will increase production when there are more visits by pollinators.

4. A Host of Additional Reasons
There are many other reasons - and maybe I'll spend more time this Winter writing something up.  But, one big reason is the diversity provided by the flowers in the growing space.  Diversity interrupts pest cycles and breaks up paths that pathogens can travel.  In other words, the simple act of NOT growing one type of thing in a given area makes it harder for pests and diseases to attack our crops.  I will not claim it is impossible for them.  But, there is a difference between what we do and placing a giant blinking sign on our fields that say "Eat at Joe's" for all of the aphids (or other pests) traveling around out there.

Then, consider the habitat we are providing for the things that EAT the pests.  We have a host of toads, frogs, snakes, katydids, ladybugs and other helpful workers that love to sit in the shade of these flowers and their cash crop companions.

And sometimes, the flowers provide cover for a cash crop

I like planting zinnias next to tomatoes that tend to have wispy foliage that does not cover the fruit well.  Exposed fruit tend to have problems with sun scald.  A nice hedge of zinnias can help provide cover, in addition to all of the benefits listed above.  Ideally, I like the zinnias to be on the South side, but I'll take North side as well if that's what works for the current placement (as above).

Here's hoping we can continue to be this successful with our flower crops in future years!

The Gang of Four Strikes! (Again!)

Every year, the Gang of Four arranges to spend a day at each farm (Blue Gate Farm, Grinnell Heritage Farm, Scattergood Friends School Farm and Genuine Faux Farm).  Last weekend, we spent some time at Scattergood and we actually managed to take some pictures!  We thought everyone might enjoy seeing some of what we are up to during these gatherings.

Apparently, we make the Dunham children work!

Typically, we try to lend a hand and get a project or two done for the host farm.  Often, weeding is on the agenda.  But, we've done everything from transplanting sweet potatoes to tearing down a building.  Never a dull moment.  This time around, we had more than one project going.

We got to dig a hole - YAY!

Scattergood does some work with vermiculture (using red wiggler worms to create quality compost).  The issue is that they need a place for the worms to overwinter.  Our job was to dig a hole a bit deeper and square it off.

Then, we wrapped up the hole so we could present it to Mark as a gift.

Part of the issue is that the worms could travel through the soil and leave captivity.  Hence the reason for some of what you see here.

Has Andy read any Poe recently?

A second project was building raised beds against the side of the high tunnel.  It's an effort to make an area of the building that is largely unusable into a useful addition.

they must be discussing plans...

There were a few issues with the hardware, but these farmers are tough.  No problem too difficult.  No problem beneath them.  And, every problem can become a bigger problem if enough of us work on it at the same time!

Are you sure that's square?

Hey! You're compacting the soil!

Mark says it's A - OK!  Compact away!

There was some drama during this weekend's get together.  Scattergood has a number of "Shelobs" (our name for the neat yellow & black garden spiders).  So, you had to watch for them.  They are not going to hurt a human, but it can be creepy if you back into a web.

Hey.  Um... Sean... There's a spider on your... uh...

Oh, okay.  Perspective thing. 

Some of us also helped to move some sheep to a different pasture and we ALL helped eat food after the work was done.  The hardest part of the day, as always, was leaving to return to our respective farms.

Next stop?  Genuine Faux Farm in September.  Can't wait!

Culinary Corner: Basil is Our Friend!

This week, Elizabeth focuses on basil.  The season of basil is upon us and CSA members will get basil several of the next five or six distributions.  At least until the frost comes in September and finishes the plants off.  In addition to what Elizabeth shows here, we have a number of good recipes on the website and there is always the possibility of making a good batch of pesto and freezing it for later use!

As far as keeping basil fresh goes, we often will treat basil as a cutflower and the stem will often look good for 1 to 2 weeks (see the prior post on our blog).  Without further ado - we give you Elizabeth's post for our blog this week!

--------------------------------------------------
I’ve been waiting all summer for this post! For those who met me at distributions, you may remember a sauce I was obsessing over called basil rub. This is, hands down, my favorite summer staple. It’s similar to pesto, but unlike most pestos that rely on strong cheeses or pine nuts, basil rub contain just these ingredients: garlic, shallots, a hint of red wine vinegar, and just enough oil to cover. When you add pesto to a dish, the whole thing usually tastes like pesto. When you add basil rub to a dish, it enhances rather than overpowers.

When I say I put this on everything in the summer, I’m really not exaggerating. I’ll toss it with fresh or freshly roasted vegetables, use it as a steak sauce or marinade, as a base for summer salsas and relishes, toss it with pasta and so much more. I was first introduced to this recipe at my very first restaurant job, an American style farm-to-table restaurant in Burlington, Vermont. We joked that it was our restaurant’s mother sauce. Almost anything could be made better with a spoonful of basil rub.

Another key difference between basil rub and pesto is how you prepare it. To make pesto, most people toss a handful of basil in the food processor with all the other ingredients and let it rip. Basil rub is chopped by hand. I know what you’re thinking… the food processor is so much easier. I tried really hard to make this recipe work with my favorite kitchen gadget. The biggest problem I found is that the food processor is designed to crush. The basil leaves were pulverized, leaking chlorophyll that gave the final product a very muddy taste and texture. In the end, my picky taste won over convenience.

 This is something I will always do by hand, but if knife work intimidates you or if you’re doing this with kids, you may absolutely use the food processor. For those who would like to give chopping by hand a try, I offer the following tips with my recipe.

Basil Rub
Note: Elizabeth was kind enough to demonstrate the creation of Basil Rub during Thursday's CSA distribution and she is scheduled to do the same thing this coming Tuesday in Waverly.  Here is the recipe:

• 1 lb Basil (leaves)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes (optional)

In a medium sized bowl, add the minced garlic, shallots, salt, chili flakes, olive oil, and 1 cup of the canola oil.

Pick all the leaves off the stem, leaving behind any budding flowers. Find 3-4 of the largest leaves and shingle them in your hand (pile them up into a stack). Stuff a handful of the smaller leaves inside and roll up tightly.Cut the roll into thin ribbons, then rotate the whole pile and cut across to give an initial chop.

There may be some larger pieces left, and that’s ok. You can chop through it a couple more times to break those up, but don’t spend too much time on it.

The final goal for the basil to look like this!

Immediately place the chopped basil into the bowl with the other ingredients and use a wooden or plastic spoon to completely submerge the basil in the oil. This will keep the leaves from browning as you work. Repeat these steps with the remaining basil, adding oil as you go to cover.


Store in a seal-able container and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top to minimize exposure to air. Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze.

Ready to store until you want to use it!

Now that you have basil rub, what to do with it? As it happens, basil rub make a fabulous cucumber salad. You may have even tried this one at distribution when I was demoing!

Cucumber and Basil Salad with Feta

• 2 cucumbers, peeled and diced 
• Juice from half a lemon 
• 3 tbsp basil rub 
• Salt to taste 
• Feta 

Toss the first three ingredients together in a bowl, and taste. Adjust to taste with salt, and crumble in some feta just before serving. It’s that easy!