youngest member of the farm

WE WELCOME YOU MAYA LUNA TOWNSEND!

While it may take a while before you are weeding with the determination of your brother Calvin, we can't wait to see you around the farm.

Very best to Jenny and Ethan.

share details- last week of august

Another beautiful morning here in the fields. Amazingly, it may shape up to be the hottest day of the summer!

share offering:
BASIL
wax BEANS or SUMMER SQUASH
purple BOK CHOY 
CARROTS
CILANTRO
CUCUMBERS
ONIONS
TOMATOES

 The onions in today's share have slight bruises on them. They are still edible and delicious. The tender parts can be cut out. As this bruising does not allow them to store long-term, we're distributing them now while they are fairly intact.

The bok choy offered today is the result of thinning a tightly planted bed. We plan to offer full sized heads later in the fall after they mature and fill in the spaces in the row left after we thinned this morning. Two harvests in one bed! Delicious in stir fries.

Next week is the first distribution of our Fresh, Fall share!  You'll likely see some new faces around the fields or share barn. These participants will be receiving the same veggies as the full season, but have signed on solely for the final 8 weeks of the distribution season. Hopefully you'll have the opportunity to introduce yourself and help folks feel welcome as new and returning members of the CSA. There are two orientation opportunities for new members this Saturday, 11am-noon or 4-5pm.

fresh fall share orientation-two options!

we have a handful of fall shares left. tell your friends to contact us if they're interested.

WHO: fall shareholders of littleGrasse
WHAT: orientation to farm
WHEN:  Saturday August 30 11am-noon OR 4-5pm
WHERE: 309 Miner Street Road (mile from campus down Miner St)
WHY: meet fellow members 
         learn about what we do
         understand how food pickup works

  -We'll tour the gardens, livestock and the share barn talking about our methods and answer Q's.  
-For each share you have, send at least one person from your house. More people are welcome.  
-If you have a remainder due on your balance, it's also a chance to settle up.  
-One of the gardens is down on the Grasse River and folks are welcome to swim afterwards.
 

NO ON STREET PARKING, PULL INTO THE BARNYARD PLEASE

duckling update

This is our first season raising ducks from day old ducklings. We ordered them from a hatchery at the end of July. At this point the birds are four weeks old and alert, able and growing steadily. As many of you may remember, we 'inherited,' some fully grown ducks last season and put them on the pond next to the Dutchess field with great result. They were low effort to tend and ate very minimal grain to complement their natural diet on the water. They were not part of the Animal Protein share, just an additional unexpected farm project to enjoy and observe.  

We had initially planned to transition this year's birds from their indoor brooding area onto the pond. We're seeing the comparable vulnerability of this season's birds (raised by us) to to last season's raised by their mothers. They've been out three days and we've already lost one to an unknown predator. So, we're opting to set up a fence near the chickens and keep them closer at hand. There are certainly pros and cons to this switch- namely we'll be able to keep closer tabs on them and use their waste as soil amendment, while forfeiting keeping them in the most natural space (on the pond). 

A great joy of farming is the diversity of stimulus and learning opportunities. There are an infinite number of variables and only some in our sway. Our plans must remain flexible on all things, animals included. Thus we have weighed the various options and are shifting gears to bring them closer to our central operations and activities. Into the less wild zone, if you will.

For the future we'll have the chance to decide if and how ducks could play into the farm ecosystem. You're welcome to give your comments and feedback.

See you around the duck pen!

share details- 3rd week of august

A glorious day. It was an enjoyable harvest.

SHARE OFFERING: 
yellow wax BEANS 

BEETS + BEET GREENS

CELERY 

Sweet spanish ONIONS

PARSLEY

SCALLIONS

TOMATOES

We are distributing beets and greens from two different successions. We cut the tops from the beets and opted to distribute the best greens that are younger and thus more tender (thinnings from the fall planting). These can be added to a delicious summer curry with the tomatoes, beans and celery, snipping the scallions on just before serving.

Or go summer hearty salad combining the tomatoes and beans with cooked cubed beets. Dress the colorful trio with a parlsey, garlic yogurt sauce. Remember that tomatoes will continue to ripen on the counter, which will improve the flavor and texture.

'Tis the season for quick and colorful veggie meals.

share details-second week of august

another harvest racing the rain. 
emily is visiting family in buffalo, so we're keepin' it short and sweet.

SHARE OFFERING:
BASIL
CARROTS
CUCUMBERS
MIXED SALAD GREENS
MUSTARD GREENS
RAINBOW CHARD
SUMMER SQUASH
TOMATOES

The greens and herbs are all 'as you like' this week. The MUSTARD GREENS can be used raw or added to a stove top dish. They would be delicious in miso soup with fresh CARROTS and ONIONS.

share details - first week of August

This morning's harvest was cool and breezy, with rain threatening but ultimately passing over. We hope your Tuesday morning has been just as lucky as ours!

SHARE OFFERING: BROCCOLI SIDE SHOOTS
KALE
CUCUMBER
SUMMER SQUASH
DILL
CILANTRO
TOMATO
SWEET ONION

This is the first week for KALE and DILL. If you're planning any refrigerator pickling projects for your cucumbers, now you've got fresh DILL to work with too!

In the spirit of science, I decided to test out KALE chips this week, using both curly and dino varieties to see which make a better chip. Because the leaves are relatively small still, I used the entire leaves for bigger chips. 

WHOLE LEAF KALE CHIPS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Place KALE on cookie sheets, making sure not to overlap or bunch them too much. I think mine could have been packed slightly tighter, but I wanted to prevent any risk of sogginess.

Lightly drizzle olive oil over the KALE, and then spread it around using a cooking brush. 

Season to taste. I used salt, pepper, and a lemon garlic spice blend. I have a feeling spicy would work really well though! 

Once the oven is preheated, pop them in for 10 minutes, turn them around and let them cook another 10-15 minutes. 

Let them cool before you try moving them around.

Dino vs. Curly KALE chips
Hand Model: Bob

There was no clear winner between dino and curly KALE chips. The curly seemed to be a bit thinner, and more crispy, while the dino were crunchier and for the most part bigger. 

How to prevent your KALE chips from being soggy:

-less is more when it comes to oil. Make sure you only coat the leaves, don't drench them.

-make sure there is no moisture residue left over on them after washing, as that will essentially steam them, leaving you with very soggy chips.

-save any spray seasonings (such as lemon or lime juice) until after they've come out of the oven

I'd love to hear any tips you shareholders have for perfecting your own KALE chips, from seasoning to preventing sogginess or the perfect oven temp. Happy munching!

august garden morning-this saturday

We look forward to seeing you all this weekend. There's great additions to the farm including ducklings & the greenhouse foundation.

WHO: littleGrasse shareholders & friends
WHAT: group morning in the garden with potluck to follow
WHEN: Saturday August 9th 9am, with potluck at noon
WHERE: 309 Miner Street Rd.

We'll be contributing a coconut veggie curry for lunch.

couple pics below of last month's garden morning- cleaning shallots and dismantling the pea trellis