Dry Corn

By Cecilia

As this week’s blog writer, I feel a personal responsibility to warn everybody that there is a very large inflatable dragon on the farm. 

 Anyway, dry corn is a crop that we have been growing for the last couple years on a very small scale, with the long term goal of being able to offer cornmeal and popping corn(!) in the way that we offer flour.  We have kept it small scale so that we can learn about how to grow this crop in our specific microclimate and in our unique soil.  One of the most fun parts of experimenting in this way is trialing different varieties.  There is so much diversity in dried corn varieties, and it feels like we could be experimenting forever.  Even though we might not be offering this year’s crop to members, I want to invite everyone to peek in the greenhouse behind the CSA barn and just look at how beautiful the cobs are.  While harvesting and laying them out, it was almost impossible for me to stop staring and taking pictures.  The yellow and orange variety that we have in there is a classic cornmeal variety, while the pink and black ones are popping corn. 

 In other fall news, we are slowly adding more and more chicories to the CSA barn!  This week we harvested the first heads of Chioggia, and I felt inspired to find a chicory recipe for everyone. 

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Harvest Festival Saturday November 4th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Rhonda Beets

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers (Lots! Time to pickle!)

• Annina and Diamond Eggplant (Last week, may be limited)

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Pink Beauty Radish

• Primo and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Covina Broccoli

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Chioggia, Frisee and Escarole

• Tomatoes of all kinds! (May be last week, may be limited)

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Friday (Frozen bread for sale on Tuesday)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Southern-Italian Style Sautéed Chicories

from mediterraneanliving.com

• 1 large bunch chicory (around 1 pound)

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)

• 4 anchovy fillets in oil

• 2 tbsp raisins

• 2 tbsp pine nuts

• 1 tbsp brined capers (if you use the salt-cured variety make sure to rinse them well)

• Sea salt, to taste

Wash the chicory greens, cut into 2-inch pieces and cook in boiling unsalted water for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. **** If you are using endive, escarole, radicchio or dandelion leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces and add to boiling water for about 30 seconds or skip the boiling process altogether and just add raw greens to the frying pan.

Drain the chicory and rinse under cold water. Then, squeeze out the excess moisture using your hands.

In a large frying pan, add oil, garlic, hot pepper flakes and anchovy fillets. Stir for 30 seconds on medium heat until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is starting to sizzle and turn slightly gold.

Add greens, raisins, pine nuts and capers. Toss gently for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add salt, to taste. As capers and anchovies are already salty you shouldn’t need much.

Serve hot or room temperature.

Short ribs and Beans

I know we are all very excited for the seasons change, though it seems this week we will have a (hopefully our last) small heatwave. We have officially moved into doing fall projects such as: moving the tunnels to thier fresh winter pads, cutting the winter squash and gathering the pumpkins/ gourds for your fun fall needs. We also successfully harvested our first round of winter carrots, which I'm sure many of you will be thrilled to hear that we got a robust amount of.

I can personally attest that my body is ready for the slow down of winter and to have space to go inward and recoup from the summer season, but we are not quite there yet as fall asks us workers to push a little more in order to have a good storage supply of food to get us all through the winter. In order to maintain health in body and heart, I'd like us all to remember that eating enough warm rich foods will help us all to maintain energy to continue our days in a way that we can be present. We still have some hot peppers and are beginning to put our more stewing/ braising meats, I encourage you to use these foods to ensure your immune system maintains itself through the changing of the seasons. Stay well out there! 

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Harvest Festival Saturday November 4th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers (Lots! Time to pickle!)

• Annina and Diamond Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Finale Fennel

• Primo and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Covina Broccoli

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Frisee and Escarole

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale on Friday (Frozen bread for sale on Tuesday)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

My favorite recipe for beans

• 1.5 cups of kidney beans

• 1 package of our short ribs

• 1 large yellow onion

• Half a head of garlic

• 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorn

• 2 pinches salt

• 1-3 hot peppers of your choice

Cover with water, about 2 or 3 cups.

If using a slow cooker, use the high setting until done. I like to leave it in through day while I work, about 8 hours. 

If on a stove top, allow to come to a boil then reduce down to a low simmer for 3 hours. It will be ready to eat after that though I highly suggest to slow it more time to get the most out of the short rib flavor. 5 hours is my suggestion. 

Lingering in Happiness

By Alyssa

Lingering in Happiness

Mary Oliver

After rain after many days without rain,

it stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees,

and the dampness there, married now to gravity,

falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground

where it will disappear—but not, of course, vanish

except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,

and the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss;

a few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole’s tunnel;

and soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,

will feel themselves being touched.

During harvest this morning, we saw so many small creatures out and about, enjoying the damp of last night’s rain – several little green frogs, a toad, a praying mantis. The air smells so fresh. I have mud on my rain boots, and the cuffs of my pants and sleeves are all wet. It might have been my imagination, but my midmorning cucumber snack tasted so spectacularly fresh and sweet.

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig Sweet and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina and Diamond Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower or Covina Broccoli

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Beef – Scallion – Tomato Stir Fry

A riff of two Woks of Life recipes:

https://thewoksoflife.com/beef-tomato-stir-fry/

https://thewoksoflife.com/scallion-beef-stir-fry/

1 lb ground beef

6-10 tomatoes, depending on how saucy/tomatoey you want it, roughly chopped

2-4 sliced scallions (they’re huge this week! perfect for stir fries!) – reserve some green parts for garnish

1 summer squash, sliced into half-moons

a few handfuls of shredded collard greens or cabbage

1 red long onion, diced

1” piece of ginger, minced or grated

a few cloves of garlic, minced or grated

soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, white pepper, and chili powder or oil to taste

Shaoxing cooking wine if you have it (otherwise the liquid from the tomatoes is enough to deglaze)

neutral cooking oil

1.     Prep your veggies and get all your ingredients ready.

2.     Heat a wok or a large cast iron pan on high heat until smoking. Add the ground beef and break up; cook without stirring until browned. Season meat with salt.

3.     Once one side of the beef is browned, flip and add your aromatics (scallions, onion, ginger, garlic). Cook, stirring, for thirty seconds or so, until the aromatics are fragrant.

4.     Add in your summer squash and cook, stirring, for another few seconds.

5.     Deglaze with shaoxing wine if you have it.

6.     Add your chopped tomatoes. If you don’t have shaoxing wine, the juice from the tomatoes should be enough to keep your wok or cast iron from getting too dry.

7.     Add shredded greens.

8.     Cook, stirring, until everything is bubbling and cooked through to your satisfaction. Season with soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, and white pepper to your taste. Be careful with salt if you are using soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili oil – each condiment already has some seasoning, so it can be easy to over-salt. I like it spicy so I always add chili oil, but it certainly doesn’t need it to taste good!

Rams n lambs

By AJ

If you have ever been driving by pasture and wondered why you see sheep with bright-colored marks on them, there are… a lot of reasons, actually. But here, the only time you will see such marks on our ewes is during breeding season. The ram wears a harness with a crayon on the front so that we have a pretty good idea when the ewes are bred, based on how many brightly colored butts we see. 

Our ramly ram this year is one of our lambs from 2022, named UGG. I could be remembering wrong, but i’m pretty sure that the name originated from Teddy. We use letters of the alphabet to name our lambs. If the mothers name starts with a "B", for example, then the lamb from that ewe will also start with a "B". So Uni (RIP) would need lambs that have names starting with a "U". It's a trickier letter of the alphabet, AND we want short names so that we can fit them on an eartag. Thus, Ugg.

Ugg is big (bigger than I was hoping, actually) and has an adorable wrinkly face. He will be down with the ewes for a little over a month before he heads back up to the “bachelor pad” with the other rams and bulls. It is rare to see our rams out of the pad, so if you get a chance to check out the sheep, look for the harness!

Sheep have  a gestation period of about 5 months, so mid-September is a perfect breeding season for us. It puts lambing between mid-February and mid-March, just before we start to ramp up on the vegetable side of things. Once Ugg has done the deed, the bred ewes with join back up with the rest of the flock, nibble on alfalfa, shelter from the winter rain, and slowly get larger. And then we wait. Until it’s time for lambs!

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck This Friday September 22nd (Date Change!)

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig Sweet and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Rhonda Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Easy Tomato Pie, from thekitchn.com

• 1 pie dough (enough for a 9-inch pie), homemade or store-bought

• 2 pounds tomatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

• 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 packed cups), divided

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 small shallot, halved and thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Prepare the pie crust. Arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat to 425°F. Meanwhile, roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch round, then transfer to a 9-inch pie plate (regular, not deep dish). Roll the edges over on themselves and crimp the crust. Freeze while the oven heats, at least 15 minutes.

Prepare the tomatoes for the oven. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.

Bake the crust and tomatoes. Remove the crust from the freezer and line with parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Place the tomatoes on the upper rack and the pie crust on the lower rack. Bake until the edges of crust begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add cheese to the crust and bake again. Remove the crust from oven (leave the tomatoes in), and remove the parchment and pie weights. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden-brown, about 5 minutes more. Remove the crust and the tomatoes from the oven (the tomatoes should be slightly wrinkly and look dry on top). Let both cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Make the topping. Place the mayonnaise, Parmesan, Dijon, remaining 1 cup Cheddar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Layer the tomatoes and shallots in the crust. Place half of the tomatoes in the crust in a single, even layer, then sprinkle with half the shallots. Repeat layering the remaining tomatoes and shallots.

Top with the basil. Tear the basil leaves and scatter them on top.

Top with the cheese mixture. Dollop the mayo-cheese mixture on top and spread into an even layer.

Bake, then let cool before slicing. Bake until the crust is deep golden-brown, the filling is bubbling, and the cheese is beginning to brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to see if crust is browning too quickly, and tent loosely with aluminum foil if needed. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Bee Sting

By Abby

While in the garden the other day, I got two bee stings on my ankle. Ouch! We have herbal remedies nearby. I quickly chewed up some plantain leaf and yarrow leaf. I secured the poultice to my ankle with a bandage, and no more sting! They were itchy the next day, but no pain at all.

I highly recommend knowing where these plants live in the garden and perennials, in case you get stung while frolicking at the farm!

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday September 22nd (Date Change!)

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cippolini and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Rhonda Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Celery

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Song Cauliflower

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Tomato salad with Thai basil

Sliced tomatoes
Green beans, blanched and chopped
Chopped cucumber

First put the tomatoes and cucumber in a colander, and put the colander in a large bowl. Salt generously to sweat the water- drain after 10 mins. Add green beans. The veggies still have a lot of water so the dressing can be thick.

Dressing:
Grated ginger
Splash of Soy sauce
Splash of Fish sauce
Sweetener of choice
One chopped hot chili 

Add Thai basil leaf and/or flower, and chopped peanuts

Slow down

By Sage

I hope everyone has been enjoying these past few weeks of warmth that have finally started to feel like summer. It has been hot out in the fields which has been a good reminder to me to slow down and take breaks after work so that I am well rested for the next day. I think that in the peak of summer activity when everyone is busy making the most of the sunny days, it is especially beneficial for all of us to make time to slow down and reflect. Things were growing a bit slower this year with the cold and rain in the winter, but this recent flush of production has created such bounty that the csa barn feels like it’s overflowing with gorgeous food. I hope you all can find some stillness within the busyness of summer to settle in and get ready for fall which is already on its way. 

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday September 29th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Rhonda Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Corn (possibly only on Tuesday)

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread for sale

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Below is a strawberry tart recipe from yourhomebasedmom.com that would be a perfect summer dessert to make the most of our recent flush of strawberries :)

• Flour

• Butter

• Sugar

• Salt

• Cream cheese

• Sour cream. Could substitute with Greek yogurt.

• Sugar

• Egg

• Salt

• Vanilla Extract

• Lemon zest

• Strawberries

• Red currant jam

Pastry Crust

A food processor is the easiest way to make the pastry crust for this strawberry tart but it can also be done by hand. I use frozen butter and use my cheese grater to grate the butter so it is easier and quick to incorporate into the dough.

Add your flour, butter, sugar and salt into the food processor. Pulse until mixture is crumbly.

Add a little bit of cold, ice water into the mixture a tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture turns a pale yellow and starts to clump together.

Bring dough together with your hands and form into a ball, Flatten the ball and wrap in some plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick into a circle that extends about 1 1/2 inches beyond the edges of the tart pan.

Use your tart pan to make sure your circle of dough is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tart pan. I use a tart pan with a removable bottom. If you are making one large strawberry tart, this is the tart pan I use.

Lay dough into the tart pan and push down into the bottom and up the sides. Remove excess dough hanging over the edges. Dough should be even with the top of the tart pan.

Wash strawberries, remove tops and drain on paper towels.

With a fork, prick the dough, this will prevent the dough from bubbling up while baking.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly golden brown.

Strawberry Tart Filling

While the crust is baking you can assemble the custard. The custard could also be made the day ahead and refrigerated to save time if needed.

Mix together cream cheese which is at room temperature, sour cream, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until smooth.

Spread a layer of the custard on the bottom of each strawberry tart, about 1/2 inch thick. You may have extra custard.

Bake the tarts for about 15 minutes or until custard is set. Cool at room temperature before adding berries.

Mix together cream cheese which is at room temperature, sour cream, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until smooth.

Spread a layer of the custard on the bottom of each strawberry tart, about 1/2 inch thick. You may have extra custard.

Bake the tarts for about 15 minutes or until custard is set. Cool at room temperature before adding berries.

Place berries on top of custard, gently pushing on them a bit. Place the strawberries, cut side down starting with one in the middle and adding a row around it.

In a saucepan, combine jam and water and heat over low heat to create a glaze.

Brush glaze over the top and sides of the fruit.

Remove tarts from the tart pan and serve on a pretty plate.

Keep the tarts refrigerated until ready to serve. 

BBQ and Baseball

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our summer celebration. We were fortunate to have a beautiful afternoon: warm but not too hot with a bit of a breeze. We feasted on so many delicious dishes!

Baseball was a great success. Thank you to the adults who joined in and led the teams. Seth and I met on a farm near Hudson, NY. The farm was one aspect of a larger community, including a school and camp. We played community baseball in the summer and loved the tradition. During one of the first summers of this CSA, we hosted farm baseball every Monday, but that was a too much! Still we look forward to the annual tradition.

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday September 29th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig and Red Long Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers

• Corn (We are on our last planting. This could be the last week.)

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Parsley and Basil (Cilantro and Dill will be back next week.)

• Tomatoes of all kinds!

• Hot Peppers

• Melons (Just a taste to start)

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Frozen bread this week

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Grilled Eggplant & Soba Noodle Salad With Nearly Nước Chấm, from food52.com

• 7 ounces (200 grams) soba noodles

• 2 large eggplants (about 1 ¾ pounds/800 grams)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 -inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

• Sea salt, to taste

• Ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) Nearly Nước Chấm (see below)

• 1 cup Asian herbs, such as Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, cilantro, green onions, or perilla leaves, finely sliced

• Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the nearly nước chấm:

• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) lime juice

• 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 4 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 fresh red chile, finely sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Position a rack so the food will be about 2 inches (5 centimeters) from the heat source and heat the broiler to high.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain immediately and run under cold water until the noodles are completely cold. Set aside to drain.

Slice the eggplants into discs ½ inch- (1 ¼ centimeters-) thick, then lay them flat and slice them into batons. Place the eggplant on a sheet pan, drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the ginger and garlic. Season well with sea salt and broil for 5 minutes, watching the eggplant closely so it doesn’t burn. Flip the eggplant over and broil for another 4 to 5 minutes, again watching closely, until the eggplant is tender and golden. Remove from the broiler and transfer to a plate. While still warm, pour over the nearly nước chấm and toss to coat.

Combine the eggplant, noodles, and herbs in a large bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper. Toss well. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve with the peanuts scattered over the top.

For the nearly nước chấm:

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Bye for Now

By Kelsey

I’m sure pretty much all of you have noticed by now that I’m very pregnant! With the shift into my third trimester, I’ve felt a big shift in my energy. I’m feeling the need to go inward, consolidate my energy, and prepare for everything to come. So this means I won’t be seeing you in the barn on CSA days anymore. Stocking the store and seeing your friendly faces each week has been a very fun part of my job over the last couple years and I’ll look forward to doing it once again when I return from my maternity leave in the spring, hopefully with a baby in tow! But for now I will be focusing on finishing up the herb harvest over the next couple months, as well as getting our house ready and resting as much as possible!

I wanted to give a quick shoutout to two Open Field herbs that have been supporting me during my pregnancy: nettles (which I wrote all about in my blog post from 6/6) and marshmallow! I’ve been drinking tons of infusions of both. The nettles are helping me boost my mineral stores and the marshmallow is helping me hydrate, which has been very hard to do on all the hot days we’ve had over the last few weeks! 

Upcoming Events:

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Ailsa Craig Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Pink Beauty

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Corn (We had our first big harvest of corn on Friday. We have a small harvest for Tuesday and may have more Friday but definitely by next Tuesday. Corn is the hardest for us to predict. We have 4 plantings and should have it in some amount for the next month.)

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Covina Broccoli

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Parsley and Basil

• Galahad and Caiman Tunnel Tomatoes; New Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes

• Jalapeno Hot Peppers

• Melons (Just a taste to start)

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Baba Ganoush, from tasteofhome.com

• 1 medium eggplant

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450°. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Place cut side up on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil over cut sides. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and paprika. Bake until dark golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove eggplant from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Peel skin from eggplant; discard. Put flesh into a food processor and pulse to mash; transfer to bowl. Stir in tahini, garlic, lemon juice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon into serving dish. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with parsley and additional paprika.

Slow Return

By Sarah

Now that we have edged past the first of August, you can feel the light shift and the time speed up. We are growing closer to the equinox and away from the long days of midsummer. In the fields, you watch the plants reacting to this change: most of the pumpkins and squash are formed and the plants are beginning to die back. The cabernet red onions have senesced and need to be harvested soon. And yet, as Gemma mentioned in the last post, the fruits of summer are just starting. We are so happy to have a full barn again and to eating all the deliciousness of the season.

Upcoming Events:

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Candy Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Shiraz Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Corn (We had our first big harvest of corn on Friday. We have a small harvest for Tuesday and may have more Friday but definitely by next Tuesday. Corn is the hardest for us to predict. We have 4 plantings and should have it in some amount for the next month.)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Galahad and Caiman Tunnel Tomatoes; New Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Charred Zucchini and Corn with Basil Caesar-ish Sauce, 

from Tenderheart, by Hetty Lui McKinnon (https://emilyrnunn.substack.com/p/two-super-salads-from-a-vegetable)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 small zucchini (about 2 pounds), trimmed and cut diagonally into slices ⅜ inch thick

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

• 3 ears corn (about 2 pounds), husks removed

• Big handful of mint leaves

• Big handful of basil leaves

Basil Caesar-ish dressing

• 4 teaspoons capers, rinsed

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

• ¼ cup tahini

• Sea salt

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in some olive oil and, working in batches, add the zucchini, season with a pinch of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper and pan-fry for 2 minutes until golden and charred. Flip over and char the other side. Transfer the zucchini to a colander, drizzle with the red wine vinegar and set aside.

Drizzle more olive oil into the same pan and add the corn. Season with sea salt and pan-fry, turning often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until all sides are slightly charred. When cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife.

To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times, until it becomes a thick paste. Add ⅓ cup of water and blend or process until smooth. Taste and season with sea salt.

To serve, combine the zucchini, corn, mint and basil leaves.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss to combine. When ready to eat, drizzle the basil Caesar-ish dressing over the top and serve immediately.

Substitute • Ears of corn: 2 cups frozen corn kernels • Tahini: regular or vegan mayonnaise

Vegetable swap • Zucchini: broccoli, eggplant

Hello August, Bring on the Harvest!

By Gemma

It can be challenging to stay present in the heat and haze of August sun and foggy humid mornings. However, the joyful abundance of August is blatant and undeniable. The height of summer can often be a tumultuous and overwhelming time for farmers. That’s not to say that the notion is irrelevant or doesn’t apply, but personally I enjoy the narrowed focus of summer months. The time slips away quicker this time of year. Most days we’re out harvesting, not only on our CSA pickup day schedule like in the previous months, where we’re gleaning as much as possible from our fields. The simplicity of harvest is kind to my scrambled brain which takes its time to function in the heat. I’ve never worked on a farm producing as much as we do here and it’s truly incredible to see the trailer full of overflowing totes. 

This time of year holds a special place in my heart because some of my favorite vegetables are finally ready to eat! Broccoli is my current obsession, though I can never pick a true favorite. Corn, green beans, zucchini, lettuce and potatoes are my Dad’s favorite vegetables and harvesting them reminds me of the elaborate but simple menus he would create for the backyard summer barbecues we'd have. The feeling of late summer is so special to me I wish I could keep it in a jar. Speaking of, I did my first preservation project of the season on Saturday. I made pickles and dilly beans from our green beans, pickling cucumbers, dill and garlic. Yum! 

Another upside of having so much food is that the animals we feed out our compost to are eating real good. The sheep and chickens as well as our household pets get to share the bounty. My rabbit is enjoying the fruits of an abundant summer, and she’s grunting with joy when I bring her her daily cup of greens. I know Sarah’s new pigs are having their way with the abundance as well. It feels so good to share and enjoy what we’ve been working so hard to grow, with ourselves, our animals, and you all. 

It was a pleasure to meet some of you in the Barn last week! Hope to see you around.

I've included a recipe I love to snack on and it's best with homemade pickles!

Upcoming Events:

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Shiraz Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Corn (We had our first big harvest of corn on Friday. We have a small harvest for Tuesday and may have more Friday but definitely by next Tuesday. Corn is the hardest for us to predict. We have 4 plantings and should have it in some amount for the next month.)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Galahad and Caiman Tunnel Tomatoes; New Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Padron & Shishito peppers; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Dill Pickle Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened

• ¼ cup pickle juice

• ¼ cup dill pickle finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped

Instructions: 

1. In a medium bowl, stir or whip cream cheese until smooth.

2. Gradually add pickle juice to the cream cheese, mixing well after each addition.

3. Stir in chopped pickles and fresh dill.

4. Add more pickles or juice till you have your desired texture

5. Refrigerate the dip for at least 30 minutes before serving.

6. Serve with your favorite potato chip!

Maravilla de Flores

By Celeste S.

As all of you can see the flower field is looking beautiful and more colorful then ever before; i keep telling Sarah that i think this year the flower field looks more gorgeous than past season (of me working here) , it may be that finally we have green pathways or maybe because this season the Dahlias are blooming or it could be that now with my experience just by observing each section of flowers I know what they need for them to flourish. Y Son tan Bellas !

I don’t really think i have a favorite flower, they all are uniquely charming that my favorite thing of them is seeing how the bumble bees are curled up inside a poppy on a foggy morning; or how a hummingbird squishes between bugs and honey bees to get some of that nectar too; or just watching my toddler eat cempasuchi petals or basil as a snack.

My week consists of weeding 3 days a week , 1 day of pinching / Dead-heading, and 2 days of harvest.

There’s still not much to harvest precisely for the wreath making on November, but can’t wait for the field to be abundant enough to invite all of you on a Saturday morning to join me harvest.

I want to give a special to shout out to Jeremy Engman; he help me last year harvest lots of Cempasuchis (aka Giant Orange Marigolds) and Margrethe .

The flower field is a such special place to me in the farm, i have cried weeding the beds , i have laughed at loud pinching some celosias , i have reflected on certain situations, i work with my toddler between the flowers , i think it deserves a proper respect since it give us so much beauty , so remember :

• Walk only on the Pathways (Clover beds)

• Do not jump over flower beds

• Harvest only with clippers/scissors

• Wash your hands after ( there’s a few toxic flowers in there)

• Keep your dog on a leash

Enjoy this space with a picnic on a Sunny day , or a photoshoot with your family.

May this season overfills your home with beauty and colors.

“I hope you are blessed
With a heart like a wildflower.
Strong enough to rise again
After being trampled on.
Tough enough to weather
The worst of the summer
And even able to grow and flourish
In the most broken places”
⁃ unknown

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck This Friday, August 4th

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Candy Fresh Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Garlic (Last week-limited amount)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Shiraz Beets

• Yaya carrots

• Hakurei Turnips

• Pink Beauty Radish

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Poamoho, Shimoda, and Beatrice Eggplant (may be limited)

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Jade Green Beans

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Galahad and Caiman Tomatoes (may be limited)

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale!

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

We only seed one planting of the green beans in the fields as they are so time consuming for us to pick; the succession plantings are all in the pick your own field. We always hope for a bumper crop so that we can make dilly beans! Please join us in preserving them so we do not waste them!

Lacto-fermented Dilly Beans, from culturesforhealth.com

Yields 2 quarts

• 2 quarts water

• 4-6 Tbsp. sea salt

• 1 pound young green beans, trimmed

• 2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• 1 tsp. black peppercorns

• 2 large handfuls of dill (flowering heads preferred, but leaves work well too)

1. Dissolve sea salt in water to make a brine. Set aside .

2. Divide the red pepper flakes, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and dill between 2 quart-size glass jars.

3. Place the green beans on top of the seasonings, straight up if they are long and thin or sideways if thicker and cut into chunks. Cover with brine solution, leaving 1 inch headspace at the top of jar

4. Cover the jar with a tight lid, airlock lid, or coffee filter secured with a rubber band.

5. Culture at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) until desired flavor and texture are achieved. If using a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure.

6. Once the beans are finished, put a tight lid on the jar and move to cold storage.

Vinegar Dilly Beans, from freshpreserving.com

Makes about 6 (16 oz) pint jars
An old family classic! Feel free to kick up the flavor by adding a few pinches of crushed red pepper or chili powder to the brine.

• 3 lbs green and/or yellow wax beans, trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces (about 4 inches)

• 3 3/4 cups vinegar

• 3 3/4 cups water

• 1/3 cup salt

• 6 cloves garlic, crushed or thinly sliced

• 6 springs of dill

• 6 pint jars

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.

2. Combine vinegar, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve salt.

3. Place 1 clove crushed garlic and 1 dill sprig into a hot jar. Pack beans cut side up leaving a ½ inch headspace.

4. Ladle hot brine into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

5. Process jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

Celtuce

By Cecilia

You may have noticed last week that we have a brand new (to us) vegetable in the barn.  This is the first year we have grown celtuce and I hope that everybody gets a chance to try it before we run out.  I love it.  I want all of you to love it, too.  Ashely included a recipe for it in last week’s blog post and I would love to hear if any of you tried it.  I’m not going to include another celtuce recipe this week, but I do have some suggestions:

Peel it!
Chop it!
Shave it!
Cook it!
Eat it raw!
With spices and herbs!
Without spices and herbs!
It’s delicious!

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday, August 4th (Date change!)

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Candy Fresh Onions

• Alto Spring Leeks (We pick them small; they are tender and delicoius.)

• Garlic

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Yaya carrots

• Hakurei Turnips

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfinn Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Faroa Green and Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Celtuce (see recipe below!)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Pick Your Own Raspberries, Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Filigreen Farm Blueberries for sale!

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Tuesday and Friday

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Cold Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce, from nytimes.com

• Kosher salt

• 10 ounces soba noodles

• 1 medium zucchini or cucumber (about 6 ounces)

• 5 turnips (about 4 ounces)

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• ½ cup roasted salted peanuts (about 2 ounces), roughly chopped

• 2 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped

• Handful of cilantro leaves

• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

FOR THE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

• ½ cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons chile oil or hot sauce, plus more to taste

• 1 garlic clove, grated

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the soba, stir to prevent sticking, and cook according to package instructions until just tender. Rinse under cold water until the noodles are completely cold.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, sesame oil, chile oil or hot sauce, and garlic. Add ¼ to ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until the sauce is a pourable consistency. Taste and add more chile oil or hot sauce as desired; set aside.

Cut the zucchini or cucumber and turnips into ⅛-inch thick slices, then cut into thin matchsticks. Place them all in a large bowl.

Loosen the soba noodles by running them under some water, then allow to drain again. Add them to the vegetables, add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and toss to combine.

When you are ready to serve, drizzle with spicy peanut sauce and top with peanuts, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, with lime wedges alongside.

Team Work

By Ashley

The Crew dynamic is smooth these recent weeks. When the fields are producing and we are harvesting just about every day there is ample opportunity for team building. We learn to flow with one another, we learn how another moves and learn to anticipate what an individual will do when we are working together. This anticipation, or learned knowledge of one another, feels different than the frequently spoken about trauma response of a person interacting with emotionally dangerous people. This anticipation resembles things much closer to a sibling knowing how to annoy their brother, or a husband knowing how his wife likes her coffee. It's an intimate knowing where the somatic movements of our everyday lives revolve around one another. 

The crew talks to one another all day long; we know each other's politics (risky, I know) we know each other's moods based on how interactive or distanced one person is, we know each other's work tool preferences and even which tasks one person likes or dislikes and we take on that task to compensate for someone's taste. It's a beautiful dance we do with one another and one that takes practice and also willingness. 

There is a safety that must be felt between people to let our guards down and truly come out of our shell. I also believe there must be safety felt in a work place in order to perform as well as we possibly can. We have to make mistakes, we have to ask questions, and we have to feel safe enough to feel confident. Though we are not perfect, I can sense everyone's nervous system being relaxed enough that we can flow to and from the fields with one another with little hiccups and lots of laughs. We genuinely enjoy one another (even when we have hard days!) 

The next time you see us in the mule driving to our next task together, listen out for the loud laughter that usually accompanies our group. This hard work is made easier because we are all together. 

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday, July 28th

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday, August 27th

CSA Barn Hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions (Last week!)

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Garlic

• Hakurei Turnips

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfinn Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace, Slicer, and Pickling Cucumbers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Song Cauliflower

• Emiko Napa Cabbage

• Celtuce (see recipe below!)

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries

• Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)

• Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)

• Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Only frozen bread will be available this week

• Pick Your Own Flowers & Herbs

Stir-fried Celtuce Stem

• 200 g Celtuce Stem

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn

• 2 dried chili peppers , cut into sections

• 2 tbsp. cooking oil

• pinch of salt

1. Remove the leaves and then peel off the hard skin from the head.

2. Then cut the long stem into sections around 3 cm wide and further cut it into slices. You can also choose to cut them into small strips.

3. To start, heat the wok until really hot firstly, and then place in garlic, chopped dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorn. You can skip the dried chili and Sichuan peppercorn and make a garlic flavor stem celtuce stir fry.

4. Place the slices in, and add salt. Mix well. Drizzle some sesame oil before transferring out.

Pommes de Terre

By Alyssa

“The plow; the raw September earth; the massive-haunched and mighty-hoofed old bay clomping and farting down the furrow; Father holding the plow, my brother the reins, and me with a sack following, gathering the fruits of the overturned soil – the earth apples…

“Richly abundant, brown fat potatoes, thick as stars, appearing like miracles out of the barren, weedy, stony patch, thousands of big hefty solid spuds, bushel after bushel, a hundred bushels per acre, a mass of treasure from the earth…

“How our hands and eyes delighted in that harvest, how gladly we dragged our bulging gunnysacks to the wagon…a wagonful of potatoes! Dark, crusted with dirt, soil, earth, cool to the touch, good to eat even raw; we plowed the shabby-looking field and turned up nuggets, plenty, abundance, more than we needed, riches unimagined…”
― Edward Abbey

Potatoes are one of my favorite harvests, and these new potatoes are particularly gorgeous! Yesterday we dug up the first four rows of the planting near the tunnels, and these rows alone yielded an incredible bounty. It is a breath of relief for us to receive such a gift from the earth after such a long, slow start to the season!

Just about a year ago now, I injured my back. I’m not sure exactly how – likely some combination of awkward bending, heavy lifting, and tractor work – but for most of late summer, I was unable to work normally. I spent most of my time weeding or in the wash station, the greenhouse, and the egg room, doing chores, sorting the summer crops, watering, and sowing. I think nearly every single tomato we gave out last year passed through my hands at least once.

It wasn’t until Thanksgiving that I was able to find some true relief from the pain, through a combination of acupuncture and medication – thank goodness for worker’s comp! As winter passed into spring, I was able to build back up to a normal level of work. In so many ways I have been grateful for this slow, cold winter. It has given me the space to heal, recover, and build my strength back up, one batch of potting mix at a time. Now as the crops start coming in, I am relishing not only the delicious taste of summer vegetables, but also the strength in my body. So many days this spring I felt such joy at being able to move and to work again, and yesterday, harvesting potatoes, I felt it again.

Upcoming Events:

• Farm Potluck Friday, July 28th

• BBQ and Baseball Sunday August 27th

CSA barn hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions

• Red Gold New Potatoes

• Garlic

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace Cucumbers

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries (just a taste for now!)

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries (Please bring your own jars!)

• Herbal Tea (Blends are done until the fall; Please bring your own jars!)

• Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Only frozen bread will be available this week and next week!

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Roasted Salt and Vinegar Crushed New Potatoes

Serves 4

• 750g small red or brown new potatoes

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Black pepper

• 2 tbsp cider vinegar

• 1-2 tsp flaked sea salt, for sprinkling

• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Boil the potatoes in salted water until knife-tender. Drain. Put back in the pot to dry out a little. Tip on to a very large baking tray.

2. Gently crush each potato but leave them whole. Drizzle them with the olive oil and season with pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are browned and crisp.

3. Remove from the oven and gently toss with the vinegar. When all of the vinegar has been absorbed, sprinkle with sea salt and parsley.

Bicycle Plans

By AJ

So, I have bicycle plans. Some of you may notice me riding around the farm on a red cruiser bike with an odd contraption on the front of the handle bars. This contraption is part of an electric conversion kit i bought from SWYTCH, out of the UK. 

Back in the day, when I ran Brookside School Farm, I didn’t own a vehicle. So I went around on this same cruiser (which someone dumped in their yard with a “FREE” sign attached) with a bicycle trailer from BIKES AT WORK tagging along in the back. Every week, I loaded up that trailer with my produce, tables, signs, etc.,  and rode the 8 blocks to the farmers market.

 I didn’t have any electrics attached back in Mendocino county, but I was also younger and only navigating smooth and flat terrain. I’m honestly not trying to work that hard, nor do I need to, so adding the electric assist will rescue me from additional physical labor.

My plan is to use this electric assist/trailer combination as much as possible for my sheep duties and general transportation needs around the farm. There is a BIKES AT WORK trailer on its way here soon. A smaller version of the one I used to have, just big enough for 2 bales of alfalfa, or the sheep fencing, which is all I need. I’m very enthusiastic about it and i think the sheep might be too. We all enjoy the quiet, especially in the morning. Now, instead of screaming at the 4x4’s and the ATV’s, they are starting to scream at me and my bike. Except they still scream at Danny, because all the animals love Danny. 

 If you see me or my new mode of transportation around the farm, feel free to check it out or ask questions!

Upcoming Events: Farm Potluck Friday July 28th
BBQ and Baseball Sunday August 27th

Pick List:

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions

• Garlic

• Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash

• Mideast Peace Cucumbers

• Song Cauliflower

• Finale Fennel

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Ruby Red Chard

• Regiment Spinach

• Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil

• Albion Strawberries (Just a taste for now!)

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries

• Herbal Tea (Blends are done until the fall)

• Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs - You can pick out of the herb garden, the annual field and the perennial field! There are flowers in all that are ready.

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Friday (Frozen bread available.)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Frida Kahlo’s Zucchini Salad (Ensalada de Calabacín), from saveur.com

•  8 tbsp. olive oil

•  3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

•  1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more

•  ½ tsp. sugar

•  6 small zucchini, sliced

•  2 ripe avocados, sliced

•  3 oz. crumbled queso añejo or parmesan

•  2 tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped

In the 1930s, artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo often hosted festive dinner parties—which Frida called "día de los manteles largos," the days of the long tablecloth—at their Mexico City home. The recipe for this simple Mexican salad of grilled zucchini, avocado, and salty, crumbled añjeo cheese was served at a dinner party attended by Mexican composer Carlos Chávez and Nelson Rockefeller. It comes from Frida's Fiestas by Guadalupe Rivera and Marie-Pierre Cole (Clarkson Potter, 1994). This recipe appeared in our November 2014 issue with the story The Art of the Meal.

Shake 6 tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a glass jar until emulsified; set aside. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high; cook zucchini until golden, 10–12 minutes. Let cool slightly and overlap on a serving platter with avocados. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the vinaigrette; garnish with queso añejo or parmesan and cilantro.

Misozuke

by Abby

Hello all and happy summer! 

It has been nice to meet some of you in the barn recently. I am so happy to support the herb, flower, and u-pick offerings at Open Field this year, and hope you will make it known if you have any questions about how to access them!  I’ve been loving to see everyone’s flower bouquets. 

I want to share some of the herbal friendships that have stuck out to me during this part of early summer, and what we’ve been tending to for later in the season. We planted chamomile, marshmallow, ashwaganda, tulsi, sages, motherwort, poppies, columbines, red clover, and more. 

We’ve been steadily harvesting rose petals, lemon balm, and calendula for winter tea blends. A handful of fresh lemon balm in my water has strengthened my mood in the past weeks with on/off overcast and sun. Each time we harvest rosa rugosa petals, I get to watch bees joyfully rolling around in their pollen. 

We are slowly clearing away weedy sections to let more sunlight into the perennials. This field is home to elegantly tall milkweeds and scabiosas. One of my best friends also lives there—magic mugwort. I can hardly explain the love I have for this plant. When I see her, my heart swells because one of mugworts gifts to people is channeling vivid dreams. Dreams are still a bit of a scientific mystery, so I love that we share a connection with this plant that cannot be explained, only experienced. She’s out and about this year— I have been seeing her every time I go to a hiking trail where there’s water. 

Recreationally Kelsey and I tried out a little solstice natural-fabric-dye potion making… honestly can’t say it was successful but fun to try it out and I hope someone out there has the touch to work with the plants in this way! Our favorite resident herbalist also made a folk-tincture with May-planted spilanthes… tongue and tooth numbing!! 

I would also like to take a moment to recognize that some of the cows are being taken from the herd this week. We honor this passing among our crew, and I hope you will give thanks for their offerings in your share. I am deeply grateful for Danny and Jesse, and uphold their work for stewarding their lives and the transition in the cow families. 

Pick List:

We are so excited to be able to offer more food this week. The soil and the plants are truly starting to awaken. Here’s to hoping the heat wave brings more growth and not a lot of stress for the plants.

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions

• Joan Rutabaga

• Garlic

• Mideast Peace Cucumbers

• Pink Beauty Radishes

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Lettuce

• Champion Collards

• Lacinato and Rainbow Kale

• Ruby Red Chard

• Albion Strawberries (Just a taste for now!)

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries

• Herbal Tea (Blends are done until the fall)

• Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs - You can pick out of the herb garden, the annual field and the perennial field! There are flowers in all that are ready.

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Tuesday and Friday (Frozen bread available.)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Miso Turnip and Cucumber Tsukemono

Clean your kitchen surfaces and jars well— water and cleansing are shinto rites :) 

Chop your hakurei turnip and/or cucumber into moons or half-moons 

In a large bowl, lightly salt the veg and after 30 mins, drain the excess water. 

Then mix in miso. Approximately 1/4 cup of miso for every 3 cups veg. I like brown miso because they are less sweet.

The miso provides more salt and microbials. Salt is used in quick pickling for reverse osmosis (drawing out fresh water, replenishing with salt water); the microbials make a slight and safe ferment. 

Once you mix the paste onto the veggies and put it in your jar, give it some patience. 

A bit more water will draw out, and you should press down periodically to submerge the veg and release bubbles. Because this method is not for long storage, I usually just stick it right in the fridge, check to press down every 12-ish hours, and enjoy it from the next day through the rest of the week. If you want to try it tangy,  leave your jar in a cool counter spot for a day. Press down every 6-ish hours to release the bubbles, then refrigerate. 

Shibazuke is a tradition pickle with cucumber, eggplant, and Red/Aka Shiso seeds or leaves for flavor, antioxidants, and minerals. In the flower field we are growing a Korean variety from the same plant family, 38N Kkaennip from Second Generation Seeds. I am proud to say that I stewarded some of the other seeds in their catalog while farming last season at Shao Shan Farm! While the distinction between these cultures is important, using a Korean herb in my tsukemono reflects the beautiful mixed community that I share with my friends here. 

Our sweet plants in the annual flower fields are just about ready to pinch a couple leaves off.  

For my tsukemono this week I’m using both miso and kkaenip for a deep flavor. 

Other flavor combinations can be made with garlic, ginger, scallions, etc. Tsukemono is a great way to enjoy fresh produce without having to prep every meal. Add to any dish! Hot rice, fried eggs, on salads, etc. etc.  Itadakimasu! 

For more instruction and a breakdown of ingredient combos— 

https://www.justonecookbook.com/tsukemono-misozuke-miso-pickling/

https://www.justonecookbook.com/tsukemono-guide-to-japanese-pickles/

https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/pickle/

By Sage

Activity on the farm is picking up and since most of the fields have been planted, we are shifting our focus to making sure everything is growing well - weeding, cultivating, trellising, and transplanting to fill in any missing plants. I had my final tractor training last week and can now help drive the tractors when we are planting and watering plants in the field. I had never used a transplanting implement on a tractor before and it is really cool to watch the tractor move forward and leave plants in the soil behind it. After a few days of planting eggplants, peppers, brassicas, and some lettuce and celery, we transplanted all of the winter squash on Wednesday and it is so exciting to see how many plants are sprouting and getting bigger in the sun. On Friday, we harvested the rest of the green garlic and laid it out. This was a big project, but it gave us a chance to peek at the strawberries that are situated right next door. (They are just about ready!)

CSA barn hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

This week, the list is yet again slim and quantities will be limited. Last week, with the warmer afternoons, we saw tremendous growth in the plants. We are back to cooler weather this week, which makes harvest predictions difficult. We have so much food planted in the fields and it will be ready at some point! We had our first taste of strawberries this week and we can’t wait to have enough to offer.

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions (Last week!)

• Joan Rutabaga (Last week!)

• Fresh garlic

• Mideast Peace Cucumbers

• Evergreen Hardy Scallions

• Lettuce

• Spinach on Tuesday; Pink Beauty Radish on Friday

• Cilantro and Dill

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries

• Herbal Tea (Blends are done until the fall)

• Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Tuesday and Friday (Frozen bread available.)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Personal Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my go to recipes is for a personal batch of chocolate chip cookies. It’s the perfect amount for a quick dessert and fits perfectly in my tiny oven. Using flour and eggs from the farm, these cookies are crispy on the outside, but gooey in the center. I usually use one less tablespoon of sugar, and have found that this ratio of liquid to flour works well without any all purpose flour. 

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed

• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1 egg yolk

• 6 Tablespoons all purpose flour

• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 Tablespoons chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Brown the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter begins to foam and turns a golden brown, emitting a nutty aroma. Take butter off the heat and allow to cool.

3. In a small mixing bowl combine the butter and the sugars and mix well. Add the egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth and homogenous.

4. Add the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Last, fold in the chocolate. Do not over mix.

5. Shape into 2 huge cookies or 2 medium size cookies and place on your prepared cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 11 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown and the centers have puffed up but are still gooey.

7. Allow to cool before eating!

Recipe from bromabakery.com

Open Field - Open Heart

By Autumn Fuentes - Member since 2017

I feel so grateful for our membership at Open Field Farm.   We are always so impressed by the delicious bounty - the flavor and quality of the produce reflect the care and hard work of all the farmers.  Whether we are enjoying roasted root veggies or fresh spinach salad or milky oats tea or a tasty steak or a bouquet of heritage flowers on our table - each product has the taste of the earth - our Sonoma County - in it.  Thank you, Farmers!

But my newest gratitude toward Open Field Farm is for the peace I find walking the hills.  Over the past few years I have committed to a daily practice including a solitary walk in nature combined with a yoga routine compiled of my friends’ favorite yoga poses. This practice was born during Covid with all its change.  Too much change really.  My mother began to loose her long battle against breast cancer which has been heartbreaking and all-consuming. My old doggie Cosmo passed over the Rainbow Bridge - Doggie Heaven got a good one.   And our neighborhood open space meadows of sanctuary were sold and fenced off.  

Navigating these changes has been very challenging - I know this is a common story.  So many friends and family members have been facing huge challenges.  Facing Those-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named battles (I’m reading Order of the Phoenix with my youngest son Jake right now).  Too many of us have had to face a new day with new determination again and again.  I’m past being surprised by the persistence of these challenges and battles around me.   Instead I’m impressed by the resilience I see every day in the smiles and hugs of my friends and family.

And for my resilience recharge I now often turn to Open Field Farm.  As they say, when one door closes, another one opens.  If I hadn’t lost the convenience of our neighborhood nature walk I would never have explored the idea of walking at Open Field Farm.  As I turn up the driveway of Open Field I can feel my sadness and heaviness lift.  As our doggie Roxie and I start to walk from my car out into the fields I can feel my focus shift.  Internal dialogues about daily challenges are replaced with wonder as the Red Tail Hawks circle and call overhead.  Sadness and apathy are replaced by gratitude as the sun shines on my face and the wind blows through my hair.  

I’ve explored many parts of Open Field Farm. The walk to the pond, the walk to the grandmother oak, the walk to the quarry.  The eucalyptus trees always have a glorious group of birds - sometimes I’ve even been lucky enough to spot owls.  The seasonal creek has been flowing beautifully with all the rain this winter and spring. I do always make considerations for the farm - I mostly keep Roxie leashed so she doesn’t take off across the meadows chasing jackrabbits, of course I always triple check for the location of the beef herd and I always pick up after Roxie.  These considerations keep my time at Open Field peaceful and stress free.

And so to wrap my thoughts of gratitude for Open Field Farm and how it always opens my heart I’d like to share a quote from Thoreau, one of my mother’s favorite authors.  My time at Open Field Farm has helped me navigate my grief over loosing her by reminding me that nature has inexhaustible vigor.  Thank you, Open Field Farm. 

“We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and Titanic features, the sea-coast with its wrecks, the wilderness with its living and its decaying trees, the thunder cloud, and the rain which lasts three weeks and produces freshets. We need to witness our own limits transgressed, and some life pasturing freely where we never wander.” — Henry David Thoreau, "Walden"

CSA barn hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

This week, the list is still slim. We will have lettuce mix (and maybe some lettuce heads) and radishes next week. Mideast peace cucumbers and strawberries are coming as well, but mostly small tastes to start. After next week, it should start increasing, although I cannot predict how much and how fast.

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions

• Joan Rutabaga (Last week!)

• Fresh garlic

• Regiment Spinach

• Basil

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries

• Herbal Tea (Blends are done until the fall)

• Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Tuesday and Friday (Frozen bread available.)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Quick Slaw Recipe

We love making this in our house! 

We take a fun selection of root veggies from Open Field - Parsnips, Carrots, Celery Root, Beets etc.

We clean them.

We grate them using a cheese grater.  

If your kids are open to the idea of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. they make a delicious addition - sadly our kids aren’t.

Then we make a custom salad dressing - balsamic vinaigrette usually or honey mustard.  Mix it all together and YUM!

The leftovers are also lovely after sitting in the dressing in our fridge for a couple days. 

Stinging Nettles

By Kelsey

Stinging nettles were my gateway herb. I first learned about nettles (Urtica dioica) in 2015, when I had my first farm job at Greenstring. I recall wild nettles growing throughout the lettuce patch, no attempts made to weed them out for easier harvest of the lettuce because, as it was explained to me then, nettles have the ability to pull minerals up from deep in the soil, making the minerals available to plants growing near them. This was so fascinating to me, I was inspired to learn more about the pokey plant. It seemed like every new indication I read about for their use in medicine was something I needed, whether that be more iron & B vitamins in my diet (taking nettles is almost like taking a multivitamin, except better IMO), help with clearing my skin issues, kidney/urinary support, or a boost for my general lack of energy/vitality. Whatever health issue I was experiencing, nettle had something to offer me. Later, in herb school, I would learn that this is because they act as an alterative in the body, meaning that they help the body's pathways of elimination in clearing out toxins. They also have a trophorestorative action, specifically on the kidneys, meaning that they work to deeply nourish the tissue of that organ. I'd also learn that many, many people agree with me on feeling like nettles can help with almost anything! One of my teachers, herbalist David Hoffmann, even has a quote: "When in doubt, use nettles."

Sarah is also a nettle-lover. She and I tried for several years to get a good patch established here-first in the perennial garden, then along the drainages (nettles tend to prefer some shade & dampness). But we struggled to get a good stand! Finally, last year we opened up a new field for the asparagus and decided to plant a few other native & medicinal perennials in the 2 beds on the end of the field, including nettles. They have totally taken off, even to the point of crowding out some of the trees and shrubs we planted! It was been so exciting to watch them growing in such abundance, knowing that we will finally have enough to dry and store to add to the winter tea blends.

In addition to tea, nettles can also be eaten as a spring green. They will be offered as such in the barn this week. Blanching them will neutralize the sting! Take care and use tongs when placing them into your pot of salted water, but don't panic if you do get stung. It hurts, but the sting is safe (flogging with nettles, aka urtication, is an old therapy for rheumatism!).

Upcoming Farm Events: Farm Potluck Friday June 9th at 5:30 pm

CSA barn hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

This week and next week, the list is very slim. We hope to have lettuce mix and basil next week, although the amounts may be limited. Mideast peace cucumbers and strawberries are coming as well, but mostly small tastes to start. After next week, it should start increasing, although I cannot predict how much and how fast.

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions

• Joan Rutabaga

• Fresh garlic

• Regiment Spinach

• Stinging Nettles

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries

• Herbal Tea (Blends are done until the fall)

• Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Tuesday and Friday (Frozen bread available.)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

Sauteed Stinging Nettles (https://www.thespruceeats.com/sauteed-stinging-nettles-2217561)

• 1 pound stinging nettles

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or any other cooking fat

• Salt, to taste

To clean the nettles you have 2 options. Wear gloves and swish them around in a large sink or basin filled with cool water. Lift the nettles out, leaving any grit behind, and drain them. Reserve.

Alternatively, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the nettles for 4 minutes. Cool them quickly in a bowl of ice water. Squeeze the nettles as dry as possible before sautéing them. (I recommend this option as these nettles can sting through gloves!)

Once your nettles are cleaned or blanched, heat up a large pan over high heat—the wideness of the pan or skillet will help any liquid cook off quickly so the nettles sauté instead of steam. Add the oil or preferred cooking fat.

Add the nettles and cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender—about 2 minutes for blanched nettles and 5 to 8 for raw nettles. If sautéing raw nettles, make sure to keep the heat high so the liquid they throw off as they cook evaporates quickly.

Sprinkle the nettles with salt to taste and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Nettle Pesto (https://honest-food.net/nettle-pesto/)

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 2 heaping tablespoons toasted pine nuts

• 2 tablespoons grated cheese (any hard cheese will do)

• 1/2 to 2/3 cup blanched, chopped nettles

• Salt

• Olive oil (use the good stuff)

Pesto is best made with a mortar and pestle, thus the name, which means "pound." You can make this in a food processor, but it will not be the same. First add the toasted pine nuts and crush lightly -- as they are roundish, they will jump out of your mortar if you get too vigorous. If you are using a processor, pulse a couple times.

Add the garlic to the mortar, then pound it all enough so that the pieces don't fly around.

Add the salt, cheese and the nettles and commence pounding. Mash everything together, stirring with the pestle and mashing well so it is all fairly uniform. With a food processor, run the machine so everything combines, but isn't a smooth paste. You want it with some texture.

Start adding olive oil. How much? Depends on how you are using your pesto. If you are making a spread, maybe 2 tablespoons. If a pasta sauce, double that or more. Either way, you add 1 tablespoon at a time, pounding and stirring to incorporate it. If you are using the processor, drizzle it in a little at a time. Serve as a spread on bread, as an additive to a minestrone (like this one), as a pasta sauce or as a dollop on fish or poultry.

Abundant Life

By Sarah

The amount we have planted in this last 3 weeks is impressive! After the potatoes are in the ground this week, our spring planting frenzy will be done. We will still plant every week but it will only be one part of the routine, rather than the focus. We will add weeding to the chore list, and hopefully the harvesting will pick up very soon!

We had an explosion of tarnished plant bugs, as well as slugs, in the tunnels, which is wreaking havoc on some of the crops. We were hoping to have offer the last planting of mei qing choi this week but it is too infested. Instead, we will clear the tunnel of all plants, carrying a lot of the bugs and eggs with them, and start over. It is hard to lose crops at this time when we have so little to offer. The tarnished plant bugs live in the pasture; you can see evidence of their feasting on the clover leaves in the heavily infested areas. With the abundance of water this year, it is encouraging to see the insects flourishing again even if they cause us trouble as well.

Upcoming Farm Events: All Member Meeting: 6 pm on Thursday June 1st
Farm Potluck Friday June 9th at 5:30 pm

CSA barn hours:

• Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)

• Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)

Pick List:

It will be a couple of months until the pick list starts increasing, usually around July 1st. We will do our best to keep a steady supply of spinach and lettuce from the tunnels. We will have fennel and bok choi again next week, and hopefully radishes, cilantro, dill, and basil in about a month.

• Eggs

• Cortland Yellow Onions

• Joan Rutabaga

• Fresh garlic

• Parade Scallions

• Finale Fennel

• Regiment Spinach

• Lettuce Mix

• Spaghetti Winter Squash

• Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries

• Herbal Tea Blends and Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)

• Pick your own flowers and herbs

• Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)

• Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Friday (Frozen bread available.)

Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members 

The selection in the barn is slim right now, but the herb garden is beautiful!! The mint is lush and thriving, as well as the thyme and rosemary. I know that we can struggle to create meals when the selection is limited so I included 3 recipes for inspiration this week.

Wheatberry Salad with Fennel and Mint, adapted from food52.com

For the Salad

• 1 cup cooked wheatberries (or other cooked grain such as quinoa or couscous)

• 1 cup finely chopped mint

• 1 small bulb fennel, minced (about 1/2 cup of minced fennel) 

• 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, minced

• Zest of one orange

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1/2 cup finely chopped olives (optional)

For the Salad Dressing

• 1/3 cup fruity olive oil

• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Toss salad ingredients together. Whisk together olive oil, orange juice and vinegar. Taste and adjust as desired. Add dressing to the salad a little at a time, tossing until just coated. Taste, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mint Chutney, from food52.com

• 1 cup mint leaves

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 green chile (If you you still have farm ground chile you could substitute it, but it will change the color!)

• 4 tablespoons yogurt

• 1 splash lime juice

• Salt, to taste
  To make the chutney, grind the mint leaves, garlic and chiles to a fine paste. Stir in the yogurt, lime juice, and salt.
  

Blueberry-Thyme Yogurt Cake from Dorie Greenspan, on food52.com

• Softened butter or baker’s spray, for the pan

• 1 1/2 cups (204g) flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 cup (200g) sugar

• 1 or 2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme

• 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup (120ml) plain yogurt, at room temperature

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup (120ml) butter

• 1 cup (150g) blueberries

• Lightly sweetened crème fraîche, for serving (optional)

Get prepped: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center. Generously butter the inside of an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch (21 by 11cm) loaf pan (or coat it with baker’s spray). If your pan is 1/2 inch/1.3cm bigger all around, that’s okay—check the cake a little earlier as it might bake faster.

Mix dry, mix wet: In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. To a medium bowl, add the sugar and thyme and finely grate the zest of the lemon over it with a Microplane (save the naked lemon in the fridge for salads and use within a few days, before it dries out). Working with your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in the yogurt until it’s thoroughly incorporated, and then add the eggs one at a time, blending each egg into the batter before you add the next. When all the eggs are in, give the mixture a few energetic beats to bring it all together.

Mix dry into wet: Switch to a silicone spatula and stir in half of the flour mixture. When it’s well incorporated, add the remaining flour and stir until blended. Add the butter to the bowl gradually, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides until you have a thick, smooth batter with a light sheen. Drop the berries into the batter and stir to mix them in evenly. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan, smoothing the top.

Bake the cake: Bake the cake in the center of the oven until the cake is golden brown and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick or long, dry noodle inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging, 55 to 60 minutes. With oven mitts, take the cake out of the oven and set on a wire rack or cool stove burner. Wait 5 minutes, then run a table knife between the cake and the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Carefully invert the pan onto the rack, then flip the cake so it’s right-side up and finish cooling to room temperature. Serve with lightly sweetened crème fraîche, or nothing at all.

Make ahead and store: The cake keeps best well-sealed at room temperature; it will be good for at least 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month—defrost, still sealed, at room temperature.