Third Charlestown Farm Pickup

Friday, June 12, 2009

Our third week at Charlestown was, not surprisingly, quite like the last two In addition to the mixed loose leaf lettuce, Asian greens, and arugula we brought home our first bok choy of the season. The head lettuce this week was a new variety with a tighter head than the butter lettuce we’ve been getting, although its much looser than say, an iceberg. I’m excited to try it out. We got a bunch of both turnips and radishes this week instead of a choice between them - and we also got a bit of broccoli as well. There was broccoli available at the Charlestown farm stand at the Phoenixville Farmer’s Market this week, but this is the first for the share. We also received the first garlic ramps of the season and some u-pick herbs, with savory and chives as additions this week. The strawberries are still going strong - and we got to pick another quart and a half.

Our cat, Emmaline, approved of the addition of chives and ramps - she loves to nibble on the greens we bring home - the narrower the better, but she’ll nibble on turnip or radish greens if we don’t have anything better!

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Look at all of those strawberries!  New this week at Blooming Glen Farm:  funky purple kohlrabi, summer squash, escarole, dill and, my favorite, garlic scapes. 

Scapes are the curly, edible stalk or stem of garlic, from which the seed head of the bulb is formed.  They’re much, much milder than the actual garlic, are quite tender and easy to prepare, and therefore very versatile.  I love them not only for they’re fun appearance, but also their easy integration into my Summer staple, stir-fries.  Scapes are also great in pesto, tofu scramblers, tomato sauces, as a pizza topping, and as an onion substitution in recipes.  ‘Tis the season for the scape, and if you haven’t already, I highly recommend giving them a taste!

CSA Report: Lancaster Farm Fresh

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

This week’s CSA was again awash in greens! Kohlrabi if new to me, so I’‘ll be experimenting with that this week.

2 heads broccoli – certified organic – Farmdale Organics
1 head Napa cabbage – certified organic – Bellview Organics
1 bunch green kohlrabi – certified organic – Country Boy Organics
1 bunch spring onions – transitional – Taste of Nature
1 bunch red kale – certified organic – Windy Hollow Organics
1 bunch mustard – certified organic – Maple Lawn Organics
1 head green leaf lettuce – certified organic – Fisher’s Organic Produce
½ lb lettuce mix – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics

Monday night I had a dinner party, and needed to use some of this produce, but needed enough to feed six people. Two heads of fresh broccoli to the rescue! I admit (sheepishly) that I don’t like broccoli much. It has to be cooked, and even them, I’m iffy. But I decided to make the Roman-style broccoli in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and I wasn’t disappointed. There are a few extra steps (quick steaming, shocking, and then lightly pan frying), but the addition of lemon juice, zest, dried red pepper and olive oil made this green veggie quite aggreable!

Second Charlestown Farm CSA Pickup

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Sorry I’m a bit late with this one - camera issues. Last week I brought home two heads of lettuce, 1/2 lb of leaf lettuce, 1/3 lb of arugula, 1/3 lb of mixed Asian greens, one bunch of turnips, and 1 1/2 quarts of u-pick strawberries. I also picked up some mint. Amazingly we managed to eat all of the greens in the week! I know many of us struggle with eating all of the greens that come in most CSA boxes - and we were the same last year.  However, I recently figured out a way to eat them all - and without eating huge salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!  My secret - Tabbouleh! This tasty Middle Eastern salad works as well with arugula as it does with parsley.  My recipe is below - you can use any flavorful greens that are edible raw (so arugula, mustard, tat soi, and mizuna are in, but this won’t work well with lettuce or kale). Enjoy!

Mixed Greens Tabbouleh
* = optional ingredients

I prefer my Tabbouleh to have equal amounts of bulgar and greens, feel free to adjust the proportions if you’d like.

Ingredients
2 c bulgar wheat
~2 1.2 c boiling water
2 roasted red peppers* (I used some we have packed in oil from last year, you can use canned if you like)
6 T oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 T lime juice* (or use lemon)
2 T lemon juice* (or use cider vinegar)
2 T mint, chopped*
3-4 green onions, chopped* (use any allium)
8 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb mixed greens, chopped finely (I use the food processor)

1. Put the bulgar in a boil and cover with the boiling water to reach about 1 inch above the buglar. Let soak up to an hour, until most of the water is absorbed and the bulgar is al dente.
2. Whisk the oil, garlic, lemon, and lime juices together.
3. Mix the olives, mint, onions, red pepper, and greens.
4. Combine the greens mixture, bulgar, and dressing.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the oil and acid if necessary.

As it gets later in the season you can add tomatoes and cucumbers to this as well.

6 June: Clark Park market and Keystone Farm CSA

Sunday, June 07, 2009

It’s definitely summer at the Clark Park farmers’ market!  There were several more stands there yesterday, and plenty of produce.  I picked up strawberries (not pictured) from Eden Garden, garlic scapes from Pennypack Farm, rhubarb and spring onions from Keystone Farm, and baby tatsoi from Urban Girls.  (Had I not bought asparagus and snap peas on Thursday, I would probably have bought at least the latter at the market.)

And, since I also collected my neighbors’ CSA share from Keystone Farm, I thought I’d post its contents:

Their half vegetarian share included eggs, cheese, granola, asparagus, lettuce, strawberries, onions, and potatoes.

Red Earth Farm CSA #1

Thursday, June 04, 2009

After surveying my barren refrigerator this morning I grabbed a pen and paper and started making a grocery list. Taking two small children to the supermarket on a rainy day is one of my least favorite activities, so when I remembered that today was the first vegetable pickup of the season I nearly jumped for joy.

Today’s partial share was farmer’s choice: one head each of green and red leaf lettuce, a bag of spinach, a baby basil plant, a bunch of Pac Choi, and a bunch of small red onions with green tops. Full shares also got arugula, kale, Swiss chard, and a specialty Asian green. A little heavy on the greens, but that’s to be expected this early in the season. (The good thing about composting is that I don’t feel quite as guilty when the greens wilt in the crisper.) This week was also an egg share week and a fruit share week. My kids were thrilled with the quart of strawberries and would have devoured the whole thing if I hadn’t moved it to the top shelf of the refrigerator. 

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

More gorgeous greens and succulent strawberries from Blooming Glen Farm this week.  Life is good! 

There is a great African restaurant in the Q-Mart in Quakertown that makes the absolute best collard dish, and now all I want to do is figure out their recipe.  It’s ever-so-slightly sweet, with a bit of spice, and the fresh bitterness of the collards is perfectly preserved.  I think theirs is Kenya-based, but I found an Ethiopian-flavored one at here,  Ye’abesha Gomen.  Hopefully, that will be a good place to start—and please, feel free to share your favorite collard recipe!

Summer is coming!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

There are many signs pointing to the beginning of summer: first doctoral qualifying exam taken, seminar papers nearly written, allergies hopefully going away soon, LAST WINTER CSA SHARE FROM KEYSTONE FARM and HEALTHY HERB GARDEN ON THE ROOF.
Clearly, the last two items on that list are the most relevant to this post (either that or my cat stepped on the caps lock key—it happens). All winter I participated in the Keystone Farm organic CSA share, picking up a half vegetarian share every Saturday at Clark Park. Yesterday I picked up my last share for the season (pictured above). There was a densely packed bag of mixed salad greens, romaine lettuce, gigantic onion, asparagus (yum!), and the usual homemade granola, half-dozen free range eggs and a local cheese (sharp cheddar - my favorite!). I can only eat so much cheese, so I opt for two granolas and one cheese. There is some flexibility in this share.
Luckily, the summer share starts next week. I will again do the half vegetarian share. Each week you get 1/2 dozen eggs, cheese, granola and then a large assortment of fruit and vegetables—all organic. I signed up early and paid $275 (full price for 1/2 share would have been $300), which works out to be around $12 a week. For organic produce, plus cheese and granola for the week, this seems a great deal. Fits right in with my goal to eat green on a tiny budget. On top of all that, Phylann is a wonderful woman, running a great farm. It’s more than worth the money to support her and her organic farming. Check out their new website for more information.
I’ll be reporting on my share each week. However, next week is my father’s 70th birthday (!!!!!), so I’ll be in CT. I’ll pick up a double share (or a full share for that matter) on the 13th and show you my summer goods.
On another note. After a somewhat rocky attempt at roof gardening last year, I’ve decided to stick to herbs this year. I have a great space right outside my bedroom window/door, and I use wooden wine crates (with holes drilled in the bottom) as planters. This year I have three kinds of basil, sage, thyme, rosemary, two types of mint, dill and parsley. One planter has a couple of creepy (creeping, rather) flowering plants just for fun. Below are a couple of pictures from when I first planted early spring and from this morning. The sun is pretty bright, so you’ll have to use your imagination!

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, May 28, 2009

What a great way to start out the new Blooming Glen Farm CSA season!  We’ve been with Blooming Glen for three years (as long as they’ve been in production) and truly have not once been disappointed with a share.  Each week, they consistently provide great variety and quantity, making me feel super lucky that they’re “my” farm.  Here we are at the very beginning of the 2009 season, our fourth with Blooming Glen, and those luscious, bright strawberries are making me feel spoiled already! 

First Charlestown Farm CSA Pickup

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Yesterday was the first pick up for Charlestown Farm’s CSA. The ‘box’ included 1/4 lb Asian greens, 1/4 arugula, 1/2 lb mixed loose leaf lettuce, 1 head of butter lettuce, and 1 1/2 quarts of fresh strawberries.  The U-Pick items included mint (there’s two bunches of chocolate mint in the front of the photo), sage, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. I only picked mint as the sage, oregano, rosemary, and thyme in our garden are growing like crazy.  Behind the greens you can just barely see the half dozen Egyptian Walking Onions that I brought home as well. One of the farm’s neighbors dropped off a big box of them and the people at Charlestown were nice enough to share. 

We’re attempting to grow Egyptian walking onions in our garden this year, but the squirrels apparently really like the bulbs and they dug up and ate the vast majority of what we planted.  So I wasn’t expecting to get to try them at all until next year!

We’ll be adding the Asian greens and lettuce to our own greens for salads this week, and I’m planning on trying a variation of tabbouleh with arugula instead of parsley.  The strawberries will get eaten long before they’d have a chance to make it into any recipe.

Farm to City CSA shares available

Monday, March 09, 2009

This email arrived in my inbox today. If you haven’t already chosen a CSA, now is your chance.

FARM TO CITY ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF ITS CSA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE FOR THE 2009 SEASON

Please forward this announcement to others you know who may be interested. This is the best way to spread the word about these CSA farms.

This year Farm to City is assisting 5 farms to find members for their CSAs:

  * Lancaster Farm Fresh - certified organic, 200 shares available, ready for sign-ups

  * Wimer’s Organics - certified organic, 200 shares available, ready for sign-ups

  * Pheasant Hill Farm - no synthetic chemicals, uses organic methods, 50 shares available, ready for sign-ups

  * Red Earth Farm - no synthetic chemicals, uses organic methods, 70 shares available, ready on April 1 for sign-ups

  * Dancing Hen Farm - no synthetic chemicals, uses organic methods, 50 shares available, ready on March 23 for sign-ups

Go to our website and select the CSA you are interested in; pay with PayPal or check:

http://farmtocity.org/MarketList.asp?view=csa

Each CSA delivers to different locations in and around Philadelphia as well as at the farm or close by. They differ in products offered and cost. The first three are farmer choice CSAs; Red Earth Farm offers member choice. Details on our website.

Wimer’s Organics CSA is looking for hosts for the locations listed below. Site hosts get a free share, provided their site has at least 15 members, good security, shade, and access for delivery and members. Contact info at farmtocity.org if you are interested.

· Ardmore
· Bryn Mawr
· Center City, Philadelphia
· Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
· Eagle/Downingtown area
· Fairmount, Philadelphia
· Havertown
· Morgantown area
· Mt. Airy, Philadelphia
· Northern Liberties, Philadelphia
· Phoenixville/Kimberton area
· Pottstown/Limerick area
· Radnor/Wayne
· Reading
· Society Hill-Queen Village, Philadelphia
· South Philadelphia
· Villanova
· West Philadelphia
· Wynnewood

Bob Pierson
Farm to City

Brief CSA Notes

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

For those currently trying to decide which CSA to join, I can offer a quick eval of the two we belong to.

Charlestown Cooperative Farm - We’ve been members for three years now, and are very, very happy.  The shares are supposedly designed for two adults and two children, and they give us (two veggie loving adults) all our veggies from June - November and a substantial portion of the rest of the year (canned and frozen).  The share lasts from the first strawberries (Memorial Day ish) until Thanksgiving.  Like many other CSAs, there tends to be a surfeit of greens - we attempt to eat them all but usually some lettuce and bok choy end up in the compost.  We freeze a lot of kale and chard.  The share provides a bit of fruit (strawberries, raspberries, and melons) but is mainly veggie focused. There are also opportunities to buy meats, eggs, and other items at the farm.  They do not deliver - you have to go to Phoenixville to pick up the shares once a week (Tues and Thurs) - which I like for two reasons; one it’s fun to go to the farm, and two Saturdays are usually way to busy to fit in a trip to the farm every week - that would never work for us as we have several volunteer events which are on Saturdays. Unfortuntately (at least for those wanting a share), I believe their wait list is booked for two or three years.

North Star Orchard - We’ve been members of the fruit share for two years now. This year they are expanding and offering both a 12 week (historical) and 15 week share.  We’re going to try the 15 week as we ordered several extensions this year.  The fruit is a good variety and good quality.  It is only enough for regular eating though, not preserving. (At least for us - but we eat 2 - 4 pieces of fruit a day, or more). They deliver to several CSAs (including Charlestown) and local Farmers’ Markets. They also offer a veggie, share which we have not tried - but I have purchased their veggies from the Phoenixville Farmers’ Market and they are good. I’m just not sure of the size/variety of the actual share.

Tough Decisons

Monday, January 05, 2009

I’m trying to decide on a CSA for this year. I’m torn between Red Earth Farm CSA which I’ve used and been happy with for the last two years and Lancaster Farm Fresh which is delivering in my neighborhood for the first time this year. As a family of four with two adults and two small children who eat a lot of fruit but only specific vegetables we’re only interested in a partial share. Here’s some info about the two CSAs. Some of the information is factual, some is opinion.

Red Earth Farm:

• One farm provides all the herbs and vegetables     crops are limited to what’s grown on the farm (no corn, not a big variety of squash, the list of vegetables doesn’t really vary that much from week to week)
• I like the idea of supporting a single farm
• I love the weekly newsletters
• 26 week season.
• partial shares (6 items) come weekly
• boxes are packed for you
• you can pick your own veggies each week (don’t like turnips, don’t order them)
• fruit, herb, egg and yogurt shares are available
• you can join the buying club for supplemental items like veggies, yogurt, cheese and herbal tonics
• you don’t get any fruit in a regular share
• fruit isn’t available through the buying club
• I was unhappy with the fruit share the year we bought one
• a partial share is more expensive than LFF, but the season is slightly longer and I’m eligible for an 8% discount
• shares for the 2010 season are available at the current prices to finance a land purchase

Lancaster farm Fresh

• A cooperative of farms
• lots of variety in produce, though I’ve heard there’s entirely too much lettuce for a good part of the season
• I like the idea of supporting a cooperative of farms
• 25 week season
• partial shares (a full box) comes biweekly- that’s a lot of vegetables every other week
• items are chosen for you (if you don’t like turnips, you’re getting them anyway)
• fruit shares available
• special orders (meat, cheese, eggs and yogurt) available
• slightly less expensive than Red Earth Farm

I’d appreciate any input about Lancaster Farm Fresh to help me make my decision. I’m drawn to LFF because it’s the unknown and some fruit is included in addition to to the fruit share. But I’m worried about getting a ton of food all at once that I’ll immediately have to prep for storage, instead of getting a smaller amount of produce each week. I’m also worried about the amount of lettuce included in the shares. My kids won’t (and in the case of the baby can’t) eat it and we’re not huge salad eaters.I don’t want my compost bin overflowing with unused and unwanted produce. But the variety. Oh, the variety. I’m drawn to the idea of corn and heirloom tomatoes and melon and lots of different squashes.

Then there’s Red Earth Farm. It’s treated me well, and aside from the fruit share which was not worth my while, it’s been fantastic.

Isn’t it nice to have choices?

Catching up

Friday, January 02, 2009

Phillyist has posted their 2009 resolutions - eating locally grown produce and gardening has made the cut.  They’ll also be talking about how to join a CSA program.  I’m wondering who they’ll recommend.

There are a few CSA programs that I can think of that deliver within Philadelphia city limits (and probably a bunch more that I don’t know of or haven’t thought of)....

Landisdale Farm - Clark Park
Dancing Hen Farm - TBD
Emerson Farm - 6th & Lehigh
Greensgrow Farm - Kensington
Lancaster Farm Fresh - Reading Terminal & just about everywhere else in the city

And there are dozens more that have pick up and drop off locations in the burbs.  Just take a trip to Local Harvest, plug in your zip code, and you’ll find more than you know what to do with.

Finding a CSA join isn’t too difficult, but I’ve always wondered if there was an easy way to find community gardens in Philadelphia.  Years ago I used to live right down the street from a large garden, but aside from stalking the gardeners and asking for information I didn’t have a clue how to join.  The Philadelphia Lands Trust does have an online map of their community garden locations, although it doesn’t tell you how to become part of their gardens.  The site does contain valuable information, though - how to start your own community garden.  There is also a list of Philadelphia area garden associations at the at the American Community Gardening Association.  Rough Terrain is also a good online resource for community gardens. 

Still, none of them really talk about how to become a member of a particular garden.  I know from talking to people involved in community garden plots that there are sign ups and waiting lists and all sorts of things.  It would be a useful resource to have online - it’s where most people start their searches.

Landisdale Farm CSA report, last week!

Sunday, November 09, 2008

CSA season for me is officially over.  Yesterday was the last week for Landisdale Farms’ CSA program.  This is what was in the share:

one bunch of lacinato kale one bunch of swiss chard eight apples two Kuri squash three white sweet potatoes six bulbs of garlic one dozen small turnips eight carrots two bags of spinach

Clark Park is one of the year-round farmer’s markets in Philly, but with a smaller number of vendors.  The owner of BT Brownies told me yesterday that he will only be at the market for a few more weeks - but he’s working on getting those fabulous brownies into more retail markets around the area.  And those of us who need our weekly fix can always order directly through the website.

I’m not sure we’ll join a CSA program for 2009.  It will really depend on if I can find a CSA share that picks up at Headhouse Square on Sundays.