Circle S Farms

“I bought a big bag of potatoes and it’s growing eyes like crazy. Other foods rot. Potatoes want to see.”
― Bill Callahan, Letters to Emma Bowlcut

One potato, two potato, three potato, four!!  More…..More.

Everyone loves potatoes.  When my potatoes start coming in, it feels like summer is really here!

Farm News:  Summer is here!  We have passed the longest day of the year, so we are on the downhill side.   We only have 4 weeks left of CSA in this short season.

What’s in the bucket?  Leeks or red onions, POTATOES, lettuce OR arugula, giant zucchini!! (see recipe for zuc -canoos below.), carrots, cucumbers, NAPA or green cabbage, green beans or fresh shell beans

Giant zucchini also make great noodles (consider getting a spiralizer) and/or zucchini bread.

Recipe follows from Genius kitchen

Zuccanoes

“I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.”
― Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum

My father is at the beach right now with my mother, brother, sister in law and niece and nephew.  I am missing him so, all of them, on this Father’s Day.  It just so happens that his birthday is tomorrow – sometimes it is actually on Father’s day.

My Dad has always been a teacher.  When we were little – and teenagers, his favorite place to trap us for a lesson was in his car.  We were a captive audience on Sunday afternoon drives.  He would play Lewis Grizzard tapes in the car.  And then repeat quotes like:

“The rain to the wind said,
You push and I’ll pelt.’
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged–though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.”
― Robert Frost

Lucky to have some rain and cool weather in June.  I was beginning to think summer was here, long and hot.  The garden has responded in color.  All the cool weather plants boosted, and the sweet corn starting to tassle.

This picture is of our awesome turnip harvest last week.  I thought Jennifer might have been a bit ambitious – but we sold them all at the market with our Turnip Truck Special!

Farm News:  We have a bobtail cat named Lucy (Lucifer when she is naughty).  She is old.  I’m not sure how old but I’m guessing 15.  She had one litter of kittens and has outlived all of her 7 offspring.  She is tough.  A friend of a friend trapped her from a litter of ferrel cats in Wyoming and she was tamed into domestic life – but she is still a bit wild.  Ferocious hunter.  She went missing – which happens when she is hunting in summer for a few days.  But this time it was a week, or longer.  I figured she had been hunted herself – and picked up by a coyote or bigger cat.  However she appeared yesterday.  Skinny and begging.   I had given up.  Perhaps she has another of her 9 lives – another great adventure in her future.

What’s in the bucket:  TURNIPS!  Just kidding.  Leeks, Swiss Chard, kohlrabi, red and green lettuce, summer squash, basil, mustard greens.

Following a NY Times recipe.  I love a one dish meal.  Add some summer squash and Chard cut into ribbons.  Happy Eating and Thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm.

Baked Rice with Leeks and white beans.

The following recipe from NY Times.  Easily adjusted – add summer squash and Swiss chard cut into ribbons.  I love a one dish meal.

Tell You a little story and it won’t take long,
‘Bout a lazy farmer who wouldn’t hoe his corn.
The reason why I never could tell,
That young man was always well.

He planted his corn in the month of June.
By July it was up to his eyes.
Come September, came a big frost.
And all the young man’s corn was lost.

Writer(s): ALISON KRAUSS, PATRICK BRAYER, JERRY DOUGLAS, RON BLOCK, BARRY BALES, DAN (T) TYMINSKI

Every year when I’m weeding sweet corn this song comes to me.  I sing it while I’m pulling all the pig weed out of my corn rows.  Pig weed, if you aren’t familiar, is so thorny it is hard to have gloves thick enough not to get pierced.   When I researched pigweed for a scientific name, I came upon this.

Amaranthus spinosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Amaranthus
Species:	A. spinosus
Binomial name
Amaranthus spinosus L.

Amaranthus spinosus, commonly known as the spiny amaranth,^[1] spiny pigweed, prickly amaranth or thorny amaranth, is a plant is native to the tropical Americas, but is present on most continents as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It can be a serious weed of ricecultivation in Asia.^[2]

Uses[edit]

Dye use[edit]

In Khmer language, it is called pti banlar and in Vietnamese giền and its ash was historically used as a grey cloth dye.

Food use[edit]

Like several related species, A. spinosus is a valued food plant in Africa.^[3] It is valued also in Thai cuisine, where it is called phak khom (Thai: ผักขม). In Tamil, it is called mullik keerai. In Sanskrit, it is called tanduliyaka. It is used as food in the Philippines, where it is called kulitis. The leaves of this plant, known as massaagu in the Maldivian language, have been used in the diet of the Maldives for centuries in dishes such as mas huni.^[4] In Mexico, it is among the species labelled Quelite quintonil in Mexican markets. In Bangladesh it is called “Katanote (কাটানটে)”. In Manipuri, it is called” Chengkrook” and is used as food in stir-fry and in broths mixed with other vegetables.

Traditional medicine[edit]

In the folk medicine of India, the ash of fruits of Amaranthus spinosus is used for jaundice.^{[5][medical citation needed]} Water extracts from its roots and leaves have been used as a diuretic in Vietnam.^{[6][medical citation needed]}

Who would know, such a mean and ugly plant could be used for so many things.  I am changing my attitude towards pigweed.  Perhaps I should be cultivating it instead of pulling it out!!

What’s in the bucket:  PIGWEED!  Just kidding.  Cilantro, kale, summer squash, beets, romaine and red leaf lettuce, young onions.

Recipe from the Kitchen Paper for Beet and cilantro gazpacho.  Yum, wish I had cucumbers coming in too – but they are easy to find.  Main Street market had plenty last week!

Happy Eating and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm!!

Letty

“He who sits/stands in front of the fire sees more than the flames.. He feels the heat! Too often from a distance others observe the flames only as a source of light.”
― Lennox D. Lampkin

picture by Julie Clark

Hot!!   No I’m not talking about the cutie standing in front of those hay bales – I’m talking about the weather.  And I sometimes wonder if everyone worked outside – if we might worry a little more about climate change.   So often, from a distance, things don’t seem so serious.

Curtis is so tough.  He has been relentless.  Cutting hay – baling hay, hauling it to our barns.  I helped only one day – raking.  But mostly I am here working in the garden.  And at least I can come inside and take a break every once and a while.  I hope we are not in for another drought.

Farm News:  Hot!!  All of my spring plants were planted late because of the rain – and they are not happy!!  I did take a chance and plant sweet corn early – and it looks like it will be here soon!! fingers crossed.

What’s in the bucket:  leeks, spring onion, radish,  kale,  green leaf and/or red leaf lettuce,  baby squash,  turnip roots with greens.

What’s at market:  LOTTA LOTTA lettuce.  Trying to harvest it all before it gets bitter.  Radish, Turnip, Arugula, Mesclun, Mustard, young onions, leeks.

I love onions and leeks.  Following a great way to appreciate the two!  Make a salad and serve.  Call it dinner!!  Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

leek fritters with garlic and lemon

yield: about ten 2½- inch fritters

• 2 pounds (905 grams) leeks (about 3 very large ones)
• ½ teaspoon table salt, plus more for pot
• 2 scallions, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup (30 grams) all- purpose fl our
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 large egg
• Olive or vegetable oil, for frying

garlic lemon cream

• ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed
• lemon juice
• Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
• Pinches of salt
• 1 small garlic clove, minced or crushed

prepare the batter Trim the leeks, leaving only the white and pale- green parts. Halve them lengthwise, and if they look gritty or dirty, plunge them into cold water and fan the layers about to remove any dirt and grit. On a cutting board, slice the leeks crosswise into ¼- inch strips. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are slightly softened but not limp. Drain, and wring them out in a dish towel or a piece of cheesecloth.

Transfer the wrung-out leeks to a large bowl, and stir in the scallions. In a small dish, whisk together the fl our, salt, baking powder, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper, if you’re using it. Stir the dry ingredients into the leek mixture, then stir in the egg until the mixture is evenly coated.

cook the fritters Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, and place a baking sheet covered in foil inside. Stack a few paper towels on a large plate. In a large, heavy skillet— cast iron is dreamy here— heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Drop small bunches of the leek mixture onto the skillet—only a few at a time, so they don’t become crowded— and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters until they are golden underneath, about 3 minutes. If you find this is happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium- low; I find I have to jump the heat back and forth a lot to keep it even. Flip fritters, and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side.

Drain the fritters on paper towels, and transfer them to warm oven while you make the remaining fritters.

I like to let the fritters hang out in the oven for at least 10 minutes after the last one is cooked— they stay crisp, and this ensures that they’re cooked through, even if they finished quickly on the stove.

to serve Whisk together the garlic lemon cream ingredients until smooth. Dollop on each fritter before serving. These fritters are also delicious with a poached or fried egg on top. Trust me.

do ahead Fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week, or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325-degree oven and heat until they’re hot and crisp again.

Happy eating and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm.

Letty

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

-Beatles  (and the Rising Fawn Social club plays an excellent version of this song:)

We had a beautiiful weekend of fun and friends.  My parents traveled up from Charlotte and brought their friends Ned and Linda Beth.  Our friends Bruz and Julie, and Mike and Georgia treated us to drinks and home made brick oven pizza.  We hiked, ate, drank and visited.

Then Circle S worked cows this Sunday (vaccinated, ear tags etc.) , and had an amazing crew (well, the usual folks who are willing to come and endure flies, heat, being splashed with cow manure and hope to get a beer and a stale sandwich for their trouble!)  Seriously – what would we do without our friends!  They come work and then make it fun too!  Thank you Thank you!!

Farm News:  Worked cows today.  Every cow got vaccinated with pinkeye vaccination – which hopefully will ward off the condition.  It is a terrible thing to have your herd break out with pinkeye.  We have had several cows through the years go completely blind.  Usually temporary, but getting them to a safe place can be challenging.   However, the vaccine has helped tremendously the last few years.

What’s in the bucket: Arugula,  mixed mustard greens, turnip greens, spring onions, green garlic, cilantro, rosemary.

Following – the Washington Post recipe for Mustard Greens with rice and Cilantro.  I think spring onions will be a wonderful substitute for the leeks.

DIRECTIONS

“My mother… she is beautiful, softened at the edges and tempered with a spine of steel. I want to grow old and be like her.”
― Jodi Picoult

This mother’s day I am thinking of my mother.  A mother of 52 years.  And what a beautiful, amazing person she is.    I am  also thinking of Stevie – our friend and CSA member.  It is her very first Mother’s day.  Mother of darling Henry who I still can’t wait to meet.

And – I may seem to digress, but I’m thinking of all the mothers on this farm.  67 to be exact – cows with calves.  And how lucky I am each year in October to watch the natural pulse of motherhood unfold as our cows birth, nurture and care for their calves.

It is a wonderful week to get started with our CSA.  We will be going green, bringing all kinds of delicious, nutrient dense greens to your table!!

Farm News:  Plenty of rain this spring.  Hard to get in the fields to plant for the second year in a row, not that I’m complaining.  The cows have plenty of nutritious greens to eat themselves because of the rain – and the farm is beautiful and green.

What’s in the bucket?  Beet greens, turnip greens, red Russian kale, mature arugula, oversized radishes, spring onions and oregano.

If you are not a fan of bitter greens (turnip greens) parboil them first.  Bring them to a boil in plenty of water.  Cook 5-10 minutes.  When you begin to smell them – a bitter greens smell, let them boil a minute longer.  Then drain them – rinse in cool water.  I like to chop them either before I parboil them – or after I rinse them.     Add a little vegetable broth and simmer until tender.

I made some arugula pesto with my mature arugula last week.  It turned out delish.  Here’s how…

2 cups packed arugula leaves

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 cup roasted salted cashews

olive oil to consistency

Put first four ingredients into food processor.  Put on the lid and pulse adding olive oil until it comes together as a thick paste.

Great on pasta or pizza.   You can freeze the remaining in ice cube trays for later.

Happy Eating, Happy Mother’s day, and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” —T.S. Eliot

I went to buy some garden supplies a few years ago.  The store owner and I started a conversation and he asked me what I was doing with all the tools etc I was purchasing.  I told him that I ran a small farm and CSA.  He asked me “how long have you been doing that?”  and I replied – “gosh – I started in 2004”.  He said – “wow you are a pioneer.  I didn’t know CSA’s had been around that long.”

In some ways it is hard to believe it has been that long.  In other ways, it seems longer.  It sort of made me feel old when he said that….PIONEER.

Every season is a beginning, and every year is so different.  And the soil awaits another seed.  Which brings me to my purpose.  My CSA 2019 sign-up is updated online.  This year will be short and sweet, with lots of new surprises (I hope).

Thank you for allowing me to grow healthy food for your family!

Letty

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Farm News:  Well, we are finally here.  The last week of CSA for 2018.  Our cows start calving this week, so it’s just a shift of attention from garden to animals.  Curtis is baling the last of our hay as I write.  We are hoping for 70 calves this year.  It will be a busy fall:)

I want to thank all of you for your participation in our CSA this year.  Every year I am amazed at how graciously you all accept the successes and failures of the season.  It is a wonderful experience to have such a lovely and loyal group of people supporting our farm!

What’s in the bucket:  candy roaster squash, kale, daikon radish, broccoli or cabbage, white sweet potatoes, green roma tomatoes, jalapeno, parsley.

As most of you know, I love spicy food.  The sauce to these green tomatoes adds some kick – but well worth it.  For a milder sauce, seed the jalapeno.

“Although my body was useless, out of what felt like desperation, I acted out a hateful, scathing punishment. There were days when each time I lowered the hoe, I would groan, “Die! Just die and end it! Die! Die and end it all!” I planted 600 sweet potato vines.”
― Osamu Dazai
This is how I feel at the end of the season.  Instead of wishing the garden to die, I can’t wait to let the cows in the garden.  It is so much fun to watch them eat broccoli and kale and dig the leftover turnips and sweet potatoes up and eat them.  When they are finished,  it looks like it’s ready to be planted again.  And then I will seed rye grass for them to eat in spring.

Farm News:  Digging sweet potatoes this week!  They have not loved all the rain early in the year – and I was not able to get them all out before the 11 inches of rain that fell last week.  Some of them are starting to rot.  Hopefully they will dry and cure.    Only two weeks of CSA left!

What’s in the bucket:  Broccoli florets, cabbage, head lettuce, collard, butternut, sweet potato, easter egg radish, daikon or kohlrabi.

What’s at market:  Daikon, easter egg radish, sweet potato, kale, collard, cabbage, broccoli florets, butternut, candy roaster squash, cheese pumpkins.