Hi Friends,

Rejoice, for our heirloom tomatoes are finally starting to ripen!  These are old-fashioned varieties that are grown for their exceptional flavor. They can be a bit tricky to grow, and they like to take their time to mature…but the reward is outstanding. Let your tomatoes ripen to a deep color, which may be red, purplish, orange, yellow, rose…even green. (we picked today, and they are still 3-5 days from being fully ripe. Keep in bag with top down to hasten ripening – NOT on the windowsill). You will soon learn how to determine ripeness.  School is back in session, and I teach full-time kindergarten at Muncy Elementary School as well as farm, so this week as been quite busy! 

This week in your bag…

• Heirloom Tomato (One large or a couple medium size tomatoes)
• Parsley Bunch
• Snap Beans (mixture of Dragon and purple)
• Red Onions
• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
• Salsa Mix, half share members(Garlic, golden tomatillos, Fushimi sweet peppers – recipe included. We trialed these sweet peppers and tomatillos this year, and really like their flavors. You will see more of these delicacies next season!)
• Or
• Salad Turnips, full share members
• Head Lettuce
• Red and Gold Beets (don’t forget to sauté the vitamin-rich greens)
• Summer Squash
• Eggplant (come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. These are tender delicious eggplant, and do not need to be salt-soaked to drain bitterness or be peeled. Beware their prickly caps!)

Happy, healthy eating!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

Ugh!  We are STILL waiting for the tomatoes to turn ripe.  It has been a painful wait, but they’ll turn ripe eventually!  Here is a link to a birding blog featuring our farm… http://countrybirder.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/birding-tewksbury-grace-farm/

This week in your bag…

• Joi Choi (succulent Asian green, excellent in stir fry or try as a cold, spicy kimchee style salad)
• Cucumbers (a mix of white, traditional and Asian, all have thin skins and are exceptionally tasty. Last week for these gems, as downy mildew wreaks its annual havoc.)
• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes (finally, we have at least cherries)
• Salsa Mix (Garlic, golden tomatillos, Fushimi sweet peppers – recipe included. We trialed these sweet peppers and tomatillos this year, and really like their flavors. You will see more of these delicacies next season!)
• Kohlrabi
• Blackberries, half share members (frozen)
• Red Raspberries, full share members(frozen)
• Head Lettuce
• Rosemary bunch
• Summer Squash
• Eggplant

Happy, healthy eating!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

Ugh!  Still waiting for the tomatoes to turn ripe.  They look great.  They look big.  They are plentiful. They are… still green!  No fears, they will be ready soon. Sungold cherry tomatoes are turning ripe this week – expect them next week for sure. This week we have a special treat for you: frozen blackberries. We are having an abundant harvest, and these large, juicy berries are great in a cobbler or added to yogurt. Plan to pick up your bags ASAP to get berries back in your freezer.  This week in your bag…

• Cabbage  (Savoy for full share members, and Red for half share members)
• Cucumbers (a mix of white, traditional and Asian, all have thin skins and are exceptionally tasty. Cukes are on their way out now for the season, as downy mildew wreaks its annual havoc.)
• Basil bunch
• Walla Walla Sweet Onion (last of the season before storage onions are harvested.)
• Snap Bean Medley (a mix of green, flat Italian, flat dragon and burgundy beans) (Spoiler alert: the purple beans turn green when cooked.)
• Head Lettuce or Joi Choi (this is a succulent Asian green, tasty both raw or lightly sautéed).
• Garlic
• Blackberries (frozen – these are a powerhouse fruit. Excellent thawed and drizzled with crème fraiche and agave syrup)
• Eggplant (first of the season. Lovely. These come in different shapes and colors. We struggle with a disease called verticilium wilt, which really, really loves eggplant, and reduces yields significantly.)
• Salad Turnips (first of the late summer harvest. Excellent raw, sautéed, pickled.)
• Summer Squash

Happy, healthy eating!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

We continue to plant fall crops, eyeing the calendar for number of days left until first frost (already!).  Also, we hosted an organic vegetable growers meeting for Penn State  Extension at our farm on Monday, so we had to make sure the farm was looking “inspection ready!”  The rains continue to hit us when we need them, and our crops look great.  The 1.7 inches of rain on Sunday pushed out a flush of perfect shiitakes, so you will find them in your bag this week.  Tomatoes are coming on strong.  You should have some Sungold cherry tomatoes in your bag next week, and by the following week you’ll hopefully be feasting on our prize-winning heirloom tomatoes!  This week’s bag contains…

• Red Cabbage  (large lovely heads)
• Cucumbers (a mix of white, traditional and Asian, all have thin skins and are exceptionally tasty.)
• Parsley bunch (blend of curly and flat leaf)
• Walla Walla Sweet Onions (aren’t these delectable??)
• Snap Bean Medley (a mix of green, flat Italian, flat dragon and burgundy beans) (Spoiler alert: the purple beans turn green when cooked.)
• Shiitake Mushrooms (oy, they’re gorgeous!)
• Carrots
• Summer Squash

Have a great weekend,

Johnny

Hi Friends,

The rain we got on Monday was AMAZING!  We were so thankful (1.4 inches).  The rains came after we had three truckloads of water (total- 13,000 gallons) delivered over the past week and a half.  So during that hot dry period our crops didn’t skip a beat, and they are now rocking out!  And finally the temps have cooled delightfully.

It may be the middle of summer, but we are already thinking of fall.  We have been transplanting cabbage, broccoli, beets, carrots and Brussel sprouts plants, all in anticipation of a big fall harvest. 

This week in your bag…

• Summer Squash (all shapes and colors)
• Italian Di Bue Cabbage (half share members. This loose wrap summer cabbage is our favorite. Sometimes we just cut it into wedges and eat it raw, dipped in dressing. Way sweet and juicy)
• Savoy Cabbage (full share members. Beautiful crinkly green)
• Head Lettuce (delicate, so we do not wash. Rinse gently before use)
• Cucumbers (assorted crispy, juicy, thin-skinned white and green. Unlike store cukes, our’s are not waxed. They do not last as long, so use them sooner than later)
• Walla Walla Sweet Onions
• Carrots (half share members)
• Red Beets (full share members)
• Basil
• Garlic (1 small fresh)
• Frozen Red Raspberries

Please be sure to get your bag as soon as possible (3:45 Muncy, 4:45 LOOP garage) so that your berries don’t melt!  We picked these gems in the peak of the raspberry season a couple of weeks ago and immediately froze them.  They are delicious! Put them into the freezer if not using them immediately.

Happy and healthy eating,

Johnny

Hi Friends,

We’ve been sizzling on our hilltop up here!  This heat has been tough, but we got a load of water yesterday, and we’ve been irrigating to reduce our plants’ stress.  For our stress, I’ve filled up a small stock tank to cool down in, just enough room for one person to soak!  Keep your fingers crossed for a good rainstorm on Saturday – everything needs a big drink. The sunny hot days have been great for our solar oven cooking… dog food, corn on the cob, vegetable quiche, and baked eggs, all roasted to perfection.  This week’s bag will include:

• Italian DiBue Cabbage (loose wrap, conical-shaped summer cabbage – very juicy and crunchy)
• Kale (last small bunch until fall)
• Carrots
• Kohlrabi
• Cilantro or Basil
• Walla Walla Sweet Onions
• Cucumbers (some are supposed to be white or yellow!)
• Head Lettuce or Radicchio (these are delicate items, and we do not pre-wash them)
• Fresh Garlic
• Gold Beets (make sure to use the greens like spinach)

Meals we made this week

Solar Oven Quiche- Seared, sweet potato disks, chopped sweet onion, chopped summer squash, sweet curry, chopped radicchio... place in baked pie shell. Pour beaten eggs, milk and flour mix over vegetables and top with heavy hand of parmesan cheese and bake in solar oven for one hour.

Grilled Radicchio Salad- Grill-seared wedges of radicchio, liberally drizzled with Italian balsamic vinegar, then tossed with goat cheese feta, walnuts, chopped celery, and slivered fennel.

Have a healthy, happy week!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

It is a significant crop transition time for us on the farm.  We have been pulling out early sowings of crops and replacing them with mid-season succession plantings.  Out go the shell and sugar snap peas, and in go the pole beans.  Out goes the fennel, and in go fall cabbage and broccoli.  We’ve had a bit of rain, and the cooler temperatures are much appreciated. This week you’ll get to enjoy another first taste of summer: fresh garlic, the first cucumber (first harvest), and sweet Walla Walla onions.  This week in your bag…

• Salad Turnips
• Radicchio (wonderful quartered and seared on the grill with balsamic drizzle)
• Salad Mix
• Sweet Onions
• Fennel (includes fronds; excellent as a sweet stock)
• Fresh Garlic (uncured; keep refrigerated. Juicy and crisp)
• Kohlrabi
• Cilantro Bunch
• Carrots (Rainbow variety)
• Summer Squash (you will find unique shapes and colors; use just like zucchini)
• Cucumber

Meals we made this week:

Major Stir Fry Event- pan roasted sweet potato, veggie chicken, sweet onion, Serrano pepper, sprouted corn tortilla, chopped tomato, roasted fennel seed, sugar snap peas, basmati rice, olive oil with escarole and basil thrown in at the end to wilt, topped with sour cream dressing and parmesan cheese.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67196459@N04/9265802270/

First Cuke of the Season- Toasted sourdough Gemelli bread (from the Friday Growers Market at Brook Park) with Vegenaise, sliced cucumbers, toasted sesame oil, radicchio and basil, and lots of cracked pepper.

Happy, healthy eating!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

Nothing says summer like the spicy smell of basil, which you will find a small bouquet of in your bag this week.  Another new item this week is our first harvest of sweet onions.  Say good-bye to the peas!  They had a great season, but with warmer weather coming on, they have to make way for snap beans.  In this week’s bag you will find…

• Spinach (bunched)
• Salad Mix
• Shell Peas
• Sugar Snap Peas and Yellow Snow Peas
• Basil
• Kohlrabi
• Radicchio or Fennel
• Summer Squash

Meals we made this week…

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (lots of our veggies sliced up and wrapped in rice paper, dipped in a peanut sauce)

Killa Stir-fry (sugar snap peas, sweet onion, basil, sprouted corn tortilla, scrambled egg, Bekana Asian cabbage)

Hamburger, peas and potatoes (Veggie burger sautéed with sweet onion, solar oven cooked new potatoes, all simmered with a milk sauce with fresh peas added)

What did you do with your share of the harvest?  Tell us in the comments below.

Peace,

Johnny

Hi Friends,

Oh yeah… the sweet sound of rain (even though it came two days after a tanker truck of water was hauled to the farm!)  No worries, not a drop went to waste, and we are very grateful for the rain.  A special thank you to our members who were able to attend our farm tour this week and learn about the techniques we use to grow your food.  We encourage you to teach others about healthy foods and sustainable farms like TGF!  We need to change how our communities understand and consume food. You are making excellent food choices by eating TGF vegetables, fruits, and shiitakes! (we’re keeping our fingers crossed that tonight’s rain will force a mushroom flush for next week).

 We have been begun picking black and red raspberries, and it looks like we will have a good-sized harvest.  We flash freeze the berries and store them in our freezer, so you’ll be enjoying those treats sometime this summer. More delicious greens have been harvested….there are myriad recipe choices online for everything we offer. Just key in the vegetable name, and see what’s cooking. We also encourage you to wilt greens and freeze them for later use in soups, casseroles and stews, if you are unable to use them all now.  In this week’s bag…

• Kohlrabi  (best peeled and eaten raw; remember to use green leaves in a dish)
• Escarole (banded green that resembles head lettuce – please note that this is a bitter green – excellent braised or in a salad with a sweet dressing)
• Shell Peas (remove peas from pod and eat raw or just very lightly steamed or sauteed)
• Sugar Snap Peas and Yellow Snow Peas (eat entire pod; perfect raw or slightly sautéed)
• Tokyo Bekana Cabbage and Red Choi (Asian lettuce cabbage and red choy chopped, braised, and seasoned with any dish)
• Salad Mix
• Fennel (you will receive the entire plant, fronds and all. We like to cut off the stems and fronds and simmer them hard in couple quarts water, then strain. This makes a very tasty soup stock. The bulb is crunchy and sweet, and can be shaved thinly into salads or stir frys. We LOVE this Italian vegetable!)

Meals we had this week…

Stir fry with fried rice (minced garlic scapes sautéed in olive oil with cooked brown basmati rice added until golden, spices, sugar snap peas, chopped choi greens, carrots and sprouted corn tortillas)

Wilted escarole tossed with pasta (sautéed green onions in olive oil, chopped dried tomatoes, shell peas.  Chopped escarole added at end, just enough to wilt.  Tossed with fettuccini, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and grated parmesan.) 

What did you have?  Tell everyone in the comments below.

Peace,

Johnny 

Hi Friends,

Summer starts today, and we have many different summer vegetables to look forward to: eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet onions… did I mention tomatoes?  But for now, during the spring and early summer, the fresh and braising greens reign.  We try to bring you as many varieties of greens as possible, but sadly, the greens will only last so long before they give way in the summer heat.  Here is a link to a blog where the writer talks about how she came to love her CSA greens (http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2012/06/asian-flavored-kale-and-cabbage-slaw.html) 

We hope you are planning on attending our farm tour on Monday. We encourage you to come see how we grow your food! The farm is in full production, so you will see what will be coming up…  Think rain! This season is on the dry side, so we look forward to the next rain shower.  This week in your bag you will find…

• Salad Mix
• Kohlrabi (remember, just peel , slice and eat it raw with a dip if you want)
• Sugar Snap Peas and Yellow Snow Peas (sugar snaps are delicious raw)
• Escarole (this is the banded head in your bag. Excellent chopped and sautéed, and tossed with pasta, or in soups)
• Red Radish/White Salad Turnips (slice and eat raw with a salad)
• Carrots (first sweet blend of the season)
• Kale
• Fresh Thyme Sprigs (chop entire sprig and add to sauté or to stew)

Happy, healthy eating!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

Things are looking great here on our farm!  You may hear us grumble occasionally (close friends hear it often) when we are lacking rain, but you will also hear us rejoice when we get adequate amounts of rainfall.  So, we are doing the happy dance here on the hill.  We’ve had enough rain, the crops look great and our cisterns are full.  If that wasn’t enough, I am out of school, so it was a low stress pack out week, as opposed to last week’s 1:30 a.m. Thursday night salad washing party we were having.  The weather has been fantastic for growing greens and the greens you are getting are super healthy, nutritious and taste great, so enjoy!  This week’s bag…

• Our best-in-the-Universe Salad Mix (even the flowers are edible!)
• Cilantro
• Kohlrabi (peel and eat raw, sliced in strips and dipped in a dressing or add to a salad.You can add the leaves to a salad.)
• Sugar snap peas and yellow snow peas (just a sampling as the plants are just starting to produce.)
• Green bok choy (best prepared by rough chopping the whole plant and fast sautéing with seasoning and oil until just tender)
• Spinach or kale bunch
• White salad turnips and red radish bunch (both best eaten raw)
• Red Japanese mustard spinach (best prepared by rough chopping the whole plant and fast sautéing with seasoning and oil until just tender)
• Garlic scapes (mince and fry like fresh garlic)

Peace,

Johnny

Dear Friends,

We are thankful for the rains today, and hope there is more to come! We are finishing transplanting the hot season vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and peppers), in the fields. With this cool spring, we have luscious early summer greens to offer. In your bag this week, look for an array of colorful, vitamin-rich vegetables:

• Herbal salad mix – so fresh and fragrant!
• Radish/Hakurei sweet turnip bunch
• Garlic scapes – mince and sauté just like fresh garlic
• Joi choi (large, white-ribbed succulent Asian green), or Kale bouquet
• Asian stir-fry medley – a trio of Yokatta-na, Golden Chard, and Hon Tsa Tsai (this braising bunch has lovely sweet yellow flowers, which should be chopped, along with the entire bouquet of green stems. Toss chopped greens into a skillet or wok on high heat, with sesame oil, shoyu, pinch sugar and hot pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Sizzle greens enough to turn, then shut off heat. Greens should be barely wilted – delicious nutritious side to any meal).
• Blackberry jam
•  Red bok choy
•  Green bok choy

Reminder! When we provide dried goods, such as dried shiitake, tomatoes, and herbs, we always recommend that you transfer them to glass jars with seal-tight lids, to prevent pantry moths and moisture, and store them in a dark cupboard.

Peas are coming on strong…look for them soon!

Please remember to pick up your bags as soon as possible and get produce into the fridge immediately, to preserve freshness.

Peace,

Johnny and Leah

Hi Friends,

First delivery of the season and we are fired up to be bringing you some awesome food!  This is week A, so check your schedule if you are a half share to see if you are getting a delivery.  If you are a full share, you are lucky to get a bag every Friday for the next 18 weeks!  This May has been just as crazy as every other May we have experienced.  We have been busy planting, planning, mowing, cutting, building fences, dealing with extreme weather conditions and now harvesting.  We are excited to bring you some more unusual items that you can’t just get anywhere.  We try to label or describe as many of the items as possible, but if you get something in your bag and just don’t know what it is, please send us an email and we will tell you what the UVB (unidentified vegetable in the bag) is.  Also the internet is a good resource for recipes for any of the items we put in our bag, but if you have a particularly good recipe, please add it as a comment below this blog listing.  So, now the time we have been waiting for… what’s in the bag?  Chock full of flavor, vitamins and nutrition, we are featuring:

• ·     Our world famous salad mix (over 20 different types of greens and herbs)  - We like to tear up the larger pieces and then toss the mixture well with a dressing.
• ·Asparagus
• ·Joi Choi – a white-stemmed pac choi that is great as part of a stir-fry:  succulent
• ·Ruby Currant Jam
• ·Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – soak in water, milk, broth,… until tender and then use like fresh mushroom.  Don’t forget to use the soak juice in another recipe.
• ·Asian Braising Greens Medley – a mix of Hon Tsa Tai, Komatsuna and Yokatta-na.  All can be prepared by lightly sautéing.

Enjoy!

Johnny and Leah 

Hi Friends,

This is it, our last CSA delivery of 2012!We have had a great season and are so pleased to have produced such wonderful and nutritious food.We hope you have enjoyed it, and the good health that it promotes.Look for an email from us in the late winter regarding next year’s CSA.Thank you for supporting our farm!

In this week’s bags, you will find the ingredients for a Thanksgiving feast!

·Brussel Sprouts (our favorite way: sear sprouts in browned, salted butter.Turn off heat.Add half cup orange juice.Cover for five minutes.Eat asap.)

·Fennel (Use the tops in salads or soup stock.)

·Sweet White Turnips

·Sweet Potatoes (These are amazing!)

·Winter Squash Medley (Cut up, keep refrigerated.Note: The deep orange slice is a French heirloom called Musque De Provence – this is delicious thinly sliced and eaten raw.Try it with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar drizzle.)

·Arugula

·Red Beets

·Dried Paprika (A sweet yellow Hungarian pepper, powdered.)

·Kale

·Ruby Currant Jam

·Fresh Baby Ginger

·Celery (We left all leaves intact.Use chopped leaves in soups or casseroles or in stock.)

Enjoy!

Johnny

Hi Friends,

We were lucky to get through the freeze two weeks ago with minimum damage.  We used double and triple layers of row cover on our crops.   This week we have enjoyed warm weather for harvesting and cleaning.  We have plenty of fresh produce to bring to you this week.  This week we are featuring our bodacious celery; this isn’t any of that weak stuff from California!  These are very large, succulent and with leaves intact.  Chop and use leaves in soups, sautés or salads.  Remember you will have two bags this week and in them you will find the following delicious and nutritious items…

• Potatoes (mixed blue, red and white)
• Onions
• Arugula
• Parsley
• Celery
• Fresh Cranberry Shell Beans (These are perishable, so please use them in the next week and refer to the bag label for cooking instructions.)
• Red and Gold Beets
• Strawberry Jam
• Cauliflower (white and Violetta purple florets)
• Ginger (please read bag label – very perishable)
• Hakurei White Turnips
• Radishes
• Rosemary Sprig

Enjoy in good health!

Johnny

Johnny 

Hi Friends,

This is the last delivery for our summer CSA and we managed to get each of you a few tomatoes.  It will be a long time before we taste gems like this again (boo hoo!)  Thank you for supporting our farm this season.  We hope you were happy with your share of the harvest.  We look forward to another great season next year!

In your bag this week…

• Red Cabbage
• Blackberry Jam
• Eggplant
• One Large Onion
• Summer Squash
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Head Lettuce
• Japanese Selection:  Hakurei Sweet White Turnip (eat raw and tender greens can be flash sautéed) or Shiitake Mushroom
• Frozen Red and Black Raspberries (please pick up your bag as soon as possible)

Peace,

Johnny

Hi Friends,

Summer is fading away, but we are still squeezing some tasty summer treats out of our garden beds.  Be sure to pick up your bag right away on Friday, as it will have frozen berries in it.  For our A week half share members, this will be your last summer CSA delivery.  Look for details soon on our fall CSA.  In your bag this week you will find the following items…

• Heirloom Tomatoes (perhaps the last? Snif, sob)
• Snap Beans
• Shiitake Mushrooms (Yahoo! Some woodland jems)
• Summer Squash
• Basil / Rosemary Sprigs
• Frozen Red and Black Raspberries
• Head Lettuce

Peace,

Johnny

Hi Friends,

We are noticing the days are getting shorter, as we hustle to get our harvest in before it gets dark.  Once our crops are in the barn we can then take our time getting them packed out.  Our pack out for you this week includes the following items…

• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Squash
• Eggplant
• Basil
• Snap Beans
• Gold Beets or Potatoes
• Garlic
• Onions

Peace and happy eating,

Johnny

Hi Friends,

The tomatoes are sadly starting to slow down.Ah….. that’s life, season’s come and go.Vegetables get their time in the spotlight and then have to move over for other crops.This week our new potatoes make their debut, a tasty mix of red and blue potatoes.These end of season tomatoes are ripe and ready to eat: if you are not ready to eat them soon, we recommend chopping them up for winter soups and sauces.This week in your bag you will find the following:

• Heirloom Tomatoes (remember if you receive a green tomato, it is ripe and ready to eat)
• Summer Squash
• Basil
• Snap Beans (a mix of rattlesnake, purple streaked beans and Italian flat beans – delicious lightly sautéed in olive oil and lemon zest)
• Red Beets and Radishes or Kohlrabi and Parsley
• Large Onion
• Red and Blue Potatoes

Eat well!

Johnny