Circle M Farm

Though we enjoy lots of victories here at Circle M, there are moments when we sometimes have to throw our hands up and admit defeat.
Last weekend we made the difficult decision to pull out all 200-some tomato plants. Late blight, the very fungus responsible for the famous Irish potato famine, has infected our little valley. I’d been concerned about the yellow leaves developing on my tomatoes since early summer, but last week my neighbor took a leaf sample from his own to Jung’s, where they told him to burn all his plants. Then I heard an NPR garden show that mentioned late blight as a Wisconsin problem this year. After following the links on their website, I realized that’s what we had out here. So for the sake of future potatoes and tomatoes, this year’s plants have to go before they release more spores.

According to the government agent who came out here today to confirm the disease in my garden, the fungus is spread by wind and has been tentatively traced to a nursery in Alabama who’s seedlings were sold at Walmart, Kmart, Home Depot and other large chain stores. I started all of my tomatoes from seed here in the house, but once they were outside, this spring’s cool humid conditions apparently gave the airborne fungus spores the ideal conditions to grow on them.

In previous years, the onset of various blights and funguses on our tomato foliage has been out-paced by the plants’ ability to produce and ripen fruit. But late blight moves so fast and is so destructive, it’s wiped out a huge percentage of the tomato crop in the Northeast this year. In fact, New York’s Governor Paterson has requested that the USDA designate 17 New York counties as agricultural disaster areas. If these counties get this designation, low-interest loans will be made available based on the extent of the losses.

We have such a diversified operation here, we don’t really consider the loss of the tomatoes a disaster. You might, however! We know that our customers look forward to fresh, unique, juicy heirloom tomatoes all year long. We hate to disappoint you and we’ve already made arrangements with other area farms to trade labor and surplus produce for some of their surplus tomatoes. But we won’t be able to offer you the generous amount we’d planned for your boxes this summer. We are thankful for the wonderful abundance of some of the other summer crops. Here’s what’s in the box:

New Potatoes – These beautiful yellow potatoes have a flavor you’ll find similar to Yukon Gold, but with a creamier texture perfect for mashing . We’ve also included a few more Red Pontiac and All Blue. These potatoes may have been affected by the late blight on our tomatoes, even though they don’t show any signs of damage, so they might not store well. Keep in the refrigerator and use soon.
Eggplant – We’ve got so many different varieties out there, it’s hard to tell what is what, but you will have a few purple, white and green eventually.
Summer Squash – Both yellow crookneck and round Lemon. Try the amazing member recipe we’ve included below!
Cucumbers – Wow! This is the year to learn to make pickles – see recipe below. We’ve got typical green Marketmores, white Poona Kheera and smooth skinned Middle Eastern heirloom, Super Zagross.
Zucchini – A big one for baking and small ones to stir fry.
Scallions – You’ll want these to make more Salsa Verde with the ever-sweetening tomatillos.
Shallots – Milder and more tender than onions, use raw in salads and dressings or cooked. The red are Prisma and the orange are Picasso. Very nice in pickles! Store in the fridge.
Fresh Onions – We wanted to give you a few of the many varieties we grew this year, all of which have different characteristics and different uses. The yellow round ones are Frontier and are a nice strong crisp bulb, good for salsas. The flattened white bulbs are Borrettana Cipollini, an Italian favorite for boiling whole or braising. Mild flavor.
Green Peppers – We expect to see more of these turning red in the hot weeks ahead.
Hot Peppers – You’ve got yellow Hungarian Hot Wax, a bit spicy; green jalapenos, a little spicer and small chilis – hot and getting hotter!
Circle M Summer Salad Mix – We’ve topped these greens with spicy round nasturtium leaves and edible flowers. The whole daisies are Calendula, and you can pull the petals off them to mix into the salad.
Green Beans – The first of the season. What a treat.
Tomatillos
Tomatoes – Many thanks to Hillspring Farm Eco-Farm for sharing!
Basil – You’ve got two separate bags – the larger is Italian Sweet and the smaller leaved variety is lemon basil. What a fragrance! Experiment!
Broccoli Spears – Still more!!!
Herb Bouquet: This week we’ve got fresh Celery stalks, flat-leaved Italian Parsley, round leaved Oregano, serrated Lemon Balm and spiky-looking Rosemary.

Confetti Couscous
This is from Farm Member Emma Cornwell, adapted from Cooking Light Magazine. Good luck in your first year of college, Emma!

2 baby eggplants, cut into ½ inch slices
2 zucchini or summer squash cut into ½ inch slices
2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
2 cups water
1 ½ cups chicken broth
2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous (large pearls)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat grill to medium-high. Coat eggplant, squash, and peppers evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on grill rack; grill 3 min. on each slide, or until slightly charred. Cool and chop. Place veggies in large bowl. Bring 2 cups water and the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous. Reduce heat and simmer 8 min. or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add couscous to veggies. Toss. Combine vinegar and mustard in a medium bowl, stirring well. Gradually add ¼ cup olive oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle over couscous; toss to coat. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Stir in basil. We put fresh diced tomatoes and feta cheese on top as well. This recipe yields 8 servings and can be made ahead of time, but add basil just before serving.

Refrigerator Pickles from cooks.com
6 c. thinly sliced cucumber
2 c. thinly sliced onions
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

In a glass or crockery bowl, alternately layer the sliced cucumbers and onions. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and ground turmeric; bring to boiling, stirring just until sugar is dissolved. Pour vinegar mixture atop cucumber-onion mixture. Cool slightly. Cover tightly; refrigerate pickles at least 24 hours before serving. Store up to 1 month in refrigerator. Makes 7 cups.