Circle M Farm

This was our final week of planting here at Circle M. In spite of the present fullness of the gardens, with the squash plot now over waist high, onions literally popping themselves out of the ground, orange pumpkins suddenly appearing in places we’d forgotten we’d put them and edemame pods fattening in the tight rows of lush soybean plants, we sort of feel like the season is coming to a close. We’ve seeded our last rounds of lettuce, spinach, arugula, rapini, radish and turnips and transplanted the fall brassicas that had been waiting patiently in the greenhouse since early July. Obviously the joy of exuberant planting is at the core of market farming, but we definitely feel a great sense of relief in being done at this point. Less weeding, less organizing, less stress over what has to come out of the ground so something else can get in.

Though we now have daily harvests of beans, summer squash, cucumbers and peppers (thank goodness, no tomatoes this year!) and the looming tasks of eventually bringing in all the potatoes and winter squash, we neverthless find our minds turning to inside occupations like preserving and baking; even flirting with the off-season joys of spinning, knitting, dyeing and otherwise playing with our wool. I’ve longed to build a fire more than a few times during these unseasonably cool August nights and we actually sipped hot chocolate as a bedtime snack last night. I’ve switched from Modelos and lagers to stout with dinner and I’m thawing a pot roast to fix tomorrow.

And reading! I’ve started to read fiction again, which is a sure sign that fall is just around the corner. Having visited Taliesen with a friend this spring, I’m ploughing through the three current books on Frank Lloyd Wright and his various love affairs and architectural masterpieces. But however much I might wish to immerse myself in a novel next to the woodstove, the fact remains that there is a lot of food still to be gathered out there. We are thoroughly enjoying the appearance of late-season stars like chard, leeks, beets and Brussels sprouts. Beauties, all. Here’s what’s in the box:

Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage – I just LOVE these sweet, little, pointy-headed cabbages. Notice how some of the ribs turn purpley-pink. What a pretty pretty vegetable.

Swiss Chard - Talk about pretty – wow! Use this just like spinach, or try out one of the recipes below. Chard is a relative of beets, one cultivated over the years for leaves, the other for roots. This week, it’s easy to see their similarities.

Leeks – We’ve had so much fun with onions the past few weeks, and now we introduce some baby leeks. These will get really big eventually, but skinnier ones are a bit easier to cook with since they are less fibrous. Enjoy in soup, quiche or in the terrific combo with Swiss Chard we’ve published below.

Baby Eggplant - Absolutely fabulous roasted with squash. This is a great time of year to roast pretty much anything coming out of the garden. These young skins aren’t bitter at all and don’t require the salting, baking and breading that giant specimens entail.

String Beans – The first planting of green beans is all picked out, and now we’re on to yellow wax and purple string. The purple are cool in a salad, but will turn green when you cook them. More green beans will be ready to pick in a few weeks!

Basil - These leaves are starting to look ragged – but the taste is still terrific. Freeze, freeze, freeze! Make big batches of pesto and freeze whatever you don’t eat in one night.

Baby Beets - These bunches are a mix of our spring-sown beets and those we planted in the middle of summer. Can you see the difference in size? Nope? That’s ‘cause there isn’t any. We don’t really know how to explain this, but other local farmers have reported the same experience with their early beets not growing. Too cold? Too damp? We’re not sure, but we do like the look of these two varieties and their different colored roots and leaves together. Don’t even think of peeling these, just wash and use!

Brussels Sprouts – We don’t usually harvest these mini cabbages until the middle of fall, but this year, they are so large and mature that the sprouts on the bottom of the plants are starting to burst. So – here’s an early harvest of the most precocious brussels sprouts, with more to come later. A nice way to enjoy these as a side dish is to simply slice in half, sauté in butter, then salt and pepper to taste. We’re having this tonight!

Onions

Garlic – Much of the garlic we planted last year to harvest this summer rotted under the winter mulch that sat wet most of early spring. But we did get some bulbs out of the patch and we are happy to give you this delicious hard-neck variety. Very strong and spicy.

Tomatoes and Tomatillos – Thanks to Hillspring Eco Farm for sharing this week. As the blight spreads, we are ever more thankful for these generous neighbors with un-touched tomatoes. All of the tomatoes we’ve included are perfectly ripe – some red, some black, some pink, some yellow. The small oval Romas are less wet and just perfect for sauces.

Sweet and Hot Peppers - For sweet peppers this week, you’ve got white Feherezon, Purple Beauty bells, almost-mature Red Ace bells and the absolutely amazing, mostly-red Jimmy Nardello frying peppers. (We’re still looking for the Valencia orange bells, but this weather just isn’t what peppers like. )Oddly enough, the hot peppers really seem to be thriving. You’ve got tiny little red Thai Hots, little yellow Ho Chi Minh cayennes, green chilis, long yellow Hungarian Hot Wax and the absolutely stunning purple Czech Black.

Sweet Corn – Hooray! We are pretty pleased with this harvest. After losing last year’s corn to a 15-minute windstorm and the year before that to an August flood, we are soooo happy to have sweet corn this year!

Cucumbers

Squash - Still going strong out there in the gardens, though we see the plants starting to die back a bit. We’ve got Black zucchini, ribbed Romanesca and the typical flecked variety. We’ve got long yellow buttersticks, lumpy crooknecks and round Lemon. Finally, we’re starting to see the lovely Bennings Green Tint pattypans. If you’ve grown tired of eating these fresh, now is the time to grate and freeze in 2-cup bags to use in bread and cake recipes this fall and winter. A farmer and chef friend of ours recently turned me on to chutney made with squash. Another farmer friend steams and purees summer squash, then freezes it to use as a soup base in the winter. Try the recipes below.

Garlic Chive Blossoms - Pull the flowers apart and use them in recipes just like garlic. Or, float them in vinegar to infuse it with a nice light flavor, or use the flowers to garnish a savory omelette or cheese dish.

Summer Savory – this delightful herb is new to us this year and we are just loving it in place of thyme, our usual summer standby that goes in everything. The thyme is a bit crispy right now, but bouncing back, while this savory is just amazingly lush and fresh. Pick off the leaves and sprinkle in tomato sauces, egg dishes, beet recipes and squash sautes.

Pineapple Sage – This gorgeous sage is a tender plant, so it doesn’t overwinter in our region, but we grow it new every year because it is just such a stunning herb. The foliage is so many shades of blush and green, and the flowers are a shock of fuschia. Most years, that is. Ours hasn’t blossomed yet, likely because it’s been too cool. We’ve still got time. The flavor is quite special, too, more of a summer taste than typical sage. Use it in iced tea, lemonade and in savory breads and muffins.

Flower Bouquet: We’ve got a lovely combination of Butterfly Bush blossoms (that heady fragrance!), tiny Black-eyed Susans, pink Anemones, wild purple Joe Pye Weed, Miscanthus and delicate Cosmos.

Seared Rainbow Chard with Leeks
1 bunch (1lb) rainbow chard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Cut stems from chard (if leaves are large, cut out coarse portions of rib), then cut stems crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-thick strips of leaves. Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté chard stems and leeks with sea salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chard leaves and continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until wilted. (If greens begin to brown before they wilt, sprinkle with a few drops of water.)

Stuffed Zucchini
1/4 pound ground lamb (yes, we do have a few packages of ground lamb left)
1/4 cup basmati rice
2 cups tomato puree, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds small zucchini or yellow squash (medium patty-pans also work)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried mint

Mix together the ground lamb, basmati rice, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 1/2 teaspoon mint, salt, and pepper; mix well, and set aside. Slice the ends off of the zucchinis and hollow out the centers using an apple corer. Stuff with lamb mixture. Stir together the remaining tomato puree with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large skillet. Place the stuffed zucchini into the sauce, and add enough water to cover the zucchini. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of mint. Recover, and simmer an additional 15 minutes. To serve, cut the zucchini crosswise into rounds and arrange on a serving plate. Spoon sauce over the top.

Follow this link for a great Zucchini Coconut Cookie Bar recipe.

If you follow Circle M on the blog page, you’ll already know that we’ve thrown in the towel on our tomatoes for this season. We’ve got the late blight fungus that you’ve likely heard about on the radio by now. Our closest neighbors have burned their plants and we’ll be stuffing ours into plastic bags so as not to infect our compost or land for next year. It’s the same strain that was responsible for the Irish Potato Famine and is threatening both tomatoes and potatoes in Wisconsin. The northeast has seen something like 70% loss of its tomato crop. That’s the bad news. The good news is, we’ll be bringing you tomatoes from our farm neighbors who haven’t got the blight. Many thanks this week to Hillspring Eco-Farm and Snug Haven Farm. Obviously, we won’t be able to bring you as many tomatoes in as many heirloom varieties as we’d planned, but you’ll definitely get a juicy taste of summer’s best. Thankfully on a farm as diverse as ours, there is always something thriving when others fail. This week we’ve got stunning Swiss chard and multi-colored green beans. Here’s what else is in the box: continued »

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. continued »

If Circle M was Sesame Street, this week’s CSA box would be brought to you by the word ONION. continued »

We’re beginning to despair for the tomatoes here at Circle M. We’ve got early blight blackening the bottom leaves, and though our tomatoes always catch this fungus from the soil, the fruits generally ripen up before the plants give up. But we need more heat if we’re going to win that race this year. Nevertheless, we’ve given you the first few ripe tomatoes, and tomatillos, which are thankfully growing like weeds. Salsa Verde is a great first taste of summer. continued »

Rain rain go away, we keep having to harvest another day! Some things can be harvested in any sort of weather, like the carrots, for instance, which were all picked in a rainstorm two weeks ago. But today’s box includes things like basil, which really shouldn’t be picked wet because it will rot faster. Many plants become susceptible to fungus if you handle them when wet, like potatoes and tomatoes and beans. Plus, walking on your garden when it’s wet compacts the soil and makes it harder to work with and less easy for things to grow. So for many reasons, we’ve had enough rain here at Circle M! Now it’s time to let the sun shine hot and let the tomatoes and squash get ripe! Here’s what’s in the box: continued »

We’ve had a most delightful, colorful and delicious week in the gardens. First, we harvested these beautiful Mini Red Purplette onions. And then we started digging the potatoes and found we had some of the most shockingly gorgeous tubers ever to emerge out of our sandy black dirt. continued »

I went foraging for our Circle M CSA members this week, since the elderberries are blooming in profusion along my swamp and in hedgerows all over the countryside. In Madison, too! These tiny white blooms make a great cordial to add to summer drinks, and fantastic traditional British fritters. Try these, then hurry and go pick some more if you like them! They’ll only be in bloom for another week or so, and then you’ll have to wait for the berries. We’ve included the fritter recipe below, but check out this whimsical site for a great picture blog of how to make them. continued »

People ask me all the time, “How do you do it?” Meaning, how do I take care of all the animals and gardens here at Circle M? Well, I don’t! I have a fabulous crew of family and Work Share Farm Members who do the lion’s share of labor around here. Three of my children (that’s Jake and Emma in the picture) and nine crew members who work for produce and meat (that’s Cherie behind Emma) are what it takes to get our CSA boxes out every week. Sometimes we get extra help from neighbors who pitch in when something crazy happens, like June’s flood. And of course, Shannon, my husband, holds a full time job and then wraps up his evenings by running and repairing the fencing that is the constant challenge of a rotational grazing system. My main job is to keep it all organized and think about what crops come next! Here’s what’s in the box this week. continued »

What a week it has been here at Circle M. Last Thursday’s wind and rainstorms knocked over our towering pea plants (trellises and all!) and the following day the Pecatonica River rose to cover the neighbor’s cornfield, the county road, and our lowest garden. Luckily, we had warning that the flood water was coming from the north, so we waded into the soggy rows and un-planted all the celery, celeriac and flowers we’d transplanted there in the past few weeks. Just in time, the onset of fierce heat did in our spinach plants, so we quickly tossed them out of the higher garden plots and popped the rescued plants in those newly-cleared beds. We don’t really want to complain about the rain, though, since it’s made everything in the ground grow like crazy. We’ve got overflowing boxes this week… continued »