Hello! We hope you all made it through the weekend without melting into a puddle! As I’m sure you can all imagine, it was a challenging week on the farm for the hot vegetables. We’re very lucky that our irrigation is up and running, but even so, the sprinklers can only can touch a portion of the fields at any given time. I think we saw the lettuce melt before our eyes, and the Swiss chard gave up the fight and simply flopped over by Saturday afternoon. But on Monday morning the mist and cooler temperatures gave the vegetables (and humans) a reprieve, and today’s harvest felt blissfully, appropriately seasonal. What a relief!
The first week of the CSA ran relatively smoothly even with all the distancing — thank you to all who waited patiently in the sun! Everyone remembered their masks (yay!) — the only challenge was how many folks arrived on the early (or pre-early) side of the pickup time frame. Please keep in mind that the Tuesday Rockland pickup runs from 3:30-5:30, and the Thursday farm pickup runs from 4:30-6:00. If you are in a hurry, we will try to put a bag together for you to grab and run as soon as the pickup begins!
If you get a milk share (and, in future weeks, yogurt), please always bring your glass jars back to your next CSA pickup. The cheese bags must also be returned. The ferment jars are yours to keep, as is the honey jar (this is the first Honey CSA week!).
We have an offer of ground beef for our members from the awesome farmers Sara Hodges and John Wright, of Sparkplug Farm in Leeds. Some of you may remember Sara and John from when they were apprentices at Hatchet Cove nine years ago, and we are lucky to now be able to offer our members 100% grassfed beef from their herd of Shorthorn/Devon cows. These are very well-loved cows who get moved through pasture once a day during the grazing season, and spend their winters eating organic hay. If you are interested in purchasing ground beef ($70 per 10 lbs) from Sparkplug Farm, please fill out this form. They will make a delivery to your CSA pickup in the near future!
Also, there are just eleven shares left in the Apple CSA. The apple share is one of my favorite things about fall! The Out On a Limb CSA focuses exclusively on rare apples and is run by the gurus of Maine apples, John Bunker and Cammy Watts. Apple CSA members receive five pickups in total, every other week from early September to early November. Each week’s share contains 10-12 lbs of apples (approximately 1/4 bushel), striving for at least four varieties based on what is ripe and available at that moment. The aim of Out On a Limb is to introduce members to the wealth of apple varieties that grow in the region and at the same time support small Maine orchards that continue to grow both heritage and uncommon modern apples. The cost is $170 for five deliveries, early-September to early November. Please reply to this email and let me know if you would like to add an Apple CSA to your shares.
The creamy white bulbs in this week’s share are Hakurei turnips. A mild fresh-eating turnip, both the bulb and the greens are delicious. Slice or grate the turnip into salads or slaws, cut it into thin slices to use in place of a cracker, or roast or braise them (though raw is my favorite way!). The greens can be used like any mustard or cooking green — sauteed with garlic, or added to a stir fry at the very end. For both the radishes and the Hakurei, if you don’t plan to use them right away, cut the bulbs away from the leaves and store them in separate plastic bags. The roots will last nearly indefinitely when apart from the greens. As for the greens, like all other greens, store them just barely damp in a plastic bag or tupperware-like bin. If you protect them from the drying air of the refrigerator, they’ll stay fresh for a very long time!
Have a wonderful week, and please be in touch with any questions! We’re so happy to be growing for you!
Reba, Bill and the HCF crew
CSA Vegetables Week Two: Lettuce Mix, Spinach or Arugula, Kale or Chard, Radishes, Hakurei Turnips, Broccoli (Head, Sprouting or Broccolini)
Add-on Shares Week Two: Honey, Cheese, Mushrooms, Oil & Vinegar, Milk, Bread
This week’s recipes: Our Favorite Balsamic, Spinach and Chickpeas, Roasted Hakurei Turnips and Radishes
HATCHET COVE FARM 