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Month: September 2017

What a weekend – we hope you made it to the beach or enjoyed the warm sun where ever you could!  Produce is really growing fast for this time of year -almost like June except that the days are shorter. It’s all good news as it should make the fall crops like carrots and cabbage really size up. With any luck we will get a little rain too and then at some point a bit of frost to sweeten everything up!

CSA Upgrade…More Choice Next Season! (and your thoughts?)

This September some of you are in the home stretch of your very first CSA season!  Others, we are honored and grateful to say, have been with us here at Crystal Spring Farm for thirteen seasons!  We know there are lots of great reasons why people participate in our farm – appreciating great local and organic produce (at a relatively low cost);  valuing the role of a local farm, coming to Upic, and more.  We also have recognized and acknowledged the challenges of CSA – primarily the lack of choice in what you bring home to prepare and enjoy.   While this can be a welcome adventure in some cases, we understand it may not be ideal. While we try to offset this by offering “mix and match” with the greens and other veggies as much as possible, we have been strategizing ways to make the CSA experience even better in regards to choice.  

As we flesh out the possibilities for increased choice we will let you know about changes to come for next season.  In the meantime we welcome your thoughts!  

Farm to Table at the Crystal Spring

Join us for a farm to table multi course meal on the farm this Sunday 3-7. Our produce, pork and craft beers will be offered along with beautiful views and good conversation. For more info and to sign up follow this link.

Fall Shares Still Available

Keep eating with us through the end of the year with our fall share. Come to the farm every other Tuesday in November and December for storage vegetables like onions, squash, potatoes and carrots as well as fresh greens like spinach and lettuce cut from our greenhouses. Not ready to quit in October? This share is for you. Here’s the link to sign up.

2018 Signups Underway 

Thank you to all of you who have signed up during the last week. Your support at this time of year is really appreciated. Here’s the link if you haven’t gotten to it yet… 

What’s In The Share

  • Radishes
  • Tomatoes
  • Mustard
  • Onions
  • Kale/chard
  • Acorn Squash
  • Eggplant/Peppers
  • Lettuce
  • Chickories
  • Spinach

What’s In Upic

  • Cherry Toms
  • Tomatillos
  • Flowers
  • Herbs

September is wistful, watching as summer slips away. Kids are in school. The schedule locks in and gets busy for everyone. Thoughts of winter and everything that needs to be fixed and buttoned up before snow flies, begin to creep in. For us on the farm, September is also the end of our year. Even though we have more than a month of harvest yet to share with you, our production and budget year is coming to a close. Most of our 2017 expenses are paid out by the 30th (short of payroll) and starting in October we begin to look forward to and take on the expenses for the year to come.

Beside growing things well, us farmers are entrepreneurs. Not like the Silicon Valley types that are backed by seemingly endless venture capital, but the type that makes budgets and writes checks to keep things running in the black. Each fall we buy heavily for the coming season. Just like anything in our “free-market” economy, we save money by paying early and buying in bulk. Greenhouse soil for our 342,000 transplants comes from Vermont and ran $6,484 last year, which is %10 off when paid before December 1. Our seed orders from Johnnys,  Fedco and High Mowing came in at $8,370. For the last four years Fedco and Johnnys have run out of stock in January on many seeds sold in larger (i.e. farm) sizes. We work hard to put in our order in before the end of December so we can be sure to get the varieties of carrots, broccoli, onions, etc. that grow well here. The purchasing list continues with diesel and heating fuel, field row covers, irrigation supplies, etc.  This eager push to buy early allows us to save money. That’s good for us as a business but it’s also good for you, as it allows us to harvest great food for your family at a very affordable price. In 2016 the price per pound of the produce we harvested for the CSA was $1.44.  The next time you are in the produce aisle keep an eye out for anything there that you can find for $1.44 per pound, much less anything freshly harvested and certified organic. We know that most of you are not members of the CSA solely because it makes sense on paper.  Perhaps like Maura and I,  you love the farm, cherish the community here each week, and thrive on being creative in the kitchen with what you bring home. The value of our produce helps catalyze all that other important stuff.  I’m going deep with this today to remind you why we need you to sign up for your shares — so we can make everything else that is so important here work.

This past fall we fell short of our membership goals for the first time in many seasons. In addition we had many late sign-ups and late payments. Our theories as to why this came to be run from a cold spring to a general malaise (due the political climate?). Whatever the reason we want you to know that we are here growing for you, even when the ground is frozen and you can’t even begin to dream of greenery outside. Thank you to all of you who are a part of the farm and please know that we are honored to be your farmers and can’t wait to get to work starting our new season.

Sign up for 2018!

We have a new sign-up site. As technology advances we move with it. In addition to automated credit card and echeck payments you can also access your balance at anytime and store your payment info for later. Thanks again for letting grow food for you…here’s the link for 2018 Sign-up.

Farm to Table Dinner Party -October 1

We have teamed up with our friends at Dirigo Public House in Yarmouth to host a farm to table dinner here at the farm Sunday October 1 from 3-7pm. Farm produce and pork along with craft beer pairings will make a meal in the fields the perfect way to spend a fall afternoon. Look for more info and tickets via email in the next few days.

Fall Shares Still Available

Keep eating with us through the end of the year with our fall share. Come to the farm every other Tuesday in November and December for storage vegetables like onions, squash, potatoes and carrots as well as fresh greens like spinach and lettuce cut from our greenhouses. Not ready to quit in October? This share is for you. Here’s the link to sign up.

What’s In The Share

  • Tomatoes
  • Baby Bok Choi
  • Mustard
  • Onions
  • Kale
  • Onions
  • Red Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Lettuce
  • Spinach

What’s In Upic

  • Cherry Toms
  • Tomatillos
  • Flowers
  • Herbs

 

Loving fall is easy to do this year. Warm days, cool nights, regular rain -this is the climate we all want! I’m trying to soak up these days. Our late season crops feel the same way as they are looking great. Cabbage and broccoli, spinach and lettuce, it’s all exploding out there.

While we are loving this fall the crew is also getting ready for what comes next. We start prepping one of the tomato tunnels this week for the greens that will go into the last fall share. This involves pulling out the spent tomato plants and their trellising as well as turning over the ground and fertilizing. We are also trialling a fall transplanted onion variety that winters over and is harvestable in June. These onions spend the winter outside, growing slowly. More on this next spring…

 

With fall also comes the back to school/back to work busy. A CSA member

forwarded a favorite slow cooker recipe using upic tomatillos for

the heavily scheduled:

Tomatillo Chicken

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 quart of tomatillos
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (legs and thighs work too)
  • 4 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper
  • chopped cilantro to top

Start slow cooker on low, add olive olive to coat bottom. Remove tomatillo husks, wash and halve. Lay chicken into cooker followed by onion slices then tomatillos, garlic and jalapeño. Pour in broth and finish with salt and pepper before closing the lid and cooking for 8 hours. Remove chicken and blend the contents of the cooker. Shred the chicken and top with blended sauce.

Fennel -it’s not licorice really!

Fennel makes and appearance in the share this week. We always walk on eggshells when we offer this vegetable as it is not universally loved. Like most scorned things, it is misunderstood. Yes it smell like licorice but when cooked it becomes sweet and complements everything from apples to onions. Here’s a great way to get started with fennel for the uninitiated:

Fennel, Kale and Rice Gratin

  • 1 hearty handful of stemmed kale
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 -2 bulbs fennel, trimmed, quartered, cored and chopped (about 4 cups chopped)
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup milk 
  • 1 cup cooked rice, preferably short-grain
  • 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup) (sub any cheese here)
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs, or a mixture of breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add a generous amount of salt and add kale. Blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, remove from the water with a deep fry skimmer or a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and, taking the greens up by the handful, squeeze hard to expel excess water. Chop medium-fine or cut in thin ribbons.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add fennel. Cook, stirring often, until the fennel begins to soften. Add salt to taste and continue to cook, stirring often, until the fennel is very tender and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and kale, stir together for another minute, then stir in dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
  3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in milk and salt to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon). Stir in fennel and kale mixture, rice and Gruyère, and combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Scrape into baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top if using, and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until set and the top and sides are beginning to color. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. This is good hot, warm, or room temperature.

 

Late Fall Shares Still Available

Don’t want the fun to end in October? Sign up for our late fall share. Storage vegetables like carrots cabbage and potatoes along with fresh greens out of our tunnel. Sign up online here.

Farm Raised Pork For Your Freezer

We have filled almost all of our orders for pork. If you are considering filling your freezer with some outstanding farm raised bacon (and a few other cuts) don’t delay. Never had farm raised pork? It is like nothing the grocery store has to offer. Raised on pasture and fed organic grain (in addition to gelato) our pork tastes great and you know where the animals came from and how they lived.  Ask us for a info/sign-up sheet at pick-up or download one here.

What’s In The Share

  • Tomatoes
  • Fennel
  • Arugula
  • Tatsoi
  • Peppers
  • Onions
  • Melon
  • Garlic

What’s In Upic

  • Cherry Toms
  • Tomatillos
  • Flowers
  • Herbs

Cold nights and some rain (finally) tells me that we are in a new season. To make this transition even clearer we are sending you home with both tomatoes and winter squash! Here’s a great rainy day recipe that puts both together into a dish that will keep you warm.

Roasted Tomatoes and Winter Squash

6 large heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered*
2 delicata squash, seeded, cubed and peeled (optional)
3 cloves garlic
2 fronds of fresh rosemary, branch removed
6-8 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp dry oregano
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
bunch of rainbow chard, de-stemmed and chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and in the meantime prep tomatoes and squash. In two separate 9×13 baking dishes spread tomatoes in one and cubed squash in the other. Drizzle each with olive oil and a sprinkle of pepper. Place tomatoes on top rack and delicata on bottom.

Bake for 30 minutes. Check that delicata is tender and remove from oven. Stir tomatoes and keep baking. Let delicata cool in dish. Bake tomatoes until juices have caramelized and tomatoes have crispy edges, about another 30 minutes.

Once tomatoes have roasted remove from dish and place in a high powered blender with 3 cloves garlic, rosemary, basil, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Puree.

In a medium skillet saute chard in a little olive oil. Once wilted combine gently all 3 components: tomato puree, roasted squash cubes and sauted chard.

Labor Day Potato Harvest…Done

It’s always a gamble to ask all of you to come out and toil with us on one of the biggest days off of the year…but we have never been disappointed! About 30 of us spent 2 hours pulling about 6ooo lbs of potatoes from a half acre of our fields. To have what would of been several days of work for the crew done in a morning was great. Thanks to all of you who came out and shared your day.

Late Fall Shares Still Available

Don’t want the fun to end in October? Sign up for our late fall share. Storage vegetables like carrots cabbage and potatoes along with fresh greens out of our tunnel. Sign up online here.

Farm Raised Pork For Your Freezer

We have filled almost all of our orders for pork. If you are considering filling your freezer with some outstanding farm raised bacon (and a few other cuts) don’t delay. Never had farm raised pork? It is like nothing the grocery store has to offer. Raised on pasture and fed organic grain (in addition to gelato) our pork tastes great and you know where the animals came from and how they lived.  Ask us for a info/sign-up sheet at pick-up or download one here.

What’s In The Share

  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Summer Squash
  • Arugula/Lettuce
  • Peppers
  • Delicata Squash
  • Onions
  • Carrots

What’s In Upic

  • Cherry Toms
  • Tomatillos
  • Flowers
  • Herbs
  • Edamame