Blessing Falls Family Farm

This week we’re having a “Five Day Farm Feast”.  Our goal is to eat from our farm’s produce, eggs, and meats as much as possible, making everything from scratch for five days.  Breads, sauces, pestos, yogurt, sour cream, cheese – all from scratch.  We’ve done this in the past for single meals so are stretching ourselves to several days now – breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We’re allowing some exceptions (seasonings, coffee, chocolate!) but trying to use only what we’re harvesting or have preserved from the garden along with our own turkey, venison, and grass fed beef.  We’re also allowing milk, wheat, and pork since we’re either raising these now or intend to within the next year.  Please check out our daily Facebook updates to see some of these meals.

Here’s our expected harvest this week:

Full Share:  Tomatoes (double portion), Okra, Peppers, 2 Cabbages, 3 Onions, Squash, Cucumber, 2 Winter squash, Rosemary, Basil, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Beans or extra cantaloupe

Half Share: Tomatoes, Okra, Peppers, 2 Cabbages, 2 Onions, Winter squash, Rosemary

Blessing Falls Farm Share, Summer 2016 week 3: Cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, Rosemary, onions, cucumber, basil, okra, eggplant, green cabbage, jalapeños, red cabbage, summer squash (lemon), slicing tomatoes, winter squash (spaghetti)

Recipe

Here’s a favorite we just had in our “Farm Feast”.  It uses the cabbage and onions in your share, plus ground beef for those who have added beef to their weekly order.  You can also add rosemary or basil as seasonings.   Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

As hoped, we received our beef back from the butcher last week.  So we have plenty of ground beef and bones for broth to share with members.  We have limited amounts available to others.  We’re also hoping to begin raising holiday turkeys soon, possibly heritage and/or broad breasted breeds depending on what folks are most interested in.

And we have a few more produce shares available for the summer season, available with optional eggs, ground beef, and flowers.  Please contact us if you’d like more information on the beef, turkeys, or summer shares.

Here’s our expected harvest this week:

Full Share: Tomatoes, Peppers, Cabbage, Beans, Cucumbers (double portion), Zucchini, Summer Squash, 2 Winter squash, Eggplant, Okra, Carrots (double portion), Basil, Cantaloupe or extra Tomatoes, 2 onions

Half Share: Tomatoes, Peppers, Cabbage, Cucumber, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Beans, Onion, Carrots

Blessing Falls Farm Full Share Summer Week 2. Top: Peppers, zucchini, beans, onions, tomatoes Middle: okra, carrots, basil, cabbage, cucumbers Bottom: eggplant, cantaloupe, acorn squash, summer squash

Recipe

Try this summer time recipe with your zucchini this week!

Blueberry/Zucchini Squares

This is the last week of our Spring season, followed immediately by our 10-week Summer season starting next week.  Several shares remain available for the Summer season if your friends or neighbors are interested.

Expected harvest this week:

Full Share: Fennel, Blackberries, Peppers, Kale, Tomatoes or okra or Eggplant, 2 Squash, Cucumber, Onion, Rosemary, Chard, Beans, Beets (double portion), Carrots (double portion), Green garlic, 2 Cabbage, Amaranth leaves or Radishes

Half Share: Squash, Cucumber, Onion, Rosemary, Chard, Beets, Carrots (double portion), Green garlic, Cabbage

Blessing Falls Spring Week 10 Full Share (clockwise from top left) Carrots, chard, beets, beans, blackberries, tomatoes, onion, squash, fennel, amaranth, peppers, kale, Rosemary, cabbage, green garlic, cucumber

Flowers

Farm Grown Fresh Flowers

There’s still time to sign up for our flower shares! We design unique, fresh arrangements and deliver them along with your veggies. Make someone’s day with a gift of our bright flowers or simply enjoy their summer beauty in your own home! Four weeks of stunning flowers for just $36!

Recipe

Try this yummy carrot cake recipe with your farm fresh carrots!

Blessing Falls Farm – Minibel heirloom tomato

We’re nearing the end of our Spring season with Summer starting in just two weeks!  Cucumbers and squash are ripening now and it won’t be much longer on the tomatoes.  We’re still harvesting cool season crops cabbage, kale, and carrots.  Blackberries have peaked but are still strong.

Here’s the expected harvest in this week’s farm shares:

Full share: Green garlic, Onion, 2 Squash, Cucumber, Beans, Chard, 2 Cabbage, Cilantro flowers, Carrots (double portion), Beets(double portion), Cauliflower or fennel, Blackberries, Kale, Amaranth leaves, Dill, Turnips

Half share: Green garlic, Onion, Squash, Cucumber, Beans or kale, Chard, Chinese Cabbage, Cilantro flowers, Carrots (double portion), Beets

Blessing Falls Spring CSA/Farm-Share Week 9 Full Share: (clockwise from top left) Kale, amaranth leaves, squash, Chinese cabbage, onion, beans, chard, beets, carrots, turnips, cucumber, blackberries, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, green garlic, dill, cilantro flowers.

Recipe

Green garlic is a specialty item that you can’t find in most stores! It’s harvested at an early stage before the cloves begin to form and is a favorite of chefs. It can be used in the same way as mature garlic, but doesn’t have such a strong flavor. You can use the tender parts of the stalk and leaves to add spring flavor to your best garlic dishes. Try this Beet and Green Garlic Tart this week!

We’re picking blackberries every evening and hope to have enough for everyone this week, all full and half shares.  Those who came out for our open farm day last week saw the first cucumbers of the season that will be ready for harvest this week.  Also a lots of green tomatoes as well as blooms on the cantaloupe vines.  Eggplant, peppers , watermelon are growing well and will follow those a bit, with the okra and other summer favorites.

Here’s our expected harvest this week:

Full Share:  Chard, Kale (double portion), Turnips, Carrots (double portion), Thyme, Squash, Beans, Dill, Cucumber, Flowers, Cabbage (2), Blackberries, Amaranth Leaves, Beets (double portion), Onion, Radishes

Half Share: Chard, Kale, Turnips, Carrots, Thyme, Squash, Beans or Blackberries, Onion, Flowers, Cabbage

Blessing Falls Spring CSA – Week 8 Full Share. (clockwise from top left) Onion, thyme, amaranth leaves, blackberries, cabbage, squash, flowers, kale, beans, radishes, carrots, dill, chard, turnips, beets, Chinese cabbage, Portuguese kale

Recipe

If you want to preserve some of the cabbage in this week’s shares, try this simple sauerkraut recipe.  We’ve been enjoying the greens and carrots in chopped salads like the one mentioned last week.  But remember it’s easy to preserve the cabbage as sauerkraut – it works for all types of cabbage.

Here’s another favorite the kids might even love….

Creamy Squash with Bacon

Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 cups squash, sliced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce cream cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions
Brown bacon with onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft. Add sliced squash, cream and cream cheese. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until squash is soft and cream cheese is melted. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!