Blessing Falls Family Farm

This is a busy week on our farm. After suffering lots of damage from deer this year we have purchased a deer fence that we’ll be working to set up around our two garden areas. We’re very excited to get started on this project and look forward to having safety from deer and rabbits for our fall season. We planted our fall tomatoes and eggplant last week and they’re looking great! Our fall cucumbers, melons, sweet potatoes, squashes, peppers, okra and popcorn are also growing well. We have much more planting ahead of us in the next few weeks and look forward to a great fall season. Contact us to sign up for home delivery of farm fresh produce and eggs throughout our 12 week fall season.

This week’s expected harvest:

Full share: Sunflower sprouts*, Potatoes (double portion), Shallots, Garlic, Cucumber, Black eyed peas or sweet potato leaves, Cherry tomatoes, Heirloom tomatoes (ripe and green), Okra (double portion), Basil, Lemon grass,

Half share: Sunflower sprouts*, Potatoes, Shallots, Squash, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Okra, Basil, Lemon grass

*Sprouts were unavailable due to poor growth after we adjusted our growing method. We’re returning to the old method for next week and adding more potatoes and okra to round out the shares this week.

This week full shares will receive heirloom tomatoes grown by Skinny Lane Farm and Yukon Gold potatoes grown by Taylor Farm. You may also receive sweet potato leaves! They are a great summer substitute for spinach and greens.

Recipe

Here’s a great summer salad we made a couple weeks ago. Another way to enjoy your cherry or Sun Gold tomatoes and basil.

Marinated Mozzarella, Cherry Tomato, and Basil Salad

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
1 pound ciliegine mozzarella (cherry-size mozzarella “pearls”)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (regular, white, or golden – we used white)

Directions
Combine the oil and basil in a bowl. Add the mozzarella and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Add tomatoes and vinegar to the mozzarella and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired, and serve immediately (original link at Serious Eats)

Here’s another recipe that looks amazing, if you love Italian food. We have not tried this but a relative (of Italian descent!) recommended it. Great way to use your eggs, tomatoes, garlic, and shallots. This makes a big pot full, but you can scale it down as needed.

Italian “Eggs in Purgatory”

Believe it or not it’s already time to start preparing for our fall garden! This week we are working to till our fall plot and plant more cover crop of black eyed peas that will grow thick to keep weeds from growing. The peas will also add nutrients to the soil before we begin planting in mid July.

Here’s our expected harvest for Week 11:

Full Share: Cucumbers, Blackberries, Tomatoes or Cabbage, Beans (double portion), Squash, Eggplant or Peppers (Italian Sweet or Bell), Okra or kale, Shallots, Onions, Rosemary, Dill, Garlic, Basil, Turnips or Rutabagas

Half  Share: Cucumbers, Blackberries, Beans (double portion), Shallots, Onions, Rosemary, Dill, Garlic

Week 11 Full Share

Recipes

This week we’d like to share two recipes that we love to make for a delicious summer dinner. Our easy one pot pasta takes only about 15 minutes to make and is perfect for the nights that we’re out late in the garden. Combine that meal with a refreshing, homemade strawberry, lemon, basil slush for the perfect ‘basil two ways’ dinner!

One Pot Pasta

I love this recipe because you can add almost any veggie to change it up each time you make it. So far we’ve used yellow squash, kale, chard, tomatoes and asparagus in this recipe. You could also use beans, okra, eggplant or zucchini.

Ingredients
4 cups of water
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sausage links, sliced into bite size pieces
3 sprigs of basil, washed and chopped
1 16 oz. box of pasta (we like penne)
1-2 cups of any combination of veggies you’d like to use, chopped (squash, zucchini, kale, chard, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, okra)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large pot except for cheeses. Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender and water has cooked away, – about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheeses and serve!

Strawberry, Lemon, Basil Slushes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
2 sprigs of basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups ice

Blend all ingredients together in blender. Add extra water, ice and sugar as needed. Enjoy!

The record-setting rains of May have ended.  We’re starting to catch up with outdoor chores of mowing, shredding, and hopefully tilling and planting later this week as the soil dries out.  Last week the rain kept us inside catching up on routine maintenance of the tractor and website work.

Bell Peppers mean Summer is near!

Here’s our expected harvest for Week 10:

Full share:  Zucchini or squash, Beans, Turnips, Okra or bell peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Cabbage, Basil, Dill, Cilantro flowers, Kale or chard, Lettuce, Shallots, Onion, Garlic

Half share:  Zucchini or squash, Beans, Turnips, Cucumbers, Basil, Dill, Cilantro flowers, Kale or chard, Shallots, Onion

Week 10 Full Share

Recipe

Here’s a super easy, family favorite recipe! You can use your greens in this recipe and it’s easily adapted to include almost any veggie or herb! Add onion or shallots for some extra flavor too!

Sausage and Penne Pasta

Ingredients:
1 box Penne Pasta
1 package Eckrich sausage links
1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Cook and drain pasta. Meanwhile, slice sausage and brown in skillet with olive oil and garlic. Wash greens and tear into smaller pieces if necessary. Add greens to sausage a little at a time (they will cook down so you can continue adding more). You may need to add a little more olive oil as you add the greens. Add sausage and greens to pasta. Salt to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan after serving.