Blessing Falls Family Farm

The spring rains continue here on the farm – almost 9 inches in the last 7 days!  We’re still able to get in and harvest for our CSA members, though new planting has been delayed.

The soil is saturated and too wet to work.  However, we should catch up soon after things dry up.  And the cooler weather should delay the heat of summer a bit so we hope the plantings will align with the right seasonal conditions.

New this week are cucumbers, beans (green and other colors), and garlic.  We may have enough blackberries for a few shares.

Here’s the harvest we expect for Week 7.

Full Share: Carrots, Kale, Turnips or rutabaga – (double portions of each),
Cilantro flowers, Cauliflower, Dill, Spinach or lettuce, Squash or zucchini, Cabbage, Fresh Beans, Chard, Garlic, Shallots or onions

Half Share: Carrots (double portion), Kale, Squash or zucchini, Cucumbers, Garlic, Shallots or onions, Cilantro flowers, Dill

(Share contents may change slightly throughout the week depending upon harvest

Spring Week 7 Full Share, clockwise from top left, carrots, kale, lettuce, cabbage, turnips, rainbow Swiss chard, beans, cilantro flowers, garllic, cauliflower, dill, shallots, cucumbers, squash.

Cilantro flowers, like the leaves and seeds, have a strong herbal flavor. Use leaves and flowers raw as the flavor fades quickly when cooked. Sprinkle to taste on salads, bean dishes, and cold vegetable dishes.

For those of you receiving full shares, you may be surprised to find purple, yellow and green beans in your bag this week. These are all heirloom varieties and can be cooked just as you would any green bean. The purple beans will turn green when cooked, but have added nutritional value due to their color.

“Purple foods contain anthocyanins, which are health-promoting chemicals that help protect cells and heal your body. Research suggests they play active roles in promoting eye and heart health, decreasing cancer cell proliferation and more.” (Source)

We love growing colorful foods that you can’t find in stores. Some of our favorites this year have been purple and yellow carrots, rainbow Swiss chard, and of course our beans. We hope you enjoy them too!

I’d like to share one of our family favorite squash recipes with you. It’s very easy and delicious! You can use any type of summer squash or zucchini in this recipe. You will also get to use some of your fresh garlic and onions or shallots from your CSA this week!

Creamy Squash with Bacon

Ingredients
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced
2 cups squash, sliced
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 ounces 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!

This week we’re busy planting more warm weather crops such as squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra and melons. This is our third planting of these crops. We try to plant continuously throughout the season to have a long harvest time.

Our new laying hens continue to settle in.  Every day we’re a day closer to having plenty of free-range, pasture-raised, organically fed chicken eggs to offer with our weekly vegetable deliveries.  CSA members will soon receive an email with more details on these eggs.

We’re also having fun picking wild dewberries on the property to add to some of the shares this week!  Berries in our blackberry patch are starting to ripen too.  Hope to have some of these in Week 7 shares, if the kids leave any behind!.

First ripe blackberries. So far, none have made it out of the patch. All are eaten on the spot!

Here’s your week 6 harvest:

Full share: Swiss Chard and Cauliflower (double portions of each), Cabbage, Dill, Dewberries, Broccoli flowers, Kale, Lettuce, Carrots, Zucchini, Squash

Half share: Swiss Chard (double portion), Zucchini or Squash (double portion), Cauliflower, Dewberries or Turnips, Dill, Broccoli flowers

Edit: Cucumbers harvested late in the week will be in some Saturday shares

Full Share, clockwise from top left, Swiss Chard, Dewberries, Broccoli flowers, Lettuce, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Summer Squash, Carrots, Zucchini, Dill, Kale

Zucchini is now in season and here’s a family favorite zucchini recipe:

Meatballs and Zucchini Orzo

Ingredients
1 package frozen cooked meatballs
1 can (14 1/2 ounce) beef broth
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, cut into julienne strips

Directions
Place frozen meatballs and broth in 10 inch skillet; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta, tomatoes and zucchini; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Enjoy!

The garden is producing well and we’re thankful that the recent severe weather has not damaged our garden.  We’ve been getting good rain lately – just right to make everything flourishing.  The rains softened the soil enough to till in our oats/peas cover crop in the fall garden.  We sowed black-eyed peas on top before we tilled and those are already sprouting with the rains and recent sunny weather.  Black eyed peas are a great cover crop and should also yield lots of peas for our late summer CSA shares.  These will grow until August when we’ll till them under and plant for the fall season.

Here’s your week 5 harvest:

Full share: Cauliflower (3 portions), Kale and Lettuce (2 portions each), Green Onions or shallots, Broccoli, Cilantro, Chinese cabbage, Dill, Broccoli flowers, Mustard greens, Turnips, Zucchini or Yellow Squash

Half share: Cauliflower (2 portions), Kale, Lettuce, Green Onions or shallots, Broccoli, Cilantro, Chinese cabbage, Mustard greens or Turnips

Spring Week 5 Full Share

Meet Your Farmer

Andrew is Michael’s 18 year old brother who is currently hard at work expanding his flock of laying hens! This week he is adding 200 birds to his flock of 60. By June he hopes to have plenty of eggs to offer to our CSA members. He is also a great help in the garden when we need extra hands.

Recipe Ideas

Greens such as kale, chard, mustard and turnip greens are a staple in the spring garden. They are full of essential nutrients and vitamins; helping to boost your immune system and energy. I love to add greens to any pasta dish or soup. They add some extra color and flavor to your meal! Here is a great article with information on different types of greens and a simple way to cook them!

Cauliflower is coming in big again this week and the kale continues to thrive – here’s a good recipe for both.  We had this for dinner tonight.  You’ll swear there’s rice or couscous in it but there’s not.  Really good and will work as a taco filling – though we’re not ready to give up our grass fed beef just yet!

Spanish Cauliflower Rice with Kale (source)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: Serves 3 to 4 people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large head cauliflower, grated
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups tightly packed kale leaves*
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
Cherry or grape tomatoes for serving, optional

Instructions (check out the link for photos of every step)

1. Remove all of the green stems from the cauliflower and chop the head in half. Using a box grater (or a food processor), grate the whole head of cauliflower.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil to medium-high and sauté the onion until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the jalapeño, and garlic and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the grated cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn brown and cook down, about 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes, salt, and chili powder and stir well to combine. Cook until much of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the chopped kale leaves and stir them into the mixture well. Cook until they have turned bright green and have wilted, about 3 minutes.
7. Serve cauliflower rice alongside your favorite entrée.

This week we have really started seeing the benefits of the warm weather! The first tomato has been spotted and we got our first harvest of zucchini this week! We can see a bountiful harvest headed our way and appreciate you spreading the word about our CSA. We are still accepting new members so be sure to tell friends and family!

For the week of April 20-25, here’s what we’re harvesting and delivering throughout greater Austin.  Members shares are a bit more generous this week.  The blessing of rain and warm yet mild days have brought an abundant harvest and we’re passing on the bounty.

Full share:
Cauliflower (4 portions), Lettuce and Spinach (double portions of each),
Sunflower Microgreens, Swiss Chard, Cilantro, Chinese (Napa) Cabbage, Turnips,
Broccoli or Zucchini

Half share:
Cauliflower (3 portions), Lettuce (double portion), Spinach, Swiss Chard, Cilantro,
Chinese (Napa) Cabbage

(Share contents may change slightly throughout the week depending upon harvest)

Week 4 Full Share clockwise from upper left: Chinese/Napa Cabbage, Cauliflower (white and green/Veronica), Rainbow Swiss Chard, Turnips, Head Lettuce, Cilantro, Broccoli, Microgreens/Sprouts, Leaf Lettuce, Spinach

Meet Your Farmer

Mark is my (Emily’s) dad and the foundation of our family farm. He loves sharing his knowledge, ideas and time to help us improve our garden. He enjoys caring for the land – specifically his cows, heritage turkeys, fruit trees and blackberry bushes. In his spare time he enjoys reading, studying and learning from other farmers. He made our website and Facebook page and takes care of our customer communications. We are so grateful for the investment that he has made in our family and future generations.

Nutrition and Recipes

From creamy soup to crispy tots, cauliflower is a very versatile veggie. You can steam it, roast it, mash it, pickle it, or grate it to use as a grain substitute. Visit the ‘Spring Veggie Recipes’ section of our Pinterest page for creative, new ways of preparing this delicious vegetable! Cauliflower also has many health benefits. It has a high vitamin C content, helps to prevent cancer and is a good source of minerals such as manganese, copper, iron, calcium and potassium.

Here’s a recipe I’ve tried before, it’s also on the Pinterest page.

Bacon-Cheddar Cauliflower Chowder  Low-Carb Alternative to Baked Potato Soup (source: Iowa Girl Eats)

Ingredients*:
8 slices center-cut bacon, chopped (half used for garnish)
1/2 small onion, chopped OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
4 cups shredded or grated cauliflower (1/2 large head)
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons gluten-free or all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth, divided
2 cups 2% milk
3-4 dashes hot sauce (or more or less)
2-1/2 cups (12oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (half used for garnish)
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

1. Whisk together flour and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a small bowl then set aside.
2. Saute bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate then remove all but 1 Tablespoon drippings from the pot. Add chopped onion (if using,) celery, and garlic to the pot then season with salt and pepper and saute until vegetables are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add cauliflower and onion powder (if using) to the pot then stir to combine. Add water then place a lid on top and steam cauliflower until tender, stirring a couple times, about 5-7 minutes. Add remaining chicken broth and milk then turn up heat and bring to a boil.
4. Slowly whisk in flour/chicken broth mixture while stirring, then turn down heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until chowder has thickened. Turn off heat then stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese until smooth, then stir in half the cooked bacon. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce if necessary. Serve topped with remaining shredded cheese, cooked bacon, and green onions, if desired.
*Use a food processor’s chopping and grating blades to make prepping veggies and cheese a breeze!

You may be unfamiliar with Chinese (Napa) cabbage. It’s easy to use in fresh salads and stir fry.  It’s also great on the grill or try something new and make your own kimchi!