Blessing Falls Family Farm

Some of the garlic harvest that will be in shares for a few weeks.

Though the rain continue to fall, we’re still able to get into the garden enough to keep things on track.  Last week we pulled up all garlic and onions so that they won’t rot in the super-saturated soil.

We also planted melon, squash, and cucumber seedlings where seeded crops got washed out.  These transplants should help us make up for lost growing time due to the heavy rains all month.  There’s still plenty to harvest now and we anticipate these new plants will sustain the harvest through the coming summer months.

We took a couple calves to the market for customers eagerly awaiting grass fed beef.  And our ninth calf of the season was born last week.  So far, all nine have been born healthy and without complication – a great blessing indeed!  We’re expected two more this spring.

Here’s the expected harvest for week 9:

Full share: Beans and Lettuce (double portions each), Cucumbers, Squash or Zucchini, Tomatoes or Blackberries, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Cabbage, Turnips, Bell peppers, Basil, Onion, Garlic

Half share: Beans, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Squash or Zucchini, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Cabbage, Basil, Onion, Garlic

Blessing Falls CSA Week 9 Full Share

Here are a couple recipe ideas for fresh basil.  We posted these a couple years ago and they’re still family favorites.  And here’s an idea for turnips: Mashed Turnips and Sage.  We had this just last night.  Some in the family liked it and others, well, not as much.  Some thought it tasted pretty close to mashed potatoes while a couple others felt it was tainted by too strong of a turnip taste.   Try it and let us know!

And look what’s growing on in the garden now…

Looking forward to melon season!

One of several green bean varieties

Well, it’s been another week of rain on the farm and we’re beginning to see some of the advantages and disadvantages of the wet weather. While our tomatoes are flourishing and beginning to ripen, some of our carrots have begun to rot in the soaked ground. We are waiting for a few dry days to be able to do some much needed maintenance in the garden as well as plant crops that were supposed to go in the ground over a week ago. Though we normally jump for joy at the sight of clouds during Texas summers we are longing for days of sunshine. As a farmer you never know what will change in the weather from season to season and we are so grateful to have the support of our CSA members providing income early in the season so that we can quickly adapt by replacing plants that are damaged in the floods.

Here’s your week 8 harvest:

Full share: Carrots (double portion), Onions, Squash, Tomatoes or Blackberries, Beans, Cucumbers, Chard, Kale, Lettuce, Turnips, Cilantro flowers, Dill, Basil

Blessing Falls CSA Spring Week 8 Full Share

Half share: Carrots, Onions, Beans, Cucumbers, Chard, Lettuce, Turnips, Cilantro flowers, Dill, Basil

Recipe: Carrots and Dill Pesto

Here’s a great recipe idea for this week’s carrots and dill.  We like to add half an avocado and a couple tablespoons of mayo to the pesto.  One variation as a side dish is to chop the carrots and toss all of it with some cooked pasta.   You can take it even further and add diced ham or chicken and serve it as your main dish.

Roasted Spring Carrots  (source)

Takes under 30 minutes to cook + serves 2 people as a main and 4 people as a side.

Ingredients:
15 – 20 baby spring carrots, or 10 large carrots
1 tablespoon ghee, olive or coconut oil will also work
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub your carrots, trim the ends, the tops and pat dry. If your carrots are teeny baby ones like mine, keep them whole. If they’re larger, halve them. Place the carrots on a baking sheet or oven safe roasting dish. Drizzle the ghee or oil over them, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper and toss, to coat evenly.

Roast for 25 – 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Lemony Dill Pesto (same source as Roasted Spring Carrots)

Makes approximately 1 cup

Ingredients:
2 cups loosely packed fresh dill
3 – 5 cloves garlic {depending on how you take your garlic}
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch black pepper
juice from 1 lemon, about 2 full tablespoons
3 tablespoons of shelled pumpkin seeds + more for garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until a smooth, yet slightly chunky pesto forms. Drizzle on top of the carrots or eat it out of the jar with a spoon!

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!