Now taking CSA sign ups for SPRING 2010!

UPDATED 1/15/10 - still taking sign ups!

Please visit the links to download a pdf of the sign up form, print the form, fill out, and mail with your check to secure a spot.

There's no deadline - we will keep taking memberships until we are full (and will post it here) but we sold out by February last year.

For 2010 Fruit/Vegetable CSA
20 weekly pick ups, April-September
Half share $320, Full Share $500

For 2010 Spring Chicken CSA
Four monthly pickups. April-July
Small $120, Medium $225, Large $420

Final Veggie CSA Week #22

Once again, sorry this is being posted so late - we spent all day Tuesday before the rains planting strawberries and garlic for next year!

This is the official last week of the veggie CSA. Those of you who opted to take a personal week off will get your boxes this week.

Thanks so much for your support. This is the third season we've offered a fruit/vegetable CSA, and it, in my opinion, is our best season yet. Partly due to our improving planning/planting schedules to provide you with as much variety as possible, but also your enthusiasm and willingness to try new veggies and understanding that eating with the seasons can be a challenge, made it all the more fun for us. We still have much room for improvement for future CSA years, so any feedback from you is always welcome.

Thanks again, and have a great "off" season!
Joann, Brian, and the Castlemaine Farm crew

Half Shares:

Kale: 1 bunch - $2.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
Sweet Peppers - 1 pound - $4.00
Anaheim/Poblano Peppers - 1/2# - $2.00
TOTAL - $14.00

Full Shares:
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.50
Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Sweet Peppers - 1.5# - $6.00
Anaheim/Poblano Peppers - 1/2# - $2.00
Basil - 1/4# - $3.00
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
TOTAL - $22.50

Cooking dinner...

This was a blog written by our good friend Shiloh Avery a few weeks ago from Tumbling Shoals Farm and I thought fellow farmers and CSA members would get it. Maybe we're all crazy but almost every day we still take time to cook some real dinner too .... Although we've had a Netflix movie sitting here for 2 weeks and still haven't had 2 hours to sit down and watch it.

http://www.tumblingshoalsfarm.com/blog/3242

Upon learning that we don’t own a TV, people often ask us what we do in our free time. I never understood the question. I countered with, “how do you find time to watch TV?” But I get it now. That’s what we do in our “free time”: we cook. ... even though our “in season” lifestyle doesn’t technically allow it, we still take the time to prepare a meal.

Veggie CSA Week #21

Sorry this is late....

Half Shares:
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.50
Kale - 1bunch - $2.50
Spicy mix - 1/4# - $2.50
Peppers - 1 pound - $4.00
Serranos/Jalapenos - $1.00
TOTAL - $15.00


Full Shares:
Radishes - 2 bunches - $5.00
Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.50
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Spicy mix - 1/2# - $5.00
Peppers - 1.5# - $6.00
Serrano/Jalapeno - $2.00
TOTAL - $25.50

Veggie CSA Week #20

Half Share:

Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - 2.50
Greens Mix - 1/4# - $2.50
Anaheim/Poblano peppers - 1/2# - $2.00
Winter Squash - 3# - $4.50
TOTAL - $14.50

Full Share:

Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
Basil - 1/4# - $3.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Greens Mix - 1/4# - $2.50
Anaheim/Poblano peppers - 1# - $4.00
Sweet Red Peppers - 1# - $4.00
Winter Squash - 3# - $4.50
TOTAL -$24.50

Veggie CSA Week #19

Half Shares:

Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Spicy Mix - 1/4# - $2.50
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50
Garlic - $1.00
Tomatoes - 1/2# - $1.25
Red Peppers - 1# - $4.00
Serrano Peppers - 10 - $1.50
TOTAL - $14.25

Full Shares:

Radishes - 2 bunches - $5.00
Spicy Mix - 1/4# - $2.50
Basil - 1/4# - $3.00
Garlic - $1.00
Tomatoes - 1# - $2.50
Onions - 1/2# - $1.25
Red Peppers - 1.5# - $6.00
Serrano Peppers - 10 - $1.50
TOTAL - $22.75

A bit of "odds and ends" this week. Things are a bit scarce around here, as we are definitely in the lull between summer and fall crops. With the rain/clouds and cooler temps, things just didn't grow as rapidly, so the turnips and cilantro I thought for sure would be ready to harvest this week did not size up in time, so most likely we'll have those items next week.

This is absolutely the last of the tomatoes and garlic. Both are a bit small, but I think you can make some use of them.... salsa? sauce?

What do I do with all these red peppers?!??!?!

Roasted Red Pepper Tuna Rolls


Heres an excellent (and simple, and delicious!!!!) recipe that we make a few times a week, especially now during pepper season. It will use up the whole pound of red peppers you have, most likely. Its amazing, when we first read the recipe, we weren't sure we'd enjoy it. But its soooo good! Splurge and opt for the really high quality canned tuna (we get Starkist's tuna fillets in olive oil, they have a gold label) because it really does make a difference. However, I'm sure any tuna will be just fine.

I hope this link works....:Roasted Red Pepper Tuna Rolls

Veggie CSA Week #18

Half Shares:

Spicy greens mix - 1/2# - $5.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Sweet Peppers - 1# - $4.00
Chile Peppers 1/2# - $2.00
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50

Total - $15.00

Full Shares:
Spicy Greens mix - 1# - $10.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
Sweet Peppers - 1.5# - $6.00
Chile Peppers - 1# - $4.00
Basil - 1/4# - $2.50

Total - $25.00

Veggie CSA Week #17

Half Shares:

Onions - 1/2# - $1.25
Tomatoes - 1# - $2.50
Arugula - 1/4# - $2.50
Sweet Peppers - 1# - $4.00
Winter Squash - 3# - $4.50
TOTAL - $14.75

Full Shares:

Onions - 1# - $2.50
Tomatoes - 1# - $2.50
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1pint - $3.00
Sweet peppers - 2# - $8.00
Winter Squash - 4# - $6.00
Arugula - 1/4# - $2.50
TOTAL - $24.50

Veggie CSA Week #16

We will not be delivering CSA boxes this week.

See you next week!!

Veggie CSA Week #15

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2# - $5.60
Sweet Peppers - 1/2# - $2.00
Chile Pepper Medley - $2.00
Winter Squash - $5.00
TOTAL - $14.60

Full Shares:
Tomatoes - 2# - $5.60
Sweet Peppers - 1# - $4.00
Chile Pepper Medley - 1# - $4.00
Winter Sqash - $8.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - $3.00
TOTAL - $24.60

First, I want to remind you all that there will be *NO DELIVERY NEXT WEEK, AUGUST 12-15.*

Second, a little bit of information on whats in your box this week:

Chile peppers: you will receive a plastic bag of hot peppers (some hotter than others). These will include Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano and Jalapeno. If you have ANY questions on what these are, and their heat level, please ask! I'd be happy to tell you about them and how to use them.

Winter Squash: we are growing Acorn, Spaghetti, Pie Pumpkin, and Kabocha winter squash. You can cook them all the same, slice in half, put flesh side down on a baking sheet with a little water, and bake at 350 until tender when pierced with a fork. Only the Spaghetti squash will look funny when you remove it from its skin - it will actually look like little spaghettis, and is awesome when topped with tomato sauce.

We are, once again, in a sort of transition period, veggie wise. The tomatoes are fading, the peppers are producing like crazy, and the fall greens, radishes, arugula and chard are growing well, but still too small to include this week. We should have some new items when we return in two weeks. Also, basil IS in your future. I've had a few failed plantings, but the newest planting looks great, as do the new cucumbers and melons. We'll see if we can have some more of these yummy summer items here in a few weeks.

Have a great week off, and we'll see you all August 19, 20, or 22!!

Veggie CSA Week #14

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2# - $5.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Cantaloupe - 1 - $3.00
Onions - 1# - $2.50
Peppers - $2.00
TOTAL - $15.50

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 4# - $10.00
Cantaloupe - 1 - $3.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Onions - 2# - $5.00
Peppers - $4.00
TOTAL - $25.00

I will mention this again as the time comes closer, but I just want to make sure everyone is aware we will take one week off from deliveries this season. This will be August 12-15th. Not only is it a bit of a slow time of year (after tomatoes and melons have waned, waiting for the fall crops to mature) but I also will be attending a wedding in Wisconsin that weekend, so it seemed like a good week to use as our "off" week. Again, I'll send out a reminder in the next few weeks.

9 foot sunflower

Rooster at sundown

Veggie CSA Week #13

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 3# - $8.40
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Green Bell Peppers - 1# - $2.00
Melon - 1 - $3.00
TOTAL - $16.40

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 5# - $14.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Green Bell Peppers - 1.5# - $3.00
Melon - 1 - $3.00
Winter Squash - 1 - $3.00
TOTAL - $26.00

Well, here we are, in the height of tomato season - lots of 'em for you this week, along with the return of the much loved Sungolds. Cucumbers and squash have come to the end for this planting, we're working on more for later, we'll see how the next plantings hold up.

We are in between plantings of melons right now - first are just about done, the second are just about ripe. So... hopefully we will have enough for you all this week, but if not, some may receive the first of the winter squash, and then get a melon next week. Yup. Winter squash. It still amazes me. We harvested it all on 4th of July weekend, its been curing and is now stored in our cooler. I understand it may be difficult to turn the oven on this time of year, but these guys will store for many months, so feel free to hang on to them for a bit.

Veggie CSA Week #12

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2.5# - $7.00
Melon - 1 - $3.50
Onions - 1# - $2.50
Cucumbers - 1/2# - $1.25
Jalapenos or Serranos - $1.00
TOTAL - $15.25

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 3# - $8.40
Melons - 2 - $7.00
Onions - 1.5# - $2.50
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.50
Squash - 1# - $2.50
Jalapenos or Serranos - $1.00
TOTAL - $25.15

Farm-to-Fork picnic on UNC-TV's North Carolina Now

This is a short 5 minute video of the latest Farm to Fork Picnic we participated in along with many other farms and chefs. It features a lot of our friends who are all people doing good work for local food.

http://flash.unctv.org/ncnow/ncn_farm2fork_070209.html

Veggie CSA Week #11

Half Share:

Tomatoes - 2# - $5.60
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Melon - 1 - $3.50
Cucumbers - 1/2# - $1.25
Tomatillos - 1/2# - $1.75
Squash - 1/2# - $1.25
TOTAL - $16.35

Full Share:

Tomatoes - 2# - $5.60
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Melons -2 - $7.00
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.50
Squash - 1# - $2.50
Potatoes - 2# - $4.00
Tomatillos - 1/2# - 1.75
TOTAL - $26.35


Plenty more tomatoes this week - I'll try to give you some ripe, ready to eat and a few not so ripe for later in the week. You'll see either a red tomato (Big Beef), purple (Cherokee Purple) or pink (Pink Girl). Also this week: Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. These varieties have become my favorites over the past few years, so they're what we are growing the most of.

Melons: We grow 2 types of melons: cantaloupe (orange flesh) and galia (green flesh). It seems like the galia melons are ripening earlier than the cantaloupe, so most of you will probably see these in your boxes this week. Both have been really sweet and delicious, and have been my breakfast for the past week!

We also harvested all the winter squash yesterday - an excellent crop this year, so we'll make up for the lack of winter squash last year. Look for these to start showing up in your boxes in a few weeks (remember, they'll store for up to 6 months).

Veggie CSA Week # 10

Half Share:
Tomatoes - 2# - $5.60
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.50
Squash - 1# - 2.50
Onions - 1# - $2.50
Potatoes - 1# - $2.00
TOTAL - $15.10

Full Share:
Tomatoes - 2# - $5.60
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Cucumbers - 1.5# - $3.75
Squash - 1.5# - $3.75
Basil - 1/4# - $2.50
Potatoes - 2# - $4.00
Onions - 1# - $2.50
TOTAL - $25.10

Veggie CSA Week# 9

half share:

cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.50
onions - 1 pound - 3.00
cabbage - 1 pound - $2.00
beets - 1/2 pound - $1.75
tomatillos - 1/2 pound - $1.75
squash - 1 pound - $2.50
leeks - 1/2 pound - $.1.50

full share:

cucumbers - 2 pounds - $5.00
onions - 2 pounds - $6.00
cabbage - 1 pound - $2.00
beets - 1 pound - $3.50
tomatillos - 1 pound - $3.50
squash - 1 pound - $2.50
leeks - 1 pound - $3.00

Veggie CSA Week #8

Half Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Onions - 1 pound - $3.00
Squash - 1 pound - $3.00
Cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.50
Leeks - 1 pound - $3.00
TOTAL - $14.00

Full Shares:

Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Onions - 1 pound - $3.00
Cucumbers - 2 pounds - $5.00
Squash - 2 pounds - $6.00
Basil - 1/4# - $2.50
Leeks - 1 pound - $3.00
TOTAL - $24.50

Here are a few recipes for all those leeks! They're also amazing grilled - slice in half (the small ones you can probably keep whole), brush with olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and grill until soft. Yum.

Leek and Zucchini Pasta
Printed from Leek Recipes at http://www.leekrecipes.org/
Ingredients:
3 cups of Rotini pasta.
2 medium leeks.
1 medium zucchini, julienned.
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
1 ½ cups of sliced mushrooms.
1 cup of sour cream.
¼ cup of dry white wine.
1 teaspoon of tarragon leaves.
½ teaspoon of salt.
Preparation:
Discard the green part of leeks and slice thinly lengthways.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Sauté the leeks, mushrooms, and zucchini for 5 minutes.
Add the dry white wine and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the cream, tarragon and salt.
Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened.
While preparing sauce, cook the Rotini pasta according the instructions on its packaging.
Drain thoroughly.
Spoon onto plates and top with sauce.

Leek Soup
Printed from Leek Recipes at http://www.leekrecipes.org/
Ingredients:
1 cup of chopped leeks (the white part).
1 cup of milk.
2/3 cup of water.
¼ cup of cream.
3 tablespoons of butter.
1 teaspoon of chicken stock.
1 medium potato, boiled.
Chopped chives, to garnish.
Preparation:
In a suitably sized skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Cook the leeks in the skillet for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and the water; then bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the milk and cream.
Add the potato after mashing, or put it in a blender at low speed.
Garnish with chives.

Veggie CSA Week #7

Half Shares:
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Fennel - 1 - $2.50
Onions - 1# - $2.50
Leeks - 1# - $3.00
Squash - 1# - $3.00
Cucumbers - 1/2# - $1.50
TOTAL - $15.00

Full Shares:
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Fennel - 1 - $2.50
Onions - 2# - $5.00
Leeks - 1.5# - $4.50
Squash - 1# - $3.00
Cucumbers - - 1# - $3.00
Potatoes - 1# - $2.00
TOTAL - $25.00

Durham Folks - I didn't have enough sugar snaps to put in your boxes last week, thats why there were cucumbers instead. I am planning on adding the 1/2# of sugar snaps in your boxes this week. Sorry...

Veggie CSA Week #6

Half Shares:

Squash - 1# - $3.00
Rainbow Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Onions - $2.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 1/2# - $2.25
TOTAL - $15.75

Full Shares:
Squash - 1.5# - $4.50
Rainbow Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Onions - $4.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 1/2# - $2.25
Cucumbers - 2/3# - $2.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.00
Parsley - 1 bunch - $1.50

TOTAL - $24.50

This is the perfect week to re-post my favorite spring recipe (seriously, give it a try if you haven't yet):

Roasted Beets & Sugar Snap Pea Salad

• 5-6 small beets, trimmed
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dillweed.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• arugula or lettuce
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wrap beets in aluminum foil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool. Peel beets and cut into wedges.

Cook sugar snap peas in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Pat dry.

Mix mustard and vinegar in small bowl. Gradually mix in oil, then dill and sugar. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover sugar snap peas and chill. Cover dressing and beets separately and let stand at room temperature.)

Line platter with arugula or lettuce. Mix beets, sugar snap peas and dressing in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon atop greens.

PS -Use the beet greens like you would cook chard or spinach. We usually make a stir-fry with some Italian sausage, garlic, olive oil, a bit of corn starch for thickening, and any other greens you may have lying around. (rinse the beet greens, chop em up and just toss them in the pan with a little water... put the lid on and steam just a bit)

Farm to Fork Picnic, Sun. June 14, 4-7pm

Join Piedmont cooks and farmers for an evening of food, live music and fun activities for the entire family!

2009 Farm to Fork Picnic

Sunday, June 14

4 to 7 pm

W.C. Breeze Family Farm

4909 Walnut Grove Church Road

Hurdle Mills, Orange County

In a unique collaboration, the regions most acclaimed cooks will pair with Piedmont farmers to prepare a picnic-style feast that celebrates our local foods and the people who grow and make them. The picnic will feature farm food representing the bounty and diversity of our region, including the season's first field-ripened tomatoes, head-to-tail heritage pork, a shrimp boil, grass-fed beef, a tasting tent filled with handmade craft food, including farmstead cheese, pickles, preserves, breads and cured meat; all local sno cones, spit-roasted lamb, grilled pizzas made from Triangle-grown wheat and produce grown in the field next door, and the season’s last strawberries.

Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.farmtoforknc.com or by calling 919-755-3804. Advanced ticket purchase required. $50 per person; free for kids 12 and under.

All proceeds will help grow new farms and farmers across North Carolina.

Participants (53) to date include:

18 Seaboard

3CUPS

Acme Food & Beverage

Ayrshire Farm

Bluebird Meadows

Brinkley Farms

Cane Creek Farm

Carolina Crossroads

Castlemaine Farm

Celebrity Goat Dairy

Chapel Hill Creamery

Contrarian Farm

Coon Rock Farm

Counter Culture Coffee

David Auerbach

Durham Inner-city Gardeners at SEEDS

Dutch Buffalo Farm

Eco Farm

Elaine’s on Franklin

Farmer’s Daughter

Fickle Creek Farm

Foster’s Market

Four Leaf Farm

Four Square

Fowl Attitude Farm

Fred Thompson

Fullsteam Brewery

Glasshalfull

Harland’s Creek Farm

Haw River Wine Man

Herons

Irregardless Café

Jujube

Lantern

Lil’ Farm

Lucky 32

Maple Spring Gardens

Neal’s Deli

Panciuto

Panzanella

Peregrine Farm

Perry-winkle Farm

Piedmont Biofarm

Piedmont

Plant @ Breeze Farmers

Poole’s Diner

Sage & Swift

Southport Seafood

The Barbecue Joint

The Weathervane

Timberwood Organics

Tiny Farm

Toast

Triple B Farms

Watts Grocery

Wild Hare Farm

Zely & Ritz

Veggie CSA Week #5

Half Shares:
Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Kohlrabi - 1 bunch - $3.00
Squash - 1# - $3.00
Leeks - 1/2# - $1.50
Arugula - 1/4# - $2.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
TOTAL - $15.50

Full Shares:
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Squash - 1# - $3.00
Leeks - 1# - $3.00
Arugula - 1/2# - $4.00
Parsley - 1 bunch - $1.50
TOTAL - $25.50

Unfortunately, the strawberries have waned. This is most likely the last week for them, and we may have to substitute with something else, but we'll see. The heavy rains this morning didn't help their situation, either, but was very much needed for everything else. We're getting into the summer fruits season - squash now, and soon cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, then peppers and eggplant! YUM. Leeks this week, and back to onions next week. There is still a little of the spring garlic left, but we may just hold off on it, harvest and cure, and then there will be plenty for the boxes through the rest of the season.

Next week we'll have more beets, carrots, plus I'm hoping the first of the cabbage. Plenty more squash and lettuce.

New produce item of the week: Kohlrabi! Here's a link for more info/recipes
and this recipe looked pretty good to me - simple!

PS - these pages/recipes keep mentioning green kohlrabi. we grow one that has purple skin. Same exact thing, just prettier to grow, in my opinion!

ROASTED KOHLRABI

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)

1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but you'll likely use more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).

Free 7 week old kittens!

We have 2 long hair and 4 short hairs to give away - all tortiseshell females except for one black and white male.

They don't have any shots or vaccinations yet so that'll be the responsibility of the new owners. The mom will be fixed like the rest of our pets and we hope you do the same. (we waited a little too long for this one.)

Herb Roast Chicken recipe from June 2009 Cooking Light

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1898571

You can do this with any size chicken, and I would do it breast side down instead of up. Otherwise this looks good.

Freezing greens

Greens can be frozen and stored for up to 9 months in a ziplock bag, and it takes less than five minutes. This is from http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/greens.html

Freezing

Greens
(Including Spinach)

Preparation – Select young, tender green leaves. Wash thoroughly and cut off woody stems. Water blanch collards 3 minutes and all other greens 2 minutes.

Cool, drain and package, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.

Veggie CSA Week #4

Half Shares:

Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Escarole - 1 head - $2.50
Garlic - 2 - $2.00
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Broccoli - 1# - $3.00
TOTAL - $16.00

Full Shares:

Strawberries - 2 pints - $6.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Escarole - 1 head - $2.50
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Garlic - 4 - $4.00
Broccoli & Cauliflower (RTI) - 2#- $6.00
TOTAL - $26.50

I started out thinking we'd have arugula in the boxes this week, but I just walked the farm and noticed that the arugula wasn't quite big enough, and the broccoli was ready! So broccoli this week, arugula next.

Ugh... so then when I went to harvest "all that broccoli", i discovered that it didn't yield quite enough... sorry :(.... brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages are always difficult for me to grow for some reason. Every year, they improve, but still not as good as I would like. So, Thursday, RTI full shares will get 1# broccoli, 1# cauliflower, and Sat. Durham folks will not have broccoli. I will work on getting some for Durham-ers for next week.

Recipes for this week:

Escarole and Beans

Rated: Submitted By: KristaP Photo By: M. Sullivan Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 4

"This is a creamy concoction of escarole and beans. It's rich, and it's divine! It's also best served with a warm crusty Italian bread."

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 large heads escarole salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, minced 2 (16 ounce) cans cannellini beans, undrained 3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.	Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in escarole, turning to coat with oil. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until tender.
2.	In a separate skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic. Pour in beans with juices, and simmer until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in escarole and parsley; simmer 10 minutes more.

From Allrecipes.com

Roasted Beet Salad Recipe

By Rebecca Franklin, About.com

This roasted beet salad is a wonderful, healthy dish to make anytime you have access to fresh beets. It’s a whole beet salad because the entire beet – root, stem, and greens – can be used in this recipe. Any vinaigrette or citronette dressing can be used to garnish this versatile salad, but blood orange dressing¹ really makes the flavors pop. Add rustic artisan bread and a pureed soup, like butternut squash bisque² for a filling, nutritious meal.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 8 medium red beets, peeled, stems reserved
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• Greens from 8 beets, washed and coarsely chopped
• Citronette for drizzling
• 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the peeled beets and reserved stems in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast the beets for 40 to 45 minutes, until they are caramelized and tender.

While the beets are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the chopped shallots for 5 minutes, until they are tender. Add the beet greens to the hot oil and shallots and sauté them for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are just cooked through and wilted. Transfer the greens and shallots to a large serving bowl.

Quarter or slice the roasted beets and place them in the serving bowl. Drizzle the beet salad with citronette or blood orange vinaigrette³ and toss it gently. Divide the salad into four portions and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts onto each serving. Drizzle with additional citronette, if desired.

This roasted beet salad makes 4 servings.

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What to do with those pesky Dandelion Greens

Howdy folks - sorry I am not getting to this until Thursday evening....

First off, Dandelion greens are bitter, much like endive, escarole, chicory and radiccio. They are full of vitamins and are a general tonic, they help to cleanse the liver and kidneys. Many people will eat them raw, chop them up and add to a salad. Others will cook them, wilting the greens. I have a friend who has made flatbread with wilted dandelion, olive oil, and a soft goat cheese. Another friend of mine uses dandelion in his juicing regimen.

Second, the reason why I am growing these bitter greens (a quick history): for the past few years, we have grown lots of the mild mustards, members of the Brassica Rapa family. These include: turnips, bok choy, napa cabbage, mustard greens, broccoli raab, and mizuna. Unfortunately, over the years, a buggy pest has emerged, the Yellow Margined Leaf Beetle . This guy has totally decimated crop after crop of these mild mustards here on Castlemaine, and on some of my neighboring farms. I'm not sure if its a result of warmer than normal winters and dry springs, or if theres a reason why they're more pesky now than in past years, but they're here. As a result, I can't rely so much on getting a beautiful crop of these veggies each spring. So as an alternative, we have started growing crops in the Chicory family. I see a bit of demand at market for these bitter greens, and hopefully you will like them, too!

DANDELION GREENS

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dandelion greens
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 whole small dried hot chile pepper, seeds removed, crushed
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Wash greens well in salted water. Cut leaves into 2-inch pieces. Cook greens uncovered in small amount of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Sauté onion, garlic, and chile pepper in oil. Drain greens; add to onion garlic mixture. Taste dandelion greens and season with salt and pepper. Serve dandelion greens with grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe for dandelion greens serves 4.

another recipe from Gourmet Magazine
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Dandelion-Greens-242014

Veggie CSA Week #3

As always, this is subject to change. Changes are merely based on what is ready at the time I need to harvest for each CSA delivery (there are 3 different deliveries each week). Sometimes, mostly due to weather, but also because of pests, weeds, etc., a particular veggie/fruit won't quite be sized up enough for harvest. This should explain why some were substituted bok choy instead of turnips last week. But that is all the fun in eating locally and seasonally!

I will be back soon with a recipe/cooking tips for the dandelion greens. I need to do some research (including eating them!!) myself. :)

HALF SHARE:
Strawberries - 1pint - $3.00
Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.00
Dandelion Greens - 1 bunch - $2.00
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.00
Bok Choy - 1 head - $1.50
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
TOTAL - $16.50


FULL SHARE:
Strawberries - 2 pints - $6.00
Dandelion Greens - 1 bunch- $2.00
Lettuce - 2 heads - $4.00
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.00
Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Radishes - 2 bunches - $4.00
Parsley - 1 bunch - $1.50
Beets - 1 bunch - $2.50
Bok Choy - 1 head - $1.50
TOTAL - $25.50


RECIPES

Baby Bok Choy & Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 heads baby bok choy (or one head of big bok choy)

1 15oz can black beans, drained

1 head spring garlic

1 bunch spring onions

3 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

Directions:

Chop up bok choy stems and leaves into 1 inch strips. Chop garlic and onions and mix with bok choy and black beans. Mix together vinegar, mustard, and oil and pour over salad and toss. Cover it up and throw it in the fridge for at least an hour (a few hours is better especially if you’re using big bok choy). Taste it and add salt and pepper if you want – it usually does fine by itself.

Veggie CSA Week #2

UPDATE: RTI half shares will receive Bok Choy instead of turnips, and ALL full shares are receiving Broccoli Raab instead of Kale.

The strawberries were picked in between rains this week, therefore they were picked a little wet. Spread them out on a paper towel to air dry (or eat them very soon!) to avoid moldy berries at the bottom of the box.

Half Shares:

Strawberries - 1 quart - $5.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Spinach or Swiss Chard- 1/2# - $2.50
Beet Greens - 1 bunch - $2.50
Garlic - 1 - $1.00
Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.00
TOTAL - $15.50

Full Shares:

Strawberries - 3 pints - $9.00
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.00
Beet Greens - 1 bunch - $2.50
Garlic - 2 - $2.00
Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.00
TOTAL - $27.00

*Reminder: please return your empty box when you come to pick up this weeks box. Also, I am happy to take empty pint containers and clean plastic bags. Thanks!

2009 SUMMER/FALL CHICKEN CSA !

SUMMER/FALL CHICKEN CSA SHARES NOW AVAILABLE!
Please consider signing up soon as memberships are already filling up.

• Monthly whole chicken CSA pickup beginning in August and ending in November
• 4 Pickup locations: Castlemaine Farm (Liberty/Snow Camp), Carrboro, Durham and RTP
  
• Details and sign up form can be found in our brochure by clicking here.

Veggie CSA Week #1

UPDATE: Durham Folks will receive 1/2# Spicy greens braising mix instead of arugula (there is arugula in the mix...)

Half Shares:

Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Garlic - 1 - $1.00
Turnips - $2.00
Radishes - $2.00
Arugula (1/4#) - $2.00

TOTAL - $14.50

Full shares:

Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Garlic - 2 - $2.00
Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Radishes - $2.00
Turnips - $2.00
Escarole - 1 head - $2.50
Spicy Greens/Arugula Mix - 1/2 pound - $4.00
Beet Greens - 1/4 pound - $2.00

TOTAL - $24.50


It has been a busy week here at the farm! This weekend, we participated in the Piedmont Farm Tour, which went very well, and we even got to meet a few new CSA members. It was great to see you all out here! It was a little warm for April (and for me) so between groups of visitors, we were rushing around getting irrigation set up and keeping chickens watered and cool.

It is also the busy season in that while we are spending time trellising, weeding, irrigating and harvesting the spring crops, all the summer veggies are getting planted at the same time! Tomatoes are being planted as we speak, and squash, cucumbers, basil, winter squash and tomatillos were planted last week. Next into the ground will be melons, peppers and eggplant along with some late plantings of lettuce, cilantro and arugula. Phew!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX

Its greens season!! The spring is a perfect cool time to grow lots of the leafy greens, so enjoy them while they're here, as soon as the summer heat returns to stay, the greens will slowly disappear. However there are many weeks still full of lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, kales, cabbages and even some fun weird kohlrabi.

You are receiving spring green garlic in your boxes this week (and most likely through much of the spring). This form of garlic is the immature version, we are pulling it before it has formed bulbs and a papery cover. Garlic (and onions, and most of the Allium family) are daylength sensitive, so they will start to bulb when the days reach a certain length. For us, our garlic and onions always bulb and are ready for harvesting in mid-late June. At that point, we will pull all that are still in the field, and cure them in our greenhouse until they are dry. This spring green garlic is my favorite, because its so tender, mild, and has a nice fresh flavor. Just chop it up and sautee in olive oil before adding greens for a stir fry, or if you very finely chop it, you can add it (raw) to salad dressings, mashed potatoes, eggs, pasta...

The turnips are a Japanese salad turnip, meaning they tend to be more tender and sweet than the purple-topped type we all may be used to. These you can slice for a salad, like you would a radish, or slice, brush with olive oil and roast. Some people even just quarter them, and steam them with the greens.

Full shares are getting 2 items that may be unusual: Escarole and beet greens. The escarole is in the Chicory family, slightly bitter, much like radicchio and dandelion greens. Usually, the outer leaves, which are a bit tougher, can be used in cooked dishes (see recipe below) and the inner, more tender leaves may be used raw in salads.


RECIPES

Strawberry and Green Onion Salad
Source:	Amy Tornquist, Watts Grocery
Ingredients:	1 Tbsp. champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar 2 tsp. snipped fresh chives 2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. snipped fresh dill 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced Edible flowers (optional)
Directions:	1. In a small bowl combine vinegar, chives, mustard, salt, dill, and pepper. Whisk in olive oil to form an emulsion. 2. In a medium bowl combine strawberries and onions. Toss with dressing. Garnish with edible flowers, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Escarole and Beans

Ingredients:

2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 - 4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Head escarole, approximately 1 Lb., washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 14 oz. cans cannellini, drained and rinsed
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan
Slices of rustic bread

Preparation:

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for a minute or two. Add the escarole and stir to coat with the oil. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the escarole begins to wilt.

Stir in the beans. Lower the heat, add up to a cup of water (more if you prefer it soupier), season with salt and pepper, and simmer for five to ten minutes.

To Serve:

Divide equally among four soup bowls, drizzle a little more olive oil over each serving, and garnish with the Parmesan. Serve with a slice of good crusty bread. Or, garnish with homemade croutons.

Serves four

FROM: www.almostitalian.com

SPRING GARLIC PESTO (you may need to wait until the garlic backs up in your fridge, or buy more at the farmers market, but this is incredibly garlicly delicious!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound green garlic
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly shredded pecorino cheese or other hard sheep's milk cheese

Preparation:

1. Trim and discard root ends of green garlic. Finely chop green garlic, rinse thoroughly and pat or spin dry.
2. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook vegetable oil, green garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt until soft, about 3 minutes. Let cool to warm room temperature.
3. In a blender or food processor, pulse pine nuts to chop. Set aside. Add green garlic and process, scraping down sides as necessary, until bright green and smooth. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil. Pulse in reserved pine nuts and cheese. Taste and add more salt if you like.

Makes enough Green Garlic Pesto to coat 1 pound linguine.

Veggie CSA 1st Delivery

Hello!

We will begin deliveries of the Veggie CSA NEXT week, April 29-May 2nd. If you need to verify/change your pick-up location, please email us as soon as possible.

There are a few items of business I'd like to mention:

1) Your weekly produce will be delivered to you in a waxed cardboard box. These boxes need to be returned (empty) weekly. At $1 a piece, they get expensive to replace, and are very easily reusable. Just unfold the bottoms and lay them flat in the trunk of your car, etc. (if you need help on how to flatten these boxes, please just ask!!)

2) We are attempting a new credit system this year (for returning members, please note the change). The delivery season will be 22 weeks long - however, you will be receiving 20 weeks of produce. You all will get one week where you can opt to not receive a box (to accommodate summer vacations, etc). If you don't use your one week off, your last delivery will be on week 21. If you need more than that one week off, you will need to find someone to pick up your box for you that week. We will be taking a break August 12th through 15th and there will be NO deliveries this week. If you have questions about any of this, just ask, and it will be explained more as we get into the delivery season.

3) Please observe the designated pick-up times. We have a long day on CSA delivery day, and usually have worked at least 12 hours by 6 or 6:30pm. For RTI folks, the gates will close and lock at 6pm (although you can get out after 6), just as an FYI.

We're excited to get the season started, and we look forward to seeing you all next week! I will post a newsletter on Tuesday morning next week letting you know what to expect in your first boxes, and a recipe or two (and hopefully some pictures!!)

The Piedmont Farm Tour is this weekend, and we're on it this year (#30 on the Tour map)! So come on out and see the farm!

Thanks! See you next week!

Answers to questions you may have about feeding chickens

This is the best chicken feed FAQ on the internet that I've found. These folks have been in the business about 4 years or so longer than we have, and this guy does his homework. I just wanted to link this because it helps relieve some of the confusion about feeding chickens and pastured poultry:

http://plamondon.com/faq_feed.html

Veggie CSA Update

Hello Veggie CSA Members!

I meant to get an update on here sooner than this, but the days and weeks have been just zooming by lately! Now that we're having a few rain days, I'm getting caught up on my "inside work" list, which includes this blog update.

Spring seems late to appear this year (BRRRR!!!), but we've been planting like crazy nonetheless! Radishes, turnips, kale, collards, lettuce, broccoli, beets, onions, garlic, strawberries, sugar snap peas and potatoes (just to name a few) are all in the ground and growing happily (they'd grow even happier if it was just a bit warmer...) but all is good, and soon we all will be enjoying spring's bounty.

We are planning on the first Veggie CSA delivery to be April 29 (for on-farm and Carrboro folks), April 30 (for RTI folks) and May 2 for Durham Farmers Market folks. If, for some reason, we need to push the first delivery back a week (May 6, 7 & 9), I will let you know at least a week in advance. The only reason I would do this is if we don't have enough veggies ready to go by the end of April, but I'm pretty sure we will.

Soon, I will send out an email to you all, with a bit more information on how our Veggie CSA will work this year (boxes, missed weeks, etc). Until then, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us!

Crazy Maggie

We had a pack of stray dogs come into the pasture today to bother a bunch of our chickens. Maggie used her scary bark, the bark when we first heard it we thought it was a Rottweiler that wandered into the yard and not our little 45 pound puppy. The strays thought so too and thought twice about breaking into the pens to kill the chickens and ran off our property.

There she is when we got some snow on inauguration day.

March Chicken CSA Newsletter 2009

Hi everyone who signed up for a Chicken CSA for Spring 2009!

Your first batch of birds are a couple days over 4 weeks old, out on the pasture and doing very well, surviving the cold nights in the winter that doesn't seem to want to end. I'm trying to schedule a processing date with our processor, Chaudhry Halal Meats, for the 2nd to last week in April, and as soon as I confirm I'll let you all know when your first pickup date will be.

I attached a few pictures of your birds in the pasture I just took a few minutes ago. They are picking the sunny side of the pens as it's only in the 50s today. They're also staying close to each other for warmth (kinda like penguins do). These guys are on brand new pasture that has never seen a chicken. We always wait a year before re-running chickens on the same pasture, that way any diseases that form in the manure have a chance to run their course and die before another batch of birds goes on there. One of the main advantages to having chickens on pasture, and especially keeping them in moveable pens is they always get a clean spot each day. Most chicken diseases are picked up through the manure, so having them on clean ground daily eliminates the need for us to give them antibiotics like most of the housed operations have to.

Your second batch of birds arrived in the mail on Monday and you can see a picture of them - they are still in the brooder and still afraid of me so they're huddling a little. Once they figure out I'm the guy with the feed they come toward me instead of run away. The silvery stuff behind them is aluminum foil woven into bubble wrap called reflectex, an insulation that reflects 90% of the heat. I made a little cube of reflectex in each of our brooders so I only need one heat lamp per brooder and only need to run it for the first week and a half or so, depending on how cold it gets. Then the reflectex works to keep them warm on its own, so we ultimately use less electricity.

Thanks and let us know if you have any questions!

CSA SHARES FOR 2009 ARE SOLD OUT!

Both chicken and veggie CSA shares are all sold out for this season. We may do a summer chicken CSA starting in August. All our products will be available at Carrboro and Durham farmers' markets Saturday mornings starting in March. If you still want to join a CSA check out rti.org/csa for other farms offering shares if you can pick up in RTP, or check out localharvest.org for other CSA farms in our area. Thanks everyone!

-Brian & Joann