Castlemaine Farm

Now Taking Members for our 2012 Veggie CSA

2011-11-27T08:12:00.001-05:00

Download a brochure here to sign up. If you sign up by December 31st, it's $10 off the share price. We will once again offer pick up locations at the Saxaphaw General Store and Carrboro Farmers' Market.

Veggie CSA - FINAL WEEK

2011-09-06T14:55:00.002-04:00

Half Shares:

Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Collards - 1 bunch - $2.50
Baby Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.50
Summer Squash - 1 pound - $2.50
Eggplant - 1 pound - $3.00
Winter Squash - 1.5 pounds - $3.00
TOTAL - $16.25

Full Shares:

Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Collards - 1 bunch - $2.50
Baby Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.50
Summer Squash - 1 pound - $2.50
Eggplant - 1 pound - $3.00
Cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.00
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Winter Squash - 2 pounds - $4.00
Peppers - 1 pound - $4.00
TOTAL - $25.75

Veggie CSA Week #16

2011-08-09T10:23:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 1 pound - $3.00
Eggplant - 1 pound - $3.00
Basil - 1/8 pound - $1.50
Sweet bell peppers - 1 pound - $4.00
Poblano/Anaheim chiles - 1/2 pound - $2.00
Mizuna greens - 1/4 pound - $2.50
TOTAL - $16.00

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Eggplant - 1 pound - $3.00
Basil - 1/8 pound - $1.50
Sweet bell peppers - 1 pound - $4.00
Poblano/Anaheim chiles - 1/2 pound - $2.00
Mizuna greens - 1/2 pound - $5.00
Shishito peppers - 1 pint - $3.00
TOTAL - $24.50

Finally... basil! This is the first picking from a new planting, so what we are harvesting is close to the ground. With all the rain we've been getting, (!!!) the leaves are a little dirty, so give them a rinse before eating. Basil is too fussy for us to confidently wash/dry/bag it and have it retain its quality.

Mizuna is an Asian green that is also sometimes called Japanese Mustard. It has a peppery, spicy flavor, but milder than arugula. We love adding it to soups and stir fries, and sometimes we will top a pasta or meat dish with a handful of the greens.

As a reminder, the CSA will end the first week of September. If you have any of your share boxes lying around the house, garage, or the trunk of your car, please remember to bring them back. Thanks!

Veggie CSA Week #15

2011-08-02T10:12:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Arugula - 1/4 pound - $2.50
Sweet Bell Peppers - 1/2 pound - $2.00
Potatoes - 1 pound - $2.00
Onions - 1 pound - $2.50
TOTAL - $15.00

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 3 pounds - $9.oo
Arugula - 1/2 pound - $5.00
Sweet Bell Peppers - 1 pound - $4.00
Potatoes - 2 pounds - $4.00
Onions - 1 pound - $2.50
TOTAL - $24.50

Veggie CSA Week #14

2011-07-26T07:45:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Potatoes - 1.5 pounds - $3.00
Onions - 1 pound - $2.50
Sungold Cherry tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Poblano & New Mexico peppers - 1/2pound - $2.00
TOTAL - $16.50

Full Shares:
Tomatoes - 3 pounds - $9.00
Potatoes - 3 pounds - $6.00
Onions - 2 pounds - $5.00
Eggplant - 1 pound - $3.00
Poblano & New Mexico peppers - 1/2# - $2.00
TOTAL - $25.00

Veggie CSA Week #13

2011-07-19T07:17:00.004-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Green Beans - 1 pound - $4.00
Cabbage - between 3-4 pounds - $7.00
Serrano Peppers - 5 peppers - $1.00
Cucumbers - 3/4 pound - $1.50
TOTAL - $19.50

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 3 pounds - $9.00
Green Beans - 2 pounds - $8.00
Cabbage - between 4-5 pounds - $9.00
Shishito Peppers - 1 pint - $3.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Serrano Peppers - 5 peppers - $1.00
TOTAL - $33.00

"Why are we getting so much cabbage?"

You will notice that 3-4 pounds of cabbage is a LOT of cabbage, and we noticed it too. The reason you're getting so much (and we raised the weekly dollar amount to accommodate) is because we have it and we need to find homes for it. This spring, we grew a lot of both green and red cabbage with the plan to harvest and store it for later sale. But the harvest was so good that we STILL have some in our cooler. So... we are hoping you will be excited for coleslaw, cabbage soup, sauerkraut.... etc, etc. Remember, cabbage stores excellently. Many times, what you buy in the grocery store has been in cold storage for 6 months or more. So, don't feel like you have to eat it all in one week. Just put it in a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator. The outer leaves may turn yellow, just peel back a layer or two, and all will be good again. Below, we have lots of links and recipes for you. Also, cabbagerecipes.org has a bunch.

"Where is all the squash and basil?"

Some of you (especially those who were members of our CSA in previous years) may be wondering why you're not swimming in too much zucchini or squash or basil. It is, after all, the height of summer, and these crops usually are so prolific we're scrambling to make zucchini bread and pesto just to put a dent in it. Unfortunately, this has not been the best squash (or cucumber, for that matter) year for us. Our first two plantings succumbed to insect pressure (cucumber beetle and vine borer, mostly). Yesterday, we planted one last attempt at some late summer squash, so, we'll see how it goes. A similar situation with the basil, but more will be planted later this week, and hopefully we'll be harvesting in a few weeks.

Cabbage Recipes

COLCANNON (one of my favorites, and another use for all your potatoes)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced green onions (apx. 8)
4 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed (apx. 2 pounds)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 small cabbage (apx. 1 pound), cooked, drained, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Preparation:

Heat butter in a skillet set over medium heat and sauté green onions until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add potatoes and stir to combine. Add milk and gently stir over low heat. Add cabbage, salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, and stir until heated through.

SAUERKRAUT (according to Margaret)

Sauerkraut is simple! You'll need: cabbage, glass or ceramic jars, water, salt (I use non-iodized salt), and anything else you want to put in it. Things I like to add: onions, garlic, ginger, peppers (bell or hot), carrots, cumin & mustard seeds (a very few of these will add flavor). I also like to put a little or a lot of purple cabbage in my kraut: it turns the whole thing pink!

1. Chop (or run through the food processor) the cabbage to the size you want to eat it

2. Bruising the cabbage will release more of the bacteria that make it ferment into kraut. I put my cut up cabbage in a plastic grocery bag and whack it with a mason jar; something less breakable will work fine too.

3. If you're adding anything else to your kraut, now is the time to mix it all up in a big bowl.

4. Stuff the cabbage (or cabbage plus other stuff) into the jar/s you'll be using to ferment. Leave 2-3" at the top.

5. Mix your brine. I use non-iodized salt and I add salt until it tastes like sea water.

6. Pour the brine over the cabbage mixture. Cover the cabbage with a little extra space to spare, but leave some room at the top too: fermentation creates bubbles that will make the liquid level rise and potentially overflow. If you have anything that will fit in your jar/fermentation container that weighs down the cabbage so that pieces don't float to the top, that makes your job a little easier.

7. Cover your jar with fabric- I just use a washcloth with a rubber band holding it around the neck. Your kraut has to breath, so don't seal it up!

8. Put your kraut somewhere you can check on it daily (the ambient temperature in your house should be fine for it, unless you keep your house really cold) - the floaters on the top will mold if you leave them there for a week. I check on my kraut daily and use a fork to squeeze out the air bubbles and push the floaters back down into the liquid.

9. Your kraut should start getting krauty in about a week. I like to let mine ferment at least two weeks, after which point I put it in the fridge (it's OK to seal it in the fridge), which drastically slows down the process. If your kraut still tastes salty, it's probably not done.

Enjoy! Sauerkraut has lot of beneficial bacteria in it that are good for you, and it's delicious!

Veggie CSA Week #12

2011-07-12T07:28:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Cantaloupe - 1 - $3.00
Potatoes - 1 pound - $2.00
Onions - 1 pound - $2.50
TOTAL - $16.50

Full Shares:
Tomatoes - 3 pounds - $7.50
Cantaloupe - 2 - $6.00
Eggplant - 1 pound - $3.00
Potatoes - 2 pounds - $4.00
Onions - 1.5 pounds - $3.75
TOTAL - $24.25

Veggie CSA Week #11

2011-07-05T12:06:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes – 2.5# - $7.50
Cantaloupe – 1 - $3.00
Shishito Peppers – 1 pint - $3.00
Eggplant – 1# - $3.00
TOTAL - $16.50

Full Shares:

Tomatoes – 4# - $12.00
Cantaloupe – 2 - $6.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint - $3.00
Green Peppers – 2 - $1.00
Squash – 1 pound - $2.50
Jalapeno Peppers – 2 - $0.50
TOTAL - $25.00

Sorry I didn't post anything last week... we had an opportunity to go to the beach for a few days, and got back on Tuesday morning. While I was physically on the farm, I think I left my brain sitting on the beach for a day or so after returning.

TOMATOES!! They're here, and for the moment, there are a lot of them. While our first planting is quickly succumbing to early blight (or some sort of disease), we do have another smaller planting so hopefully we can stretch out the season longer than we have in years past.

Half shares are getting Shishito peppers this week, my new favorite snack! Just heat a skillet with olive oil (enough to generously cover the bottom of the pan). When it's nice and hot, throw the peppers in whole, stem and all. Stir-fry them for a few minutes, until they start to brown and blister and are warmed all the way through. Put on a plate and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt (or any salt...) and snack away! Yum.

The melons are cantaloupes, orange fleshed and very sweet. They all should be ripe and ready to eat, but if your melon is still a little green in the ribbing, just set it on the counter for a day or so. There are a few melons that are not orange fleshed, but more of a creamy white/green flesh. So... if you cut your melon open and it's not orange, don't worry, it'll still be nice and sweet.

Veggie CSA Week #9

2011-06-21T09:06:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.00
Green Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Potatoes - 2 pounds - $4.00
Green Beans - 1/2 pound - $2.00
Cabbage - approx. 2 pounds - $4.00
TOTAL - $16.50

Full Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.00
Green Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Potatoes - 3 pounds - $6.00
Green Beans - 1 pound - $4.00
Cabbage - approx. 3 pounds - $6.00
Tomatoes - 1 pound - $3.00
TOTAL - $25.50

Veggie CSA Week #8

2011-06-14T07:46:00.005-04:00

Half Shares:

Potatoes - 2# - $4.00
Sugarloaf Radicchio - 1 head (or 2 small)- $2.50
Leeks - 1/2 pound - $1.50
Green Beans - 1 pound - $4.00
Onions - 1 pound - $2.50
Cucumbers - 1/2 pound - $1.00
TOTAL - $15.50

Full Shares:

Potatoes - 3# - $6.00
Sugarloaf Radicchio - 1 head (or 2 small) - $2.50
Leeks - 1 pound - $3.00
Green Beans - 1.5# - $6.00
Onions - 1.5# - $3.75
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
Basil - 1/4# - $2.50
TOTAL - $25.75

Veggie CSA Week #7

2011-06-06T20:10:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Cabbage - approx. 2# - $4.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Cutting Celery (Herb) - $2.00
Green Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
TOTAL - $15.50

Full Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Cabbage - approx. 3# - $6.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Cutting Celery (herb) - $2.00
Green Onions- 1 bunch - $2.00
Cucumbers - 2 pounds - $4.00
Squash - 1 pound - $2.50
Fennel - 2 bulbs - $4.00
TOTAL - $26.00

Well, here we are, already one week into June. This month, here at the farm, signals the transition from spring crops to summer crops, and with the heat of the last few weeks, that transition has been rapid. No more radishes, turnips, sugar snap peas, kale, or cilantro, but we will start seeing onions, potatoes, squash, and soon tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. The lettuce will continue for a few more weeks. We grow a heat tolerant variety called Summer Crisp. This is a sort of intermediate between iceberg and green leaf lettuce, higher water content so it doesn't get bitter in the summer heat like the other lettuces do. Even this type doesn't hold up all summer here in the hot, humid South, but we will at least see it for another week or two.

A new herb in your boxes this week is "Cutting Celery". This herb could be mistaken for flat-leafed parsley--the two are related and part of the carrot family (Apiaceae). Cutting celery has a more pungent flavor than grocery-store celery, and can be substituted for regular celery in most recipes. A few sprigs can replace one large celery stalk. We chop it finely and add it to tuna salad, yum!

The first round of cucumbers (the ones in your boxes this week) aren't as pretty as I would like them to be. We were overrun by the Cucumber Beetle early on , the first few weeks after planting. Although they're gone now (short life cycle), they left their mark on the first fruits. Just peel or cut off the affected spot, it's only superficial, and just on the very tip, mostly. The ones we harvest later are looking less flawed.

In the next few weeks, you'll be seeing potatoes, beans, more of our awesome onions, more leeks, and, at the end of June, finally, tomatoes, melons and the first of the peppers (serranos & jalapenos)

Stay cool! :)

Veggie CSA Week #6

2011-05-31T07:22:00.002-04:00

Half Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Summer Squash - 1# - $3.00
Leeks - 1# - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 3/4# - $3.75
Basil - 1/8# - $1.25
TOTAL - $16.50

Full Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Summer Squash - 1.5# - $4.50
Leeks - 1.5# - $4.50
Carrots - 2 bunches - $6.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 1# - $5.00
Basil - 1/4# - $2.50
TOTAL - $25.00

Veggie CSA Week #5

2011-05-23T18:11:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Sugar Snap Peas - 3/4# - $3.75
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Turnips - 1 bunch - $3.00
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Onion - 1 - $1.50
TOTAL - $16.75

Full Shares:

Sugar Snap Peas - 1.5# - $7.50
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Turnips - 1 bunch - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Summer Squash - 1# - $3.00
Onion - 2 - $3.00
TOTAL - $25.00

Veggie CSA Week #4

2011-05-16T16:31:00.002-04:00

Half Shares:

Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.50
Sugar Snap Peas - 1/2 pound - $2.50
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Spinach - 1/2 pound - $3.00
Broccoli Raab - 1 bunch - $3.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
TOTAL - $17.25

Full Shares:

Strawberries - 2 pints - $7.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 1 pound - $5.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Spinach - 1 pound - $6.00
Broccoli Raab - 1 bunch - $3.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
TOTAL - $26.25

Veggie CSA Week #3

2011-05-09T20:43:00.005-04:00

Half Shares:

Strawberries - 2 pints - $7.00
Escarole - 1 head - $2.50
Lettuce mix - 1/4# - $2.00
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Green Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $2.00
TOTAL - $18.00

Full Shares:

Strawberries - 3 pints - $10.50
Escarole - 1 head - $2.50
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Lettuce mix - 1/2# - $4.00
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $2.00
Bok Choy - 1 large - $2.00
TOTAL - $26.00

Escarole and White Bean Soup (My favorite way to eat escarole!)

(NOTE: I have made this without the canned tomatoes, and it came out quite tasty....)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 head escarole (about 1 pound), washed, dried, and torn into pieces
8 cups chicken stock
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 small chunk Parmesan rind
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add escarole and sauté until wilted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock, Parmesan, beans, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer on medium low heat until escarole is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Yield: 8 servings.

Veggie CSA Week #2

2011-05-02T20:43:00.008-04:00

Half Shares:
Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.50
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Baby Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.50
Turnips - 1 bunch - $3.00
Arugula - 1/4# - $2.00
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
TOTAL - $16.00

Full Shares:
Strawberries - 2 pints - $7.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Baby Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Dill - 1 bunch - $2.00
Green onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Spicy greens mix - 1/2# - $4.00
TOTAL - $25.25

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 #1

2011-04-25T16:38:00.005-04:00

Half Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $2.00
Bok Choy - 1 head - $2.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Broccoli Raab - 1 bunch - $3.00
Garlic - 2 - $1.50
TOTAL - $16.25

Full Shares:

Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Kale - 1 bunch - $2.50
Bok Choy - 2 heads - $4.00
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $2.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $3.00
Garlic - 2 - $1.50
Arugula - 1/4 pound - $2.50
Turnips - 1 bunch - $3.00
TOTAL - $26.75

Hello everyone and welcome to our 2011 CSA season! We've been working hard to get ready for deliveries, and we are excited about what we are offering this week. As you all know, we do grow strawberries, specifically for our CSA members (although we are known to have plenty for sale at market as well). Our strawberries are looking great, but they just are a little late in ripening. We spotted 2 (yes, TWO!) berries turning from white to red this morning, and there are plenty more on the way. So, unfortunately, no strawberries in your boxes this week, but I would say most definitely they will be there next week. YAY!

Spring in North Carolina means greens, and lots of them! This is by far my favorite time of year - lots of lettuce, kale, swiss chard (!!) arugula, and did I mention lettuce? So for the next few weeks, until we start seeing the fruits of summer, you will be getting a lot of greens in your boxes. We will try to keep it exciting and alternate between them. We are not very fancy, and just heat up a wok or skillet with some olive oil and garlic, then add a big pile of whatever greens we might have (kale, chard, bok choy... even turnip greens or beet greens, add the root too!) and sautee for a few minutes. Sometimes we add a little broth and/or soy sauce and/or vinegar to the pan too. If you like sausage, crumbling a little into the greens mix is always a yummy touch.

Half shares are receiving broccoli raab this week (full shares should be getting some soon). Since this might be a new one for a lot of you, I'm posting a recipe for it below. And always remember, if you have a great recipe you want to share, please email it to us (castlemainefarm@gmail.com) and I'll post it for the group to see.

Pasta with Broccoli Raab and Sausage (of course, if you don't like sausage, just leave it out...)

Ingredients

1 pound pasta (any kind)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 bunch broccoli rabe
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it’s no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add the broth and red pepper and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and simmer, covered, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the butter and Parmesan and cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
Toss the pasta with the sausage mixture and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

By Sara Quessenberry, September 2005

Now taking members for our 2011 CSA!

2010-12-01T11:10:00.002-05:00

Download a brochure here to sign up. If you sign up by December 31st, it's $10 off the share price. We now have pick up locations at the Saxaphaw General Store and Carrboro Farmers' Market.

Veggie CSA Week #20

2010-09-01T09:59:00.004-04:00

This is the last week we will be delivering CSA boxes. Thanks so much for a great season!

Half Shares:

Turnips - 1 bunch
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/4 pound
Eggplant - 1/2 pound
Melon (Carrboro/Farm) - 1
Melon OR Winter Squash OR Bok Choy (RTI/Durham - 1
Peppers - 1 pound

Full Shares:

Turnips - 1 bunch
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/2 pound
Bok Choy - 1 bunch
Radishes - 1 bunch
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Peppers - 2 pounds
Basil - 1/4 pound

It's always interesting to me how the CSA boxes come full circle through the course of the season. We started with turnips and greens, and always manage to re-introduce these guys in the last few weeks. It is always a relief to me to see their return, because it is a sign of cooler days. Hopefully, those cooler days will show up soon! Needless to say, this hot hot summer has left us pretty depleted at this point. The fall greens are struggling under the stress of the heat/lack of rain, and are falling prey to various bugs.... it seems appropriate that our CSA delivery season is ending. We will now concentrate on getting the farm ready for next year. We will be taking down all the trellis, pulling up landscape fabric (used for weed control), mowing the sad summer crops, and planting cover crops to keep our soil where it is through the winter. We're hoping for a little taste of hurricane season (really, just a few inches of rain, no wind or other nasty hurricane potentials) to help get the cover crop seed to germinate nicely.

Once again, we thank you very much for your enthusiasm and support of our CSA. Every year, our farm faces new challenges, successes, failures, and surprises, and I do feel it is quite important for you to share those us. We always enjoy getting to know you all throughout the season, and we will miss you during the winter months.

Thanks for a great season,
Brian, Joann & Mark,
The Castlemaine Crew

Veggie CSA Week #19

2010-08-25T09:58:00.002-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Radishes - 1 bunch
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/4 pound
Winter Squash or Melon - 1
Peppers - 1 pound
Eggplant - 1/2 pound
Basil - 1/4 pound

Full Shares
Radishes - 1 bunch
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/2 pound
Winter Squash or Melon - 1
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint
Eggplant - 1 pound
Peppers - 2 pounds
Basil - 1/4 pound

Community Supported Fisheries

2010-08-19T20:21:00.004-04:00

Hey all -

As members of Castlemaine Farm's CSA program, customers of ours at market, and/or friends and family of the Castlemaine Crew, you understand how important it is to support local food producers. Brian and I joined a CSF this spring (Community Supported Fisheries) and it has been a great experience. Not only are we receiving fresh seafood once a week (yum!), we are also supporting North Carolina fishermen and their families and communities. The seafood is driven up to Carrboro from the NC coast on Thursdays. If you're looking for more ways to keep your food budget money in the local community, please click on the following links.

Core Sound Seafood will be offering community supported fishery shares for this Fall. Shares will contain a variety of fresh, local seafood from the Downeast Coast in Carteret County. Full and half shares are available weekly or bi-weekly. All details are available on their website at www.coresoundseafood.org You can sign up and pay online. The fall share starts on September 23rd and will run through December 2nd. See their website or contact them at info@coresoundseafood.org for more information.

Veggie CSA Week #18

2010-08-19T13:53:00.002-04:00

What's in your box:

RTI (Thursday)
Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 1 pound
Green Onions - 1 bunch
Melon or Winter Squash - 1
Assorted Peppers - 1 pound
Padron Peppers - a handful
Eggplant - 1/2 pound
Basil - 1 bunch

Full Shares:
Tomatoes - 2 pounds
Melon - 1
Winter Squash - 1
Swiss Chard or Radishes -1 bunch
Green Peppers - 1 pound
Green Onions - 1 bunch
Sungold Tomatoes - 1 pint

The other pick ups (Carrboro, Farm, and Durham) will be variations on the above lists, based on what 's ready to be harvested on the day we pack the boxes.

Remember - the Padron peppers are hot! Tasty, but hot....

Veggie CSA Week #17

2010-08-11T07:08:00.002-04:00

What's in your box:

Half shares:
Tomatoes - 2 pounds
Green Onions - 1 bunch
Melon - 1
Chile Peppers - 1/2 pound
Sweet Peppers - 1/2 pound
Basil - 1/4 pound
TOTAL - $17.50

Full Shares:
Tomatoes 2 pounds
Green Onions - 1 bunch
Swiss Chard - 2 bunches
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint
Chile Peppers - 1 pound
Sweet Peppers - 1 pound
Eggplant - 1 pound
TOTAL - $27.00

In addition, RTI Full Shares will have 1 pound of tomatoes (total of 3 pounds) because this item was overlooked when we were packing the boxes last week. Sorry!

Oops...

2010-08-07T13:29:00.004-04:00

Thursday RTI Full Share CSA members:

One of you pointed out to me today that the 1# of tomatoes listed for this week (week #16) were not included in your box. I apologize for this oversight, and I will make sure you get them next week, in addition to your regular weekly box. Sorry everyone!

Veggie CSA Week #16

2010-08-04T11:15:00.002-04:00

What's in your box:

Wednesday - Carrboro/Farm:
Half shares:

Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Tomatoes - 2pounds
Potatoes - 1 pound
Poblano/Cayenne peppers - 1/2 pound
Melon - 1
Green Bell Pepper - 1 large or 2 small

Thursday - RTI:
Half Shares:

Eggplant - 1/2 pound
Melon - 1
Green Bell Pepper - 1 large or 2 small
Poblano/Cayenne peppers - 1/2 pound
Tomatoes - 1-2 pounds
Padron Peppers - 6
Potatoes - 1 pound

Full Shares:

Eggplant - 1 pound
Melon - 2
Green Bell Pepper - 1 pound
Poblano/Cayenne peppers - 1/2 pound
Tomatoes - 1 pound
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 2 pints
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Basil - 1/4 pound

Saturday - Durham

Half Shares:
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Green Onions - 1 bunch
Eggplant - 1/2 pound
Poblano/Cayenne peppers - 1/2 pound
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint
Green Bell Pepper - 1 large or 2 small
Melon - 1
Padron Peppers - 6

Full Shares:
Eggplant - 1 pound
Melon - 2
Green Bell Pepper - 1 pound
Poblano/Cayenne peppers - 1/2 pound
Tomatoes - 1 pound
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 2 pints
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Basil - 1/4 pound

Veggie CSA Week #15

2010-07-28T11:45:00.002-04:00

Howdy folks! So, below is the list of what the Wednesday CSA boxes will contain (Carrboro and On-Farm pick ups). The Thursday and Saturday boxes are going to vary, depending on availability. To be honest, the harvests are not quite as plentiful lately (I'm blaming the excessive extended heat), so we'll determine what will go in the boxes after tomorrow morning's harvest.

Thursday folks are hopefully receiving sweet corn, grown by another farmer near Pittsboro (I haven't quite confirmed this yet, so again, it'll be a fun surprise :) The reason the farmers market picker uppers won't be receiving sweet corn is because it wasn't grown by us. One of the farmers market rules (at both Durham and Carrboro) is that the CSA boxes we hand out MUST contain products grown on our own farms.

So, here is the Wednesday box run-down:

Half Shares:
Sungold Tomatoes - 1 pint
Assorted Peppers (Hots in the plastic bag, sweets separate) - 1 pound
Japanese Eggplant - 1/2#
Padron Peppers - 6 peppers
Melon - 1 melon
Basil - 1/4 pound

Full Shares:
Sungold Tomatoes - 1 pint
Assorted Peppers - 1 pound
Padron Peppers - 6 peppers
Melon - 2 melons
Eggplant - 1 pound
Green Beans - 1 pound
Basil - 1/4 pound

Padron Peppers: Yum! one of my new favorites, we have been very simply heating a pan with olive oil and frying these little peppers whole (stem and all) just until they're hot, then sprinkling them with salt and munching. Sometimes, we cut a little door in the pepper, and stuff them with cheese. They are a "hot" pepper, and some are way hotter than others, but cooking them seems to mellow them a bit. Basically, the bigger the pepper is, the hotter they are. All the ones we've picked for you will be spicy, but not outrageous. Wednesday CSA'ers get them this week, we'll most likely have them for the Thursday and Saturday CSA'ers next week.

Veggie CSA Week #14

2010-07-22T07:27:00.006-04:00

Half Shares:

Tomatoes - 2 pounds
Green or Yellow Wax Beans - 1/2 pound
Assorted Peppers - 1 pound
Basil - 1/4 pound

Full Shares:

Tomatoes - 3 pounds
Sungold Tomatoes - 1 pint
Melon - 1 large or 2 small
Potatoes - 2 pounds
Eggplant - 1 pound
Assorted Peppers - 1 pound

A quick pepper run-down: The peppers in the plastic bag are all varieties of hot peppers. Jalapeno, Serrano, New Mexican and Padron.

Jalapeno

Serrano

Anaheim

Padron

Veggie CSA Week #13

2010-07-13T20:17:00.002-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint
Tomatoes - 2.5 pounds
Melon - 1
Green or Yellow Wax Beans - 1/2 pound
Jalapeno or Serrano Pepper- 2-3

Full Shares:

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 2 pints
Tomatoes - 3 pounds
Melon - 1
Green or Yellow Wax Beans - 1pound
Japanese Eggplant - 1 pound
Serrano or Jalapeno Pepper - 4-6

Recipe of the Week:

I really should have included this recipe a few weeks ago, but I figure by now you need something creative to do with those Sungolds :) This is my favorite:

Shiloh's Creamy Sungold Pasta

Ingredients

3 C sungold tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 C fresh chopped basil (packed)
2 Tbsp butter
6-8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2/3 C heavy cream
Romano or Parmesan cheese to taste
Fettucine pasta
Peeled shrimp (optional)

Method

Heat your pan and saute the garlic in butter, being careful not to burn.
Add salt, pepper and halved tomatoes and wilt them down a few minutes.
Add cream and cook gently, allowing sauce to thicken.
When sauce is to your liking, add peeled shrimp directly to the simmering cream sauce - they'll cook fast so do wait until the end.
Add basil.
Serve with pasta and freshly grated Romano or Parmesan.

Original recipe at http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com/recipe_show.html?id=18

Veggie CSA Week #12

2010-07-06T19:05:00.003-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.50
Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Green or Yellow Wax Beans - 1/2# - $2.00
Muskmelon or Galia Melon - 1 - $3.00
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50

Full Shares:

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.50
Tomatoes - 2 pounds - $6.00
Cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.50
Summer Squash - 1 pound - $2.00
Green 'Jade' Beans - 1 pound - $4.00
Basil - 1/4 pound - $3.00
Onions - 1 pound - $2.50
Muskmelon or Galia melon - 1 - $3.00

We may be also throwing in some Jalapeno or Serrano peppers this week, $1.00 worth. Perfect for spicing up your salsa or tomato sauces!

The difference in the melons is: some have a green flesh (the tropical Galia Melons) and some have the orange flesh (muskmelons, a lot like cantaloupe). Both are quite tasty, but we have noticed our variety selections have become such that the orange fleshed melons (muskmelon) are sweeter (and a little denser fleshed) than the Galia (green fleshed). Both are really good and sweet, but we would love some feedback!

In the tomato world, we have a lot of varieties growing, so to do a quick run-down.... the red tomatoes are called "Big Beef", a really wonderful standard beefsteak tomato, and actually, of all, my favorite!, well, except for the "Cherokee Purple", which you all should get at least one of this week. Brick red in color, this heirloom tomato is by far the best I've ever tasted. It makes the absolute perfect BLT (or in our house, TCOM - tomato, cucumber, onion, mayonnaise:) the yellow/orange ones are called "Orange Blossom", a little milder than the Big Beef, and the pinks are called "Pink Girl". The pinks are really great as a crushed, canned, juice tomato. YUM! I just boil a whole bunch of them for about 30 seconds, pull them out into a big bowl of ice water, then peel the skins off, cut the core out, squish the rest into a mason jar, add a teaspoon of lemon juice, and can them. Absolutely the best tomato juice I've ever had (and I'm a HUGE fan of V-8).

Veggie CSA Week #11

2010-06-30T07:00:00.002-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.50
Tomatoes - 2# - $6.00
Cucumbers - 1 pound - $2.50
Potatoes - 1.5 pounds - $3.00
Garlic - $1.00

Full Shares:
Tomatoes - 2# - $6.00
Cucumbers - 2# - $5.00
Potatoes - 2# - $4.00
Melon - 2 small - $4.00
Yellow Wax or Green Beans - 1# - $4.00
Eggplant- 1# - $2.00

Veggie CSA Week #10

2010-06-21T12:50:00.004-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Tomatoes - 1 pound - $3.25
Cucumbers - 1.5# - $3.00
Summer Squash - 1# - $2.00
Potatoes - 2# - $4.00
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50
Cabbage - 1 head - $2.00

Full Shares:
Tomatoes - 1pound - $3.25
Sungold Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.50
Cucumbers - 2# - $4.00
Squash - 1# - $2.00
Cabbage - 1 - $2.00
Potatoes - 2# - $4.00
Basil - 1/4# - $3.00
One more item...

Tomatoes - we started picking tomatoes this week, but there were only enough for you all to get roughly a pound. There are plenty more in your future, in all shapes, sizes and colors! Now begins my favorite tomato sandwich season: slices of tomato, cucumbers and onion with mayonnaise. Mmmmm...

Potatoes - We started digging potatoes this week, we did not wash them because they are so new their skins aren't very thick, and washing the dirt off would also wash the skins off. Just rinse before use. These are a variety called Carolla (very much like a yukon gold). They are great fried, roasted or boiled/mashed. Every year I forget how awesome our potatoes are compared to the store-bought ones. Yum!

Cabbage - this will be the last head of cabbage in your boxes for this season. We have been making lots of coleslaw.... shred the cabbage, and put it in a bowl with some chopped onion, and cucumber (or any other crunchy veggie you may have, like carrots or sweet peppers). Add just enough mayo and vinegar to coat all the ingredients, add salt and pepper and refrigerate.

Veggie CSA Week #9

2010-06-15T15:54:00.008-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/4# - $2.50
Basil - 1/8# - $1.50
Summer Squash - 1.5# - $3.00
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.50
Radicchio - 1 head - $2.50
Cabbage - 1 head - $2.00
Leeks and/or Onions - 1/2# - $1.50
TOTAL - $15.50

Full Shares:
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/2# - $5.00
Radicchio - 1 head - $2.50
Cabbage - 2 heads - $4.00
Summer Squash - 2# - $4.00
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.50
Leeks and/or Onions- 1# - $3.00
Fennel - 2 heads - $4.00
TOTAL - $25.00

Veggie CSA Week #8

2010-06-08T09:27:00.003-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Cucumbers - 1/2# - $1.25
Summer Squash - 1# - $2.50
Leeks - 1/2# - $2.00
Cabbage - 1 - $2.00
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Cutting Celery -1 bunch - $2.00
Fennel - 1 small head - $2.00
Dill - 1 flower head - $1.50
TOTAL - $16.25

Full Shares:
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.50
Summer Squash - 2# - $5.00
Leeks - 1# - $4.00
Cabbage - 1 head - $2.00
Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Basil - 1/4# - $2.50
Onions - 1# - $2.50
Dill - 2 flower heads - $3.00
TOTAL - $24.50

Veggie CSA Week #7

2010-06-01T15:04:00.005-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Share:
Cabbage - 2-3# - $4.50
Summer Squash - 1# - $3.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Escarole - 1 small head - $2.00
Onions - 1# - $2.75
TOTAL - $15.25

Full Share:
Cabbage - 3-4# - $6.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Summer Squash - 2# - $6.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Onions - 1# - $2.75
Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Fennel - 1 small - $2.00
TOTAL - $24.75

Note: The onions are still what we consider "fresh", in that they haven't been cured. They should be kept in the fridge just like green onions/spring onions. The tops were sort of ugly, so we cut them off....

Needless to say, June is a bit of a "lull" time for our produce. While the spring crops are hanging in there, they're on the way out as the summer crops are slowing maturing. By the end of the month, there will be a rebound, when potatoes, beans, melons, and tomatoes begin to be harvested. We are a little behind on the cucumbers - a cold snap about a month ago (36 degrees!) shocked them a bit and they're now fully recovered, just a little late. However, we have beautiful cabbages this week, the best crop we've ever grown! Plus the first harvest of the fennel. There should be more of this for everyone next week.

I forgot to post this escarole recipe for you the last time we had it in your boxes, so here it is!

White Bean and Escarole Soup

Veggie CSA Week #6

2010-05-25T07:08:00.003-04:00

What is in your box:

Half Share:

Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
Summer Squash - 1# - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Scarlet Queen Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.50
Kohlrabi - 1 bulb - $1.50
TOTAL - $15.00

Full Share:
Carrots - 2 bunches - $6.00
Summer Squash - 2# - $6.00
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
Chioggia Beets - 1 bunch - $3.00
Kohlrabi - 1 bunch - $3.00
TOTAL - $25.50

Veggie CSA Week #5

2010-05-15T15:22:00.003-04:00

Half Shares:

Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 1/2# - $2.25
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Spring Onions - 1 bunch - $2.50
Garlic - 1 bunch - $2.00
Swiss Chard - 2.50
Beet Greens - $2.50
TOTAL - $17.25

Full Shares

Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Cabbage - 1 head - $2.50
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Beet Greens - 2 bunches - $5.00
Spring Onions - 1 bunch - $2.50
Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.75
Garlic - 1 bunch - $2.00
Dill - 1 bunch - $2.00
Carrots - 1 bunch - $3.00
TOTAL - $25.25

Once again, things may change.... due to the excessive rain this weekend (yay!!!!) the sugar snap peas and strawberries are on the fritz... we'll make sure to replace with something equally yummy :)

Veggie CSA Week #4

2010-05-11T07:26:00.003-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 2/3# - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Escarole - 1 head - $2.50
Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.75
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
TOTAL - $16.25

Full Shares:
Strawberries - 2 pints - $6.00
Sugar Snap Peas - 1# - $4.50
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Escarole - 2 heads - $5.00
Lacinato Kale - 1 bunch - $3.00
Spring Onions - 1 bunch - $2.50
TOTAL - $26.00

I may have to adjust this once we go pick the strawberries tomorrow.... last week's heat really hurt them, and I'm not sure how many are out there. Hopefully, the cool days as of late (and lots of irrigating) will help them recover....

We got a teensy bit of rain this morning, which helped us with planting of melons, basil, eggplant, tomatillos, and maybe will be enough to get the beans to germinate? I'll take what I can get, but more please!!

I will post some recipes soon, one for escarole, and one for sugar snap peas. I'm off to water in everything we planted today, so as usual, do a rain dance!! (it sorta worked...)

Veggie CSA Week #3

2010-05-03T14:00:00.005-04:00

What's in your box:

Half Shares:
Strawberries - 1 pint - $3.00
Green Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/4# - $2.00
Spinach - 1/2# - $3.00
Garlic - 1 bunch - $2.00
Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.50
Dill - 1 bunch - $1.50
TOTAL - $16.00

Full Shares:
Strawberries - 2 pints - $6.00
Green Onions - 1 bunch - $2.00
Spicy Greens Mix - 1/2# - $4.00
Spinach - 1/2# - $3.00
Garlic - 1 bunch - $2.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Bok Choy - 1 bunch - $2.50
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch - $2.50
TOTAL - $24.75

Well, we've been busy to say the least! We spent the last two weeks (sorry for no update last week..) planting tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, cucumbers, beans, basil, and more lettuce, and we're trying to keep up with the weeding of potatoes, onions and all the spring veggies. A little rain would help with the process of planting, just to keep down the dust a bit, but we have plenty of irrigation running, so in the long run, all the crops are happy.

Strawberries are here!! They are ripening very fast, so hopefully they'll hang on for 4-5 weeks, but I'm not sure... it seems that they all are ready at once... Yum. The first ones always seem less sweet to me (but always really tasty), so hopefully with the heat as of late, we'll get a sweeter harvest.

Soon to your boxes will be sugar snap peas (next week) and beets, carrots, swiss chard, fennel, escarole, and in about a month we'll have the first summer squash, cucumbers and basil. Enjoy! :)

Veggie CSA Week #2

2010-04-23T07:33:00.005-04:00

Half Shares:

Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Arugula - 1/4# - $2.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Lettuce Mix - 1/4# - 2.00
Beet Greens - 1 bunch - $3.00
Lacinato Kale - 1 bunch - $3.00
TOTAL - $15.25

Full Shares:
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Salad Mix - 1/2# - $4.00
Beet Greens - 2 bunches - $6.00
Strawberries - 2 pints - $6.00
Dill - 1 bunch - $1.50
Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.50
TOTAL - $25.00

Veggie CSA Week #1

2010-04-17T15:23:00.008-04:00

Whats in your box:

Half Share:

Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.75
Lettuce - 1 head - $2.50
Bok Choy - 1 head - $2.00
Spinach - 1/2 pound - $3.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
Garlic - 1 bunch - $2.00
TOTAL - $16.50

Full Share:

Turnips - 1 bunch - $2.75
Lettuce - 2 heads - $5.00
Bok Choy - 1 head - $2.00
Spinach - 1 pound - $6.00
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.75
Cilantro - 1 bunch - $1.50
Garlic - 1 bunch - $2.00
Kale - 1 bunch - $3.00
TOTAL - $25.00

What's been going on

WOW... I certainly can't complain about the weather! (although a decent rain would be nice). It has been perfect for working too hard, so we're enjoying it while its here! We've been working on getting lots planted , weeded, irrigated, and lately, harvested! We have a lot of great looking crops on the way to you, most of it is just a few weeks away. Including strawberries. I would put a guess on 2 more weeks? There are lots of green berries on the plants, we just need to be patient for a little bit longer.

Its greens season! So you can look forward to lots of lettuces, kales, turnips, radishes, mustards, bok choy, beets, etc. for the next month or longer. Green garlic is actual garlic that we harvest in its immature state (before it gets hot and forms the head of cloves). Personally, I like the green garlic much better than mature garlic. The flavor is milder, and it has a really nice fresh taste. Yum! Just chop it up like you would a leek, and simmer in a pan with olive oil. I usualy add a bunch of greens to the pan, let simmer, and Ta-dah! Dinner. You can also chop it up (like an onion) and add to your salad, raw.

Recipe of the Week
Whenever we have too many radishes, carrots, turnips, etc, we will slice 'em up and pickle them. Once pickled, they're great on salads and sandwiches (or I just eat them straight from the jar). While this recipe calls for Daikon specifically, we've used all radishes with good results, they'll probably just take less time to pickle.

Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)

For a 12 oz jar, you'll need:
1 medium-sized carrot, julienned
1 small daikon, julienned
1 tblsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar

Those measurements are just guidelines. What I usually do is after julienning the vegetables, I spread them out in a shallow bowl. Then I sprinkle just enough sugar for a light coating. Add a smidgen of salt. Then pour enough vinegar to submerge about half the vegetables.

If I'm eating this right away, I like to use rice vinegar for the lighter taste. If you intend to store these as pickles, then ordinary white vinegar is fine.

After about 15 minutes or so, stir the vegetables so the vinegar is mixed. The carrots and daikon should be lightly pickled after about half an hour.

Store extra pickles in a glass jar and pour the extra vinegar in the jar. Add enough vinegar to fill the jar halfway and fill up the rest with water. Screw the lid on tightly. Store in fridge.

All CSA shares sold out for 2010!

2010-04-16T07:24:00.003-04:00

Our CSA shares are all sold out!

But you can get fresh vegetables and chicken from Castlemaine Farm at farmers' market:

Wednesdays, 3:30-6:30 Carrboro Farmers' Market
Saturdays 7am- noon Carrboro Farmers' Market
Saturdays 8am-noon Durham Farmers' Market

Thank you for your support!

Veggie CSA First Delivery Dates Set

2010-04-04T11:08:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone!

We have been whisked away from winter, and after what seemed like only a day or two of spring, thrown into summer! For a while, we weren't sure how delayed spring crops would be this year, but they seem to be catching up to where they should be very quickly! We've been busy the past few weeks planting, weeding, and setting up irrigation because these hot days are actually a little much for the cool season crops, so we have overhead sprinklers to keep everything cool. (Its sort of like jumping in the pool at the end of a hot day)

We are going to go ahead and announce the first pickup days for the 2010 Veggie CSA. There are four different pick-ups, as follows:

Carrboro Farmers Market: Wednesday April 21st 3:30-6:30pm
Castlemaine Farm: Wednesday April 21st 4-7pm
RTI: Thursday April 22nd 4-6pm
Durham Farmers Market: Saturday April 24th, 8-Noon

We will be delivering for 20 consecutive weeks, unless we need to take a week off (sometimes there is a gap between summer plantings, etc). So for now, we are planning to deliver every week from April 21st to September 4th.

We are not offering week off credits as we have done in the past (just way too much to try to organize). So if you find you are unable to pick up your box on any of the weeks, please find a neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member to pick up your box for you. If no one is able to pick up your box, we will donate the contents to the Farmer Food Share program at our farmers markets.

We will send out a weekly newsletter via our blog, castlemainefarm.blogspot.com so please bookmark that link, or you can friend us on Facebook (Search for "Castlemaine Farm"). We will post the same newsletter there. We do not print paper copies so plan to look at one of these websites each week (I try to have the post up by Tuesday evening.)

Thats all for now. We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks!
Joann

Still taking Veggie CSA sign ups for 2010 season

2010-01-15T19:08:00.003-05:00

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.

Chicken shares are all sold out for 2010.

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

Now taking CSA sign ups for SPRING 2010!

2009-11-23T08:47:00.007-05:00

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

2009-09-23T07:45:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-09-18T13:35:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-16T10:06:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-06T17:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-01T16:42:00.002-04:00

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?!??!?!

2009-08-28T16:26:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-25T14:07:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-09T14:18:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-09T14:17:00.002-04:00

We will not be delivering CSA boxes this week.

See you next week!!

Veggie CSA Week #15

2009-08-04T16:20:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-28T12:00:00.004-04:00

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

2009-07-24T20:38:00.001-04:00

Rooster at sundown

2009-07-24T20:34:00.004-04:00

Veggie CSA Week #13

2009-07-21T16:19:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-14T13:15:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-08T17:59:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-07T10:22:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-29T19:05:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-19T20:28:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-17T07:23:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-09T14:47:00.001-04:00

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

2009-06-02T14:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-01T20:47:00.001-04:00

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

2009-05-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-05-27T10:24:00.011-04:00

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

2009-05-26T18:23:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-19T10:49:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-19T07:16:00.005-04:00

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.

This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: http://frenchfood.about.com/od/salads/r/wholebeet.htm

What to do with those pesky Dandelion Greens

2009-05-14T20:42:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

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:

Veggie CSA Week #2

2009-05-05T08:17:00.001-04:00

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 !

2009-05-03T13:52:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-28T10:00:00.006-04:00

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:

Trim and discard root ends of green garlic. Finely chop green garlic, rinse thoroughly and pat or spin dry.
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.
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

2009-04-20T11:22:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-11T11:57:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-27T08:16:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-26T18:52:00.004-04:00

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

2009-03-24T16:06:00.005-04:00

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!

2009-02-13T15:14:00.001-05:00

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

Fall 2008 Chicken CSA Final Newsletter

2008-12-30T12:39:00.004-05:00

Hi Chicken CSA folks!

I know this is a bit late but I wanted to send you all off with a final newsletter. Thanks to everyone who made the Fall Chicken CSA a smooth and pleasant experience.

We're looking forward to seeing some of you back in the spring. For those of you who already signed up for the spring - THANK YOU! For those who plan to but haven't signed up: Tomorrow is your last chance to get the $10.00 discount. All membership sign ups, for both chicken and veggies, will receive $10 off if postmarked on or before December 31.

CHICKEN SIZE AND COLD WEATHER

The only thing I wish we could have done was given y'all some bigger chickens on average. Usually the chickens average 3.5 lbs. But we got some early winter temperatures this fall and the chickens expended a lot of energy keeping themselves warm instead of producing meat. I tried to make up for it by giving some people extra chickens and some people extra packs of legs. Next fall what I plan on doing is keeping the birds 9 weeks instead of 8 before slaughter. That way if we get some chilly nights they'll have a bit more time to grow. I'm also building more brooders for spring so we can keep them in the brooders for longer than 2 weeks if necessary. Since we get a new batch of chicks every two weeks, sometimes I'm forced to put them outside even if they're not quite ready. Doubling the brooder space will allow birds to brood up to 4 weeks and warm themselves under the heat lamps if winter decides to come early like it did this fall or stay with us longer in the spring.

CAN'T WAIT TILL SPRING?

We will have frozen chickens available at both Durham and Carrboro Farmers' Markets every Saturday throughout the winter. Carrboro Market is open every Sat. 9am- noon and Durham is open every Sat. 10am-noon. We will be there with coolers full of frozen birds.

FRIED CHICKEN RECIPE

I am getting better at this by the week. Fried chicken was our last frontier. Being originally from the North, the only fried chicken Joann and I ate was from KFC, which ruins many people on fried chicken for life. It's like my cousins from Georgia who only ever ate Pizza Hut pizza. So I'm new at this, and haven't perfected it, so you might want to try Google for some other ideas as well. And I've seen some good Youtube videos frying chicken.

So here's what I do:

Use a cast iron pan or a wok. Fried chicken has to be cooked in a pan with good heat distribution. We have a good wok and I find it works well.

Pour oil into the wok (we use canola) - enough that when you put the chicken in it'll be, say, 70% covered with a bit peeking out of the top. Heat the oil up on medium/high. You can tell when it's ready by sticking the end of a wooden spoon in. When bubbles form and move rapidly around the spoon, you know the oil is ready.

Cut up the chicken, soak the pieces in an egg beaten with a little water. Take a gallon size ziplock bag, fill it with bread flour (or all purpose), salt, and any combination of spices you want. I've been using garlic power, cumin and red pepper. I'm not sure yet of the portions I like, but last time I used way too much salt and it ruined the chicken.

Put the chicken in the bag, zip it closed, and shake it around in there so the flour/spice covers the chicken.

Drop the chicken in the pan/wok slowly so the oil doesn't splash everywhere. Cook the chicken on one side for about 5-7 minutes until the crackling dies down a little. Then flip it and cook for about 5 minutes until the crackling dies down again. The outside should be golden brown. Take the chicken out with either tongs or a "spider" - and you can set it in paper towels to soak up the excess oil. If you want to check it with a meat thermometer just in case, the internal temp. should be 165 degrees.

THANKS EVERYONE! HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE SPRING or AT MARKET!

2009 CSA INFO & SIGN UP!

2008-12-07T13:01:00.003-05:00

Click the links below for PDF brochures/sign up sheets. We are offering a holiday discount - $10 off any share if you sign up before 12/31/08!

2009 Veggie CSA

2009 Spring Chicken CSA

Please let us know if you have trouble viewing these. Download Adobe Reader for free to view pdf files.

Fall 2008 Chicken CSA Newsletter #2

2008-11-30T13:25:00.003-05:00

Hi folks! The chickens sized up nice this time. I upped their feed intake a bit in the last week and I think it really made a difference. The processing was also done a bit more nicely this time, although they got some of the prices wrong, but that's only a concern for us at market, not our CSA. We charge $4.25 per pound for whole chickens and want to be sure you get at least that value or greater.

CUT UP INSTRUCTIONS

I meant to send these out the first time. Cutting up a chicken is so easy. I wish we could sell all whole chickens at market - it would save us money at the processing plant - but people have become accustomed to buying something already prepared by someone else. For the first time this year we have sold boneless, skinless breasts, but I'm not sure if we're going to continue doing that next year. Chicken is far superior with the bone in and the skin on, and I think in general it's a good idea to be reminded that meat comes from an animal, as simple as that sounds.

The folks over at Howstuffworks.com have the most concise directions I could find for cutting up a chicken. This is a skill that was probably second nature to most of our parents or grandparents.

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/how-to-cut-up-chicken2.htm

It's as simple as it can get. Using a sharp knife is very important. We got a little plastic handheld knife sharpener down at our feed store for $10 and it's worked for us for over a year. And remember to keep everything clean. Even as our birds are healthier than the ones from the big chicken houses, you still need to take the same precautions.

LAST 2 PICKUPS

We'll be going to the processor 2 weeks in a row coming up here. So be sure to have enough space in the freezer if you don't plan on eating all your chickens.

3rd PICKUP

On Farm: Wednesday December 10, 4pm-7pm
RTI Dreyfus Lot: Thursday December 11 , 4pm-6pm
Carrboro Farmers' Market: Saturday December 13, 9am-noon
Durham Farmers' Market: Saturday December 13, 10am-noon (note winter market hours)

4th and FINAL PICKUP

On Farm: Wednesday December 17, 4pm-7pm
RTI Dreyfus Lot: Thursday December 18 , 4pm-6pm
Carrboro Farmers' Market: Saturday December 20, 9am-noon
Durham Farmers' Market: Saturday December 20, 10am-noon

Those picking up at Carrboro Market - we may not be in our usual space in the field, so look for us under the pavillion.

Those picking up at Durham Market - I don't have a permanent spot but I'll most likely be somewhere under the pavillion.

Fall 2008 Chicken CSA Newsletter #1

2008-11-16T20:38:00.005-05:00

FEET!

For those of you who elected to receive giblets with your order, some of you had feet included with those. Some did not get feet with the rest of the giblets. Feet are great for stock along with the rest of your giblets. They are completely sterilized in the processing plant and ready for your chicken foot enjoyment. Many cultures, basically everyone but us, use the feet. Just throw it in the stock, it's awesome.

EXTRAS

Since the size of our birds was smaller than expected we included extra legs in a few of the bags we handed out if you were more than a dollar or so below the average cost per pickup. We're hopefully going to balance this out with larger bird sizes in the next 3 pickups, but if not, we want everybody to get their money's worth at market prices.

NEXT PICKUP

RTI Dreyfus Lot, Wednesday November 26, 4pm-6pm
On Farm, Wednesday November 26, 4pm-6pm
Carrboro Farmers' Market, Saturday November 29, 9am-noon
Durham Farmers Market, Saturday November 29 *I'll email the Durham folks to let you know where and what time we'll meet.

Please contact us about anything, and thank you for eating Castlemaine Chicken!

Our trip to a farm in Italy

2008-11-09T15:43:00.003-05:00

A bunch of us farmers and chefs from the Piedmont of NC visited a farm/butcher shop in the Piedmont of Italy. There will be more on this later...

Fall Chicken CSA 2008!

2008-09-27T17:15:00.002-04:00

We are offering a CHICKEN CSA for this Fall! Click here for details and the sign up sheet.

There will be 2 pickup dates in November and 2 in December (dates on the pdf). Chicken will be delivered fresh to RTI and Carrboro and Durham Farmers' Markets.

We are taking sign ups immediately. Please consider signing up soon because there is limited space available.

Thank you for supporting small farms!

If you have any questions please contact us (info below).

Have a good one,
-Brian & Joann Gallagher

Castlemaine Farm
1649 Old Dam Road
Liberty, NC 27298
336-376-1025
castlemainefarm.com

CHICKEN DINNER SUN OCT 12 at Castle Rock Gardens!

2008-09-21T12:56:00.006-04:00

October 12, 2008
(Sunday) 4:00 pm
at Castle Rock Gardens

Castle Rock Gardens
& Castlemaine Farm present
Chicken Dinner
$25 for an all farm-raised meal featuring
pastured chicken, fresh produce from the farms, and
Ristin’s internationally known devilled eggs
Sit down or take-out, BYOB

Guest Chef Matt Dawes of Table Restaurant of Asheville, NC

This Slow Food event is a fundraiser
to help send the Joann & Brian Gallagher of
Castlemaine Farm and Ristin Cooks & Patrick Walsh
of Castle Rock Gardens to Terra Madre, the
Slow Food Convention in Turin, Italy

Tickets:
Castlemaine Farm, 336-376-1025 or castlemainefarm@hotmail.com
Castle Rock Gardens, 919-636-0832

LOCATION:

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Tons of Chicken available tomorrow at Durham and Carrboro Markets

2008-09-19T17:25:00.002-04:00

Fresh chicken, whole birds, split breast, whole legs, whole wings, livers, hearts, feet.

We'll also have tons of bell peppers, eggplant, basil, lettuce, radishes, turnips & more.

Durham Farmers' Market is on Saturdays from 8am to noon and is located here:

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Carrboro Farmers' Market is on Saturdays from 7am to noon and is located here:

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Here are two relevant recipes for this week:

Chicken and Peppers w. Balsamic Vinegar

* 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
* 4 whole chicken legs
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
* 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon fresh basil
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat, and stir in the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and onion. Cook about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in the garlic, and cook and stir about 1 minute. Mix in the basil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
3. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Stir in remaining balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Chicken w. Eggplant-Pepper Sauce
*½ lb japanese eggplant
*1 lb colored bell peppers
*3/4 tsp salt, divided
*1/4 tsp ground ginger
*1/4 tsp garlic powder
*1/4 tsp ground red pepper, divided
*2 whole split chicken breasts
*2 tsp olive oil, divided
*1 tsp paprika
*4 tsp lemon juice
*1 tbsp fresh basil

Cut tops off eggplant, slice in half lengthwise, and pierce skin with a fork. Cut off & discard tops, seeds, membranes of bell peppers. Microwave eggplant and bell peppers on high for 8 minutes or until tender.
While the eggplant cooks, combine 1/4 tsp salt, ginger, garlic powder, and 1/8 tsp red pepper; sprinkle the chicken with the ginger mixture. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook on each side until it is done.
Combine eggplant and bell peppers in a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, 1 teaspoon oil, paprika, and juice; process until smooth. Serve chicken with sauce & chopped fresh basil sprinkled over entire dish.

Last Veggie CSA Newsletter, Week #21 (Delivery was 9/4/08)

2008-09-08T15:22:00.005-04:00

Full Share:
Eggplant - 1.5#
Peppers - 2#
Mizuna Greens - 1/2#
Cucumbers - 1#
Basil - 1 bunch
Turnips - 1 bunch
Radishes - 1 bunch

Half Share:
Eggplant - 1#
Peppers 1.5#
Mizuna Greens - 1/4#
Turnips - 1 bunch
Radishes - 1 bunch
Basil - 1 bunch

WOW. 21 weeks later, here we are, with the final delivery of the season. Sorry I'm a few days late getting this newsletter up. The tropical storm that blew through this weekend really had us scrambling to get things tied up/tied down, secured and picked up. Basically, we had to tidy up the place for Hanna. Between Hanna and Tropical storm Fay the week before, we got just about 11" of much-needed rain.

Thanks to all of you for another great CSA season!! We had a great time seeing you every week, and its always fun to meet the kids too!

We already are planning for next season, and all these rains are really helping us along getting the fields ready for their winter blanket of cover crops. We're also getting beds ready for the fall planting of strawberries, garlic, and overwintered flowers, all of which are planted by the first of October. We have 1,000 strawberry plants on order (300 more than this year) so we should have more strawberries for the boxes next year (along with me learning a great deal on how to grow them as this was my first year growing strawberries). We're hoping to also plant blueberries in the spring, but they'll take a few years before they have harvestable fruit.

We are also trying to figure out ways to make the CSA work better for both us, the farmers, and you, the co-producers. We started the CSA deliveries 2 weeks earlier this year, and ended much earlier. I'm not sure if this was such a good idea. I do like the idea of finishing up by mid-september because the fall garden can be so unpredictable. Maybe we'll start May 1st next year, and finish the week of September 15th. Then maybe we'll get a better balance. As this is only the second full year we've done the veggie CSA (first for the chicken CSA), theres still many things for all of us to learn.

Thanks again, we appreciate your support.

Carrboro and Durham Farmers Markets will both be open tomorrow!

2008-09-05T12:33:00.002-04:00

Tropical Storm Hannah will NOT close the markets. Please come see us! We'll have fresh chicken, radishes, turnips, peppers and more! Bring an umbrella... and maybe a windbreaker?

Carrboro Market is 7am - noon
Durham Market 8am - noon

Thanks!

Veggie Week #20 newsletter

2008-08-26T11:35:00.006-04:00

Half Share:
cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
arugula - 1/4# - $2.50
Mizuna - 1/4# - $2.50
Radishes - 1 bunch - $2.50
eggplant - 1# - $2.00
peppers 1.5# - $5.25
serrano peppers - 10 - $2.00

Full Share
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
arugula - 1/4# - $2.50
mizuna - 1/2# - $5.00
Radishes - 2 bunches - $5.00
Eggplant - 1# - $2.00
Squash - 1# - $2.00
Peppers - 2# - $7.00

Fridays at the Farm

2008-08-23T16:53:00.002-04:00

This is the trailer for the short movie Fridays at the Farm, about a CSA in Media, Pa, owned by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia called Red Hill Farm. A great suggestion for anyone who wants to find out what a CSA is all about.

Fridays at the Farm Trailer from Coyopa Productions on Vimeo.

Veggie CSA Week #19

2008-08-20T11:31:00.006-04:00

Full share:
Tomatoes - 2#
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Arugula - 1/2#
Peppers - 1#
Cucumbers - 2#
Eggplant - 1.5#

Half Share:
Tomatoes - 1.5#
Eggplant - 1#
Arugula - 1/4#
Peppers - 1.5#
Cucumbers - 1#

What to do with "all these peppers"

I just love pepper season because the yield is always so high and we're practically swimming in them! I am much more of a pepper freak than a tomato freak, so this time of year is my favorite (not to mention the cooler weather, longer shadows, and football!)

Don't feel you must consume all the peppers in your box within a week. First of all, they'll keep for quite a long time (weeks) in a plastic bag in the fridge. If you still have a back log, you can chop them up and freeze them, which is a really nice treat mid-winter (they're a little mushier when they thaw, but still quite tasty, and if you're cooking them, you'll never notice). I also roast them over an open flame (or under the broiler) until the skins start to blister. Then just throw them in a ziploc bag and toss the bag in the freezer. As you need them through the winter, just take a few out, thaw and peel the skins off. This will work with the Anaheims, Poblanos, and red bell peppers. I suppose you could also roast the green bells, but they're not as sweet and it just doesn't come out the same. Also worth mentioning, the bell peppers that aren't fully ripe (red) will eventually turn red. They start out on the plant as green (unripe) and slowly turn red. Sometimes, I pick them a little early, and they haven't completely turned. But they will soon enough.

Roasted red bell peppers are a wonderful treat on pizza, in pasta, on bread with olive oil, carmelized with onions and topped on meat, in sandwiches.....

The chiles are a bit harder to get used to cooking with. Hopefully, you've been roasting them, peeling their skins off, chopping them up and adding them to the salsas you've been having to make with all the tomatoes. I love the anaheims in soups and stews, the poblanos in eggs, potatoes, beans, and rice. We make a sort of poblano "enchilada" dish thats wonderful (sorta spicy, but nothing even I can't handle). For this, we make a tomato based sauce first (I just cook down and season lots of tomatoes). Then I peel and clean the poblanos and cut them so they're one sheet (like a mini torilla). I put a topping of italian sausage, chicken or pork (already cooked), or anything else you can think of, on the poblano and roll it up. Put in a baking dish, cover with sauce and cheese, bake for a while, and YUM.

If you're still at a loss for pepper recipes, let me know. I just google for recipes and theres endless options. One of the most wonderful things about summer's bounty of produce is that we're able to preserve it for use this winter, when its cold and dreary. Peppers, especially, liven up any winter day.

Veggie CSA Newsletter, Week #18

2008-08-14T08:59:00.004-04:00

Full Share:

Tomatoes - 4# - $12.00
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
Peppers - 2# - $7.00
Squash - 1# - $2.00
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - $3.00

TOTAL - $26.00

Half Share - CARRBORO:
Tomatoes - 3# - $9.00
Peppers - 1# - $3.50
Eggplant - 1# - $2.00
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
TOTAL - $16.50

Half Share - RTI:
Tomatoes - 3# - $9.00
Peppers - 1# - $3.50
Cucumbers - 1# - $2.00
Eggplant - 1/2# - $1.00
Basil - 1 bunch - $1.00
TOTAL - $16.50

Whats in your box:

Lots more tomatoes! The end is near, so enjoy them, probably just this week and next. Many more of the Pink Beautys (pink) and Big Beefs (red) so you will mostly see these in your boxes, with maybe a few other varieties. The sungolds are no longer producing enough for everyone to get them, so if you really want a pint, I'll bring extras with me today to the RTI drop-off.

This is the first of the eggplant, and hopefully they start giving us more in the next few weeks. They've been slow to blossom and set fruit, but I am beginning to see many little eggplant fruits starting now. Carrboro picker-uppers didn't receive basil this week (and instead got more eggplant) because it was a drizzly, rainy morning (no complaints!) on Wednesday.

In the peppers, you'll find red bell peppers (Sweet) and Anaheim chiles (mildly hot). Below, I will post a recipe a friend of mine hands out at market during pepper season, for a green chile stew, which includes Anaheims in the ingredients, and is so yummy! The (relatively) cool weather this week made me hungry for soups, stews, and fall crops. I have been eating this stew for breakfast the past few mornings.

RECIPE
Alex Hitt's Green Chile Stew
Traditional dish in New Mexico served at any meal ... even breakfast! It's also delicious made with pinto beans instead of meat.

Ingredients
10-20 New Mexican chiles (Anaheims)
(roasted, peeled, stems & seeds removed, chopped)
2 lb. lean pork or chicken breast cut into cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
4 cups beef or chicken broth depending on meat

Bringing it all together:
In a large pot or crockpot, brown the meat in the oil, add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Place all the rest of the ingredients in the pot and simmer until the meat is very tender (longer for pork, less time for chicken).

Veggie CSA Newsletter, Week #17

2008-08-05T15:08:00.002-04:00

Full Share:
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Tomatoes - 3# - $9.00
Peppers 2# - $7.00
Cucumbers - 2# - $5.00
Onions - 1/2# - $1.25
Eggplant - 1# - $2.00
TOTAL: $27.75

Half Share:
Tomatoes - 2.5# - $7.50
Peppers - 1# - $3.50
Cucumbers - 1.5# - $3.00
Jalapenos or Serranos - $1.00
Onions - 1/2# - $1.25
TOTAL: $16.25

Whats in your box:

This is the last of the onions, sad but true. More cucumbers for everyone, and this planting of them has been just amazing!!

As for tomatoes, you're getting quite a few of them this week. I am really surprised at how well the tomatoes produced this past week, the best yet of this season. Just when I had given up hope! It seems as though we will have a fair amount of them for you this week and next, so if you need some sauce or canning recipes, let me know. The best performer, yield-wise, is the Pink Beauty tomato, so most of you will get a lot of them in your box. I love this sweet tomato as a sauce, or crushed and canned.

The peppers are a mixed bag of mild/hot chiles, with some bell (sweet) peppers too. So, in the plastic bag you will find the chiles, both Anaheim (long, light green) and Poblano (heart shaped, dark green). The Anaheims are mild, and the poblanos are a bit spicier. I roast both of these under the broiler until their skins blister. Once they cool, you can peel off the skins, remove the stem and seeds, and either stuff the peppers or chop 'em up and add them to salsas, eggs, mashed potatoes, your burger... We also add them to soups, sauces, and big pots of beans. Pepper season is my absolute favorite. We usually roast and then freeze these peppers to use throughout the winter.

Your sweet bells (no heat) will be seperate, and not in the plastic bag with the others.

For some weird reason, the japanese eggplant haven't started their heavy production yet...usually they're out of control by now. I see lots of fruits starting, but so far, they're sort of just trickling in. Maybe next week??

Whats happening on the farm

We had a good week off, but ready to get things in motion again. (And hoping for cooler temperatures soon!) The first of the fall garden is growing well, which includes arugula, radishes, turnips, lettuce mix, collards, and broccoli raab. We should start to see some of the greens and radishes in the boxes by the last week or two of the CSA season.

Veggie CSA Newsletter, week #16

2008-07-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

We will NOT be delivering this week (7/30-31). I am pretty sure I talked to everyone last week about this. We are going to skip this week and add a week on to the end of the year. We did this last year, and it seemed to work out just fine. I am hoping, by going a week later, to have some fall greens for you. This isn't a guarantee, but hopeful thinking! We're getting the fall garden planted this week and next, and some of the greens, radishes, etc. take about a month to mature, so we'll see what happens.

At any rate, I will miss seeing you all this week, but we'll be back next week, 8/6-8/7 (August already?!). Hold on to those boxes, and bring 'em to me next week. In the meantime, we WILL be at market this Saturday (both Durham and Carrboro from 8-Noon) with both chicken and veggies if you're super desperate.

Chickens cannot be 100% grass fed

2008-07-27T09:24:00.005-04:00

We get this often enough to comment on: a customer asks if our chickens are fed grain, or if they are grass fed, and when I tell them that all chickens need grains to be healthy, and chickens, especially fast-growing Cornish Crosses could not survive without daily chicken feed, and it would be inhumane to raise them on just grass. 99% of the people trust me as a person who raises chickens for a living that I know what I'm talking about and that they are learning something. But there is the odd 1% who insist that you can raise chickens on just grass, and act like I'm doing something wrong by feeding them chicken feed.

Perhaps wild jungle fowl in the jungles of Southeast Asia don't need grains. But chickens as we know them today have been bred for thousands of years to incorporate grains as part of their diet.

How stupid would I have to be to not raise chickens on just grass if I could? If chickens could be 100% grass-fed, we'd really have to hate money in order to continue to feed them their all-grain feed. We would save hundreds of dollars a week. The workload would be far less. Believe me, nobody in the world raising chickens for eggs or meat for commercial purposes only feeds them grass. They would go out of business. But if there is anyone raising chickens on just grass, please direct me to them.

I think Joel Salatin once claimed pasture raised chickens get 30% of their diet from forage. That even sounds high to me. Our chickens get all the grass, bugs, weeds, seeds they desire, but in the morning when I go out with the feed bag they come running to the front of the pens.

Maybe your grandmother has some egg layers and all she gives them is some cracked corn and lets them dig through the compost pile. That's possible. It's possible that some egg-laying, standard breeds of chickens can be healthy if they have enough forage. They can find grains on their own growing in the field (they love amaranth). And I'm sure 4 eggs a week from 10 chickens is more than enough for Gramma, but if you're in the egg business you'll want to keep those birds healthy and productive, with enough protein and calcium for them to keep laying.

Robert Plamondon raises chickens in the northwest and has done plenty of research on the history of raising chicken for meat and eggs. The feed question is best answered by an FAQ found on his website:

Feeding Chickens

In the good old days, when people didn't feed their hens at all, much of the hen's diet was provided by sheer sloppiness. People threw their garbage out into the street or the barnyard. The cows and horses spilled grain. Manure was everywhere and was full of yummy maggots. Even with all the natural bounty provided by Stone Age sanitation, the number of hens that could be supported without supplemental feeding was very limited. Flocks of over fifty hens were unusual before chicken feed was invented.

In practice, though, it always pays to provide a complete diet, compared to feeding nothing at all or supplying nothing but grain.

Castlemaine Farm

Now Taking Members for our 2012 Veggie CSA

Veggie CSA - FINAL WEEK

Veggie CSA Week #16

Veggie CSA Week #15

Veggie CSA Week #14

Veggie CSA Week #13

Veggie CSA Week #12

Veggie CSA Week #11

Veggie CSA Week #9

Veggie CSA Week #8

Veggie CSA Week #7

Veggie CSA Week #6

Veggie CSA Week #5

Veggie CSA Week #4

Veggie CSA Week #3

Veggie CSA Week #2

Veggie CSA Week #1

Ingredients

Directions

Now taking members for our 2011 CSA!

Veggie CSA Week #20

Veggie CSA Week #19

Community Supported Fisheries

Veggie CSA Week #18

Veggie CSA Week #17

Oops...

Veggie CSA Week #16

Veggie CSA Week #15

Veggie CSA Week #14

Veggie CSA Week #13

Veggie CSA Week #12

Veggie CSA Week #11

Veggie CSA Week #10

Veggie CSA Week #9

Veggie CSA Week #8

Veggie CSA Week #7

Veggie CSA Week #6

Veggie CSA Week #5

Veggie CSA Week #4

Veggie CSA Week #3

Veggie CSA Week #2

Veggie CSA Week #1

All CSA shares sold out for 2010!

Veggie CSA First Delivery Dates Set

Still taking Veggie CSA sign ups for 2010 season

Now taking CSA sign ups for SPRING 2010!

Final Veggie CSA Week #22

Cooking dinner...

Veggie CSA Week #21

Veggie CSA Week #20

Veggie CSA Week #19

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

Veggie CSA Week #18

Veggie CSA Week #17

Veggie CSA Week #16

Veggie CSA Week #15

Veggie CSA Week #14

9 foot sunflower

Rooster at sundown

Veggie CSA Week #13

Veggie CSA Week #12

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

Veggie CSA Week #11

Veggie CSA Week # 10

Veggie CSA Week# 9

Veggie CSA Week #8

Veggie CSA Week #7

Veggie CSA Week #6

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

Veggie CSA Week #5

ROASTED KOHLRABI

Free 7 week old kittens!

Herb Roast Chicken recipe from June 2009 Cooking Light

Freezing greens

Freezing

Greens(Including Spinach)

Veggie CSA Week #4

Roasted Beet Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Greens
(Including Spinach)