2016 Week 20

Wow! It really is hard to believe that 20 weeks have passed.  Thank you so much you precious CSA members for your support this season.  Your smiles and words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

New this week:

Kiwi berries- Kiwi Berries are a small variety of the kiwi fruit with an edible skin. If you have hiked back to the field for pick your own, they are the things on the trellis!  IMPORTANT: They are best eaten when the skin is wrinkled and they yield to pressure.  Really, the softer the better. As they soften they get more and more sweet. Leave at room temperature to ripen. 

Sweet Potatoes - From Spina Farms, Mannington. Sweet potatoes are so good for you and so very delicious.  My family loves these sweet potatoes fries. 

Cabbage is from Laning Bros. Bridgeton,NJ

Recipes to try:

Cabbage: Egg Roll in a Bowl

Buffalo Stuffed Peppers

Crock Pot Sweet Potato Chili

2016 week 19

New this week:

Butternut squash- is a winter squash very similar to pumpkins. Butternut squash is wonderful roasted, pureed in soup, or mashed to mix into casseroles, bread, or muffins.  Here is a link to my favorite butternut squash soup. I tailor the recipe to suit me by -- only using butternut (no acorn squash, I like butternut flavor better) and I don't normally make the fancy toast to go with, crackers work in this house.

Kabocha squash - is very sweet and has a fluffy texture that's similar to a sweet potato crossed with a pumpkin. Kabocha squash is versatile — it can be roasted or steamed and used in much the same way like other hard winter squashes like butternut or pumpkins. Try it in your next pumpkin pie or pureed soup.

Apples- are from Schober's Farm in Monroeville.  A great fall treat to chomp into a crisp Ginger Gold or Gala apple.

Roasted Kabocha Squash

Lasagna With Roasted Kabocha Squash and Bechamel

Roasted Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard

2016 week 18

It is September. School Begins.  Where did the summer go?  We are standing one foot in summer one foot in fall with this weeks share.  I called around to the local orchards and couldn't apples for this week so we get one more week of peaches.  Savor the summer flavor! New this week curly kale and spaghetti squash, which are decidedly fall foods to me.

The kale is from A. Pagnini Farms in Vineland. The spaghetti squash is our own.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

My favorite spaghetti squash recipe Pizza Spaghetti Pie

Kale Chips

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana with kale

2016 week 17

New this week:

Delicata Squash-  Like other winter squash Delicata can be stored for long periods of time, unlike other winter squash you can eat the skin.  Fantastically rich and sweet. 
Here is a link to a simple recipe of Roasted Delicata Squash.Here is a link to a recipe for Stuffed Delicata Squash

Mixed Bell Peppers- are regular peppers that have started turning red, but aren't all the way there yet.  A green bell pepper will start to turn a chocolate brown color and then that brilliant bright red.  As the color develops the so do the sweet flavors.

Red Onion - We dried the red onions and they are beautiful! Recipe to try: Quick Pickled Red Onion

Plum tomatoes- This year has been a really bad year for tomatoes on our farm.  Very low yields and poor quality.  We have no tomatoes available at this time, but our friend Moore Farm has beautiful plum tomatoes.  So thankful to have these to offer this week.

This week is the perfect time to make Dad's Greek Salad. We have the cuc, pepper, tomato, red onion! Yum

2016 week 16

New this week delicious white-fleshed plums from Circle M Farm in Mannington.

2016 week 15

2016 week 14

New this week:

White potatoes: These beautiful fresh dug potatoes are from Coombs' Barnyard in Elmer, NJ

Cubanelle Peppers- These sweet peppers are perfect for frying or stuffing. 

Reicpe ideas for this week:

How to Roast Garlic

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Stuffed Cubanelle

Sausage Corn Chowder

2016 week 13

New this week:

Shallots - A new crop for us.  Onions and shallots are both members of the allium family. Shallots have a sweet and mild flavor, with a hint of garlic, and lack the bite you get with yellow or white onions. Shallots work well in dishes where they're eaten raw, like dressings and salads. Yellow and white onions have a more pungent flavor, but they soften and mellow as they cook, eventually taking on a lighter, sweeter flavor.

Watermelon - This delicious summer treat has arrived!

Cherry Hot Peppers - these are HOT! be careful!

Recipe ideas to try:

The Pioneer Woman - Watermelon Salsa

Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

Kalyn's Kitchen - Juila Childs Eggplant Pizza 

Cooking Classy - Roasted Garlic Parmesan Summer Veggies

2016 WEEK 12!

Peaches- We get our peaches from Larchmont Farm on Rt77 in Deerfield. So delicious.

Garlic- Our own hard neck garlic. Hardneck garlic is different from the usual softneck garlic found in grocery stores. Prized by chefs for its nuanced flavors, hardneck varieties have shorter shelf life (6-10 months). Hardneck garlic develops a woody shoot, or scape, which must be removed to improve bulb development. These same garlic bulbs produced the scapes that were in your csa share a few weeks ago.

2016 - week 11

It is week 11! What! How can it be?!?

Cherry Tomatoes- Sweet and delicious!

Poblano Pepper and Black Hungarian Hot pepper- !!HOT!! These peppers are Hot! Be careful. Pablanos are perfect for stuffing. And the hungarian is very comparable to a jalapeño.

Eggplant- Our family favorite, fried eggplant topped with a slice of tomato!   But this eggplant recipe comes together quickly for a great week night meal.

Canary Melon-  Kinda like a honeydew, kinda like a cantaloupe. Maybe a little tangier, but so good!

Corn is back! And this is the last week for carrots and beets.  Tomato season is finally rolling! We are beginning to harvest all the onions and start the drying process.  

2016 week 10!

New this week:

Cantaloupe- So happy for the arrival of cantaloupe! That first taste is the best.  My favorite fruit salad combination: cantaloupe and blueberry.

Green Bell Pepper- I think I see some stir fried peppers and onions in my future!

Red Onion - A nice mild onion perfect for salsas and salads.

Green Beans -  green beans, string beans, snap beans, which ever you prefer to call them they are so good fresh from the field.

Jalapaño - watch out for this spicy guy, but he will really kick your fresh salsa up a notch.

Beets - I love roasted beets on a salad with goat cheese.

How to Roast Beets

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Coat beets lightly with oil.
3. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.

2016 week 9

New this week:

Fennel- With the flavor of sweet anise, fennel is a great addition in soups, pasta, salads, and more. Here is a list of 13 fennel recipes to try.

Cilantro- use for fresh salsa or guacamole! Store in refrigerator with cut ends in a jar of water and leaves loosely covered with a plastic bag for several days.  

Cherokee Summer Crisp Lettuce - Summer crisp lettuce is more heat tolerant and slower to bolt.  It is crisp like romaine, but sweet and juicy. Enjoy!

Vine Ripened Hot House Tomato

2016 Week 8 Sweet Corn!

Sweet Corn is here!  So glad to have sweet corn in your share for this week leading up to the 4th of July.  My words of wisdom about our sweet corn is eat it as soon as you can, it will taste the best this way. If you can't eat it right away, leave it in the husk and put in the refrigerator.  I've had many people tell me the have kept their corn for a whole week in the fridge and it still tastes delicious!  

Parsley-  is such a versatile herb.  It is so much more than just a garnish.  Try making Chimichuri ( a sauce served over grilled meat, Parsley pesto, or Tabolueh.  

Red Cabbage is super good for you. Recipe ideas: Grandma Jeanette's Red Cabbage or Red Cabbage Slaw

Purple Top Turnips- You can roast them, boil them, mash them. Or make this really delicious souffle.


Turnip Soufflé
3 to 4 turnips, peeled and sliced                   ½ cup butter
1 ½ tsp. salt, divided                                  2 Tablespoons flour
½ tsp. sugar                                               2/3 cup milk
4 eggs, separated                                       3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1.      Place turnips, ½ tsp. of salt and sugar in a saucepan; cover with water.  Cover and cook until turnips are tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain well and mash (do not add milk of butter)
2.      In another saucepan, melt butter; stir in the flour and remaining salt until smooth.  Add milk; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Beat egg yolks in a small bowl; gradually stir in ½ cup hot milk mixture.  Return all to pan cook and stir for 1 minute.  Stir in turnips; remove from the heat.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.  Spoon into a greased small casserole dish.  Sprinkle with bacon.  Bake, uncover at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

2016 week 7

Returning from previous weeks:
Red Romaine
Carrots
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Kirby pickles

New this week:
Spring Onion- This variety is called "candy". A nice sweet onion.
Cabbage - This varieties fitting name "Tender Sweet" lends itself to delicious slaw and stir fry.
Dill- Now is the time to make those refrigerator pickles!
Blueberries- I missed putting them in the picture.  But we are so excited to include blueberries from J&J Farms in Hammonton, NJ (the blueberry capitol of the world).  

2016 week 6

New this week!
Cauliflower- always good roasted, but my new favorite way to eat cauliflower is riced.  Pulse the cauliflower in your food processor or grate with a box grater. Here is a recipe for "10 Minute Cauliflower Rice"
Carrots- Beautiful root crop enjoy raw or cooked
Basil- The smell of summer.

Here is a perfect recipe to make this week.  Carrot Top Pesto!

2016 week 5

New this week:

Kirby pickles - you can use these just like cucumbers, but they are especially great for pickling. Here is a link to a great refrigerator pickle.

Sugar Snap Peas are so delicious eaten raw. Or added to a stir fry. The snap peas are a pick-your-own crop for those picking up at the farm.  Come ready to take a 100 yard walk to the field and spend a little time picking.

Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable!  Our family's all time favorite recipe is Stuffed Zucchini, check it out here, it is THE best!  What will you make with yours? zucchini bread, zucchini "crab" cakes", minestrone with zucchini, grill it, roast it!

Kohlrabi, swiss chard, garlic scapes are back and looking good. We are squeezing another week out of the strawberry patch. Yay!


Saturday was a beautiful day for a farm tour and pick your own strawberries.  Thank you to all who came and helped make it a great day.  If you missed it we are sorry, and hope you can make it next year!

Some of you requested the cake recipe. . .

Kentucky Butter Cake (actually there is no butter in this recipe. . . it's all margarine)

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup margarine, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
Heat oven 325F.  Grease and flour two loaf pans.  Mix  all ingredients until moist.  Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.  Pour into 2 pans evenly.  Bake 60-70 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  When the cake comes out of the oven poke a bunch of holes in the cake with a wooden skewer. Pour glaze slowly over cakes.  Let the cake cool completely before taking out of pans.


Glaze: 
In a small saucepan melt :
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine
3 Tablespoons water
Take off the heat and add 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

2016 Week 4

New this week:

Kohlrabi - I know this is a weird one.  But trust me, it is good and easy to use. 
--Here is a link to make the famous Kohlrabi Ham Bake
--Here is a link to a post I wrote on Kohlrabi

Red Romaine - Use it the same as green romaine.  It is a little more delicate, but so very beautiful.

Broccoli -  Growing broccoli in the spring is difficult.We are giving it our best shot.

Garlic Scapes - We are so excited to have garlic scapes in the share this week from our garlic field. This is our first year growing garlic and we're excited for the potential harvest, which begins with scapes. Garlic scapes are the tender stem found on a garlic plant. Use your garlic scapes raw in salads and they will have a hot peppery flavor. Cooked garlic scapes will have a mellow, sweeter flavor.  Here is a link to a garlic scape salad dressing.

2016 week 3 - Greens Machine

New and exciting this week: Lacinato Kale and Swiss Chard

Oh my goodness! I love this kale, add it to soup, smoothies, make lemon kale salad, kale chips . . . YUM!

The secret to Swiss chard is understanding that it is really two vegetables in one: the sturdy stems come in all kinds of colors and take a little time to cook, and the leaves which wilt very quickly.  

In my mind I equate Swiss chard very closely to spinach. You can exchange chard leaves in just about any recipe that calls for spinach. And it will turn out wonderfully.  I put Swiss chard in my Minestrone Soup. . . YUM-O! If you have a deep love (as I do) for all things creamy try a Creamed Swiss Chard like Martha Stewart's Recipe.  I cut this recipe in half because it makes too much.

In between the rain we did get some work done.  Enjoy the behind the scenes view of field work.

David demonstrates the "Florida weave" tying method. Notice how the strings cross each other between the plant and the stake. That is the key to properly securing the young plant. Thank you David for so skillfully demonstrating this for us. #skilledworkers #farmskills #floridaweave

A video posted by A.T. Buzby Farm (@buzbyfarm) on May 19, 2016 at 3:24am PDT

2016 Week 2 - Starring Strawberries

New this week -- Strawberries and Spinach. Yes!

Strawberries are finally here. I think it's safe to assume you don't need any serving suggestions for strawberries. What is your favorite way to eat your berries? Do they even make it home from the farm?

Spinach is loving this cooler weather. This spinach was grown by Michael Catalano in Mannington Township. We try every year to grow our own spinach and we continue to fail miserably. Eric is mildly frustrated by this perpetual failure, yet determined to figure it out someday. Mike Catalano always have the most beautiful spinach fields. Machines harvest most of their crop and its sent off to be packed and frozen. We hand harvested this from the edges of the field where the harvesters won't be able to reach. Throw it in your morning smoothie, or eggs, saute it for dinner or add it to your soup. 

I hate to complain about the weather, but I'm so done with cold, cloudy days. The cold has completely stopped most crops from growing. We're trying to be thankful for the cool weather and see it as an opportunity to catch up on some prep work before the crops command our full attention.

It was so very good to see you all this week.  We're thankful for each of you. Your enthusiasm for fresh local food is so energizing to us. We're glad to have the opportunity to serve this community of conscientious eaters.

Recipes to try:
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Spinach Egg Bake

2016 - Week 1- Let the Games Begin!

Let's get this party started! After a week of cold and rain, I am ready for it to feel and taste like spring! Sunshine! Bring on the sunshine.

We were so so close to having strawberries in the CSA for the first week, but they are just not turning red out there. Sorry. Too cold. Too cloudy. They'll be ready for next week.

Each week here on the blog I introduce the new produce and some of my favorite ways to prepare them.  

If you want your greens to stay fresh and crisp, it is very important to take time to clean and store them well.  Here is a link to specific instructions on how to prep your greens ( romaine, bok choy, arugula, collards)

Romaine- So perfect for salads, BLTs, and to use as lettuce wraps.

Radish- Here is a post I wrote about my favorite ways to use radishes.

Collard Greens- your body will love you for eating these healthy greens.  I really enjoy using collards as a wrap--stuff it with sandwich fixins and roll it up. Yum!  Here is a link to my favorite recipe using collard greens. Here is a link for a more traditional way to eat your collards.

Hot House Tomato- Aren't they beauties? While we have grown these gems for a few years now, we don't usually include them in the CSA. This is because one of the joys of CSA is eating what's in season and becoming more in-tune with the real seasons of produce. May is simply not tomato season. July, August and September are the tomato months and, believe me, we will have plenty of tomatoes to share when the time comes. So why are they in your share this week? Consider it a consolation prize for not getting strawberries! (we know, not a direct replacement for berries)


Arugula- Here is a recipe Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinergartte and Quinoa Salad with Arugula

Asparagus - If you are not going to use it that day, you should store asparagus in your refrigerator in a bowl or mug with some water in the bottom.  The asparagus will slowly drink up the water and you may need to replenish.  Asparagus is delicious roasted or grilled! This asparagus was grown by John Catalano, just down the road from us!


Baby Bok Choy -  Here is the perfect recipe that uses, bok choy, romaine, and radish! This is an easy fast way to serve Bok Choy.  

2016 A fresh year - Full of possibilities

Here at the farm, winter is a big deal. In the winter we celebrate the work that was accomplished the previous year, we plan and scheme for the up coming year, we fix all the equipment that broke down, and we rest and retreat with our families.  All these are vital parts to the ebb and flow of farm life, the summer push is not possible with out the winter recovery and preparation.

A few wintertime highlights in picture form:

Employee Christmas Party

We are building a new greenhouse! We really enjoyed the warm weather of December to get the project going. On January 21 the house was ready to go and the baby tomato plants moved in for hydroponic production.  Estimated harvest is the beginning of May.



In the shop we are pulling equipment in for maintenance and repairs.  Yes, that tractor below is completely pulled apart. Our goal is to get our hands on every piece of equipment from tractors to trucks to packing equipment and fix anything that is worn or broken. This tractor is getting a rebuild on the clutch.

Buzby Family retreat to the mountains.  It really is good to get away with family for a little bit and just be together.  We enjoyed lounging in the cabin and exploring the great outdoors together.

 

Although spring is still almost 2 months away we are gearing up for planting season. Looking forward to spring means CSA is coming!

Registration for the CSA opens February 1 (Monday)

New for this season:
- New pickup day at the farm on Thursdays.
- We are adding several new varieties including a tasty grape tomato called Sun Sugar, scallions, shallots, golden beets, and possibly raspberries (if they grow well! fingers crossed!).
- We are continuing to improve our growing practices which should lead to better supply and quality of your veggies!