2019. Week 2 - Strawberries!

Strawberries need no instructions. rinse and eat! 

Romaine- I am so glad to be done with grocery store lettuce.  Romaine is perfect for salads, BLTs, and to use as lettuce wraps.

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.


Baby Bok Choy -   is the young, petite and tender counterpart to mature Bok choy. Its spoon-shaped kelly green leafy blades are supported by pale green stalks that join at a common base above the root. The stalks are thin, tender firm and succulent with nuanced cabbage notes and sweet pea undertones.
This is an easy fast way to serve Bok Choy.  Another recipe idea Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy 

Napa Cabbage or Chinese cabbage- The flavor of Napa cabbage is somewhat milder and a bit sweeter than that of regular green cabbage. It can be used raw or cooked, and the leaves can be substituted for regular cabbage in most recipes. The Chinese have been growing this cabbage since around the 15th century. In Korea, it is pickled, salted, and flavored with ginger and chili peppers to make kim chi, the national dish. Here is some ideas for how to use your Napa cabbage.  This crunchy Napa cabbage slaw is delicious.

Hakurei Turnips- are sweet and mild.  Sometimes called salad turnips these are delicious raw, and take on a whole new flavor and texture when cooked.  Turnip leaves are also edible and taste similar to mustard greens, and make delicious stir-fries and sautés.  Turnip root is high in Vitamin C, and the leaves are high in good source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium.To store turnips remove greens and store separately in a plastic bag.  The roots will last several weeks stored in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.Here is a link to a Turnip Kale frittata.
Hakurei turnips are delicious eaten raw and roasted. Here is a link to a recipe for roasted turnips

2017 Week 1!

We are back! Huzzah!

I am so excited to be starting a new season of CSA. The next 20 weeks will be delicious. :-)

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

Strawberries need no instructions. rinse and eat! 

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, kale, collards)

Romaine- I am so glad to be done with grocery store lettuce.  Romaine is perfect for salads, BLTs, and to use as lettuce wraps.

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.

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 -   is the young, petite and tender counterpart to mature Bok choy. Its spoon-shaped kelly green leafy blades are supported by pale green stalks that join at a common base above the root. The stalks are thin, tender firm and succulent with nuanced cabbage notes and sweet pea undertones. 
This is an easy fast way to serve Bok Choy.  Another recipe idea Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy

Curly Kale - I know there are some kale haters out there, but I have to say I love it!  Zuppa Toscana is a family favorite for dinner.  Kale Caesar Salad  Sauteed Kale

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

2015 week 4

It's June! Boo-yah!

Returning from previous weeks:
Romaine! Let's enjoy this, since it will be the last lettuce we see for awhile.
Kale
Hakurei Turnips
Strawberries in pints, not quarts. Just barely squeaking these out for you. We hope......

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.

Garlic Scapes// We are so excited to have garlic scapes in the share this week from our friends and neighbors Obis One.   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

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

***Special Announcement*** The Spring Open House is this Saturday June 6th 2pm-7pm 
-Enjoy a wagon ride farm tour with our farmers, Andy and Eric, where you will get to know them, here a little of our farm history, and learn all about how your food is grown!

-You-pick strawberries.  Once a year we open the strawberry patch for CSA members only.

-Light refreshments will be available. Strawberry shortcake and lemonade.

2015 Week 2

Thank you for all your warm greetings and happy smiles at pick up last week.  Ya'll are such an encouragement to me.  Also, a big-five to anyone who shared with me what they cooked with their produce!  You rock! I so love hearing how you enjoy your veggies.  

News from the farm

1- It is dry. Really dry.  So thankful for our irrigation system, but we are getting tired of moving sprinkler pipe around everyday.  It takes hours! But we will do it as long as we have to. 

2- College is letting out for summer and that means a big part of our work force is returning to the farm and providing some much needed reinforcements.  About half of our staff in the summer are high school and college-aged kids.

3- The honey bees arrived this week.  The kirby pickles and early cantaloupes are flowering and the bees are ready and willing to do some pollination. We rent 32 hives from Harvey's Honey near Woodstown.

Returning from last week:

Easter Egg Radish

Bok Choy

Romaine

New this week:

Escarole -  I normally think of it as a soup green . . . My absolute favorite soup with escarole. Escarole Meatball Soup

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 for a more traditional way to eat your collards.

And last but certainly not least ---- the long awaited strawberries!

Strawberries are very perishable.   This is not a problem in my home,  they disappear very quickly.   If you want to keep them more than a couple of days they should be kept in the refrigerator. 

2013 week 3

Are you ready for some greens?  I hope so! This is salad season!

full share

Broccoli Rabe is a bitter green, very similar to mustard greens.  I love broccoli rabe cooked with lots of garlic!  I recommend blanching the rabe in boiling water to take the edge off the bitterness first then sauteing with olive oil and garlic.

Here is a link to a great Broccoli Rabe Recipe.


We are truckin' along at the farm and things are growing.  The packing house is getting spruced up and ready for kirby pickle packing.  First tomatoes are staked and have their first string now.

 The earliest corn is making ears!

 

Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

 Strawberry Spinach Salad.

A perfect combination. It makes a great side dish at any picnic. I must eat you.   Sluuuurrrrp!

It includes two Buzby crops: strawberries and spinach.

First we'll make the dressing.

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice.  Fresh would be best, but not necessary.  If using fresh lemons add 1/2 tsp of lemon zest.
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seed.

Now for the salad part:

I like to use the smaller more delicate spinach leaves for salad and save the big, outer leaves to cook down like in my Spinach Egg Bake.

I filled my salad bowl with beautiful, tender leaves.  About 8 to 10 ounces. 

 Slice 1/2 of a cucumber.

 Add 1/4 of a small red onion, sliced

 Add 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberry

 

Toast 1/4 cup of sliced almonds and sprinkle on top of the salad

 

Add the dressing right before serving.

 Always a hit with my crowd.  Enjoy!

2013 week 1

Opening CSA Day here at the farm was a great success.

Half share

Here is some important information to keep your produce nice if you can't use it right away.

Strawberries. . .are very perishable.   This is not a problem in my home,  they disappear very quickly.   If you want to keep them more than a couple of days they should be kept in the refrigerator. They might last four or five days in the fridge.

Asparagus. . .when you bring asparagus home and you know you are not going to use it that day you should store it in your refrigerator in a bowl or mug with some water in the bottom.  The asparagus will slowly drink up the water.  Before cooking your asparagus it needs to be rinsed, the best way I have  found is to fill up a pitcher of water and put the asparagus in with the tips down. This way all the sand will sink to the bottom.  I follow the recipe on the tag to roast my asparagus.

Romaine and Pac Choi and any other greens that come from the CSA are SANDY!  They need to be thoroughly washed.  

--To wash I fill up a clean sink or big bowl with cold water and put the leaves in and gently swish.  --Then pat the leaves dry or dry them in your handy dandy salad spinner.  

--Next, wrap the lettuce leaves in some paper towel and store in a gallon size ziploc bag or other large container and store in the refrigerator.  

If you carefully wash, dry, and store your greens they will easily last the whole week, but if you just throw the whole head in the fridge crisper the lettuce will wilt and not be crisp.

Many of you were asking what to do with your Pac Choi.  Here is my favorite way to prepare it.  **Bonus it is quick and easy.

This is not an exact recipe, sorry to my peeps who like specific instructions.

To prep the bok choy cut the stalks from the leaves.  (The stalks take longer to cook).  Chop the stalks into large bite sized pieces.  Then chop the leaves into 1 inch pieces.  I also added some sliced red onion, but you could use sweet onion or green onions too.

Heat olive oil in saute pan on high.  Make sure it is good and hot then add the stalks and onion and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Then add in the leaves.  Like spinach, the leaves will wilt.  Then I added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a couple drops of toasted sesame oil and a few splashes of soy sauce.  Stir and cook just until greens have wilted.  It will only take1-2 more minutes.  YUM!

Word to the wise: I overdid it a little on the soy sauce,  that stuff is so potent, it only takes a little.

Enjoy!

It is time to plant the Strawberries

It's August.

We are up to our eyeballs with work, picking and packing all your favorite summer fruits and veggies.  

But at the same time we are thinking about next season.

Especially next strawberry season. 

Strawberry plants reproduce by sending out daughter plants or "shoots."  In June, after we are finished harvesting the juicy berries we go out and cut these "shoots" and put them in cold storage. 

We pull them out of cold storage in the middle of August and plant them to be next years strawberry crop.

The strawberry plants take special care.  This is a propagation bed.  The misters above the plants keep the leaves moist while the shoots grow roots.

 Each shoot or tip is carefully placed in the growing medium. Then we baby them for the next couple weeks.

-they get misted every 10 minutes for 10 seconds during the day
-they have a shade cloth over them for the first day, to help ease the transition
-the ventilation fan runs continuously to help prevent fungal diseases.

All this to get the roots growing.

Look at how much the roots have grown after just one week!

Three more weeks in the greenhouse and they will be ready to move to their new home in the field.

For the number people, 14520 strawberry plants per acre. We are growing 24,000 plants ourselves, (actually 25.500, just in case) and buying an additional 8,000 plants from a supplier for a total of 32,000  strawberry plants on 2.2 acres. High hopes.

Farm Tour

Thanks to everyone that came out to the farm tour this weekend.  It was a beautiful afternoon.

We had a great time meeting so many of you and sharing our farm with you!

Strawberries were enjoyed by all, especially this little sweetie!

Mounds of strawberries, cake, and whipped cream were eaten.

I had a couple requests from members for the cake recipe.  There were two kinds of cake.  Kentucky Butter cake, a moist cake covered in a buttery glaze AND  Sour Cream Pound Cake with a crisp crust hiding a moist center.

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 tube cake pan.  Mix  all ingredients until moist.  Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.  Pour into pan.  Bake 60-70 minutes.  When the cake comes out of the oven poke a bunch of holes in the cake with a wooden skewer or fork.
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.
Pour slowly over cake.  Let the cake cool completely before taking out of pan.

Sour Cream Pound Cake
1 cup butter
3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
3 cups flour
Cream together butter and sugar; add next 4 ingredients and mix well.  Beat in 2 eggs at a time alternately with 1 cup flour at a time.  Beat well after each addition. Grease and flour tube pan. Bake  for 90 minutes at 325.

Enjoy!
Martie