2018. Week 3!

It felt so good to feel the warmth of the sunshine this week.  The strawberries respond with a steady flow of ripening fruit. The sunshine has brought about another effect. . . a steady increase in work.  We are working hard to catch up after those weeks of rain. 

This week we transplanted all the things that were getting too big in the greenhouse, pruned, staked and tied tomatoes, cultivated the pickles and cantaloupe (which were very weedy), and so much more.  Thank you our loyal CSA customers for being here rain or shine, supporting us through this crazy spring.  It is going to be a great season!


New this week:

Swiss Chard: In the world of greens, Swiss chard often gets overshadowed by its popular neighbor kale, but it’s a star in its own right. This relative of the beet is a superb source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as magnesium, potassium, and iron. It makes a colorful and tasty side dish, or a nutritious addition to pasta, soup, quiches, and more. Here is a recipe for Sauteed Swiss Chard. Here is a link to a delicious swiss chard quiche recipe.

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

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.

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

2017 Week 2 - When will it start to feel like spring again?

It was great to see so many of you this week.  You are my people, getting excited about produce! Yes! The farm got 2 inches of rain on Saturday, we are hoping to dry off and warm up this week.

New this week:

Lacinato Kale: aka: Dinosaur Kale or Tuscan Kale.  My favorite way to serve this is this Lacinato Kale Salad by Marin Mama Cooks.  You can also use this kale in a soup or sautéed on the stove.

Swiss Chard: In the world of greens, Swiss chard often gets overshadowed by its popular neighbor kale, but it’s a star in its own right. This relative of the beet is a superb source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as magnesium, potassium, and iron. It makes a colorful and tasty side dish, or a nutritious addition to pasta, soup, quiches, and more. Here is a recipe for Sauteed Swiss Chard, I think adding a fried egg would make an excellent breakfast.

Bok Choy - Last weeks share included the really little delicate baby bok choys.  This week we graduate to the bigger boks.  Here is a link to The Kitchen's 10 ways to Chow Down on Bok Choy

Strawberries and Asparagus are here for another week!

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 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 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

2015 week 19

And just like that the 90 degree temps of last week are but a fading memory and it feels like FALL! The CSA share is representing fall with squash!

New this week:

Red October Pumpkin- A winter squash with thick skin and delicious flesh good for purees and pies. Have you ever cooked a pumpkin before, it really is not that difficult and the results are so delicious!

4 Easy steps to cooking a pumpkin:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F .
   2. Cut pumpkin into small manageable pieces and scoop out seeds.
   3. Place cut pumpkin skin side up or down (I have done it both ways) in a large roasting pan. Cook until very tender 40-50 minutes depending on size.
   4. When cooled, peel away skin and mash with a fork or puree in food processor. You can use it right away or put it in freezer bags for the future.  
2. 
   

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, Oh So Good! 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.

2015 week 15!

Watermelon is here, and kale is back!

2015 week 14 -

New this week:

Cilantro!  Store in refrigerator with cut ends in a jar of water and leaves loosely covered with a plastic bag for several days.  Delicious in salsa!

Summer Crisp Lettuce - Lettuce in August is a new thing for us at Buzby Farm, we hope you enjoy these beautiful heads, much smaller than the spring heads, but so delicious!

Red Long Hots - We gave out long hots a couple weeks ago, these are from the same plant, the peppers just turned red from staying on the plant longer and having more time to ripen.  These would taste great in salsa!

2015 week 7

I don't know about you but for us the big news of the week is SCHOOLS OUT for summer!!!  Congratulations to the graduating class of 2015!  Let's celebrate with blueberries!

Returning from previous weeks:
Swiss Chard
Yellow Squash -lots of it! perfect time to make squash casserole!
Spring Onion

New this week!
Blueberries - we don't grow blueberries, but we get these direct from the grower J&J in Hammonton, NJ , "The Blueberry Capitol of the World"
Cabbage - This is a great variety that has tender leaves that are very sweet and crisp -  perfect form coleslaw or stir-fries.
Carrots! - Have you ever heard it said that carrots improve your vision? Well, that may not be entirely accurate. During World War II, the British government credited carrots with improving night vision which led to a sudden increase in Nazi bombers being successfully shot down at night. The real reason for the success was a secret new radar system. The carrot story offered the Nazis a plausible explanation and helped distract attention from the radar system. Thankfully, it is true that carrots are high in beta-carotene which may help reduce the risk of cataract and macular degeneration. Not bad! The photo shows rainbow carrots, but this week will actually be regular orange carrots and rainbow carrots will be coming next week.

2015 week 5

Returning from previous weeks:
Kohlrabi
Kirby Pickles
Bok Choy -- It's back!

New this week:
Swiss Chard - Another delicious green! It is so versatile, put it in soups, eggs, or sautée it.  Here is a link to a Coconut curry with Swiss Chard.  Here is a link to a simple sautéed swiss chard recipe.
Snap peas- so delicious eaten raw. Sweet! Or add to a stir fry.
Dill -  perfect combination with our kirby pickles!
Purple top turnips and greens.  Here is a link to a previous post all about turnips and turnips greens.  the recipe all the way at the bottom, turnip souffle -- soooo good!


Saturday was our annual Spring Open House! Good times, good food, good people.  Thank you for coming out, we really enjoyed sharing the farm with you.

I fear Swiss Chard!

Did anyone else out there NOT grow up eating greens?  I did not and it has been a slow come around to get the greens going in my kitchen.  But so worth the effort to learn to cook them.  Greens are so nutritious and delicious!

***When I was a child, my mom was an excellent cook and made us healthy well-balanced meals.  I learned so much from her about meal planning and grocery shopping.    I think we had salad 4 out of 7 nights a week and we ate lots of asparagus, carrots, green beans, lima beans, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, squash, and eggplant.  But Swiss chard, kale, or collard greens never crossed our table.***

So if your nervous about Swiss chard, its okay.  I was too.  But believe me it is worth it!

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