All Spruced Up

Today (Sunday) was the Prince William County 11th Annual Farm Tour and Stoney Lonesome Farm was the first stop on the schedule. Even without the hayride, which has been a big hit in past years, Pablo reports that this was the best attended tour yet. With tours of the farm - including the Future Field for the adventurous  - and an introduction to the CSA, everyone kept busy including Aryeh. The place was all spruced up with new raised beds of flowers welcoming guests.
It is hard to believe there are only a few short weeks left in this season's CSA shares. Today there were lots of new things in the share - well I guess "new" is a misnomer, but things we haven't seen since spring are cropping up all over. (pun intended - been hanging out with Pablo too long!)

The share includes lots of greens; lettuce, kale, braising mix, for fresh salads this week. A few pattypan squash  and a little okra are left. And don't forget the delicious crisp radishes for breakfast.

 Week 19

 Braising mix and greens, lettuce, kale, basil, pattypan squash, 

okra, garlic,and radishes

Before they are completely gone, celebrate with some squash fritters. A grilled steak and a fresh salad will round them out nicely.

Squash Fritters

1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
a little pepper
2 eggs.
Mix to form a smooth batter. Add:
3 cups shredded squash
1/3 cup minced onion or some garlic (optional)
1 tbsp fresh herbs - your choice

Add a little olive oil to a medium skillet and heat to medium heat. Drop a large spoonful of batter into the frypan. Fry until golden, turn and cook on second side until done.

 
And a fresh one for those greens that are coming out again
Confetti Kale

In a large skillet saute in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, chopped kale and a little minced garlic for about 10 minutes. Add 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels (thawed), 1/2 cup red sweet pepper, 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 more minutes until heated through and serve immediately.

This week's recipes come from the cookbook, Simply in Season. A world community cookbook by the creators of More With Less and Extending the Table.

Is it too late for Fried Green Tomatoes?

 Week 18 - lettuce and beet greens, squash eggplant and pepper medley,

green tomatoes and cherry tomatoes and flat green beans,

and edamame

 

green heirloom tomatoes  - so pretty

 a little slicing, a little batter and - tada -

 fried grren tomatoes and okra

It's probably too late to enjoy fried green tomatoes from our share but if you get the chance you have to try them. They are delicious - sweet, juicy, crunchy  -I don't know why I have waited so long to try them. I used a recipe from online (googled from simply recipes) and it was super easy. The hit was the sauce they suggested for dipping - a remoulade sauce. Super good - with a bite - a great compliment. I hope you get the chance to enjoy them yet this fall. I also threw in a few okra. Will definitely repeat!

 

I never get tired of this  container of goodies. I love the small eggplant and patty pan squash and the different varieties of peppers. Will miss you when you're gone!

Only four weeks left!

Remnants of Summer

 Week 17 - Moon and Stars Watermelon, Squash, eggplant, onions, peppers, basil and edamame


It's that "weird" time in the garden. The in-between time when summer's bounty is about finished and fall crops aren't quite ready. Especially with the rain we had a few weeks ago the gardens are in a phase of change. There is still plenty to eat - This past weeks share had a number of yummy options. I found myself making squash fritters, a watermelon, feta and mint salad (one of my favorites) and some more basil oil with the bag of basil we got on Sunday. I also roasted peppers and then froze them for later use in a variety of recipes.

On Wednesday I stopped by the farm to visit the future field. Every other time I came it was too wet or raining so when Wednesday turned out to be a beautiful day I headed over. Here's what's growing in the future field: winter squash, herbs, carrots, onions, lettuce, beans and peas, etc. We should be seeing some of these soon. There were also lots of watermelon and okra left to harvest and plenty of green tomatoes.

What's this?

The new kid on the block is edamame - a green soybean. Easiest prep is to boil for about 5 minutes in salt water and then eat the beans right out of the pods.There are some dip recipes out in cyberspace that look and taste quite similar to hummus. It is a super nutritional food and a great snack for dieters. I added mine to a veggie casserole recipe (with corn, carrots and squash) and it was delicious. Let us know how you ate your edamame.

Okra is still growing

A new twist

Week 16

Watermelon, pattypan squash, eggplant, onions, fennel,
tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers

Oh it rained,rained rained, forty days and forty nights, and the animals in the ark rocked to and fro. But the ark stood still after 40 days and nights and old Noah told them, "Now you're free to go!"

A silly song from my childhood but one which has replayed itself in mind over these last few days/weeks of rain. And they say it isn't over with yet. At Harvest time on Wednesday there were 5" of new rain in the gauge. And it had only begun! Head over to facebook to see pics of a very wet Stoney Lonesome - Pablo referred to it as Venice.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/121577615922/

Even so we had a great share to use on Wednesday. I was particularly excited about the green tomatoes and the cute little herb bunch. I love fresh herbs and to get such a nice variety all at the same time was really fun. I'm going to fry up those green tomatoes and I will post some pics and a recipe soon. I'm thinking about watermelon rind pickles like grandma used to make too!

But for today I want to share an idea for the flowers - yup the flowers. I started making these last year and got rave reviews so this year I grew my own field of globe amaranth to supplement those coming from Stoney Lonesome and to have enough to sell these cute little wreaths on the side.

First of all you have to save and dry the globe amaranth. If you are not familiar with the globe amaranth, it is the little purple globes found in each bouquet. These dry beautifully and you can do it one of two ways - one is to hang it upside down by the stem. The other way to dry is to cut the stem off and just dry them on an old window screen. After they are dry - a few weeks, they are ready for use. I purchased these little 6 inch wreaths at Michaels for .79 cents each. I also bought a few little silk green vines and and some dried static for variety in texture and hot glued them on four spots for some variety. Then I glued all the globe amaranth I could find around the edges. If you've been saving it all along you'll have enough by the end of the season. I have also been known to pick up all the "rejects" that end up on the ground - from broken stems to those that just don't make it into the bundles for one reason or another. We have a lot of oak trees and I have been making oak candle holders as part of my business for some time so these wreaths were a welcome addition to the candle holders. Another use for the amaranth pieces that fall off is to just add them to some potpourri. The pretty purple color adds a bright spot and freshens up the look. I added some lavender and some rose petals and put them all in a pretty glass bowl.

Hope you've saved your globe amaranth or Gomphrena Globosos as it is formally known. It really is a beautiful flower and hold its color well for some time. Has anyone had any luck drying anything else?

September Reflections

Hello loyal farm blog readers,

This week’s post is brought to you by me, Stoney Lonesome Apprentice Diana, for Mary while she is on vacation.

Can you believe it’s September already? The summer months really flew by, in a flutter of cherry tomatoes! There are still 8 weeks of the season left, and lots more to look forward to. Yesterday afternoon Pablo and I finished up a record planting of bok choi, lettuce heads, and cabbage. Just as the seasons begin to change color, so will the shades of our share… from the rainbow array of watermelon, flowers, and tomatoes back to earthy tones with leafy greens and winter squash.

Last week we said goodbye to our amazing college interns, Katherine and Logan. They were a great help on the farm and hard workers in every activity from buckle hoeing broccoli to weeding strawberries or hilling potatoes. Their positive spirits, stories, and ideas discussed in the field and over lunch helped us weather the hottest, humid days of summer together). I hope it was a good experience for them; it was certainly a great one for me to help lead them.


This is my second season working at Stoney Lonesome. I started last year with zero experience or knowledge of farming besides an interest in sustainability and vegetables. I’ve come a long way since then and am still loving the work everyday. Staying on another year and working full-time has allowed me to see the farm come full circle… In the wintertime I cleared brush and got to experience a still, snow-covered farm. I helped Pablo with the planning process and ordering seeds. In early spring I started seeds in the greenhouse and rehabbed the beds despite the challenges of rain. We started our most ambitious project of the season- breaking ground in the “future field.” It has been so exciting to see the field transform from soggy sod to a colorful sea of vegetables (after many hours of tilling, planting, weeding, and mulching of course!). My added responsibility this spring and summer comes with the amazing bonus of living in the farmhouse. Day to day life of a young farmer can be challenging and sometimes exhausting, but my connection to this beautiful piece of land makes it all worth it.

My favorite part about farm life is appreciating how growing vegetables can bring a community together. Harvest days are so gratifying as our wonderful, unique harvest helpers come to reap the edible benefits of our hard work. I love greeting and getting to know members as we chat in the distribution shed about recipes, weather, and life. Sharing a meal of Stoney Lonesome veggies and pasture-raised chickens with Pablo, Esther, and Aryeh is just about as good as it gets. Life is delicious!