Holy Zuc-a-mole, the garlic harvest is in!

News from the Farm: Garlic Harvest & Flea Beetles

We did it! On Friday we harvested our first winter storage crop: Garlic! What a successful feeling. Individual garlic cloves are planted like seeds in October and then, sometime in July we stop watering them and let them begin to dry out. That is seven months in the ground. And then there is another 3 months of curing and tending before garlic becomes the garlic we are used to finding: rich, easy to peel, solid, and delicious. A long time to wait to see if your crop did it’s thing! And we are stoked to say, that the garlic looks AMAZING!

We harvest garlic when the stalks are dry, but not too dry, crate them up, and start the curing process. Curing takes a few months, usually around three, while the moisture is slowly pulled out of the garlic and the flavor finishes developing. This first couple weeks are pretty critical and we will rotate the crates of garlic to encourage even curing on it all. After this first bit of curing, we will trim the dry tops off, clean them up and put them away for long storage. Then, every month we will go through the bins and check for mold and sprouting, keeping the stock rotated and making sure we use everything at the right time.

Right now everything is stacked in the mill building with the doors wide open encouraging the the air flow so the curing goes well. The smell of garlic in the parking lot is pervasive and delicious!

photo credit: Laura Chappell, Alison Holland

Farming is full of these moments where, coming off the success of our largest garlic harvest ever and feeling full of king of the mountain style feelings, we are faced with something that just pulls the rug right out from under us and we swiftly tumble back into reality.

You may have noticed that this year a lot of our brassicas are coming to you full of holes. The cabbages last week were pretty small and looked a bit like they had been blasted with buckshot. The leaves of the salad turnips and radishes have holes chewed through them, and the broccoli might be a little more yellow in places. (That doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious!) This is the sign of a pest the entire state has been dealing with this summer: the Flea Beetle.

photo credit: University of Utah Extension, Farmers Weekly, Urban Farm Colorado

Flea Beetles LOVE brassicas and our late brassica block, the brassicas that come to fruition in the fall and are part of the later part of our Summer CSA and the beginning of our Winter CSA is getting hit particularly hard. Sarahlee has never seen anything like this and all the farms in the area and the state are encountering the same thing. It is nice to know in these moments that we aren’t the only ones!

While our normal run of maintenance spraying of Safer Soap on our brassicas usually takes care of flea beetles, this year in an effort to save our late season brassica harvest, we are bringing in the big guns, Neem Oil, Spinosad, and Pyganic.

Safer soap is an OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified insecticidal soap made of plant oils and animal fats that, when sprayed on plants with pests, penetrates the outer shell of specific insect pests and causes dehydration and death. We like Safer Soap because it DOES NOT kill our beneficial insects and it has zero residue. Neem Oil, Spinosad, and Pyganic are also OMRI certified and chemical free, but they are broad spectrum and they are harmful to all insects including the beneficial ones. This is why we really try to avoid using them and we never use them preventatively. They are only for apocalyptic infections. Which this is.

It is important to clearly state that these organic sprays are not chemicals and can be consumed by people. They are not hard on the ground or surface water, nor the soil, but they are bad for all bugs. And in this case we need something that’s pretty bad for bugs otherwise we’ll be feeling pretty hungry this fall.

So, a long note to explain why your brassicas especially might be looking a little less wholesome and a little more full of holes, what we are doing about it, and what this might mean for the fall. We are cautiously optimistic about the big guns. We are always optimistic.

Also, a final note that we have mentioned before and it bears remembering now: plant damage and imperfections are about the surest sign you can have that there were no chemicals involved in the growing of your food.

photo credit: Laura Chappell, Natalie Leder, Camilla Becerra Riroroco

Did you know that we rinse off and take the field heat out of almost every vegetable that goes into your CSA? We harvest, transport to our wash & pack stand, and then rinse and/or soak the veg to perk them up, get some of the dust off, and then prepare them for you! ☙ The 25 acre is providing! Last year we had a really poor beet crop and this year, the beets are making up for it. Beet harvest involves, pulling beets out of the ground, trimming off the outer leaves, and then bunching them with rubberbands. ☙ Last week was our first summer squash/zucchini harvest in the 25-acre. While the patty pan squash are still taking their sweet time, zucchini and yellow summer squash season is upon us. Brace yourselves!

Veggie ID: Zucchini & Summer Squash

photo credit: Zoe Griffith, Katya Hardman

Summer squash is a general term for 70 different types of fast-growing, tender-skinned, soft-fleshed squash including Zucchini, yellow squash (either straight or crookneck), and scallops (or patty pan) which look like flying saucers. If you get a giant-sized zucchini, shred it up and use it for making zucchini bread. It will be too tough and seedy for other recipes.

To store: Store squash unwashed in the vegetable bin for about a week.

To prep: Rinse under water to remove the dirt or prickles, and slice off the stem and blossom ends. Then slice or chop. Scrape out seeds from giant sized zucchinis before using them to bake.

To use: Slice tender, young summer squash raw into salads. Try them in stir-fry or with pasta. Lightly steam (4-5 minutes) and dress them with fresh herbs or pesto. Or coat squash lightly in oil and roast at 350F whole or sliced in half for 15-45 minutes. Stuff whole squash with your favorite stuffings. Bread them and make zuke fries. Or, our favorite, make zuc-a-mole, a zucchini based guacamole alternative that tastes almost exactly like guacamole (see recipe below!).

To freeze: You can freeze grated zucchini for use in breads and muffins. Squeeze as much liquid out as possible before adding to the freezer bag.

Vegetable CSA Harvest List

Every week, we include this section which includes what we think will be coming out of our fields and hoop houses for Wednesday pick up. Keep in mind, that we send this email on Sunday and we harvest Monday & Tuesday for our Wednesday CSA. Sometimes we are spot on, but other times, we discover that we have more of something else and substitute that.

Our foundation vegetables this week will include: we have decided that choosing foundations by Sunday usually leaves us all disappointed. It is really hard to know until we harvest what we actually have in the fields. Instead, we are pivoting to just making sure that the list is adequate. But, here is a hint, the recipes will usually reflect what we *think* we might have quite a bit of

We will let you know on Wednesday how many other items you will get to select.

Other Vegetable Options will probably include:

Basil
Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Chard
Cucumbers
Eggplants
Fennel
Fresh onions
Green onions
Herbs

Kohlrabi
Kale
Lettuce heads
Napa cabbage
Potatoes
Radish
Rhubarb
Salad mix
Salad turnips
Summer squash & zucchini
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Yod Fah

Meat CSA: swine is fine!

This week the Small meats get a pork sampler, and the large CSAs get chicken broth and a pork sampler!

Large CSA (10lbs)
• quart chicken broth
• 2 packs bacon
• +/- 3 packs of ground pork or linked sausage
• +/- 3 pork chops, boneless or
bone-in

Small CSA (5lbs)
• quart lard
• 1 ham slice
• 1 pork chop, bone-in or boneless

Lard?!? Why is that in my share?

Lard is rendered pork fat that we cook down from the fat we get back from the pork butcher. The strained product is an incredible cooking fat. You can use it as you would any other cooking fat – butter, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. We use it to sauté veggies, cook meat, fry eggs, and in baking for pie crusts, biscuits, and even granola.

We use our lard as our staple cooking fat for many reasons here on the farm. First and foremost being that it is a very minimally processed almost whole food and we know exactly where it comes from. The other reason is that it is full of all sorts of benefits:

high in vitamin D — yay meal based vitamins!
contains healthy cholesterol and contains the beneficial fats (poly and monounsaturated) as well as saturated fats — science is beginning to indicate that saturated fats aren’t as bad for you as they once thought
has a high smoke point so sautéing veg and meats is that much better for you — no carcinogens released during cooking!
lard has a fairly neutral flavor so what you are cooking will still taste like the ingredients you started with instead of the oil you cooked them in

The lard you received with your meat share came frozen. It is easiest to use if you keep it in the refrigerator.

Recipe Corner

Every week I try to send along a few recipes that utilize the meats and vegetables in your CSA share. Check out the recipes below for some inspiration!

Zuccamole

Rainshadow Organics Chef in Residence, Lindsay D. Mattison

There are no proportions here, so you are free to season as you desire! The most important step here is planning ahead and letting the zucchini cool fully before pureeing it, giving it a chance to sweat out any excess liquid.

Cut zucchini in half or quarters, depending on the size. You want all the zucchini in the pan to be roughly the same size.
Steam the zucchini for about 5 minutes, until tender. Transfer to the refrigerator until completely cooled.
Purée the zucchini in a food processor. Drizzle in melted lard or olive oil to help the zucchini fully puree.
Add your favorite guacamole ingredients — I like onion powder, garlic powder, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt.
If it doesn’t have the right mouthfeel, add additional lard or olive oil (avocados are naturally fatty and zucchinis are not, so this added fat really helps).

***We have experimented in the Farm Kitchen with freezing zuccamole and are quite excited. After defrosting our experimental round, we found that it retained its flavor, color, and texture. Consider putting some of this up in your freezer in pint containers for the is winter! Imagine: mid-winter tacos with fresh and light zuccamole on top! Or nachos. Or chips and salsa. Or enchiladas. Or … you get my drift.***

Easy Swiss Chard with Beans
Adapted from May I Have That Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 large bunch of chard (any type)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 large cloves of garlic, sliced
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups cooked farm beans
1 tsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash the chard well and chop the leaves into large pieces, and the stem into smaller pieces and. Keep them separated.
Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn.
Add the chopped chard stems and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently
Add the leaves, toss well and cook until it starts to wilt about, 6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).
Add the cannellini beans. Gently mix well together and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, until the beans are hot.
Add the vinegar and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
OPTIONAL: consider adding chopped bacon or ham to this to make it a 1 pot meal.

Beet Falafel
Rainshadow Chef in Residence, Lindsay D. Mattison

These little bites are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and made with almost 100% farm ingredients! Serve with pesto, zucchamole, or a spiced yogurt if serving as an appetizer, or add them to salads, wraps, or rice bowls. They taste great warm, but they’re also quite good cold straight out of the fridge.

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches beets (approx 3.5 cups pureed)
4 cups cooked beans
1/2 cup olive oil (or lard, if making them vegetarian isn’t a concern)
1 cup caramelized onions, finely chopped
1 cup corn flour, plus additional for rolling
2 tablespoons chopped herbs
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the beet stems, peel the beets, cut into chunks. Place them in a food processor and puree until the beets resemble grated beets. Remove the beets to a large bowl.
Puree the beans until almost fully pureed. You want to see some bean bits in there, but the mixture can be lightly chunky. Remove the beans to the bowl with the beets.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
Scoop the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls, rolling them with a little corn flour to help them keep their shape.
Bake for 10 minutes, turning halfway through.

Braised Green Beans & Summer Vegetables
Adapted from Eating Well

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (we highly recommend that lard you just got in your CSA)
1 small onion, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano (or whatever herb you want: basil, thyme, marjoram, etc.), or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup white wine, or chicken broth
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 medium summer squash, or zucchini, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and oregano and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add wine (or broth) and bring to a boil. Add green beans, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add summer squash (or zucchini) and tomatoes and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.