WEEK 9, SEPTEMBER 4 & 5, 2009
Have you ever wondered what goes into bringing your CSA Harvest box
produce from our seeds to your table? Glen suggested we give you an
idea of how this process works.
Let’s pretend that it’s November. The fall weather is here. Most
years we’ve already had frost. Rain, fog & gloom typify the Lands of
the Umpqua at this time. Orchard leaves have turned color, or have
fallen to the ground. The remaining garden plants are dead. Earlier
Norm planted ‘cover crop,’ a blend of oats & peas to enrich the soil
for next year. This produces a green carpet in most of the garden
areas.
Norm Lehne Garden & Orchards is closed for the season. The equipment
has been ‘put to bed’ for winter, gar-den signs are stored, picking
buckets have been cleaned for next year, irrigation pipes are all
put away, CSA Harvest boxes have been cleaned & stored for next
year, etc. Norm has been checking the pruning equipment too. This
farm chore is about to begin. Tractors & other pieces of equipment
are evaluated for needed repairs. Norm maintains everything himself
& most of these repairs are done during the winter months.
Before the winter chores begin, Norm & Cinda try to rest up from the
exhausting summer & fall harvest season. Usually we take time to
evaluate the just finished harvest season, including the U-Pick, our
Coos Bay Farmers’ Market, & the LEHNE FARM CSA.
With the just finished harvest sea-on still fresh in our minds we
decide which garden varieties we want to continue & which ones we
don’t want to grow again. Our new seed catalogues begin to arrive at
this time, so we go through them & decide which new varieties we
want to try. Norm always takes inventory of his remaining seeds to
decide how much he needs to purchase for the next season.
In January Norm places the seed order. It’s a very detailed task.
Like Santa, Norm makes his list & checks it (at least) twice! When
it arrives he makes sure everything was shipped, & then he organizes
all of it.
By the end of February we are gearing up for the new harvest season.
The greenhouse is cleaned up, pot-
ting soil is purchased, pots are taken out of storage, etc., as we
prepare to start vegetable seeds in our green-house. Norm starts all
of our bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, fennel,
garden flowers, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions,
peppers, shallots, Swiss chard, & tomatoes in our green-house at the
beginning of March. He also starts two very early plantings of
“Norm’s SuperSweet” corn. You may remember this variety from the
first weeks of the LEHNE FARM CSA.
As you can see, once we close down the farm in late October there is
still plenty of work to do. We actually start preparing for the next
season right after we finish this year’s harvest. It’s an ongoing
cycle, with different challenges throughout the entire year.
Next week we’ll continue to help you understand the process of
bringing our produce to your table.
Enjoy this week’s harvest!
Your Farmers, Norm & Cinda Glen & Wendy
In this week's box:
- “Fantasia” Nectarines
- Mixed Cherry Tomatoes
- “Norm-a-loupe”! Enjoy an-other one of
Norm’s great melons this week! We’ll have enough for everyone
again.. These are ripe & ready to eat. Don’t let them get soft &
mushy. Refrigerate.
- Fennel
- “Nero di Toscana” (Dinosaur) Kale
- “CandyStore” Corn
- Carrots
“Herbs of the Week”
Basil & Italian (flat-leaf) Parsley
Corn, a member of the grass
family of plants, is a native grain of the American continents.
Fossils of corn pollen that are over 80,000 years old have been
found in lake sediment beneath Mexico City. Corn was first grown by
the Mayan, Aztec, & Inca Indians more than 5,600 years ago. By the
time Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492, corn was
being grown from what is now Southern Canada to the Andes Mountains
in South America. He was given corn by the Native Americans, which
he took back to Spain. From there, corn spread quickly throughout
Europe and the rest of the world.
Corn is a good source of
vitamin B1, vitamin B5, folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorus
& manganese.
A medium-sized ear of corn has about 75 calories & one gram of
fat. It supplies carbohydrates, protein, & potassium.
Yellow corn has higher beta-carotene content than white corn.
Corn can help elevate macular pigment in the eye to help protect
against macular degeneration.
Storing: Corn should remain
unhusked, wrapped in a plastic bag & refrigerated until preparation
time. Do not remove husks before storing fresh corn: The husks help
retain freshness. Adding salt to the cooking water will toughen
corn. Don’t over-cook it. We usually layer corn in a large pan & add
about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil & cook about 4 minutes. Some
recipes suggest adding sugar to the water, but Lehne corn is sweet
enough! You can store it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, but it’s
best to eat it sooner than later.
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
OSU Master Food Preservers will be at the farm again on
Fri-day, September 11, from 10:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m. They will
answer your canning questions & have printed materials
available. Also you can bring your pressure canner gauge for
free testing. This is very important so you will know that
your canning pressure is accurate.
“Homemade Jam Band” will be at the farm on Saturday,
September 12, 2009, from 11:00 a.m.— 2:00 p.m. This is a
unique group of talented musicians & singers, playing an
eclectic variety of mu-sic. Bring a lawn chair & enjoy the
music.
“Sauerkraut Time”, Saturday, September 26, 2009, from
10:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. This will be a hands-on food
preparation event. More details to come.
Barley Risotto with Corn & Basil
www.marthastewart.com
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth, (14.5 ounces each)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt & ground pepper
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups corn
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated (about 2 ounces) Parmesan cheese, plus more
for serving
Preparation
1. In a medium saucepan, bring broth & 4 cups water
just to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion, 2 teaspoons salt, & 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 4 to 5
minutes. Add barley. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Then add wine. Cook, stirring until evaporated, about 1
minute.
3. Add 2 cups hot broth mixture Simmer, stirring
occasionally, until almost absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
Continue adding broth mixture in this manner until barley is
tender & mixture is creamy, 40 to 50 minutes. (You may not
have to use all the broth.) Add corn. Cook just to heat
through, 4 to 5 minutes. 4
. Stir in basil & Parmesan. Season with salt & pepper.
Serve.
Do you know?
Mayan, Aztec, and Inca Indians used the sugar-filled leaves
of the corn plant as "chewing gum", immature corn as a fresh
vegetable, & the dry, mature kernels of corn were ground
into flour.
Corn brightens a meal. It’s one of the most loved of all
vegetables.
Sweet corn can be prepared in or out of the husk using a
variety of methods: Boiling, Steaming, Microwaving,
Roasting/Grilling.
Many of our customers also like to eat a raw ear of corn
right out in the field when they come to pick.
Corn is not only a favorite vegetable, but it is also the
source of corn starch, cornmeal, corn oil, corn syrup,
bourbon, & laundry starch.
Other corn products: modified starch, MSG, xanthan gum,
coffee whitener, Cheez Whiz, ketchup, toothpaste, cosmetics,
disposable diapers, matches, frozen yogurt, mayonnaise,
trash bags, cleansers… & the list goes on, and on, and on...
Quick Kale with Bacon &
Onions
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 cups chopped kale
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
Pinch black pepper
2 bacon slices, cooked & crumbled
1 lemon cut into wedges
Preparation:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion
to pan & sauté 6 minutes or until onion is tender & begins
to brown. Add kale, broth, salt, & peppers to pan. Cover,
reduce heat, & cook about 20 minutes or until tender,
stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve with lemon
wedges.
Roasted Potatoes with Fennel
www.marthastewart.com
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 small potatoes, 1-1/2 pounds, halved & sliced into
1/2-inch-thick half-moons (Yukon Gold or Red potatoes work
well too)
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds chopped, stalks sliced
crosswise
1/2 inch thick, & bulb halved then sliced 1/4 inch thick
(remove tough core if necessary & discard)
4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
4 teaspoons olive oil
Coarse salt & ground pepper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425˚. In a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish,
toss potatoes with fennel (bulb, stalk, & fronds), garlic &
4 teaspoons oil. Sea-son generously with salt & pepper.
Bake, tossing occasionally, until potato edges are browned,
35 to 45 minutes. Continue roasting & stirring occasionally
until potatoes are done. Check by inserting a sharp knife
into a few potato slices to see if they are cooked through.
The original recipe calls for roasting chicken pieces on top
of the potato mixture, adding the chicken after the first 35
to 45 minutes of roasting. The potatoes turned out too
greasy, so we recommend you cook the chicken (or another
meat, if desired) in a separate pan.
Fennel, Orange & Parsley Salad
www.marthastewart.com
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 medium fennel bulbs
5 medium oranges
2/3 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons slivered, pitted black olives
1 teaspoon olive oil
Coarse salt & ground pepper
Preparation
1. Trim fennel bulbs. Quarter, core, & thinly slice the
blubs crosswise.
2. Using a paring knife, remove the peel & pith of oranges.
Separate oranges into segments over a large bowl (to catch
the juices.) Then add segments to bowl.
3. Add fennel, olives & oil. Season with salt & pepper.
Gently toss, & serve.
(It’s possible the Fennel, Orange & Parsley Salad would
benefit by adding a small amount of rice vinegar &/or a tiny
pinch of pepper flakes.)
More on Fennel
Whether served raw or cooked, fennel bulbs must be
trimmed first. Cut the stalks from the top of the bulb, then
remove any tough outer layers.
Some recipes call for the removal of the triangular core.
This can easily be done with a paring knife.
Wrapped in a paper bag & refrigerated, fennel can last 3 to
5 days. But, as bulbs tend to dry out over time, it’s best
to use them as soon as possible.
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