Maysie's FarmMaysie's Farm Newsletter: Fresh from the Fields
June 2006
June 28, 2006
Greetings!

Just a quick note to let CSA members know that organic black and purple raspberries from Willow Creek Orchard will be available starting MONDAY, JULY 3. The price is $4.50/half pint and you need to specify when you order whether you want BLACK (shinier, last longer) or PURPLE (softer, a bit more flavorful). Monday people need to order via email or phone by FRIDAY NOON - you Friday people can either order in the barn when you pick up this week, or email me your order by next Thursday morning for pick up on July 7.

I'll be sending out a CSA update later this week...

~Colleen

 
June 14, 2006
Greetings!

You Friday pick-up people are going to notice a lot of activity on the farm when you come for your food this Friday, June 16. XL Insurance Company has included Maysie's Farm in their Annual Day of Giving, and about 40 XL employees will be working on the farm all day! Sam and Trey have been busy thinking about all the jobs that need doing and never seem to get done — having 40 extra pairs of hands for a day is sure to make an impact! We are very grateful to Barb Brown and the XL crew for donating this day to us.

Don't forget about the Summer Solstice Potluck dinner this Saturday starting at about 6:30. Even if you didn't get around to signing up in the barn, you and your family and friends are welcome to come. Intern Michael McShane will be providing live musical entertainment. Please join us!

There are also still openings for the Down To Earth Farming workshop for kids on Tuesday June 20. Contact Sam (610-458-8129) if you're interested.

The peas are beginning to wind down. Since we've had cool weather recently, we're still getting spinach, broccoli and cauliflower. But the weather report is predicting hot and humid weather around the corner, and that may be the end of those cooler-weather crops. On the bright side, we can start looking forward to the summer crops; in particular the zucchini is getting big, and garlic is not too far off.

Member Ann Marie Kowalski, who provided our cabbage recipe last week, says she gets good vegetable recipes from www.fooddownunder.com. You might want to visit that site if you're looking for new ideas. This week's recipe comes from member Barbara Kosciewicz, who claims it is her favorite way to eat all those greens! She makes the following dressing and keeps it in a jar in the refrigerator to pour over steamed greens:

Asian Braised Greens

1/4 cup soy/tamari
1/8 cup sesame oil
1/8 cup canola or safflower oil
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1-1/2 Tablespoons lime or lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (or about 1/4 tsp. Vietnamese chili paste)

Whisk together all ingredients. Steam greens until just wilted (about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Drain and pour dressing over greens. Enjoy!

I will be away on vacation next week, so there won't be a CSA Update until the last week of June. By the way, all these CSA Updates are now available on our website. If you want to bookmark the page, it's www.maysiesfarm.org/csa/archive/current/newsletter.html.

See you at the farm!

~Colleen

 
June 10, 2006
Greetings!

Sam just got word that Willow Creek Orchards no longer has strawberries available to sell to us. So even if you ordered strawberries for this coming week, we aren't getting them. Sorry!

I'll let you know if/when other fruit from Willow Creek becomes available through our CSA.

~Colleen

 
June 7, 2006
Greetings!

It seems that the peak of the strawberry season is past — beginning next week, June 12, strawberries from Willow Creek Orchards will be available only by the PINT, at a cost of $4/pint. You can still order in the barn or email me with your strawberry order up until noon the day before your pick up.

But as sad as it is to see the strawberries ending, the peas are coming on full force! The white board will list the beds for picking, and the map next to the board shows where all the beds are. There will also be white stakes at the end of the pick-your-own beds. Please harvest GENTLY so that the plants can continue to produce!

Don't forget about the Open House at Ben Stoltzfus's farm this Saturday, June 10 from 11am-3pm. You'll tour his Amish farm on a wagon ride, taste samples of his raw milk products, and have an opportunity to buy his products while you're there. Directions to Ben's farm are on a flyer in the barn Please call him at 717-768-3437 if you plan to attend.

Have you signed up yet for our Summer Solstice Potluck Dinner on Saturday, June 17?? The sign up sheet is in the barn. How about the Down To Earth Farming Workshop for your kids ages 6 and over on Tuesday, June 20?? Email me for more details.

Did you know that the Inn at St. Peter's Village is reopening soon under new management? At this upscale restaurant, chef Martin Gagne is committed to using fresh, local ingredients when he can. We are delighted to announce that Maysie's Farm will be providing some of the vegetables for the restaurant! Keep it in mind if you're looking for a new restaurant for a special occasion!

Finally, we're looking for some volunteers (Distribution Managers) on pick-up days to help out in the barn. If you can spend some extra time here when you come for your vegetables, please let me know. You'll get to learn more about the farm, meet great people, and help us out! No experience necessary!!! Training is included!!! Please email me to find out more about this opportunity.

The recipe this week comes from member Ann Marie Kowalski, who made it with Chinese cabbage and really liked it. I make a similar salad, and it's also good with pac choi, mixed in with some of the other greens.

Asian Cabbage Salad 6-8 servings

3 oz pkg. Ramen w/chicken flavor soup
4 cups shredded cabbage
4 scallions, sliced
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar (or less!)
2 Tablespoons salad oil
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Crush noodles slightly; pour boiling water over noodles in a colander to soften slightly, drain well. Combine noodles, cabbage, onions, and sesame seeds. Dressing: in a screw-top jar combine seasoning packet from noodles, vinegar, sugar, oil, pepper, and salt; shake to mix well. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss. Cover and chill several hours or overnight. Before serving, stir in almonds.

See you at the farm!

~Colleen

 
As we get into the busy spring season, there's a ton of work to be done! The interns do a great job at growing the vegetables, but there are lots of other jobs around the farm that are begging for volunteers. We've come up with the list below, and hope that these spark an interest for some of you. Notice that some of these jobs are ongoing, while some are one-time efforts.

  • Establish and maintain the culinary herb beds (these were a disaster last year because they were not tended to!).

  • Restore and maintain the Children's Garden (ditto!).

  • Landscape an "island" behind the new barn office (after trenching for solar electric lines is completed). Take down the mulberry tree.

  • Establish native ground cover in full sun along the rock wall on the southern side of the hoophouse.

  • Construct a bio-diesel processing facility (instructions and examples are available).

Once again this year, we also put the call out to members to volunteer some extra time on their pick up day to act as Distribution Managers in the barn. No experience is necessary, and their presence helps the distribution go much more smoothly.

To volunteer for any of these jobs (or if you think of others...weeding, mowing, etc!) call Sam at 610-458-8129. Thank you!

 
 
CSA memberships for the 2006 season are going fast! Spread the word about Maysie's Farm to anyone you think may be interested in joining, and register BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Wish List
Looking to get rid of any of the following items? Maysie's Farm will put them to good use! The first three needs are for our new "office," which is (still) under construction in the old "staff room":

• Wooden file cabinets
• Small electric range/oven
• Sink base, under-counter cabinets, wall cabinets and a short length of countertop material
• Picnic table(s)
• Large outdoor canopy
• Solar powered walkway lights (ideally to match the two donated by Martha Thomae)
• Straw bale chopper (for mulching large areas)
• Assistance building a bio-diesel production system or a compost tea brewing system
• Diesel station wagon or delivery vehicle for use as our produce hauler (for the Farmers Market and our Farm and School partnership) that we could run on bio-diesel or vegetable oil
• Housing for potential Farm Manager
Please contact Sam at (610) 458-8129 if you can donate any of these items.

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