THE FARM NEWS Volume 3; Issue 11R/15E August 22, 2011

Greetings,

Here is this week’s and the last update on Dan’s emergency surgery – he is doing very well!  His hand is back to its normal size, with only a small amount of swelling still occurring in his finger. He is done with his physical therapy appointments and only has to continue working on getting the strength back in his had.  He is thrilled with the progress, but frustrated with the lack of strength.  We all keep telling him that it takes time, but he is not known for having patience with himself.

We had a busy week. We continue to work on all of the “little” projects we have around here. But with the wonderful help of friends, we feel like we are making progress.  We were blessed by the youth group from our church coming out and painting our house.  If you have been here before, you know that it needed it badly!  They are still not done, but we think that it looks wonderful!  We have had help from other “family” members and the new back door is in, my craft room lights work, the woodworking shop is getting organized… and the list goes on.  We are truly blessed by all of the wonderful people in our lives!

The fields, in general, are starting to produce nicely.  The tomatoes and cucumbers are very intermittent.    Those of you who ordered cucumber shares for pickling, we have been picking for approximately two weeks and may have picked a little over a bushel.  There is no consistent size to them.  Later this week, Dan will be sending an email to each person who ordered cucumbers to determine the best way to get you the cucumbers you ordered.  The tomatoes are slowly starting to ripen in the fields and full bushels will probably be ready the first or second week in September.  The canning tomatoes will be ripe at the same time, but they will not be “pretty”. The weather has affected all of the tomatoes’ growing patterns.  The only “pretty” tomatoes will be from the high tunnel and there are not enough of them for canning.  We are hoping for a late Indian summer, so that will allow everything to ripen properly.

We wanted to remind you again about our fall open-house.  It will be September 24th, late afternoon to early evening.  We are going to gather around 3:45 p.m. and will have one field tour at 4 p.m.  We are planning to have the BBQ going from 5 p.m. to dark with fresh food from the farm!  Please come and join us for this harvest celebration!  We are expecting people to start gathering between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.  If we have enough interest, we will have a bonfire!  So RSVP please, so that we can know how many to plan for!  We look forward to seeing as many of you as we can!

This Thursday is the opening day of the Great Minnesota Get Together – commonly called the State Fair.  If any of you are planning to go the opening day, we have been asked by Renewing the Countryside to represent CSA farmers for the day in the Eco-Environment building.  We plan to be there all day, if you are there we would love to have you stop by and say “hi”.  If you come another day, stop by anyway and see who is representing other CSA farmers.  Enjoy the Fair!

Please have a blessed and great week.

From our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

www.thefarmofmn.com

ITEM OF THE WEEK – BEANS

See our pages on Green, Yellow, and Purple Beans for more info

Recipes

YELLOW BEANS AND GARLIC

Ingredients:

• About 1 lbs. green or yellow green beans
• 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 heaping Tablespoons Fresh, minced Basil
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. With a stainless steel, steamer basket, placed in a pot with a lid, bring a few inches of water to a boil.  Add beans and reduce heat. Steam for 7 minutes.
2. While this is steaming, heat olive oil in a small saucepan until hot. Add Garlic. Watch closely and stir, allowing the garlic to slightly brown. Once brown, take pan off the heat.

3. Add the vinegar and some salt (about ½ teaspoon) and freshly ground pepper to the browned garlic.

4. In a pretty bowl, place the steamed beans and basil.  Toss with the garlic oil and vinegar dressing.  Adjust the flavors with salt, oil and vinegar as needed.  Serve.

PURPLE BEAN AND TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:

• 6-8 oz. of beans (either green, purple or yellow), chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 3 Tablespoons Skinny dips Hummus
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
• ¼ Teaspoon Oregano
• 1 sprig of Parsley, minced
• 3 oz. Romaine Lettuce, Shredded
• 1 plum tomato, halved length-wise and sliced thinly
• Fresh-ground Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Steam the bean pieces 4 minutes over boiling water.  Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, ix together humus, lemon juice, oregano and parsley. Set aside.
3. Place lettuce in a salad bowl.
4. Top with tomato slices and warm, steamed beans.
5. Season with pepper.
6. Pour Hummus mixture over the top of everything, toss lightly to coat.
7. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

This Week’s Items – ½ Bushel:

• Beans – either green, purple or yellow
• Kale
• Green Onions
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Patty Pans
• Cucumbers – Armenian, Lemon or Slicing

This Week’s Items – Extended:

• Beans – either green, purple or yellow
• Green Onions
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Patty Pans
• Cucumbers – Armenian, Lemon or Slicing
• Swiss Chard
• Broccoli
• Sage
• Okra
• Potatoes
• Peppers

This Week’s Items – Large:

• Beans – either green, purple or yellow
• Green Onions
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Patty Pans
• Cucumbers – Armenian, Lemon or Slicing
• Swiss Chard
• Corn
• Sage
• Okra
• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Egg plant

Note: Armenian Cucumbers are light green, ribbed cylinders, with a great cucumber flavor.

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