Author: bloomingglenfarm

20 Jul

Posted at 00:18h in Recipes by
6 Likes

Here is a great recipe for those of you looking for something new to show off those beautiful carrots from this week’s share. Though it can stand solo or as an addition to your salad plate, we think it might also be delicious along side a lamb dish or atop a pulled pork sandwich.

Moroccan Ginger-Carrot Salad

Grate 1 bunch of carrots (3 cups equivalent, grated) into a large bowl

In a small bowl, whisk together:

1 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 clove of fresh garlic
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
dash of cinnamon
salt to taste

-Pour mixture over carrots and toss

-Add in 1/4 cup of shredded coconut, 1/2 cup of walnuts and a handful of chopped parsley

-Toss again and ENJOY!

Recipe and photos by Jana Smart- Blooming Glen Farm employee and frequent creator of creative recipes using farm fresh seasonal ingredients. Check out more of her recipes on her food blog http://www.agrarianeats.blogspot.com/

 

19 Jul

Posted at 18:17h in Weekly Share by
3 Likes

This week a few heirloom varieties of vegetables make their way into the share. In the pick-your-own field you’ll find the beautiful purple streaked Dragon’s Tongue Beans. This tasty attractive 19th century heirloom hails from the Netherlands. It is considered a “romano” type bean, because pods are flat rather than round. Crisp, stringless and amazingly juicy when eaten raw, it does lose it’s purple coloration when cooked. You’ll also find the gorgeous elongated red torpedo onions, or Tropea onion, an Italian heirloom variety. The red onion from Tropea, Italy (Italian: “Cipolla Rossa di Tropea”) is a particular variety of red onion which grows in a small area of Calabria in southern Italy named “Capo Vaticano” near the city of Tropea. (You can also find it on the rolling hills of a small organic farm in the tiny hamlet of Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania!)

CSA Share, week 8.

 

Photos and text by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.

15 Jul

Posted at 13:59h in Crew profiles by
3 Likes

David Koschak, 36, joins us for his second season of farming, having spent last season pasturing chickens, pigs, and cows with Forks Farm near Bloomsburg, PA. David is an architectural designer by training, having first studied English and Environmental Science at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA and then receiving a Masters degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon.  He has spent the last six years working in architectural firms in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  David’s hometown is Dushore, Pennsylvania, a small town in the Northern Tier.  He currently resides in Wilkes-Barre.

“I grew up in a very rural and poor area.  I was very affected by the physical and cultural changes I saw occurring during my childhood.  I wanted to better understand why these small northern Pennsylvanian towns were shrinking, why beautiful old buildings were neglected or torn down, why farms continued to disappear, why everyone young moved away, why so many people were extremely poor, and why my own family’s farm, now owned by my uncle, may no longer be ours after 150 years.

The story was always that it was no longer possible to make a living milking, there was no longer a market for small-scale egg production, or there was no longer money in lumber. To me, it seemed crazy that we were creating a world where only large-scale commercial production existed. Why didn’t we buy eggs and meat and veggies from each other? For me personally, the large-scale alternative meant that the world I loved was being phased out.

I studied Architecture to be a part of the physical changes that occur in our communities.  I wanted to be more involved in the decisions about what kind of buildings we built and what part of our history we chose to tear down.  I moved to Oregon to study Architecture and ended up also learning about local sustainable agriculture and local economies.  It was the first time I saw a community that overwhelmingly valued local organic food (and may even have bought some veggies from Tom and Tricia at the Saturday Market in Eugene, Oregon).  I was inspired and excited to see this as a possible way for us to move forward and I wondered how this may become true back home in Pennsylvania.

Since coming back to the east coast I have been interested in not only working to create better buildings, but also richer communities through a stronger more vibrant local food system.  A highlight of the last few years was to have worked on the adaptive reuse of a historic silk mill.  This project included the design of a café featuring local produce and local pastured chicken from Forks Farm where I also worked.  I am with Blooming Glen this season to continue to better understand what role I can play in the growing network of people and food.  I hope one day that I’ll be able to combine my architectural and agricultural experience and possibly help tend my family’s farm for another generation. 

I remember, as a kid, believing there was a garden behind our town’s grocery store.  And I remember being very confused when I didn’t see one there.  I wish I hadn’t been wrong.  But for now, I am happy to be currently living on a farm where there is some truth to that idea.”

David Koschak

Posted by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.

14 Jul

Posted at 20:30h in Recipes by
2 Likes

Chef Rich of Dinner’s Done Personal Chef Service joined us on Tuesday for a demonstration and tasting. Chef Rich has been a regular here at the farm over the years, doing demos during CSA pick-ups, as well as at our festivals. It’s always a pleasure to chat with him, as I seem to learn something new each time. This Tuesday morning he popped over to the farm and picked up some fresh picked veggies and herbs, then after a little prep, returned in the afternoon. As he fired up the grill and hot pad, a steady flow of people were drawn over, enticed by the wonderful aromas coming from his table. He happily shared his take on grilled veggies, which I immediately fell in love with for its surprising hint of tarragon. Of course, with the addition of any combination of fresh herbs, the recipe can be adapted to suit your taste. Or, you can always call Chef Rich, and he’ll turn your CSA share into meals for you!

Grilled Vegetable Salad (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Chef Rich's Grilled Vegetable Salad

Begin by whisking the following ingredients together in a large bowl:

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Slowly whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil until thoroughly incorporated.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the dressing. 

Next, add your prepped veggies to the marinade:

3 small to medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut in thick slices lengthwise
1 onion, any variety, sliced into 1/2 inch thich rounds. Be sure to keep the onion rounds together in the marinade for ease of grilling later
1-2 tomatoes, cored and cut in half
1/4 pound green beans, blanched and cut into bite-sized pieces (beans can also be grilled on a grill pan, if you have one)

Marinate veggies in the dressing for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Meanwhile, get your grill ready.

For a gas grill: turn all the burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.  Then lower the burners to medium-high.

Clean and oil cooking grate, then place the marinated veggies on the grill. Grill the squash and onion (covered if using gas) until charred and tender, 4-6 minutes per side.  Grill the tomatoes, cut side-down, on the coolest part of the grill until they start to soften, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove veggies (the skin will slip right off the tomatoes) and chop into 1” pieces and toss with reserved dressing, and beans. 

Add in your fresh herbs: 2 tablespoons minced basil, 1 tablespoon minced parsley, 1 tablespoon minced tarragon.

Cool for 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

To contact Chef Rich Baringer of Dinner’s Done Personal Chef Service, call 215-804-6438, email: dinnersdonepa@comcast.net
or check out his website: www.MyChefSite.com/DinnersDonePA

Photos and text by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.

13 Jul

Posted at 12:42h in Recipes by
4 Likes

With an abundance of summer squash rolling in from the fields every week, we figured you might need a few more creative recipe ideas to keep things interesting with this versatile veggie.

This first recipe is a roasted zucchini dish that was inspired by my time spent on the Aegean coast of Turkey. The combination of lightly cooked veggies, yogurt, raw garlic and fresh herbs is a staple “mezze” (small tapas style) dish that can be found on any Turkish dinner table. Since the Turks rarely cook their garlic, this dish normally packs a bit of garlicky heat. The fresh green garlic you are getting from the share will have a more mild and subtle raw garlic flavor so don’t shy away from it. You can eat this as a simple side dish or put it in the food processor to use as a dip with cucumber and pita (which is what I did here).

Zucchini Salad with Yogurt (Yogurtlu Kabak Salatasi)


-Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Chop 2-3 medium sized summer squash (zucchini or yellow squash) into cubes and toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a dash of salt.

-Spread on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or so until squash is tender and slightly caramelized. Let cool slightly.

-Put squash into food processor with:

1-2 cloves of green garlic
1/2 cup of greek style yogurt
a handful of herbs (dill, parsley, and mint all work nicely)
the juice from half a lemon

-Salt to taste and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Serve with a dipper like cucumbers or pita bread.

**If you want it a bit chunkier to serve as a side dish, just pulse the above ingredients in the food processor and fold it into the roasted squash cubes.

Baked Summer Squash Frittata

This “frittata” is remarkably simple and makes a delicious light lunch alongside a salad. It also keeps great in the fridge and can be reheated for breakfast the next day. Since it is made with yogurt, flour and baking powder it isn’t a classic frittata. However, I find this recipe to be much lighter than other varieties made with only eggs. As the season progresses, you can add in other ingredients (like cherry tomatoes!) for a different variation on this brunch favorite.

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees

-Lightly oil a cast-iron pan or pie dish

-In a large bowl, mix:

3 cups of grated summer squash
1 sweet onion
2 gloves of green garlic, minced
4 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup of yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
a handful of herbs (parsley, dill, chives, etc)
salt and pepper to taste

-Pour into greased pan and bake for 35-45 minutes (or until golden brown on the top). Let cool and serve along size a big dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

ENJOY!

Recipe and photos by Jana Smart- Blooming Glen Farm employee and frequent creator of creative recipes using farm fresh seasonal ingredients. Check out more of her recipes on her food blog http://www.agrarianeats.blogspot.com/

13 Jul

Posted at 12:38h in Weekly Share by
1 Like

This week’s share, and the weather outside, has us really feeling like summer. The first of our greenhouse tomatoes, sweet fragrant cantaloupe and bright orange carrots complement the summer staples of cucumber and squash. Don’t worry, Jana’s weekly recipe gives some ideas for that three pounds of summer squash you got this week. And I opened up this month’s Martha Stewart Living to see a four page spread with recipes all featuring zucchini…get creative with zucchini bundt cake, or simply toss in oil and salt and grill. Whatever you do, its summer fresh eating!

Week 7 CSA Share

Photos and text by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.

08 Jul

Posted at 22:55h in Crew profiles by
4 Likes

Jess Sinkhorn joined us as an intern at Blooming Glen Farm in early April, bringing an easy smile and a strong work ethic with him. He has a daily respect for the farm and for the effort required to make it all happen, an eager willingness to do any task put before him, and a refreshing gratitude for the opportunity to learn and to be a part of this community. Read on to hear his thoughts on the experience so far, and what brought him here.

“The decision to pursue an internship with Bloming Glen Farm stemmed from wanting to learn more about the process and life that a farmer commits to day in and day out.  This decision was then fueled by my family and close friends to make it happen.  The idea of having a relationship with the soil as well as the community has become a valuable lesson for me personally.

For 24 years I have lived in the New Jersey town of Brielle where a majority of the time I spent at the beach and playing sports.  I have the pleasure of having a top drawer family that consists of two parents, one brother and sister-in-law with their two kids, and one sister.  I also have a wonderful girlfriend, Carly, that supports my ventures.

I hope to gain knowledge.  I hope to absorb and gather the information necessary to provide within a community by way of the organic farming process.  To this point Blooming Glen Farm has shown a productive work environment where the learning never stops and the experiences never sleep.  Organic farming, CSA practices, farmers markets, as well as wholesale marketing, intrigue my mind as ways to create a farm to table experience that I want to make a reality sometime in my life.  I look forward to each day that I step onto the fields and interact with my fellow interns and farmers because those are the times that I learn the most.”

Jess Sinkhorn

Photos and text by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.

06 Jul

Posted at 12:29h in On The Farm by
1 Like

Mondays our core crew of eight have the day off, and our part time workers come in to help Tom or I with the harvesting that needs to be done. Cucumbers and squash, and soon tomatoes, need to be picked every other day. So a big thanks to Aaron and Paul for coming in on a hot humid holiday to harvest almost 500 cucumbers and over 300 pounds of summer squash. That’s a lot of bending over to pick- up, down, up, down- quite an ab workout!

Aaron and Paul loading the squash harvest.

Things at the farm have been on the drier side lately. We did get a whopper of a storm on Sunday evening- a quick downpour brought an inch of rain in less then 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the wind also blew like crazy, coming from mutiple directions, and racing through our sweet corn planting. It looks like a small twister went through the field, leaving the corn plants blown horizontal, many snapped in half. We’ll just have to cross our fingers that most will still bear ears.

You can rest assured that when it doesn’t rain (and even when it does), our irrigation manager Brian Smyth is on the job. Brian works with Tom on a daily basis to keep all the crops watered and spends a lot of time fertilizing through our drip irrigation system with organically approved amendments like fish, sea minerals and seaweed. Brian can often be seen heading out into the fields with his bucket of tools- setting up drip tape, fixing leaks, moving irrigation pipes, and monitoring what needs to be turned off, and what goes on next. It’s no small job! The green house tomatoes in particular never get rained on unless we irrigate them, which protects them from disease and other problems that can occur with irregular watering, like blossom end rot.

Brian fertigating the greenhouse tomatoes.

Speaking of tomatoes, we are so close! The cool nights that are so wonderful for sleeping have delayed the ripening of the tomatoes a bit, at least as compared to last year. But it won’t be long! And those heirlooms we talked so much about? Well, the fruit set is looking amazing! I see a BLT in my future!

Sweet red tomatoes on the left, and heirloom tomatoes on the right.

Photos and text by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner. (Photos of tomatoes by Jana Smart)

06 Jul

Posted at 02:35h in Recipes by
5 Likes

I’m sure you are as excited as we are to have the first batch of this season’s potatoes make its way into your CSA share. Fresh out of the dirt, these pink little nuggets have a flavorful, earthy goodness that is hard to beat. One important thing to note about this week’s variety–Dark Red Norland–is that they are a “new” potato and have not been cured, so the skin is really delicate. This is great because you don’t have to peel them, but it also means they will look a little tattered from tumbling in our root washer.

I still think they are mighty pretty : )

Dark Red Norland

The first thing I usually want to do when potatoes come into season (besides mashing them with a pound of butter) is make a simple cold potato salad. Since I’m looking for a new way to incorporate more fresh herbs into my dishes, I concocted this “fancy” version of potato salad with four kinds of herbs and those delicious yellow wax beans you have the choice of picking this week. I encourage you to eat this one warm or at room temperature. The flavors seem to develop much better. ENJOY!

Herb Potato Salad with Yellow Wax Beans
*This recipe actually uses 7 items from this weeks share!

-Cut 2 pounds of new potatoes into bit size cubes and bring them to a boil in a large pot of salted water. Boil for 10 minutes or until “fork tender”.

-In the meantime, chop:

1 sweet onion
1 bunch of celery (about 5 stalks)
a handful each of chives, parsley, dill, and french tarragon

-Cut the stems off of a half-quart (or 1/2 pound) of  fresh yellow wax beans (green beans can also be used). Blanch them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then transfer immediately into a bowl of ice water. Chop into bit-size bits. [***I actually just threw them in with the potatoes that were already boiling on the stove and it turned out just great!]

-Drain the cooked potatoes and toss in the beans, veggies and herbs.

-Pour in a simple vinaigrette made with 3 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar, 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, and salt to taste.

Recipe and photos by Jana Smart- Blooming Glen Farm employee and frequent creator of creative recipes using farm fresh seasonal ingredients. Check out more of her recipes on her food blog http://www.agrarianeats.blogspot.com/