Tune In...

Tune in to NBC 30 on Monday, July 5th between 5pm and 6pm. NBC 30's Ryan Hanrahan visited the farm on Wednesday, June 23 for a piece he is doing on CSA's - Community Supported Agriculture.

In the News...

The following link will take you to an article featured on the front page of the Monday, June 21st Hartford Courant.

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-work-share-at-farms-0621-20100620,0,3376730.story

The article focuses on the CSA Work Share, where in exchange for providing the farm with 80 hours of labor - seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting and any other farm task you can think of, you earn a "share" of the farm's produce.

Our very own workshares Priscilla and Lou Russo and Katie Conroy were quoted in the article as well as Farmer Joanie!

Food Focus - Napa Cabbage

Napa Cabbage is a type of chinese cabbage. It is an Asian specialty that combines the thin crisp texture of lettuce with the fresh peppery tang of juicy cabbage. Napa Cabbage has very few calories, plenty of fiber and small amounts of vitamins A, C, and minerals are present. It is a main ingredient in egg rolls and is excellent fresh, stir-fried, or pickled as kimchee.

Our recipe book features a simple and delicious Napa Cabbage Salad recipe. For the salad you will need:

• 1 head of Napa Cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 bunch of scallions, chopped

For the vinaigrette you will need:

• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar

Whisk together, pour over veggies, serve and enjoy!

Our 1st Annual Parsnip Contest

Parsnips take 100 days from seed to mature! We gave you a head start!!

We have a few parsnips started in pots.

We would like any child (12 and under) who is interested in growing a parsnip to take one home and plant it.

On September 26, 2010 dig up your parsnip (leave the soil and leaves on it)

and bring it to the farm at 1:30pm for judging.

A few things you should know about parsnips:

• Parsnips grow really long.
• Parsnips like deep, loose soil;
• Plenty of water and sunshine;
• And, to be kept free from weeds.

1st Prize goes to the Biggest, Longest Parsnip!

2nd Prize goes to the Best Looking Parsnip!!

3rd Prize to the Weirdest Looking Parsnip!!!

Contest begins Monday, June 7th. Stop by and pick up your parsnip today!

USDA Certified Organic Plant Sale

If you haven't purchased your plants for your garden and flower boxes, now is a great time!

Starting June 2nd through Father's Day, June 20th - we will continue to place plants ON SALE. THIS WEEK:

• 3-pack vegetables (cucumbers, summer squash & zucchini) - $2./3-pack
• 6-pack vegetables and flowers - $3.25/6-pack
• Seeds of Change Organic Seed Packs - $2.29/pack

We also have a SPECIAL on :

• Bellstar Plum Tomatoes (4" pots) - 2/$5.99
• 6-packs of Spinach - Buy One, Get One - while supplies last.

Starting June 9th, 4" Eggplant, Pepper and Tomato Plants will go ON SALE; as well as our 4" Specialty Annual Flowers, Memorial Planters, Hanging Baskets, Swiss Chard Bowls, Herb Bowls and 2 Gallon Tomato Plants.

And finally, on June 16th our 4" Herb Plants will go ON SALE.

Stop by and see what we have - you'll be pleasantly surprised!

As always our staff - Deb, Betsy, Shirley, Katherine and Randy - will do their best to answer your gardening questions.

Farm Store Update

Our Farm Store is now open 7 days a week!
Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm.

We have USDA Certified Organic Bok Choi, Lettuce, Napa Cabbage, Spinach, limited amounts of Asparagus and Scallions. We have Conventional Native Strawberries and March Farm's Tomatoes.

We have compiled a book of recipes to guide you through the organic crops grown at the farm - Wild Carrot Farm Recipe Book is for sale at our Farm Store.

Stay tuned...I will be sharing recipes from the book on this blog throughout the season.

Other specialty items in our store include: Mead's Maple Syrups, Jones' Apiaries Honey, Winding Drive Jams, Griffin Farms Goat Cheese, Goat Soap, Locally Baked Biscotti by Danielle Marone Brennan of Beans, Inc. and organic spice blends, heritage beans & lentils, heirloom & exotic grains & rices from Boxed Goodes.
For your flower and vegetable garden we have organic Eggplant, Pepper, Tomato and Heirloom Tomato Plants, vegetable, flower & herb bedding plants, organic seeds from Seeds of Change, organic compost and organic potting soil.

Stop by and see us soon!

Food Focus: Asparagus is in Season!

Asparagus is the classic spring harvest treat. It is a perennial plant and only the young shoots of asparagus are eaten. Asparagus provides excellent nutrition. It is low in calories, contains no cholesterol and is very low is sodium. It is a good source of folate and potassium and its stalks are high in antioxidants. Asparagus can be eaten raw in a salad, boiled or steamed and served with butter or hollandaise sauce, stir-fried, wrapped in bacon or grilled. It is also used as an ingredient in soups and stews.

This is Farmer Joanie harvesting some asparagus last weekend.

I used what I brought home with me to make an Asparagus Soup with Garlic Cream. This recipe is super simple to make and delicious!

For the soup you will need:

• 1 pound asparagus, 1-1/2 inches of the hard ends removed
• sea salt
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound (2 cups) leeks, cleaned and finely chopped, white parts only
• 1/4 cup roll oats
• 5 cups vegetable stock

Cut 1-1/2 inches off tip of each asparagus spear; set tips and stems aside. Bring saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the asparagus tips and cook until tender - about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Warm oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks and a pinch of salt and saute over medium-low for 7 minutes or until leeks are softened but not browned. Add the oats, asparagus stems and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, until the oats are tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the Garlic Cream.

For the Garlic Cream:

• 1 medium head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 5 sprigs of fresh tarragon
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Fresh parsley; chopped for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine garlic, olive oil, water and tarragon. Simmer, uncovered until the garlic is tender, 20-30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender. Puree, adding a little of the vegetable cooking liquid if needed. Stir the garlic cream into the soup and mix well. Puree the soup in a standing blender or with a hand-held immersion blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot. Add salt to taste and season with fresh ground pepper and lemon juice. Add reserved asparagus tips and reheat if necessary. Serve warm, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Note: Although they may seem unusual in soup, blended oats produce a delicate, creamy consistency; you'll never know they're there!

My soup wasn't completely true to the recipe, but it was still delicious. This was my first attempt and I overlooked separating the tips and stems and cooked and pureed the entire asparagus spear. Instead of vegetable stock, I used chicken stock - only because it was what I had on hand. And, I didn't have fresh tarragon, so I used oregano. Why oregano? It was what I had and it seemed comparable. This recipe as well as other asparagus recipes are available in our recipe book. Look for it in our farm store and at farmer's markets soon!