Category: Updates

Harvest Celebration and Friends of Boulder Knoll Annual Meeting
When: Friday, Oct 5th, 6 pm until 9 pm (or whenever)

What: Bring a dish to share (to feed about 8 people) and a good appetite. Main dishes, side dishes, salads, desserts are welcome. ( fyi: We don’t have any way to heat them up.) Beer and wine too!
We’re also hosting a stuff give-away. If you have a decent item (or 2 or 3!) that you’d like to re-home please bring it to the celebration. Anyone is welcome to bring items or adopt items. No money, no hassle, just a way of finding a good home for something that you don’t need anymore. You just need to take your item back if no one claims it. Put your name on the item somewhere so interested people can talk to you. If you have perennial plant divisions to give away, please bring those too.
Our short and sweet annual meeting includes a short report about the CSA and the education work at the farm, and then the members confirm the selection of new Board members and officers.

Where: Bob Giddings’ barn at the top of the hill overlooking the farm. Park at the farm or in Bob’s yard. Look for the signs.

Who: Anyone in any way associated with the farm – volunteers, friends, family, kids!

Help needed at the Farm
We need folks to come on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week between 10 am and 2 pm to dig potatoes and sweet potatoes. If you can’t bend and dig, there are other things to do! Please let Annmarie Golioto amgolioto@cox.netknow you’d like to come.

We also need 3 more adult harvesters and 2 preppers on Saturday morning Oct 6th (and the next 2 weeks for that matter). Someone to staff the share-out would be nice too.

Educational events coming up – check the Boulder Knoll website to RSVP.
Sunday, Oct 14th, 12 noon – 2 pm – Starting an organic garden – How to establish a garden patch now so that it’s ready for planting in the spring. We will all visit a local yard and get our hands dirty preparing that person’s small garden. Brenda’s focus is on soil building and techniques that require the least amount of work. You’ll be equipped to do a similar thing in your yard when you leave.

Friday, Oct 19th, 7 to 9 pm – Star gazing with Bobcat Carruthers. Bobcat, a longtime amateur astronomer, will bring high quality commercial and his own home-made telescopes to show us the moon, star constellations and other celestial bodies. Bring a blanket or sleeping bag to sit on and dress warmly. Hot chocolate, anyone?

(These events are free, but if you say you’re coming, let us know if you can’t make it.)

Thank you to Fellis Jordan for a GREAT hypertufa planter workshop. We all went home with 2 free planters. I can’t wait to unwrap mine after it’s cured!

Dear Group A folks,

Please remember to pick up your share on Saturday between 12:30 and 2:00. Let me know asap if you need to switch, cancel, or pick up late. Text messages to my cell phone are fine, or send me an email. FYI You have one more pick-up on October 13.

We could use one more harvester at 8 am on Saturday! Please let Annmarie Golioto know if you can help (see address on cc line).

I anticipate that your share this week will include:

Bosc pears
Kale or tatsoi choice
Lettuce
tomatoes (maybe)
sweet Nardello peppers/ eggplant/potatoes if we can get them harvested before the rain
garlic and/or shallots
green beans
winter squash
turnips or radishes

You can pick your own flowers or basil.

Please feel free to harvest a few heads of amaranth flowers into a paper bag, shake out the seeds and try your hand at separating the seeds from the chaff. If all of us try different methods, maybe someone will come up with a good winnowing technique. It’s an under-used high protein grain that we should know how to process. It certainly grows easily. Please talk to me if you want to know which plants are best for producing seed.

In case you missed it:
Here’s a great way to preserve herbs for the winter: Use 2 cups herb leaves to 1/3 cup olive oil or 2-4 TBS leaves to 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Pulse in a food processor until you have a a chunky paste. Package for freezing: Put 1 cup herb oil or 1/2 cup herb butter in a 1 quart zip top freezer bag. Flatten it so that it makes a thin layer. Freeze flat. Cut a piece off when you need it and use it within 6 months. Use herb oil for salad dressing, pasta, soups, stews. Use herb butter for veggies, meat, pasta, fish, popcorn.

Reminder about member Fellis Jordan’s workshop on making “hypertufa” (concrete) planters, scheduled for Sunday Sept 30 at 11 am – 1230 pm. Leave with a planter that you can use for herbs, rock garden flowers, or succulents. Free workshop and materials will be provided. Bring 2 containers to form the inner and outer shape of the planter (or use something you find at the farm.) Check out the Friends of Boulder Knoll website for more details. RSVP to Dan Groberg at the address above in the cc line.

See you at the farm,
Brenda

Dear Group B folks,

Please remember to pick up your share on Saturday between 12:30 and 2:00. Let me know asap if you need to cancel or pick up late. Text messages to my cell phone are fine, or send me an email. FYI You have two more pick ups: Oct 6 and Oct 20.

I anticipate that your share will include:

apples or cider
Swiss chard or kale choice (and maybe some other yummy greens too, like tatsoi or arugula)
tomatoes
sweet Nardello peppers, eggplant choice
onions
garlic
green beans
regular Italian basil, lemon or Thai basil or dill

Here’s a great way to preserve herbs for the winter: Use 2 cups herb leaves to 1/3 cup olive oil or 2-4 TBS leaves to 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Pulse in a food processor until you have a a chunky paste. Package for freezing: Put 1 cup herb oil or 1/2 cup herb butter in a 1 quart zip top freezer bag. Flatten it so that it makes a thin layer. Freeze flat. Cut a piece off when you need it and use it within 6 months. Use herb oil for salad dressing, pasta, soups, stews. Use herb butter for veggies, meat, pasta, fish, popcorn. What about using lavender or anise butter in cookies and cakes? Yummy!

See you at the farm,
Brenda

Dear Group A folks,

I have to go out of town Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a funeral.

I am changing our harvest and distribution to this Thursday, Sept 13th. You may come get your veggies between 3 and 630. If you need to be late, let me know by email or text and I’ll bag your share. (I’ll even try to accommodate your choices if you tell me what you’d prefer.)Please let me know by midday tomorrow if this time change will be impossible for you. In that case we’ll change your pick up to Sept 22nd.

We need 4 harvesters and 2 prep people. Harvest will be from 830 until 1130 or whenever we’re done. Prep folks can come at 1030. We need someone to staff this distribution in the shed (for at least the last couple of hours). The people who had signed up for the Saturday shift gets first dibs. Please let Annmarie know if you can do any of these tasks on Thursday.I anticipate that your share will include:

• apples
• Swiss chard or kale choice (and maybe some other yummy greens too, like tatsoi or arugula)
• tomatoes
• peppers/eggplant/green beans choice
• onions
• garlic
• edamame
• basil

Here’s a great way to preserve herbs for the winter: Use 2 cups herb leaves to 1/3 cup olive oil or 2-4 TBS leaves to 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Pulse in a food processor until you have a a chunky paste. Package for freezing: Put 1 cup herb oil or 1/2 cup herb butter in a 1 quart zip top freezer bag. Flatten it so that it makes a thin layer. Freeze flat. Cut a piece off when you need it and use it within 6 months. Use herb oil for salad dressing, pasta, soups, stews. Use herb butter for veggies, meat, pasta, fish, popcorn. What about using lavender or anise butter in cookies and cakes? Yummy!

Thanks for your understanding.
Brenda

Greetings to Group B and others who have switched to tomorrow,

PLEASE remember to pick up your share. As those of you who have done it know, it’s a lot of work to harvest, clean, divvy up and bag all the shares. Plus the CSA pays for each fruit share we order for the group, whether you come get it or not. If you know you aren’t coming tomorrow, PLEASE let me know asap. If you get in a bind and will be late (even the next day!) let me know and we can bag up your share. Thank you.

I anticipate that tomorrow we will harvest:

• carrots
• radishes
• edamame (on the stem – pick pods, boil for a few minutes in well salted water, and open the pods for a treat)
• tomatoes
• cherry tomatoes (might be pyo)
• choice of eggplant or sweet/ hot pepper or tomatillos
• choice of greens (chard, kale, tatsoi (my fave!))
• McIntosh apples

See you at the farm!
Brenda

Greetings to Group B and to those who have switched to 8/25:

Our pick-up time is now 1230 – 2 pm. As always, please email me (or text my cell phone) if you are going to be late picking up or you need to cancel your pick-up. You should tell me about a cancellation (or if you’d like to switch your pick up week) no later than noon on Friday. Thanks to those of you who have communicated with me about this already. Important note: If you have someone else pick up your share, please tell them where and when to come for the food. It would be good for me to have their contact info in case we have to get in touch with them.

I anticipate that you will receive:

• leeks or onions
• tomatoes, a lot of them (Remember you can put a not-quite-ripe tomato on the counter and it will ripen in a couple of days. Don’t put tomatoes in the fridge.)
• Sungold cherry tomatoes
• basil
• garlic
• cucumber/ squash choice with a few eggplant choices too (These are slowing down a bit.)
• watermelon (maybe 1/2 a big one)
• sweet corn
• Elizabeth Ciarlelli’s now-famous tea bread
• Pick your own flowers!

Since it’ll be such a tomatoey share-out, take a look at the latest Hartford Courant food section: http://www.courant.com/features/food/sc-food-0817-roasting-tomatoes-20120822,0,5621191.story for some amazing simple tomato recipes!

Thanks to those who have signed up to harvest, prep and staff the distribution on Saturday.

Oh, and one more thing – you are invited to post recipes on the blog or send them to Dan Groberg – dgroberg@friendsofboulderknoll.com – and he’ll post them.
And please LIKE us on Facebook!

And the very last thing – we could use pint and quart containers (the blue cardboard ones and the plastic kind with covers).

See you at the farm,
Brenda

 

Greetings to A Group!

I have officially changed our distribution time to 1230 – 2 pm for both pick-up groups. As always, please email me (or text my cell phone) if you are going to be late picking up or you need to cancel your pick-up. You should tell me about a cancellation (or if you’d like to switch your pick up week) no later than noon on Friday.Thanks to those of you who have communicated with me about this already. Important note: If you have someone else pick up your share, please tell them where and when to come for the food. It would be good for me to have their contact info in case we have to get in touch with them.I anticipate that you will receive:

• leeks or maybe onions (haven’t decided yet)
• tomatoes (1 or 2) Remember you can put a not-quite-ripe tomato on the counter and it will ripen in a couple of days. Don’t put tomatoes in the fridge.
• carrots or beets (probably a choice)
• garlic
• fingerling potatoes (maybe)
• cucumbers (I suggest you taste test a couple of different kinds. We have regular shaped General Lee or Sweet Success and a thinner, curled Asian type. All delicious.)
• squash (zucchini, a couple of different yellow squash types and Zephyr, a cute yellow and green one)Asian eggplant called Swallow (Hope I have enough for everybody. If not I’ll make a choice out of it, maybe with Sungolds. Some of you know about these morsels.)
• a sandwich-sized bag of basil
• blueberries or peaches, depending on the weather and High Hill Orchard’s harvest
• Pick your own flowers!

Thanks to those who have signed up to harvest and prep on Saturday.

Oh, and one more thing – you are invited to post recipes on the blog or send them to Dan Groberg at dgroberg@friendsofboulderknoll.com and he’ll post them. And LIKE us on Facebook!

See you at the farm,
Brenda

 

Greetings to B Group!

I have officially changed our distribution time to 1230 – 2 pm for both pick-up groups.

I anticipate that you will receive:

• onions
• carrots or beets (choice?)
• garlic
• Swiss chard
• fingerling potatoes
• cucumbers
• squash
• blueberries or peaches, depending on the weather and High Hill Orchard’s harvest

We could use one more person at 7 to harvest veggies. I need one person to come at 1215 until about 230 to staff the shed during pick-up time. I’d like this person to be an experienced CSA member please.Please contact Annmarie Golioto if you would like to do either of these jobs this week.

As always, please email me (or text my cell phone) if you are going to be late picking up or you need to cancel your pick-up.  You should tell me about a cancellation (or if you’d like to switch your pick up week) no later than noon on Friday.

Important note: If you have someone else pick up your share, please tell them where and when to come for the food. It would be good for me to have their contact info in case we have to get in touch with them.

Thanks!
Brenda

CSA member Steve (who happens to be the editor of Fine Gardening!) sent us these great links for any gardener: http://www.finegardening.com/item/14179/homegrown-homemade-video-series and http://www.vegetablegardener.com/