Turtle Times

_____________________________________________________________________

Vol. 16, No. 20, Sept. 27, ‘11    319-331-2367 (Ben) 278-4522 or 577-9208 (Angela)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rain:  Trace

In the Box . . .

 

Garlic: ‘German Extra Hardy’ (second  hardneck variety)

Winter Squash:  ‘Gills Golden Pippen’, ‘Waltham’ Butternut, ‘Honey Bear’ Acorn or ‘Sweet Dumpling’ Acorn

Sweet Potatoes: ‘Beauregard’

Arugula

Pole Beans: ‘Gold of Bacau’ or ‘Fortex’

Tomatoes: ‘Abe Lincoln’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Jet Star’, ‘Defiant PHR’ and/or ‘Mountain Magic’

Miscellaneous Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers: Jalapeno, ‘Aji Cristal’, ‘Tiburon’ Ancho, ‘Magnum’ habenero, (by request)

Eggplant: ‘Ping Tung Long’, ‘Thai Green’, ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Falcon’, ‘Rosa Bianca’, or ‘Snowy’ (some sites)

 

Ala Carte Items:

Rosemary, thyme, marjoram ($1 each) purslane ($3/bag) and potted Rosemary Plants ($5 each)

Free (upon request):  sage  

Please email Angela to request the ala carte and free items (angela@turtle-farm.com).

 

Farm Update

 

It was great to see many of you at the Potluck on Sunday evening.  Congratulations go to Joe Boyles and Darrin Vander Plas for “winning” the watermelon seed spitting contest.  Joe also gave a really great presentation on how the wildlife around Turtle Farm prepares for the winter.  Just when I thought chickadees were about the toughest bird out there, Joe described the travels of the hummingbird down to the Yucatan peninsula.  Imagine such a little bird making such a long trek. I think they may have now replaced the chickadee as the toughest bird in my mind.

 

This week brings the first installment of your sweet potatoes.  While most of these were dug last week and have been curing in the greenhouse for a week, it still wouldn’t hurt to cure them the same as your winter squash (which haven’t been cured at all).  As a reminder, to cure your winter squash and sweet potatoes keep them in a warm area (60-80 degree) that is well ventilated for around a week.  Do not let the sweet potatoes temperature drop below 50 degrees.  Curing is very important for both of these crops to help them store better as well as bring out the sweetness in them.

 

Regular Season extended:  The regular share season will end on Tuesday Oct. 4 and Friday Oct. 7.  We decided to extend the season by one week so that some of the late planted crops can grow another week.  For “A” half shares, that will make up the week that you missed at the beginning of the season.

 

Box Reminder:  For “B” week half shares, this is your last regular season pickup, so please remember to bring back all those boxes hanging around your homes.  For “A” week and full shares, unless you are participating in the Oct. Share, please remember to bring bags to put your last bounty of the season in next week so that you can leave your box at the drop site. 

 

October share:  As I wrote in the last newsletter, because we are extending the regular season, the first week of the Oct. share will overlap with the regular season.  Because of this, for the first week of the October share you will be able to pick it up with your “regular season” share at your regular drop off site.  Look for two boxes that week (Tuesday Oct. 4 or Friday Oct. 7). Starting Oct. 11, everyone will pick up their October shares on Tuesdays.  Those who normally pick up on Fridays will have a change in their pickup site to the Tuesday sites.  So starting Oct. 11 and continuing through Oct. 25th, here are the Tuesday pickup sites for everyone who does not pick up at the farm:

Des Moines      680 Harwood

W. Des Moines 1055—21st St.

Urbandale        4120—79th St.

Johnston          7260 NW 58th St.

 

I realize this may be a little confusing, so if you have any questions feel free to email me (Ben) at tortugaben@gmail.com.

 

 

Recipes (from Angela)

 

Darrin Vander Plas not only spits watermelon seeds well, he’s a good cook.  He has been telling the rest of the farm crew about this sweet potato recipe for a couple of weeks, so I called his bluff and asked for it for the newsletter.   

 

Farro with Sweet Potatoes, Chard, and Goat Cheese  (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

 

2 c. farro, rinsed and drained                                       3 T. olive oil

2 tsp. fine-grained sea salt                                           1 T. balsamic vinegar

5 c. water or stock                                                       1 c. walnuts, deeply toasted

3 c. sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice       3 T. toasted walnut oil (or olive oil)

1 red onion, cut into eighths                                        1 bunch chard

1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 T. fresh)                                 ¼ c. crumbled goat cheese

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine the farro, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about one hour, until it is tender but still has some structure.  Remove from heat, drain excess water, and set aside. 

 

While the farro is cooking, toss the sweet potatoes, onion, and thyme with one T. of the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and some salt on baking sheet.  Arrange in a single layer and place in the oven for about half an hour to 45 minutes.  Toss them every seven minutes or so to make sure they’re browning on all sides.  Remove from oven, let cool, and mince half of the onions. 

 

While the sweet potato is in the oven, wash the chard and then add it to a sauté pan with olive oil so that it wilts.  Cook it only until it starts to wilt—you don’t want it to taste raw, but you also don’t want it to lose all its structure.  In a large bowl, combine the farro, sweet potatoes, onions, walnuts, and chard, and toss with the walnut oil or more olive oil.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Serve, and garnish bowls with goat cheese. (Darrin says that he hasn’t used the chard when he makes the recipe.  Also, I wonder if you have trouble finding farro in your grocery store for the grain, one might perhaps be able to use couscous or quinoa?)