Beet Root and Cabbage Kraut

Ingredients1 medium cabbage 2 medium beets, peeled and grated 3 1/2 teaspoons fine-ground sea salt 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (optional) 1-2 teaspoons Caraway seeds (optional) Extra salt and water as needed for brine 1/4 cup whey (optional – It should be fine without this too)

Method 1. Finely chop the cabbage. As your chopping board fills up with cabbage, toss it into a large bowl (or pot). Add the grated beets on top. Sprinkle over the salt, garlic and carraway seeds. 2. Wash your hands, roll up your sleeves and start scrunching the cabbage with your hands! As you go, mix everything together really well so that the salt, cabbage and grated beets are mixed together. Do this for about 5-10 minutes. If you tilt the bowl and move the cabbage out of the way, you should start to see juice collecting in the bottom of the bowl. 3. When everything has been mixed and scrunched really well, and you have juice collecting in the bottom of your bowl, you’re ready to transfer the contents to the jar that it will ferment in.

Note: It’s important to use a glass jar as opposed to a plastic or metallic container because the glass is non-reactive and won’t interfere with the fermentation process. Also, make sure you have a way of weighing down the contents while they’re fermenting. 4. Pack the contents into a jar tightly to remove as many air pockets as possible. If the juice does not cover the vegetables, make a brine (1 cup of brine = 1 teaspoon sea salt dissolved in 1 cup filtered water) and add enough to cover the vegetables.  Throughout the fermentation process, the vegetables will release more liquid too. 5. Add a glass (or you could use a glass jar) to weigh down the vegetables, which causes the level of the brine to cover the vegetables and keeps them all below the liquid. 6. Cover it and put it in away in a cupboard that is cool with an even temperature for a week. 7. Remove from the pantry after a week. It should have a nice crisp, tangy smell to it. The flavours will marry and mature over time - becoming less salty and more tangy with the sweetness of the beetroot shining through.

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #7 (20 November/23 November)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

CHANGE TO THE PICK UP SCHEDULE To accommodate those picking up their Mountain View Farm milk, Farm Pick Up times are Friday afternoon from 3pm-5pm and Saturday mornings from 8am-11am.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  The artichokes are still producing. Broad Beans – This is the last of the broad beans until next year! My children have been having contests to see who can find the smallest and the biggest broad bean.  Great way to get them to pod all of the beans! Many of these broad beans are bigger then what we have harvested in the past weeks.  Double podding them is a great way to see their great green colour. *Beetroot - Bunches of baby beetroot.  So tender you can steam them! The tops are very edible as well.  Lovely mixed into a salad or eaten like silver beet.  We were able to find bunches for the morning delivery boxes this week. *Broccoli - We harvested the last of the side shoots from the first broccoli plantings.  These were bunched like broccolini and put into the afternoon boxes.  There is another planting of 'Greenbelt' coming on with good size heads. Carrots - These are bunches of baby carrots 'Little Fingers'.  These are very tender and only need a little scrub with your hands.  You can roast  or steam them whole or have them raw.  SAVE THE TOPS!  There is a recipe below for carrot top pesto. *Cauliflower - We began harvesting 'Early Snowball'.  The heads are little...caused usually from plant stress which these plants have had with the wind and the bugs.  What we harvested was put into the morning delivery  boxes.  We hope to continue harvesting next week. Green Garlic – This is a treat for all of us who grow and use our own garlic.  The bulbs are starting to ripen...we can tell by the stronger smell when we are harvesting.  The greens are also becoming stiffer - only use the white part.  Do not cook them very long if at all.  I like to mix them into stir fries at the very end and use them raw in salads. Kale – Bunches of 'Curly Blue' kale in every box.   Kale is also in the brassica family and effected by the caterpillars. There are holes in the leaves but still plenty left for you to enjoy. Parsley – Bunches of curly parsley in every box. Rocket – Bunches of rocket in every box.  Rocket is also in the brassica family and effected by the caterpillars. There are holes in the leaves but still plenty left for you to enjoy. *Romanesco Broccoli – This is much more of a cauliflower then a broccoli.  We have not noticed the distinct spirals that are characteristic of 'Romanesco'.  We are rotating this through the boxes like the cauliflower.  You may receive 'Romanesco' or cauliflower. Silver beet –F– 'Perpetual Gator' bunches.  This is one of our favourite silver beets as the leaves are so tender and the flavour very fresh. Shelling Peas – We started harvesting shelling peas this week - young and sweet.  The sugars in these plants begin to degrade into starch after harvest - so try and eat them tonight! Fresh peas are so delicious.  We like them raw in salads as well as very lightly steamed. Spinach –H– Bags of English spinach in the half share boxes. *Zucchini – We have harvested about 10 zucchini so far with the plants filled with many more.  As the plants mature, they produce more zucchini and we begin to have a steady supply.  For now though, we are marking who has received them to ensure everyone gets these early ones.

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING Although there are still lots of moths in the brassica plantings, the plants are showing a much stronger resistance to their damage...which is wonderful!  We have another broccoli crop coming on, still some heads of cauliflower and Romanesco broccoli to harvest and more kale.  We hoped to have a lovely purple savoy cabbage for next week...this makes a delicious kimchi, but we are unsure if the caterpillar damage is too extensive .

We have been hand pollinating the zucchini as the field plants were filled with female flowers and the greenhouse filled with male.  Although there are heaps of bees in the field, without the male flowers, the bees can not bring the pollen necessary to the female flower.  If the female is not pollinated, the zucchini does not mature.  The results have been great with heaps of little zucchini ripening in the field.  And now there are male flowers too so the bees can do that job for all of us!

I apologise for not putting a post with photos of What's growing up yet.  I simply have not had the time.  The second planting of tomatoes is being planted on Friday.  The polytunnel tomatoes are growing bigger with lots of fruit!  There are chillies appearing and the capsicum and eggplant are full of flowers.  Small cucumbers are on the vine.  The first planting of melons went in two weeks ago and another planting with the watermelons will go in next week.  We have started hilling the potatoes to ensure potatoes for Christmas.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Amy Minichiello from A Mini Kitchen's recipe for Carrot Top Pesto Kale Chips Broad Bean Dip Silver Beet Fritters from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem Broad Bean Pasta Nikki Fisher from The Wholefood Mama's recipe for Beetroot, Rocket, Persian Feta and Walnut Salad Cabbage Stir-fry - Even though there are no Asian greens in the box this week, you can use the baby carrots and broccoli in this stir fry that our children love.

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX EMAILS Expect the What's in the Box email before noon on Wednesday's.  If you do not receive it, please let us know so that we can work out why.

Please note - Photo is of a full share box.

Kale Chips

Kale chips are amazingly delicious.  Crunchy, salty, filled with nutrients.  They really are just as addictive as potato chips.  If you have no idea what to do with your kale, give these chips a go.  Children love them, too...and not just our children! ANDI stands for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index." An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. The ANDI score for Kale is 1000!

Kale is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Ingredients 1 bunch kale 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp seasoned salt optional - garlic, sesame seeds

Oven Method 1. Preheat an oven to 175 degrees. Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. 2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. 3. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. 4. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Dehydrator Method 1. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. 2. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. 3. Spread the leaves on the dehydrator trays in single layers. Do not crowd the leaves or they will not dry evenly. It is alright if the leaves touch, but they shouldn't overlap too much.

"Quick" Dehydrator Method This method doesn't result in chips that qualify as raw food, but the result is still very good and ready in half the time of the low temperature method below.

Dry the kale at 145F/63C for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 115F/46C and dry for an additional 3 to 4 hours until crispy dry. Transfer to airtight containers, or vacuum seal for longer storage.

Low Temperature Raw Food Method Dry the kale at 110F/43C for about 8 hours (overnight or while you're at work). Transfer to airtight containers, or vacuum seal for longer storage.

If your kale chips lose their crunch in storage, you can re-crisp them in a low (200F/93C) oven for 10 minutes, or in the dehydrator at 110F/43C for an hour.

Carrot Top Pesto

This recipe comes from CSA member Amy Minichiello. Ingredients Green tops off a bunch of carrots 1 garlic clove, chopped 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (I use Parmigiano Reggiano) 1/4 cup toasted walnuts Juice from half a lemon Light olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Method 1. Place greens, garlic, walnuts, cheese and Lemon juice in a food processor and blend until all ingredients are chopped finely. 2. Add oil and blend until it all comes together to form a thick consistency. 3. Add salt and pepper to taste. 4. Spoon into a jar, cover with oil. And try stopping yourself from eating just as is! It's delicious stirred through pasta, dolloped on top of roasted veggies, stirred through a grain salad, the list goes on.

Spring Lentil, Quinoa, Green Garlic and Coriander Salad

Ingredients1 cup cooked quinoa 1/2 cup cooked fine green lentils 3 baby carrots cut into skinny rounds 1 cup snow or sugar snap peas cut into bite size pieces 1 green garlic finely diced mixed greens - your choice, de-stemed, washed, spun 150 grams feta 1 bunch of coriander, dice the tops 2 limes - juiced and the zest from one 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar avocado

Method 1. Cook quinoa and lentils, in separate pots, and cool completely. (This step could be done in advance.) 2. Chop up coriander, juice and zest the lime, cut peas and carrot.  Dice green garlic.  Add all, including salt and pepper, olive oil and vinegar to the quinoa and lentils. Mix well and adjust seasoning. 3. Top with crumbled feta and serve on top of mixed greens. 4. Serve avocado on the side.  The flavour complements extremely well!

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #6 (13 November/16 November)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

CHANGE TO THE PICK UP SCHEDULE To accommodate those picking up their Mountain View Farm Milk, Farm Pick Up times are Friday afternoon from 3pm-5pm and Saturday mornings from 8am-11am.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  The artichokes are still producing.  But we are not sure for how much longer. Broad Beans – There are extra broad beans this week! I have added a few simple recipes, one a broad bean pasta and the other a dip. We are unsure what next week might bring.  The broad bean season is relatively short compared with other crops - one month.  Hope you are still enjoying them! *Beetroot - Bunches of baby beetroot.  So tender you can steam them! The tops are very edible as well.  Lovely mixed into a salad or eaten like silver beet.  We were able to find bunches for the afternoon boxes this week and hope to be able to find enough for Saturday's boxes.  We will wait a few more weeks before exploring again. Broccoli - Harvesting 'DiCiccio' and 'Greenbelt'.  As we have said before, the broccoli crops have been effected by wind (blowing many plants right out of the earth) and bugs, reducing the vigor of the crop and producing small heads.  There has been one fantastic planting which the afternoon boxes last week received.  The morning boxes received these heads this week. Cabbage – Heads in every box.  The cabbage, being in the brassica family, has been affected by the caterpillars.  We found though that the insides are gorgeous.  We have given everyone a whole head so that there is plenty to use after removing the bug damage. Carrots - These are bunches of baby carrots 'Little Fingers'.  These are very tender and only need a little scrub with your hands.  You can roast  or steam them whole or have them raw.  SAVE THE TOPS!  One of our members, Amy Minichiello, is a fresh, local food lover opening a cafe in Rye in December.  She made a pesto using the carrot tops.  Sounds perfect for this time of year as the baby carrots and peas work so well in a creamy pesto pasta and the basil is itty-bitty...awaiting some warmth to grow.  We will ask if she wants to contribute the recipe and post it on our website. *Cauliflower - We began harvesting 'Early Snowball'.  The heads are little...caused usually from plant stress which these plants have had with the wind and the bugs.  There was enough for the afternoon half-share boxes.  We hope to continue harvesting next week. Coriander – Bunches of the leaves with roots (which have a great flavour!). Fennel – Baby fennel.  We harvested the last of the current planting.  Everyone is receiving one or two bulbs. Green Garlic – This is a treat for all of us who grow and use our own garlic.  The bulbs are starting to ripen...we can tell by the stronger smell when we are harvesting.  The greens are also becoming stiffer - only use the white part.  Do not cook them very long if at all.  I like to mix them into stir fries at the very end and use them raw in salads. Lettuce – Harvested 'Marvel of Four Seasons' and  'Buttercrunch'. There may be a gap now in the lettuce harvest as we lost two plantings to rot. Limes – Special treat, organically grown on Peter's uncle's farm. He had a glut and offered to give us enough for every box to receive two this week.  Perfect companion with the green garlic and coriander for Thai or Mexican dishes. Radishes –F–  The last of the 'Purple Plum' has been harvested for the full share boxes. Rocket – Bunches of rocket in every box.  Rocket is also in the brassica family and effected by the caterpillars. There are holes in the leaves but still plenty left for you to enjoy. Silver beet – 'Perpetual Gator' bunches.  This is one of our favourite silver beets as the leaves are so tender and the flavour very fresh. Snow Peas – Saturday's boxes will receive the last of the snow pea harvest! Sugar Snap Peas –F–The full shares received some 'Sugar Anns' this week.  Like the Snow Peas, you can eat the pod and all.  They are succulent and sweet.

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING The shelling peas were not ready for harvest yesterday.  They may be by Saturday and are definitely hoping for them next week.  We have finished the first sugar snap and snow pea plantings.

We are hoping to be able to harvest kale again next week.  As it is in the brassica family, the leaves have been very effected by the caterpillars.  The caterpillar population is reducing...but the damage has been done to several broccoli plantings, the cauliflower, cabbage and kale. We will know more about the kale when we actually harvest it.  The new leaves are looking good!  Just hard to determine how much of the planting is too damaged to include.

The broad beans may have one more week of harvest!

In looking ahead to next week, growth has been slowed this week by the weather.  This weeks box is full.  Next week may be a bit lighter. Most of the items will store very well with careful attention. The cabbage will last for at least two weeks, even once it is cut.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Broad Bean Dip Silver Beet Fritters from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem Barley Gratin with Beet Greens and Green Garlic Broad Bean Pasta - This is very simple - a few flavours that combine together to make a delightful dish.  Children love it too! Nikki Fisher from The Wholefood Mama's recipe for Beetroot, Rocket, Persian Feta and Walnut Salad Cabbage Stir-fry - Even though there are no Asian greens in the box this week, you can use the baby carrots and broccoli in this stir fry that our children love.

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX EMAILS Expect the What's in the Box email before noon on Wednesday's.  If you do not receive it, please let us know so that we can work out why.

Please note - Photo is of a full share box with a cauliflower head from the half share box.

Broad Bean Pasta

This is very simple recipe with a few ingredients.  I love recipes like this as they allow each ingredient to be tasted.  We have found that children like this as well.  If you want to be extra decadent, you can double pod the broad beans.  The broad beans we are harvesting are very fresh and young and we have not needed to do this extra step. Ingredients 500grams Broad Beans, podded zest from a lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon 2 green garlic cloves diced finely small bunch of mint or parsley, finely sliced Feta to crumble salt and pepper to taste olive oil 500 grams fettuccine

Method 1. Heat water and follow instructions for cooking the pasta. 2. Lightly steam podded broad beans for 3-5 minutes. Run under cool water and set aside. 3. Make a dressing with the lemon zest, lemon juice, green garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. 4. Drain pasta.  Mix with broad beans, dressing and herbs.  Adjust seasoning. Crumble feta over the top and serve.

Barley Gratin with Beet Greens and Green Garlic

This is a healthy and delicious meal for a chilly spring day. The earthy flavor of beet greens combine well with the nutty flavor of barley and the green garlic contributes a lovely tang (but you can also use silver beet). Make the dish gluten free by using brown rice instead of barley. Ingredients 1 generous bunch beet greens or silver beet; stemmed and washed 2 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots or an onion 3 cloves green garlic peeled and sliced salt, to taste 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves 3 eggs 1/2 cup milk pepper fresh ground 1 cup barley or brown rice cooked 1/2 cup cheese, type of choice; grated

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish with olive oil. Blanch the beet greens for one minute in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, or steam over 1 inch of boiling water for two to five minutes until wilted and tender. Rinse with cold water, squeeze out water and chop medium-fine. Set aside. 2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook for another minute or two until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the cooked greens and the thyme, and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. 3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in the greens mixture, the barley or rice, and the cheeses. Mix together well. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. 4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until sizzling and lightly browned on the top and sides. Remove from the heat, and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from NY Times

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #5 (7 November/9 November)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  If you did not receive it this week, expect it in the next one or two weeks.   "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

CHANGE TO THE PICK UP SCHEDULE Next week the deliveries will be back on Wednesday 13 November. Farm Pick Up times are Friday afternoon from 3pm-5pm and Saturday mornings from 8am-11am.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  The artichokes are still producing.  But we are not sure for how much longer. Broad Beans – We have been wading our way through the blown over broad beans to harvest the pods - such a delicious food of Spring. There may be more next week.  The harvest is wrapping up, though. *Beetroot - We had our first explore into the beetroot plantings.  There were enough baby beetroot bunches for the morning delivery boxes. The first two plantings of beetroot are starting to bulk up.  These may continue as a rotated item as we wait for a bit more consistent warmth to help them grow. Broccoli - Harvesting 'DiCiccio' and 'Greenbelt'.  There are either bunches of smaller heads or one or two medium size head.  See the "notes on what's growing"  below about the brassicas. *Carrots - These are bunches of baby carrots 'Little Fingers'.  The afternoon deliveries, full share and Saturday's boxes received these this week. These are very tender and only need a little scrub with your hands.  You can roast  or steam them whole or have them raw.  First carrots of the season! *Cauliflower - This week finishes the two overwintered cauliflower plantings, "Green Macerata" and "Purple Sicily".  We have a Spring planted white cauliflower planting that is starting to head up.  See the "notes on what's growing"  below about the brassicas. Green Garlic – This is a treat for all of us who grow and use our own garlic.  By this time in Spring, our garlic stash is either used up or sprouting.  And so we sneak into the garlic patch and thin out the small bulbs that will not amount to much later.  They are so fresh, sweet and full flavoured - not quite as pungent as matured garlic!  Use them like Spring onions - tops and all.  Do not cook them very long if at all.  I like to mix them into stir fries at the very end and use them raw in salads. Lettuce – Harvested 'Marvel of Four Seasons' for the half shares. The full shares received a green head of  'Buttercrunch' *Radishes –  'Champion', 'French Breakfast' and 'Purple Plum'.  Those who did not receive them last week, should have received them this week. Silver beet – Bags of baby silver beet and baby spinach.  These are lovely tender greens good eaten raw or cooked in an omelette or as a side. Spinach – Bags of English Spinach.  This has a wonderful flavour and would be better cooked then raw.  Lovely as a side or mixed into a slice, soup or omelette. Snow Peas – These are wonderful raw or slightly steamed.  Sweet and tender! Sugar Snap Peas –H–The half shares received some 'Sugar Anns' this week.  Like the Snow Peas, you can eat the pod and all.  They are succulent and sweet.  I honestly do not know anyone with children that actually ends up with any leftover to cook - They all get eaten straight from the bag!

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING We talked about the bugs last week, I am happy to say that the aphids are happily in check with lacewings, lady bugs and hover flies all in huge populations.   The caterpillars in the Brassicas (Bok Choy and other Asian Greens, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, rocket) have not yet found that balance.  We have a huge infestation of a moth which burrows in leaves after hatching...and not just the brassica family's leaves.  We have spoken with two other local growers who have the same infestation resulting in leaves that look like they have been shot. We have tried this year to have Spring broccoli plantings on both sides of our farm.  The side of the farm that did not get battered by the winds is fairing better then the other.  Plants that have been stressed find it harder to defend themselves.

We are working to increase the beneficial bugs in the new land but may have to till in the first broccoli planting to try and bury eggs.  Last year we had a similar problem that remedied itself by Autumn with huge harvests of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.    In the meantime, the bok choy this week looked more like bug choy.  We included the red bok choy in some of the boxes.  While the green still had lovey stems, there wasn't much left of the leaves.   We are not sure how the white cauliflower heads will turn out.  If there is too much bug damage, we will till the crop in.  The cabbage looks good and will be ready for harvest next week.  We have another broccoli planting which is young (maybe ready in December) and it looks healthy so far.  And the 'Romanesco' is heading up and looks healthy.  The Spring heads of Romanesco are smaller then the Autumn heads.

We have noted that most people really like Broccoli.  The brassica family is one of the more difficult plant families to follow as it can have a detrimental effect on other plants.  Consequently, we do not have huge plantings in the Spring, opting to have more in the Autumn when the bugs are not such an issue.

We harvested the first zucchini's from two plants starting to produce in the polytunnel.  There are 50 plants in there and the others have not even started to flower yet.  But they are full of buds!  The field planted zucchini are also full of buds as are the cucumbers.  There are many more green tomatoes in the polytunnel and the plants are now over a meter tall.

There are lots more peas to come, including shelling peas.  And hopefully more beetroot and carrots.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Broad Bean and Quinoa Salad Ottolenghi's Herb Pie - This recipe is in Jerusalem  and was also in his Guardian column. You can use different greens and any herbs you have around.  We substituting the green onions with the green garlic. Bok Choy, Broccolini and Chicken in a Spiced Sauce - This works well with the snow peas too.

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX EMAILS Expect the What's in the Box email before noon on Wednesday's.  If you do not receive it, please let us know so that we can work out why.

Please note - Photo is of a full share box.

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #4 (30 October/2 November)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  If you did not receive it this week, expect it in the next one or two weeks.   "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

CHANGE TO THE DELIVERY/PICK UP SCHEDULE Due to Cup Day on Tuesday 5 November, next week, we will be harvesting on Wednesday 6 November for Delivery on Thursday 7 November.  We chose to change the delivery day as opposed to harvesting on Monday and not delivering until Wednesday. We apologise for any inconvenience.

With the arrival of Mountain View Farm milk, yogurt and grass fed beef on Fridays, we have also changed our Farm PickUp times to Friday afternoon from 3pm-5pm and Saturday mornings from 8am-11am.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  The artichokes are still producing.  But we are not sure for how much longer. Broad Beans – We have been wading our way through the blown over broad beans to harvest the pods - such a delicious food of Spring. Broccoli - Harvesting 'DiCiccio' and 'Greenbelt'.  There are either bunches of smaller heads or one or two medium size head. *Cauliflower - We are harvesting heads from an Autumn sown crop of 'Green Macerata'.  This is an heirloom green cauliflower...but with heirloom seeds, sometimes they grow "untrue" to their parent.  Such is the case with this planting.  The heads being produced are either true green cauliflower or a broccoli-flower.  Both are delicious!  The broccoli and its broccolini work great in a stir fry. We are also harvesting from an Autumn sown crop of "Purple Sicily", another Italian heirloom.  We grew this in the Autumn and produced cauliflower that was purple.  But the same seed overwintered has produced small heads of purple broccoli-flower.  Still delicious.  It works well added to a stir-fry, steamed or baked! These plantings have almost finished. Fennel – Harvested beautiful young fennel.  The flavour of this is milder then full size fennel.  Delicious sliced thinly in a raw salad or roasted (with artichoke hearts). Green Garlic – This is a treat for all of us who grow and use our own garlic.  By this time in Spring, our garlic stash is either used up or sprouting.  And so we sneak into the garlic patch and thin out the small bulbs that will not amount to much later.  They are so fresh, sweet and full flavoured - not quite as pungent as matured garlic!  Use them like Spring onions - tops and all.  Do not cook them very long if at all.  I like to mix them into stir fries at the very end and use them raw in salads. Lettuce – Harvested 'Green Mignonette' for the half shares. The full shares received a green head of 'Crisp Mint' or 'Green Mignonette' and Brown Mignonette'.  The outside leaves of the lettuce are tip burned.  We think this is due to the wind effecting the available moisture.  The inside "hearts" appear fine. Mibuna –F– With a mild, spicy flavour, this Asian green is good raw ( mixed into salads) or braised in a stir-fry. This is the last of this planting. Parsley –  We overwintered parsley to have nice big bunches for the Spring.  But unfortunately, we did not plan our crop rotation quite right and it was in the way of the summer crop planting.  It has been tilled in.  These bunches are very young Spring planted parsley.  We need to mulch the planting before it gets too big to help it grow better through the summer heat.  To do so, we need to clear all of the leaves that are around the plant, leaving just the ones growing up.  These are small bunches. There will be big bunches of parsley again as this planting matures. *Radishes –  'Champion', 'French Breakfast' and 'Purple Plum'.  Those who did not receive them this week, should next week as the 'Purple Plums' are just coming on. Silver beet – Bunches of young, tender 'Perpetual Gator'. With its slightly lemony taste, it is good raw or cooked. Snow Peas – These are wonderful raw or slightly steamed.  Sweet and tender! Sugar Snap Peas –F–The first planting of these had enough for the full shares this week.  Like the Snow Peas, you can eat the pod and all.  They are succulent and sweet.  I honestly do not know anyone with children that actually ends up with any leftover to cook - They all get eaten straight from the bag! Tat Soi – Asian green nutritious raw or cooked. This is the last of this planting.

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING This week saw the planting of our eggplant and capsicum crops.  We usually row cover these with a fabric covering to give them extra warmth but the wind this year is tearing the fabric.  So Peter made 100 foot plastic cloches using steel hoops and greenhouse plastic.  The mature seedlings that we have been nurturing since late July in the glass house, are very happy in their little poly tunnels.  And we are so happy to see the seedlings standing up straight and growing strong even through the wind and heavy rains we have had.  We have put the first field zucchini crop under these little poly tunnels and will use the tunnels for the first melon crop which will be planted out in about a week.

The glass house looked like a theatre after a show.  Cleaned out!  But the emptiness lasted for less then a day with the starting of the watermelon crop and the second melon planting, the second tomato crop, more lettuce, celery, parsley and Asian greens.

The first planting of beans has germinated.  The celery is growing well. The Autumn parsnips have germinated.  The first planting of corn is in.  The carrots are about one to two weeks away from baby carrot bunches.  The beetroots are about the size of a twenty cent piece.  Cabbages are almost ready and we may start to see some 'Romanesco' Broccoli in the next few weeks.  There are more pea plantings in flower and another crop of broccoli that is starting to form heads.

A note on carrots - carrots overwinter well in our climate.  Any left still as the soil warms in Spring begin to grow new roots...they actually become quite hairy!  And then the root changes from this sweet, succulent food to a hard woody stem and the plant sends up a flower to produce seed.  This usually happens about mid September.  The carrots are no longer edible.  Carrot seed need soil temperatures of about 17 degrees to germinate.  We seeded our first planting of carrots on the 19 August.  It took three weeks for the seed to germinate.  The carrots are a bit thicker then a pencil and about as long now.

The beneficial bugs are increasing which is great as the "pests" are really causing damage to the greens.  We do harvest plants with insect damage believing there is still more then enough left for you.  This week though, we left a braising mix planting in the field as the bug damage was so extensive.

We will send a newsletter out with photos in the next week.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Broad Bean and Quinoa Salad Quinoa and Mibuna Salad with Lemon Pistachio Dressing - I found this recipe on the internet and liked the fruit and nut combination.  It would work well with any of the greens. Warm Artichoke Hearts and Fennel Leek and Silver Beet Tartlets - These would be lovely with the 'Perpetual Gator' and the green garlic

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX EMAILS Expect the What's in the Box email before noon on Wednesday's.  If you do not receive it, please let us know so that we can work out why.

Please note - Photo is of a full share box.

Broad Bean and Quinoa Salad

I love quinoa salads.  Quinoa is a high protein seed, more closely related to the spinach and beet root family then other grains.  It contains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It is also delicious, light and easy to accessorize.

Ingredients 1 cup quinoa 1 lemon 800 grams broad beans, podded 200 grams feta 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped 1 Spring garlic clove finely diced (This is an immature garlic clove with its greens still green) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsps white balsamic vinegar salt and pepper

Method 1. Rinse quinoa in a fine strainer until water runs clear.  Place in medium saucepan with 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until almost all of the water has been absorbed.  Remove from heat. 2. Break feta into 1cm*1cm pieces.  Zest the lemon over it and add olive oil, vinegar, juice from 1/2 the lemon, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.  Allow to marinate. 3. Steam podded broad beans for about two minutes - until the beans are just tender.  Transfer to a bowl of iced water. Pop the beans from their inner pods. 4.  Add the cooled quinoa to the feta and broad beans.  Adjust seasonings to taste. Add extra olive oil if necessary.

Why we are a CSA farm...

As our Spring CSA Season gets underway it seems like a good time to write about what our CSA farm is all about – and what it is not.

There are many variations on the models of CSA and numerous explanations of what CSA means… we have included links on our website – but the USDA sums it up surprisingly well… “Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.”

For us, CSA is a relationship of mutual support and commitment between farmers and members. In return for a seasonal membership fee to help cover the production costs of the farm, CSA members receive a weekly share of quality, organically-grown produce from our farm. When "consumers" obtain food from local farmers, they are directly supporting sustainable agriculture in their community as well as receiving the freshest available produce. We provide practical education for people wishing to grow food (on any scale) and we are trying to promote small-scale agriculture as being a viable and sustainable method of feeding local communities…as it used to be.

All of the food received by our CSA members is started from seed, planted out and grown on our farm and then delivered (or picked up) within 24 hours of harvest. This is local, seasonal, fresh, nutrient dense produce. We grow everything using Organic and Biodynamic practices.

For us, LOCAL means our farm’s location SEASONAL means the weather on our farm FRESH means picked yesterday NUTRIENT DENSE means produce that is really filled with the minerals and nutrients you expect – and was grown without artificial chemicals and fertilizers.

Like any farm – we have our crop failures, weather nightmares and human errors.

The CSA model we have adopted is one where the CSA members share the risks and the bounty with us. In return they know who has grown the food they are eating each week, how it was grown, when it was picked and how far it has traveled to get to their plate.  From our experience this means that some weeks the boxes we provide our members are overflowing and some weeks they are not as full as we had planned.  Some weeks there is a nice balance with what’s in the box – even including nectarines, melons and watermelons -  and other weeks the box is filled with lots of different leafy greens. Even though we plan for a box that will suit many different tastes and family situations,  our best efforts do not always guarantee this will happen. This year for example, unrelenting wind and occasional hail have made it seem more likely that broccoli will be ready in November even though it was planned for mid October. These are the realities of eating from the box. No matter what the yield, the food received by our CSA members is not only good for them - Our goal is to produce the food while bettering the natural system within which it is growing.

WHAT WE ARE NOT is a convenient weekly vegetable and fruit box scheme – that is beyond our understanding of what a true CSA model is all about. These “box schemes” more often than not source products from all over the country (or world), just as most grocery stores do. They are catering to our ideas about what is in season.  There may be no opportunity to build a relationship with any of the farmers involved and it is difficult to even find out where the produce really came from and how long that process took.

Our members do not receive carrots from us in early October, they do not eat tomatoes from us in August and they are probably hanging out for beans and sweet corn in November – but all we can provide is what can be grown on our farm for our members in our community with our climate and our season.

We recognize the challenges posed by eating a seasonal diet – especially as what is seasonal is clouded by the availability of everything in all seasons.  We try to “sweeten” the deal by sharing ideas as a community about what seasonal meals look like, building poly tunnels to push the seasons, covering produce with row covers to help it grow protected from the weather, planting extra crops just in case.  We continue to grow as growers, learning more about this art we call farming.  We keep experimenting with new varieties, new planting times, different row spacing, all in hopes of filling the boxes with diversity and quality. We think about our resources such as water and soil and devise systems which use these wisely and continue to renew them – Building soil fertility and using water conservation practices.   We hope that our members will participate in whatever capacity they feel inclined. We have many volunteers helping with harvesting, weeding, planting. We have farm Open Days and workshops and U-pick crops for members.

Last year we priced our boxes against two local sources – the grocery store and an organic retailer.  The average value of the $40 box was $62.  There were many weeks in summer and autumn where an 8-10 item box contained 15-18 items.  With that said, please do not join our CSA if you are looking for cheap produce.  We may not meet your expectations and the pressure of trying to is not sustainable.  Growing food the way we do is not an inexpensive method.  We like to believe that our CSA members are involved in this endeavour because they really want to eat nutrient dense, chemical free produce, to localize their food consumption, to move away from big business monopoly and control over our food system,  to know how their food production is impacting their whole community and to eat seasonally. We also hope they understand that the season will provide what it will – for better or for worse.

After a day on the tractor…and under it fixing leaking hydraulic hoses… and harvesting, watering, plumbing, spreading compost, weeding and seeding, I am happy to sum up this post using a quote from Elizabeth Henderson…

“As I see it, reducing CSA to a mere food box subscription scheme would castrate the CSA model, taking away its power to create lasting relationships between the people who grow and eat food. As Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini would say, CSAs allow citizens to become “co-producers” with their farmers, rather than passive consumers. At their best, authentic CSAs are a win-win-win. Farmers get living wages and freedom from worry about profits and losses. Everyone weathers the tough times and benefits from the good times. Nothing goes to waste, and community investments help pay for land and equipment. Most of all, eaters get healthy food, good company, and the deep — if not always “convenient” — satisfaction that comes from playing an immediate role in transforming the food system.”

I believe the “convenient” to which Elizabeth is referring is akin to receiving fennel two weeks in a row, endless Spring greens or other vegetables that make the evening meal more challenging…but the CSA model we have adopted is definitely not one based around convenience – this is something we are learning on a daily basis. So at the start of our Spring Share I felt the need to write to our members about CSA in the hope that it may shed more light on the ideals behind what we are farming for and the differing perceptions we all have about ‘convenience’.

We ate the first broad beans tonight from our April sown crop – 6 months of nurturing and work. Convenient? Well no – not really I guess. Watering, feeding and weeding since April, the Spring winds then blew the crop down and picking the beans is like trying to find a ball in a sea of blown over trees! Delicious? Absolutely!

We hope that our Spring Share will unfold with delicious food for our members and look forward to any suggestions or involvement they would like to have with our farm. We thank all those that have chosen to support us.

This is why we are a CSA farm.

Here is some further reading on the importance of Community Supported Agriculture:

CSA – Just a vegetable subscription or a way to truly connect with your farm – Elizabeth Henderson – GRIST.

Community Supported Agriculture: Why Inconvenience is Better – Margaret Betz – One Green Planet

Community Supported Agriculture: What it is, and Why it’s Awesome – Emily Glass – One Green Planet

The State of the CSA – Gloria Dawson – Modern Farmer

Or something to listen to…

Back to The Start – Willie Nelson

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #3 (23 October/26 October)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  If you did not receive it this week, expect it in the next one or two weeks.   "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  We like steamed artichokes. Broad Bean Shoots – We still had some broad beans to top so have added these again as they work well cooked with broad beans. Broad Beans – We have been wading our way through the blown over broad beans to harvest the pods ready - such a delicious food of Spring. *Cauliflower - We are harvesting heads from an Autumn sown crop of 'Green Macerata'.  This is an heirloom green cauliflower...but with heirloom seeds, sometimes they grow "untrue" to their parent.  Such is the case with this planting.  The heads being produced are either true green cauliflower or a broccoli-flower.  Both are delicious!  The broccoli and its broccolini work great in a stir fry. We are also harvesting from an Autumn sown crop of "Purple Sicily", another Italian heirloom.  We grew this in the Autumn and produced cauliflower that was purple.  But the same seed overwintered has produced small heads of purple broccoli-flower.  Still delicious.  It works well added to a stirfry, steamed or baked! Lazy Lettuce – This is a mix of ten different lettuce varieties harvested at the "teenage" stage. Mint – Bunch in every box. You can freeze the leaves in ice cubes if you do not use this in a salad. Mibuna – With a mild, spicy flavour, this Asian green is good raw ( mixed into salads) or braised in a stir-fry. Mung Bean Sprouts – The crisp and juicy sprouts are very nutritious, rich in protein (20%), iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus selenium, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B12, B17, E, A, C; they help regulate cholesterol. Although these are ready to eat, you can keep growing the sprouts longer by putting them in a jar on your counter. Rinse and drain them twice a day. Enjoy these raw or cooked. Radishes – -H-  'Champion' and 'French Breakfast'.  These have been harvested very young to produce a mild, succulent radish. Rocket – Bags of tender baby rocket. Spinach – Bags of English spinach. This variety, 'Long Standing Bloomsdale' is very curly and delicious steamed or cooked into curries and soups. Even our children ate it steamed last night without anything added.  The flavour was great! Snow Peas – These are wonderful raw or slightly steamed.  Sweet and tender! Tat Soi – Mature heads of this Asian green nutritious raw or cooked.

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING The greens continue this week with the inclusion of some of our Spring "fruits" broad beans and snow peas! Spring is a new season for us and we are still learning the timing of the Spring crops.

Our first broccoli planting is starting to be harvested. Meanwhile the Autumn planted cauliflowers are producing a great array of cauliflowers and broccoli-flowers - all delicious.

The first zucchini flowers are budded in the polytunnel and the first tomatoes have set.  The shelling peas are flowering and carrots and beet root bulking up. This week we will be planting out capsicum and eggplant and first melon planting.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Simple Broad Beans with Broad Bean tops Moroccan Style Broad Bean Salad with Yogurt and Crunchy Bits - this is a Jamie Oliver recipe that captures the freshness of broad beans Warm Rocket Salad - another Jamie Oliver salad perfect for these cold, rainy days Chlorophyll Paste - a Thermomix recipe that uses greens sent by Ceila Lairba, one of our CSA members and a Thermomix consultant Tat Soi Stir Fry - although this recipe calls for tat soi and cabbage, you can use any stir fry greens you have Snow Peas with Sesame Dressing

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX EMAILS Expect the What's in the Box email before noon on Wednesday's.  If you do not receive it, please let us know so that we can work out why.

Please note - Photo is of a full share box.  I added a radish bunch from a half share.

Simple Broad Beans

Broad beans this fresh and young are beautiful prepared simply.  When they are young, I cook them in a hot wok. Ingredients 350-400 grams broad beans 1 large knob of butter 2 shallots or 1 small red onion 1-2 large cloves garlic minced salt and pepper

Method 1. Shell broad beans and set aside. 2. Heat the wok on high heat.  Add butter, shallots and garlic and stir while cooking for about a minute. 3. Add broad beans tossing them in the butter.  Keep tossing occasionally and cook for one minute after they sweat (about 3 minutes in total) or until tender and cooked through. 4. Remove from heat and generously salt and coat with freshly ground black or white pepper. 5. Optional - We like to add the broad bean tops for the last minute to make an attractive side dish. Add broad bean tops and toss to coat with the mix. Cook until wilted and the stems are tender.

Braising Mix

Braising MixOur braising mix is a new item at Transition Farm, arriving in your share during the cooler months of spring and autumn when the many varieties of kale, mustard, and Asian chois that make up this mix thrive. You will enjoy green, red  and purple mustards, red choi, tatsoi, white steamed pac choi, mibuna, mizuna, Red Russian kale, green kale and silverbeet in the flavorful mix of "greens".

The greens are harvested at mid-maturity, so they are much milder in taste than the same varieties when full grown, but have more flavor than when harvested as baby greens and eaten raw. They are an unusual taste explosion of peppery, sweet, earthy, bitter and nutty.

Cooking Tips Braising mixes are usually cooked. Named after the cooking technique of searing in hot oil and then simmering in liquid, braising greens can in fact be steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, or mixed into soups or stews. Braising greens are the perfect addition to salads, stir-fries, pizza, pasta, eggs, or casseroles. From Tufts University:

• Toss a couple handfuls of braising mix (baby chard, kale, spinach, mustard, arugula, or other greens) into a stir fry.
• Be sure to balance the slight bitterness of baby chard, dandelion or mustard leaves with contrasting or sweet flavors such as persimmon, apple, pear, baby beets, citrus, vinaigrette spiked with honey or a syrupy balsamic vinegar.
• You can also toss some chopped greens into soup or a frittata, or serve them sauteed with pancetta, pine nuts, and golden raisins and heaped atop crusty toasted or grilled bread rubbed with garlic.

Storage Tips These greens are a bit hardier, so they should store relatively well in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for at least a week. Still, they should generally be used sooner if possible.

Nutrition Because braising mix contains many different varieties of greens, each harvest may be nutritionally different. But because it contains many types of brassicas, braising greens are always rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, folacin and beta carotene.

Field Notes The plants that make up our braising mix, although different looking and tasting, are almost all from the wonderfully diverse Brassica Rapa species. These plants thrive in the cool weather of the Peninsula in Spring and late Autumn. Each component is seeded separately in the field and mixed at harvest time. We try and harvest the braising mix when it is in it's "teenage" stage so that the leaves are still tender.

Recipes There are recipes on our website recipe page.

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #2 (16 October/19 October)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  If you did not receive it this week, expect it in the next one or two weeks.   "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival.  Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  This will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  Our children LOVE steamed artichokes!!  One member made a delicious artichoke risotto last week. Bok Choy – Bunches of mature Bok Choy. Braising Greens – With all the publicity about the health benefits of greens, "braising mix" has become a Spring staple in a CSA box.  We harvest these greens at mid-maturity, so they are much milder in taste than the same varieties when full grown, but have more flavor than when harvested as baby greens and eaten raw. They are an unusual taste explosion of peppery, sweet, earthy, bitter and nutty. Our mix is a combination of silverbeet, green kale, red kale, bok choy, red bok choy, mibuna, mizuna, red, green  and purple mustard and tatsoi. Braising greens are the perfect addition to salads, stir-fries, pizza, pasta, eggs, or casseroles. Belonging mostly to the brassica family, braising greens are always rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, folacin and beta carotene, while low in calories. Broad Bean Shoots – A bit like asparagus but much softer and broad bean tasting, the tops of the broad bean plant are delicious lightly steamed with butter, salt and pepper. For easy preparation, cut the tops just above the rubber band. They also make a tasty additive to omelettes and tarts. *Cauliflower - We are harvesting heads from an Autumn sown crop of 'Green Macerata'.  This is normally a cauliflower...but with heirloom seeds, sometimes they grow "untrue" to their parent.  Such is the case with this planting.  The heads being produced are either true green cauliflower or a purple broccoli.  Both are delicious!  The broccoli and its broccolini work great in a stir fry. Coriander – Bunches of spring coriander with the roots! Coriander roots add a rich depth of flavour to Thai dishes. Edible Flowers – There is a small bundle of edible flowers in each box.  Blue-borage, orange/yellow- nasturtiums, orange-calendula, purple and yellow-viola.  We pull the petals from the calendula and throw the rest in.  Harvested first thing in the morning to preserve their freshness, enjoy these in the next one to two days. Read more about borage. Fennel – -F- This is the last of the Autumn planted 'Zefo-Fino'. These fennel are great for Fennel soup or pork with fennel and potatoes. Mesclun – The meslun mix includes 10 varieties of lettuce, beet root greens, endive, orach, purple basil, cress, red veined spinach and silver beet. Mesclun contains high levels of vitamin C and more calcium and iron then lettuce alone. This is the last mesclun planting for at least a month. Kale – -H-  Bunches of green kale. Perpetual Gator – Perpetual Gator is a silverbeet that is tender and lemony.  We harvest it with roots, when it is young.  You can cut it off above the rubber band and eat it raw or cooked.  Use like you would baby spinach. Turnips – - F- 'Japanese'.  These are a very mild salad turnips and the greens are as good as the roots. They can be eaten raw or cooked

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING We would have loved to include broad beans and/or peas in this weeks box but they are not quite ready for harvest.  The snow peas surprised us with being the first to pod up and the plants are covered.  The 'Sugar Snaps' are in flower with pods forming.  We think we can start to harvest for next weeks boxes...maybe even for Saturday! We had a test pick of the broad beans but the pods are not yet full.  We have cut the broad bean tops which are lovely to eat.  This also encourages the plant to put more energy into forming pods.  The plants were blown over two weeks ago in the wind storm.  They are still growing though and so far we have not seen a sign of vermin infestation.  We hope to be able to get some broad beans in everyone's box this Spring.

The winds - They have continued.  The plants are definitely affected by wind.  It wears them out which leaves them more susceptible to pest invasions.  With the mild winter we had, there is an early surge of the sucking insects (like aphids) and many of the leafy greens show the signs of their attack.  Our attitude towards "pests" is wait and see.  We believe in the eco-system we are cultivating and have seen nature working with the arrival of "beneficials" to feed on the "pests".  What we see on plants is aphids being fed upon by lacewings with wasps laying their eggs into the aphid eggs.  What you see is bugs.  We get that! And we are working to have high quality, bug free produce.  We also need to balance the whole eco-system of the farm.  This is going to be a difficult year with pests.  We do not want to spray organic insecticides as they are not selective - killing pests and beneficials. This could lead to a bigger problem later in the season.  So while we watch the ecosystem in action, we have also tried to help it along by purchasing eggs for beneficial bug predators.  We are releasing these around the farm in hopes of increasing our beneficial population.  Check out Bugs for Bugs for more information. We are also making seaweed brews to spray on the plants to help keep them nourished and strong.

Even through the wind, the early broccoli is beginning to head up.  We are unsure if they will be ready for harvest next week or the week after.

The potatoes, parsnips, first plantings of beans, more carrots and beetroot and greens, pumpkins and field zucchini all went into the ground last week.  This week we will seed our watermelon crop and our second melon planting and our first planting of corn.

We have had some early crop disappointments this season.  The turnips were invaded by pests underground.  Very disappointing to go out to harvest them yesterday and pull up these eaten white balls.  Our Spring onion plantings (Scallions or green onions)...four of them...have had horrible germination rates.  We have tried four different seeds, from different companies.  We are continuing to try to find one that will work for us.  And the overwintered purple cauliflower is not producing heads like the same variety did in the Autumn.

I am trying to write a post about what is seasonal in Spring.  If you are on our newsletter list, you will receive that.  Otherwise, check the website to learn more about the plants we are growing and eating.

Our open day is this Sunday.  If you are coming and have not already let us know, please do so by emailing Peter.

Mountain View Dairy begins bringing their milk this week!  Here is more information about their herd share program.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Broad Bean Tops Braising Mix Stir Fry Sesame Salmon with Honey Bok Choy Thai Salad Dressing for the mesclun. Top with fried calamari For crew lunch, I made a red lentil, perpetual gator, coriander and coconut curry using the coriander roots and the spices listed in this recipe.

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

Please note - Photo is a sample of the harvest.

Broad Bean Shoots

Just like broad beans, these tops are good simply - with butter, salt and pepper.  You can add the shallot and garlic to make it spicy.  You could also first cook some bacon and then make this recipe in the bacon fat.  They are also delicious with butter placed over the top of them when you serve them (what isn't delicious with that much butter!).  They are filled with nutrients and vitamins. Ingredients 1 large knob of butter 8 Broad Bean tops 2 shallots 1 large clove garlic salt and pepper

Method 1. Heat the butter in a pan that will hold the broad bean tops. 2. Add shallots and garlic and gently brown. 3. Add broad bean tops and toss to coat with the mix. Cook until wilted and the stems are tender. 4. Serve as a side dish or with feta cheese on a toasted piece of sourdough.

CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #1 (9 October/12 October)

FIRST WEEK OF THE SPRING SHARE AND OUR 2013-2014 CSA! Here we go...your first box of farm fresh vegetables!  If you have any questions about the CSA or about What's in your box, please email us at petercarlyon@gmail.com or ring us on 5988-5287.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  If you did not receive it this week, expect it in the next one or two weeks.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  Our children LOVE steamed artichokes!! Recipes below. *Cauliflower - We are harvesting heads from an Autumn sown crop of 'Green Macerata'.  This is normally a cauliflower...but with heirloom seeds, sometimes they grow "untrue" to their parent.  Such is the case with this planting.  The heads being produced are either true green cauliflower or a purple broccoli.  Both are delicious!  The broccoli and its broccolini work great in a stir fry. Fennel – This is 'Zefo-Fino' and boy is she a beauty!  We planted these in the late Autumn to harvest in the Spring. Pea shoots – Pea Shoots are a delicious, nutritious leaf with high levels of vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid.  They contain 7 times more vitamin C then blueberries!! They are lovely chopped up for a salad or added at the last minute to a stir fry.  Our children make a meal of them straight from the paddock.   We always bring them as a salad to dinner parties because they are so delicious and a great conversation piece! Stir Fry Bouquet – This is a large bunch which includes bok choy, red bok choy, green kale, 'Red Russian' kale, Tat soi, and a spicy combo of any of the following - Mibuna, Mizuna, 'Red Streaks' mustards, 'Golden Streaks' mustard and 'Purple Osaka' mustard.  You can eat this raw or stir fry it.  The leaves are all tender and so are the stems! Mesclun – The meslun mix includes 10 varieties of lettuce, beet root greens, corn salad, endive, orach, purple basil, cress, and silver beet. Mesclun contains high levels of vitamin C and more calcium and iron then lettuce alone. Mung Bean Sprouts – The crisp and juicy sprouts are very nutritious, rich in protein (20%), iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus selenium, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B12, B17, E, A, C; they help regulate cholesterol. Although these are ready to eat, you can keep growing the sprouts longer by putting them in a jar on your counter. Rinse and drain them twice a day. Enjoy these raw or cooked. Parsley – Bunches of curly parsley. Radishes – 'Cherry Belle'.  These are a very mild radish so succulent...perfect raw with a squeeze of lime, olive oil and salt! Rocket – Bunches of tender young rocket. Spinach – Bags of English spinach.

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING So much to share about what's growing...Spring!  Even while many of the Summer and Autumn harvested crops are being planted this month, the food ready for harvest are those crops that do not mind growing during cold nights and in cold soil...GREENS!.  You will notice lots of greens in the boxes for the first three weeks.

We do have carrots and beet root up and growing.  The last of our overwintered root crops were dug last week.  The carrots go to seed at this time of year, making their root very woody.  Our Spring sown carrots are still 3-4 weeks away from harvest.  We just sowed our third planting though.  Root crops that like cool soil and nights are radishes and turnips.  We have Japanese Turnips coming on and a few plantings of radishes.  We did receive feedback that last year there were too many radishes and turnips.  So we have tried to space the plantings out a bit for the early spring.

We planted peas in mid July, hoping to have them by the first week in October.  They are flowering now and forming pods but still maybe two weeks away from harvesting.

Our broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are continuing to grow, although the wind of last week was very destructive to the crop.  We hope to begin harvesting broccoli in three weeks.

The broad beans are still growing, even though the wind flattened half the crop.  The pods are starting to swell and we may be harvesting them next week.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Fennel and Radish Salad Steamed Artichokes Pea Shoot and Bok Choy Salad Spinach and Feta Triangles

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

Pea Shoot and Bok Choy Salad

Early Spring...I start craving raw greens and getting a bit sick of silverbeet.  This is just about the time when our green manure crops take off and we have a field of pea shoots! Pea Shoots are a delicious, nutritious leaf with high levels of vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid.  They contain 7 times more vitamin C then blueberries!!  Here is a foraged salad... Ingredients 1 bok choy, cleaned and sliced 1 bunch pea shoots, chopped bite size 1 cup mung bean shoots edible flowers like borage, johnny jump ups, nasturtiums and calendula

Dressing 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup white sugar 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Method 1. Combine the greens, top with mung beans. 2.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to blend. 3.  Dress salad just before serving and top with flowers.

The long gone month of September

Spring...It is a very busy time on a vegetable farm.  Seeding, Seeding, Seeding, tilling in green manure, spreading compost, glasshouse filled, making and filling soil blocks, planting, and WEEDS!!! I have photos of "What's growing" from two weeks ago...wanting to share them but...farming and mothering are about all there was time for in September.  So here is a re-cap...a few weeks late but the story of what's happening never the less.

The glass house is packed full of crops...some are successive plantings like more lettuce and broccoli plantings,  but many are THE crop for the year, like pumpkins, capsicums and eggplant!  Our new glasshouse has been a Tetris game for the last four weeks...moving things around to try and ensure that everything that needs the protection and heat have it while we awaited the building of a polytunnel!!

Chris, the intern who joined us for two months, and Peter built a large polytunnel which is now planted with the first crop of tomatoes, zucchini and basil!  We covered it just before the wind storms and it is still standing!! In addition to being planted, it has worked a treat as a place to "harden off" seedlings before we plant them in the ground, just when I thought I could no longer walk through the glasshouse.  Hardening off allows seedlings a chance at cooler nighttime temperatures and a less protected environment to help them acclimate to being outside.

The wind storm - Of all weather, I find wind to be the most destructive and difficult to cope with.  Standing in the new polytunnel, we watched as the wind tried to force the whole structure up.  The tomatoes were already planted and secured to strings and these were pulled up around the plants...like singlets around your neck.  The tunnel stayed put, though, and we learned a bit more about growing tomatoes in a tunnel and leaving some slack in the lines!

Outside, the broad beans were blown over, newly planted bok choy seedlings snapped off and established cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli plants ring barked or ripped right out of the ground.  It was destructive and we have lost a lot of plants.  Such is farming... We hope the broad beans will not be close enough to the ground to encourage a rat party!

All but one of our winter green manure crops has been incorporated into the soil.  The green manure crops are farm generated fertility.  Once a green manure crop reaches an optimal size (usually before producing seed, which draws nutrients out of soil and the plant itself), it is cultivated back into the soil. Soil microbes feed on these residues, turning them into valuable humus: food for future plants! This in addition to compost helps to feed our soil which in turn feeds our vegetable crops throughout the season.

And here is what's growing...

And so the farm continues to grow with fallowed paddocks becoming pumpkin fields and cultivated areas being sowed down to clover cover crops to have a rest.  This year we are incorporating new crops like sweet potatoes and we are also adding new green manures with cow peas and Japanese millet.  We want the land to increase in fertility...even while it is producing foods which are taken off farm. We continue to count some happenings as experience and others as success.  And we keep growing! in so many ways. Our CSA share box harvest begins tomorrow!

For more information about our CSA, click here.

Our next Farm Open Day will be held on Sunday 20th October 2013. The Open Day is a great opportunity to see small scale, sustainable, market gardening, to learn more about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and to meet the farmers growing the food – us! Learn more...

We are posting more frequent updates about the farm on facebook and instagram.

Happy Spring and here's hoping all is growing well!!