Here's to What Is Good, by Angela

"Biodynamics can be summed up as:  Putting one's energy into supporting the good, rather than fighting the bad."  ~Wolf D. Storl, Culture and Horticulture:  a Philosophy of Gardening

Zephyr Summer Squash

The Zephyr summer squashes (see above) went into the ground two weeks late and were leggy, brittle plants. They got blasted by a heat wave then waves of rain. To my great surprise and delight, they grew strong and came timely in the decline of the Patty Pan squashes.

Digging Potatoes

Monday's routine has included the digging of a row of potatoes for the week's share (see above). The crew and work-shares have become quite keen on how to harvest the hidden treasures. The red potatoes were initially another variety that were meant to be only small, golf-ball size. I had forgotten that the varieties were substituted, so now I smile from ear to ear to see a larger baking-size potato from the reds (see below).

Brendan with the Red Maria Potatoes

The asparagus patch is a long-term vision, as it will be another two seasons before a real harvest, but the vigor and health of the plants is excellent, as seen in the photo below of Josh next to the plants at the height of their frond season.

Josh & the asparagus fronds

The hoop houses were in dire need of some rest and relaxation.The first hoop house you see on your left when you come into the farm was sown in nitrogen-fixing cover crops this spring. It has now been straw mulched to maintain a good thick environment for healing and to allow plant materials to decay, thus enriching the topsoil for a great spring early crop to grow inside this great, season-extending invention.

Josh & Molly Spreading Straw in the Hoophouse

A Farmer's Day, by Angela

'Twas a Monday morning indeed, with weeds to our knees digging potatoes in a little sprinkle that turned into glorious afternoon sunshine. I smell a bit of tractor after pleading with the green machine to start (a plea it refused) and am soaked head to toe thanks to my body's own swamp-cooling system. I am a farmer--these are the events of my day that, though mundane, make for a good day.

Broccoli will be leaving the nursery of the greenhouse to live in the farm fields this week. The plants look hardy and well, with good promise for a healthy share of heads this fall. It's funny how the florets do remind so many (myself included) of miniature trees, as if we were giant people able to eat oak trees as a side dish.

Broccoli forest (source, art by Carl Warner)

I thought about this size dimension again while looking over the newly sprouted rows of salad mix, thinking they look like forests from an airplane's perspective. Oh, to be a bug or a bird for a day would surely explode my brain in wonder.

Pesto with Green Beans & Potatoes, by Melinda

Trenette al Pesto with green beans and potatoes (source)

Trenette al Pesto (Trenette or Linguine with Pesto, Green Beans, and Potatoes--This is a traditional Italian pesto sauce over a mix of pasta, green beans, and potatoes. Trenette is a regional pasta but you can use linguine or fettucine instead.

• 3 cups packed basil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp finely grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp finely grated pecorino
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• kosher salt & fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 lb trenette or linguine pasta
• kosher salt to taste
• 8 oz. green beans, trimmed 
• 8 oz. baby red potatoes (or other small potatoes), roasted & halved

Make the pesto:  process basil, oil, cheeses, nuts, & garlic in a food processor until finely ground. Season w/ salt/pepper & set aside.  Bring 6-qt. saucepan of salted water to boil on high heat; add pasta & cook, stirring, till half-cooked, ~5min. Add green beans & cook, stirring, till pasta is al dente and veggies are tender, ~3 min. longer. Drain pasta & veggies, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, & transfer to large bowl along w/ potatoes and pesto; toss to combine, adding a couple tbsp of reserved cooking water, if needed, to make a smooth sauce.  MMMWAH!!!!

Dodging Raindrops, by Angela

From "Gode Cookery"

We love our taters!

My spring farm ambitions resemble a Thanksgiving plate filled on an empty stomach. New establishments of rainwater collection, berry-trellising, chickens, asparagus plants, strawberry plants... all in addition to the regular pre-season CSA preparations. Somehow the funnel of life condensed the climax of these projects into this week as we file the remaining zoning paperwork for the chickens with the township; welcome local handymen to raise gutters to the barn; and embark upon the planting extravaganza of 1000 asparagus plants, 600 strawberry plants, and about 1500 seed potatoes!

I have tunnel vision on the windows of weather, between the bouts of rain when the sky is not dripping and the fields are dry enough to prepare with a tractor.  It's a race or rather game of cleverness--or so I tell myself--to successfully dodge the raindrops and stay two steps ahead of the plants in the greenhouse and those scheduled to arrive.

Angela up early to catch the sun

Farming requires the flexibility of readiness when weather permits, which at this time of year seldom completely falls within the Monday through Friday schedule. For the most part, during my years of training I apprenticed under farmers who lived on their farms, and now I more fully understand the perks of their situations.

Red Hill Farm has been teaching me how to project overnight lows, so as to close up the greenhouse, as well as the efficiency of shifting priorities when the weather allows while I am on the farm. I don't live far away, but enough to make it worth my while to stay an extra hour to do tractor work in the sunshine and then sleep with ease as the evening rains arrive, knowing I've set the stage for our preparations to continue on schedule.

To the rain, I say "Bring it".... We're ready, best as best can be, taking a big bite off the plate of spring ambitions.  Oh, I smile to think of how delighted I am to share the steadily growing farm with the members in just a wee bit over a month.

Easy Soup for those Winter-Market Carrots, by Melinda

Super-duper easy and quick!  You can vary the broth, fat source, dairy additions, and herbs to make this vegetarian or vegan, too.

Easy Carrot Soup with Mint

Carrot Soup with Mint

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 lb carrots, whole if small; quartered and cut in ~2-inch lengths if larger
• one 3-oz. potato, peeled and diced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp chopped mint

In a large pan, melt butter on medium-high heat. Add carrots, potato, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook about 20 min. In a blender and working in batches, puree the soup. (Alternatively, you can leave the soup in the pan and use an immersion blender to puree it.) Divide among 4 bowls; top with yogurt and sprinkle with chopped mint. This recipe appears in Every Day with Rachael Ray, April 2013.