Farm News for the week of August 22nd   

Reminders & Announcements

• This week is a pick-up week for weekly Late Summer Vegetable and Fruit Share members.
• Next is all Late Summer Vegetable, Fruit and Egg Share members will pick-up. 
• Cases of tomatoes available! We have 20 lb. cases of tomatoes available at discounted pricing. See details below.

  This Week's Vegetable Harvest

• Sweet Corn
• Beets 
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Poblano Peppers
• Bell Peppers
• Beefsteak & Heirloom Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Sweet Onions

This Week's Fruit Share

• 'Himrod' Green Grapes
• Nectarines
• 'Zester' Apples

Bulk Quantities of Tomatoes Available
Thanks to warmer weather, we continue to have bulk tomato quantities available for your canning and cooking projects! We have 20 lb cases of tomatoes available this week, the week of August 28th and potentially the week of September 4th (weather permitting). You can order cases by emailing Jen and we'll deliver them to your pickup site. Here are the options and prices:

• Beefsteaks:  $38
• Heirlooms: $48 
• Mix of Beefsteak and Heirloom: $43

Please email tomato orders to me/Jen (jen@prairiewindfamilyfarm.com) and let me know when you would like to pick up your order.  I will send you a confirmation after our harvest to confirm your pickup.  Thank you!   

CSA Member Survey!  Your perspective is important to us. We welcome your input and feedback throughout the season. Your thoughts will help us to plan upcoming seasons. Click here to take our short member survey (takes 5-6 minutes) and let us know your thoughts.  Thank you!   

Farm Photo Journal We hope you were able to enjoy yesterday's solar eclipse!  We found the event to be a wonderful way to kickoff the week.  

The farm crew, farm friends and our trusty farm dog, Winston, took a moment yesterday to patiently wait for clouds to clear and sneak a peek at this amazing event.  

The crew donned everything from eclipse glasses to welding goggles to view the sky. We looked in every direction to find the hidden sun! 

Jeff and I also took a walk through the fields to soak in the quieting of the birds and insects around us. I took this brief video to give you a sense of the calm. 

The farm calms and quiets during the solar eclipse. Even our chickens quieted down during the eclipse. As more of the sun shone again, the chickens returned to their normal grass grazing.

We hope you enjoyed the event as well.  Have a great week!
~ Jen, Jeff and the farm crew   

Making the most of your share   

This week's fruit share includes zester apples which are a favorite of our household.  They are sweet and tart with a light, crisp crunch, this variety is similar to a honeycrisp apple.  We've also included green table grapes in the shares.  This week's variety is called himrod and they are a sweet, seedless variety known for their lovely green and golden hues. They are perfect for morning and afternoon snacking! 

This week's shares also include poblano peppers (contained within a plastic bag).  Poblanos are somewhere in the middle of the heat index scale, and are very versatile in the kitchen. Roasting the peppers before using them improves their flavor and allows you to remove their waxy skin. To roast them you can either put them under the broil, use a skewer to hold them over an open flame on your stove top, or stick them in a very hot toaster oven. Roast them until the skin starts to bubble and the bubbles start to blacken, then flip and do the same on the opposite side. Allow them to cool before pulling the skin off with your fingers, then make a slit in each one and remove the seeds.   

Farm Kitchen Recipes

Arroz Verde al Poblano (Green Poblano Rice)
1 2/3 cups chicken broth or water
2 fresh poblano chiles, stems and seeds removed, and roughly chopped
12 sprigs cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon if using salted broth, 1 teaspoon if using unsalted or water
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 cup rice, preferably medium grain
1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
 
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the broth and chiles, bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer gently over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the chiles are very soft. Pour the chile mixture into a food processor, add the cilantro (stems and all), and process to a smooth puree. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl and stir in the salt.
 
Wipe the pan clean, add the oil and heat over medium. Add the rice and onion, and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is chalky looking and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer.
 
Add the warm (or reheated) chile liquid to the hot rice pan, stir once, scrape down any rice kernels clinging to the side of the pan, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover and check a grain of rice: It should be nearly cooked through. If the rice is just about ready, turn off the heat, re-cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes longer to complete the cooking. If the rice seems far from done, continue cooking for 5 minutes or so, retest, then turn off the heat and let stand a few minutes longer. Fluff with a fork, scoop into a warm serving dish, decorate with cilantro sprigs and it's ready to serve.  Grilled corn cut from 1 cob or 1 large grilled zucchini (cubed) make tasty additions.  Serves 4.
(adapted from epicurious.com)

Panzanella
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 yellow onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.
For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.
(adapted from Ina Garten)

Roasted Beet and Nectarine Salad
4 medium beets (about 1 lb)
4 cups lettuce or greens
2 nectarines, sliced
¼ cup crumbled chèvre (goat) cheese or Brie cheese (1 oz)
2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted*
Dressing
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 tablespoons orange juice 
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
 
Heat oven to 425°F. Remove greens from beets, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Do not trim or cut root. Wash beets well. Tightly wrap beets in double layer of foil, and roast on cookie sheet 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until tender. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges.
 
In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients with wire whisk.
 
In large bowl, toss half the dressing with mixed greens. Divide evenly among 4 salad plates. Arrange beets, nectarines, cheese and walnuts over each salad. Drizzle remaining dressing over each salad and serve. Serves 4.   

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... swiss chard, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, red onions, and more!