Weekly Share #13!

CSA Week 13:

1/2 lb beets
2 green peppers
1 (1/2pt) blackberries or raspberries
1 HG tomato
1 pt heirloom cherry tomatoes
8 ears of corn
2 lbs HG #2 tomatoes
1 white onion
1 bunch scallions
3 lbs white potatoes
1 bulb garlic
1 sprig basil
2 lbs of eggplant
1/2 lb green beans

Oh, what a dinner this will make :)

Linky dinks for your Wednesday!

Here are a few of my favorite foodie links for the week:

12 ideas for preserving the late summer harvest without hauling out your canner (or learning to can!)
(Herbed butter and strawberry lemonade concentrate? Yes, please!)

7 ways to preserve zucchini
(bread and butter pickles with zucchini! Who would've thought?)

And a recipe borrowed/adapted from the internets (and the Wall Street Journal):

Peach, tomato, and corn salad with feta
Serves 4

3 ripe, sweet tomatoes
3 ripe (but still semi-firm) peaches
2 ears corn, shucked and boiled, kernels cut off
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Cut tomatoes and peaches into wedges of equal size. In a large bowl, add tomatoes, peaches, corn kernels, onion, and olive oil and toss until combined and coated. Plate salad. Crumble feta over the top. Serve any remaining feta on the side.

Veggies lovin' the sunshine!

What a fantastic summery day. Here are some of my favorite lil guys busy growing 24/7. You've got your cukes quickly getting fat,

baby eggplants protected by fuzzy leaves,

cuke vines sprawling out, 

momma eggplants developing rich purple shades, 

and hot peppers turning that summer heat into summer heat!

Something's buzzing on the farm!

What a lovely weekend! The weather was perfect and the bees were happy. That buzzing in the video above was the hum of hundreds of bees hard at work. There are several hives at Hill Girt occupied by bees helping to pollinate acres of the farm. Sylvio the Gorilla, summer intern extraordinaire, sure seems to do a lot of exploring these days. He's trying to soak in every ray of sunshine possible!

CSA Week # 12!

Edamame have shown up on the CSA list! Tender and delicious little beans, they are. I recommend boiling them for 5 minutes (shells and all), then popping the beans out of their shells straight into your mouth (or into a salad, side dish, succotash, etc..)! ~Vanessa

CSA Share Week #12:

2 green peppers
1/2 pt blackberries
1 HG tomato
1 pt heirloom cherry tomatoes
8 ears of corn
1 red onion
1 white onion
1 bunch scallions 
3 lb white potatoes
1 bulb garlic
1 sprig of basil
2 lb eggplant
1 bag of lettuce
2 lb HG's #2 tomatoes
1/2 pt edamame

Edamame Recipe to make those Dr. Martins jealous!

Sure, there are days when the Dr. Martins are still selfishly growing in the fields and not being shucked in our kitchen :) On those days, I make edamame succotash! Kind of a loosey-goosey recipe, but you'll get the idea. 

Edamame Succotash:

Serves 4-6

2 pints of edamame

4-6 corn, kernels zipped, cooked briefly (30sec.)!

1/2 onion, chopped

several garlic, roughly chopped

any leftover cooked veggies wanting to be included (I used bits of sauteed zucchini, peas, yellow squash and broccoli)

a few shakes of basil and oregano

several tablespoons of butter (gotta treat yo'self!)

Here's the scoop. Saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Boil a small pot of water, toss in the edamame, shells and all. Boil 5 minutes, then drain and pop those edamame out of their shells.

Throw the corn, leftover cooked veggies, edamame, spices, salt and pepper and the butter together with the onion/garlic. Heat everything through and let the butter melt. Stir and serve!

Farm Dinner Recap

What a delicious evening! The weather could not have been more gorgeous. The barn was festive with local wildflower arrangements, twinkling lights and lots of happy people! And the food was simply spectacular. Some of the fan favorites included heirloom tomato salad, delicate marinated eggplant and zucchini ribbons, artisanal farfalle pasta with heirloom cherry tomatoes and snap peas and basil and nectarine marinated organic chicken. 

Chefs Patrick D'Amico, David Leo Banks and Jelani Mack (left to right) from Harry's prepared scrumptious food and beverages that had more than a handful of folks in line for seconds :)

An amazing spread including fresh bread from Metropolitan Bakery
and pies from My House Cookies.

Melon and cardamom fizz. 

Peach and habanero infused agave with rosemary. 

CSA Week #11

That was some crazy rainfall yesterday! I know you were worried- the stand DID NOT float away.
And we will be here until Halloween! I am not ready for autumn yet myself, but let's take a moment and dream of winter squash, pumpkins, grapes, figs, pumpkin pie, wacky gourds.. Did you feel that cool September breeze? Ok, back to summer.

The crop share for the week is chock full of summer goodies. Will your blackberries even make it home?

CSA Weekly Share #11:

6 ears corn
1 green pepper
1/2 pint blackberries
2 HG tomatoes
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 red and 1 white onion
1 bunch scallions
1 bag of lettuce
1 lb beets
1 bulb garlic
2 sunflowers
1 heirloom tomato
3 lbs #2 tomatoes
2 lbs eggplant

Link Love Monday

Just had to share these 3 recipes I discovered this week online! 

Grilled beet burgers:  I've made beet burgers once before and they looked startlingly like meat.. They had great flavor, were quite filling and there were no leftovers! 

Heirloom tomato tart:  I have all the ingredients to make this! Simple sundried tomato pesto, goat cheese and gorgeous heirloom babies on a crispy puff pastry.. I bet basil pesto would be an awesome variation.

Black bean and corn salad: Any excuse for me to have tortilla chips for dinner. Salad=salsa+chips=healthy, right?

The Hunt is on!

SIW was featured in The Hunt Magazine this month! For those of you who didn't get a copy in their snail-mailboxes, check out the digitial article here :) 

CSA Dinner Reminder

Just a reminder...... Our second annual CSA Dinner is being held on Friday, August 16th at 7pm.  Come and join us for a fun filled evening of delectable dishes which will be prepared by David Banks and company of Harry's Savoy Grille.  

The cost for the dinner this year will be $20.00 - for CSA members, $30.00 - for Non - CSA members and $15.00 for children under 15 years of age.  We will be serving a variety of our very own "HG's veggies" along with a taste of organic chicken and beef.  We will be supplying nonalcoholic beverages, byob.

Last year we had asked for people to bring desserts and ended up with way too much.  So if you would like to bring a dessert to share please call the stand  at 610-388-7491 or 302-521-5328.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

~Debbe

**We'll be taking reservations until Monday, August 12th, at 6pm.**

CSA Week #10

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Just a reminder that next FRIDAY is the Farm Dinner! CSA members get a discount - just $20 per person. Make your reservations at the stand. Details here :)

CSA Weekly Share #10:

6 ears corn
2 green peppers
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 HG cantaloupe
2 HG tomatoes
1 bag of lettuce
1 red and 1 white onion
1 bunch scallions
1 lb beets
1 bulb garlic
2 sunflowers
1 heirloom tomato
4 lbs #2 tomatoes
2 lbs eggplant

Corn Recipe to Wow your Neighbors!

This recipe has quickly become a favorite in our house. It is simple to make and will impress your friends! All you need is the world's best corn (readily available at SIW) and a few other simple ingredients..

Summer Corn Salad 
(borrowed from Heidi's fabulous website: 101cookbooks.com)

6 ears of corn
1 large shallot, minced (I often use scallions or red onion)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt 
2 tablespoons brown sugar 
3 tablespoons sunflower oil 
3/4 cup / 4 oz toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 
3/4 cup / 4 oz toasted sunflower seeds 
1 teaspoon mexican oregano (I usually use regular oregano)

Shuck the corn and use a knife to cut the kernels from the cobs. Place the kernels in a medium bowl with the shallot while you make the dressing.

Combine the lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a small bowl or jar. Gradually add the oil, whisking vigorously until the dressing comes together. Taste, and adjust with more lemon juice, salt or sugar, if needed. This dressing should be on the sweet side, not overly tangy.Just before serving, add the seeds to the bowl of corn along with 2/3 of the dressing. Toss well, really get everything well coated. If you want more dressing, add more to taste. Crush the oregano between your palms and let it shower down on to the salad. Toss one more time and serve.

Serves 6 or more
Prep time: 10 min

Frequent Buyer Program Winner for July!

Congratulations to Robert Joyce!  He is the lucky winner of this past month's Frequent Buyer Program- dinner for 2 at the Orchard Restaurant. Don't fret if you didn't win- there will be several more drawings this season! Don't forget to have your card punched every time you visit us at SIW :)

Autumn is fast approaching!

Ever want to just hang out at SIW all day? Be one with the veggies and work hard? 

We are looking for some seasonal fall help. The stand is open 7 days a week so availability weekdays and weekends are great! Please call Debbe at 302.521.5328 for more information.

train tracks by SIW one brisk autumn evening.

Zucchini Recipe to bring to that potluck!

photo snagged from thekitchn.com

Another recipe I've yet to try but am definitely adding to the queue. Even when zukes aren't on our CSA share, I can't help but fill my basket with them. I bet this marmalade would be delicious with cheese (goat, cream cheese, brie- you name it!) and spread on crostini, crackers or bread. If you try if before I do, come by the stand and let me know how it is! ~Vanessa

Super Easy and Delicious Zucchini Butter (or Marmalade)

Makes about 2 cups. Recipe from Jennie Cook.

2 pounds zucchini, more or less*
1/4 cup olive oil or butter, if you prefer
2 minced shallots, garlic, or combination of both
Salt and pepper

Coarsely grate the zucchini. Let it drain in a colander for 3-4 minutes or until you are ready to begin cooking. To hasten cooking time, squeeze the water out of the zucchini by wringing it in a clean cloth towel.

In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil/butter. Sauté the shallots briefly. Add the zucchini and toss. Cook and stir over medium to medium-high heat until the zucchini reaches a spreadable consistency. If you scorch the bottom, turn the flame down! (And scrape those delicious bits into the marmalade for added flavor.) The zucchini will hold its bright green color and slowly caramelize into a nice vegetable jam.

Enjoy on toast, or as a side dish all summer long!

*Feel free to add extra zucchini. It may take a little longer to cook, but this recipe keeps well and can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month.