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Spring CSA Week 3

5/20/2015

In This Week's Share:

Radishes
Green Garlic
Japanese Lettuce (Tokyo Bekana)
Kale
Lettuce
Spicy Mix
Chard and Beet Greens Mix

How To Use It
We use the chard and beet greens mix anyway we would use spinach, either cooked or raw. It makes a beautiful salad, is delicious steamed just like spinach or added to a fritata or quiche.

Green garlic can be used any way you would use scallions, leeks, or garlic. The greens are great for stock or they can be used like scallion tops.

Farm News
Sorry for the tardy newsletter. Our internet was out from the thunderstorms yesterday. But thunderstorms mean rain and we've gotten almost 2 inches in the past week. Our crops are happier and we're glad to have a break from irrigating.

Our new refrigerated box truck arrived on Monday! A new (to us) market vehicle was part of a project we're funding with a grant from the Delaware County Economic Development office and from our crowd-sourced micro-loan from Kiva Zip. This sixteen-footer increases the amount we can bring to market six fold (!!) and gives us plenty of room to grow. For a while it will also serve as our primary cold storage, allowing us to increase harvest efficiency and improve quality. We named the truck Rosie, since she came from a nice couple who sells roses and hydrangeas in New Jersey.

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Spring CSA Week 2

5/12/2015

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In This Week's Share:
Lettuce
Ramps (2)
Bok Choy
Parsnips (all you can eat!)
Spicy Mix
Pea Shoots
Spinach

Farm News
We were inspected by our organic certifying agency last week and we are in compliance. Yahoo!

Today was a welcomed relief to the recent heat. With lots of irrigation and sun screen, all the plants and people on the farm have been staying happy. We've been planting and weeding like crazy. Our new tine weeder rocks and our trusty old hoes are coming in handy too. We're hoping to plant our (huge!) tomato plants on Thursday.

We applied for a loan from Kiva Zip, a crowd-sourcing micro-loan program, and last week we reached 100%! Now we have half of the funds to complete our farm improvements project. We should hear about the grant which would fund the other half of the project soon. These improvements include a market vehicle, a cold-storage facility, greenhouse improvements, and reusable packaging/totes. We're excited by and grateful for this opportunity to substantially grow our farm!

Talk to you soon!
~Eleanor & Patrick

Luckily there are plenty of leaky hoses for Ernie to play with.

Harvesting spicy mix

Weeding everything!

Which lucky member gets this bok choy monster?

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Today! Today! Today!

5/5/2015

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Finally - good, fresh, organic food!

In today's share:
Parsnips*
Carrots*
Ramps
Bok Choy
Tokyo Bekana (Japanese Lettuce)
Radishes
Spinach

*The parsnips and carrots were seeded last summer, survived the winter, and were picked this spring. Because they were overwintered, they have some blemishes, mostly cracking, some of which we cut off. But their flavor is awesome!

What Is THAT?!
Tokyo bekana looks like lettuce but is a type of Asian green. Use it however you would use lettuce, bok choy, or napa cabbage. Great flavor!

Ramps, aka wild leeks, are found in the woods for about three weeks every Spring. They take many years to go to seed, so we take care not to harvest more than 25% of any patch we find. They are all the rage in NYC but locals have been enjoying them forever. Both the bulb and the greens are good to use. Use them any way you would scallions, leeks, garlic, or onions.

Recipes
Creamed Spinach With Ramps
Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/2 bunch ramps, roots removed, bulb and leaves separated and chopped
1 bunch spinach, roots removed, torn or very coarsely chopped
1/2 cream

1. Heat butter over medium high heat. Once bubbles subside, add chopped ramp bulbs and cook for about five minutes.
2. Add flour slowly while whisking constantly until well incorporated. Cook a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add cream and bring to a boil, still stirring frequently.
4. Add spinach and cook until wilted and cream thickens. Add ramp greens and incorporate.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Parsnips, Carrots, and Ramps
Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, chopped (peeling optional)
2 lb parsnips chopped (peeling optional)
1/2 - 1 bunch ramps, roots removed
Olive oil

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Toss carrots and parsnips in olive oil and roast for 20 minutes
3. Add ramps, toss everything to coat ramps in oil and prevent veggies from sticking to the pan. Roast another 20 minutes or until parsnips are soft and everything is golden/slightly crispy.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.

Ramp Vinaigrette with Japanese Lettuce (Tokyo Bekana Greens)
Ingredients:
1 head Japanese lettuce, chopped and washed
2 Ramps, roots removed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
teaspoon salt
teaspoon mustard or mustard powder
pepper to taste

1. Put everything but the lettuce in a blender or use an emersion blender to blend until smooth.
2. Drizzle as much as needed over Japanese lettuce, toss, enjoy!

Great to see everybody today!
~Eleanor & Patrick

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3 Weeks Until The Spring CSA!

4/15/2015

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Spring Is Here!

The Spring CSA starts May 5th. In three short weeks you can be munching on:

Carrots
Parsnips
Scallions
Radishes
Salad Turnips
Lettuce
Kale
Bok Choy
Chard
Spinach
Arugula
Spicy Mix
Salad Mix
Pea shoots
Microgreens
AND MORE!

Add four extra weeks to your CSA season with the same convenient pick-up times and locations. Sign up online here or send us an email to reserve your spot.

Summer CSA Sign Up
If you're planning to sign up for a Summer CSA share but haven't yet, now is a great time to do it. And it's the perfect use for your tax return! Sign up online here, send in the form above, or email us to reserve your spot.

Farm News
We're cleaning up and getting ready to GROW! With this week's sunshine we hope to start plowing and planting. After the long winter and slow spring, we're chomping at the bit to get going.

Now that the ground is thawed, we've been able to check out the results of our winter-growing experiments. The big reveal has been inspiring. Even after this freezing winter, we're uncovering beautiful vegetables including scallions/onions, spinach, arugula, carrots, and parsnips. They're extra sweet from the cold weather, too.

We're also feeling relieved and excited by the progress we've made in the past year. Thinking back to this time last year, we can't help but be happy at the advantages we have going for us. It's so exciting to not have to build everything from scratch this year and to have so much more infrastructure already in place. Plus living on the farm is even better than we thought!

We still have lots of plans for this year including:

A new market/delivery vehicle
A cold-storage facility (probably the box from a refrigerated trailer)
Redesigning the wash station
Better CSA pick-up area

This is going to be a great year!

Hope to see you soon,
~Eleanor & Patrick

Some Reasons To Join The Spring CSA

Overwintered carrots - so sweet!

Hoophouse all planted

Overwintered arugula

And of course, this guy!

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March 12th, 2015

3/12/2015

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Sign Up by March 15 and Save $25
Get a free week of the CSA if you sign up in the next three days. It's the perfect use for your tax return! Download this form or sign up online for big savings.

A New Venture
We're thrilled to announce that in collaboration with our friends at Star Route Farm, we're expanding our CSA into New York City. The joint-venture is called The 607 CSA and it includes produce from our two farms with optional add-ons including meats, cheeses, eggs, and loads of other value-added products. There are drop-offs all over Brooklyn and we'll be using the Lucky Dog Local Food Hub to get the food there. This is a great opportunity for our farm to access larger markets but also for the other small farms in our region. We're hoping that by working together we can all benefit, have fun, and, well, make some money. If you know anybody in the city who might be interested in the best food the Catskills has to offer, tell them about The 607!

Farm News
We've started all the seeds that will make up the Spring CSA shares. They include radishes, turnips, kale, lettuce, scallions, bok choy, mustard greens, and spinach. We've also started our onions and leeks and this week we'll be seeding the outside kale plantings and our heirloom and cherry tomatoes.

These warmer temperatures have us chomping at the bit to get outside and get growing. We're all set to put the plastic on our new moveable hoop house, which Patrick designed and built over the coldest winter ever. There's just a little more paper work, grant-writing, and snow-melting between us and the growing season. We're almost there, you guys!

We're Getting Fancy
After banging my head against my iPhone for a few days, we finally started "gramming." Follow us on Instagram @berrybrookfarm or on Facebook. Can't find an old CSA newsletter in your inbox? We've started blogging them on our website, along with other farm news.

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CSA Discounts, The Spring CSA, and News From the Farm

2/18/2015

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You Can Still Save Big On Your CSA Membership
Sign up by March 15th and get $25 off. Recommend our CSA to a friend and get $25 back per friend who signs up. Spread the word and eat for free!

Sign up online today or download a membership form here.

Super Market Vegetables Got You Down?
Sign up for the Spring CSA share and get farm-fresh organic produce even sooner! There's nothing crisper, fresher, or tastier than local greens after a long winter of super market produce. It's $80 for four weeks starting the first week of May. (Contact us if you usually pick up at the Oneonta or Andes farmers markets, as we don't start those markets until mid-May. All other pick-up locations are the same for the Spring share.)

News From the Farm
These days you can find us hunkered down with gobs of paper work, going a little stir-crazy indoors. But our organic certification application is finished, we've drawn up impressive record-keeping forms to finally keep track of things during the season (fingers crossed!), we've ordered most of our seed, finished our lengthy weekly schedule for the entire season, we've started seeds for the first transplants in the hoop house, and we've visited a bunch of farms throughout the state to learn about what other people are doing. Patrick has even braved the single-degree temperatures to set up our new greenhouse heater. In the next few months we hope to:

Build a cold-storage shed
Rebuild our greenhouse tables
Finish our snowed-in moveable hoop house
Redesign our wash station to save time and increase efficiency on harvest days
Build a shed over our well to alleviate freezing
Keep perfect records

I don't think we've ever been more excited for the upcoming growing season. We finally feel like we're getting a handle on the vegetable growing (knock on wood) and can start focusing on better business practices and farm systems. Hooray for progress!

Hope this finds you warm and cozy wherever you are.

All our best,
Eleanor, Patrick, and Ernest

Summer pictures to keep you warm

And some requisite Ernie pictures...

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Don't Miss The Early Bird Discount for Your 2015 CSA Membership!

1/9/2015

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Early Bird Discount Ends January 15th!
There are only 6 days left to take advantage of the $50 Early Bird discount and we don't want you to miss out. Send in your form, sign up online, or contact us by January 15th to get $50 off your 2015 CSA membership - that's two free weeks!
Thank you to everyone who has already joined for 2015. We've blown past our previous record of early bird members!

You can save even more with our Recommend a Friend discount. You'll get $25 back for every friend you recruit. Just have your pal site you on her application. Tell your friends and eat good food for free!

The Online Store Is Open For Business
Want a faster way to pay for your share? Want to finance your share on a credit card? You can purchase 2015 Spring, Summer, and Fall shares on our website. It's never been easier to be a member!

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Thank You For A Great Year!

1/1/2015

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Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who supported us this year. From our farmers' market customers, to our wholesale clients, and our generous family and friends, we've been able to build a farm and a business. We especially want to thank our CSA members. Your early financial support got our farm off the ground and your enthusiasm sustained us throughout the season. Thank you for joining us in 2014 and thank you to everyone who has already joined for 2015.

Looking Back, Looking Forward
This time last year we were figuring out how to start a farm from scratch at a new location, expecting a baby, and praying it all worked out. Looking back, we're blown away by how successful 2014 has been. In little over a year our farm has grown from a bare field with no amenities to one with a well, a greenhouse, a large hoop house, a smaller moveable hoop house, a carport-turned-wash station, 150 blueberry bushes, 3/4 of an acre of trial winter wheat, 3 acres of vegetables, and more tractors and implements than you can shake a stick at.

We're also happy to officially announce that we bought the property adjacent to the farm so we'll be living on-farm again! This opens up all kinds of future possibilities. Here's what we have planned for the next couple of years:

Pole-barn with cold storage, improved wash station, and (much improved) CSA pick-up area
Double the size of our local CSA
Expand our CSA to include drop-offs in NYC
Continue to extend our growing season in Winter and early Spring through hoop houses and low tunnels
Compile extensive list of recipes on our website
Herb and flower cutting garden
Apple trees
Continue to improve farm soil through compost, cover-cropping, and manure.

We're growing quickly, but each decision is made to increase efficiency so we can grow the best produce at the lowest cost for our customers. Also, we are constantly trying to improve the experience for our customers, especially for our CSA members.

We love growing good food for our community and we couldn't do it without you. Thank you for your support.

We wish you a happy New Year and look forward to growing together in 2015.

~Eleanor, Patrick, and Ernest

Sign up for the 2015 CSA today!
This year we're offering Spring, Summer, and Fall CSA shares. Mix and match to fit your lifestyle! Get one or all three for 30 weeks of top quality, organic vegetables grown on your local farm.

Join by January 15 and get a $50 discount! That's two free weeks of food.

Spread the word! For every friend you recruit to the CSA, we'll give you $25 back at the first pick up. Tell your friends and eat for free!

Click here to download a membership form or contact us for a paper copy.

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Fall CSA: Week 6

11/26/2014

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In This Week's Share
Kale (two bunches)
Celeriac/Celery Root
Kohlrabi
Salad Turnips
Brussels Sprouts
Lettuce
Potatoes
Leeks
Delicata Squash
Garlic

What Is That?!
Celery Root! Or celeriac, is delicious peeled and sauteed, roasted, in soups, in stuffing, grated raw in salad, or in the gratin recipe below.

2015 CSA
Sign Up Today!
It's never too early to sign up for next season's CSA. Sign up by January 15th and get a $50 discount! That's two free weeks of the CSA! Also, we're trying to grow our CSA by almost double next year. That's a LOT! And we need your help. Tell your friends, colleagues, relatives, make an announcement at church, at your knitting group, or at a PTA meeting. Basically tell anyone who eats food about our CSA. For every friend you recommend who joins the CSA, you'll get $25 back at the first pick up. That's a free week of food for every friend!

30 Weeks of Food
After the success and fun of the fall CSA, we're excited to offer a three-season CSA next year with the following options:

4-week Spring CSA (May 5-26) $80
20-week Summer CSA (June 2 - Oct 13) $500
6-week Fall CSA (Oct 20 - Nov 24) $150

Click the image to download next year's CSA membership form. (Spring and Fall membership forms coming soon.)

We love growing food for our CSA members and we're happy to be able to do it for even longer next year. We hope you'll join us again.

Thanksgiving Recipes
Brussels Sprouts are a Thanksgiving staple but if you need some inspiration tomorrow, the trusty Martha Stewart has loads of idea.

Celery Root and Leek Stuffing
I defer to Ms. Stewart, yet again. Find the recipe here.

Celeriac and Potato Gratin (or Scalloped Celeriac and Potatoes)
We've had this the last few years for Thanksgiving and hope to make it a permanent tradition. Swiss cheese can be substituted for gruyere.
Ingredients:
    Unsalted butter for baking dish
    1 Tbs. olive oil
    1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
    1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
    2 cups heavy cream
    1 tsp. Dijon mustard
    2 tsp. kosher salt
    1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
    1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/16 inch thick
    1 1/2 lb. celery root, peeled and sliced 1/16 inch thick
    4 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded
    1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
    2 tsp. chopped fresh chives or flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the cream, mustard, salt and pepper and whisk until just blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the potato and celery root slices. Pour the cream mixture over the potato mixture and toss to coat evenly. In a small bowl, stir together the Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

3. Arrange a layer of potato and celery root slices, slightly overlapping, in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering 2 more times, ending with the cheese. Pour any remaining cream from the bowl over the gratin.

4. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden and the vegetables are tender when pierced, 30 to 45 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the chives and serve. Serves 8 to 10.

Satued Kohlrabi With Shallots and Cream
Ingredients
    3 Kohlrabi, bulb peeled and cubed, leaved finely shredded
    1 Shallot, thinly sliced
    1 Tbsp Unsalted butter
    Heavy cream
    Salt and pepper to taste
    Grated nutmeg to taste
Directions
1. Cook kohlrabi and onion in butter over medium-high heat until almost tender. Stir in kohlrabi leaves, and cook until wilted. Add a generous splash of heavy cream, and cook for a few seconds to reduce. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve with chicken, pork chops, or steak.

Kohlrabi Turnip Slaw
Ingredients
     1 pound kohlrabi (about 2 small heads, leaves included)
    1 bunch turnips (about 8 ounces)
    3 tablespoons lime juice
    1 tablespoon peanut oil
    2 teaspoons honey
    1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    Coarse salt and ground pepper
    1 medium leek, thinly sliced
Directions
1.Separate stems from kohlrabi bulb, trim, and discard tough bottoms of stems. Half leaves lengthwise then thinly shred crosswise. Trim root end from bulb and peel away tough outer layer; halve lengthwise.

2. Fit a food processor with a shredding blade (or use a box grater) and shred kohlrabi bulb and turnips.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, peanut oil, honey, and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper. Add scallions, kohlrabi leaves and bulb, and turnip to bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Wishing you good food, good fun, and good family, from ours to yours.

Happy Thanksgiving!
~Eleanor, Patrick, & Ernest

Ernie likes the view from up there! (Patrick is tall.)

Still green, still growin'!

Sleeping snow baby. And Kale!

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Fall CSA: Week 5

11/19/2014

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In This Week's Share: Kale
Salad Mix*
Bok Choy
Tatsoi
Fennel
Cabbage
Salad Turnips
Leeks
Delicata Squash
Garlic
Potatoes

*We harvested the salad a couple of days early to get it out of the ground before the temperature dropped. We recommend eating it within the next couple of days, since it's not quite as fresh as the salad mix we usually give.

Yummy Stir-Fry
Bok choy, tatsoi, salad turnips, fennel, leeks, garlic, kale, and even cabbage are all delicious stir-fried. Just get a big pan nice an hot with your choice of oil (olive, coconut, sesame), chop the veggies you want to use, and toss them in the pan. (Don't add the garlic first or it might burn.) Add a splash of soy sauce, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sake, or wine if you want a little acid in the dish. Once the veggies are nearly cooked, push them to one side and pour a beaten egg onto the bare part of the pan. Count to ten then scramble the egg. Once the egg is cooked, toss it into the veggie mixture and serve over rice. It's that easy!

Farm News
Brrrrrrr, it's cold out there! This week's low temperatures are keeping us indoors doing paper work, updating our website, looking into grants for building projects, and seeding more microgreens in the sunny greenhouse. Luckily we avoided all that snow that they got up state!

Our brand, spankin' new tine weeder arrived last week! We can't wait to use it in the Spring and we look forward to better weed control next year.

Wishing you a warm, cozy week!
~Eleanor & Patrick