Second Pick Up Is Today 6.30.2009

Hello Members,

This is a reminder that today, Tuesday June 30th is our second pick up.

PLEASE BRING YOUR BOXES BACK!!!!!

We'll be ready for you at 4:30pm this afternoon. Aaron and Eric will be at Two Leaves and a Bud in downtown Concord and Brad will be at the Atando Road location. Please stick with your prearranged pick up location. That's where your food will be!

Chad VonCannon with Creekside Farms will be at the Lomax Incubator Farm on Atando Rd. Someone from Four Acres Farm will be at Two Leaves and a Bud to talk with you about what they have to offer. Those of you who ordered meet from Creekside and are picking up at Two Leaves and a Bud will be able to do that. Your order should be ready for you in a cooler marked Creekside on site when you arrive. We'll see how this works and make adjustments in the future.

This week the contents of the boxes will look strangely similar. What you'll notice as we move forward is that a certain item will appear on a regular basis until the season for that particular item ends and then it will be replaced by something else. This week we're finishing up the Kale. We've replaced it for the most part with green beans. Yes it's that time of year- green beans are here. This dry spell means that bean production has dropped off so I'm not sure if you'll see more green beans next week but we do have some to offer this week. We're also quickly moving to irrigate our fields as this period between rain events lengthens. The green beans will be back, next week or soon after.

One repeated question has been about tomatoes. They are not ready yet. They will be ready soon but it will be a week or more likely two. The better news is that the corn is almost ready but I don't want to go tempting you with any more information about next week's box. Let's focus on this week. In your box you'll see:

Swiss Chard
Green Beans
Garlic Scapes
Straight Neck Squash
Patty Pan Squash
Yellow and Green Zucchini
Bigger, Better Cumbers

Also I want to explain the different types of zucchini included in the box this week. Several of our over-achieving Zucchini plants managed to put out huge zucchini before we could get them picked. The same is true of a few of our patty pan squash plants. The result is that we have over-sized fruit that is less tasty for steaming, stir fry or saute'. This fruit is good however for grilling and excellent for making zucchini bread! If you weren't a baker before this week you will be by its end. Recipes below. Of course you'll also be getting the smaller zucchini and squash for you to cook with this week.

Also the garlic scapes have been a big hit. I had garlic scape pesto on Saturday night at a block party near downtown Concord and it was excellent. In response to my request after having this delicious dish Cathie sent the recipe below. Thanks Cathie.

Just a note that as we move out of garlic scape season we will have garlic bulbs. We dried them last week. We also planted quite a few late-season sweet potatoes.

If you have recipes please share. If you're having a weekly dinner to use all these wonderful veggies let us know. We're so please that the work going into growing this food is resulting in not only great tasting meals but also people sharing time together and sharing cooking techniques.

Attached is more great information from Debbie Bost at Cooperative Extension Services for Cabarrus County. Her PDF offers more tips and recipes. Thanks Debbie. And also thanks again to member Cathie who sent me tips on storing fresh vegetables.

Enjoy your week and as always, call me with any questions.

Best Wishes,

Aaron


Garlic Scape Pesto from Cathie
(recipe adapted from a combination of online sources)

Ingredients

1/2 cup garlic scapes, finely chopped
4 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups grated parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Method

Put garlic scapes and lemon juice in bowl of food processor with steel blade, and process until scapes are very finely chopped. With food processor running, add oil through the feed tube and process 2-3 minutes. Remove lid, add half of parmesan cheese and process 2 minutes, then add the rest of cheese and salt and process 2-3 minutes more.

Serve tossed with hot pasta. In the photo above, I ate my pesto with Dreamfield's Linguini. This would also be good on fish, as a topping for bread, or as a seasoning for cooked rice.

Creamy Swiss Chard Pasta

Ingredients

1 lb swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 garlic scapes, smashed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 cup 2% low-fat milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
8 ounces fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package
salt and pepper

Directions

Wash swiss chard, cut into small pieces.
Heat oil in large 2 quart saucepan over medium high heat, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add swiss chard, garlic and onion; cooking 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes, sour cream, milk, parmesan cheese, cooked fettuccine, salt and pepper to taste; stir well.
Serve warm.

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups grated fresh zucchini
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

2 Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.

Zucchini Bread with Pineapple

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla; continue beating mixture until thick and foamy. With a spoon, stir in the zucchini and pineapple.

2 In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A third at a time, add dry ingredients into wet and gently stir (by hand) after each addition. Add the walnuts and raisins, blend gently.

3 Divide the batter equally between 2 greased and flour-dusted 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.
Adapted from a 1974 Sunset Magazine recipe

First Pick Up Is Today 6.23.2009

Just a reminder that the first pick up is today from 4:30pm until 6pm. I'm expecting it to be a little crazy as it is our first pick up of the season. If you need to get in touch with me today give me a call 704/305.6654. I will not be back behind this computer until after the pick up is complete.

You will be picking up boxes that have your last name written on them. Eric and Aaron will be at Two Leaves and a Bud. Brad will be at the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm on Atando Road. Please visit the previously agreed on location for your particular pick up.

Please remember to empty your box and refrigerate its contents as soon as you get home! If not the ice in them will quickly melt and your vegetables will go bad fast.

This week members will be receiving:

Swiss Chard
Kale
Garlic Scapes
Straight Neck Squash
Patty Pan Squash
Yellow and Green Zucchini
A few early Cumbers!

I have attached a wonderful packet of information put together by Debbie Bost and the great folks at Cooperative Extension Services - Cabarrus County Center. This will help those of you less familiar with cooking these foods.

I am going to end this email with two recipes. Please feel free to begin sharing recipes. This is great tasting, locally raised, organic produce. However, you're only going to enjoy it if you eat it!

Garlic scape pesto

1 pound garlic scapes
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
Pine nuts if available

Chop the garlic scapes into 3 inch lengths. Put it int he food processor and process until pureed. Add the parmesan and pine nuts and process until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil as the food processor runs and continue until all the oil is combined into the garlic. Store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.

Kale Chips

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt (this makes them pretty salty- you may want to reduce the amount, then sprinkle the chips with salt w)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches kale, rinsed with stems removed

Directions

Cut kale into 2 to 3 inch pieces.
Mix vinegar, oil, and salt in a large bowl then add kale and mix by hand.
Try to get all the leaves covered.
Place on baking sheets (I like to use parchment paper for easy clean up) and bake at 350 F until they are crispy.
After about 20 minutes, if it looks like they are not sizzling a bit or getting a little crispy, turn up the heat to 400°F.
Time for baking varies depending on the size of your chips and desired crispness.
The outer edges cook quicker than the pieces from near the stem.

See you this afternoon!

Aaron

CSA Update :: Double Extra Update

Well it happened. I miscommunicated- or more accurately I failed to communicated adequately. My wife says failures to communicate are at the heart of 95% of all problems that occur within relationships but I don't listen to her.

Creekside Farms will be at Two Leaves And A Bud on Tuesday to meet those of you who pick up at that location. Next Tuesday they will be at the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm on Atando Road to meet those of you who pick up there. In the future everyone will be able to order from them regardless of pick up location. It's also worth mentioning that Creekside Farms sells their meat at the Piedmont Farmers Market on Saturday, Monday and Thursday. More information about times and locations by clicking here. We're trying to make it easy by having your meat/eggs/cheese in the box when you pick it up but the good news is that there is great tasting, chemically-free meat available in Cabarrus County throughout the week.

This Tuesday those of you picking up at the Lomax Farm on Atando Rd will be introduced to Four Acres Farms. I am going to use the description of their farm written up my Christy Shi and Know Your Farms in coordination with the Bost family.

Four Acres Farm :: Debbie and Marvin Bost

Farming has been part of the Bost's lives for as long as they can remember. Debbie's father is a veterinarian and always had sheep, goats and horses at her house. Marvin’s father and grandfather farmed hay and beef cattle so he grew up around the farm.

Originally, Marvin and his father had 4 acres of land in the town of Mt.Pleasant with a barn, chickens, ponies and cows. When the town eliminated farm animals within the town limits, the name moved to the current farm which is a Century Farm. Marvin inherited his farm from his maternal grandmother Bessie Moose Eudy.

Debbie and Marvin love the land and the animals. They feel that God has blessed them and it’s their right and obligation to provide food for others.

The Bost's do not farm full-time. They use several high school students to help whenever needed, like when baling hay.

Four Acres Farm has all kinds of animals including sheep, pigs, goats, beef cattle, chickens, guineas, pea fowl, turkeys, mules, donkeys, and horses. The Bosts provide educational school tours and love being able to share their animals with children that have very few opportunities to come in contact with farm animals.

The farm has received 1996 Cabarrus Soil and Water Conservation Farm Family of the Year award and is designated as a Century Farm with North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

The Bost's long-term vision for their farm includes continuing to provide farm tours and meat to residents in their communities.
Sheep / Goat

There are 15 sheep and about 35 goats on the farm. The sheep come from reputable breeders in the Southeast, mainly Penn State’s sheep flock and from Jeremy Etzler in Ohio. They purchase sheep at 6-18 months old or raise them ourselves from their own ewes. They purchase goats the same age from reputable breeders in NC.

The sheep and goats are on pasture all the time. They have shelter from storms and during nighttime if they desire. Usually they sleep in the pasture under the stars. Besides grass, twice a week they get some whole corn and oats.

These animals are only given antibiotics when required for an infection and then they are removed from the group and not harvested for food. The animals are never given hormones, steroids, or growth promoters.

You can read more about Four Acres Farm by clicking here.

OK this is Aaron typing again. I have been to Four Acres Farm. I have eaten delicious beef, goat and lamb given to me by the Bost family. I was *thoroughly* impressed by the taste and by the care with which they raise their animals. I can call my dog and he will come running (sometimes). Debbie Bost can call her cows and they will travel over several acres to come and see her. The picture above is one I took while visiting her farm- of a cow and her day old calf.

The Bost Family can tell you more about what they have to offer and how you can buy meat raised responsibly right here in Cabarrus County. They will be at the Lomax Farm this Tuesday and at Two Leaves and Bud next week.

Sorry for any confusion.

Best Wishes,

Aaron

Please forgive any mispellings as this post was typed with a three old on lap.

CSA Update :: We're About to Begin

10 days ago

this morning

Hello CSA Members,

Yes these pictures are of the same squash field. What a difference 10 days can make!

Just a reminder that next Tuesday, June 23 will be our first pick up. I have heard from many of you regarding which location you'll be using as a place of pick up. However some of you have yet to respond. We can't have your yummy vegetables ready for you at the proper place unless we know if you're picking up at the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm Park on Atando Road or at Two Leaves and a Bud in downtown Concord. If you have not done so already let me know by sending me an email or by giving me a call at 704/305.6654.

If you missed it, the Lomax Incubator Farm was featured in the Charlotte Observer this past Sunday. You can read the entire article online here:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/779137.html

It even has pictures of us. I was out of town on a research assignment last weekend when the article ran. My wife called to tell me about it and said,

"You'll never believe who's on the front page of the Charlotte Observer. It's you and you're wearing that ridiculous hat."

I can't republish the picture here but you can see it and pictures of Brad and Eric hard at work. You can also learn more about the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm Park by reading the article. There are many, many more people involved in the Lomax Incubator Farm. I'll share more information about the program and its people with you during the course of the season but this article is a good overview.

Below I am posting a letter from Chad and Faith VonCannon. They own and operate Creekside Farms. They are one of our 'Protein Partners' and they will be at Two Leaves and a Bud at the first pick up to introduce themselves and share samples of their meat. They will have meat to sell as well if you are interested. I have also attached their price list.

We're not trying to overwhelm you but so many of you have expressed interest in buying local meat, eggs and cheese that we wanted to bring in people who do that and do it well. I can speak personally for the great tasting sausage and beef they raise. I've been to their farm and I've seen the animals. I even ended 5 years of vegetarianism so I could eat their meat and know what it's like. Tasty, very tasty.

We'll be featuring a few other 'Protien Partners' as well and I'll be sharing more information about them in future updates including Four Acres Farm. We're having their lamb this evening for dinner.

Speaking of meat, we just ordered our Thanksgiving turkey. We ordered from the Wagner Family at Carlea Farms. I know it's early but they will sell out fast. If you're interested contact them at cwag@ctc.net or 704/463.1882. Tell them Cold Water Creek Farms sent you.

One last mention before our pickup begins. Two Leaves and a Bud is being gracious enough to host our downtown Concord pick up (and they bought a membership!) so be sure to thank them for their hospitality and try their tea. It's great. They also serve great food and hopefully an increasing amount of it will come from Cold Water Creek Farms.

See you Tuesday- remember 4:30pm until 6:00pm.

Aaron

June 23 We Will Start

Hello Cold Water Creek Farms CSA Members,

Let me start with the good news. We will begin our 2009 season on Tuesday, June 23. That is the date of the first pick up- we're almost there! There really isn't any bad news but I want all of you to know that we might not be at full capacity on June 23. That means those of you with full share will likely receive less than $25 worth of organic produce and those of you with half shares will likely receive less than $13 worth. We will make up for this later in the season and I will notify you on the weeks when you receive *more* than you're usual amount to make up for the slow start. We think it's important to get this party started even if the cool, wet spring has us delayed so Tuesday June 23 is the day! Let's review the pick up procedure.

We have two pick locations- at the Elma C. Loma Incubator Farm on Atando Road off Highway 49 and Two Leaves and a Bud, the tea shop in downtown Concord. Pick ups will happen every Tuesday evening. I need everyone to reply to this email or give me a call (704/305.6654) and let me know which location you'll be using. I need you to do this as soon as possible. Please pick the location you plan to visit each week. If everyone changes locations each week it will drive us crazy and really they are only about 6 miles apart so pick the one that will work best for you and let me know as soon as you can.

Pick ups will be from 4:30pm until 6:30pm. If you know you're not going to be able to pick up your food on a particular week because it's the only time your manicurist could work you into her schedule let me know in advance and we'll make the best arrangements possible. Otherwise food not picked up by 6:30pm will be donated to the Cooperative Christian Ministry. If left unrefrigerated some of this food will not last long and we don't want it to go to waste.

Several of you have asked about vacation weeks. If you are going to be out of town let me know in advance and I will post an email letting everyone know that an extra share is available for someone else to pick up. If we're able to sell that extra share to someone else who happens to have company in town for the week or someone who wants more food or wants to try and can some of it for the winter we'll just reimburse the vacationing family with an extra share later on in the season. All members have the option of donating a share on vacation week to help address hunger in Cabarrus County. Cold Water Creek Farms will be donating one share each week towards this effort and we can add a share if you're family is on vacation and can't use the food.

During the first few weeks there will be several other farmers at the pick up locations with samples of meat, eggs and perhaps cheese for sale. These are our 'Protein Partners.' We are not reselling their food. They are not offering us money to be at our pick ups. We are simply trying to connect our CSA members, those of you who are interested, with people who raise and produce great meat, eggs and cheese. One of the biggest complaints about local food is not being able to get everything at one location the way you can at a conventional grocery store. We're trying to address that by partnering with people who grow things we don't. I'll profile each of our partners in the next few email updates.

In terms of an in-the-field update we got a substantial amount of rain last week but we were able to get lots of work done ahead of time in preparation. Last week we weeded and cultivated the fields. We planted more tomatoes. We planted a ridiculous amount of basil. We planted okra. We sprayed organically approved measures to address the squash vine borer (pdf warning). The squash is about to start blooming. Overall everything is looking good.

Last Thursday we lost our ice machine. The gear box died and we suddenly found ourselves without a way to keep our produce chilled. In the next few weeks we hope to have a walking cooler installed on site at the Lomax Incubator Farm but in the meantime we we're without coolth! Brad and Eric rode a wave of serendipity that made a relatively affordable replacement ice machine available to us within a few hours of the old one going bust. The whole story would take too long to send in an email and includes both of them playing a prank on me. If you want to hear it you'll likely have to buy one of us a beer. It's that kind of tale.

Two weeks and counting!

Best Wishes,

Aaron

lots of water

sweet potato slips ready to be cut and planted in the field

those same sweet potatoes a month ago

It has been raining- even indoors as I will explain- but we will not complain about the rain! It has come mostly slow and steady in intervals over the last week and a half. We have been able to work between showers (and occasionally during them) and have gotten quite a bit more planted.

Our second planting of corn is complete. The first planting was weeded yesterday and is knee-high. I won't complain about the rain but I will whine a bit about the humidity. Weeding yesterday was like working in soup.

We also planted roughly as many beans as we can possibly keep picked. How many bushels of beans can you pick in an hour? We're growing several varieties this year including Provider. Both the beans and the second planting of corn have germinated and are looking good.

We have aphids in the greenhouse. This isn't a problem to categorize as catastrophic; more of an annoyance and something we can control. We have sprayed insecticidal soap that is approved for organic production. It is doing the job but this is where the story gets interesting. Because we've sprayed all the plants with soap we can no longer water them from above but must dip each flat in water so as not to wash the soap off the leaves. This process takes much longer but it beats having a full blown aphid infestation.

Of course this meant we had to find a way to water thousands of plants by submerging them in water without taking hours of labor everyday. Not a problem. On Wednesday of this week Brad built a temporary float bed that allows us to float flats of transplants in water without washing off the necessary soap. The problem occurred when I stepped in to help fill the float bed with water. You see I put in the hose and turned on the water but forgot to turn it off. Other farm-related tasks required attention and I forgot the water was running. The float bed filled up and then the greenhouse floor flooded. It looked as if it had rained indoors as well as out. We got the problem cleaned up and Brad and Eric have yet something else to pick on me about.

In addition to the corn and beans we planted about 300 tomatoes (more soon) and more than 1000 pepper plants. In terms of bell peppers we are growing Ace, California Wonder and Sweet Chocolate. Peppers take a long time to get started. We've been caring for these peppers for more than three months in the greenhouse and now they're out in the field and ready to take off.

We also planted several thousand Swiss Chard transplants a little more than a week ago. They've made the transition into the field very well. If you've never cooked with Chard I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised.

Here's a recipe to get you thinking

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
• 2 large bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chard; stir to coat. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Hopefully I'll have a start date for pick ups for you by the next email update. The squash and zucchini are growing quickly and the Kale and Collards are producing more each week. Garlic will be ready fairly soon so we'll be able to fill out a basket in the near future. It's coming! Remember you can give me a call any time with questions. 704/305.6654

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Aaron

slugs!

For the past two Saturdays, Cold Water Creek Farms has been at the Winecoff School Road Farmers' Market selling radishes and lettuce. We haven't had enough produce to make much money but it has been a good experience and lots of fun. It has given us the chance to meet several of you who also shop at that market. One of our CSA members, who will remain nameless in this update, made a good humored joke by suggesting that she was only at the farmers' market because her CSA hadn't started up yet. It has been cooler (46 degrees this morning- the greenhouse heater kicked on!) and wetter than we might have liked but plants are coming up and getting bigger by the day. Warm weather will set in and allow the tomatoes, peppers and all the other heat-loving plants to get to work. The food is on the way!

Last week one of our CSA members stopped by my house while on a bike ride. She bought a bag of leaf lettuce from us at the farmers market and made a joke about whether or not we should have charged her extra for the slug that hitched a ride back to her house along with the lettuce. I told her that in fact we do charge extra for slugs and that she now owes us a nickel. You might think this is where I explain that because we don't use synthetic pesticides that you should expect slugs in our lettuce but it's not. You should not expect slugs in your lettuce and you should let us know if you find any unwanted critters in your food.

It is entirely likely that we will make mistakes during this CSA season. We're shooting for perfection but we all know how that goes. The reason I'm sharing the slug story is that we want feedback from all of you about how this is working out for your family. As we move forward through the season we want you to let us know how we're doing, what you like, and what we could improve upon. Letting us know that a slug slipped through our lettuce washing process helps us to make adjustments that keep that from happening in the future so please send me an email or give me a phone call if you have any concerns this season. Your feedback will make us better.

As we target which week in June to start up we're considering a transitional week or two as a way to get the food flowing early. This would mean that the first few baskets of food would be less than the $25 full share amount or the $13 half share amount. We would make up for this of course by increasing the amount of food later in July and August when we'll be running at full speed. Or we could add an extra week to make up the difference. As always communication is the key. If you are getting less than promised on any particular week I will let you know and I will let you know how we plan to make up for that later in the season. Our goal is 40 happy families at the end of 2009!

We're purchasing the containers that you will use for picking up your food each week. Each family will have two containers. On week one you will pick up your food in its container. On week two you will need to bring your empty container from week one and take home a full container already prepared for week tTwo. If you forget to bring your empty container back we will shame you by emptying your container into paper bags making it look like you were at the grocery store buying food from far away and not supercool CSA members supporting local agriculture in Cabarrus County. I'm kidding, well kinda ;-) but I thought I'd let all of you know how the container rotation will work. I'll send reminders to help everybody remember.

This week we're planting more corn and beans and some okra. We're hoping to transplant tomatoes, tomitilloes, peppers and some other heat-lovers out into the field. Now if we could just get rid of this arctic air in May.

Best Wishes,

Aaron