| SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 NOTES
FROM SMADAR AT THE GARDENHOUSE (908) 362-7486
As you can see from Judy’s following article,
there are three most wonderful apprentices that we are
missing on many levels. On one level there is a way that
you can help fill the void. If you are interested in
workshare arrangements, or if you just want to step up
and volunteer on the harvest mornings, please call the
gardenhouse. No experience is necessary, but a
willingness to jump in and make a difference is a must.
Morning harvest is a special time – you might just
love it!
Thanks to the organizers of Skyfest Music Festival for
inviting us to have a Genesis Farm booth last weekend. It
was wonderful having it in Blairstown, our backyard, and
the music was fantastic! If you missed it hopefully
you’ll have another chance next year.
Thanks to all the greeters in the distribution center
– your presence makes such a difference! There are
slots available for the fall. If you can help for 2 hours
call Wendy Miller, Tuesday coordinator, at 973-726-4955,
or Sheri Raupp, Friday coordinator, at 908-876-4082.
Many of you have requested that we reorder “From
Asparagus to Zucchini” – a guide to cooking
farm-fresh seasonal produce. It has just arrived and is
for sale in the distribution center.
We are hosting Slow Food Northern NJ’s “ Dig
in” an event of Breaking Ground and Breaking Bread,
part of a nationwide day of volunteer action on September
25, 2010, 10-3PM. If you would like to participate in the
farm activities at the CSG, please email
slowfoodnnj@yahoo.com. Or talk to Smadar at the Garden.
The 2nd payment was due on July 1st. If you have not done
so, please send your payment ASAP. Third and final
payment will be due on Oct. 1st. Thanks to those who have
taken care of this.
AND PICK YOUR OWN -
It is a pleasure to see so many members walking out of
the fields with those magnificent flower bouquets. It is
even more amazing how vibrant the flowers have been,
considering the ridiculous lack of rain that has
characterized this summer. We recommend that you bring
your own scissors and a container such as a coffee can to
help the bouquets last longer.
The cherry tomatoes are sweet and delicious. They are
above the two P.Y.O. flowerbeds across from the little
greenhouse. Even the children seem to enjoy picking them
and popping them in their mouths.
Golden raspberries are coming in now. We are sharing them
with the honeybees this year. They seem to know when the
raspberry is at peak ripeness and flavor.
The P.Y.O.,’ the sharing table, and the herbs are
great places to be mindful of the other members. It is
helpful to look at the sign-out sheet to see how many
names have not been crossed off for an indication of your
fair portions.
GARDENER’S REPORT
RAINY DAY!!!! By Farmer Judy
Finally, it's a rainy day this Monday, August
23. As I stand at the gardenhouse door looking out
at the eggplant I believe I see their leaves reaching up
to catch every drop of rain. I think we are all
happy to be quenched. On days like this the tasks
shift to inside work. The newsletter has been on
our job board for weeks now, so here we are. Some
of the crew is cleaning and sorting onions over at the
barn at Chan's and the rest are getting beds ready in the
greenhouses for winter greens such as lettuce, spinach,
mache, and claytonia to name a few. We will begin
sowing in these beds come September. Autumn is in
the air even though the tomatoes are still ripening, the
cukes are cranking, and bouquets of zinnias are waiting
to be made.
It's been a hot, dry summer. Enough said. But
we have been blessed with a bumper crop of high quality,
enthusiastic apprentices! Perseverance took on a
new meaning as I witnessed not only holding up in extreme
temps BUT ALSO a group of people filled with good humor
and good attitude. And the best part was that it
was contagious.
Our apprenticeship program begins April 1 and ends the
week of Thanksgiving. Every year is different, and
this year we had 3 young women come for the summer
months, which really helped with the summer
workload. So let me introduce our team.
Steve Zwier is with us now for his 3rd season.
Steve has such a great work ethic. We could decide
"It's time to mulch the paths in the tomatoes"
and before I've collected my tools and filled my water
bottle, Steve is already out in the field distributing
bales. Steve has made a big difference here at the
CSG at Genesis Farm. So many improvements and new
ideas have come through him. We are grateful for
his energy.
Samson Schoenbrunn joined us in April for the whole
season. Samson is a whatever-needs-to-be-done kinda
guy. He is responsible for the green beans and
edamame crops. He enjoys transplanting, tractor
work and "long walks on the beach, candle-lit
dinners and horror flicks". Samson is an
artist. I always find his detailed, wonderful
sketches on the corners of paper and on the job
board. I expect to see his work in a gallery
someday.
Margaret Noon comes to us from Scotch Plains, NJ.
Margaret has been a member of the CSG and decided to leap
into our apprenticeship program. She has brought a
lot of enthusiasm and embraces every task that comes her
way. She is president of Slowfood Northern NJ. and
a graduate of Pratt Institute and The French Culinary
Institute. Margaret enjoys seeding, transplanting
and cooking lunch. And I might add, we've all
enjoyed eating her yummy lunches.
Malaika Spencer joined us in May and has just left to
finish her last year at Hampshire College in Amherst,
MA. Malaika has been working on farms since she was
14. Here's one young lady who has known what she
wants and is very solid with it. She took on the
tractor without any hesitation. Actually, she took
on any task without hesitation. One of her favorite
tasks was to drive the dump truck. FYI - Malaika
could drive ANYTHING if she enjoys driving the dump
truck!
Amanda also joined us in May and just left last week to
return to Lehigh University, PA. Amanda volunteered
with us a few days a week last year and decided to join
us for the whole summer this year. Amanda loved
working with the grains. When I would see her in
the grain fields clipping out weeds she looked as if she
were floating in the field. Her responsibility was
the summer squash. Through the whole season she
decided to keep track of the yields of summer squash in 3
different growing situations - roll-down, black
(biotello) plastic, and right in the soil. This
info will be helpful to us. Amanda's family lives
nearby so we hope to see her at our Harvest Festival.
Melanie Frank joined us in June after graduating from
college in Bloomington, Indiana. She will be
leaving us this week to experience new adventures.
Melanie has such a great attitude and a love of the
work. Recently, after spending 3 hours harvesting
cucumbers into 5-gallon buckets and lugging them through
the vine-filled cucumber patch, she walks into the
gardenhouse to report her yield of 502 cucumbers, and
she's smiling! Melanie soaked up every aspect of
our farm. She loved it all.
Erin Schroll joined us the beginning of August.
August could be a tough time to jump into the work but
Erin has kept up the pace and slipped nicely into the
flow of the work. Erin comes to us from Oregon with
a background in horticulture, and construction of green
roofs. Erin would like to have chickens someday so
the chickens have become a focus of hers. We
welcome her good energy.
I know I've said this a million times, but I am so
inspired by the people who come through our
apprenticeship program. I see so much hope for the
world of agriculture. I see a deep core of
commitment even though they may not all choose to be
farmers. I see people who know what they're about
and perhaps working on a farm has empowered them
more. Each one of these people has been a gift to
us, and to the bigger us. Thank you, Steve, Samson,
Margaret, Malaika, Amanda, Melanie and Erin.
Zucchini, Egg-lemon Rice Soup (Mark Bittman, NY Times,
submitted by Tanya McCabe)
3 T olive oil
1 small onion minced
½ C short-grained rice (aborio)
2 or 3 medium zucchini or other Summer squash, shredded
salt & freshly ground pepper
½ C chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 eggs
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
This soup is exquisite! I used chicken broth instead
of water and added all the Parmesan to the soup at the
end, stirring it in.
1) Put oil in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 2
or 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with oil, then
continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until fragrant,
about 2 minutes.
2) Add zucchini along with a light sprinkle of salt and a
few grinds of pepper. Stir constantly for a couple of
minutes, until zucchini starts to wilt and release its
liquid, add about half the parsley. When mixture starts
to stick to bottom of pan, stir in 6 cups water. Bring
soup to a boil, and reduce heat so mixture simmers
steadily. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until rice
is tender and vegetables start to melt into soup.
3) Beat eggs in a 4-cup or larger heat-resistant bowl,
then whisk in the lemon juice. Take a ladle of broth from
pot (be careful not to include too many vegetables) and
slowly add broth to eggs, a few drops at a time at first,
whisking constantly so eggs do not curdle. Repeat once or
twice more, until egg mixture is thick, smooth and very
warm.
4) Adjust heat so that soup bubbles gently. Slowly add
egg mixture, stirring constantly. Taste and adjust
seasoning, adding more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper as
needed. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining
parsley and , if you like , cheese.
5) Yield 4-6 servings. I don’t think so.o.o.!
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