This Week's Vegetable Harvest*: Head Lettuces Green Beans Cucumber Fresh Dill Zucchini Green Kale Leeks Colorful Bell Pepper Garlic *NOTE: We're sorry! We accidentally omitted Tendersweet Cabbage from last week's shares. Members will receive in next week's shares. This Week's Fruit Harvest: 'Zestar' Summer Apples 'Sweet Star' Peaches ''Einset' (red seedless) Grapes

Farm Journal

Good afternoon from the farm!

It is a challenging time to be sure. But despite what farmers are experiencing this season, there’s still a feeling of optimism from small family farmers within our circles. There are also impressive displays of farmers adjusting to what’s needed.

This week alone, we’ve heard stories of small farmers working through unimaginable circumstances. In California, farmers are working amidst wildfire smoke and an extreme heatwave, and yet they are still sharing stories and images with others of beautiful life on their farms. Our friends in Florida shared a tongue-in-cheek weekly farm agenda with their crew that included, “Monday – harvest, Tuesday – hurricane?” encouraging us all to laugh a little at the crazy unpredictability of the weather. Our farming friends’ in southern Wisconsin, who are farming through a pandemic with a newborn (!), are still willing to swap stories and trade ideas on how to best plan for 2021.

We're all adjusting in our own ways. Each season, we share with you the different crops that thrive (our best zucchini and cucumber season in years and what a peach season!) and the different crops/areas that struggle (our chicken flock, sigh). Your willingness to adapt your cooking patterns, adapt your schedule store produce for the winter months, share your extra produce with friends, and eat seasonally means that we’re all adjusting together to what the land and each season provides for us. As we continue to read about perennial vegetables and growing our food forest towards a food-producing resource, we’re grateful for your curiosity, open-mindedness and encouragement.

Thank you for your flexibility, adaptability and creativity in your kitchens! And thank you for supporting farmers across the midwest as we all adapt to our changing world.    Cheers, Jeff, Jen and the PWFF Farm Crew

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Grape season continues! This week, we're sharing Einset grapes which Abby Klug describes as, "dark red, firm, sweet with a unique strawberry-like flavor." They are seedless and a beautiful addition to cheese plates, lunches or to enjoy as a snack.

Sweet peppers are making another appearance this week as we're seeing plenty of color in the field. We grow two types of sweet peppers and the difference between these two peppers is slight: bell peppers tend to have thicker, walls containing more water while Italian frying peppers have thinner and skins, allowing them to cook more quickly. This week, members will receive bell peppers. Both are deliciously sweet eaten raw or cooked and used interchangeably. Peppers are best stored in the crisper drawer where the temperature is a bit warmer than the back or shelves of the fridge (peppers like 50 degrees).

Seasonal Recipes from the Farm Kitchen Sauteed Kale with Garlic 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 large bunch kale, stemmed, with leaves coarsely chopped 1/2 cup vegetable stock, white wine or water salt, freshly ground black pepper and red-pepper flakes to taste 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add garlic, and cook until soft. Add kale to the pan, turn the heat to medium-high and add the stock. Use a spoon to toss the greens in the oil and stock, then cover and cook for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, until it is soft and wilted, but still quite green. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated, another 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and peppers, add vinegar and toss to combine.  (source: nytimes.com) Grilled Peach and Bell Pepper Salsa 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint 1 garlic clove, pressed 2 large firm but ripe peaches (about 1 pound), halved, pitted 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, quartered, seeded 1 tablespoon cider vinegar   Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Mix oil, basil, mint and garlic in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lightly brush cut side of peaches with half of oil mixture. Grill or broil peaches, cut side only, until light brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 2 minutes. Cool peaches. Grill or broil pepper, peel side only, until charred, about 8 minutes. Place pepper in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel pepper. Cut peaches and pepper into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to medium bowl. Add vinegar and remaining half of oil mixture. Season salsa to taste with salt and pepper, toss gently to blend. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Green Beans with Lemon & Feta  3/4 to 1 pound of fresh green beans (stem end snipped off), washed  4 heaping tablespoons feta cheese  juice of 1/2 of a lemon  2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil  salt and pepper to taste   Add about 1/2 inch of water to a medium-sized sauté pan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add beans, cover and continue to cook on medium-high for 4-5 minutes or until fork tender but still crispy. Drain and return to pan. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Place green beans on a plate and sprinkle with feta, then lemon juice, then pepper and salt. Serve immediately. (source:rachelcooks.com)

• Tags: Bell Peppers, Garlic, Green Beans, Kale, Peaches

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