CSA Week 15

Farm News: Cooperation is Key to Great Food August 15, 2017

We work with several other farms to provide everything we offer our members.   We have three different ways to cooperate with these farms.  The fruit share is a multiple farm share, where we purchase wholesale fruit from Browns Berries and Sasha and Jimmy Rhea (strawberries),  Peaches from Bader Farms, Blackberries and blueberries from Ozark Mountain Orchard, and apples from A&A Orchard and Gardeners Orchard .  Some of these folks are using conventional chemical approaches, others are using more sustainable practices.  Either way, we let you know how they were raised, and we seek out the very best fruit we can find.   The cheese and egg shares are single farm shares; our friends Lesley and Barry Millions at Terrell Creek in Fordland make the best goat cheese we’ve ever tasted, and the Boosey family of Blue Heron Farm take raising eggs to the level of an art , allowing their chickens to pasture freely, leading to really beautiful dark yolks. They bring these shares by and drop them off for you to enjoy.   Our meat shares are provided by independent farmers who deliver their shares directly to their members at our farm;  this includes Providence Farm, who provide a heritage poultry share (think geese, ducks, and Cornish game hens),  Bechard Farm, who provide pasture raised chicken, and  Emmanuel and Lydia Schwartz, an amish couple from El Dorado who provide pasture raised Highland beef and pork.   Additionally, there are farms who we source some produce from, like this weeks watermelons, purchased for us at the amish produce auction by Dan Bigby of Fassnight Creek Farm, who sometimes also supplies us with sweet corn,  snap peas, or other goodies.   Altogether, our farm coordinates with as many as a dozen other farms throughout the season to provide you with the best possible produce.   This means that you are not only supporting our farm when you become a member, but you are also helping other farms in the area fulfill their missions as well.  Farming is risky business, but by cooperating and receiving the support of a community of like-minded members such as yourselves, we have created a vibrant, strong network of producers. Thank you for that. From Curtis and Dan and Sasha and Jimmy and Crystal and John and Lesley and Barry and James and Wes and Ame and Armand and Teddy and Emmanuel and Lydia and all our families and crews.

What’s in your share?

Full Share: Watermelon (Amish Produce Auction) Tomatoes Carrots Bell Peppers Cucumbers Romas or Cherry Tomatoes Okra or Carmen Peppers Rosemary Leaf Lettuce Bread Share: Cracked Wheat Bread by Emma and Anna Millsap Fruit Share: Peaches from Bader Farms Half Share: Watermelon (Amish Produce Auction) Tomatoes Carrots Bell Peppers Cucumber Sampler Share: Watermelon (Amish Produce Auction) Tomatoes Carrots

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce 2 cups roasted red peppers, skinned and seeded 2 Tbsp butter 4 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp dried basil Freshly cracked pepper 1/2 cup heavy cream Add the roasted red peppers to a blender along with about 2 Tbsp of the liquid or water. Purée the peppers until smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to help it blend. Mince the garlic and add it to a skillet with the butter. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic has softened and becomes very fragrant (but not browned). Pour in the puréed peppers, and add the dried basil and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir to combine. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, or until the mixture is thick (see photos below). Add the heavy cream to the skillet, stir until the sauce is smooth, and allow to heat through. Taste the sauce ad add salt if needed (I found the liquid from the jar added enough salt for me). Serve warm.

Spicy Sautéed Okra 1 pound okra 1 small onion 4 cloves garlic 1 to 3 hot chiles 1 tablespoon vegetable or grapeseed oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds Sea salt Rinse and trim the okra (cut off and discard the stem ends, particularly on any larger pods). Cut any but the very smallest of pods into bite-size pieces. Truly tiny pods can be left whole, if you like. Set the okra aside. Trim off and discard the stem and root ends of the onion. Cut in half lengthwise; remove and discard the onion peel. Mince the onion and set aside. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Set aside. Remove and discard the stems from the chiles. Cut the chiles in half lengthwise; remove and discard the seeds. Cut the chile halves crosswise as thinly as possible. Set aside. Heat a heavy pot over high heat. Add the oil and the cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until the cumin seeds start to turn color, and become extra fragrant about 30 seconds. Add the onion, garlic, and chile slices. Stir to combine everything. The spices and aromatics should be sizzling the entire time. Add the okra. Cook, stirring frequently, until the okra is tender to the bite and brown on the edges, 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the heat so the okra is sizzling, but the garlic and other aromatics don’t char or burn. Transfer the okra to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste and spritz with lemon juice, if you like. Serve hot or warm. While any leftovers are tasty, this isn’t a great make-ahead dish; you can, however, do all the chopping a few hours ahead and store things, covered and chilled, until you’re ready to quickly cook it closer to serving time.

Thanks for choosing us to be your farmers! ~Millsap Farm Crew