VOLUME 7, ISSUE 15
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BURR OAK GARDENS, LLC
To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves- Mohondas Gandhi
This Week on the Farm
Autumn begins this week and the weather does seem to
be cooling off at night somewhat. We had heavy fog this
morning and the burr oak was just gorgeous. Thankfully
the extended forecast does not show frost for the next
week, which is great. At this point in the season we start
monitoring that very carefully. We have row covers that
we can put over the fall greens and other tender fall
crops, but we also have to decide whether or not to set
up overhead irrigation in the peppers and tomatoes to
protect them from frost. That task will depend on
whether or not the frost is expected early or if by the
time it is forecasted to arrive those crops are mostly
done producing.
The peppers are still going strong and if we don’t have a
frost in the next two weeks we will most likely glean
what we have left in the field at the end of that time and
put what we have remaining in our cooler. The cooler
nights and cloudy/rainy days that we have been having
have started to impact the yield on the tomatoes. This
will be the last week of cherry tomatoes as the growth
rate has slowed to the point where we will not have enough to go in everyones box next week. The
more disease resistant varieties of tomatoes that we planted this year are still producing well and we
should have some tomatoes until frost arrives. They are also starting to slow down and you may not
be getting the quantity that you have been getting these last few weeks.
We had another rainy week last week and
still have not been able to get into the
field to harvest the potatoes. We have
been able to get a start on winter
squashes and we have all of the acorn and
delicata squash in the greenhouse curing.
We still have butternut, sunshine
kabocha, and pie pumpkins to harvest.
We should be able to get those crops all in
by this weekend.
The last planting of sweet corn was a
bust. The pollination rate was very poor
which lead to very uneven ears. Most
likely it was due to all of the rainy
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VOLUME 7, ISSUE 15
weather we had just as it was starting to silk. I am pretty bummed
since it had been looking very promising, but there is nothing we can
do to alter the weather. And speaking of weather, thankfully we did
not get the golf ball sized hail that went through the area late Monday
afternoon!
The looseleaf lettuce planting looks great and we should be able to
start harvesting looseleaf next week. The deer starting nibbling on one
of the head lettuce varieties, but so far they have left everything else
alone. That is extra incentive to get the row covers on the greens so
that they don’t have access to the plants any more. I love the return of
all of the fall greens and it does somewhat make up for the cooler
weather.
The last of the direct seeded crops have started to germinate and the
germination rate was much better than we had anticipated. We were a
little concerned that the plantings would be uneven since we had to
get them in between rain storms and the ground was very wet. I think
that was one of the more difficult plantings to get in the ground
because the ground was chunky and the planter does not roll evenly
when the ground isn’t smooth. But despite getting eaten alive by the
mosquitoes and racing to get it in before dark and the arrival of the
next rain storm, we got it in and it is growing.
We have sold a significant amount of our honey, but we do still have
some left if you are interesting in purchasing some for this year. Just
email me at [email protected] to let me know how many jars
you are interested in purchasing. I will email you to confirm and then
once I receive payment I will send the honey along with your next CSA
tote.
We had a wonderful Farm Fiesta on Saturday and we want to thank
everyone who stopped out to visit. The food was fantastic and the
company was even better! Remember that we do have an open door
policy, so if you want to stop out to visit the farm and see where your
food is grown just give us a call!
Honey Now On Sale
$8 per pound (Sold in one pound jars)
Contact [email protected] to place an order.
Make check out to Burr Oak Gardens, LLC and send
payment to Burr Oak Gardens, LLC
W5511 County Road B
Rio, WI 53960
(Honey will be placed in your next CSA tote after payment is
received)
WWW.BURROAKGARDENS.COM
Your Box This
Week
!Garlic- Store in a cool
dry place out of direct
sunlight.
!Delicata Squash- Same
as garlic.
!Tomatoes- Store on the
countertop (not in the
fridge!)
!Roma Tomatoes- Same
as tomatoes.
!Cherry TomatoesSame as tomatoes.
!Hungarian Hot Wax
Peppers or Jalapeños
(Fatter peppers with
heat of a jalapeño)Store in fridge in a paper
bag.
!Red Flame Peppers
(Thin red peppers,
very hot!)-Same as hot
peppers.
!Highlander Pepper
(Bullshorn hot
pepper)- Same as hot
peppers.
!Bell Peppers- Same as
hot peppers.
!Tokyo Market
Turnips- Remove the
tops and store in a plastic
bag in fridge.
!Salanova Lettuce-
Wash the lettuce and spin
or pat dry with paper
towel. Spread evenly on a
paper towel and loosely
roll the paper towel. Place
rolled towel in a plastic
bag and place in the
fridge.
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VOLUME 7, ISSUE 15
Tokyo Turnip Salad
1 bunch of turnips, scrubbed trimmed & sliced in 1/4″
rounds
1/2 cup rice or white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
water to cover
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
Combine the vinegar and salt in a shallow bowl and stir until
the salt is dissolved. Submerge the turnip slices and add
more vinegar, if necessary, to cover. Allow to stand 15
minutes. Remove the turnips from the liquid, add toasted
sesame seeds and toss. Serve over noodles or rice or
alongside another dish.(From www.fullbellyfarm.com)
Butter Bathed Tokyo Turnips
1 bunch tokyo turnips
olive oil
2-3 T butter
leaves from 4 branches thyme
Halve the turnips, reserving any greens for another use. Heat
a large, cast iron skillet until very hot. Add a couple
tablespoons olive oil and sear the turnips, cut side down, until
darkly colored. Flip the turnips, sprinkle them with salt, and
continue to sear the rounded sides for another couple
minutes, or until deeply colored.
Add a quarter cup of water to the pan and immediately cover
the skillet with a lid or sheet pan. Lower the heat and allow
the turnips to steam for a few minutes, or until they are as
tender as you like them.
Remove the lid. If the water has not boiled off, allow it to do
so now, then add the butter and bathe the turnips in the
butter as it melts, a minute or two more. Sprinkle the thyme
leaves over the top, taste for salt and serve warm. Delicious.
(From www.mariquita.com)
Delicata Squash & Red Pepper Skillet
1 small delicata squash, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 small bell peppers, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh spinach
2-3 eggs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a
large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the squash,
cover, and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the cover and stir in the peppers and onion. Sauté
for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt and
pepper. Stir in the spinach and wilt.
Make two or three small wells in the squash mixture and
crack an egg into each. Transfer the skillet to the oven and
bake for 7-10 minutes or until the eggs are set. Serve
immediately. (www.paleogrubs.com)
Beer-Onion- Jalapeño Cheese Bread
8 ounces flat lager-style beer
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
1 package yeast
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
4 ounces Asiago cheese, shredded
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onions
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Heat beer and butter together in a saucepan over low heat
until butter is melted and temperature reaches 115 to 120
degrees F (45 to 50 degrees C).
Stir pepper jack cheese, Asiago cheese, onions, and
jalapeño peppers together in a bowl.
Place beer and butter mixture into bread machine pan, add
sugar, salt, and flour, respectively. Create a small well about
2-inches deep in the flour and add yeast; push flour over
yeast to cover. Add about half the cheese mixture.
Select Basic or White Bread cycle and start machine.
After the cycle has been running for 30 minutes add
remaining cheese mixture. Continue processing in bread
machine. Remove loaf from machine and place on a wire
rack until cool, about 20 minutes.
Cook's Notes:
I like to use 4-ounces of pepper jack and 4-ounces of Asiago,
but any other cheese or cheese combination would work.
If you do not let it cool it will deform the loaf.
If you find the bread is rising to high/fast, try removing 1/2
ounce beer the next time you bake. If it is not rising high
enough try adding 1/2 ounce beer the next time. Higher
altitudes will have differing results. (From
www.allrecipes.com)
One-Hour Sweet w/ Heat Tomato &
Pepper Chutney
4 medium tomatoes, about 1 pound, diced large &
chunkier
1 large red pepper, seeded and diced medium
1 medium yellow/sweet onion, peeled and diced small
1 small yellow banana pepper, seeded and diced fine
(removing seeds reduces heat. For spicier chutney, use
serrano, habenero or your favorite pepper with the
appropriate heat level, to taste)
2 teaspoons ground ginger (fresh ginger may be
substituted)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar (white vinegar may be
substituted)
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons light or medium molasses, optional
2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey, optional
salt, optional and to taste
Place all ingredients except molasses and salt in a large pot.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to combine.
After mixture has come to a boil, put a lid on the pot but keep
it ajar with a few inches of opening for steam to escape.
Allow mixture to boil quite rapidly for about 30 minutes. I did
not check on the mixture or stir it during those 30 minutes. I
left it alone to boil.
After 30 minutes, if desired, add molasses, bourbon, salt to
taste (I didn't salt it), and stir to combine.
Allow mixture to boil uncovered for 5 to 15 minutes, or as
long as desired so that the liquid volume has reduced by at
least half, or has reduced to desired level. It will not get thick
like a sauce; but it will have reduced.
Transfer mixture to heat-safe jars or containers. I filled two
12-ounce jars to the brim. To make filling the jars less messy,
I first poured the chutney from the pot into a large glass
measuring cup, then filled the jars.
Allow jars to cool on counter before putting lids on and
refrigerating. Chutney will keep for at least 2 weeks in the
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refrigerator. (From www.averiecooks.com)