Melons at the farm

Greetings!

Vegetable of the Week… Melons!

Melons are the only “fruit” we grow at Angelic Organics (though we grow plenty of vegetables that are botanically classified as fruits), and we have a variety to offer this season: watermelons, muskmelons, honeydew and Asian melons. In total we are growing 10 different varieties. This week look for orange, yellow or red-fleshed watermelon in your box, or maybe a fragrant muskmelon. Some shareholders received a striped, oblong ‘Sun Jewel’ Asian melon last week. The melon varieties that you find in your box will fluctuate as each type becomes harvest-ready. The cookbook has a great selection of melon recipes, pairing them with cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs and fennel. And there’s even more available online: Google’s recipe search offered up this tasty flavor combination from About.com when searching “watermelon basil,”

Watermelon, Basil & Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Syrup.
4 cups watermelon cubes (about 1-inch), seeds removed
1 pound fresh mozzarella balls
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
2 cups good balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
In a small pot, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil. Continue to boil until it has reduced to about 1/2 cup and has a syrup-like consistency. Set aside and allow to completely cool. If you have time, you can make the balsamic syrup ahead of time and refrigerate it for later. In a large bowl, gently toss together the watermelon, basil, and mozzarella. If you are using the larger size mozzarella balls, first cut them into bite-size pieces. Put servings of the salad onto chilled plates. Drizzle with the balsamic syrup. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of each salad. Makes 6 servings.

Farmer John Writes…
Greetings from Angelic Organics and a Special Welcome to Our 12-Week Shareholders! For a video demonstrating what to expect at your delivery site, click here!

It’s Good
We continue to be blessed by our crops at Angelic Organics. So much sweet corn…big ears! So many tomatoes here already and on their way. A gargantuan crop of eggplant. A great onion crop in storage for parceling out through the rest of the season. Fabulous carrots. An unprecedented crop of potatoes for which there is no room in the box for at least two or three more weeks. This is good; farming is not always so generous.

I suppose it shouldn’t just come from me, the farmer:
Excerpts from recent shareholder letters:

Dear John,
I’d like to comment that this year has been my best since I became a shareholder in 1995.

Dear Angelic Organic Farm Team,
Your vegetables are so delicious.  The salad greens are super flavorful.  The beets make a great soup.  Never had garlic scapes before and they’re great.  Everything is noticeably more fresh and wonderful than organic from the stores.  This is just a note from two shareholders to say your hard work is much appreciated.

Shelly,
I cannot tell you how much we are enjoying this vegetable experience.  I have been woefully behind on eating the cooking greens in the boxes, so last night I decided to bake a lot of them.  I did all sorts of different flavors and seasonings.  So we sat down to dinner last night to eat hot dogs and all sorts of greens (hey–at least part of the dinner was healthy, right?) and my five year old son says, “Did you make kale chips?”  Before I could say anything he picked up one, ate it and then–while shoveling a whole handful in his mouth–said “oh, yeah, this is chard.” I busted up laughing because he was right–it was chard.  And he looked like some sort of dinosaur with greens hanging from the corners of his mouth.  At the end of dinner, after our one-and-a-half year old had decided he was done (which means throwing food), I gave him a little bit of our “dessert greens” (it was beet greens with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar) and he did not throw that!  He couldn’t get enough of it.  Before joining Angelic Organics I would not have thought this was possible.  Thank you to everyone at the Farm!

Sigh.

Save the Date, Sept 24
Help support the Angelic Organics Learning Center’s Save the 70 Campaign. Attend a tasty local foods dinner and a signing of Farmer John’s Cookbook at Between the Lynes Bookstore in Woodstock. (Food supplied by local farmers, including Angelic Organics. Details here.

New Food Documentary: Farmageddon, the Unseen War on American Family Farms
Aug 26th – 31st at the Gene Siskel Film Center. 
I haven’t seen this film, but the topic is compelling; many well intentioned, well managed and health providing farms have been destroyed by U.S. government policy and intervention. Scary.

Very Cool Upcoming Programs at the Angelic Organics Learning Center
August 27:  Ice Cream, 10am to noon: In this family program, kids and adults together will learn to milk a goat, and make ice cream using ingredients mostly from the farm.
August 28:  Farm Animal Day for Families, 10 am to 3 pm:  Learn all about the farm animals, help the crew care for the livestock, and make a delicious treat.
September 3-4:  Family Farm Overnight
Register at least one week in advance.
The Learning Center August calendar has links to all of their programs.

Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.
Fruiting Crops – Eggplant, Sweet Corn, Cucumbers, Summer Squash, SWEET Jalapenos, Sweet Bell Pepper (yellow, green or purple-brown skinned) & Watermelon or Cantaloupe, & maybe a Sun Jewel Asian melon
Alliums – Onions
Salad Greens – bagged baby Swiss Chard
Root Crops – Carrots
Stem Crops – Fennel
Herbs – Basil