Helsing Junction Farm Newsletter Archive

Greetings from Helsing Junction Farm!

This week finds us preparing for the upcoming farm campout/K records music fest this weekend. The farm is looking tidy, the extra equipment has been rented and lists are in circulation. We are looking forward to finishing up our chores so that we can kick back on a hay bale and listen to some homegrown music. Some of our favorites playing this weekend are Kimya Dawson, Mirah, LAKE, Tender Forever, Karl Blau and our own Jared Snyder. The music starts Friday night at 7:00 pm, resumes Saturday at noon with another show on Saturday at 7:00 pm and then the last show is on Sunday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. For more exact info on the schedule please go to www.krecs.com/helsing/

All tickets are available at the farm. You can buy tickets to individual shows; Friday night’s show is $8.00, all-day Saturday is $12/Saturday night is $8 and Sunday day is $8. A one night camping pass is $2. A full weekend pass which includes camping and all music events is $35. All children 10 and under get in free. We have been asked whether the music fest is child friendly…It is and there will be plenty of children there, but it is not an event specifically for children. The camping facilities will be somewhat primitive. We will have portable toilets with hand washing sinks, but no showers. There are no pre-set camping spots, but there is plenty of room to spread out in the fields and orchard. No fires, firearms or pets please.

In between shows there’s plenty of time for eating some yummy organic food, swimming in the river and stargazing. The food sounds great. Lupe, Bonfilio’s wife who owns a taco truck is preparing tamales again; she’s making vegetarian, vegan and chicken, all made with fresh vegetables from the farm and chicken from Oakland Bay Farm. Last year’s tamales were a big hit, especially the rainbow chard with cheese. There will also be grilled pizza, a stir- fry dish, noodles and a few surprises which are being prepared by 2 guest chefs. Breakfast is granola and fruit, French toast and tofu or egg and veggie scramble. We will also have an espresso cart too. Proceeds from all ticket and food sales will go to Cielo, whose mission is to be a force for justice by serving the self-sufficiency and empowerment of the Latino and other underprivileged communities. Best of all, (keep your fingers crossed) is the weather forecast for this weekend, which promises 80 degree weather and sun!

For those of you who can’t make the music fest, there is always our Farm Open House Day. It will be Sunday September 13th from 1-4 pm, and will be held rain or shine. We will have Lupe’s farm fresh tamales for sale at the Open House too. They will be $2.00 each, hopefully we will have enough for people to take home and throw in the freezer! Bring a pair of boots, some sunscreen and/or an umbrella. Also, bring a knife or clippers and a few empty bags in which to harvest yourself a few vegetables. As many of you who garden or who have worked on farms know, harvesting vegetables is almost addictive. The excitement you get from peering under the canopy of leaves and finding a large orange pumpkin, or a handful of plump beans is amazing. Kids especially seem to enjoy it and it is great fun to seem them get excited over cauliflower or Swiss chard. We hope to see you there! The directions below are for the music fest only, as we have 2 sites; we will be providing directions to the Open House in the next few weeks.

Directions to Helsing Junction Farm Music Fest:
It takes approximately ½ hour to reach the farm from Olympia, 1½ hours from Seattle and 1½ hours from Portland.
-From Seattle or Olympia, take I-5 south to exit 88 (about 15 minutes past Olympia). At the end of the exit ramp, turn right, you’ll be heading west on Highway 12.
-From Portland, take I-5 north to exit 88 B (about 100 miles from Portland). The exit ramp will spit you out heading West on Highway 12.

-Take Highway 12 west for 5 miles into Rochester.
-Turn left at the stoplight on Albany Street.
-Go 3 blocks and turn right onto 185th Street, which instantly bears to the left and becomes Marble Street.
-At a Y in the road about a mile up, Marble becomes Independence Rd. Just stay to the right.
-Take Independence Rd. 2.5 miles, to 12013 Independence Road / Rochester WA / 98579
-Follow signs for parking.

Here is the schedule of when the 2 pounds of basil that comes with your bulk share will be delivered:
Thursday August 20th: Allrecipes, Beacon Hill, Belltown, Capitol Hill, East Olympia, Georgetown and Queen Anne
Wednesday August 26th: Alberta, Centralia, Hawthorne and MLK
Thursday August 27th: Ravenna, Seward Park, West Olympia, West Seattle and WSNMC
Tuesday September 1st: Ballard, Bellevue, Crown Hill, the Farm and Fremont
Tuesday September 8th: Green Lake, Kirkland, Phinney Ridge, Shoreline, Tacoma and Wallingford

Please let us know if you need to reschedule your basil delivery.

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This Week's Shares

Tuesday’s small boxes contain:
1# Roma beans (tender and delicious, eat like green beans)
1½# all-purple potatoes
2 fennel bulbs
1½# summer squash
1½# tomatillos
1 bunch carrots
2 cucumbers
2 sweet fresh onions
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic
2 little gem lettuce
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
No flowers today

Wednesday’s small boxes may contain:
1# Roma beans (tender and delicious, eat like green beans)
1½# all-purple potatoes
2 fennel bulbs
1½# summer squash
1½# tomatillos
1 bunch carrots
2 cucumbers
2 sweet fresh onions
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic
1 red butter head lettuce
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
No flowers today

Thursday’s small boxes may contain:
1-2 pints of Sungold cherry tomatoes
1# slicing tomatoes
1# Roma beans (tender and delicious, eat like green beans)
1½# all-purple potatoes
2 fennel bulbs
1½# summer squash
1½# tomatillos
1 bunch carrots
2 cucumbers
1 sweet fresh onion
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic
1 red butter head lettuce
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
flowers

Tuesday’s large boxes contain:
1½# Roma beans (tender and delicious, eat like green beans)
1½# all-purple potatoes
2 fennel bulbs
1½# summer squash
1½# tomatillos
1# slicing tomatoes
1-2 eggplant
1 bunch golden beets
1 bunch carrots
2 cucumbers
2 sweet fresh onions
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic
2 lettuces
1 head radicchio
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
1 bunch dill
No flowers today

Wendnesday’s large boxes may contain:
1½# Roma beans (tender and delicious, eat like green beans)
1½# all-purple potatoes
2 fennel bulbs
1½# summer squash
1½# tomatillos
1# slicing tomatoes
1-2 eggplant
1 bunch golden beets
1 bunch carrots
2 cucumbers
2 sweet fresh onions
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic
2 lettuces
1 head radicchio
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
1 bunch dill
No flowers today

Thursday’s large boxes may contain:
1½# Roma beans (tender and delicious, eat like green beans)
1½# all-purple potatoes
1½# summer squash
1½# tomatillos
1½# slicing tomatoes
2 peppers
2-3 kohlrabi
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 bunch carrots
2 cucumbers
2 sweet fresh onions
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic
2 lettuces
1 head radicchio
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
1 bunch thyme
Flowers

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Recipes

Roasted Purple Potatoes and Fennel with Garlic Butter:
-Wash 1½ pounds purple potatoes. Cut into 1-inch chunks.
-Cut 1-2 fennel bulbs in half the short way, then lay cut side down and slice into ½ inch chunks.
-Place the potatoes and fennel in a saucepan and cover with water.
-As soon as the water comes to a rolling boil, drain and rinse the vegetables, then drain again.
-Put back into the pan, and add 2 TBS olive oil and toss to coat.
-Pour on to a greased baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.
-Remove from the oven and add 5 cloves minced garlic. Toss together.
-Continue to bake for another 15 minutes until brown and crispy.
-Remove from the oven and toss with 2 TBS butter, 2 TBS chopped chives and a big pinch of sea salt.

Orzo with Summer Squash, Lemon Zest and Toasted Hazelnuts:
-Cook 1½ cups orzo in a 4 to 5 quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
-Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain orzo in a colander.
-While orzo is cooking, heat 1TBS butter and 1 TBS olive oil in a deep 12 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat.
- Chop up 1 fennel bulb and add, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes.
-Add 1½ pounds slice summer squash, ½ an onion chopped, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.
-Toast ½ cup hazelnuts in a skillet until just browned. Rub off loose skins in a kitchen towel and then coarsely chop nuts.
-Remove the squash from the heat and stir in nuts, ½ bunch of chopped chives and 2 tsp fresh lemon zest.
- Add cooked orzo to skillet and stir gently. If mixture seems dry, moisten with some reserved pasta water.
-Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Balsamic Summer Squash:
-Preheat broiler.
-Cut 1½ pounds of summer squash into large chunks.
-In a large bowl, toss the summer squash with 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, ½ tsp salt and some black pepper.
-Arrange squash in 1 layer on a large shallow baking sheet.
-Broil 1 pan 3 to 5 inches from heat, without turning, until browned in spots and beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes.
-Drizzle 2 TBS Balsamic vinegar over broiled summer squash and shake pan a few times, then continue to broil until most of vinegar is evaporated, about 2 minutes more.
-Sprinkle ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over squash and broil again until cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.
-Cool to room temperature and serve sprinkled with ¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Roma Beans with Four Spices:
A nice French recipe from Perfect Vegetables/Cook’s Illustrated.
-Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding 1 tsp salt.
-Tip and tail 1 pound of roma beans.
-Cut the beans into 1-inch segments and then put the beans in the boiling water.
-Cook until beans are just tender, about 2-3 minutes.
-Drain well and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
-In a small bowl combine these spices; ¼ tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ¼ tsp ground ginger. Set aside.
-Melt 2 TBS butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
-When the foaming subsides add the bowl of spices and cook stirring frequently until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
-Add 3 TBS heavy cream and the beans and cook for 1 minute until heated through. Season to taste with salt.


Roma Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Pepper:
-Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop in 1# tipped and tailed Roma beans.
-Cook over high-heat until just crisp tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain, pat dry and set aside.
-In a large sauté pan heat 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat.
-Stir in 2 cloves minced garlic and cook about 2 minutes.
-Add the beans to the pan and stir to coat.
-Take ¼ tsp whole peppercorns, put them in a cloth or paper towel and crush them with a mallet or heavy jar.
-Then add the crushed peppercorns to the beans, along with ½ tsp dried oregano, 2 TBS fresh lemon juice and a big pinch of salt.
-Cook for 3 minutes until beans are warmed through.

Tomatillo Salsa:
-Take the skins off of 1½# of tomatillos. Put the whole tomatillos in a saucepan and cover with water.
-Then add half an onion (roughly chopped), 3 whole cloves of garlic and 1-2 jalapenos (optional).
-Boil until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Drain out all but 1 cup of water and then put the tomatillos etc. in a blender.
-Roughly chop ½ a bunch of cilantro and add it to the blender with a big pinch of sea salt.
-Carefully begin blending the mixture, starting slow so that the hot liquid doesn’t splash you.
-Puree until mostly smooth, about 30 seconds, and then put the salsa in a bowl.
-Finely chop ½ an onion and another ½ bunch of cilantro and stir in. Taste for salt.
-We like to eat this salsa warm, but it also keeps well for several days in the fridge.

Enchiladas in Tomatillo Salsa:
To fill these enchiladas you can use any combination of ingredients you wish, we like whole black or pinto beans, shredded cheese (cheddar, goat cheese or caso fresco), sautéed chicken breast strips, chopped cilantro, sautéed summer squash rounds, rainbow chard and chopped onions.
-Make the tomatillo salsa recipe above.
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Heat a small pat of butter or oil in a large frying pan or 2.
-Fry corn tortillas about 12 in all; 3 or 4 at a time until barely browned on both sides, adding more butter or oil to the pan as needed. (Don’t let the tortillas get crispy.)
-When finished frying all of tortillas, cover the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish with a ladle of the tomatillo salsa.
-Hold a tortilla in your hand, add about ¼ cup filling (see the list above) and roll the tortilla up.
-Place it in the casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled.
-Spoon the rest of the salsa over top of the filled tortillas, sprinkle with cheese and bake for about ½ hour until the top is lightly browned and the cheese is melted. Serve with a sprinkle of finely chopped cilantro and fresh lime slices.

Golden Beets with Gnocchi, Garlic, Toasted Walnuts and Chevre:
-Roughly chop a few TBS of walnuts and lightly toast in a cast iron skillet for a few minutes, being careful not to burn them. Set aside.
-Cut the tops off of 1 bunch of beets. Steam the beets whole and unpeeled for 20-25 minutes.
-Drain off the water, and then slip the beet skins off under cold running water. Cut each beet into 6 large wedge shaped pieces.
-Cook 1 box of gnocchi according to package directions.
-Melt about 2 TBS of butter in a large sauté pan.
-Squeeze 3-4 cloves garlic through a press and add to the butter along with ½ bunch finely chopped chives.
-Sauté for about 1 minute and then add the gnocchi and beets. Toss gently and cook for about 2 minutes more.
-Remove from heat and top with sea salt, some crumbled chevre and the toasted walnuts.

Italian Eggplant Sandwiches:
If you think you hate eggplant, you are wrong--you’ve just never had it fresh and seedless before! This Cadillac of a recipe has converted many a disbeliever. You must try these. We’ve made this recipe with equal parts cornmeal and Parmesan cheese instead of breadcrumbs.
-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and generously grease a baking tray with some olive oil.
-Slice 2 eggplants into thin ½ inch rounds.
-In a wide mouthed bowl mix together 1 cup dry bread crumbs (herbed work well), ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (the powdered kind), a pinch of garlic powder and some black pepper.
-Put 3 eggs into another wide mouth bowl and beat well.
-Very thinly slice about ½ pound provolone or mozzarella (buying it pre-sliced works well).
-Add about ½ cup white flour to yet another wide mouth bowl.
Now to assemble the sandwiches…
-Put a piece of cheese between 2 eggplant slices.
-Dip the sandwich into the flour, then the egg (shaking off the excess) and then evenly coat on all sides with the breadcrumb mixture. (Your hands will get goopy, rinse them once in awhile and keep at it-it’s so worth it!)
-Place the finished sandwich on the baking tray and repeat until all of the eggplant is used up.
-Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until soft and tender inside and very brown and crispy on the outside.

Lentils with Bitter Greens and Feta Cheese:
In a medium sized sauce pan, simmer ½ cup lentils, 1½ cup low-salt chicken or vegetable broth and ½ cup water, covered for 20 minutes until lentils are tender. Drain.
-Toss lentils with 1½ TBS extra-virgin olive oil, 1 TBS red-wine vinegar and the zest and juice from 1 fresh lemon.
-Set aside to cool to almost room temperature.
-Wash 1 head of radicchio, than slice into ½ inch strips.
-Stir the radicchio into the lentils, then add 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss well and serve.

Goat Cheese with Olives, Lemon and Thyme:
-In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup assorted olives, 3 fresh thyme sprigs, 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, ½ tsp grated lemon zest and ¼ tsp black pepper over low heat until fragrant (do not simmer).
-Cool to room temperature.
-Cut 1 log of chevre style goat cheese into ½ inch rounds.
-Spoon the olive mixture over the cheese and serve.

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Helsing Junction Farm
12013 Independence Road, Rochester, WA 98579 | (360)273-2033
helsingfarm@msn.com | www.helsingfarmcsa.com

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