Helsing Junction Farm Newsletter Archive

September 8-10, 2009

Greetings from Helsing Junction Farm!

Sailas and Victor in the tomatoes

We are laboring on Labor Day as always but at least the rain has let up and the puffy white clouds, warm sun, soft black earth and contented plants make it all seem worthwhile.  Rainwater, sunshine and a full moon is like rocket fuel for plants.  We expect a big and bountiful harvest in the next few weeks as we harvest the remainder of summer’s produce and transition into the fall harvest.                  

Bulk basil shares are being delivered on Tuesday September 8th to:
Green Lake, Kirkland, Phinney Ridge, Shoreline, Tacoma and Wallingford.

The 10 pounds of potatoes that come with your Bulk Share will be delivered:
Tuesday September 22nd for Tuesday’s drop sites.
Wednesday September 23rd for Wednesday’s drop sites.
Thursday September 24th for Thursday’s drop sites.

The Bulk potatoes will be packed in 10 pound mesh sacks that will be stacked in boxes at your drop site.  Please help yourselves to one 10 pound bag of potatoes per Bulk Share.  If you need to make alternative arrangements for delivery please call or e-mail the farm.

Storage Shares will be delivered:
Tuesday September 29th:  Farm, Tacoma, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline and Crown Hill.
Thursday October 1st:  West Olympia, East Olympia, Seward Park and Beacon Hill.
Tuesday October 6th:  Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, Wallingford and Green Lake.
Wednesday October 7th:  Alberta, MLK/Fremont, Hawthorne and Centralia.
Thursday October 8th:  Capitol Hill, Ravenna, Queen Anne, Belltown, Allrecipes, West Seattle, WSNMC and Georgetown.

The Storage Share will be packed in a cardboard box that you can keep for the winter.  The boxes will be labeled “Storage Share” but will not have individual names on them.  Please check the list of names at the drop site to determine if you have a storage share or not.  (If you are not receiving the flowers with your CSA share you should receive BOTH the Bulk and the Storage Share.)  If you would like to purchase a Storage Share you are welcome to purchase one, they are $50 each, just let us know via e-mail or phone, or you can purchase one on line.  Storage Shares will contain 5# shallots (20-25 shallots), 5# yellow onions (15-18 onions), 2# red onions, 1# garlic, 5# winter squash (3-4 squash) and 1 pie pumpkin.  The onions and squash will store well thru February, with the shallots lasting until June!

Our Farm Open House is this Sunday, September 13th from 1-4 p.m.
The open house will be held on Sunday rain or shine.  The extended forecast is for warm weather and sun though, so bring a hat, some water, some sunscreen and a picnic lunch if you so desire.  You can also bring a knife and/or clippers and 1 bag per membership 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 plump orange pumpkin, or a handful of warm beans is amazing.  Kids especially seem to enjoy it and it is great fun to seem them get excited over vegetables.  We will have Lupe’s amazing farm tamales available for sale; they will be $2.00 each, hopefully we will have enough for people to take home and throw in the freezer!  We will also have farm tee shirts and honey for sale as well.  Please come!  The farm is going to be looking great after that great big drink of rainwater and then some hot sun.       

Directions to Helsing Junction Farm:   
It takes about ½ hour to reach the farm from Olympia, 1½ hours from Seattle or Portland.
Please note; our mailing address is different than the farm’s actual address.  See address below.
-From Olympia and Seattle, take I-5 south to exit 88.  Turn right at the end of the exit ramp.
-From Portland take exit 88B.
-You’ll be heading west on Highway 12.  
-Take Highway 12 for 5 miles into Rochester, and then turn left at the stoplight on Albany Street.
-Go 2 blocks and turn right onto 185th Street, which instantly becomes Marble Street and bears to the left.
-About a half mile later at a Y in the road the road becomes Independence (stay to the right at the Y).
-Take Independence Rd about 2.5 miles, to 12231 Independence Road / Rochester / 98579
-Make a left into the 2nd driveway and follow signs for parking.

We will have honey for sale all fall:
In plastic containers we have: 1 pound for $8
                                           2.5 pounds for $17

In glass containers we have:  .75 pound for $5,
                                          1.5 pounds for $12
                                          3 pounds for $22

To order honey, please call or e-mail us and let us know the amount you want and the date you want it delivered. The honey you order will be packed in your regular CSA box which will be pulled aside and have your name on it. You can pay for the honey via our web site/credit card or via snail mail/check.  If you use the web site, please use the “other” payment button to type in the amount you are paying. Use the “for” box and type in honey.

This Week's Shares

Recipes

Fork-Crushed Purple Majesty Potatoes:
-In a large pot, cook 2# of purple potatoes with skins on in heavily salted boiling water until tender, approximately 15 minutes.
-Remove potatoes from pot, and peel them while still warm.
-Place potatoes in a large bowl and using a fork, gently smash them, maintaining a fairly chunky consistency.
-Fold in 2 cloves of garlic put through a press, 2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice, 6 TBS good extra-virgin olive oil, some fleur de sel and white pepper to taste.   
-Finish with 1 TBS finely chopped dill.

Oven-Baked Purple Majesty Potato Chips:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Slice 3-4 purple potatoes into 1/8-inch thick rounds on a mandolin or with a sharp knife.  Transfer rounds to a large bowl.  
-Add 3 TBS olive oil and Maldon salt or fleur de sel and toss evenly to coat.
-Arrange potatoes in a single layer on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or alternatively directly on an oiled sheet).
-Bake until lightly golden brown and crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes.  
-Turn baking sheets often and remove any chips that have browned sooner than others, cooking time will vary.

Greek Salad with Orzo and Black Eyed peas:
-Cook ¾ cup orzo according to package instructions.  Drain in a sieve and then rinse under cold water until cool.  Drain well.
-Peel 2 cucumbers, then cut them in half the long way and seed.  Chop each half into 4 pieces the long way, then chop into small chunks.  
-Place in a strainer, add a large pinch of salt and toss, letting the cucumbers drain over the sink until you need them.
-Rinse and drain 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas.  
-Toss black-eyed peas with 2 diced tomatoes, 1 cup diced green pepper, 2 TBS chopped dill or parsley, 2 TBS red-wine vinegar, 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.
-Marinate, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
-Rinse the cucumbers well and then set aside and let drip dry a little.   
-In a large bowl, toss together cooked orzo, 1 more TBS extra-virgin olive oil, the drained cucumbers, ½ cup pitted and slivered Kalamata olives, 1/3 cup finely chopped onion, 1 tsp lemon zest and 2 TBS fresh lemon juice, a pinch of dried oregano, ½  tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
-Serve the 2 salads layered on top of each other with some crumbled feta cheese.

Braised Green or Roma Beans with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers:
-Tip and tail 1 pound of green or roma beans.
-Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large sauté pan. 
-Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the beans.
-Dice up 4 whole canned tomatoes and add enough of the packing juice to equal 1 cup.
-Add to the beans along with 8 chopped Kalamata olives and 1 tsp drained capers.  
-Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes.  
-Uncover and cook to evaporate any excess liquid.  Stir in salt and pepper to taste.   

Braised Chicken with Green Peppers and Tomatoes:
-Heat 2 TBS olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
-Sprinkle 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
-Working in batches, cook chicken until golden brown on the outside, about 4 minutes total, adding more oil as needed.
-Transfer to platter, reserve skillet and add 1 minced onion, 1 chopped fennel bulb, 3 cloves minced garlic and 2 TBS minced parsley or dill.
-Sauté until onion is soft, scraping up browned bits, about 4 minutes.
-Add 2 cups chopped green peppers, 4 chopped tomatoes and 1 cup dry white wine; return chicken to skillet.
-Cover and simmer over medium-low heat 30 minutes.
-Uncover; cook until chicken is tender and sauce is reduced, about 15 minutes more.  
-Season with salt and pepper.

Carrot Cake:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
-Grease and flour 2 round 9x 2 cake pans or one 13x 9 baking pan.
-Whisk together in a large bowl, 1 1/3 cup flour, ¾ cup sugar, 1½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, ½ tsp allspice and ½ tsp salt.
-Then stir in 2/3 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 2 cups grated carrots and 1 cup finely chopped walnuts.
-Scrape the batter into the pan/s and spread evenly.  
-Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.  
-Let cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting, or serve warm sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
-Zest 1 lemon and sift 1 cup powdered sugar.
-In a food processor, blend until creamy 8 ounces cold cream cheese, 5 TBS unsalted butter, 2 tsp vanilla and the 1 cup powdered sugar and lemon zest. 
-Do not over-process.

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

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