Your Box Contents This Week Slicing Tomatoes Roma Tomatoes Okra Bell Peppers Watermelon Cantaloupe Joe's Long Hots Jalapeno Peppers 3 lb. Potatoes Summer Squash Acorn Squash Shiitake Mushrooms

Groundhogs, turkeys, deer, oh my!   It seems on the farm we are constantly dealing with some type of minor emergencies or distractions that take away from the plans laid out for the day.  For instance, until last week, we had not had any rain for over 8 weeks, and then we were assured by the weather forecasters that rain was on the way.   All plans changed and the attention was then paid to getting as many fall plants as possible in the ground before the rain.  The fields had to be disked, but of course the tire on the disk was flat.  With that repaired, one tractor was put to work disking the field while another tractor was engaged to get the planter from the barn, load plants out of the greenhouse and head for the disked field.  Are you kidding!?? The planter as well had a flat.  With that repaired, the planting went on into the night employing lights on the tractor to complete the job.  Two days after the rain the fields were once again parched and dry; but wait!   Large amounts of rainfall will be the result of the hurricane and will move in the first of the week.  Drop everything again and spend the Labor Day weekend planting furiously to get the rest of the fall crops in the ground.  If we get as much rain as promised, this could delay the planting for a week or more and put the crops coming in too late.  Again planting continued through the night hours.   Labor Day-change of plans.  Bring out the irrigation.  The rain was taken out of the forecast.  Today was spent with the farm crew laying out irrigation pipe over 10 acres of newly planted arugula, kale, collards, etc.  The process started at 6 a.m. and was completed at 9 p.m.   In between this action, I had an order to get out for tomorrow.  Upon driving to the field, I passed the compost area.  Waddling quickly away was a very well fed groundhog.  That's fine as long as he keeps his dining area confined to the compost.  I went on to the pepper field and surprised a flock of turkeys feasting on the sunflowers next to the pepper field.  10, 12, 14, 25!  25 turkeys eating seed knocked from the sunflowers by finches and doves feasting above their head.   2 hours later I headed out of the field back to the warehouse.  This time the groundhog had a friend and they were both waddling through the butternut squash field.  A sharp sound of the horn ended their appetite for butternut squash; at least for the moment.   At our 9:30 p.m. dinner, I told Hank about the groundhogs, turkeys, finches and doves.  It seems that when he was bringing the irrigation through the wooded area that shelters the mushroom logs, he surprised 3 bucks nibbling shiitake mushrooms!  Now we have fenced the sweet potato field to keep the deer from eating all of your sweet potatoes, but we never thought they had an appetite for shiitake! Life is good on an organic farm for all God's creatures, even for those who have to change tires, repair equipment, move irrigation pipe and try to keep the mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash safe from the four legged creatures that waddle, graze and nibble both day and night.

Notes on the Growing of Shiitake Mushrooms During the winter when plants are dormant and the soil is either frozen or too wet to work, we plant our mushrooms.  The Shiitake are grown on oak logs ranging in size from 4" to 14" in diameter. The innoculation, or planting, of the shiitake is done within 2 weeks of the tree being cut to ensure that it is at optimum moisture and give the mycelium (the shiitake "seed") a head start on competing native fungus.  We use a sawdust plug covered with a styrofoam cap to insert the mycelium spawn into the logs.  5/8" diameter holes are drilled every 8" in every direction along the logs and the plugs are inserted.  After innoculation the waiting begins as the shiitake take root and grow throughout the log in what is known as the "spawn run".  In 6-9 months from the innoculation the shiitake will bloom out and grow beautiful mushrooms.  Each log can continue to produce mushrooms for many years.  Heavy crops of mushrooms are generally produced in the spring and fall. For those interested in trying to grow their own mushrooms, Jim Day from Timbertop Farms is selling pre-innoculated logs at the East Nashville Farmer's Market on Wednesdays.  The logs are ready to start fruiting after soaking in water and should continue to produce mushrooms for years.

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Recipes Since you are getting a pint of jalapenos in your shares this week, I thought I would remind you how easy they are to put in the freezer.  Just cut them up ( I leave the seed in because I love them hot), and pop them in freezer bags.  You can bring these out in the winter for jalapeno muffins, cornbread, chili or salsa.   No need to run to the store in the winter for hot peppers to flavor your dishes! The joe's long hots can be hung to dry and later crushed for use on pizza (crushed red peppers) or any other dishes you may want to prepare. Hot Pepper Jelly Great with cream cheese on a bagel or toast. 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh hot green pepper, such as jalapeno or serrano 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 6 cups sugar 4 ounces pectin 4 drops green food coloring Special Equipment: 6 (1/2-pint) canning jars with lids Process bell pepper and hot pepper in a food processor until finely minced. Combine pepper mixture, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add pectin and food coloring. Pour into sterilized jars and seal*. Jalapeno Corn Muffins  2 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup finely chopped onions 1 cup fresh corn kernels Pinch salt plus 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder Pinch cayenne pepper 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar 1 cup buttermilk Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small saute pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fresh corn and a pinch of salt and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, and cheese. In a second bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, jalapenos, and honey. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Stir in the cooled onions and corn. Spoon the batter into lightly greased, regular size muffin tins, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake muffins for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from muffin tins and cool on wire rack. Serve warm.  _________________________________________________________________________________   Thanks to Paige for the squash recipe this week!   Squash Squares Paige La Grone Babcock This was a HUGE hit with the kid and the man, both. I prepped the casserole early in the day, refrigerated it, and put it in the oven the hour before we were to sit for supper. I served this in squares (2 or 3 per person) with a green salad w/ lots of tomato, cucumber, and red pepper and fresh herbs.       5 eggs, well beaten 4 C grated squash **I used two small Lebanese squash and one medium patty pan** 8 oz (2 C) mozzarella cheese, grated 1/2 C all purpose flour **I used unbleached white and gold** 1/4 t baking powder 1/2 C chopped onion 1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese **I used Pecorino Romano** 2 T oil **I left this out because I added 1 C browned mild seasoned pork from our meat CSA (YUM!)**     Heat oven to 350. Oil / spray a 9x13 " baking pan. Combine eggs, zucchini and cheese in a large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients and pour into baking pan. Bake until knife comes out clean when inserted in center, about 40 minutes. Cool. Cut into 2 inch squares. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve hot or cold. **(I served ours warmish, cooled from the oven, but not refrigerated.)** *Variation.  I think a wonderful addition to this recipe would be about 1/2 C finely chopped basil & minced garlic & topped with a fresh tomato slice.   **There are endless variations to this!! Add grated or chopped sweet pepper. Sub freshly grated potatoes for the squash, or go for a veggie medley. I will absolutely play around with this using whatever's fresh from the garden and CSA. You could easily use less cheese, too. Or a different cheese.**   _____________________________________________________________________ Baked Acorn Squash Ingredients 1 Acorn squash 1 Tbsp Butter 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup 1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end and scoop out the seeds.  Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out. Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter.  Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half.  Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned.  When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.