Week 6 - Notes from Stick and Stone Farm

Farm Update from Farmer Lucy at Stick and Stone

Well, summer has arrived, with a splash. That is, after a dry start, we have been getting plenty of rain. All the greens that usually conk out around now are instead going strong! We hope everyone is enjoying the abundant salads and cooking greens.

We are struggling to get fall roots, broccoli, cauliflower, and successions of beans in the ground in between rains, which may throw off some timing of harvests in 2-3 months. It's also been a challenge to keep ahead of the weeds with timely cultivations, and we're doing a lot of hand weeding. The zucchini and summer squash, on the other hand, are absolutely loving life and lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, and green beans are on the horizon. In the next week we will shift from the fresh green garlic and harvest mature garlic for curing.

This part of our 2023 journey feels more familiar than the smoky dry June, so we are all taking a deep breath, looking forward, and doing our best to enjoy some proper summer while we keep on doing the work to prepare for a well-fed fall and winter.

this week’s veggies

salad greens* - remembrance
carrots - remembrance
cucumbers - rotating picklers and slicers- remembrance & stick and stone
frisée - stick and stone
summer squash - stick and stone
onions - stick and stone
green garlic (aka fresh, aka un-cured) - stick and stone
dill - high ground gardens

ROTATING —————————————

lettuce - stick and stone
broccoli - remembrance

crops are our best estimate & may change a bit after harvest. rotating means harvest will be enough for some, but not all locations this week; we’ll get each crop everywhere soon! *salad greens rotate btwn field greens, spicy mix, lettuce mix, arugula, baby kale & tatsoi

this week’s fruit bowl

sweet cherries - bittner singer orchard
raspberries - hurd orchard*
*weather dependent, if rains prevent harvesting the more fragile raspberries some sites may get blueberries this week and raspberries next

this week’s Remembrance cheese

Fontina - a younger danish style fontina; buttery, creamy and mild flavor
OR - Feta - the crumbly, salty classic

preorder and pickup

SWEET CHERRIES

for pickup NEXT WEEK, 7/19-7/22 - from Bittner Singer

Order Cherries for next week

PITTED TART CHERRIES

for pickup EARLY AUGUST. Order deadline to be included in the pitting: 7/22 - from Bittner Singer

Order Pitted Tart Cherries for early August

updates from the farm & friends…

WELCOME TO OUR 18 WEEK CSA MEMBERS

We’re so grateful for your support and look forward to feeding you for the coming months. Reminder of the weekly pickup times:

Wednesday 3-7 at Stick and Stone. Thursday 3-7 at Press Bay. Friday 4-6 at Salt Point Brewing. Saturday 10-1 at the Youth Farm If you’re picking up a boxed share on Thursday, find your pickup details here!

on our plates…

Please share what you’ve been cooking, we’re always glad to know, and eager to pass along. Just email Molly. Find this week’s ingredients in bold.

Zucchini Bread Waffles by Sara May

1 medium zucchini or summer squash
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 cup plain Remembrance yogurt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
½ cup chopped walnuts, divided
Fresh mint (u-pick), for garnish (optional)
Butter, maple syrup and powdered sugar, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Grate zucchini using the large holes on a box grater. Stir ¼ teaspoon kosher salt into the grated zucchini and place in a strainer set over a bowl while you assemble the remaining ingredients. Preheat waffle iron and turn the oven on to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, placing a sheet tray on the upper rack of the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, flours, baking powder and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil and egg until completely smooth.
Wring out zucchini by placing it in a clean dish towel and squeezing tightly over the sink, squeezing out as much water as you can. We’re looking for the zucchini to be as dry as possible here, so really give it a good wringing! Stir the shredded zucchini into the bowl with the wet ingredients, and then pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, mixing until completely homogeneous. Fold in ¼ cup chopped walnuts. The batter should be just a little thicker than pancake batter, but if it seems too stiff, thin it with a little water or milk.
Pour ½ cup batter onto the center of the lower grid of the waffle iron and spread evenly using a heat-proof spatula. Close the cover of the waffle maker and cook until golden brown. Place cooked waffles in oven to keep warm.
Serve waffles topped with salted butter, maple syrup or powdered sugar (or all three!). Garnish with remaining ¼ cup walnuts and torn fresh mint leaves.

Cucumber Salad

½ medium red onion, cut into short strips
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil (upick)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
⅓ cup Greek Salad Dressing:
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, to taste
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, for heat (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS (see original recipe here)

Place the onion in a small bowl of ice water and let it soak for at least 5 minutes to tame the flavor.
In the meantime, prepare the dressing: In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic, honey, oregano, salt, several twists of black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if desired). Whisk until blended. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Stir until the mixture is fully blended.
Combine the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, optional feta, and herbs in a medium serving bowl. Once the onions are drained, add them to the bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
For best flavor, let the salad rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.

U-Pick Gardens

open 7 days/week during daylight hours. unlimited use, weed as you go. for Full Plate vegetable share members only. see more u-pick info and maps!

AT STICK AND STONE FARM

Perennial herbs like oregano, mint, and chives will continue onward.

Roadside Garden: basil is looking beautiful—weed as you go! Peas are on their way out but you may find some final treasures this week.

Creekside Garden: cutting flowers!

AT THE YOUTH FARM PROJECT

note: the YFP garden is surrounded by electric fence. Safely open the fence by holding the plastic handle and unhooking it, just be sure to close it behind you too

The main garden is starting! This year the Youth Farm’s crops are the field closest to the parking lot—don’t pick those! Keep on going and you’ll find our u-pick in the second field—look for the wooden signs. The beginnings of cutting flowers and some basil for light harvest await you :)

Perennial herbs like sage, mint, and chives are ready to pick in front of the greenhouse.