This Week's Offerings/Goodies to those who helped keep this farm going for 2009!

I invite all of you whose shares had ended before this week to still come by and help yourself to one of each winter squash variety and a paper bag of no spray walnuts!

With the early frost that hit us a bit over a week ago, the remaining items I have in the share area are as follows;

I will have a piece of paper at the share area to write your name on to let me know you came and picked up these goodies!

Winter squash: Delicata, acorn, butternut, sweet dumpling and yes more crookneck! See previous post as to what winter squash is and how to cook it in case you have been putting it off til now.
Remember, this type of vitamin packed veggie can wait to be cooked if you keep it in a cool dry place. Some people will use them as holiday dec's for November and then eat them through the winter.
My favorite thing to do with any of them is this:
Clean surface
Poke holes like you would to bake a potato
Bake at 350-375 degrees til outside feels soft and mushy
Then peel and/or cut in to slices, place sections in zip lock bag or a reusable freezer container.
I then take out what I need for recipes or servings as the winter sets in

Walnuts-these are no spray! Directions on previous post

Random tomatoes and bell peppers that escaped the frost.

Feel free to come by and take the amounts that are stated on the daily share board for those who usually pick up at the 72nd farm and are scheduled to end this week.

Accepting 2010 Farm Subscription Contracts!

Now is the time to sign up for 2010 only if you want to save some money!

I have 5 full subscriptions left to sell at the discounted price of 500.00 for a 22 week share.
Pick up will be at Barberton Grange just two blocks south of the ole' Rosemattel's CSA farm on 72nd ave. Day of pick up is Monday and is between 430 and 530. Estimated date to begin pick up of your harvest is May17th. Half shares are 275.00 and your pick up will be a full share every other week.

I started with 8 subscriptions last week so they are going relatively fast at this price.

After the last 5 are paid for in full, the regular price will go up to 600/325 per share.

See the website www.rosemattelscsa.com for sign up info and the list of items we will similarly grow for next season. The only changes we will make to it are any special requests from current and re-upping subscribers. So far I will be adding more leafy greens, beets and more carrots than I did this year. The thousand or so of onions I did this year was still not enough, so will add more dedicated space to them for 2010.

Let me know what your favorites are when signing up!

Sincerely,
The Farmerette
battlegroundfma@yahoo.com
(360) 241-1278

Safe From Montsanto Seed Companies Links

For those of you who may have your own family gardens, here's some info on where to buy your seeds with some research behind the companies and any Monsanto ties. As times and circumstances change some of the companies these blogs list may change. Always do your homework and ask the company yourselves if they do offer GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds for your own peace of mind!

In previous posts I have mentioned Monsanto, a company who wants to rule the seed banks of the world and encourages GMO seed coding.

Whilst I was searching for seeds and such to order that I hadn't saved from this year, I also did some quick searches for non Monsanto seed distributors. Here is what I have found so far.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=824672
and
http://www.patnsteph.net/weblog/2009/02/avoiding-seeds-from-monsanto/

If I find any other blogs about this I will update this post.

Here is a response from Nichols Nursery I receeived today 10/7/09

Hello Brenda,

We do not carry any GMO seeds nor will we ever. We do carry some Montsanto varieties because they are good performers and they have no GMO material and have been around for several years. We are doing trials of these varieties against other new selections to determine if they should and can replace some of our favorite Seminis varieties. It's a multi-faceted dilemma, if we want to be organic gardeners then we often need good disease resistance. Also, the truth is there are companies besides Montsanto who are actively working with GMO material. I'm not even certain Montsanto is the largest but they certainly have a way of being the mote in the public eye. I've had wonderful dealings with Seminis, which was purchased by Monsanto a few years ago. We've worked with this company formerly called Peto Seed for over fifty years. We don't deal with any other area of Monsanto.

Regarding GMO vegetable seeds, they are not presently obtainable except by huge growers who must sign legal documents. I think it is safe to say we're more likely to find GMOs on the grocery shelves than anywhere else. I wish everything that contained GMOs would simply have it declared. I hope I've answered your questions and if you would like me to give you a call to discuss this send me your phone number.

All the best,

Rose Marie Nichols McGee

Organic Bytes, be informed!

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An online publication that offers information to help you make informed choices on why you support local natural and certified organic growers!
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The Farmerette

Food Films and Documentaries List

Here are a few movies and documentaries that focus on our US Industrialized food system.
I reccomend everyone who eats!!?!! takes note of the scary consequences of relying on the industrial food system way of feeding the masses. Local is better than anything else. After having the time to watch at least a few of these features, you will be able to make informed decisions where you want your food to come from.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John
The Meatrix

Food Inc.
Fast Food Nation
Food Matters
King Corn

Fresh Shelling Beans

Here are a few links to guide you through the details of fresh shelling beans, and dry shell beans.
Both methods of growing these for yummy eating will be offered through at least the next few weeks of harvesting.

http://www.whistlingtrainfarm.com/4.shellbeans.html

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/08/fresh_shelling.html

Cranberry bean featured here!

Green Beans Anyone?

Subscribers get out those green bean recipes cause your getting more than a few servings this week! There are alot of Flat Italian Green beans now.........
They are green, flat, long, and gourmet and yummy.

Here are two of my favorite ways to eat them-
1. Quick boil or steam whole, just until bendy, don't over cook. Let them be bright green, if they are a dull green, they are overcooked. Then I melt some butter and chopped garlic and slather them. To me they don't taste as greeny as a common green bean, more like the richness of an artichoke heart. Some of this week's harvest will have stringy effect due to the immediate bounty I discovered of these beauties. IF the strings are a bug for you, cut the beans in to 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Cut the long gourmet Italian beans in to 1/2 inch pieces, toss in olive oil and cook em real quick on the stove or grill plate til color starts to change. Sprinkle a tad more olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan and sea or kosher salt, enjoy!

Not ready to eat so many different ways this week? Here are two ways to store them for later-
Use the pickling recipe posted earlier on this blog
or blanch them and freeze. Blanching is a process of tossing them in to a pot of boiling water for a minute then drain. Immediately after put them in a bowl of ice water (ice cubes and water together) for 20 sec's then place them in to freezer bags or containers and freeze. The process of blanching makes for a more tender greenbean. When ready to cook toss in boiling water again for a minute to heat up or you can microwave them til done to your liking. One of the great things to having frozen summer veggies to use in the winter is the soups and stews that can be made with them. Don't know about you but for me it is a good feeling to offer my family a wholesome winter meal that has our own produce from that year's harvest. And it tastes better than anything offered from the the store's freezer selection as it has no food miles, no preservatives and was picked and stored at it's utmost nutritional peak!