The Food Project: Youth. Food. Community.

It’s official folks. Our beloved Baker Bridge Farm is experiencing a drought. For the past few weeks we have watered fields that really need it while waiting for the rain, but no matter what the forecast says no rain comes. Last week, when Boston and other areas were hit with torrential rains, not a drop of rain was felt in our Lincoln farm. We usually save irrigating fields as a last resort as we truly believe in conserving our water as much as possible.

Currently, we are at near emergency levels and so we have instituted a watering regime, which means that we work through our weekends and come to the farm every three hours to switch the water and keep our crops healthy and growing. Despite these measures, we are feeling the lack of some of our staple crops like beets, carrots, and salad mix. The good news (and there is good news!) is that we are almost out of the worst of it. The next round of staple crops is almost ready, and our melons and tomatoes are really starting. There is, of course, no better cure for a tired and thirsty heart than a cold and juicy watermelon. Cheers and lets hope for some rain!

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Intersection of Blue Hill Ave and Dudley Street, Roxbury
Tuesday and Thursdays
3-7pm

At the Market

Green Peppers
Eggplant
Garlic
Beets
Shell Beans
Green Beans
Green Tomatoes
Red Slicing Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Carrots
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Scallions
Basil
Sage
Parsley
Summer Squash
Corn (Thursday only)
Nashoba Brook Bakery Bread (Thursday only)

EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Coupons, Debit and Cash Accepted! All season, any EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP purchase will be matched up to $10 at twenty Farmers Markets in Boston, including the Dudley Town Common Market.

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At the Market

Garlic
Shell Beans
Potatoes
Green Beans
Green Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Calalloo
Cucumbers
Carrots
Beets
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Radishes
Scallions
Basil
Sage
Summer Squash
Raspberries
Nashoba Brook Bakery Bread (on Thursday only)

EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Coupons, Debit and Cash Accepted! All season, any EBT/Food Stamp/SNAP purchase will be matched up to $10 at twenty Farmers Markets in Boston, including the Dudley Town Common Market.

Vegetable of the Week: Green Tomatoes

I have learned that green tomato lovers are hard-core. Last year, we'd hear folks, stopped at red lights, yelling from their car at us - and they most often wanted to know if we were selling green tomatoes. Others would buy 20 lbs worth, because apparently it's not always easy to find green tomatoes around town. A couple of weeks ago, I received a call on my cell from a shopper I didn't recognize by name, double-checking that we'd have them at the market that afternoon.

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purple fava beansIt is believed that along with lentils, peas, and chickpeas, fava beans became part of the eastern Mediterranean diet around 6000 BC or earlier. They are still often grown as a cover crop to prevent erosion, both because they can over-winter and because as a legume, they fix nitrogen in the soil.

Favas — also known as Windsor beans, English beans, horse beans, and pigeon beans — have long been diet staples in Asia, the Middle East, South America, North Africa and Europe. They were the only beans Europeans ate before they discovered America and all its legumes. The beans have a buttery texture, slight bitterness and lovely, nutty flavor.

Fava beans can be served simply boiled, mashed and spread on crostini, or added to spring stews and soups. And, favas are nutrition superheroes. They are high in fiber and iron, and low in sodium and fat. They have no cholesterol but are high in protein.

some fava recpies:

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available at our Dudley Market and for at least some CSA members

Summer squash differs from fall and winter squash in that it is harvested before the rind hardens and the fruit matures. It is one of the most prolific crops we grow, with one plant able to produce dozens pounds of squash throughout the summer. Here at the farm we grow three different varieties of summer squash; a green zucchini, a yellow squash commonly called crook neck, and a UFO shaped squash called patty pan. The patty pan squash is probably the newest to you, but you can use it just like you would zucchini. It is my favorite summer squash. As its name suggests, summer squash is a true announcer of summer, and is one of the steady crops that usually accompanies us until the fall.

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Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of amaranth. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. In 1533, Catherine de'Medici became queen of France; she so fancied spinach that she insisted it be served at every meal. To this day, dishes made with spinach are known as "Florentine" because Catherine came from Florence, Italy. Spinach, along with other green leafy vegetables, is considered to be a rich source of iron.

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Holiday Cards Our friends at Corey McPherson Nash designed their 2009 holiday cards around recipes from TFP's farmers, as can be found on this very blog.

What better way to celebrate the season than by cooking something delicious with seasonally appropriate ingredients? Thanks to CMN for donating to us on behalf of their clients, and for spreading the word about The Food Project through these recipes!

P.S. You can blame Michael for the punny headline

These burgers are delicious. They are a little labor-intensive, but you can freeze and reheat them for a quick, nutritious meal when you're running behind schedule. Enjoy!

From “Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.”

½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1½ cups grated beets (2 medium beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
½ cup minced onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons tamari
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.

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This is the soup that I grew up on. In Portuguese, we call it "Caldo Verde," or a green broth. My mom uses collard greens, because it's most similar to the portuguese kale or galician cabbage that she used back home to make this soup. The traditional way of cutting the greens is to stack them flat, roll them up like a hot dog and then slice along the roll to get very thin strips.

1.5 cups of yellow onion, peeled and minced fine
6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable. broth
4 cups water
1-2 bunches kale or collards, stems removed, leaves very thinly sliced
(optional) 3/4 pound linguica, sliced 1/4 inch thick

In a large pot, sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat, stirring until soft – do not brown.

Add potatoes, water and broth, bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft (10 – 15 minutes). While the potatoes are simmering, cook linguica in a skillet over medium to high heat, browning on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

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I’m not 100% sure what triggered this, it may have been Sundays 59-0 Patriots snow infused dismantling of the Titans or that the fields have transitioned from summer crops to fall, but I started thinking about miso soup today. Most seasons the transition from ratatouille to miso soup isn’t as pronounced. The 2009 season has yet again surprised me.

Simple Miso Soup a la today’s share:

Ingredients:

Olive oil
3 or 4 carrots cut thin
2 or 3 leeks cut thin
2 or 3 bok choy , both stems and leaves cut thin
miso, 5 or 6 tsp (I use traditional red and well worth a special trip to the supermarket)
block of tofu, cubed
water
crushed black pepper and soy sauce (tamari) to taste

Preparation:

Add olive oil, carrots, and leeks into a pan and sauté until carrots are less crunchy (approx 10 minutes).

Add bok choy, tofu, and water to just cover the veggies and cook until bok choy is tender.

Remove from heat and add miso (follow directions for use on miso container).

Add crushed pepper and soy sauce to taste.

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