Important Information for Dupont Shareholders

To Our Dupont Shareholders,

We recently received news that the Dupont Circle property that housed our CSA pick-up location had been sold. This put our whole team in a difficult situation and, after much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue CSA pick-ups at the Dupont Circle location.

On the bright side, we will still offer pick-ups on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Clagett Farm, just down the road in Prince George’s County.

If you would like to join us for this year’s CSA season but are concerned about transportation, consider an arrangement with others in your area and rotate which shareholder picks up for the whole group. This would lessen not only the numbers of drives but also your collective carbon footprint. The Clagett Crew is also happy to help coordinate if we have any interested parties so please let us know if that’s you!

However, we do realize that this may not be convenient or even possible for everyone and that this may be goodbye for now. Hopefully you’ll still join us for future events at Clagett Farm. (Keep an eye on CBF’s event calendar as the weather gets warmer.)

While it is sad to end such an amazingly supportive community relationship, this could also be a great opportunity to explore other inspiring farms in your own neighborhood. Here are some standout farms that are either based in or deliver to Washington, DC with CSA programs of their own.

DC Based Farms:
 Common Good City Farm · Three Part Harmony Farm
Cultivate the City

Delivers to DC:
 Even’ Star Farm · Little Farm Stand· Owl’s Nest Farm
Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op · Washington’s Green Grocer

You can also check out CBF’s Buy Fresh Buy Local Chesapeake resource page to access our food guide and find farmers’ markets, farm to table restaurants, and more across DC and Maryland.

Whichever path you choose, please take with you our sincerest thanks for al the support you’ve given us over the years. And know that you will always be a part of the Clagett Farm story.

With gratitude,

The Clagett Farm Crew

Week 26 of 26: The Last Share of 2021!

Seasonal changes are on full display as we enter the final week of this year’s CSA. Photo by Jared Planz

Announcements:

This will be the last share!

Our 2021 season is a wrap this week—and what a great season it has been!
So far this year we have donated about 17,000 pounds worth of produce, and harvested almost 70,000 pounds overall.

That is an amazing amount of food brought in from the fields and it could not have been done without all the help from the great people who choose to come to Clagett Farm. The work being done here at the farm is vital to the work being done by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as a whole, as the way we grow our food has a huge impact on our environment.

Here at Clagett, we strive to keep learning ways to rebuild the soil on our 283 acres and continue to collaborate with other farmers through networks like Future Harvest, Buy Fresh Buy Local, and the Maryland Grazers Network. With these types of efforts, we are able to keep moving toward a regenerative model of producing and consuming fresh local food while continuing lead by example as we work together to SAVE THE BAY!

Below are some highlights of those people and their efforts this season!

Photos by Jared and Elissa Planz

Wreath Sale

We are happy to announce that we will be selling handmade holiday wreaths again this season.

Farm Pick-up Day: Saturday, December 4, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the same area as your CSA pick-up.

Annapolis Pick-up Day: Thursday, December 2, from 3 p.m. to 5p.m. also in the same location as the CSA pick-up, in the front corner of the parking garage under the Philip Merrill Center.

End of year survey

If you have a moment, please take this brief survey. It will help us know how to keep improving our CSA!

How to Purchase a Share next Year

As a current member, you will be alerted first when shares will be available to purchase. This will happen early next year.

PURCHASE Additional GARLIC BELOW

Garlic is still available for purchase in larger amounts and will be cleaned off like before.

This Week’s Share:

  • Garlic

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Bok choy and tatsoi

  • Arugula and Tokyo Bekana

  • Root medley

  • Sweet peppers

  • Optional poblanos

U-Pick:

  • Sunchokes aka Jerusalem Artichokes (Find these across from the field with three barns, near the main office. The tall stalks that have died back are hiding these treasures below. You can park in the grass along the road, but be sure to leave room for traffic to move past)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Thyme

RECIPE:

A bit about garlic!

In the last few weeks, we have been serving up quite a bit of garlic so we wanted to be sure everyone knows that your bulbs should last for about three to five months. Just be sure to store them in cool, dark place. (Ours keep fine in the dark corner of the kitchen pantry until about February.)

That said, next year we will likely not see a garlic bulb until June. We love to preserve a bulk of ours to see that we are not without our delicious garlic for too long. Here are some ways to keep easy-to-use minced garlic on hand into early spring. This information was found at Allrecipes.com, so if you’re looking for more, that’s a great place to start!

how to process

Once the garlic cloves are peeled, it's time to mince. For large quantities of garlic, a food processor or a blender is going to be your best bet. Process/blend your garlic cloves to your desired consistency—this could be anywhere from a fine paste to a chunky, minced consistency. Note: For Method #2, you will need to process your garlic with oil (the ratio is two parts oil to one part garlic). 

For small quantities of garlic, mince as you normally would using either a knife, a garlic press, or even a microplane grater. 

How to Store and Preserve 

Method #1: Preserving Garlic in Jars With Oil 

Store-bought minced garlic is often packed in oil and jarred, and this same storage method also works for homemade garlic. The oil protects the garlic from air, helping to preserve its flavor and color. 

However, the USDA warns that there is a botulism risk associated with storing garlic in oil at room temperature and even in the refrigerator over longer periods of time: "Research performed by the University of Georgia confirmed that mixtures of garlic in oil stored at room temperature are at risk for the development of botulism. Garlic in oil should be made fresh and stored in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or lower for no more than 7 days. It may be frozen for several months." 

Store-bought, pre-minced garlic in oil is treated with preservatives to prevent the development of harmful bacteria. So, keeping track of how long your garlic has been in the refrigerator or freezer is imperative when using this method at home. 

Here's What You'll Need: 

  • Minced garlic

  • An airtight container, either plastic or glass

  • Vegetable oil of your choice (we recommend olive or avocado)

  • Something to label the container with (masking tape and a marker will work)

Instructions: 

  1. Add your minced garlic to a clean, airtight container—wide-mouth mason jars are an excellent freezer-safe option.

  2. Top off with oil (choose an oil with neutral flavor like olive oil or avocado oil), until the garlic is completely covered, leaving ½-inch of headspace.

  3. Seal and label the containers with the date. Refrigerate for up to one week, or freeze and use within about three months.

Always use a clean, dry spoon to remove the garlic from the jar when you're ready to use. This will prevent contamination and mold growth. 

Method #2: Freezing Garlic in Portions

This method is preferred if you want to store your garlic in individual portions to add to your recipes as you go. 

Here's What You'll Need: 

  • 1 part whole, peeled garlic cloves

  • 2 parts oil (we recommend olive or avocado)

  • Food processor or blender

  • Measuring teaspoon

  • Baking sheet or ice cube tray

  • Freezer-safe bag

  • Marker (to label bag with the date)

Instructions: 

  1. Add peeled garlic cloves and oil to a food processor or blender and pulse/blend until you've reached your desired consistency.

  2. Scoop out one teaspoon at a time of the garlic and oil mixture and add to either a baking sheet or an ice cube tray.

  3. Flash freeze the garlic by placing the baking sheet or ice cube tray in the freezer for several hours, or until frozen solid.

  4. Transfer the garlic chunks to a freezer-safe storage bag, label with the date, and store for up to three months.

When you're ready to use your garlic, simply add it to your dishes straight from frozen. 

Gleaning:

What is gleaning?!

Gleaning is simply the act of collecting leftover produce from the fields. After the CSA is complete, we will open the fall greens field for u-picking.

This will be open from Monday, November 15 until Friday, November 26. You may come during all daylight hours. Please note that it is good practice to close the gates behind you!

You may want to consider bringing bins/bags for produce, gloves, knives to cut the greens, and plenty of warm clothes.

Out in the field, there will be a variety of greens with labels at the end of each row throughout field B4. (This is the same exact area as the spring strawberries.) When you come, please park at the main office area and follow the red signs leading you up the hill.

Some things you may find in good quantities:

  • Salad Greens: Tokyo Bekana, arugula, spicy mix

  • Roots: daikon, watermelon, turnips (smaller ones)

  • Bok choy and tatsoi (smaller heads)

Goodbye, but only for now. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and look forward to another awesome year together in 2022!

—Warmest wishes from the crew at Clagett Farm

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 25 of 26: November is Here!

A morning sunrise on the way to harvest vegetables. These calm mornings full of bird songs and morning light have been a wonderful way to start the day. Photo by Jared Planz

Announcements:

Next week will be the last share

Remember, you can come and collect a maximum of two shares at a time. Feel free to come both Wednesday and Saturday if you would like, to collect any extra shares remaining.

Meat Sales SOLD OUT!

We aim to continue to provide individual meat sales next season.

Wreath Sale Coming Soon

We are happy to announce that we will be selling handmade holiday wreaths again this season.

Pre-order should begin next week for you to reserve a wreath for this holiday season.

Our wreaths are made from foliage harvested from the farm with a mix of flowers either grown here or sustainably purchased from other growers.

CBF Proudly announces OUR New CEO

Hilary Harp Falk

We are thrilled to announce that the CBF Board of Trustees has selected Hilary Harp Falk, a proven expert in large-scale ecosystem restoration, leading organizational change, and coalition building, to be CBF’s next President and CEO.

Photo by Dave Harp

PURCHASE Additional GARLIC BELOW

Garlic is still available for purchase in larger amounts as well and will be cleaned off like before.

This Week’s Share:

  • Garlic

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Spicy mix and Tokyo Bekana

  • Purple top turnips

  • Kale and collards

  • Eggplant

  • Sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers and poblanos

A nice glimpse of the salad green beds we will be harvesting this week. Also in the background, you can catch Alex and Elissa getting ready for some harvesting!

Photo by Jared Planz

U-Pick:

Some new additions! They will be marked with the same red signs that you saw for the strawberry U-picking we had in the spring.

  • Sunchokes aka Jerusalem Artichokes (Find these across from the field with three barns, near the main office. The tall stalks that have died back are hiding these treasures below. You can park in the grass along the road, but be sure to leave room for traffic to move past. More info on these below.)

  • Hot/mild chili peppers

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

what are sunchokes and how do you harvest them?

Here you can see Jared in our row of sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes. They are a root vegetable that can be found in the tuberous rhizomes of these lovely, yellow flowering plants—which are related to sunflowers. You may have noticed these beautiful blooms earlier in the summer months. These tubers look a lot like ginger, but have a whole different taste profile. The sunchokes are similar to potatoes but with a much nuttier flavor. Unlike potatoes, can be consumed raw as well as cooked.

To harvest, just pull up and place the dried stalks aside. You will then want to dig in the area below to gather up the beautiful little roots. See them pictured above!

RECIPE:

Green Curry Lentil Soup

This soup packs in all the ingredients that would make your doctor happy (lentils, sweet potatoes, leafy greens!) but is bolstered by fiery Thai green curry paste to keep things interesting. Store-bought Thai curry pastes can vary widely in flavor and intensity from brand to brand, so there are also lots of aromatics like onion, ginger, and garlic to ensure there’s plenty of flavor to balance the earthy lentils.

BY CHRISTINA CHAEY

Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 one-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus mor

¼ cup Thai green curry paste

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes

¾ cup brown or green lentils

4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 13.5 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well

4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach leaves

½ tsp. fish sauce (or more to taste)

Small handful cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving)

PREPaRATION

Step 1

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent and starts to soften—about 3 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pan constantly, until paste is fragrant and slightly darkened and mixture starts to stick to pan—about 3 minutes.

Step 2

Stir sweet potato and lentils into onion mixture. Add broth and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook soup, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are cooked through and lentils are tender but not mushy—about 20–25 minutes.

Step 3

Add coconut milk to soup; return to a simmer. Add spinach and fish sauce. Cook just until spinach is wilted—about 30 seconds. Taste soup and season with more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.

Step 4

Ladle soup into bowls and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Final share:

  • Salad greens

  • Bok choy and tatsoi

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Root medley

  • Peppers, sweet/mild/hot

  • Cabbage leaves

  • Garlic

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 24 of 26: Fennel, Daikon, and Chinese Cabbages

Early morning over the pick-up location at the farm. Photo by Jared Planz

Announcements:

Only Three More Weeks This Season!

As we start winding down this season, please remember you can come and collect a maximum of 2 shares at a time. Feel free to come both Wednesday and Saturday if you would like, to collect any extra shares remaining.

Meat Sales

We still have a few New York Strips, and Delmonico in stock. These cuts are available for cash only and all cuts are under $10 per cut. In order to purchase, please inquire when picking up your share (for on farm only).

Information About Our Garlic

We have decided to increase the amount of garlic that everyone will be receiving in their share. In order to keep up with the new volume that we intend to give out, the farm has decided to give out that garlic uncleaned. It will still be the same beautiful garlic that you have been getting all year with just a few extra garlic papers wrapped on them. We still intend to sort out any garlic that does not meet with our standards.

PURCHASE GARLIC BELOW

Garlic is still available for purchase as well and will be cleaned off like before.

This Week’s Share:

  • Garlic

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Tokyo Bekana

  • Kale and collards

  • Fennel

  • Daikon radishes

  • Chinese cabbages (small heads)

  • Bok choy and tatsoi

  • Peppers — green bells and sweet

  • Optional chili peppers and poblanos

Recently found on our fennel was this caterpillar Papilio polyxenes, also called the parsley worm at this stage because of its love of parsley. Watch out—they like dill as well. Here at the farm, we do a gentle relocation project in the herb beds. This caterpillar will become the American swallowtail, or parsnip swallowtail butterfly, commonly found throughout much of North America.

U-Pick:

  • Hot (and not so hot) chili peppers

  • Basil: Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

Evidence of what remains of the lettuce. We have a lot of pressure with the deer and ground hogs on the farm, and these tasty greens we grow are hard to resist. Sadly we were not able to keep them from having a feast this weekend.

We will save what little they left for us and keep on growing!

RECIPE:

Fennel can be mysterious to those who have not used or seen it often in dishes. So this week, we’re highlighting a Cooking Light resource for fennel that has a few recipes you can try.

“All parts of the fennel plant—bulb, stalk, and the feathery fronds—are edible, and will add texture and flavor to salads, slaws, pastas, and more. Thinly sliced raw fennel bulb adds a sweet licorice flavor and crunchy texture to salads. To slice the bulb, stand it on the root end and cut vertically with a sharp knife of mandolin. To soften the flavor of the bulb, try braising, sautéing, roasting, or grilling it.

Fennel stalks can take the place of celery in soups and stews, and can be used as a bed for roasted chicken and meats. Use fennel fronds as a garnish or chop them and use as you would other herbs, like dill or parsley. Oh, and one last thing—fennel and seafood go together like peas in a pod.”

Cooking fennel, roasting it in the oven, cut into thicker slices with other root vegetables, is always a go-to when you have them on hand. Feel feel to also add them to the sauté pan or a hot stir fry!

Daikon Radishes can also be pretty unique, this article helps explain them quite a bit and gives a few more recipes to try!

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens, we plan for more spicy mix and Arugula

  • Okra, we are pausing this week and will pick what may size up next week

  • Sweet potatoes, we are expecting them until the last share!

  • Peppers, sweet/hot both we are also expecting to have plenty until the last share

  • Cabbage leaves

  • Garlic

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 23 of 26: Sweet Potatoes and Fall Greens

We are truly settling into fall with all of these glorious sweet potatoes! They certainly bring a warmth to these cooler, shorter days. Photo by Jared Planz

Announcements:

Meat Sales Update

We have sold out of ground beef for the season. However, we still have a few specialty cuts on hand. We have New York Strip, Delmonico, and a couple pieces of Filet Mignon. These cuts are available for cash only and all cuts are under $10 per cut. In order to purchase, please inquire when picking up your share (for on farm only).

PURCHASE garlic

Volunteer Group Highlights

Hannon Armstrong

Hannon Armstrong brought 12 people to help around the farm on Tuesday. They were wonderful help with harvesting our bounty of sweet potatoes! You may remember Hannon Armstrong as the group that sponsored our recent acquisition of six wonderful bee hives.

Elysian Energy

Elysian Energy brought 10 people to help around the farm on Monday. They tactically harvested ginger from the greenhouse, finished picking the winter squash in the field, cleaned garlic, and even helped clean up in the tree nursery!

This Week’s Share:

Our beautiful display of peppers!

  • Garlic

  • Sweet Potatoes

  • Ginger

  • Salad greens

  • Winter squash

  • Kale and collards

  • Turnips

  • Bok choi and Tat soi

  • Eggplant

  • Peppers — green bells and sweet

  • Optional chili peppers, okra, poblanos

U-Pick:

  • Hot (and not so hot) chili peppers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley (Last week for rows in G2 field)

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Last week for Flowers (Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia, and others)

While picking okra, the staff crowded around in amazement at this bumble bee’s work ethic. Look at all of that pollen!

Photo by: Elissa Planz

Recipe:

Sweet Potato Hash

Check out this wonderful sweet potato hash recipe from Chefling.com:

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato peeled, and diced 1/4"

1/2 large red pepper diced 1/4"

1/2 large green pepper diced 1/4"

2 Tbsp diced shallots

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried parsley

dash cayenne pepper

3–4 Tbsp olive oil

Cooked in seven simple steps!

  1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet

  2. Add potatoes, peppers, shallot and spices

  3. Sauté 5 minutes, stirring halfway through

  4. Cover skillet and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring 3 times (this will steam potatoes)

  5. Remove cover and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until potatoes and peppers are soft (add more olive oil if needed)

  6. Adjust seasonings if needed

  7. Add cooked egg on top if desired

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens are amazing, and you’ll have them until the end. The arugula and spicy mix have more heat these days, so consider a creamy, mellowing/sweet salad dressing.

  • Sweet potatoes should continue until the end of the season, and they are another great crop that last for quite a few months. Try to store them in a cool, dry place away from other vegetables and resist the urge to wash them. ( It’s nice to use up smaller ones first as they tend to dry out faster.)

  • Lettuce heads will start to appear in two weeks.

  • Heads of bok choi and tat soi at least one more week.

  • Daikon radishes and purple-top turnips.

  • Peppers, eggplant, chilies, and okra continue, albeit a little more slowly with these shorter days and cooler night

  • Fennel will be starting next week.

  • Smaller Chinese cabbage will be available in the next couple of weeks.

  • Cabbage leaves (our cabbage may not fully head up in time for the season, but fear not—we should be able to give out some cabbage leaves soon!

  • Garlic

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 22 of 26: Grower Says Goodbye

This is me (Carrie Vaughn), my daughter, Amelia, and her dog Bingo. It will be tough for all of us to leave this beautiful home! Photo by Dave Vernon

This is me (Carrie Vaughn), my daughter, Amelia, and her dog Bingo. It will be tough for all of us to leave this beautiful home! Photo by Dave Vernon

Announcements:

A Note from Carrie

As my 23rd growing season at Clagett Farm wraps up, I’m easing into a new job as Farm Director for Building Bridges Across the River in Southeast D.C. But don’t worry—your farm is in great hands! Dave Vernon (13 years), Jared Planz (6 years), Elissa Planz (6 years), and Alex Outten (4 years) have ample experience between them and will steer the ship capably for the remainder of this season (5 weeks to go!) and in 2022.

I’d love to thank you personally for our years together! Amelia and I are having a farewell party near the washing station on Saturday October 30. Swing by so we can raise a glass together. Dupont members, I’ll be at the first half of your pickup today (October 13) in case you can’t get yourself to the farm.

—Carrie

This Week’s Share:

Jared Planz and Will Grinnell load up with a jackpot of delicious turnips. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Jared Planz and Will Grinnell load up with a jackpot of delicious turnips. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

  • Salad greens

  • Butternut squash

  • Kale and collards

  • Hakurei turnips and watermelon radishes

  • Bok choi and tat soi

  • Eggplant

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers, okra, and pink beauty radishes

U-Pick:

The U-Pick list has remained pretty consistent the last few weeks:

  • Hot (and not so hot) chili peppers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia, and others)

This photo from 1999 demonstrates how much the farm has changed! The silos were sold, and we built our washing station in its place. The greenhouses in the foreground were replaced by a larger one, and the house and sheds on the right side of the photo have been torn down. We’ve added the tree nursery and a tall deer fence. The spot where I was standing to take this photo has been planted with blueberry bushes (which the birds have enjoyed more than we have, for better or worse). The only things that remain from this photo are the garage in the middle and the trees!

This photo from 1999 demonstrates how much the farm has changed! The silos were sold, and we built our washing station in its place. The greenhouses in the foreground were replaced by a larger one, and the house and sheds on the right side of the photo have been torn down. We’ve added the tree nursery and a tall deer fence. The spot where I was standing to take this photo has been planted with blueberry bushes (which the birds have enjoyed more than we have, for better or worse). The only things that remain from this photo are the garage in the middle and the trees!

Recipes

Soup!

If I had to choose one meal to eat for the rest of my life, it would be soup and salad. There are endless variations, and I find soup immensely comforting, particularly this time of year.

  • CSA shareholder and CBF staff member David Tana offered us this recipe for Creamy Turnip Soup, which he says was the perfect use for our hakurei turnips.

  • I’ve been telling everyone to let your butternut squash sit for a month or more before eating so they sweeten up. I cubed and roasted a butternut last week that had some insect damage, and man, it was sweet and delicious! So in my humble opinion, the wait is over. There are limitless butternut squash soup recipes to be found. The one I’ve linked here calls for roasting the squash first, which is a must for me. If you don’t have a carrot in your fridge, don’t bother adding it—I find it inconsequential. Also, I’m partial to adding blue cheese instead of or in addition to the cream. But sometimes I leave out the dairy altogether and its still perfection. Roasted, salted, winter squash seeds (pepitas) are another great garnish for butternut squash soup.

Coming Soon:

  • Sweet potatoes next week, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

  • Salad greens are amazing and you’ll have them until the end. The arugula and spicy mix have more heat these days so consider a creamy, mellowing salad dressing.

  • We should get one more week of ginger before the season is over.

  • Heads of bok choi and tat soi at least one more week.

  • Radishes and turnips will continue through the end, including daikon radishes and purple-top turnips.

  • Peppers, eggplant, chilies, and okra continue, albeit a little more slowly with these shorter days and cooler nights.

  • Oh my heavens, so many heads of garlic! Sometimes we’re so busy harvesting we don’t get a chance to tidy up the garlic before it’s on the bench for your share. Before you take your two heads, give them a squeeze. If there are any soft cloves, pass the head to us and take a different one. Thanks for your help!

It embarrasses me how little my style has changed in all these years. Even today, I’m still wearing baggy clothes, button-down, thrift-store shirts dotted with tractor grease, and a baseball cap. This photo from 2003 includes Rob Vaughn. He and I farmed together for our first 18 years at Clagett. We were married on the farm and have since parted ways. I’m so grateful for the joy, wisdom, and love gifted me by the passage of time, this beautiful place, and all the people I’ve worked with and served over the years. That includes you! —Carrie

It embarrasses me how little my style has changed in all these years. Even today, I’m still wearing baggy clothes, button-down, thrift-store shirts dotted with tractor grease, and a baseball cap.

This photo from 2003 includes Rob Vaughn. He and I farmed together for our first 18 years at Clagett. We were married on the farm and have since parted ways. I’m so grateful for the joy, wisdom, and love gifted me by the passage of time, this beautiful place, and all the people I’ve worked with and served over the years. That includes you! —Carrie

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 21 of 26: Your Body Craves Greens

Bok choi—a real stand-up vegetable. Photo by Jared Planz

Bok choi—a real stand-up vegetable. Photo by Jared Planz

Announcements:

There’s still some grassfed ground beef available. Grab some while you can! Available for pickup at Clagett Farm only. Anyone can purchase (including people who aren’t CSA shareholders).

  • $10/pound

  • $45 for 5 pounds

The perfect holiday gift that doesn’t require shipping from China. Who doesn’t love garlic?!

  • $8/pound for CSA shareholders

  • $12/pound for others

 

  • The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a founding member of the Million Acre Challenge. Our mission is to bring a million agricultural acres of Maryland farmland into regenerative soils management. This includes collecting data at Clagett Farm as part of a study of which farming practices are most effectively improving soil health. You’re helping this effort as one of our customers. Thank you! Soil health helps reduce the impacts of climate change, improves the nutrition of your food, and is the foundation of a rich, healthy ecosystem.

This Week’s Share:

Fresh, young ginger is almost too gorgeous to eat. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Fresh, young ginger is almost too gorgeous to eat. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

  • Ginger

  • Butternut squash (Note that your butternut will improve in flavor over the next few months as long as it doesn’t develop a soft spot, so don’t be afraid to leave it on your counter for a while.)

  • Salad greens: Tokyo bekana, spicy mix, and arugula

  • Hakurei turnips

  • Bok choi, tat soi, and collards

  • Eggplant

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers, okra and pink beauty radishes

U-Pick:

The U-Pick list has remained pretty consistent the last few weeks:

These Tobago Seasoning chilies look like traditional habaneros, but in fact they have no heat at all—just the flavors of a habanero. You can eat it whole without a single tear in your eye. Think of the practical joke potential! Photo by Carrie Vaughn

These Tobago Seasoning chilies look like traditional habaneros, but in fact they have no heat at all—just the flavors of a habanero. You can eat it whole without a single tear in your eye. Think of the practical joke potential! Photo by Carrie Vaughn

  • Hot (and not so hot) chili peppers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia, and others)

Recipes:

Hakurei Turnips

I know, I know—some of you (many of you) think you dislike turnips. But the turnips this week are out-of-this-world juicy, crunchy, and sweet. Bring a paring knife to your pickup and plan to eat one on your way home. They’re that good!

Hakurei turnips. Photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton.

Hakurei turnips. Photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton.

  • Try cutting 1/2-inch slices of hakurei and using them like crackers. Some topping ideas:

    • Cheddar and apple slices

    • Pesto, olives, and an oil-cured, sun-dried tomato

    • A dollop of smoky baba ganoush and a green herb as garnish

  • Slice the turnips thinly (use a mandolin if you have one) and make a salad with them alone or with the salad greens in your share. Or you can combine with thinly sliced apple and/or fennel.

    Top with some toasted nuts (pecans, for example) and dress with a vinaigrette. You can make a great dressing by putting in the blender:

    • A chunk of ginger

    • A shallot

    • A clove of garlic

    • Some orange or orange juice or (my favorite for ease) a spoonful of OJ concentrate

    • Soy sauce

    • Rice vinegar

    • A bit of salad oil, such as grapeseed

  • The greens on our turnips are exceptional right now. Here’s a recipe where they cook quickly with some miso butter. Mmmmm…miso butter…

  • Here’s a recipe for a Japanese quick pickle called Asazuke. They recommend letting the turnips marinate for 1-3 hours.

  • This recipe replaces potatoes with roasted turnips in a “No-Potato Salad”.

  • If you don’t get around to eating them right away, remove the greens. The turnip roots can stay in the crisper drawer of your fridge for a long time, stretching your CSA veggies into the winter.

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens are unstoppable! Yahoo, salad until the end!

  • We should get one more week of ginger.

  • One more week of winter squash, primarily butternut.

  • Bok choi and tat soi are luscious and will continue at least two more weeks.

  • We underestimated the Hakurei turnips, which will last several more weeks. Watermelon radishes weeks 22 and 23. Daikon radishes and purple-top turnips weeks 25 and 26.

  • Peppers, eggplant, chilies, and okra continue, albeit a little more slowly with these shorter days and cooler nights.

  • Heads of garlic will continue until November, when we’ll switch to giving out loose cloves.

  • Sweet potatoes expected week 23, probably through 26.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 20 of 26: The Salad Days

Whichever greens make it home in your bag, they’re going to be spectacular! Photo by Fred Delventhal

Whichever greens make it home in your bag, they’re going to be spectacular! Photo by Fred Delventhal

Announcements:

Clagett Farm’s grassfed ground beef is very popular! We’ll sell out in the next week or two. Available for pickup at Clagett Farm only. Anyone can purchase (including people who aren’t CSA shareholders).

  • $10/pound

  • $45 for 5 pounds

We’re glad we’re not selling out of garlic, because that would mean we'd failed to meet your needs with the CSA. Perish the thought!

  • $8/pound for CSA shareholders

  • $12/pound for others

 

  • Reminder: Please wear a mask at the CSA pickup site. Thank you!

  • Congratulations Ann Jennings! Ann was just named by Governor Northam as Virginia’s Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. We went to a lot of staff retreats with Ann over the years when she was the Executive Director of CBF’s Virginia offices, and trust us when we say Governor Northam could not have chosen better!

This Week’s Share:

A ripe butternut in repose with a seminole that hasn’t quite finished ripening to its full color. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

A ripe butternut in repose with a seminole that hasn’t quite finished ripening to its full color. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

  • Butternut squash! (Note that your butternut will improve in flavor over the next few months as long as it doesn’t develop a soft spot, so don’t be afraid to leave it on your counter for a while.)

  • Bok choi

  • Salad greens: Tokyo bekana and arugula

  • Collards and kale

  • Hakurei turnips and French breakfast radishes

  • Eggplant

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers and okra

U-Pick:

U-Pick is available all week for the crops on this list:

Cayenne chilies. Photo by Fred Delventhal

Cayenne chilies. Photo by Fred Delventhal

  • Hot (and not so hot) chili peppers.

  • Ground cherries

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia, and others)

Recipes:

Bok Choi

Bok choi benefits from simplicity. Most recipes do very little to mask its clean, bright, crunchy taste.

Bok choi, photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton.

Bok choi, photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton.

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens, kale, and collards are growing well and you’ll see quantities increase over the next few weeks.

  • Bok choi for another week, followed by heads of tat soi.

  • Watermelon radishes, probably weeks 21 and 22. Hakurei turnips through week 21, at least. We expect some daikon radishes for week 26.

  • Peppers, eggplant, and okra will continue for a while, but you’ll see a gradual decline in quantity.

  • Heads of garlic will continue until November, when we’ll switch to giving out loose cloves.

  • The sweet potato forecast continues to be for week 23.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 19 of 26: Glorious September

Our new water wheel transplanter! It’s much less finicky and more efficient than the old tobacco transplanter we’ve been using for the past three decades. Here, you can see Liana Rosenblum (volunteer) and Elissa Planz transplanting Chinese cabbage. Jared Planz is driving. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Our new water wheel transplanter! It’s much less finicky and more efficient than the old tobacco transplanter we’ve been using for the past three decades. Here, you can see Liana Rosenblum (volunteer) and Elissa Planz transplanting Chinese cabbage. Jared Planz is driving. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Announcements:

Clagett Farm’s grassfed ground beef is for sale! $10/pound or $45 for 5 pounds. Available for pickup at the farm only. Anyone can purchase (including people who aren’t CSA shareholders).

We continue to have garlic for sale—only $8/pound for CSA shareholders! $12/pound for others. Our garlic will last an additional 3 to 5 months in the pantry.

 

  • Reminder: Please wear a mask at the CSA pickup site. Thank you!

  • Did you know that the Chesapeake Bay watershed has a resident species of otter? River otters live in the tidal areas near us, including the Patuxent River and the Anacostia. Check out some fun facts about these adorable neighbors here.

This Week’s Share:

Spicy mix, ready for picking. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Spicy mix, ready for picking. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

  • Ginger!

  • Salad greens: Tat soi, Tokyo bekana, and Spicy mix

  • Tender collards and kale

  • Tomatoes, mostly cherries

  • Hakurei turnips and French breakfast radishes

  • Eggplant

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers and okra

U-Pick:

U-Pick is available all week for the crops on this list.

  • Tomatoes and chilies, across from the washing station, inside the fence, below the high tunnel

  • Ground cherries, beside the sunflowers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia, and others)

Recipes and Tips:

Young Ginger!

If you haven’t used fresh, young ginger, you’re in for a treat. Here’s some tips:

  • It’s more tender, mild, and less fibrous than what you normally find at the store, so you can eat larger chunks and it doesn’t need peeling.

  • It can be easily frozen whole if you don’t plan to use it within the next few weeks. Just pull it out of the freezer, grate off the amount you need, and then return it right away to the freezer.

  • We’ll include a bit of stalk with the ginger, and sometimes some roots. Steep these parts in boiled water for a great ginger tea. Or add them to the water you use to cook rice or soup and then remove them before eating (similar to how you cook with lemongrass).

  • If you’d like to replicate the pickled ginger that typically comes with sushi, this is the type of ginger you need to use.

  • Add the ginger to smoothies or add slices to your sautéed vegetables (since it isn’t fibrous, it doesn’t need to be grated).

  • Ginger has medicinal benefits galore! Among other things, it’s anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and eases indigestion. And if you’re having nausea from motion sickness or pregnancy, ginger is very effective.

  • Once you’re done using your little pumpkin for decoration and you’d like to eat it, pumpkin goes deliciously with ginger, such as in this easy recipe for Pumpkin and Ginger Soup. (Save yourself the trouble of peeling and grating the ginger as instructed—just chop it up instead.)

Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing

Put the following ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Once it’s finished, taste for your preferred flavor. You might want to add even more ginger! This recipe is adapted from VeganHighProtein.com.

  • 3-inch piece of ginger, chopped into chunks

  • 1 shallot, peeled and chopped into chunks

  • 1 quarter of an apple, peeled

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar

  • 1 Tbsp sugar or 3/4 tsp agave

  • 1 Tbsp sesame paste (This is toasted, ground sesame seeds; tahini is a good substitute, but since it isn’t toasted, you might want to replace some of the grapeseed oil with toasted sesame oil.)

  • 1 cup grapeseed oil (This has a neutral flavor and can be easily substituted with other oils)

Stir Fried Ginger Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables

This is a recipe highly adapted from Food and Wine. Feel free to follow my lead and adapt liberally to the vegetables you have at hand. Unless you have leftover quinoa (or rice) on hand, begin by cooking the quinoa while you prep the other ingredients.

  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce (can substitute with hoisin)

  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

  • 3 small, ripe peppers

  • 4 okra pods, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

  • a handful of greens, cut into ribbons (tat soi, collards, kale or spicy mix would all work here)

  • 3 hakurei turnips, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

  • 1 chili of your choice, minced (include seeds and ribs if you want the heat)

  • 1 shallot or 3 scallions, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2-inch piece of ginger, sliced

  • 3 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled

  • 2 eggs, beaten (can be easily substituted with tofu; scramble it separately, as with this recipe, instead of following the instructions below)

  • Salt and pepper

  1. Stir together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster (or hoisin) sauce and set aside.

  2. Heat the first tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the okra and peppers. Stir minimally (to keep the okra from getting gooey)—just enough to soften the vegetables on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  3. Heat the pan again and add the greens and turnips. Push them around a minute or two until the greens have brightened up and wilted and the turnips are softened a bit. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  4. Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat it up again. Add the chili, shallot (or scallions), garlic, and ginger. Stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the quinoa. Push the quinoa around until it’s hot. Then push it to the outsides of the pan, leaving an empty space in the middle.

  5. Pour the egg into the empty space and scrape it around constantly until it’s softly scrambled.

  6. Add everything to the pan that had been set aside (sauce, peppers, okra, turnips, and greens). Stir until everything is mixed and heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens, kale, and collards should continue for the rest of the season.

  • Bok choi, Chinese cabbage, and heads of tat soi will make appearances this fall. Bok choi will be first, probably weeks 21 and 22. The Chinese cabbage will be last, since we’ve only just transplanted it—probably week 26.

  • Butternut squash is coming soon, probably next week.

  • After a few weeks of these French breakfast radishes, we’ll probably start giving out Watermelon radishes, probably weeks 21 and 22. Hakurei turnips will continue for several more weeks. We expect some daikon radishes for week 26.

  • This might be the last week of ripe tomatoes.

  • Peppers, eggplant, and okra are just now showing signs that they have passed their peak growth rate. But they are still going strong and won’t end completely until we get some cold temperatures. Dare I say it, they might even survive until the end of the season.

  • Keep calm, garlic on.

  • Sweet potatoes are growing nicely. We’ll probably begin giving them out week 23.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 18 of 26: Fall Salad Greens!!

Arugula, looking luscious. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Arugula, looking luscious. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Announcements:

  • We have garlic for sale—only $8/pound for CSA shareholders!

  • Reminder: Please wear a mask at the CSA pickup site. Thank you!

This Week’s Share:

  • Arugula and Tokyo Bekana (a very mild mustard green that tastes and looks like lettuce)

  • Tomatoes — cherries and full-size

  • Hakurei turnips (even turnip haters should try a bite of one of these sweet, crunchy gems) and Pink Beauty Radishes

  • Eggplant

  • Garlic (If you’re starting to accumulate a stockpile, don’t worry! They store for months. You’ll be glad to have them in the winter—almost as glad you’ll be if you roast a few heads for dinner tonight.)

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers, tomatillos, and okra

CBF staff member Johnny Ryan weeding the kale and surrounded by some volunteer buckwheat. The buckwheat is a weed in this field right now, but it’s hard to begrudge a flower that’s so lovely and delicious to honeybees. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

CBF staff member Johnny Ryan weeding the kale and surrounded by some volunteer buckwheat. The buckwheat is a weed in this field right now, but it’s hard to begrudge a flower that’s so lovely and delicious to honeybees. Photo by Carrie Vaughn

U-Pick:

U-Pick is available all week for the crops on this list.

  • Tomatoes and chilies, across from the washing station, inside the fence, below the high tunnel

  • Ground cherries, beside the sunflowers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Sunflowers, Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia and others)

Recipe:

CSA shareholder Rachel Zuercher sent us this great tomato soup recipe that she made with Clagett Farm ingredients. Thanks Rachel!

IMG_4113.jpeg

Roasted Tomato SouP

IMG_4084.jpeg

  • 1.75 pounds of fresh tomatoes (preferably not varieties that are too sweet), halved

  • 1 onion and/or equivalent shallots

  • 1 head garlic, top third cut off to expose the cloves

  • olive oil

  • salt and pepper

  • 3 cups vegetable broth

  • 1-2 bay leaves

  • a handful of fresh thyme sprigs

  • chopped basil (for garnish)

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  2. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the halved tomatoes (cut side down), onion, and garlic on the sheet.

  3. Drizzle olive oil over everything and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  4. Roast for ~40 mins or until the tomatoes start to blister.

  5. Transfer the tomatoes, onions, and de-skinned garlic (just squeeze the cloves out) to a soup pot. Pour any remaining tomato juice from the baking sheet into the pot.

  6. Add the vegetable broth and herbs to the pot. Simmer for ~25 minutes.

  7. Remove the bay leaves and remaining thyme sprigs.

  8. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.

  9. Garnish with fresh, chopped basil.

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens will continue in fits and starts through the end of the season (mid-November). Kale and collards are coming soon.

  • Winter squash will return, probably next week.

  • Turnips and radishes will continue on and off, with different varieties, through the end of the season.

  • Fresh ginger soon! Probably next week.

  • Enjoy these final, sweet weeks of tomatoes. We’ll miss them when they’re gone! You’ll know the era has ended when you see green tomatoes in your share (and I mean the unripe ones—not the green zebras).

  • We think peppers, eggplant, and okra will continue producing until the end of the month and maybe longer, depending mostly on evening temperatures. These tropical plants will survive some cold nights but, you know, their joie de vivre will leave them.

  • Garlic, your two heads never fail to delight.

  • We’ll probably give out sweet potatoes in late October.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 17 of 26: The Mingling of Summer and Fall

Sweet Oranos peppers are on the staff list of All Time Best Vegetables. Photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton.

Sweet Oranos peppers are on the staff list of All Time Best Vegetables. Photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton.

Announcements:

  • Based on the recent evidence of the transmissibility of the COVID-19 Delta variant, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation asks that all customers and staff, including those who have been vaccinated, wear masks to the CSA pickup sites. We appreciate everyone’s patience as guidelines shift with the changing circumstances. Our top priority is keeping the most vulnerable among us healthy.

  • Note that U-Pick is available all week now. It’s no longer restricted to Wednesdays and Saturdays.

  • We’re now selling garlic! CSA shareholders pay only $8/pound. Non-CSA shareholders pay $12/pound. We’re not ready yet to sell in wholesale quantities (over 10 pounds in one purchase). You can purchase online or pay cash when you get here.

This Week’s Share:

  • Acorn squash

  • Tomatoes — cherries and full-size

  • Asian pears or potatoes

  • Radishes

  • Eggplant

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Optional chili peppers and okra

Photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton

Photo by Clay Dunn and Zach Patton

U-Pick:

  • U-Pick is now available all week for all crops, including tomatoes and chilies. The tomatoes and chilies are across from the washing station, below the high tunnel.

  • Ground cherries, beside the sunflowers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Sunflowers, Zinnias, Gomphrena, Tithonia and others)

Recipes:

I asked Chef Matt Finarelli for a recipe that uses our sweet and bell peppers, and he offered these delightful grilled fajitas. If you’re not a meat-eater, consider marinating super firm tofu in place of the beef.

Tequila-Marinated Skirt Steak Fajitas

The flavors of tequila, lime, and chilies come through so large and deliciously in these amazing fajitas. They grill up great, or use your oven’s broiler to make them any time!

Serves 4-6

  • ½ cup blanco tequila

  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice

  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt

  • 1 Tbsp sugar

  • 2 fresh cayenne chilies

  • ~3 lbs skirt steak, in 3-6 pieces ideally (hanger steak is also great but needs extra marinating and cooking time)

  • 4 cups peppers – a mix of green, orange and red – cut into strips

  • 1 large red onion, julienned

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Warmed flour or corn tortillas

  • Guacamole, hot sauce, crema, shredded cheese for serving (as desired)

  1. Combine tequila, lime juice, salt, sugar, and chilies in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the steaks, take out the excess air, and seal the bag. Rub marinade all over the steaks.

  2. Let steaks marinate for 1–2 hours at room temperature (or 3–6 hours in the fridge) turning over occasionally.

  3. Heat grill for two-zone grilling, one side medium-high, the other medium-low.

  4. In a large bowl, toss peppers and onion with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

  5. Place a vegetable roasting basket (or cooling rack) across the grates of the hot side and grill the peppers and onions on the hot side. (You’ll want to close the top of your grill for most of this to let the peppers soften nicely.)

  6. Move the vegetable basket over to the cooler side of the grill to keep them cooking lightly and finish up while you’re cooking the steaks.

  7. Remove the steaks from the marinade, shake dry, and season with black pepper.

  8. Place steaks on hot side and grill all over to place a nice sear on the outside of the steaks. A thin steak like skirt will likely only need a lovely sear on the outside to be finished perfectly. If you want it a little more done, move it over to the cooler side with the vegetables to finish cooking through without burning.

  9. Let steaks rest for 2–5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain of the meat.

  10. Serve as fajitas with the grilled peppers and onions in tortillas.

Feel free to add other toppings you like as well. I’ve listed some of my favorites above in the recipe.

20210905_204104.jpg

Eggplant, tomato, mozzerella stacks

CSA shareholder Maureen Clapper shared this missive:

“OMG - the Annina eggplant (the speckled one), with the Marmalade (yellow-orange) tomatoes and fresh mozzarella...HEAVEN. Sauté eggplant slices in skillet at medium-low heat; cook 7–10 minutes; flip; add salt, black pepper and Aleppo pepper. Cook the other side for 7 minutes. At 4 minutes to zero, add tomato slices and salt. At 3 minutes to zero, add mozzarella slices and shake with black and red peppers.”

Thank you, Maureen!

Roasted Okra and Potatoes with Pecans

This dish really is just three ingredients, but when it comes together, the balance of colors, flavors and textures is pure magic!

by Chef Matt Finarelli

Serves 4

  • 1 lb small red potatoes, quartered

  • 1 lb okra, stemmed and halved lengthwise

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1 Tbsp ground sumac

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • ⅓ cup pecans, roughly chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

  2. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once water boils, let boil for one minute, then drain completely and place in a large bowl.

  3. Place okra in the bowl with the potatoes, toss with oil and season with sumac, salt, and pepper.

  4. Spread mixture on prepared baking sheets and roast in the oven until potatoes are browned, about 20–25 minutes.

  5. While vegetables are cooking, toast pecans in a sauté pan over medium heat until nicely browned.

  6. When vegetables are done, remove from oven, season with salt and pepper, top with pecans and serve.

Coming Soon:

  • Salad greens might begin next week!

  • We might have a pause in winter squash after we give out the acorn squash while we wait for the butternuts to finish ripening.

  • The small, red radishes will continue for another week, followed by hakurei turnips.

  • We have some beautiful ginger this year. We hope to give it out several times, possibly beginning week 19.

  • These are the last few weeks of tomatoes.

  • We think peppers, eggplant and okra will continue producing until the end of the month.

  • Garlic, BFF.

  • The sweet potato outlook is good, but still distant.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 16 of 26 : Fiery Hot (Chili) Summer

The chilies are getting hotter as the summer progresses. Can you help us put them in order of heat? Take a mix of chilies home and tell us how they rank, if you dare! Photo by Carrie Vaughn

The chilies are getting hotter as the summer progresses. Can you help us put them in order of heat? Take a mix of chilies home and tell us how they rank, if you dare! Photo by Carrie Vaughn

Announcements:

  • Yes, in spite of the rain, we will have the CSA pickup Wednesday afternoon/evening on the farm and at Dupont. But as always, if you’d rather double up another day, you can skip coming out in the deluge.

  • This is the last chance to order oysters for your Labor Day weekend. Pickup is this Thursday, 4:00–6:00 p.m. in Annapolis, and anyone can order (tell your friends!). This happens to be the first-ever harvest for Pirates Cove Oyster Company. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation created a mentoring program to get more watermen in the business of raising oysters for a sustainable harvest and a saved Bay. You can help this farmer get his business started!

  • There’s a fun history behind one of the chili peppers pictured above—the Buena Mulata (bottom right corner). This beautiful chili seed was saved by the folk artist, WWI veteran, and seed saver Horace Pippin in Pennsylvania. CBF staff and CSA member Josh Kurtz warns us the pepper is plenty hot in the violet stage when we’ve been picking it. But if we left it on the plant, it would continue to ripen to yellow, orange, brown and red. Like most peppers, the flavor gets fruitier as it ripens, but don’t expect it to have less heat!

This Week’s Share:

  • Pea shoots

  • Choice of pie pumpkin or acorn squash

    • Winter squash store very nicely outside the refrigerator, so you can keep the pumpkin as a decoration until you’re ready to bake it. It’s a small variety for eating, rather than the watery, stringy giant pumpkins that people use for jack-o-lanterns. Keep an eye on your winter squash. If one develops a soft spot, cut that part out and bake it right away.

  • Red potatoes

  • Tomatoes — cherries and full-size

  • Cucumbers

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Choice of chili peppers, okra and tomatillos

U-Pick:

Tomatoes and Chilies in the field:

  • LIMITED TIME: U-PICK tomatoes and chilies are ONLY OPEN Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to dark and Saturdays 1:00 p.m. to dark.

  • U-Pick is for CSA shareholders only. You do not need to sign up.

  • It’s a surprisingly tight space between rows, and the plants are delicate. Please avoid leaning on the tomato plants or stepping on the vines. Expect to spend some time low to the ground on your knees. And expect to walk 400 feet on uneven ground in tall grass.

  • Please bring containers and a mask. Even if you’re vaccinated, wear your mask if you are in close quarters with people outside your household.

  • Expect lots of cherry tomatoes and not very many full-size tomatoes.

Herbs, etc:

  • New: Ground cherries beside the sunflowers

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers (Sunflowers, Zinnias, Gomphrena, Cosmos, Tithonia and others)

Recipes:

Chef Matt Finarelli has two ways to use your summer vegetables in pasta. One roasts the vegetables in a hot oven, bringing out a richer flavor. The other leaves the vegetables raw, which takes advantage of the bright, fresh tomatoes we can enjoy at the end of summer. Thanks, Matt, for your recipe contributions! (And if you’re lucky enough to attend one of his cooking class parties, you can learn the trick to cutting up a pepper without leaving a mess of seeds on your cutting board!)

Pasta Provencal with Basil, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Olives

  • 1 pound farfalle

  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 1 ea red pepper, stemmed, seeded, ribs removed, cut into small/medium dice

  • 2 cups small cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, halved

  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

  • ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  • 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, shredded (~½ cup)

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente; drain.

  2. Pour pasta into a large serving bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.

  3. Add red pepper, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and garlic. Toss to combine.

  4. In a separate small bowl, combine remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Whisk together and pour over the pasta salad. Toss to combine.

  5. Add pecorino, parmesan and basil, and gently toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then serve warm or at room temperature with extra grated cheese.

Linguine with Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Pesto

from Chef Matt Finarelli

Garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes get puréed with toasted sunflower seeds, fresh basil, and parmesan to make a rich, delicious pesto. Serve with Italian sausages or meatballs if there are people who also want some meat with the dish.

  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 3 pints grape tomatoes (or 1½ lbs coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes)

  • 4-5 ea small zucchini (~1½ lbs), trimmed and sliced

  • 7 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 7 Tbsp shelled, roasted, salted sunflower seeds, divided

  • 3 cups fresh basil leaves, divided

  • 3 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

  • 1 lb linguine

  • 1 ea fresh tomato (~4-5 oz), diced

  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized pieces

  1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet or aluminum foil.

  2. Place garlic cloves, tomatoes, and zucchini in a large bowl. Add 3 Tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

  3. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring every 5 minutes until nicely browned – about 15-20 minutes. (Increase roasting time to 25-30 for chopped fresh tomatoes).

  4. Set vegetables aside to cool to room temperature.

  5. Place cooled roasted vegetables in a blender; add 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds and 2 cups basil leaves. Puree together while slowly pouring in the remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil.

  6. Pour pesto into a bowl, and stir in the parmesan cheese. Set aside.

  7. Coarsely chop (or tear) the remaining basil, and set aside.

  8. Cook linguine until al dente, and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl.

  9. Toss pasta with pesto, and use some of the cooking water (if needed) to help it spread throughout the pasta.

  10. Add the diced fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, reserved 1 cup chopped/torn basil, and reserved 4 Tbsp sunflower seeds. Toss to combine.

  11. Serve warm with extra parmesan for garnish.

Quick Pickled Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

from Chef Matt Finarelli

While this may look like a salad you’d sit down and tuck into, it’s much more of a garnish. In fact, this recipe came from a restaurant I worked (Rustico) where it was the garnish for our grilled New York Strip Steak! It’s also a great accompaniment to oysters, much like a spicy mignonette.

Makes ~1½ cups

  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar

  • ½ cup water

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • ¼ tsp turmeric

  • 1 clove garlic – minced

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 2 ea cucumbers

  • 1 ea small onion

  • 1 ea serrano pepper (optional)

  1. Combine rice wine vinegar, water, sugar, turmeric, garlic, and salt in a small saucepan, and stir to dissolve. Heat over medium high heat to bring to a simmer.

  2. While the pickling liquid is heating up, peel the cucumber, slice it in half lengthwise and remove all the seeds. Then slice the cucumber thinly on a bias to make thin half-moon shapes. Place in a large bowl.

  3. Slice the red onion very thinly, and slice the jalapeño (if using) into thin rounds. Place the onion and pepper in the bowl with the cucumber.

  4. Once the pickling liquid comes to a boil, immediately pour it over the cucumber mixture.

  5. Allow everything to cool to room temperature together, then serve as a garnish for meats or as a small side salad, or on top of stir-fries.

Cayenne chilies, photo by Clay Dunn

Cayenne chilies, photo by Clay Dunn

Coming Soon:

  • We’ll have more types of winter squash in the weeks to come.

  • Radishes will begin week 17 or 18 and should continue off and on through the end.

  • We’ll have at least one more week of Asian pears.

  • A modest supply of tomatoes, heavy on cherries, will continue through mid-September.

  • Peppers of all kinds and okra are seeing a nice lift in production. We’re guessing that continues through the end of September.

  • Tomatillos are continuing to fruit but the end is neigh.

  • We have lots of garlic, and as soon as we have a few rainy days of work, we’ll get enough cleaned to start selling it for those who want more than two heads/week.

  • Eggplants will be at your pickup site at least once more, probably twice.

  • Sweet potatoes are looking good, but after last year, I’m assuming nothing. Fingers crossed.

  • You’ll start seeing salad greens around week 19 and kale and collards shortly after.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 15 of 26 : U-Pick Tomatoes! (Limited Times)

Some of our tomato plants are so lush, they make a green tunnel for the harvester. Photo by Carrie Vaughn.

Some of our tomato plants are so lush, they make a green tunnel for the harvester. Photo by Carrie Vaughn.

Announcements:

Oyster Sale.jpg

  • Pirates Cove Oyster Company is selling oysters during our CSA pickup in Annapolis on Thursday, September 2. Visit piratescoveoysters.com/CBF to order.

  • We’re welcoming the break in the rain that’s forecast for this week. The fields have been quite wet, and it’s making it tricky to get your fall crops planted. But we’re not complaining! The rain was not so over-abundant to drown any crops, and we could spend our time weeding instead of irrigating.

    Win a Prize!

  • Do you prefer to eat meat that’s locally grown and healthy for you and the environment? We have just the sweepstakes for you! Go to GoGrassfed.org and enter to win prizes such as regular deliveries of grassfed meat to your home every month for a year ($1000 value). While you’re on the website, you can explore a directory of local farmers, learn why you would want to eat meat from animals raised on a leafy green diet (as opposed to packing animals in a barn and feeding them corn and soy), watch a cool movie, and more. Clagett Farm’s very own Michael Heller is one of the organizers of GoGrassfed, so trust us—it’s a legit sweepstakes and the website is a great cache of information. Don’t miss out!

This Week’s Share:

  • Asian Pears

  • Tomatoes — cherries and full-size

  • Cucumbers or squash

  • Garlic

  • Peppers — green bells and ripe, sweet peppers

  • Chili peppers — currently picking Shishito, Poblano, Anaheim, Cayenne, and small quantities of Aji Chinchi Amarillo, Tobago Seasoning (a habanero without heat), Jalapeno, Serrano, and Buena Mulata.

  • Okra, tomatillos or onions

U-Pick:

TOMATOES! And chili peppers, too!

  • LIMITED TIME: U-PICK tomatoes and chilies are ONLY OPEN Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to dark and Saturdays 1:00 p.m. to dark. THIS IS IMPORTANT!

  • As always, U-Pick is for CSA shareholders only. You do not need to sign up.

  • It’s a surprisingly tight space between rows, and the plants are delicate. Please avoid leaning on the tomato plants or stepping on the vines. Expect to spend some time low to the ground on your knees.

  • Please bring a mask, even if you’re vaccinated, and wear it if you are in close quarters with people outside your household.

  • There’s not a large quantity, so this will not be the year you fill your freezer with tomato sauce. But there are lots of delicious sun gold cherry tomatoes which are great for the people in your life with big eyes, tiny hands, poor impulse control, and a lot of enthusiasm. (By the way, send us your photos of tomato U-Picking!)

  • Don’t forget to bring your own containers.

  • This is not a good activity for someone who has difficulty walking 400 feet or more through tall grass.

Our regular U-Pick selection of flowers and herbs is the same as last week.

Photo by volunteer, Diane Williams.

Photo by volunteer, Diane Williams.

Recipes:

CSA member Dale Rubenstein recommended this recipe from Fine Cooking magazine June 2021, which uses soba noodles and also “noodles” made from squash.

Sesame Soba and Squash Noodles

  • 2 summer squashes (yellow or green, about 1 pound), spiralized into “noodles”

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

  • 8 oz soba noodles (soba are typically made from buckwheat; some brands are gluten free)

  • ¼ cup ponzu sauce (or 2 Tablespoons soy sauce + ½ Tablespoon mirin + zest & juice from one lemon)

  • 2 Tbsp tahini

  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

  • 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 3 scallions or one bunch chives

  • 2 tsp sesame seeds for garnish (toast lightly for better flavor)

  • Cilantro for garnish (optional)

  1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the soba noodles according to package instructions. In the meantime, put the squash noodles and corn into a large colander in your sink. Once the soba are finished cooking, pour the pot of water and noodles into the colander of vegetables and allow to drain.

  2. In a large bowl, mix the sauce ingredients (ponzu, tahini, oil, vinegar, and salt). Pour the noodles and vegetables from the colander into the bowl and add the tomatoes, scallions/chives, and toss. Garnish with sesame seeds and optional cilantro.

Serves 4

Lucky for us, I have a good friend who teaches fantastic cooking classes for home cooks like ourselves. He spends a lot of time testing each recipe and making them easy to understand, and I cajoled him (it wasn’t hard—he’s a generous guy) into letting me include some in your next few newsletters. Thank you Matt! And if you’re looking for a fun party for your friends, I can’t recommend his virtual cooking classes enough — finarelli.com.

Summer Vegetable Casserole

from Chef Matt Finarelli

  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

  • ½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced ¼” thick

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 2 small red or orange sweet peppers, thinly sliced

  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp thyme leaves

  • ½ lb plum tomatoes, sliced ¼” thick

  • 2 small zucchini (~½ lb), sliced on a bias ¼” thick

  • 3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with olive oil.

  2. Spread the potatoes in the dish in an even layer; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

  3. In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil.

  4. Top with the tomatoes and the zucchini; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

  5. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with the cheese.

  6. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 30–40 minutes.

  7. Increase the oven temperature to 425° F. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top.

  8. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Ethiopian Okra and Tomatoes (Bamya Alicha)

from Chef Matt Finarelli

  • 3 Tbsp clarified butter

  • 1 cup onion, minced

  • 2 ea large tomatoes, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

  • 1 tsp Berbere spice

  • ½ tsp ground cardamom

  • ¼ tsp ground fenugreek

  • ¼ tsp nigella seeds

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 cups small okra pods, stems and tails removed, cut into 1½” pieces

  • 1 ea serrano chile, seeded and minced

  • Injera bread to serve

  1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

  2. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 4–5 minutes.

  3. Add the tomatoes, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

  4. Add the garlic, ginger, Berbere, cardamom, fenugreek, and nigella seeds and stir to combine. Season to taste with a generous dash of salt and pepper.

  5. Add the okra and cook at a light simmer—uncovered—for 20 minutes. Add a little splash of water as it cooks if needed.

  6. Add the serrano chile and cook for 5 minutes longer.

  7. Season to taste again with salt and pepper.

  8. Serve hot or at room temperature on Injera as part of an Ethiopian meal.

Coming Soon:

  • Pea shoots! These little green sprigs taste like snow peas and make a fun addition to a tomato salad. Think of it as a teaser for the salad greens coming this fall. They’ll be ready in two weeks.

  • Asian pears will continue at least one more week.

  • A modest supply of tomatoes, heavy on cherries, will continue through mid-September.

  • Next week, the potato finale.

  • Green bell peppers (these are unripe) and the red and orange peppers (these are sweet because they are ripe) will continue through mid-September. Hot chili peppers will do the same. Of course, the soothsayer is only guessing. Only time will tell when cold nights inspire the plants to quit fruiting.

  • Tomatillos probably one more week.

  • Okra is going strong. We expect it to carry on through the end of September.

  • Garlic is our abiding friend.

  • This week, everyone should have had eggplants once. Your pickup site will probably get it once more at some point in September.

  • Winter squash plants are still looking good! We’re anticipating mid-September you’ll get your first taste, beginning with acorn squash.

  • The rain has held up some of the fall plantings, so we think you’ll see your first greens around the end of September and continuing through the end of the season. Some other things to expect this fall: sweet potatoes, radishes, turnips, cabbage, beets, and fennel.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 14 of 26 : Released From Summer's Blast Furnace

Dedicated volunteer Diane Williams captured this shot at the CSA pickup last week. Thank you for all your hard work setting up the vegetables for the CSA pickup, Diane!

Dedicated volunteer Diane Williams captured this shot at the CSA pickup last week. Thank you for all your hard work setting up the vegetables for the CSA pickup, Diane!

Announcements:

Featured farmer oyster sale

Pirates Cover Oyster Company is selling oysters during our CSA pickup in Annapolis on Thursday, September 2. Visit piratescoveoysters.com/CBF to order.

At checkout, select “Pickup” as the order type, then choose “Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters” as the pickup location from the dropdown menu. Select September 2, 2021 as your pickup date.

  • Last week was a scorcher. We feel lucky to be alive! No one suffered heat exhaustion, and we are especially grateful for the kind souls who brought us popsicles and cold drinks—particularly when the power went out on Wednesday (we’re looking at you, Aretha Carr).

  • Hungry for some good news? The infrastructure bill that was just passed by the US Senate includes $238 million in additional funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program (helping states achieve the 2025 pollution reduction requirements of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint). You can read details about this big Bay success here:

    Statement from CBF President William C. Baker on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - Chesapeake Bay Foundation

  • If you know and love anyone in Afghanistan or Haiti this week, we are thinking of them and wishing, WISHING for a bright future resilient to the storms ahead and a responsive, competent government of their community’s own choosing.

This Week’s Share:

A lot like last week!

  • Tomatoes

  • Cucumbers

  • Garlic

  • Yellow onions

  • Squash

  • Red potatoes

  • A green bell or ripe, sweet pepper

  • Choice of beans, okra, chilies, or tomatillos

U-Pick:

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Garlic chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers and ornamental greenery for your vase.

In field G2, which is beside the parking area, next to the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • Basil of various types

  • Sunflowers are spectacular!

  • Zinnias, Cosmos, Gomphrena, and Tithonia flowers

This is a moment captured from a Student Leader trip that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s educators brought to Clagett Farm earlier this summer. Did you know your student can take one of these trips? Check out the options for outdoor field trips (subject to change according to pandemic guidelines) to learn about the Chesapeake Bay and spread the word to your students’ teachers.

This is a moment captured from a Student Leader trip that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s educators brought to Clagett Farm earlier this summer. Did you know your student can take one of these trips? Check out the options for outdoor field trips (subject to change according to pandemic guidelines) to learn about the Chesapeake Bay and spread the word to your students’ teachers.

Recipes:

Fried rice is one of those recipes that can accommodate all kinds of vegetables that you have handy. Here’s the basics:

  • Use leftover rice if you have it. If you don’t, make the rice and leave it in your fridge for a day. For a nice big main entre, make about 3 or 4 cups.

  • Scramble a couple eggs or rip up a block of firm tofu and sauté it with some salt and turmeric (for the yellow color). Set aside.

  • Mince your garlic and hot chilies and chop up your other vegetables into small, bite-size pieces: Summer squash, onions, beans if you have them, peppers, and some okra for the adventurous. In the largest sauté pan you have, sauté all the vegetables until they are tender and browned. You might need to add the vegetables in stages—if you crowd the pan too much they will all steam instead of browning. Set aside.

  • Now it’s time to crisp up the rice. Spread it out on your big, hot, oiled pan with the heat up, and let it sit (don’t stir it around) until it gets brown and crispy. Then flip it all over and crisp it up some more.

  • Add in the vegetables and egg or tofu. Pour in a few tablespoons of soy sauce (I like to add a little liquid smoke in this step, as well) and grind some black pepper on top. Frozen peas or edamame are also a nice touch if you have them. Stir it all together and taste for seasoning.

  • If you picked some garlic chives from the herb garden, toss them (minced) on top liberally as a garnish. Scallions would also work (if you can believe it, I still had a few garlic scapes and some green tops from the shallots in the back of my fridge).

  • Serve!

Coming Soon:

  • Asian pears! Probably beginning next week and continuing for a few weeks.

  • We expect to hold steady at about a pound of tomatoes per shareholder per week for a while (fingers crossed). We’re trying to figure out if there’s a way to give you all an opportunity to U-Pick tomatoes before the end of the tomato season. If we do, please don’t expect this to be the year you go home with a big haul to can or freeze. The sun golds are growing like crazy, so we can at least be glad for those little bursts of flavor!

  • Squash and cucumbers are still looking good and will continue through the end of the month.

  • We’ll get one more week of red-skinned potatoes, probably week 16.

  • We’re starting to see more of the orange (Oranos) and red (Cornito Rosso) peppers that we love so much. Slowly but surely, the peppers are producing more fruit.

  • This year we planted a mild habanero. I know, right? We didn’t realize there was such a thing, so we decided it would be fun to try. We didn’t want to confuse anyone, so we did NOT plant the more typical super-hot habanero this year. This fruity, mild habanero is called Tobago Seasoning and it looks like they are just starting to ripen.

  • Tomatillo plants are starting to show their age. If you have plans to make salsa verde, you should do so before the end of the month.

  • The deer made quick work of the few red okra plants we had. But you’ll keep seeing green okra for another month.

  • Garlic forever!

  • The eggplants continue to be sparse but resilient.

  • Sweet potatoes still have a long way to go, but the winter squash is making some serious-looking fruit! We’ve held off the groundhogs and deer, but with all this rain, there’s still a chance that blight will wipe out the plants before we get to the finish line. Since we’re optimists, we think this is going to be a great year for butternuts, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash.

  • We’ve just seeded a number of greens and roots for late September through mid-November. Thank you, Jared, for planting during that heat wave!

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 13 of 26 : Enjoying August Plenty

CSA shareholder Precious Lewis sent us this gorgeous photo of an intrepid butterfly taking some quick sips of nectar from Tithonia flowers while Precious gathers her bouquet.

CSA shareholder Precious Lewis sent us this gorgeous photo of an intrepid butterfly taking some quick sips of nectar from Tithonia flowers while Precious gathers her bouquet.

Announcements:

Featured farmer oyster sale

We’ll have another Featured Farmer oyster sale on Thursday, September 2 at the Annapolis pickup location with Pirates Cove Oyster Company. Visit piratescoveoysters.com/CBF to order.

At checkout, select “Pickup” as the order type, then choose “Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters” as the pickup location from the dropdown menu. Select September 2, 2021 as your pickup date.

  • As news about climate change goes from bad to worse, we’re so glad to be part of this community. We’re making small changes together, and like so much of our life’s work, we are only a small part in a movement that will probably succeed or fail past our own lifetimes. Even still, our efforts matter, and we appreciate you.

  • Thanks to Loring Ingraham for coming up with a new name for the BHN tomatoes — Bohemian! This is the swan song for La Boheme. We don’t expect any large red slicing tomatoes in the share next week, so enjoy them while they last!

  • We’ll be selling our own farm’s ground beef at the Clagett Farm pickups beginning in the last week of September. We’ll sell it frozen in one-pound packages, $10 each (or $9 each for five or more).

This Week’s Share:

  • Tomatoes

  • Cucumbers

  • Garlic

  • Yellow onions

  • Squash

  • A green bell or ripe, sweet pepper

  • Choice of beans, okra, chilies, or tomatillos

U-Pick:

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Cilantro

  • Garlic chives

  • Onion chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers and ornamental greenery for your vase.

  • Blackberries (a few short rows to the right as you approach the CSA pickup)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area, next to the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • Lots of basil of various types!

  • Sunflowers, Zinnias, Cosmos, Gomphrena, and Tithonia

Recipes:

Have you made fresh salsa yet? It’s super easy, and with the addition of beans and a tortilla, you have a meal! Obviously, we can all buy salsa from a jar, but fresh salsa is a treat we can only enjoy in the summer.

Fresh-Tomato-Salsa_5-smallest.jpg

  • You can make roasted tomatillo salsa by putting your tomatillos (husks removed), garlic, and chilies (any kind will work, but I highly recommend the poblanos) on an oiled, rimmed sheet pan under the oven burner. Broil until blackened, cool, then toss in the blender (juices included) with some onion, cilantro (or parsley if preferred) and salt. Add a little olive oil and lime juice if desired.

  • Fresh tomato salsa is even easier. Dice some tomatoes and add finely diced shallots (onions or scallions also work), minced garlic, finely chopped pepper (you could use a bell + a small hot chili or simply add one poblano; include seeds and the white ribs of the chilies if you want more heat), lime juice, and salt. Stir together and add more of any ingredients to your taste. If you don’t have lemon or lime, use vinegar.

We always need more ideas for how to use squash. Here’s a few:

  • This Epicurious recipe suggests grilling the squash and then marinating it in order to keep a better texture. Interesting idea!

  • This simple pasta recipe encourages you to sauté the summer squash slices until they’re “jammy,” and then mixing them with pasta, parmesan, and fresh basil. It calls for dried Aleppo pepper, which is mild and earthy. I think the red Anaheim peppers would be a good substitute, diced very fine.

Coming Soon:

  • Next week you’ll see a reduction in the pounds of tomatoes in your share.

  • Squash and cucumbers will continue through late August.

  • Red potatoes will return shortly.

  • Peppers should slowly increase in abundance and continue producing through early October.

  • You’ll continue to see a mix of different chili types each week through mid October. Those plants are doing quite well, so if you like chilies, be patient and you’ll be rewarded.

  • Tomatillos should stay steady for probably a month.

  • We’ll give out okra in larger portions in the coming weeks, but we’ll keep it optional. No one needs to take okra they don’t want.

  • Garlic until the end.

  • One set of green beans was eaten down by deer that found a low spot in the fence. Fortunately, an older planting revived. We might get one more picking from them.

  • The eggplants will keep producing all season, but there are still very few of them. We’re rotating it through the pick up sites, so we can’t tell you which weeks you’ll see it in your share.

  • We’ve found a way to pin down the groundhog traps more securely so the foxes don’t run off with them. I have high hopes for the sweet potatoes and winter squash. The final planting of watermelons probably won’t recover.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 12 of 26 : Summer Summer Summer

CSA shareholder Sara Gillespie demonstrates a knack for arrangement of her double share. Photo by Elissa Planz.

CSA shareholder Sara Gillespie demonstrates a knack for arrangement of her double share. Photo by Elissa Planz.

Announcements:

  • We’ve been using a lot of green berry baskets to portion out your okra, onions, tomatillos, chilies, and other small items so you don’t have to do as much weighing. We’d love to keep them here on the farm so we can reuse them. If you don’t need the basket, empty the contents into your bag and leave the basket stacked with the other empty ones. Here are the health rules:

    • We can reuse clean baskets that stay in our possession.

    • We cannot reuse the baskets once they’ve gone home with you.

  • It rained! We’re delighted. Between Thursday and Sunday, we got over two inches of rain. Everyone here breathed a big sigh of relief.

This Week’s Share:

  • Tomatoes

  • Bell pepper or sweet pepper

  • Garlic

  • Red potatoes

  • Yellow onions

  • Squash

  • Choice of okra, chilies, or tomatillos

Our current selection of ripe tomatoes. We’re taking nominations for better names for the red slicer, BHN589, since the seed company dropped the ball. If you think of a good one with the letters B, H, and N, let us know! Photo by Carrie Vaughn.

Our current selection of ripe tomatoes. We’re taking nominations for better names for the red slicer, BHN589, since the seed company dropped the ball. If you think of a good one with the letters B, H, and N, let us know! Photo by Carrie Vaughn.

U-Pick:

We’ve had a lot of questions about when we’ll put tomatoes on the U-Pick list. It’s tricky this year. Our main tomato field is suffering from blight, and the field of tomatoes we hoped to relegate to U-Pick is super healthy but not very ripe yet. We’re prioritizing picking plenty of tomatoes for everyone’s shares before we open up a field for shareholders to pick for themselves. So the answer is: soon, we hope, but not yet.

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Cilantro

  • Garlic chives

  • Onion chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Flowers and ornamental greenery for your vase.

  • Blackberries (a few short rows to the right as you approach the CSA pickup)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area, next to the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • Lots of basil of various types!

  • Sunflowers, Zinnias, Cosmos, and Tithonia

Recipes:

  • Tomatillos

    CSA shareholder Maureen Clapper recommends Shakshuka as a way to use your tomatillos. She enjoyed this recipe from Blue Apron. It calls for a thyme and sesame spice blend called za’atar. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own za’atar. Don’t let the lack of a few minor ingredients stop you from the whole recipe. Also, Maureen mentioned that the shakshuka sauce was terrific on chick peas.

  • Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Squash

    My uncle, Rick Thomas, is a superb home cook, so this week I’ve tapped him for a recipe to accommodate the ingredients we have on hand. We first give instructions to use as a vegetable dish alone, and at the end you’ll see a note to convert this recipe to use as a pasta sauce.

    • Ingredients:

      • 1 pound very ripe tomatoes. If you prefer the skins removed, drop them whole into a pot of boiling water. Once the water returns to a boil, cook for about a minute, then drain and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into large pieces. For those of you using this recipe as a pasta sauce, you can return this water to boil and use it to cook your pasta.

      • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

      • a couple small onions, sliced (about a quarter cup)

      • 2 teaspoons garlic, roughly chopped

      • 1.5 pounds zucchini or yellow squash, sliced into half moons

      • 1 pound potatoes, washed and chopped into half-inch pieces

      • salt and black pepper

      • 1 cup fresh basil leaves

    • Instructions:

      • Toss the squash in salt and allow to drain for 5 minutes in a colander or on some paper towels.

      • Choose a large sauté pan with a lid. Heat a tablespoon of oil and brown the zucchini. Remove the zucchini from the pan and set aside.

      • Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic. Turn on the heat to medium and sauté until the garlic becomes colored a pale gold.

      • Add potatoes, put the lid on the pan, and cook for a few minutes. Then remove the lid and continue cooking the potatoes until they’ve browned a bit.

      • Add the tomatoes, turn up the heat, and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes.

      • Turn down the heat to medium, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with the lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender.

      • If the vegetables are tender but the sauce is watery, remove the lid and return the heat to high. Boil away the excess liquid.

      • Return the squash to the pan and stir everything together until the squash is hot again. Taste to add more salt or pepper if needed. Remove from heat. Stir in the basil and serve.

    • Notes:

      • To use this as a pasta sauce, Rick prefers using extra wide pasta ribbons.

      • Since pasta dilutes the flavor, you will find that you need a full tablespoon of garlic, plus extra salt and pepper.

      • Wait until you’ve stirred the sauce into the pasta before you add the basil.

Coming Soon:

  • These are definitely the end days for BHN589 (the large, red tomatoes). Blight is killing them off. Fortunately, we have other tomatoes that produce fewer pounds per plant but are surviving longer. You’ll see some new varieties ripening up in the coming weeks.

  • Squash will continue through mid-August. We are between cucumber successions right now, but they’ll pick back up next week.

  • Potatoes will continue for a few more weeks.

  • We probably have another week of onions.

  • We’re hoping peppers pick up production soon. They are a little sluggish getting started because of that dry spell.

  • Our first chilies are a little hotter than I was expecting. The little purple ones (buena mulata) seem to be the mildest. Many more varieties are coming soon. Poblano and shishito should be especially productive this year.

  • The okra plants are growing like gangbusters. Buckle up. Tomatillos are also producing surprisingly well.

  • We’re increasing your garlic to two heads per week, as long as we can clean it faster than you take it.

  • Green beans are imminent.

  • The eggplants are anyone’s guess. The plants look good, but the production is slow.

  • We’re in a head-to-head battle with groundhogs over your last succession of watermelons, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. And now the foxes have begun dragging traps away into the woods to eat the groundhogs, so my tools are disappearing. (Feel free to use David Attenborough’s voice as you narrate this story in your head.)

I leave you this week with a photo reminder that wild lotuses are in full bloom. Shellie Perry worked at Clagett Farm a few years ago and now owns Atlantic Kayak Company with her husband, Joe. You can rent a kayak from them to get this same heavenly experience that I had on Mattawoman Creek!

I leave you this week with a photo reminder that wild lotuses are in full bloom. Shellie Perry worked at Clagett Farm a few years ago and now owns Atlantic Kayak Company with her husband, Joe. You can rent a kayak from them to get this same heavenly experience that I had on Mattawoman Creek!

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 11 of 26 : New Bee Neighbors!

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Michael Heller (first photo, smoking a hive to calm the bees), Alex Outten, and Jared Planz welcome six new hives, six new queens (never too much royalty around here), and lots of honey! Photos by Jared and Michael.

Michael Heller (first photo, smoking a hive to calm the bees), Alex Outten, and Jared Planz welcome six new hives, six new queens (never too much royalty around here), and lots of honey! Photos by Jared and Michael.

Announcements:

  • Thanks to a new sponsorship from Hannon Armstrong, we are able to start some new farm projects, such as this new enterprise of selling honey. Hannon Armstrong is an investment firm headquartered in Annapolis that focuses on solutions to climate change. Thanks for your help and your great work, Hannon Armstrong!

  • We’re not sure yet when we’ll have honey ready to sell from these hives, but you’ll be the first to know! In the meantime, the bees will be doing great work pollinating your crops and the wild plants all around the farm.

  • Worried about being stung? Don’t bee! These bees are located almost a quarter mile from the CSA pickup area and a safe distance from anywhere you’ll be walking around.

  • We haven’t had a significant rain since July 2! That’s a mighty long time when it’s this hot. We were able to get water this week onto the most desperate crops, thank goodness. But you’ll see a dip in production.

This Week’s Share:

  • Tomatoes

  • Bell pepper or sweet pepper

  • Garlic

  • Potatoes

  • Onions (red and yellow)

  • Cucumber

  • Squash

  • We have a small amount of several items. You will probably have a choice from a few of these: okra, eggplant, chilies, and tomatillos.

Elissa Planz sets out a gorgeous display. Photo by Diane Williams.

Elissa Planz sets out a gorgeous display. Photo by Diane Williams.

U-Pick:

One of the reasons you may not cook with more fresh herbs is that they are expensive. But now that you’re a CSA shareholder, you have an entire library of fresh herbs ready for you to pick in abundance, all week long. They’re ready to transform a meal from blah to spectacular!

And the FLOWERS! Don’t get me started…

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Cilantro

  • Garlic chives

  • Onion chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Nasturtium (peppery, edible leaves and flowers)

  • Oregano

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Lilies, Echinacea, Yarrow, Gladiolus and other flowers and ornamental greenery for your vase.

  • Blackberries (a few short rows to the right as you approach the CSA pickup)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area, next to the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • Lots of basil of various types!

  • Sunflowers, Zinnias, Cosmos and Tithonia

Recipes:

  • This week’s share is begging for a potato salad, don’t you think? Here’s a way you can make it work with whatever is in your kitchen this week. I’m not going to give you quantities. Just look at what you’re cooking and imagine—how much of this do I want to eat tonight? And then multiply that by the number of people eating with you.

    • Cut your potatoes into bite-size chunks, put them into a pot of water with a tablespoon of salt. The water should be about an inch above the potatoes. Boil them until fork-tender (about 20 minutes, depending on size of pieces).

    • If you’re willing to heat up the oven or grill, roll your small onions whole in oil (olive oil works great). Also coat your squash pieces in some oil. Roast or grill until they are fork-tender and browned, or even a little charred, in order to get those sugars caramelized. (If you’d rather, you can do the potato pieces this way too, instead of boiling.)

    • That was it for the cooking. The rest of the ingredients are tossed in raw. Consider tomato chunks, handfuls of fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, and lemon basil), and cucumber chunks. I love olives, so I would add them or capers. To each their own.

    • Mix up a dressing:

      • Minced garlic clove (or if any of you are smart enough to still have some scapes, this is a perfect time to use one or two)

      • If you didn’t add chives above, add a minced shallot here

      • Olive oil (about 1/3 cup is good for a pound of potatoes plus a few cups of other ingredients, so start there)

      • Lemon juice and zest (start with juice from half a lemon and add more to taste)

      • Salt and pepper (start with about a half teaspoon of each)

      • A spoonful of mustard

    • Stir it all together and voila!

  • If you’re looking for a fun, quick way to brighten up your meal, try pickled shallots. This recipe from Feasting at Home is nice, and it definitely gives a hamburger or taco an upgrade.

Photo by Diane Williams

Photo by Diane Williams

Coming Soon:

  • Right now, you’re seeing a lot of large, red tomatoes. But that won’t last long. Pretty soon you’ll be seeing more variety of shapes and colors, and you’ll be asking us where the big red ones went.

  • Squash and cucumbers will continue through mid-August.

  • Potatoes will switch from yellow to red soon (probably next week).

  • Onions and shallots will continue for at least one more week and probably more.

  • We’ve just gotten irrigation on the peppers, which should help. Some of those very hot evenings diminished their flowering. And you can’t get the fruit without having flowers first. This was an even bigger issue with the eggplants, which are also glad to have a bit of irrigation right now.

  • Chili peppers look good and should increase in production very gradually through October. At the beginning, expect all the chilies to be relatively mild. They increase in heat as summer progresses.

  • The okra plants are only about a foot high, but they’re creating their first pods. As they get taller, they bush out more, and each plant generates more pods per day. Last year, they got to be 12 feet tall! That was a little crazy.

  • Of course, garlic. Need I say more?

  • The beans petered out for lack of rain. We’ve got a new round about to start producing and just got water to them. You’ll see those beans in a few weeks.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 10 of 26 : Tomato Season Begins, A Friendship Ends

Super volunteer, Ray Steiner, leans into the job of weeding oregano. Photo by Elissa Planz

Super volunteer, Ray Steiner, leans into the job of weeding oregano. Photo by Elissa Planz

Announcements:

Ray keeping us entertained at wash time, 2008.

Ray keeping us entertained at wash time, 2008.

This past Saturday, our dear friend, Ray Steiner passed away. Ray volunteered with us for nearly 20 years, which gave us plenty of time to adore his terrific sense of humor and story-telling. He came to us after a career as an air traffic controller and then doing the same task for satellites, keeping them from colliding in space.

Ray found a thousand ways to be helpful. When a crop excited him, such as shiitake mushrooms and hot chilies, he would take charge of large jobs on his own. He patiently plugged mushroom spawn into hundreds of logs. He planned our chili varieties, harvested them every week, and gave a report at the end of the year of which varieties were most successful.

He frequently appeared with gifts when we needed them, such as markers, baskets, spray nozzles and his own homemade salsas. He knew how to be useful without being instructed, but was also happy to take instruction and do drudge work when it needed to be done.

Ray at a farm party, telling a great story. Photo by Lewis Tannenbaum.

Ray at a farm party, telling a great story. Photo by Lewis Tannenbaum.

We loved Ray for his zest of life. He threw himself joyfully into baseball, skiing, craft beer and friendships. His family and friends became volunteers and friends of ours, simply because they assumed if Ray loved the farm, it must be a blast. Thank you, Ann, for sharing your husband’s time with us. We are so grateful to have had him in our lives.

This Week’s Share:

  • Tomatoes

  • Bell pepper

  • Garlic

  • Potatoes

  • Onions (red for sure, possibly some yellow)

  • Cucumber

  • Squash

  • Basil for members who pick up at Dupont and Annapolis (if you’re picking up at the farm, the herbs will be fresher if you pick your own.)

Ray picking flowers. Photo by Lauren Schnabel.

Ray picking flowers. Photo by Lauren Schnabel.

U-Pick:

In the fields:

  • Kale and collards (last chance!)

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Cilantro

  • Garlic chives

  • Onion chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Nasturtium (peppery, edible leaves and flowers)

  • Oregano

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Lilies, Echinacea, Yarrow, Gladiolus and other flowers and ornamental greenery for your vase.

  • Blackberries (a few short rows to the right as you approach the CSA pickup)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area, next to the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • Cilantro

  • Lots of basil of various types (This is a great time to pick basil—freeze pesto for your winter pasta and dry Tulsi for tea.)

  • Sunflowers! Zinnias, Cosmos, Tithonia and Cleome flowers

Recipes:

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  • Consider replacing pasta noodles with zucchini or yellow squash “zoodles”. This is easy with a spiralizer, but if you don’t have one, you can cut the squash into matchsticks for the same effect. This recipe for Veggie Noodles with Basil and Tomatoes can be made with any type of fresh tomato chunks.

  • Everyone loves a pretty Martha Stewart recipe, right? This one uses just the right amount of tomatoes, potatoes and onion. Super simple and easy.

Coming Soon:

  • Next week, our third succession of summer squash kicks in so they’ll be looking fresher and prettier.

  • Our main crop of tomatoes will increase in production over the next few weeks, and soon we’ll have cherry tomatoes and some other heirlooms in our U-Pick field.

  • Potatoes, onions and shallots will continue for several more weeks.

  • Bell peppers have started for the summer and after some delay, we’ll start seeing some of the sweet red and orange peppers, as well. We’ll pick our first hot chili peppers this week, and but only a few. It will probably take a week or two before we have enough for everyone.

  • We start picking okra next week! There won’t be much at first, but it will gradually increase. (Not nearly as much as last year, though, which is some relief to us. Last year was overwhelming!)

  • Eggplants are struggling. We’ll get a few within about two weeks, we think, but probably not much overall for this summer.

  • About 50,000 garlic bulbs are now stashed in the barn. We’ll save roughly half for next year’s seed so we can keep you safely in garlic for eternity.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 9 of 26 : Potatoes, Onions, and More!

One of our amazing farmers, Elissa Planz, is happy to show you that potatoes will be included in this weeks share! Even this blistering heat cannot keep her excitement to share our harvest with you.

One of our amazing farmers, Elissa Planz, is happy to show you that potatoes will be included in this weeks share! Even this blistering heat cannot keep her excitement to share our harvest with you.

Announcements:

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  • The flower garden in the field to the left of the wash station is really starting to bloom! Remember, you are welcome to cut some flowers to bring them home and enjoy a piece of the farm at your house. This would be a great week to do so.

  • Got any great farm photos? Send them to us in a reply to this week’s email or tag us on Instagram #clagettfarm. We’d also love to get your recipe suggestions!

Onions Explained

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We have been getting some questions about the difference between shallots, red onions, and yellow onions.

Shallots: They are milder in flavor and lighter in color than red onions but more assertive then yellow, and they have a hint of a garlic flavor. They are often seen in French dishes but also indispensable to Asian dishes and more.

Red onions: Though they can be pungent and spicy, red onions are great for eating raw, bringing crunchiness and brightness to a variety of dishes.

Yellow onions: Nearly 90 percent of onions grown in the United States are yellow onions. Their deep but not-too-strong flavor makes them endlessly versatile in cooking. They are assertive when raw and deeply sweet when cooked.

This Week’s Share:

  • Garlic

  • Potatoes

  • Onions ( red, yellow, or shallots)

  • Cucumber

  • Squash

  • Kale, collards, or chard

  • Other items ( such as beans, melons, cabbage, fennel, and some other items in short supply, so you will have to see what extras you get when you show up!)

U-Pick:

In the fields:

  • Kale and collards

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Coriander

  • Garlic chives

  • Onion chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Nasturtium (peppery, edible leaves and flowers)

  • Oregano

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Lilies (their fragrance is as gorgeous as their looks!), Echinacea, Yarrow, and other flowers

  • Blackberries (a few short rows to the right as you approach the CSA pickup)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area, next to the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • More basil of various types (This is a great time to pick basil—freeze pesto for your winter pasta and dry Tulsi for tea.)

  • Zinnias, Cosmos, and Cleome flowers

Recipes:

INDIAN CABBAGE AND POTATO CURRY

“Check out this wonderful Indian recipe from Esther Schultz that we found on thewolesomefork.com. Great way to use your potatoes, onions, and cabbage this week.”

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds

  • 1 onion, finely sliced

  • ¼ tsp garlic powder

  • ¼ tsp cayenne

  • ½ tsp ground turmeric

  • 1 tsp ground coriander

  • 1 lb gold potatoes*, diced into ½” cubes

  • ½ small head green cabbage, cored and sliced (about 12–14 ounces)

  • ½ cup diced fresh tomatoes

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • *Don't peel the potatoes unless they have thick skins

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over a medium heat.

  2. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook for 1–2 minutes.

  3. Add the onions, stir well to combine, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

  4. Stir in the garlic powder, cayenne, turmeric, and coriander and cook for 1 minute.

  5. Add the potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ cup water.

  6. Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30–35 minutes. Check it every now and then to make sure it is not sticking. If it is, add another tbsp water.

  7. Once cooked, remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Coming Soon:

  • The kale, collards, and chard are starting to get attacked by the Harlequin bug. This bug is most prolific in the month of July and starts to mark the end of kale and collards. We will fight as long as we can for you, but the end is soon.

  • Garlic bulbs from now until the end of the season!

  • A steady but modest supply of squash and cucumbers for the foreseeable future. In a few weeks, the amount of squash and cucumbers should increase again.

  • The tomatoes are really starting to come along and we should have plenty for everyone soon.

  • Potatoes will continue for the next couple of weeks.

  • Onions will continue for the upcoming weeks, but the tops will start to die back and there will just be the bulbs.

  • Peppers, eggplants, and okra are still pretty small. I wouldn’t expect those until the end of July.

  • Chili peppers are starting to make their way into the picture, and we would expect them in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for Supporting our Farm!

CLAGETT FARM

Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 P.M.
Saturdays, 1:00-4:00 P.M.

DUPONT CIRCLE DC

Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 P.M.

ANNAPOLIS

Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 P.M.

Week 8 of 26 : Baby Melons!

Three cheers for the TWO incredible volunteer groups that came to harvest garlic with us in one million degree heat today. One was a staff team from a medical marijuana dispensary (above) and the other were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (below). They weren’t just smiling during the popsicle break—both groups were enthusiastic all day, which was impressive considering the withering weather.

Three cheers for the TWO incredible volunteer groups that came to harvest garlic with us in one million degree heat today. One was a staff team from a medical marijuana dispensary (above) and the other were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (below). They weren’t just smiling during the popsicle break—both groups were enthusiastic all day, which was impressive considering the withering weather.

LDS volunteers 7-2021.jpg

Announcements:

  • We’re back! CSA share pickups resume this week, July 7, 8, and 10.

  • Got any great farm photos? Send them to us in a reply to this week’s email or tag us on Instagram #clagettfarm. We’d also love to get your recipe suggestions!

Flower Garden Pollinator Video

Check out this wonderful footage taken by our very own farmer Jared Planz highlighting the native pollinators busy in our flower garden!

This Week’s Share:

  • A baby melon!

  • Small fennel bulbs with the ferns, probably as a choice with Genovese basil (the classic Italian type for pesto)

  • Either red shallots or red bulb onions

  • Cucumbers

  • Green cabbage (one head)

  • Summer squash (a few)

  • Kale and collards

  • Garlic bulbs (when they’re this fresh they really pack a punch!)

U-Pick:

In the fields:

  • Kale and collards

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

  • Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)

  • Basil (Genovese, Greek, Thai, Round Midnight, Lemon, and Tulsi)

  • Coriander

  • Garlic chives

  • Onion chives

  • Lemon balm

  • Mint

  • Nasturtium (peppery, edible leaves and flowers)

  • Oregano

  • Sage

  • Shiso

  • Sorrel

  • Thyme

  • Lilies (their fragrance is as gorgeous as their looks!), Echinacea, Yarrow, and other flowers

  • Blackberries (a few short rows to the right as you approach the CSA pickup)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area at the washing station:

  • Parsley

  • More basil of various types (This is a great time to pick basil—freeze pesto for your winter pasta and dry Tulsi for tea.)

  • Zinnias, Cosmos and Cleome flowers

Recipes:

Fennel, Cabbage, and Zucchini

These three items can seem tricky but in fact they are so versatile! I bet you could incorporate any of them into the dinner you’re planning to make tonight. The roasting pan with your chicken? The sauce on your pasta? Your salad or sandwich? Definitely.

The fennel we grow has a smaller bulb than the ones you see in the grocery store, but they have the advantage of being fresher and tastier—the bulb is less woody and the ferns fluffier and more delicate. If you like the taste of licorice or anise, then this is a great vegetable to add to your repertoire.

  • Try slicing the fennel diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces, toss them with olive oil and salt, and roast them in a hot oven (or toaster oven, if your kitchen is like mine and feels like one of the circles of the Inferno) until soft and lightly browned. Roasting caramelizes some of the sugars to bring out the sweetness a bit.

  • Slice the bulb very thin and add to salads or sandwiches the way you would add celery. Garnish with the chopped fennel leaves.

  • Fennel is a close cousin to dill, and you can chop the ferns and add them to dishes that normally call for fresh dill leaf.

The cabbages are remarkably sweet and juicy right now. If you’re not used to cooking with cabbage, or you think cole slaw is the only thing it’s good for, this is a great time to try something new.

  • Cut the cabbage in half through the stem, and then in half through the stem again. Now you can see where the tough core is, and slice it away from your cabbage quarters. (If you want a visual, here’s a one-minute YouTube video.) I usually slice it into thin ribbons for most recipes.

  • Those cabbage ribbons make a great base for your salad—better than the boxes of lettuce for sale in the store. It matches well with just about any dressing, especially thick and creamy dressings or vinaigrettes with mustard.

  • Or you can try sautéing your ribbons of cabbage with some olive oil and salt until its soft and buttery. I recommend including your shallots and fennel (the sliced bulb and chopped green leaves of both) in the sauté. This is a terrific bed of greens for whatever protein you’re serving (chicken, fish, tofu, etc.).

Thanks to CSA shareholder Dale Rubenstein for passing us this Milk Street recipe for a tahini and tomato paste dressing for roasting vegetables, such as zucchini (the recipe is for roasted cauliflower, but really it works for all kinds of vegetables). I combined it with cabbage, fennel and shallots in an attempt to put together a meal with as many of our CSA share ingredients as possible. I thought it was delicious, but you decide.

 

Roasted Zucchini and Tofu on a Bed of Cabbage with Fennel

Dressing for tofu and zucchini:

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste

  • 2 Tablespoons tahini

  • 1 Tablespoon hot sauce

  • 2 teaspoons corn starch

For roasting:

  • A few fennel bulbs, sliced 1/2-inch thick (save the ferns for later)

  • A block of extra firm tofu, cut or torn into approximately 1-inch pieces

  • About a pound of zucchini, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces

  • A little olive oil and salt for the fennel

For the bed of sautéed cabbage:

  • A half a head of cabbage, sliced into ribbons

  • 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt, more to taste

  • 1 shallot or red onion, bulb thinly sliced and green leaves chopped

  • Ferns from one fennel, chopped

Instructions:

  • Heat the oven to 500 degrees F

  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil or just coat the pan with oil.

  • Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar, put the lid on tightly and shake vigorously until well combined.

  • Put the tofu and zucchini into a bowl and pour enough dressing over it to give it all a thick coating. (If you have leftover dressing, use it for your next salad or future roasting.)

  • Spread the tofu and zucchini onto the pan in a single layer. Save a little space for the fennel.

  • In a bowl, toss the fennel with a little olive oil and salt. Spread the fennel on the pan if you have space. If you don’t, you can add it to the sauté pan with the shallots.

  • Roast the vegetables about 25 minutes until tender and browned.

  • While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large pan and add the tablespoon of olive oil.

  • When the oil is hot, add the sliced shallot or onion bulb and, if necessary, the fennel bulb.

  • Shallots don’t need to cook long. You’re just infusing the flavor into the oil. Cook until the shallots have softened.

  • Next add the cabbage and salt and shift it around in the pan until the cabbage has softened.

  • Add the shallot or onion greens and the fennel ferns. Stir frequently until the cabbage is tender and buttery but still vibrant green. Add more salt if needed.

  • Plate a bed of cabbage topped with roasted vegetables and tofu.

Coming Soon:

  • These are the melons we seeded in the order that we’re likely to pick them (we’re picking the first three varieties this week and the cantaloupes as soon as they’re ready). You should see them over the next few weeks. Some varieties are sweeter than others, but none of our melons so far has been knock-out-of-the-park sweet. Expect them to be pleasant, fruity, and refreshing.

  • We’ll continue for at least three more weeks to have various types of onions—shallots, red bulb onions, and yellow bulb onions.

  • The kale, collards, and chard are holding up remarkably well considering the heat. We’ll continue offering them as long as we can.

  • Garlic bulbs from now until the end of the season!

  • A steady but modest supply of squash and cucumbers for the foreseeable future.

  • Green beans return beginning next week.

  • We think your first tomato might be next week! Come on tomatoes! Also some tomatillos.

  • Potatoes soon—maybe week 10?

  • Peppers, eggplants, and okra are still pretty small. I wouldn’t expect those until the end of July.

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