News & Blog
Dear shareholders,
Come on out to the farm this Saturday for another GLEANING DAY! We'll have beans, kale, chard, basil, tomatillos and leeks. When you arrive, park in the main parking lot and head over to the CSA washstand. Follow the dirt road out the small hill and turn left towards the rest of the park. Follow the dirt road down the "staff only" section. On your right will be the pond, then bee hives. To your left, as you are passing the corn field, you will see a large gate that is open. Turn left and head into our far fields. You will see our staff working and there will be signs attached to the crops that you can glean.
Next week at distribution we'll have Jay, the Locavore Meat Boss at Tuesday's distribution as well as:
MUSHROOMS - There will be a variety of mushrooms for sale this week! Including lion's mane, oyster, cinnamon button and shiitake. Please bring $5 to purchase a bag.
HONEY - Stock up now on honey for the winter! Jars will last throughout the winter/spring stored in your pantry where it is cool and out of direct sunlight. If your honey is open and crystallizes slightly, just run jar under warm water for a minute.
produce list for sep. 28 through oct. 1
beets
parsley
poblano and bell peppers
tomatoes
summer squash
garlic
salad mix or arugula
INGREDIENTS
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 generous bunch Swiss or rainbow chard, stemmed and washed
- Salt
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Black pepper
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 to 3 ounces Gruyère, grated (1/2 to 3/4 cup), to taste
- Kernels from 2 cooked ears sweetcorn (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
-
1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)
PREPARATION
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin.
- Blanch chard: Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the chard leaves. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add chard leaves. (Set aside stems for another use, or discard.) Blanch 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still bright. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain thoroughly and squeeze out excess water; chop medium-fine.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet and add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, then stir in rosemary, thyme and chopped blanched chard. Season with salt and pepper and stir over medium heat until chard is nicely coated with oil, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in chard mixture and Gruyère. Stir in corn and mix well. Scrape into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over top and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned on the top and sides. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Tip
- Blanched chard and cooked corn will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator, and cooked gratin will keep for 3 to 4 days.
Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red beets, medium sized, scrubbed clean, green tops removed (garnish with the greens by shredding them finely)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 1 hour, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with the tines of a fork. Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are tender and cooked. Remove from the oven.
2 While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.
3 After the beets have cooled for several minutes, but are still warm to the touch, peel off the outer skins and discard. Cut the beets into quarters or more, bite-sized pieces.
4 Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a little orange zest to serve.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8.
Dear Shareholders,
Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow at distribution we will have our favorite partner - Locavore Delivery visiting the CSA!!
Local, grass-fed beef, heritage pork/delicious bacon and salmon fillets are just a few items Jay will be selling tomorrow at distribution. Cash, check or cards accepted.
We also will have fresh cut bouquets for only a few more weeks! Get yours while you can! Honey is back this week with more quarts, pints and half-pints.
Prices are the same: $20, $10, $5 please bring cash or check for all these goodies!
Thanks everyone! Here's to a yummy week of fresh veggies, fruit, meat and honey!!!
Dear Shareholders,
We hope you are ready for another week of bounty! Keep in mind the honey this season is plentiful and we will have several weeks of honey to go around for everyone. They bottle each batch fresh out of the hive so there is a limited amount in the beginning phases.
special invitation:
Shareholder gleaning day (come and harvest your own crops)! Next Sunday, Sep. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. Please bring your own tools and bags. There will be staff onsite to show you which crops can be harvested. There will be signs marking the row you can pick from but please do not pick crops that are not flagged as we are still working with big portions of the field.
Directions to the far fields:
Park in the Visitor Center lot and walk through the park, (you will head through our washstand area and out onto the dirt road. Pass the "staff only" sign past the pond, past the beehives and turn left into the gate.
produce list for 14 -19
(this list is tentative and subject to change)
head lettuce
kale or chard
bell peppers
poblano peppers (dark green)
white onions
tomatillos
tomato
beets
lemon or thai basil
cabbage
jalapeno
cilantro
featured recipe: fresh salsa verde with tomatillos
Ingredients
- 9-10 tomatillos
- 4-5 bell peppers (substitute a few poblanos for more flavor)
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped (you can use whole for more heat if you want)
- Salt to taste
Roast the tomatillos, a few cloves of garlic and bell peppers in a shallow roasting pan. Cover the bottom with water, a splash of oil and salt/pepper. For the next 20 minutes, roast until soft.
Place the cooked tomatillos and bell peppers, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar (if using) in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.
Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.
some interesting facts about tomatillos:
Dear Shareholders,
We hope you are enjoying the melons from last week. This season's winners for me so far has been the striped German tomato (the huge light yellow and orange heirloom) and the lemon cucumbers! They make a great combo - instead of a caprese salad, slice up some fresh tomatoes and layer them on slices of cucumber with olive oil, a splash of chopped cilantro and fresh ground salt/pepper.
*Coming up for the fall: cabbage (red, napa, green) broccoli, collards, winter squash and leeks!
The fruit share will be transitioning from peaches to apples and finally to cider and apple butter. We will continue to have occasional fresh mushrooms and gorgeous fresh flowers for sale as well.
honey available now!
Yes the honey this year is more plentiful than usual (this year our beekeepers harvested close to 600 pounds and usually they harvest 400). Please do your best to bring exact change with you. If you do not get honey this week, we will have more opportunities in the future weeks. The honey is raw and straight from the comb.
Here are the 2015 prices:
Quart: $20.00
Pint: $10.00
1/2 pint: $5.00
We are currently not selling sauce tomatoes but as we slow down on tomatoes we may have a limited number of seconds tomatoes for sale next week depending on how harvest goes Monday and Tuesday. If you are interested in seconds tomatoes for sauce (these are bruised and overly ripe tomatoes that you can cut up for sauce or soups) we will have a limited number for sale starting next week.
produce list for sep. 7-11
chard or kale
tomatoes
peppers (sweet and hot)
garlic
summer squash
cucumbers
arugula and lettuce mix
carrots
cilantro
leeks
melons
featured recipe: easy kale or arugula salad
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, sliced
Add all ingredients to list
Directions
In a medium salad bowl, stir together the lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper until the sugar is dissolved. Add the salad greens - if you are using kale, shred the kale and let it sit if you can 20 minutes. Then massage the kale, tenderize it by gently beating it with a spoon. Don't do this with salad greens or arugula! Then add the diced mint, and cucumber to the bowl and toss together.
Summer Squash Fritters with Basil & Lemony Sour Cream
Okay enough with the constantly healthy CSA recipes! Lets get fried! Just a few minutes - and a handful of ingredients - to fritter greatness! These simple summertime fritters are the perfect way to make use of this prolific yellow squash.
yield: 10 FRITTERS
Fritters:- 2 medium summer squash, grated (about 4 cups grated)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed, chopped, plus more basil for topping if desired
- 2 tablespoons grated onion
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil for cooking
Sour cream topping:
- 1/2 cup sour cream (low fat or full fat)
- Zest from 1 small lemon
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
- In a medium bowl, toss together the grated squash and the salt. Line a fine-mesh sieve with several layers of paper towels or cheesecloth. Add salted squash to the sieve and place over a bowl to drain. Let sit for five minutes then gather up the sides of paper towels or cheesecloth and gently squeeze the liquid out of the squash (there will probably be quite a bit).
- Add the egg to a medium bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the flour, basil, onion, black pepper, and the squash. Stir with fork to combine.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat most of the bottom of the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add fritter mixture to pan in approximately 2 tablespoon increments, working quickly to spread the fritter into a round shape before it begins to cook. I usually cook 3 fritters at a time; any more and the pan gets crowded and it's hard to manage them all. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown, and flip to cook the other side until golden and the fritter is cooked through, about 1-2 more minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add more oil to the pan and repeat with remaining batter.
- To make the sour cream topping, add the sour cream, zest, juice, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Serve fritters right away, topped with a drizzle of lemony sour cream and garnish with basil leaves if desired.
Thank you for all your support of our farm and local farmers.
Here's to great food and to the bounty of summer!
Dear shareholders,
Wow, what great produce we had last week! Watching everyone leave distribution on Tuesday and Thursday was something to remember. There were peaches, eggs, greens, vivid tomatoes and interesting veggie shapes in the hands of many smiling people. What did you prepare with your bounty? Email your recipes and we will send them out so everyone can share your ideas.
I set out to make pasta sauce this week with all my tomatoes (I grow a few plants of my own) because they had started accumulating. I had a great big pot of sauce going and slow cooked throughout the day. When it was finished, I took a bite and realized I had made tomato soup (or risque bisque), not pasta sauce! What did I do wrong? Then I realized: I didn't squeeze out each tomato before putting them into the sauce pot. So after cooking for awhile the juice had really come out and it got quite runny for sauce but PERFECT for soup. So I added a tiny bit of bacon grease, a splash of cream and used my immersion blender. It all works out! That's the great thing about CSA cooking. You learn so much throughout the season about how to cook fresh because you have so many beautiful veggies to use! If you want to preserve some of your tomatoes, this link from Food in Jars features five preserving recipes: http://foodinjars.com/2011/09/five-ways-to-preserve-large-tomatoes/
Just a reminder, Tuesday's pick-up is back at York Street, and will be for the rest of the season.
produce list for September 1-4
* this list is tentative and subject to change
tomatoes
white onions
bell and hot peppers
cucumbers
kale
summer squash
beets
mint
melons
featured recipe: beet, avocado and pea salad
This is a recipe adapted by True Roots Farm from the cookbook "Plenty More," written by London chef Yotom Ottolenghi. The ingredients here are favorites and this recipe is daring, yet simple and really quite delicious.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 medium beetroots
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3 Tb white wine vinegar
- 2 Tb olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp hot sauce- your choice
- 2 avocados
- handful of parsley or cilantro
- handful of mint
- 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen, blanched and refreshed under cool water
- 2 handfuls of salad greens (lettuce, arugula, or massaged kale)
- salt & pepper
Wash and de-stem beets. Wrap in foil and place in a 400º oven. Roast for 30-40 min, until easily pierced by fork. Let cool slightly. Slice or chunk. Place in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, oil, sugar, chili sauce, 1 tsp salt and some black pepper. Toss gently. Top with avocado slices, cilantro, mint, peas and salad greens. Toss lightly again, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Thanks to our Chatfield farmers who among a million things, have been working to make our Veteran Reintegration Program a success!
A special thank you to Jamie Wickler and Chris Krabbenhoeft who are responsible for the weekly classes we offer on various sustainable agriculture topics. This is the first season we have partnered with Veterans to Farmers to offer post 9-11 veterans the opportunity to learn about farming, marketing produce, farm stands in food deserts, horticulture and public gardens.
Here are most of the graduates from our very first educational farming program here at Chatfeild Farms standing with our Market Grower, Chris Krabbenheoft.
Dear Shareholders,
As a quick reminder, we have a limited amount of fresh cut farm bouquets for sale! No where in Denver will you find such beautiful bouquets for only five dollars each! Help support Chatfield by purchasing a bouquet today! We accept cash or check or if you forget you can do an IOU.
See you at 4 -7p.m.!
Dear shareholders,
We will be at St. John's Cathderal tonight for distribution due to an event taking place at the Gardens. Distribution will be from 4-7 p.m. like every other week. St. John's is located just 6 minutes from the Gardens at 1350 Washington St, Denver, CO 80203
Farm-fresh cut flowers for sale! $5 You won't find flowers these beautiful anywhere in Denver for only $5! Please support the Chatfield Farms by purchasing a cute Mason jar bouquet today - limited supply. Until our plants size up a bit leaving the rubber band on the stems helps keep it together. Please bring cash or check.
See you at St. John's!
Dear Shareholders,
We hope you all had a great holiday weekend! We apologize for sending our newsletter out a bit late - we were unsure with the sporadic weather what was going to be ready. Every day on the farm lately has been very dynamic! We hope you all enjoyed the fresh garlic we handed out last week - what an amazing and potent flavor burst!
harvest list for july 6 and 10
chard
head lettuce
garlic or garlic scapes
mint
basil!!
chives
**no fruit share this week - later in July!
featured recipe: bulgur and mint lettuce cups
Bulgur and chickpeas have complementary amino acids, so this lemony salad offers you a complete protein package. You can prepare coarse bulgur by simmering it or by soaking it. Simmering will yield a softer, fluffier grain — and bigger portions.
1 cup medium or coarse bulgur
2 cups water
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped basil and parsley mixed
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 15-ounce can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 small bunch chives or 2 spring onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced or chopped, soaked for five minutes in cold water and drained
(small strong lettuce leaves for serving)
1. For coarse bulgur: Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur and salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
For medium bulgur: Place the bulgur in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pour on 2 cups hot or boiling water. Allow to sit for 20 to 25 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. Drain and squeeze out the water.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the lemon juice and cinnamon, and salt to taste. Whisk in the olive oil. Toss with the bulgur in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, toss together, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with small leaves from the heart of a head of lettuce. Use the leaves as scoops.
Yield: Serves five - six
chatfield concerts - tickets available
Enjoy watching the sun set over the foothills at Chatfield while you listen to great live music. Chatfield celebrates the 80s and 90s with Culture Club; Under The Sun Tour with Sugar Ray, Better Than Ezra, Uncle Kracker and Eve 6; and Yes + Toto.
Culture Club, Monday, July 20, 6:30 p.m.
Under the Sun, Tuesday, July 28, 6 p.m.
Yes + Toto, Sunday, August 30, 5:30 p.m. Gates open an hour and a half before show time.
**More information and tickets are available at concerts.botanicgardens.org
Dear Shareholders,
We hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day Weekend - we wish you all the best! Also Happy Summer Solstice and first day of summer! Now that we have had some sunshine, gotten more crops planted, we are getting excited for the heat to help the crops produce. We hope you enjoy the fresh produce this weekend with freinds and family!
Important reminder:
If you have not yet ordered eggs with us - we are sold out. Our egg farmer is at capacity but thank you all for your interest. We do not need any egg cartons brought to us at this time.
Please look for a separate email about our fruit share as it has slightly changed this year due to late season frosts with our fruit growers, Ela Farms. We will be sending out information soon about the selection of fruit and the timing!
produce list for june 22 - 26
head lettuce
beets
chard
sage
(depending on how the weekend goes, possibly addtitional items)
*egg pick up this week
featured weekly recipe: beans 'n' greens
3 cups black eyed peas
butter or any oil you like (bacon grease too)
1 large onion
a few garlic scapes, minced
1 teaspoon fresh herb (oregano, chives or parsely)
1 bunch swiss chard
sat and pepper to taste
Put peas on to cook in water. Heat a little oil in skillet. Add onions and garlic scapes, sautee with herbs until tender - not more than a few minutes. After cooking peas for half/hour add onion mixture and chopped greens and cook for 20 - 30 minutes longer until peas are soft. Season with salt and pepper and/or red pepper flakes. Mkaes about 8 servings.
chatfield classes - sign up now !
Permaculture and Your Home Garden Sat, July 18, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $55, $52 members Permaculture (permanent agriculture, permanent culture) is an ecological design system that combines the best of natural landscaping and edible landscaping. It aims to build a site that sustains itself and the gardener. This class will provide an overview of the principles and techniques of Permaculture and how they can be implemented to create a home landscape that nourishes the body, spirit and the earth. The afternoon session will include a hands-on experience using Permaculture techniques
Instructor: Mary O’Brien http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Selection.aspx?item=2415&sch=53703
Growing and Using Plants for Dyeing Fri, Aug 7, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $67, $62 members DBG Chatfield has a dye garden full of a variety of plants that give color to natural fibers. Spend the day learning about dye plants, how to use them for color and the proper procedures for natural dyeing. Each participant will spend time harvesting dye material from the garden and then learn to cook for color. Everyone will go home with fabric samples naturally dyed from the garden!
Instructor: Donna Brown http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Selection.aspx?item=2475&sch=55424
Dear Shareholders,
Distribution Time: 4-7 p.m.
We know the pickup time window may be difficult for some shareholders, but we are unable to stay past 7 p.m. because distribution days are very long for the farm team- we start harvesting at 6:30 a.m. and don't conclude the day until 8 p.m.
If you can't make it to distribution between 4-7 p.m., please find someone who can help out with pick up. Thank you!
Farm Updates
Important information is regularly updated on our website. We had several concerns lately about missing the emails from us. Make sure to check your junk folder or the "promotions" tab if you have Gmail. You can add Small Farm Central to your contacts/favorites and that should ensure emails will go into your main inbox.
We apologize for the mix-up regarding eggs last week, free range, fresh farm eggs will be here this week, for 20 weeks!
produce list for june 8 - 12
broccoli raab
bok choy
hakurai turnips
spinach or salad mix
fresh herbs - tbd
featured recipe for june 8 - 12
Miso Pickled Hakurei Turnips
Last year we sent out a butter/miso/honey recipe for the first round of turnips so I thought sticking with miso woul dbe a good idea!
Hakurei Turnips are mild, sweeter turnips that usually lack the bitterness of other varieties. They are quite tasty, lightly sautéed, roasted, or pickled. Reserve the greens to sauté with eggs or other braising greens.
1 bunch hakurei turnips, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon miso paste
½ rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
½ inch ginger knob, peeled and grated
2 scallions or green onion, thinly sliced
Combine vinegar, miso, sugar and pepper. Stir until miso and sugar dissolve.
Place turnips, ginger, and scallions in a pint sized mason jar.
Pour vinegar mixture over turnips. If there isn’t enough liquid to cover them, add water.
Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating.
