Blackjack, the proud father

This month a literal parade of baby piggies has made an appearance on Delta Farm. Some have black spots, indicating that the boar we purchased last spring, Blackjack, has been enjoying his life and doing his job successfully.

“These piglets are, for the most part, pretty strong, with broad shoulders and chests,” says livestock manager Andrea La Plante (left, with Blackjack when we purchased him in April). “They resemble their dad that way. Only occasionally will I see a black piglet or one with black spots, but I notice his conformation in many of his offspring.”

When these little guys are so small, mama does not like strangers getting close, photo or no photo. So she lines them up and leads them away, just like the mama below is doing.

Winter Hours Start Oct 15 at Farm Store

Monday-Saturday 10 am-7 pm
Closed Sunday

Nash’s Farm Store has come a long way in the past six years since Nash and Patty expanded the produce stand to be a full grocery store. We used to be closed on Mondays, and then about three years ago we shifted to seven days a week. As our business evolves, so do our needs and sustainability strategies. This Fall we’re shifting to a Winter Hours Schedule, which includes being closed on Sundays starting October 15.

We know this is a popular shopping day for some of our most valued customers, and we apologize for the inconvenience. It’s our hope that winter hours will provide more sustainability for our staff’s schedules. Our small team of dedicated employees give a lot to keep the store going, and carving out a true day of rest for store operations will keep us running stronger into the future.  We’ll resume seven days a week in May 2018.

Don’t miss Farm Day at the Dungeness Valley Creamery

Saturday, September 30,  1-6 pm, the Dungeness Valley Creamery will be hosting an event to celebrate local agriculture in Clallam County. There will be an outdoor farmers market featuring local farmers and artisans. Live music by Buck Ellard from 3-6 pm, food by Pacific Pantry, and a 21+ beer garden hosted by North Olympic Land Trust with proceeds benefitting farmland conservation. There will be lots of activities and fun for all ages, and Sarah and Ryan look forward to seeing you!

Suggested donation of $5 per carload (no one turned away) with proceeds supporting local agriculture through WSU Clallam County Extension.

Just a reminder: Nash’s is not participating this year in Farm Day, nor will there be a Community Potluck or Barn Dance. We’ll try again next year!

Small

Lacinato Kale  1 bu
Sweet Italian Peppers  .75 lbs
from Alvarez Farms
Pears  2.5 lbs
Sweet Corn  4 ears
Brussels Sprouts  1.5 lbs
Rainbow Chard  1 bu

Standard

Leeks  1 ea
Red Kale  1 bu
Sweet Italian Peppers  .75 lbs
from Alvarez Farms
Pears  2.5 lbs
Sweet Corn  4 ears
Carrots  2 lbs
Brussels Sprouts  1.5 lbs
Parsley Roots  2 ea
Rainbow Chard  1 bu

Nash’s Sweet Corn

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data for 2015, approximately 13.5 million bushels of corn were produced, with 39% being used for livestock feed, 30% for ethanol, 12.5% for various exports, 8% for distiller’s dried grain, about 5-6% for high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners, and 3% for starches and cereals. That doesn’t leave a whole lot for eating!

Nash’s corn is local, organic, non-GMO, and sweet. It’s the perfect way to round out your summer before we launch into fall. Not only is ripe corn a sweet, crunchy, and delicious addition to your menu, it has a unique fiber profile that is beneficial for digestion and has been studied for its antioxidant properties, which can have beneficial impacts on a genetic level. Lutein and zeaxanthin were found in the germ, endosperm, and bran of corn kernels.

Sautéed Sweet Corn with Tomatoes & Tarragon

4 ears of sweet corn (about 2 cups of kernels)
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 to 5 scallions, chopped
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)

Shuck the corn and remove the silks. Steam or boil just until the kernels are tender. Cut the kernels from the cob and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper and sauté until crisp tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the scallions and continue cooking 1 minute longer.

Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the tomatoes are slightly softened, 2 minutes, then add the corn. Combine well, taste, adjust the seasoning as needed, then stir in the tarragon. A quick and easy side dish!

Recipe from www.mygourmetconnection.com

Parsley Root

Parsley root is exactly what it sounds like—the root of the herb parsley. What’s in your box is a variety specifically grown for its large taproot, although the leaves are edible, too. It is cousin to fennel, celery, cilantro, and carrots and looks a lot like a parsnip. However, a parsnip has a sweet taste, and parsley root’s flavor is more like celeriac, lending itself to savory dishes.

Try sliced parsley root baked in a gratin, pan-fried in fritters, or deep-fried as chips. It pairs well with other roots and tubers, so try them roasted, mashed, or puréed together. Add parsley root to soups and stews, or substituted in recipes calling for celeriac, carrots, parsnips, and turnips. It is almost always eaten cooked, but it can be eaten raw. Add it sliced to a crudité platter, julienned in a coleslaw, or grated on top of a salad.

We were very fortunate this year, in that most of our grain was harvested before summer turned to fall last week and the rains arrived.

By and large, our grain fields are out on Schmuck Road, close to Sequim Bay, as you can see from the photo below, where Sam McCullough is combining a white wheat field. Not a bad place to work!

Some grains and seed crops could also be found this year on the Wheeler Farm (Woodcock Ave., aka the Historic Ward Farm) and Clapp Farm (on E. Anderson Road). Most of those have also already been harvested, except some dried fava beans, our dent polenta corn, and a new (to us) type of cover crop called Sudan grass.

What we have harvested by now adds up to approximately 500,000 lbs. of grains, including barley for animal feed, malting, and people food; two varieties of hard red wheat; soft white wheat; hard white wheat; and rye. Included in that total are legumes, like dried peas, vetch, and fava beans. Our veggie seed crops don’t amount to much weight-wise, but they are important to our farm for future crops of beets, cabbages, chard, and kales.

Because it was still hot and dry when we harvested most of the grains, it saved us lots of time and energy because we didn’t have to put them on the grain dryer. From here on out, due to the moisture in the air, we will have to dry any grain until it comes down to about 10% moisture and we can safely put them in covered bins for storage.

Don’t miss Farm Day at the Dungeness Valley Creamery

Saturday, September 30,  1-6 pm, the Dungeness Valley Creamery will be hosting an event to celebrate local agriculture in Clallam County. There will be an outdoor farmers market featuring local farmers and artisans. Live music by Buck Ellard from 3-6 pm, food by Pacific Pantry, and a 21+ beer garden hosted by North Olympic Land Trust with proceeds benefiting farmland conservation. There will be lots of activities and fun for all ages, and Sarah and Ryan look forward to seeing you!

Suggested donation of $5 per carload (no one turned away) with proceeds supporting local agriculture through WSU Clallam County Extension.

Nash’s takes a year off

Late September usually brings a deluge of intensity as we simultaneously bring in the late summer harvest and prepare for our annual Farm Day and Barn Dance Celebrations. However, this year we are not going to host the public at our farm for Farm Day, nor will we hold the traditional Community Potluck Barn Dance.

We are currently working with our young farmers on a succession plan to pass the farm on to the next generation. The work is critical to the farm’s long-term viability and our ability to grow healthy food into the future. While we will miss the excitement that Farm Day and the Barn Dance bring every fall, our team is grateful for the time and space to tackle these other important priorities. Thank you for your support and commitment to building this food system together.

Standard
Romanesco  1 hd
Spinach  1 bu
Carrots  3 lb
Beets, small mixed  2 lb
Red Cabbage  1 hd
Soft White Wheat Flour   4 lb
Mini Sweet Red/Orange
Peppers  1 pt
Red Butter Lettuce
from River Run Farm   1 hd

Small

White or Purple Cauliflower  1 hd
Spinach  1 bu
Carrots  2.5 lb
Red Cabbage  1 hd
Gold Beets   2.5 lb
Red Butter Lettuce
from River Run Farm   1 hd

Red Butter Lettuce from River Run Farm

We are proud to promote new local farms and bright, innovative young farmers, who are critical to the viability of a dynamic and sustainable local food system. Your delicious lettuce this week comes from a farm that is relatively new. Co-founded in 2013 by friends sharing a deep reverence for good food and good living, River Run Farm raises organic vegetables, berries and flowers along the Dungeness River near Sequim. The farm’s founders look to nature for inspiration in the continuing development of their farming practices and do not use synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

They offer fresh, vibrant produce and flowers to the community on the Olympic Peninsula and in Seattle. Their produce and flowers can be purchased at the farm at 2800 Woodcock Rd., local farmers markets and in local grocery stores, including Nash’s Farm Store.

Below: the crew from River Run Farm

Mini Red/Orange Peppers

People purchase more green peppers than any other color, maybe because they are less expensive. That’s because they are unripe!

These peppers start off green. Then they gradually turn yellow, orange, then red as they ripen. Because they are harvested before they are ripe, the green ones lack a lot of nutrients, and they are not sweet.

By the time a pepper has gotten orange or red, it is much sweeter and it has 11 times more beta-carotene, about two times more vitamin C and ten times more vitamin A than the green bell pepper.

The USDA has found residues from at least 53 different pesticides on commercial, nonorganic peppers. Some of these are carcinogenic and some are toxic for bees. Peppers are one of “The Dirty Dozen”—produce that should always be consumed organic because it carries a heavier-than-usual pesticide load. See link.

Because these tiny peppers are sweet, they are delightful raw. Add to salads or pizza; cut in half, remove seeds, and fill with hummus for an appetizer; roast them or even grill them quickly; or stuff them with cheese or ground meats and bake. Perfect bite-sized!

Red Cabbage

Red cabbages are easy to prepare.  Strip off the outer leaves, wash, then slice into quarters, cut out the hard central core on each, then chop or shred.

Lock in the color by adding a touch of vinegar when cooking red cabbage in water. This stops the lovely deep purple hue from running.

Don’t be too heavy-handed with red cabbage. A lot of its frumpy reputation comes from it being over-pickled or boiled for an eon. Although it’s a sturdy vegetable it’s not invincible.

Go raw. Lock in nutrients by eating your cabbage uncooked in salads. Just make sure you slice it very finely.

Warm Red Cabbage Bacon Salad

3 slices bacon
1½ Tbsp. olive oil
½ large onion, peeled and chopped
3 large ribs celery, sliced
⅓ cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. celery seed
½ large head red cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch pieces and sauté them over medium-low heat in a very large, deep skillet until they are crisp but not overdone. Transfer them to absorbent paper towels and reserve. Drain off all of the bacon fat from the pan, wipe it clean, and replace with the olive oil.

Heat the oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté briefly. Add the vinegar, sugar, and celery seed. Heat until the mixture boils, then immediately add the cabbage and bacon pieces all at once. Stir and toss for about 1 minute, or until the cabbage is warm but not cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the salad immediately while it is still very warm, with a garnish of chopped parsley.

— Produce for Better Health; Fruits & Veggies—More Matters; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as appears in Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe

The Herbfarm Restaurant in Woodinville, WA, is world-renowned. Among the many awards and accolades from publications like Gourmet and Bon Appetit, National Geographic named it NUMBER ONE destination restaurant in the world in its book The 10 Best of Everything, an Ultimate Guide for Travelers.

The restaurant has its own farm, so that it has a consistent supply of fresh herbs and veggies. But founders Carrie Van Dyck and Ron Zimmerman also like to keep their staff attuned to the best ingredients from their region, so they take them on annual three-day retreats to visit agricultural areas in the Pacific Northwest, visiting local restaurants and farms. Last weekend, they took in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley.

They visited local producers, including the Dungeness Valley Creamery, Lazy J Tree Farm, Johnston Farms, and River Run Farm (where your lettuce comes from). They dined at the Alder Wood Bistro, Nourish and Pacific Pantry, all restaurants that patronize local farms. And they got a tour of Nash’s farm.

We showed them the Delta Farm, which is so critical to our grain, seed and livestock operations; the packing shed; our milling operation; and the Farm Store. They were quite excited about the fresh-milled flours, because small farms usually don’t have the infrastructure required for grains. They also were interested in our eventual pressing of camelina seed for oil, and the importance of producing locally-adapted organic seed for many of the signature vegetables of our region.

In photo above, Nash chats with the Staff of the Herbfarm Restaurant. Co-founder Carrie Van Dyck is at right.