Porter Farms CSA

In the Bag: November 20

2010-11-18T16:14:00.001-08:00

-Beets
-Turnips
-Butternut
-Onions
-Leeks
-Bunched Broccoli Leaves (with small broccoli)
-Brussels Sprouts
-Carrots

In the Bag: November 13

2010-11-11T16:03:00.001-08:00

-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Butternut Squash
-Onions
-Beets
-Turnips
-Red Savoy Cabbage
-Collards

Porter Farm Happenings November 6, 2010

2010-11-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

Farm Hands
During the summer and fall of 2008, Tom Rivers, a reporter for The Daily News in Batavia, wrote a series of newspaper articles entitled Farm Hands: Hard work and hard lessons from Western New York fields. This series of articles has since been published into a book.
This book chronicles his 20 days spent at area farms working full shifts. His experiences ranged from milking cows, to harvesting cabbage, to helping out at our farm harvesting and packing vegetables for our CSA members. His experiences gave readers a glimpse of how difficult farm work is and how important this work is for Western New York.
We were very fortunate to have Tom help out at our farm for two days during the summer of 2008. We are happy to say that Tom will be at our farm on the morning of November 13 (8-11) to sell his book while members are picking up their vegetables.
If you are looking for a great holiday gift, please consider this local author’s book. Tom’s work at the various farms helped bring to attention how tough farm work is, how many people do not want to do it, and how much respect agricultural employers have for their workers.
For more information about Farm Hands, check out www.farmhandsbook.com!

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Green Bell Peppers
• Poblano Peppers
• Leeks
• Delicata Squash
• Green Cabbage
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips
• Onions
• Dinosaur Kale

Farm News
We finally had our first killing frost this past week, and are sad to see our pepper season come to an end. We hope you enjoyed them!
This week we worked on figuring out our inventory of winter squash, beets, turnips, and other vegetables. We will divide this up throughout our remaining weeks, and of course will continue to supply you with greens and onions. We are also hoping that our broccoli will be ready before our last week. We have about 30,000 broccoli plants in the field right now that are the size of quarters! With the warm temperatures that are expected next week, hopefully they will grow!

Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed with White Beans, Greens & Sage
Ingredients
- 2 Delicata squash, halved and seeds removed 
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
- 1 large garlic clove, minced 
- 4 cups greens, washed, dried and chopped (kale, chard, collard or mustard greens) 
- 2 cups cooked white beans 
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves 
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs 
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place the squash halves cut side up on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the squash and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour.
2. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
3. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the greens and sauté until wilted. Add the beans and continue cooking the mixture until heated through. Stir in the chopped fresh sage, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
4. Heat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir half of the breadcrumb mixture into the greens and spoon the filling into the cooked squash halves, mounding it in each.
5. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb and cheese mixture over the top of the filled squash halves. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of each squash half. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serves 4.

SOURCE: Edible Finger Lakes magazine, Fall 2010

In the Bag: November 6

2010-11-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

-Green Bell Peppers
-Poblano Peppers
-Leeks
-Delicata Squash
-Green Cabbage
-Swiss Chard
-Turnips
-Onions
-Dinosaur Kale

In the Bag: October 30

2010-10-28T16:38:00.001-07:00

-Collards
-Kohlrabi
-Bunched Beets
-Green Peppers
-Red Carmen Peppers
-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Delicata Squash
-Sweet Dumpling Squash
-Onions
-Turnips

In the Bag: October 23

2010-10-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

-Assorted Peppers
-Spinach
-Bok Choy
-Green Kale
-Onions
-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Butternut Squash
-Red Curry or Delicata Squash

In the Bag: October 16

2010-10-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

-Butternut Squash
-Delicata Squash
-Red Carmen Peppers
-Poblano Peppers
-Green Bell Peppers
-Leeks
-Swiss Chard
-Onions

CSA Updates: October 2010

2010-10-11T14:59:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to the Fall Festival yesterday! We couldn't have asked for a nicer day!

We have created a local business facebook page to spread the word about our CSA. Pictures from the Fall Festival and this past summer have been posted. Please "like" this page and tell your friends about us!

As always, we would like to thank you for your continued support!

Find us on facebook!

2010-10-11T14:53:00.001-07:00

Katie Porter likes

Porter Farms CSA

Create your Like Badge

In the Bag: October 9, 2010

2010-10-08T03:20:00.001-07:00

-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Scarlet Kabocha Squash
-Sweet Dumpling Squash
-Mixed Red Peppers
-Poblano Peppers
-Green Bell Peppers
-Dinosaur Kale
-Beets with greens
-Onions

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE FESTIVAL TOMORROW!

In the Bag: October 2, 2010

2010-09-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

-carrots
-spinach
-turnips with greens
-assorted red peppers
-green bell peppers
-onions
-honey bear acorn squash
-butternut squash

Porter Farm Happenings-September 18, 2010

2010-09-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Winter Squash
We did not want to say anything before and jinx it (like with our tomatoes), but it looks like we will have a good crop of winter squash this year! This is something we have not had in the past few years. Last year we lost our entire sweet dumpling crop to the deer and flooding.
This year our winter squash is planted at the Buchholtz farm in Elba. The Buchholtz’s are close family friends of ours, and Katie Buchholtz Karas and her husband Chris are members in our CSA! We grow winter squash there every 3-4 years depending on our rotation cycle. There is a lot of deer pressure at this farm, but the squash always seems to do really well.
This year we planted many varieties of winter squash, including red curry, butternut, spaghetti, honey bear acorn, delicata, sweet dumpling, and red kabocha. We have not grown spaghetti in a few years, and are happy to be able to give you some this week.
As we continue to harvest the winter squash we will try to put recipes in the newsletter that incorporate squash and other vegetables that are ready. If you are looking for additional ways to use the vegetables, Deb has found that the Whole Foods website has some great recipes. Also, if you have a recipe that you would like to share, please email it to us!

Farm News
This week we spent a lot of time harvesting vegetables. We are still a little short of help, so had to plan our week accordingly because we knew it was going to rain all day on Thursday.
All of our harvesting is done by hand, and harvesting green beans is a very time consuming job. It took ten hours for six people (sixty man hours) to pick all of the beans for this week. Again, we would like to thank our dedicated crew for all of their hard work this week!

Just a reminder…
Our annual Fall Festival will be held on Sunday, October 10. We ask that members who plan on attending please RSVP by September 30 so that we can plan accordingly. Remember, we will have a potluck lunch, so please bring a dish to pass. Please bring a notecard to place in front of the
Every year, one of our favorite crafts to do with the kids is to make scarecrows. If you would like to make a scarecrow this year, please bring clothes with you! We will have plenty of straw to stuff them and twine to tie it off!

Help us Recycle
If you have any extra plastic or paper grocery bags at your house, please consider bringing them out to the farm. We would be glad to use them!

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Spaghetti Squash
• Sweet Dumpling
• Red Carmen Peppers
• Green Bell Peppers
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Green Beans
• Green Kale
• Onions

Spaghetti Squash with Pine Nuts, Sage, and Romano

Ingredients
-1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
-1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
-1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
-2 teaspoons butter, melted
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the squash, cut side down, in a large baking dish.
3. Bake the squash in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.
4. Scrape flesh of squash from the rind using a fork and place in a bowl. Add the pine nuts, cheese, sage, butter, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spaghetti-Squash-with-Pine-Nuts-Sage-and-Romano/Detail.aspx

In the Bag: September 25, 2010

2010-09-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

-Zucchini and/or Yellow Squash
-Kohlrabi
-Onions
-Collard Greens
-Carmen Pepper
-Bell Peppers
-Delicata Squash
-Leeks
-Scarlet Kabocha Squash

In the Bag: September 18, 2010

2010-09-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

-Spaghetti Squash
-Sweet Dumpling Squash
-Red Carmen Peppers
-Green Bell Peppers
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Green Beans
-Green Kale
-Onions

In the Bag: September 11, 2010

2010-09-09T17:13:00.001-07:00

-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Swiss Chard
-Red Carmen Peppers
-Poblano Pepper
-Green Bell Peppers
-Light Green Bell Pepper
-Red Cabbage

Red Savoy Cabbage

2010-09-04T13:41:00.001-07:00

Some members have been wondering why they received two green savoy cabbages and no red. Please take a second to compare the two heads of cabbage. On one of them you will notice some purple on the outside leaves. This is the red savoy. The green savoy is all green with no purple on it.

Here is a link to Johnny's Selected Seeds, which is where we purchased the seed. It has a picture that shows the difference between the two varieties.

Please let us know what you think of the red savoy cabbage. This is the first time we have grown it.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-330-savoy.aspx

In the Bag: September 4, 2010

2010-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

-Watermelon (last week of them)
-Tomato Berries (last week of them)
-Beets
-Onions
-Red Kale
-Red Savoy Cabbage
-Green Savoy Cabbage
-Bell Peppers
-Red Carmen Peppers

Porter Farm Happenings-August 28, 2010

2010-09-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

In last week’s newsletter, we mentioned that we had been short of help at the farm. On Tuesday, The Daily News, which is the daily newspaper for Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, also discussed a major farmworker shortage in this area.
Many farms in the surrounding area depend on something called the “H2A Program”, which allows United States farmers to employ temporary legal workers. These workers are provided housing and a guaranteed set rate of pay. Many of these workers are Jamaican citizens that travel each season to harvest cabbage and apples in Western New York. However, this year, the United States government is refusing to certify workers from Jamaica because the Jamaican government takes a percentage of the workers paychecks.
Jamaican workers are very important to local farmers as they depend on their labor for the harvest. If this issue is not resolved, many farmers may be left short and could potentially go bankrupt.
We are hoping that this issue is resolved quickly before the fall harvest season begins!

Tomato Update
Some of you may have noticed that some of your tomatoes are not holding up well. We have even noticed that our grape tomatoes, which are usually the hardiest, are not holding up as well as they have in the past. Many members have contacted us about purchasing extra tomatoes for canning or making sauce, and we want to let you know that we will not have any available. What good tomatoes we do have in the field will be picked for our members.
This season we planted well over 20,000 tomato plants, which is the most we have ever done. We are disappointed that for the second season in a row we will not have the yield we were hoping for. We are looking forward to next years planting and are formulating ideas on how we can change the way that we grow them. Hopefully we will have a better crop next year!

Farm News
It was a cool, wet week at the farm. Three inches of rain fell over the weekend and into Monday, leaving us with many puddles and weeds. We were not able to get any fieldwork done on Monday because of the rain, so we had to spend the remainder of the week weeding and harvesting the vegetables.
All of our vegetables are handpicked, which is very time consuming. Each week our crew does a great job of picking the best vegetables in the field for you to enjoy. This year has been especially difficult to harvest the vegetables because they must battle through the weeds to get to the crops. When you cannot spray weeds to control their growth, they can only be hand weeded or cultivated. Since the fields have been so wet, our tractors have not been able to get in the fields to cultivate, and our workers cannot keep up with the fast growth of the weeds. This year we have an especially great crew, and we would like to thank them for all of their hard work!

Onions
Some of our members may be wondering where the onions are this season. In order to store onions in our barn, we first must pull each onion in the field and let them dry on the ground. Once they are dry, we bring them all into the barn. If they are not dried completely, they cannot be hand cleaned to remove dirt and may grow sprouts.
We pulled some of our onions a few weeks ago, hoping that we would have onions available for you in late August. However, every time that we think we will be able to bring them into the barn, it rains and we have to begin the drying process again. Once we are able to bring our onions to the barn, you can expect them in your bags almost every week!

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Watermelon
• Assorted Grape Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Green Bell Peppers
• Cubanelle or Light Green Bell Pepper
• Leeks
• Swiss Chard or Leaf Lettuce

Baked Leeks
Ingredients
-2 tablespoons butter
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1 ½ cups skim milk
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-salt and pepper to taste
-4 medium leeks, halved lengthwise

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x12 inch baking pan.
2. Melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk and cheese until cheese is melted. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat. Arrange the leeks in a single layer in the prepared pan and cover with the cheese sauce.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until leeks are tender and sauce is bubbly.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Leeks/Detail.aspx

In the Bag: August 28

2010-08-26T17:20:00.001-07:00

-Watermelon
-Tomatoes
-Assorted Grape Tomatoes
-Green Bell Peppers
-Cubanelle or LIght Green Bell Pepper
-Leeks
-Swiss Chard or Lettuce

Porter Farm Happenings-August 21, 2010

2010-08-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, and posted on our blog about the tomatoes! Close to 200 members responded to our question, with an overwhelming majority voting yes to harvesting. Thanks for understanding that vegetables do not need to look perfect to taste great!
We would also like to thank some members who have spent time at the farm helping us on Saturday mornings as we pack your produce bags. Every Saturday, Richard Beatty and Rae Ann Engler of Batavia are at the farm bright and early working alongside our crew. They have been weekly contributors for the past few years, and we cannot express how thankful we are for all of their help. We also had two additional helpers last Saturday, Jeannette Kreher and Jan Grzedzicki, who are co-coordinators of our new Cheektowaga group. Jeannette and Jan also were at the farm before the sun came up and caught on to our packing routine quick. It was great to have four extra hands as we packed the really heavy bags last week!
If anyone would be interested in helping pack bags on Saturday mornings, please give us a call. We have been short of workers this week, and any additional help on Saturday mornings would be greatly appreciated! We begin packing at 5am and are usually done by 8am.

Safe Travels, Zoe!
On Friday, Zoe, Bess, and Eric took a trip to New York City to move Zoe into her dorm room at Hunter College. Bea and Julie will be traveling to NYC as well to meet up with the Johnson’s and do a little school shopping with Zoe. We wish Zoe all the best as she begins her college career!

Tomato Update
The dry weather this week helped keep the tomato disease from spreading rapidly. We were going to rip some diseased plants out of the ground and burn them, but decided against it. When you rip plants out and move them through the rows, the diseased plants can touch disease free plants and spread their spores. We left the diseased plants in the field and are hoping that the weather forecast continues to stay relatively rain and humidity free.
The Pestminder newsletter this week discussed the diseases in the tomatoes, and mentioned that early blight could also be a found around here. We are still not sure which disease or diseases has found it’s way to our tomatoes, but we are happy to say that our tomatoes are not totally ruined like they were last year.
Many members have contacted us about purchasing extra tomatoes for canning and making sauce. At this point we cannot say if extras will be available. Our first priority is making sure that we have enough to distribute to our CSA members. We will continue to update you!
Farm News
We were very happy to have a dry, low humidity week at the farm. One inch of rain fell on Sunday night, but it dried up quickly. This drier weather is key to keeping the disease from spreading in the tomatoes.
This week we were finally able to transplant the last of the broccoli and kohlrabi. We also direct seeded more Swiss chard. Our early broccoli plants went right to seed due to high temperatures, but we have more plantings that look ok. Summer broccoli is always tricky because of the heat, but we will have a lot in the fall.

Orchard Update
Since planting the raspberries and orchard trees, our main project in the orchard has been battling the weeds. It seems that this is a never-ending battle in every field!
This orchard is a learning experience for us, and it is going to take us quite a few years to get everything just the way that we want it. We have one third of the space left, and are leaning toward adding a lot more berries to the space. It will take a couple of years before we see any of the fruits of our labor in there, but are excited that we will eventually be able to incorporate fruit into our CSA in some way. We have another question for members: What do you think about u-pick raspberries for CSA members only? Please email or post a comment on our blog!

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Sugar Baby Watermelon
• Yellow Watermelon
• Red Tomato Berries
• Yellow Grape Tomatoes
• Assorted Large Tomatoes
• White or Purple Kohlrabi
• Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
• Red Beets
• Green Bell Peppers
• Light Green Bell Pepper

Cherry Tomato Bites
Ingredients
-1 pint cherry tomatoes (tomato berries!)
-Fresh mozzarella, cubed
-Olive oil
-Salt
-Fresh Ground Pepper
-Basil, julienned

Directions
1. Cut a small slice off the end of each tomato so that they sit level. (Make sure not to cut too big of a slice or else the cup won't have a bottom.)
2. Make another slice on the opposite side of the tomato and scoop out the pulp inside using a mellon baller or small spoon. Be careful not to puncture the skin on the bottom. (Don't worry about what it looks like because it will soon be stuffed.)
3. Season the tomato cups with salt and pepper. Place a cube of mozerella in each cup.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the stuffed tomatoes. Garnish each bite with a bit of basil. Transfer the bites onto a serving platter and chill until ready to serve.
Source: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/hors-doeuvres/recipe-cherry-tomato-bites-124738

In the Bag: August 21

2010-08-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

-Watermelons (Not sure which kind--will be harvested Friday)
-Red Tomato Berries
-Yellow Grape Tomatoes
-Assorted Tomato
-Beets
-Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
-Green Bell Peppers
-Light Green Bell Pepper
-Kohlrabi

Porter Farm Happenings-August 14, 2010

2010-08-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Every week throughout the growing season, the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Vegetable Program writes a weekly publication called the PestMinder. This newsletter is mailed to area subscriber farmers throughout Western and Central New York, and provides information about crop development, pests, weather conditions, and crop diseases. It also contains pesticide recommendations for battling various diseases and pests, as well as a small organic farming section.
After looking through the PestMinder this week, we read about some new diseases that we think may be in our vine crops and tomatoes. A vegetable specialist with Cornell University wrote a section about a new race of cucurbit powdery mildew. This mildew was observed in Athena cantaloupes in upstate New York. These cantaloupes are resistant to the other two races of powdery mildew, but not this new race.
This week’s publication also spent a great deal outlining various diseases that have been found in tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in the area. Last year, a fungal disease called Late Blight wiped out our tomato crop. This disease has been confirmed in tomatoes on a farm in Erie County and a farm in Norfolk County, Ontario. Norfolk County is located across Lake Erie from the Erie, Pennsylvania area.
This week we found signs of disease in our tomatoes. They were fine on Monday, but by Wednesday morning they weren’t. We thought that we would be able to give everyone 4 to 5 yellow tomatoes, but when we went out to harvest them, we had to overlook many because of disease spots and rot. We received 2 inches of rain on Monday, and think that the disease may have come in with the rain. Fungal diseases are air born and rain helps deposit their spores. However, what may look like late blight in our tomatoes may actually be another disease that was outlined in the publication this week. A disease called Zonate Leaf Spot, which occurs sporadically in this area, produces lesions on fruits as well.
We are not sure which disease has hit our tomatoes, but as organic farmers, there is nothing that we can do to combat it. It has been another damp growing season, which is the ideal condition for many of these diseases to flourish. Next year we are going to make more changes in the way that we grow our tomatoes, because for the third time in five years, we have had a lot of disease problems with them. Our heirloom tomatoes are always a favorite with our CSA, but unfortunately these tomatoes get diseases first. This season we planted over 10,000 heirloom tomato plants and are hoping there will be some salvageable. Next year we are going to try using double the amount of space for the same number of tomato plants. With more space between tomato rows, more air will be able to flow through the plants and keep the moisture out of them.
We have often thought about putting high tunnel greenhouses in at our farm. These greenhouses give farmers tomatoes earlier in the season, but unfortunately, researchers are starting to see that the same troubles that hit tomatoes in the field are also present in the tunnels later in the growing season.
Please enjoy the tomatoes in your bag this week. Some tomatoes are showing signs of disease quick. If you see a spot on your tomato, it may be the disease showing up after we had already picked it. Mike has been eating them all week, and just cuts around the spot if he sees one. He says they still taste good, especially after no tomatoes last year!
As the disease moves through the tomato plants, we may start to see more spots on them. We have a question for you: would you mind eating a tomato with a small spot on it that could be cut out, or would you rather us not bother harvesting these tomatoes? We would like this to be a member decision, so please let us know by either sending an email, commenting on our blog, or leaving a message on the farm answering machine by Wednesday night. After this time, we will go with the majority and make our decision.

*Look for an orchard update next week!*

Farm News
With all of the rain that has been falling at the farm (another 2 inches fell on Monday), it seems like we are always trying to keep up with the fast growth of the weeds. We also spent time this week baling straw. This straw came from the harvested barley crop. Once the barley is harvested using a combine, the stems of the barley are baled and used for livestock bedding.

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Zucchini or Yellow Squash
• Tomato Berries
• Tomato
• Green Bell Pepper
• Cubanelle Pepper (Sweet, frying pepper)
• Yellow/Light Green Bell Pepper
• Savoy Cabbage
• Leeks
• Green Beans
• Sugar Baby Watermelon
• Yellow Watermelon

Balsamic Salad of Roasted Leeks and Peppers
Ingredients
-4 leeks
-2 peppers, cut into chunks
-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
-generous sprigs fresh oregano and thyme
-2 cloves garlic, crushed
-generous sprinkling ground sea salt and black pepper
-1 oz. pine nuts
-1 oz. parmesan cheese
-handful of arugula

Directions
1. Place prepared vegetables and seasonings in a roasting pan along with the olive oil and balsamic.
2. Cover with wetted baking paper and scrunch over vegetables to seal.
3. Oven roast for 30 minutes until tender and just starting to brown.
4. Combine with the remaining ingredients and serve.
Source: http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/leek-recipe-10.php

In the Bag: August 14

2010-08-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

-Red Tomato Berries
-Tomatoes (not sure what kind yet, will be harvested Friday morning)
-Watermelon (Not sure what kind yet, will be harvested Friday morning)
-Bell Peppers
-Cubanelle Pepper
-Leeks
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Green Beans
-Savoy Cabbage

Porter Farm Happenings-August 7, 2010

2010-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

This past week one of our members asked us if we sold our vegetables to a supermarket. We would like to address this and make sure that it is clear to all of our members that you are our first priority when it comes to our vegetables. We do not sell to any supermarkets, but we do sell very small orders to the Lexington Cooperative Market, and two Feel Rite Markets in Buffalo when extra produce is available.
For the first time in seven years, we were able to sell cucumbers for wholesale. Cucumbers used to be a major crop of ours, but due to downy mildew, we have drastically cut down our acreage. 100 half bushels of cucumbers were sold a few weeks ago to Tuscarora Organic Growers. We only sold these cucumbers because you were receiving seven cucumbers in your bag and we did not want to overload you.
Each year we do grow onions and cabbage in volume for Whole Foods Market. Starting in late fall and into the spring we will ship these vegetables to a warehouse where they will later become available in stores in Manhattan and Boston. Our CSA members are not short changed when it comes to onions and cabbage either; as most returning members know, you will receive a lot of these crops this fall!

Farm News
Two weeks ago we direct seeded spinach into the field. After the eight inches of rain last week, the small seeds were washed out or buried under silt. This week we once again direct seeded spinach, and also beets and turnips. The light rain that we received earlier this week was beneficial to get these seeds started. We also transplanted the last of the zucchini and yellow squash.
This week we also harvested 60 acres of barley. This year’s crop was average—we brought in 60 bushels for every acre harvested. We also continued baling hay in various fields.

Guest Bags
We will continue to offer guest bags to prospective members throughout the season. Please call the farm by Wednesday of the week you would like to order one to ensure its delivery for that week. Thanks for spreading the word!

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Cucumber
• Swiss Chard
• Purple Kohlrabi (tops off)
• Green Bell Pepper
• Sweet Frying Pepper
• Red or Green Leaf Lettuce
• Caraflex Cabbage
• Eggplant**

**Only some members will be receiving eggplant this week. We were able to find some large eggplant in our field, that if left until next week, it would become too big and split. Therefore, we harvested all that was out there and will distribute it to some groups on Saturday. Whoever does not get eggplant this week will get it in the following weeks. There are many more small eggplant out there!
Please note--even though we planted three times as many eggplant as last year, high heat makes the eggplant blossoms fall off, thus decreasing vegetable production. We planted WAY more than is needed for all of our members, but once again, this shows how large of a factor the weather plays in what vegetables you receive in your bags from week to week.

Super Stuffed Tortillas
Ingredients
-1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
-1 large onion
-1 green pepper
-2 cups corn
-1 small-medium zucchini (sliced)
-1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
-2 cups black beans
-1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
-6 tablespoons salsa
-flour or corn tortillas
-cheddar cheese, feta, or queso blanco (shredded or crumbled)
-green onions or chives, salt, pepper, fresh cilantro to taste
Directions

1. Sauté garlic in 2 teaspoons oil for 1 minute. Add onion and pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.
2. Add corn, zucchini, and ground cumin and continue to sauté until all vegetables are tender but not browned.
3. Add black beans, broth, and salsa. Cook until there is no excess moisture. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, sliced green onions or chives, and chopped fresh cilantro to taste.
4. Preheat a frypan with a bit of oil and place a tortilla n a pan. Add cheese in center of tortilla and add ¼-1/2 cup vegetable filling. When the tortilla is crispy, remove, and fold in half. Or place a second tortilla on top, flip, and fry crisp.
Source: Simply in Season

Guest Bags

2010-08-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Someone called the farm on Sunday afternoon to request a guest bag, but they did not leave their name, pick up location, or a phone number to contact them. If this was you, please give us a call back so that we can set you up with a guest bag!

Please remember, if you would like to order a guest bag, please call or email us by Wednesday of that week! Include your name, phone number, and the location you would like the guest bag sent to.

In the Bag: August 7

2010-08-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

-Caraflex Cabbage
-Swiss Chard
-Sweet Frying Pepper
-Green Bell Pepper
-Last of the cucumbers
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Purple Kohlrabi
-Red or Green Leaf Lettuce
-Eggplant**

**Only some members will be receiving eggplant this week. We were able to find some large eggplant in our field, and if we leave it until next week, it would become too big and split. Therefore, we harvested all that was out there and will distribute it to some groups on Saturday. Whoever does not get eggplant this week, will get it in the following weeks. There are many more small eggplant out there!
Please note--even though we planted 3 times as much eggplant as last year, high heat makes the eggplant blossoms fall off. We planted WAY more than is needed for all of our members, but once again, this shows how large of a factor the weather plays in what vegetables you receive in your bags from week to week.

Porter Farm Happenings-July 31, 2010

2010-08-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Downy Mildew
In a little over a week we have received over 8 inches of rain at the farm! The effects of this rain can be seen all over--those of you driving down the driveway this week, take a look at the large pond that has developed by the Porter Farms sign! This water has been sitting there for ten days already! Check out the pictures that were posted on our blog!
Last week we mentioned that even though we have received a lot of rain, our vegetables were still disease free. It seems that we spoke too soon! Last Saturday morning Mike went out to inspect our cucumbers and discovered downy mildew in the plants! Downy mildew is a fungus that is easily carried by wind, and is most aggressive when heavy dews and frequent rains occur. Although it does not overwinter beyond the southernmost region of the United States, the spores are easily blown northward during the summer months.
When this disease hits, it can wipe out and kill a plant in a matter of two to three days! Symptoms first appear as pale green areas on the upper leaf surfaces, which soon change to yellow spots. A fine whitish growth will quickly appear on the lower leaf surface as well. The infected area later spreads outward, causing defoliation and poor fruit development, and later plant death (http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/downymildew.html).
This disease, which infects vine crops, is most aggressive in cucumbers. Our cucumbers were the first to become infected, but were quickly followed by our cantaloupes. The cantaloupes looked picture perfect last week, but now are displaying yellow and dried up leaves. The zucchini and yellow squash are also beginning to display some symptoms of downy mildew, but so far our watermelon still look great! There are mini watermelons in the field right now, so hopefully the disease will stay away for a few more weeks while they develop and ripen! Pictures have been posted on our blog of the cucumbers, cantaloupes, and watermelon.
Conventional farmers down the road from us have been trying to keep this disease at bay in their fields as well. They were spraying chemicals all week to slow down the spread of the fungus, but even these strong chemicals will not kill the fungus completely. As organic farmers, there is literally nothing we can do once this disease hits! We may try a new variety, a burpless cucumber, next year. These cucumbers are more tolerant of downy mildew. We will continue researching this and will give you updates!

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Cucumbers
• Beets
• Green Cabbage
• Caraflex Cabbage
• Romaine Lettuce

*You may notice small spots on the yellow squash and zucchini. These spots are from the hail that fell during the strong thunderstorm last Wednesday. They may not look great, but they still taste good!

Farm News
This week we continued to assess the damage from the rain. The thunderstorm last week beat up our barley that will be harvested for livestock feed. We also lost some lettuce to flooding.
Our crew spent a lot of time this week weeding the fields. The field where our earliest beets were planted became overgrown with weeds. Therefore, we decided to harvest all of the beets in this field! We hope you enjoy them!
Be on the lookout for peppers in your bags soon!

Citrus-Ginger Roasted Beets and Carrots
Ingredients
-4 beets, peeled and sliced
-3 large carrots, peeled and quartered
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 teaspoon sea salt
-1/3 cup fresh pink grapefruit juice
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
-1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Set aside ½ cup each of the beets and carrots for the dressing. Place the remaining beets and carrots in a 9x13 inch baking dish, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with the sea salt, and toss to coat. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
3. Bake the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the reserved beets and carrots into a blender. Add the grapefruit juice, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, ginger, soy sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Blend until smooth. After the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, stir in the citrus sauce, then recover and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes more.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Citrus-Ginger-Roasted-Beets-and-Carrots/Detail.aspx

Downy Mildew

2010-07-30T05:08:00.001-07:00

This picture shows the downy mildew that has been found in the cucumbers. Once it hits, there is nothing that we can do to prevent it spreading. Cucumbers are the most susceptible to the disease.

This picture shows our cantaloupe plants that are also infected with downy mildew. These plants looked picture perfect a week ago with many blossoms, but now have the same distinctive yellowish lesions on their leaves.

So far downy mildew has not made it to our watermelons!

In the Bag: July 31

2010-07-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Cucumbers
-Beets
-Green Cabbage
-Caraflex Cabbage
-Romaine Lettuce

Saturday Morning Bags

2010-07-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

Picture of Flooding

2010-07-25T17:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture that shows how much rain we have received here at the farm! We have received over 6 inches in the last 7 days.

Porter Farm Happenings-July 24,2010

2010-07-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Pick Up Times
Each Saturday morning we begin our CSA work at 4am! We move all of the harvested vegetables out of the cooler and into our packing barn. By 5am our crew of 8 to 10 workers is ready to begin packing the produce bags. Although we are usually done by 8, there are some weeks where it takes us longer to pack because of the amount going into the bags or the number of people that are working that day. We ask that you please do not pick up your produce before 8:30 to ensure that we have everything ready when you arrive.

What’s in this week’s bag??
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Cucumbers
• Red Leaf Lettuce
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Bunched Beets
• Kohlrabi

Guest Bags
We will continue to offer guest bags to prospective members throughout the season. Please call the farm by Wednesday of the week you would like to order one to ensure its delivery for that week. Thanks for spreading the word!

Kohlrabi!
Kohlrabi is a crisp, lightly sweet vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. According to our seed catalog, the taste is similar to a turnip with a texture like a water chestnut. A personal favorite here at the farm is to eat it sliced like carrot sticks! Kohlrabi leaves can also be eaten like cabbage or kale.
This is our second year growing this vegetable, and we received many positive comments about it from our members last year. We love receiving feedback, so please let us know what you think about it!

Farm News
It was a wet week here at the farm! Large thunderstorms passed through the area on Wednesday, bringing high winds, hail, and over three inches of rain! We are lucky that we did not receive the worst of the storm--farms to the north of us received 6+ inches! After the storm passed, we went out to assess the damage around the farm. We were worried that the hail might have damaged the growing tomatoes, but luckily they seem to be ok. Our lettuce and peppers (which you may remember us saying were under water back in June) became flooded again. We are glad that we decided to leave the drainage trenches in that we dug back in June, as it looks like these are helping to get the standing water out once again. Finally, our horses received quite a surprise when part of the roof of their small barn was ripped off!
To add to the rain totals, two more inches fell on Friday morning. As we write this newsletter, we're waiting for the rain to stop so that we can begin repairing some of the damages from Wednesday's storm.
Although we have received a lot of rain this season, we actually have accumulated more "Growing Degree Days" than last year. A growing degree day is a measure of heat accumulation that farmers use to predict how far along a crop is toward maturity. According to Cornell Cooperative Extension, at this time in the season last year we had only accumulated 809 growing degree days, while we are currently at 1,407 this year. This means that even though we have received a lot of rain, we have received the heat that is needed to keep our vegetables growing.
During seasons of significant moisture, farmers often worry of the threat of various diseases moving into their crops. As an organic farm, there is little that we can do to combat these diseases once they hit. Diseases such as blight and downy mildew have been found in the region, but so far our vegetables look disease free!
During the dry days here at the farm, we spent some time harvesting and cultivating. We were not able to finish all of the cultivating before the rain hit, and will need to finish this next week. We also direct seeded green beans and spinach, and transplanted broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash. Hopefully the rain did not flood out the green beans and spinach!

Disappearing Zucchini Orzo
Ingredients
¾ lb orzo pasta
1 chopped onion
garlic, to taste
3 large zucchini (yellow squash can be substituted)
olive oil for sauté
thyme
oregano
¼ cup grated Parmesan or any hard yellow cheese

Directions
1. Bring 6 cups water or chicken stock to a boil and add pasta.
2. Use a cheese grater or mandoline to shred zucchini; sauté briefly with chopped onion and garlic until lightly golden.
3. Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.
4. Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve cool or room temperature.

Source: “Animal, Vegetable Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolv

In the Bag: July 24

2010-07-23T08:16:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the slow post! We had a computer crash at the farm yesterday so are just able to use it again...

-Cucumbers
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Green Leaf Lettuce
-Red Leaf Lettuce
-Kohlrabi
-Bunched Beets

In the Bag: July 17

2010-07-15T16:20:00.001-07:00

-Cucumbers
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Caraflex Cabbage (Pointed Cabbage)
-Swiss Chard

In the Bag: July 10

2010-07-08T18:04:00.001-07:00

-Green Leaf Lettuce
-Red Leaf Lettuce
-Green Onions
-Gold or Chiogga Beets
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash

In the Bag: July 3

2010-07-01T10:59:00.001-07:00

-Swiss Chard
-Red Fire Lettuce
-Red Summer Crisp Lettuce
-Green Onions
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash

In the Bag: June 26, 2010

2010-06-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

-Red Fire Lettuce
-Red Summer Crisp Lettuce
-Swiss Chard
-Gold or Chiogga Beets
-Spinach

2010 SEASON BEGINS JUNE 26!

2010-06-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

Our 2010 season will begin on Saturday, June 26. We will be mailing postcards tomorrow. These postcards will tell you the starting date as well as the contact information for your site!

MAY 2010 UPDATES

2010-05-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

WE DO NOT YET KNOW WHEN WE WILL BE STARTING OUR 2010 PROGRAM! When we do know, YOU WILL RECEIVE a postcard in the mail from us!!

We always aim to start the third Saturday in June. However, the weather does affect when we will be starting. After a beautiful end of April, our vegetable growth slowed during the beginning of May due to the cooler temperatures. With the high heat over the past week, they seem to be catching up nicely.

We also had some unexpected events happen at the farm this past spring which set us further behind. Hopefully the beautiful, warm weather will get us up to where we should be!

This week we planted our onions and leeks, and began planting the zucchini and yellow squash outside. The swiss chard that we direct seeded in early May is coming along nicely, however our lettuce growth has been slow.

April updates!

2010-04-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful spring so far! Today, we were able to start direct seeding some beets, swiss chard, and spinach in the field! At this time last year it was still snowing, so things are off to a good start.

We are still accepting memberships for our 2010 season. We will be offering our Early Bird discount until April 15. MAIL MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THIS DATE TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE DISCOUNT!

Pricing for 2010

2010-03-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

Buffalo Members: $320
Rochester Members: $350
Please remember that we offer an "Early Bird Discount". If you sign up before April 15, $20 is deducted off of the total share price.

2010 Season!

2010-02-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

We are looking forward to starting our 2010 season in June! Last week we mailed out our yearly letter to members. If you would like to receive this letter, which has information in it about signing up for our 2010 season, please email us your mailing address!

2009 Survey

2009-11-23T10:22:00.001-08:00

We always love receiving feedback about our program, and we would appreciate it if you could please fill out a quick online survey. Three surveys have been developed-one for Buffalo members, one for Rochester members, and one for our local members. These surveys can be accessed at the following sites:
Buffalo Members: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z88SBZL
Rochester Members: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZK6RKDY
Local Members: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z8QDXP8

Thank you for supporting our farm this year!

In the Bag: November 21

2009-11-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

-Pie Pumpkins
-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Leeks
-Onions
-Broccoli
-Dinosaur or Regular Kale
-Small Bunched Beets With Greens
-Turnips

Thank you for a great season!!

In the Bag: November 14

2009-11-13T08:16:00.001-08:00

OUR SEASON WILL BE ENDING ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21!!

-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Broccoli
-Turnips
-Onions
-Carrots
-Swiss Chard
-Pie Pumpkin

In the Bag: October 24

2009-10-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

-Pie Pumpkins
-Honey Bear Acorn Squash
-Red Carmen Peppers
-Pointed Cabbage
-Leeks
-Beets
-Onions

Fall Festival October 11!

2009-09-29T06:35:00.001-07:00

We hope that many of you will be able to make it to our Fall Festival on October 11 from 12-5. Please remember to email or call us if you are planning on attending. We are planning on eating around 1; please bring a dish to pass!
As always, we will have hay rides around the farm and many crafts and activities for kids. We are planning to make scarecrows again this year. If this is something that you would be interested in participating in, please bring old clothes (jeans, button down shirts) for your scarecrow. We will supply some clothes, but will not have enough for every scarecrow.

In the Bag: September 26

2009-09-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

-Green Bell Peppers
-Red Bell Peppers
-Poblano Peppers
-Carmen Peppers
-Swiss Chard
-Leeks
-Onions
-Honey Bear Acorn Squash

In The Bag: September 19

2009-09-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

- zucchini
- yellow squash
- cubanelle pepper
- carmen pepper
- green bell pepper
- red apple pepper
- dinosaur kale
- green cabbage
- broccoli
- onions
- kohlrabi

Porter Farm Happening-September 5, 2009

2009-09-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

In last week’s newsletter, we informed you of our new and exciting venture into organic fruit. However, a small error was made in the newsletter that we wanted to clear up. This past spring we actually purchased twenty two acres of land (we originally told you nine), and nine of those will be dedicated to fruit.
For the past eleven years we have been renting and working this ground, and it has already been certified organic. Before purchasing this land, we were thinking about new and different things that we could do at our farm. When this land went up for sale, our idea for growing fruit fell into place and we jumped at the opportunity to purchase it. If we hadn’t, we would not have had the chance to buy it again--farmland does not stay for sale very long in Elba!
We are very excited to purchase our fruit plants and trees this coming spring. Once again, thank you to all of our members for supporting us; without you, this would not have been possible!

Save the Date!
We will be having our annual CSA Fall Festival on Sunday, October 11 from 12-5 here at the farm. As always, we ask that you please bring a dish to pass for our potluck lunch. Activities planned for this year include hayrides around the farm, scarecrow making, and pumpkin painting. Pumpkins and gourds will also be available for you to take home.
We hope that many of you will be able to make it to this fun event. We always look forward to meeting you and showing you where your food comes from! More information about this event will be in coming newsletters!
What’s in this week’s bag??
 Green Bell Peppers
 Purple Bell Peppers
 Poblano Peppers
 Zucchini
 Yellow Squash
 Pointed Cabbage*
 Onions
 Bunched Beets
 Kohlrabi
 Tomato Berries
 Broccoli OR Kale**
*This cabbage is something different that we tried this season for our CSA. According to our seed catalog, this cabbage has sweet, tender, thin leaves for salads, slaws, or cooked dishes. Please let us know what you think!

**We were hoping to have broccoli for everyone this week, but the rain washed away and stunted the growth of our first planting. Therefore instead of letting the ones that were ready go to waste, we harvested what we could. Not all of you will get broccoli. If you don’t, you will receive kale in your bags. Our second planting of broccoli looks excellent and will be ready in a couple of weeks!
Farm News
We have had a wonderful stretch of weather here at the farm over the past week. It was great not having to change our plans due to an unexpected rain storm!
This week, Mike spent a lot of time baling hay. He was very excited to be able to do this—he was unable to get to the fields in July and August because of the wet conditions. Our crew also spent more time this week harvesting onions and other crops.
Last week, two of our workers stopped working at our farm. Maria will be returning to her job packing apples and Adriana has started school again. Each summer, Maria and Adriana help us out for about three months before apple season begins. In years past we have had problems filling positions here at the farm, but we are fortunate to have found a couple more workers to take their spots!

Porter Farms T-Shirts
We are continuing to sell our CSA t-shirts. If you are interested in purchasing one, please mail us a check for $22 by September 26, and include your name, address, phone number, distribution group, and the size/quantity of shirts being ordered. We will mail them to you when they come in!
For those of you who ordered t-shirts in July and August, they will be in shortly and we will mail them to you!

Pineapple and Roasted Poblano Salsa
Ingredients:
-3 medium fresh poblano peppers
-1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 –inch dice (about 4 cups)
-1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
-1/4 tsp. kosher salt
-1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat boiler.
2. On large rimmed baking sheet, broil peppers 2 inches from heat, turning occasionally with tongs, until blistered and blackened on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. (Alternatively, char by holding with tongs over gas flame, turning until blistered on all sides.) Transfer to medium bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let steam 10 minutes.
3. Peel, core, and seed peppers, then cut into 1/4-inch dice. In large bowl, combine peppers and remaining ingredients and toss well. (Salsa can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.)
Source: www.epicurious.com

In the Bag: September 12

2009-09-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Cubanelle Pepper
-Poblano Pepper
-Green Bell Peppers
-Apple Bell Peppers
-Swiss Chard
-Spinach
-Bunched Beets
-Onions

In The Bag; September 5

2009-09-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

-Green Bell Peppers
-Purple Bell Peppers
-Poblano Peppers
-Pointed Cabbage-New this year!
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Onions
-Bunched Beets
-Kohlrabi
-Tomato Berries

In The Bag: August 29

2009-08-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

-zucchini
-yellow squash
-green bell peppers
-purple bell peppers
-pablano peppers
-cubanelle peppers
-leeks
-green cabbage
-bok choy
-onions
-grape tomatoes

In The Bag: August 22

2009-08-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

-Green Bell Peppers
-Purple Bell Peppers
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Cucumbers
-Tomato Berries
-Bok Choy
-Bunched Beets

Tomato Pictures

2009-08-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures of our tomatoes infected with blight:

In The Bag: August 8

2009-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

-zucchini
-yellow squash
-green bell peppers
-cubanelle peppers
-cucumbers
-red onions
-assorted lettuce
-bunched beets

In The Bag: August 1

2009-07-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

-Green Bell Peppers
-Orient Express Eggplant
-Cucumber
-Lemon Cucumber
-Pickling Cucumber
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Green Summer Crisp Lettuce
-Red Onions
-Leeks
-Bunched Beets

Porter Farms T-Shirts!

2009-07-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

We will be accepting orders until Saturday, August 8 and will mail you your shirts when they come in. Men's, women's, and child sizes are available! If you would like to order one, please send $22 to: P.O. Box 416, Elba, NY 14058. Make sure to include your name, address, phone number, the quantity and sizes of shirts being ordered, and your distribution site!

In The Bag: July 25

2009-07-23T07:46:00.001-07:00

-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Green Beans
-Kohlrabi (Purple or White)
-Assorted Lettuce

Porter Farm Happenings July 18, 2009

2009-07-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

As you’re driving down the driveway at the farm, take a look at our new sign! Thank you to Terry Zielinski from Terry’s Signs in Elba for coming up with a great design for us. Hopefully this will make it easier for new members coming to the farm for the first time to find us!

Organic Grains
This week our fall barley that was planted last September was harvested. We had a record crop this year—98 bushels to the acre! This is a really good yield for organic growers and even conventional growers.
Unfortunately, the grain market is flooded with organic grain and we have only been able to sell 100 of our 350 tons. If we cannot sell it, we will feed it to our livestock. If we do this, the grain will only have one third of the value that it would have had.
This has once again forced us to rethink what we do here at the farm. Like we have said in the past, our CSA will continue to be our main focus. We are working on some new projects and will update you in the coming weeks!

What’s in this week’s bag??
 Green Beans
 Zucchini
 Yellow Squash
 Purple Kohlrabi
 White Kohlrabi
 Romaine Lettuce
 Red Oak Leaf Lettuce or Red Fire Lettuce

Porter Farms T-Shirts!
We will be accepting orders until Saturday, August 8 and will mail you your shirts when they come in. Men’s, women’s, and child sizes are available! If you would like to order one, please send $22 to: P.O. Box 416, Elba, NY 14058. Make sure to include your name, address, phone number, the quantity and sizes of t-shirts being ordered, and your distribution site!

Farm News
While we were harvesting the green beans this week, we noticed that there was a large difference in their sizes. As the plants and blossoms were growing, the fruit did not set evenly because of the extreme weather that we have been having. Our later planting of beans also look like they are uneven in size. We tried to put a good mix of small and large beans in every box as we were packing them to make it as even as possible.
We decided not to wash the green beans in your bag this week so that they would not get moldy. Please take note that they are muddy due to the wet fields, so wash them well when you get home!
This week we transplanted broccoli, kale, collards, swiss chard, and spinach. Our crew also continued staking the tomatoes and weeding out the cabbage field.

*If you have a great recipe that you would like to share, please email it to us! *
Stuffed Baked Summer Squash
Ingredients:
-4 small summer squashes
-2 tbsp. butter
-2 tbsp. chopped onions
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. paprika
-dash of nutmeg or cloves
-1 beaten egg
-1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
-1/2 cup grated cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut summer squashes down the middle, either crosswise or horizontally. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a ½-inch shell.
2. Sauté in butter and chopped onions. Add the squash pulp and salt, paprika, and nutmeg or cloves. Stir and cook these ingredients until hot. Remove from the heat.
3. Add egg, bread crumbs, and grated cheese. You may rub the squash shells with butter or drippings. Fill them with the stuffing.
4. Place in an ovenproof dish on a rack over 1/8 inch of water or stock. Sprinkle the tops with dry bread crumbs and dots of butter.
5. Bake the squashes until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on their size.

Source: Joy of Cooking Cookbook

George Eastman House Event

2009-07-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

Mark Bittman, a New York Times columnist and cookbook author, will be talking about his views regarding healthy living and "lessmeatitarianism" at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 at the George Eastman House.
If you would like more information about his visit and the event, please check out the following Democrat and Chronicle article: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090707/ROCEARTH01/307070007/-1/ROCEARTH

In The Bag: July 11

2009-07-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

-bunched yellow sweet onions
-bunched spinach
-assorted lettuce (red/green)
-zucchini

-tomatoes finally starting to get staked!

Flooding Pictures

2009-07-03T11:28:00.001-07:00

-water in lettuce, beet, and spinach field
-water in tomatoes
-zucchini under water

In The Bag: July 4

2009-07-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Bunched Red Onions with Tops
Bunched Beets (Chiogga and/or Golden)
Romaine Lettuce
Green Summer Crisp Lettuce
Bunched Spinach

Pick-up as Usual on July 4th!

2009-06-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

We will be running our CSA as usual on this coming Saturday, 7/4. If you will be out of town, feel free to have a friend, family member, etc. pick up your produce for you. We can also donate your bag to a food pantry in Buffalo or Rochester. If you would like to donate your produce, please let us know by Wednesday, 7/1. Enjoy the holiday!

If you split a share with a friend, please only take one bag of produce from your pick-up site. You can split it between yourselves as you wish!

We hope everyone enjoyed the first week of produce!

In The Bag: June 27

2009-06-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce
Boston Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Swiss Chard (red or yellow)
Bunched Sweet Green Onions

More variety is on the way! Hoping we don't get any damaging hail in the storm that's coming through...
Looking forward to seeing Buffalo and local members on Saturday!

Starting Date: June 27!

2009-06-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Our CSA will begin Saturday, June 27. Postcards with group and coordinator information are being sent out tomorrow. We're so excited for the season to begin!

It is not too late to sign up for a share! If you are interested in joining, please call the farm at 585-757-6823 or email us at porterfarmscsa@gmail.com. We will continue to accept new members throughout the season at a pro-rated price.

Updates

2009-06-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Feel-Rite (Group H) drop-off site in Buffalo has gotten too big!! Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept new members at this site--we've overgrown our capacity at this store! However, we have been able to start three new groups in the Buffalo area-- Akron (Group O, located on Crittenden Rd), Clarence Center (Group N, located on Long St), and Depew/Cheektowaga (Group M, located at Como Park). If anyone would like to switch to one of these groups, please call the farm or email us to let us know.

The Auburn Ave (Group A) drop-off site has also just about reached capacity. Fortunately, a member has volunteered her home as a drop-off site just around the corner on Lexington Ave (Group L). We're working to split the Auburn Ave group up a little, and are still accepting new members to either location.

Sorry to keep everyone waiting to hear about the start date of our program, but we're really struggling to get things growing here on the farm! Everything was planted according to schedule, but the cool night temperatures are not encouraging the veggies to grow at all! Post cards and emails will be sent soon, we promise!

Postcards, Farm News, etc.

2009-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

We still do not know when we will start our 2009 season. Postcards have NOT been mailed yet. These postcards, which will tell you the starting date and give you the contact information for your site coordinator, will be mailed once we know when we will start.

Today we transplanted cucumbers and watermelon. Cantaloupe and zucchini were transplanted last week. We're hoping the heat that is expected in WNY over the next few days will speed up the growth of our crops!! The cool weather at night has really slowed them down.

CSA 2009 Starting Date

2009-06-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

We do not yet know when we will start our program this summer. It has been extremely dry at the farm, and we have finally received some rain! Hopefully this will help our crops grow a little faster!

We will be mailing out postcards shortly! These postcards will tell you the starting date and also the contact information of your group coordinators.

Thank you to everyone who responded about splitting up Group H. We are working towards establishing these new groups. If you are in Group H and did not receive an email, it is because we do not have your email address. Please email us and let us know! Thanks!

Farm Pictures!

2009-05-28T10:03:00.001-07:00

Planting cabbage, May 24, 2009.

Splitting Up Group H (Feel Rite)

2009-05-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

This morning I sent out an email to all of our Group H members to inform them that we are trying to split up the group. As of right now, we have over 80 members for this group and it continues to grow. We are looking into starting new groups in: Clarence Center, Akron, and Depew/Lancaster/Cheektowaga. Please let us know if you are interested in switching to one of these groups!

Webster Group!

2009-05-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that we will be adding a Webster drop off point this year! If you are already signed up for another group and would like to switch to Webster, please let us know! The location will be: Imperial Dr., Webster

In other news: We are busy planting in our greenhouse. This past week we transplanted onions, lettuce, swiss chard, and beets.

We will be mailing our members a postcard within the next few weeks that will tell you the official starting date of our program!

Farm News-Spring 2009

2009-04-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy around the farm the past few weeks. Mike and the workers have been preparing our fields for planting and transplanting. This week we were able to plant green beans and sugar snap peas, and are almost ready to begin transplanting onions and lettuce into the fields. One of our two greenhouses needs to be repaired, and after this happens, we will be able to start seeding tomatoes.

We are still accepting members for our 2009 CSA season! New groups have officially been started in Greece and Hamburg, and hopefully we will be able to start a group in Webster. If you have already signed up and would like to switch into one of these groups, please let us know!

Once we know the official start date of our season, we will mail all members a postcard that will tell you the starting date and also the contact information of your site coordinator.

Southtowns Group!

2009-04-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

The location of the Southtowns group will be:
4646 McKinley Pkwy. in Hamburg.

Please let us know if you are interested in joining this group!

Greece and Southtowns group!

2009-04-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

We are very happy to announce that we have enough interest to start a Greece group and a Southtowns group in Buffalo.

The location of the Greece group will be: 1540 Ridgeway Ave.

We are unsure as to the exact location of the Southtowns group at this point.

If you have already signed up and would like to switch your group to either Greece or the Southtowns, please call or email us!

Early Bird Discount!

2009-03-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder--there is a $20 "Early Bird" discount for memberships received by April 15th.
Buffalo/Local: $290 (instead of $310)
Rochester: $320 (instead of $340)

Local and Sustainable Agriculture in Western NY-What Dieticians Should Know

2009-03-06T10:53:00.001-08:00

This Tuesday, March 10, we will be on a panel at the Go Green! program put on by the Western NY Dietetic Association at the Cornell Cooperative Extension on Lake Ave. in Lockport. The event runs from 1p.m. to 6p.m., with dinner following at 6:30. The featured speaker will be Marianne Smith-Edge, who is on the USDA National Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. Other speakers include Lisa Tucker, the publisher and editor for Edible Buffalo, and Kara Behlke, who is the Director of Nutrition Education at the NYS Beef Industry Council. A panel of farmers will also be there.
The cost to register for the event is: $30 for WNYDA members, $40 for non-members, and $25 for students. The registration price covers dinner and full program.
If you would like to attend the event, please call Glenda Reardon at (716) 438-4030.

Distribution Sites 2009

2009-02-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of all of the distribution sites in the Buffalo and Rochester area. Please note, we are trying to start new groups-one in the Southtowns of Buffalo, one in Greece, and one in Webster. In order to start these groups, we must have 10 new members show interest in joining the group. Please let us know if you are interested!

**Please remember--When signing up for our CSA, please write on your check which distribution site you would like to join!**

Buffalo
Group A: Auburn Ave. (city of Buffalo)
Group B: Woodbridge Ave. (city of Buffalo)
Group C: Deerhurst Park Blvd. (Kenmore)
Group D: Grasmere Rd. (Lockport)
Group E: St. Joseph's University Church (city of Buffalo)
Group F: Meadowstream Ct. (Amherst)
Group H: Feel Rite on Transit Rd.
Group I: Whitehaven Rd. (Grand Island)

Local
Group PU: Pick-up at farm

Rochester
RB: Centennial Ave. (Brockport)
RC: Heather Ln. (Scottsville)
RF: Wheelock Rd. (Penfield)
RG: Resevoir Rd. (Geneseo)
RH: Citation Dr. (Henrietta)
RJ: Pershing Dr. (city of Rochester)
RI: Peart Ave. (Rochester/Irondequoit)
RP: Falling Brook Rd. (Fairport)
RR: Field St. (city of Rochester)
RS: East Brook Rd. (Pittsford)
RU: Menlo Place (city of Rochester)
RZ: Laconia Pkwy (Rochester/Brighton)

Yearly Letter

2009-02-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

Our yearly letter will be mailed out by the end of the week. If you would like to receive this letter, please email us your mailing address! Our email address is: csa@porterfarms.org

Porter Family Update

2009-02-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

-On Tuesday, January 20th, Emily and Scott became the new proud parents of Natalie Rose. She weighed 7 lbs .3 oz and was 19 3/4 in. long. Look for Natalie this summer when you are out picking up your vegetables!

Farm News January 2009

2009-01-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

Tomatoes in the field, July 2008.

Hello! We would like to thank all of our members for a great 2008 season! We have started this blog in order to get information to our members and prospective members in a more timely manner. The web site can be a hassle to update every week, so please check back here for the most up to date information.
Changes for 2009:
We are looking to make three new distribution sites. Two in Rochester (Greece and Webster), and one in Buffalo (Southtowns). In order to do this, we must have at least ten members join each group. If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining one of these groups, please call or email us! Our phone number is (585) 757-6823.

We are also available to give presentations at schools, faith communities, earth day events, etc. so please let us know if you would like us to speak to your group! We also have brochures and overview sheets available to send out.

We will be sending out our yearly letter to last year's members in mid-February. If you were not a member last year, but would like to receive this letter (which has information about signing up), please send us an email with your name and address. Our email address is: csa@porterfarms.org