Spring is here!
We have lots of pepper, tomato, and basil plants for your garden, as well as a good variety of produce.
New for this week: Radishes, Cilantro, Spinach, Head Lettuce, and Basil.
We will also have Arugula, Asparagus, Salad Mix, different varieties of Kale, Chard, Collards, Perpetual Spinach, and Napini.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and cook delicious food.
If you know someone who wants to work hard and eat well, we are looking to hire for the following positions:
Field Hands: Harvesting, Weeding, Seeding, Planting. Full-time and part-time positions available, starting May and June, ending in November.
Equipment Operator & Master Constructor: Operate small equipment, make stuff, fix stuff, harvest, weed, seed and plant . Full-time and part-time positions available, starting May or June, ending in November, or never.
Packing Shed Manager: Manage the washing, storage, order fulfillment and delivery of certified organic vegetables. There will also be some harvesting and weeding on the side. This is a long-term, part-time position running every May-December (though could be year-round). Hours are Tuesdays and Fridays 8:30 am – 5:30pm (Thursdays would be nice too, but not required). Applicant should be self-motivated, highly organized, Excel literate, absolutely reliable, have a proven commitment to the area and love fresh produce.
If you are interested, email us at bluemoonfarmurbana@gmail.com.
Used electric truck $1500We have Salad Mix, Spinach, Kale, Chard, and Turnips for sale.
When we pulled the greenhouses off of the kale and chard and exposed them to the fierce wind, they got leaf-damaged, so they are in very limited supply.
Our next market on May 4th will be in the parking lot of Lincoln Square.
Thanks to everyone for their participation in the winter market this year. We hope you enjoyed all the fresh produce while the snow fell and the wind howled.
For first time orderers, please click on the link on the right sidebar labelled, “Winter Market: How it Works”
We will be at the on-farm breakfast Saturday from 9-12 at Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery. There are directions on their website. Our table will be outside the main barn, along with other vendors.
We will have Salad Mix, Spinach, Arugula (small amount), Kale, Chard, Cilantro, Parsley, Turnips, Carrots, and a few types of Potatoes.
There is no pre-order process, it is all first-come, first served.
Prairie Fruits Farm is a great place to visit. Not just baby goats to ogle and delicious breakfast to eat (this week featuring some Blue Moon chard and potatoes), but they also have…PIGS. Perhaps the most adorable animals I’ve seen in a long time. (Sorry baby bunny outside the packing shed, these black pigs win in cuteness.)
The following week, 4/6/13, we will be back at the Lincoln Square Village, with our usual pick-up. You will get an email reminder Sunday night to let you know that ordering is open on the website.
Hope to see you tomorrow morning!
Brrrrrr. This is March? Usually we’re worried about getting into the fields because they are so wet in the spring, not because they are frozen. In spite of this seemingly endless winter, we’ve got lots of great produce on the order sheet. Again, we ask folks to limit their salad mix order to a half-pound customer.
This week we’ll have:
Salad Mix, Cilantro, Spinach, White Russian Kale, Green Kale, Chard, Carrots, and Turnips.
For those of you who haven’t done this before, please click on the link on the right sidebar called “Winter Market: How it Works”.
If you don’t see an item on the order form that is listed here, such as Mache, that’s because it’s already sold out.
You must click “Add to Cart” each time after filling in the quantity of the item you want. You must click “Checkout” after completing your order list. To insure you’ve completed all the steps to get your order recorded, print out a copy of your order form and bring it.
To order, click on the link on the right sidebar called “Winter Market Reservations”
Let us know if you have any problems or feedback.
As always, thanks for your participation!
Blue Moon welcomes Caleb Matthew DeFonso who is the freshest produce around. He is the result of another farmers market romance that started when Hunter saw Debi Ballew picking out tomatoes!
Arugula, Basil, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Chard, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Garlic, Green Onions, Kale, Onions, Parsley, Red, Blue, and Jon’s Favorite: golden fleshed Carola potatoes, Salad Mix, Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Heirloom Tomatoes, Turnips, Zucchini and Summer Squash
Jon seeded the carrots yesterday, let’s see if they germinate. Tomatoes out of the greenhouse continue to produce amazing yields. Otherwise, this has been a great week. See you all at the market.
We’ll have just a few of the red ones. Also: arugula, asparagus, beets, bok choy, bunched baby bok choy, broccoli, Italian Broccoli, braising mix, cabbage, chard, cilantro, green onions, head lettuce, lots of kale, kohlrabi, parsley, perpetual spinach, radishes, salad mix, garlic scapes, spinach, sugar snap peas, tatsoi, tomatoes, turnips, basil, and zucchini.
Arugula, Asparagus, Basil, Beets, Braising Mix, Broccoli (Italian), Bok Choy, Collards, Green Onions, Chard, Cilantro, Garlic Greens, Garlic Scapes, Kohl Rabi, Head Lettuce, Kale, Napini, Parsley, Perpetual Spinach, Radishes, Salad Mix, Spinach, Sugar Snap Peas, Tatsoi bunches, and Turnips.
We will have:
Arugula, Asparagus, Basil, Braising Mix, Bok Choy, Collards, Green Onions, Chard, Cilantro, Garlic Greens, Garlic Scapes, Kohl Rabi, Head Lettuce, Kale, Napini, Parsley, Perpetual Spinach, Radishes, Salad Mix, Spinach, Sugar Snap Peas, Tatsoi bunches, and Turnips.
Tomorrow promises to be absolutely lovely, so see you between 7-12 at the Market!
Time to stock up before the freeze!
http://www.bluemoonfarm.biz/2010/08/27/time-to-freeze-tomatoes/
http://www.bluemoonfarm.biz/2010/03/15/cilantro-pesto/
http://www.bluemoonfarm.biz/2009/06/26/coleslaw-you-want-to-eat-on-a-hot-day/
A treat from PLENTY’s ‘Mighty Eggplant’ chapter (Get this book!)
Lentils with broiled eggplant
Cook eggplant on gas grill or stove top on foil directly on burners. Turn frequently to roast 15 min, until flesh is very soft and skin is entirely burnt. If you don’t have gas burners you can bake in an electric stove under a broiler after poking them with a knife. Scoop out the flesh and set in a colander to drain for 15 minutes. Then add salt, pepper and a half tsp of vinegar.
Make the lentils while the eggplant cooks by cooking in saucepan with water. Add 1 coarse cut carrot and celery/kale stalks, bay leaf, onion and bring to boil. Simmer on low heat until soft – skim if needed. Drain, discard carrot and bayleaf before adding the rest of the vinegar, 2 Tbs oil, and salt and pepper. Then dice the rest of the carrot and celery or chard leaves, halve tomatoes, and combine with oil, sugar, and salt before cooking in an ovenproof dish at 275 degrees for 20 min.
Finally, combine the veggies with lentils, herbs and then place this on a plate, top with eggplant and the crème fraiche or cheese. The next step is obvious.. eat!
I tend to 
look to the veggies for guidance on what to cook instead of to cookbooks but this one is an exception. I can’t turn the pages of Totam Ottolengghi’s book without going crazy waiting for items to come into season so I can cook them up as shown in the book. The recipes, which are vegetarian and draw on numerous culinary cultures including Arab and Jewish traditions, are produce inspired. I am so happy that onions are in (the stuffed onion recipe is on tonight’s list), and am counting the days for fennel and eggplant to come in so I can make the paella and croquettes.
Arugula, Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Chard, Cilantro, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Green Onions, Kale – multiple varieties including Baby Red Russian Kale, Kohlrabi, Parsley, Tatsoi, Tomatoes (cherry and slicers), Turnips, Salad Mix, Perpetual Spinach and who knows
Make Pickeled Scapes
First trim flower bud off scapes, cut into 3-4 inch pieces. Pack scapes lengthwise into clean jars, leaving 1/4” headspace. Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 clove garlic, and 1 head dill to each jar.
Next prepare the juice. I used the Dilly Beans recipe (found that suggestion on the internet). One can take liberties.
2 pounds scapes (hand fulls)
1/4 cup canning salt
2-1/2 cups vinegar
2-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
4 cloves garlic, divided
4 heads dill, divided
Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large saucepot. Bring juice to a boil or heat in the microwave. Use microwave safe glass- heat about 4 minutes.
Then pour hot liquid over beans, leaving ¼” headspace Remove air bubbles. You could can these the usual way- 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner or, be lazy like me, and use a microwave. If using the microwave, use a piece of plastic wrap to loosely cover the jar then microwave for 3 minutes. Place the cap on the jar, leave the plastic wrap on. Cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator. Eat them when they are cool.
