Fullers Farm

Here are a few photos from Fullers Farm stand at the Potsdam Farmer Market this week.   I’ve been very happy with all the veggies I get each week from Fullers Veggies. I’m learning how to preserve, can, and freeze this year too.  This week, my CSA bag was full of lettuce, zuchinni, baby squash, cucumbers, garlic scapes, beans, and basil.

The past two weeks, I received so many Garlic Scapes that I am able to experiment in the kitchen again. You can also find tons of recipes for Garlic Scapes with google.  I found a nice recipe for ‘ Thai Hot & Sweet Dipping Sauce ‘ and  and made 9 jars to can.  I put photos at the end of this post.   It’s a great dip for  Asian dishes.

What is your favorite recipe that calls for farm fresh zucchini, baby squash, cucumbers, garlic scapes, beans or basil?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup garlic skates ( diced )
• 1 Tbsp pickling salt
• 6 Cups Vinegar  ( I use my own homemade Kombucha Vinegar )
• 5 Cups granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Cup dried red chili & smoked chipotle ( diced ).

Place clean mason jars on rack in boiling water canner.  Cover jars with water, bring to a rolling boil.  Set screw bands aside; heat SNAP lids in hot water ( NOT boiling ).  Keep jars and SNAP Lids hot until ready to use.

In small bowl mix garlic and salt. Let Sit for 5 minutes.

Bring Vinegar to boil over high heat.  Add sugar, cook and stir until dissolved.  Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic salt mixture and chili flakes.  Remove from heat.

Ladle hot sauce into hot jars within 1/2 inch of top rim.  Use nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles.  Wipe jar rim to remove any stickiness.  Center SNAP Lid on jar; apply screw band, secure until fingertip tight. Do not over tighten.  Place jars in canner.

Cover canner; bring water to a boil.  Boil filled jars 15 minutes.  Remove jars without tilting.  Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours.

DO NOT RE TIGHTEN screw bands.  After cooling, check jar seals.  Sealed lids curve downward.  Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired.  Label and store jars in cool, dark place.

( makes about 9 x 250 ml jars )

So….  the warm spring weather is enticing and we are getting out planting the 1st crops !!  Garlic is thriving and off to a great start.  Peas and beets are in the ground, beans will be planted this week.   Onion and leek plants should arrive this week and the fields are ready for them.  (I’m not sure our backs are ready for all of the bending and stretching….. but we’ll be back in shape pretty quickly !)  The tendency to be sure to order “enough” means that we probably ordered TOO much!! So we’ll be busy planting onions for a while.  Hopefully the onions arrive before the potatoes come in !!  That’s another labor intensive project!!  Cardiovascular workout for sure!

 Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are growing well and heading out to the unheated greenhouse this week.  The first lettuce and greens are germinating already in the  greenhouse and out in the raised beds.  The nights are beginning to stay up in the 40′s consistently, so it’s time to give things a try.  Sometimes we get a frost, but some years we don’t. An early start is often a good thing.

CSA sales are picking up, but we still have shares available. Please contact us if you are interested !  We are accepting the Bonus Bucks that GardenShare is offering – so check out that program on GardenShare’s website if you’re interested, if money is an issue.  Payment plans can be flexible if need be.

Happy Growing !!!!

 

Spring 2010 !!

Officially it’s spring -  temps down to 15 degrees the last couple nights…. but up in the 60′s the week before ! The mud is beginning to dry up, the garlic is up in the garden……. and hopefully the temperatures will warm up for good soon.  It sure gets warm enough in the greenhouse – easily hits the 90′s if we forget to open up the door !!! Still below freezing in there at night though.

Peppers and eggplant are up and enjoying the sun in the window….. tomatoes will be planted in the next couple of days.  The experimental kale and swiss chard overwintered in our unheated greenhouse- maybe next year we’ll have more.  Spinach is coming along in the greenhouse too, but slowly.  We’ve started some more kale and a few lettuces inside – with the hopes of transplanting soon out in the greenhouse or cold frames.  Just might make this a 6 month growing season.

Onions, leeks, potatoes have all been ordered.  Checking a few more catalogs to fill in what we still need.  We are going to grow several new varieties of patty pan squash and round zuchini, some Italian zuchini , some different kinds of cucumbers and some different winter squash and pumpkins too!!  We’re also going to try to get brussel sprouts this year, both red and the regular green.  We’ll be getting all of the cole crops going for the early spring crops later in April.

We have been going to meetings – and more meetings – for the markets , for the “business” , for CSAs , for North Country Grown Cooperative and for using fresh veggies in the schools.  Organizational meetings are scheduled for the early spring  before growers get busy in the fields…. so we’ve been pretty busy. Lots of “stuff” to think about and lots of planning going on.

The fields have been getting dry, so we’ll be out on sunny days getting things started – peas will go in first and maybe some greens in the raised beds a little later. 

Our CSA sales are picking up – we still have some space for new members so if you’re interested let us know! We are sending out quite a few brochures and applications each week.  We’re excited about the CSAs and are looking forward to a great 2010 growing season!!

Enjoy the spring weather !  It’s been a long winter !!