CSA #17

Wow!! Week 17, five weeks left so enjoy the veggies. Cherish them and be sure to, "Put Up" your surplus.

Here is what you have to work with this week:

Bag of Green Beans or Bunch of Long Beans
Cucumbers (Multiple varieties, maybe the last of the season)
Red Russian Kale
Breakfast Radish
Pak Choy
Zucchini (Floridor, Raven and Goldbar)
Turnips (Hakuri and Purple Top)



The farm is really looking sharp lately. All of our fall crops are doing great and a lot of the summer crops are still producing. The rains lately have been spectacular and the cool nights are really sweetening things up. Our last planting of beans is very healthy and producing a lot. As far as, the long beans... well we will have them at the market this week but that might be it for them. Same with the cucumbers, they are almost finished. But, the Russian Kale is almost perfect, very nice size, little bug damage and amazing flavor, so enjoy. Saute them how every you prefer, season and consume. The Breakfast Radish are also amazing this week. Mustard has harvested some of his favorite varieties of Pak Choy and they are the size of his head. Zucchini, the last planting has been very healthy, so we may have a few more harvest. Stu has been making Zucchini bread for months now and he is starting to get them in the freezer for winter consumption. The Turnips are also record size, I will be demoing how to properly peel them during the pick up.


All of our grass fed steers are heading to the locker tomorrow and it is all sold out. Thanks to everyone who wants to enjoy the healthy alternative to corn feed stuff. We also tasted a baby pig after the wedding this weekend. It was delicious, so get ready for the pig roast.

Turkeys are looking good, Ducks huge and happy, Guineas doing work and getting around like crazy, Dennis the goat is rooming with Hairy Houdini the Bull Calf. They have the nicest pasture on property and get along great. Pam the dairy cow is getting milk twice a day and yielding about 5.5 - 6 gal a day. That healthy goodness sits for 24 hours and then gets feed to the little pigs. A diet of wild forge, lots of nuts, cracked barley, oats, wheat, corn and roasted soy beans, kelp and some salt to season. Yes... they are enjoying life right now.

Good food revolution! Milwaukee suistainability conference

Hello everyone !



Welcome to Milwaukee, our great city by Lake Michigan.

In the fall of 2009, I was thinking about how we will grow Good Food Revolution. I realized that we did not have all the players at the Good Food Table. Over the years, many people have been working hard on getting good food into our communities in many different ways, but all too often they were
working only in their own sectors. I feel that for us to fundamentally change
the food system, we must work together as a team.

I have worked at, spoken at, participated in many gatherings and conferences over the years. At these conferences, it seemed there were never all the players needed, to know each other and eventually work together. This conference is my attempt, and Growing Power’s attempt, to bring to the table folks that have never worked together to build a new food system that works for everyone in every community. Some of these folks are farmers like myself, urban planners, government officials, financiers, corporate
companies; teachers and university academics; doctors, dieticians and nutritionists; folks in the fitness field; people in renewable energy; aquaculturists, composters, recyclers and reusers; environmentalists including freshwater, wastewater and stormwater experts; brownfield specialists; and perhaps most importantly, youth, whose world will be shaped by what we do or not do, here and wherever we all return to.

Over the next few days, working hard while eating some good local food from our local and regional producers, I hope that all of you will learn more, gain new partners, get inspired to go back to your communities and Grow the Good Food Revolution. Our ultimate goal is to make sure everyone, in all our communities, has access to healthy, safe, affordable and culturally appropriate food. Food is the one thing we all have in common. Building a Good Food system is the No. 1 thing that will lead us in building sustainable communities.

This is really what social justice is about.

Will Allen

CSA Harvest #15

This week includes;

Green and Purple Longbean
Hearty Green Mix (Arugula, Mizuna, and Mustard Greens)
Purple Top Turnips
Hykuri Turnips
Pok Choy
Zucchini
Eggplant, Bitter Melon, or Cucumbers
Hot peppers for those who dare...

As always the farm has kept us very busy this week. Our dairy cow Pam is now in full swing of the twice a day milkings and our calf, Harry, is getting use to separation from his mom. I saw Ken feeding him last night and it looked like full contact bottle feeding! Harry couldn't get enough! He is really healthy and has plenty of appetite.

We have had a battle with the weeds all summer but now have a good handle on them so the cooler season crops should yeild beautiful results. We have beds made with peas, cabbage, beets, radish, greens, spinach and plenty of cold loving vegetables for us all to look forward to in the upcoming weeks.

A few thoughts for your csa this week:

1. Do not dispose of those turnip tops! They are a good source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium. Need only a quick saute in a light oil and season.
2. The hearty greens will truely benefit from a sweet dressing such as an asian viniagrette. Here is what I recommend:
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/4 teaspoon ginger finely minced
2 ounce rice wine vinegar
6 ounce vegetable oil
2 tablespoon local honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
to taste salt, pepper, chili flakes
Mix all components well and apply immediately. This dressing will not stay emmulsified so a bottle to shake it in prior to application will ensure even coating of greens.
3. Be sure to give your long beans a quick blanch in boiling salted water and shock in lots of ice water. This ensures the cooking stops at the desired point and your beans will have a viberant color.
4. All of the vegetables this week would do well in a fresh pasta with olive oil or a soft fritatta. A small amount of spicy habanero pepper will go a long way to add new depth to an old favorate.
5. Lastly, as our farming practices stear us away from pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides to promote better health and wellbeing, there is a tendency for bug damage to occur. Understand that if our crops are something other creatures will consume that is also what we need to eat aswell. If an insect dies when it ingests a vegetable sprayed with poison it's not something i want in my body. Our product is full of nutrition and flavor, enjoy!

Thanks so much for your support.

CSA Harvest #14

This weeks harvest includes;

Beans (Long or short)
Basil
Turnips
Beets
Squash
Your choice of eggplants or cucumbers
Bell Peppers
Radish


We had finally sweet rain last night and our fall seedlings look great this morning as well as the harvest for today. This year, since Ken and I got back from Korea we didn't have solid 'raining day off' throughout the summer. I call it 'raining day off' because the rain soaks the land and we cannot work in the garden for a day or two. Plants need those days badly and we need it sometimes.. It wasn't that much rain but still we are happy to see some water from sky not from our sprinkler..

Last Friday, we had a great addition to our farm family. Our mama cow Pam had delivered a baby cow! It was little earlier than expectation but we were all excited to watch amazing moment together here. He's doing great and follows mom everywhere. We started to milk Pam and started to feed that to our pigs. I know. I cannot wait for a CSA pig roast party as well!

Since we have beets for this week's harvest, I'm so excited to share the link for the beet cooking video with you again on the You Tube. Below is the link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkNHTO0MExI


Here's one more oriental recipe for squash from Nanam's recipe book;

Hobak Buchimgae (Squash Pancake)

1 Squash (300g)
3 chili peppers (green & red)
1 Egg
1/2 cup A/P Flour
1/2 cup Water
1 ts Salt

1. Remove the seeds and thin slice the squash. Finely chop chili peppers.

2. Put all ingredients in a bowl. Add egg and flour and mix all together.

3. Heat up your pan, add oil. Spread out the dough and griddle the pancake until the color turns to brownish yellow.

CSA Harvest #13

This weeks harvest will include;

Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Pak Choy
Radishes
Basil
Cucumbers
Beans (Long or short)
Choice of Eggplant or Corn

The nights have been getting much cooler. This is great for all of the fall crops that are in the ground. As I walk into the fields and look at the new sprouts, I can only think about the sweetness in these late season crops.

We have some very tasty new products in the bag today. My favorite is the Pak Choy. This is a thinning of a very large plot, so be ready for them to become fuller in the coming weeks.

Another new crop: Breakfast Radishes. This is our first late summer planting of them. Radishes are very unique since the temperature and moisture affect them so much. The general rule is the hotter the days the hotter the radish. So, since the days have still been hot, expect these to still have a kick. Over the coming months you can look forward to the radishes becoming much more sweet.

Over the last week we have been staying busy, like usual. The animals have been making some moves. The pigs have new pasture, the hens should be laying soon and the ducks have been growing like crazy. We are getting ready to harvest some honey and Dennis the goat is really doing a good job with the ragweed.

Well, I would like to leave you with a quick poem that I wrote.

Days getting short,
nights turning cool,
baskets becoming over full,
with your help...
Local Sustainability can become the rule.

Thank you for your support.

CSA Harvest # 12

This weeks harvest includes;

Watermelon
Eggplant
Beans
Cucumber
Squash
Bell Peppers
Shishito Peppers
Tomatoes
Corn
Beets
Basil

We have a few new things in the csa than we have had in later weeks. The watermelons that you will find in your bag today are so ready to be eaten, they explode when you are cutting them up. They are very sweet,and juicy
Your varieties include;
Black diaomond
Charleston Gray
Crimson Sweet
Sunshine Yellow

Beet Varieties include Bianca, and Gold

I will be posting cooking videos this week, check back in a few days.

Last Monday Ken and I, Mustard, left on an educational endevor. We went to work on Henry Brockman's farm in Goodfield, IL. Our day started at 6am and ended at 7pm.

All we have to say is "Henry Brockman is the man".

We harvested for his 220 member CSA, weeded, and learned how to keep good records, saw new techniques and learned efficency. Kenny and I were like dry sponges, we absorbed tons of information. By the time the day was up, all we wanted to do was reflect on everything we had done, and wirte it all down. It was definately a great experience for the both of us. We'll definately be visiting him again.

CSA Harvest #11

This week’s harvest includes:

Potatoes
Carrots
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Bell Peppers
Spicy Peppers
Corn
Beans
Herbal Tea Pack – Lemon Basil, Blue Spice Basil, Lemon Balm, Shiso, Cinnamon Basil, Peppermint, and Vietnamese Mint


Pork with Fresh Cornbread and Shishito Peppers we served at a dinner party this week.

We have been having some great products lately that need a bit of extra protection. Rather than add more plastic into circulation we would like to reuse the black plastic containers we used for packaging your peaches and tomatoes. Those containers must be returned at the CSA pickup each week.

You can make the tea in the same way we described on the July 2nd post.

Our hot pepper plants are really loving the heat that we have been having, so we thought we would share some ways to help you love the heat and make these guys a little bit less intimidating.

Peppers are part of the nightshade family (along with eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes), and are native to the Americas. When Mexico became a Spanish colony chiles became a popular item of trade, and were quickly integrated into cuisines around the world. Capsaicin is the chemical that gives peppers their spiciness. Though the seeds contain a small amount of a pepper’s heat, the majority of the capsaicin lives in the veins of the pepper.

If you decide you want to dive into the world of hot peppers it is important to use care when handling them. While working with chiles be careful not to touch your eyes or nose, and thoroughly wash your tools and hands once you finish using them. If you forget to wash your knife everything you cut afterwards will become infused with a bit of a kick.

To capture just a little bit of a chile’s heat try adding the whole pepper to a dish that you’re cooking. Just take it out when you’re ready to serve your meal, so that someone doesn’t mistakenly munch on a whole pepper.

Another way of using peppers is to dry them. Hang them somewhere that gets good airflow. Once they’re dried you can use them whole for seasoning, crush them for chile flakes, or grind them. They’ll last for years when dried.

CSA Harvest #10

Be ready to fill your CSA bags with:

Tomatoes
Peaches
Melons
Ground Cherries
Shishito Peppers
Bell Peppers
Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Basil

…And for those of you who like things a little spicy we will have a variety of hot peppers to stock your bags.

We will be using the same format as last week for the CSA pickup, so make sure to bring a bag to carry all of your fresh produce!

With the heat and humidity we’ve been having, a chilled soup is a great way to avoid the stove. Gazpacho makes for a refreshing addition to a meal, and this recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Tomato-Gazpacho-105333 is a perfect way to use some of your week’s harvest.


A recent gazpacho from a dinner party; the tomato broth was poured tableside.

Ground cherries grow wild in every state except for Alaska, but they are sweeter and more productive when cultivated. These intriguing fruits, which taste like a combination between a pineapple and tomato, are related to tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and tobacco. If you’re trying to figure out a way of using them, besides just husking them straight into your mouth, we like to put them in a fruit salad. Add the ground cherries with sliced melon, and for a more grown-up taste try pouring a splash of vodka and sprinkling a bit of hot chili into the mix. You can even garnish it with some basil. We have to thank the land for the inspiration for this dish, where the ground cherries grow by the melons, which grow by the chilies.


Melon and ground cherry salad we’ve been serving at dinner parties.

The plants around the farm are really enjoying the summer weather, especially since we’ve finally managed to catch-up with the weeds – at least for the time being. However, the animals are definitely giving the plants a run for their money on who can grow the fastest. We have 28 heritage turkeys that we just put on pasture, and they will be ready for Thanksgiving. The piglets have upsized, and now reside on 4 acres of pasture, including a nice patch of woods with plenty of shade to protect their fair skin. Also, we have two steers that are ready for slaughter next week, so let us know if you’re interested in purchasing grass fed beef.

CSA Harvest #9

This week’s CSA harvest includes:

Tomatoes
Assorted Bell Peppers
Peaches
Shishito Peppers
Thai Hot Peppers
Basil
Carrots
Eggplant

It is amazing that August is just around the corner. We have already started counting down the days to the first frost, as we try to figure out what we can still get in the ground that will have enough time to grow to maturity. Around here we frequently spend our time looking forward– the next harvest, crops to plant and where to plant them, plans for the restaurant, etc. We are continuously working hard with a strong image of the future. But at times it can be equally valuable to look back. Look back at what we have accomplished in the last two years as a farm, but also look back at what those before us have done in the field.

Farming depends on so many factors, many of which we can’t control. We have no say over how much it rains or doesn’t rain, but we can work hard to learn as much as we can about those things that are within our power. This is when looking back becomes particularly important. So much of farming relies on a certain type of knowledge that is cultivated through an intimate relationship with the land; an innate way of knowing what the plants and animals need and also when they need it. People spend their whole lives accumulating this knowledge and then passing it down to the next generation.

The shared wisdom and support of the agricultural community is a fundamental part of farming. Looking back gives us the chance to show gratitude to all of those people who have shared their time and wisdom with us. Dave and Karen Barron are some of those people who have been monumental in this process. Dave has shared both his time and his land to help cultivate us into better farmers. His mistakes and successes from a lifetime of farming have helped our plunge into the world of agriculture to be a little less daunting.

The relationship between the Barron’s and Epiphany Farms Enterprise, at that time just Ken, began in 2003 at the Downs Farmer’s Market. Ken was visiting home, on a vacation from culinary school in New York, when he struck up a conversation with Dave about his interest in farming and food. Dave proceeded to invite Ken back to his farm, where the seed of Epiphany Farms was planted. At the Barron’s Ken had his first interaction with a potato plant; learned how onions grow; and shucked his first ear of corn. Through this encounter the idea of Epiphany Farms Enterprise, a restaurant supplied by its own farm, began to blossom.

Freshly graduated from UNLV Ken moved home to Downs, IL and jumped into the Epiphany Farms concept accompanied by Mustard. They just started planting things, not quite realizing what they were getting themselves into. Very quickly they realized they were in over their heads, but Ken knew where to turn. After five years without a word from Ken, Dave and Karen welcomed them into their home and proceeded to spend the evening explaining when and where to plant things. From that point forward the Barron’s have been Epiphany Farms’ go to for knowledge on all things agriculture.

During the 2009 growing season we set up shop next to the Barron’s at the Downs Farmer’s Market, where the connection first began. Wednesday’s became a day of anticipation, an opportunity to pick Dave’s mind and learn from his wisdom. As time progressed Dave became more than just a mentor, but a partner to Epiphany Farms Enterprise. We are constantly grateful for his dedication to our vision. He helped plant that first seed, and when it eventually germinated he has been there to help us grow.

CSA Harvest #8

In your CSA bags this week you'll find:

Potatoes
Purple Bell Peppers
Shishito Peppers
Sweet Corn
Carrots
1 Thai Pepper - more than enough to add some heat to your next meal
Cucumbers
Muskmelon

It's been another eventful week for the farm. All of the plants are looking very happy after some much needed rain, and the animals have made some big moves. The first flock of black astrolorpes moved out to pasture in the egg mobile, and should be laying eggs by August 15th. Our baby astrolorpes are also getting acquainted with their new home on pasture and will be laying by the beginning of November. The ducks now call the back garden home, and seem to grow bigger every time we turn around!

The young pigs are growing quickly, and will be ready for the fall. In the meantime the mamas and papa are reunited and should have some new litters on the way. We have four steers at slaughter weight. Grassfed beef will be available soon, so let us know if you are interested in customizable cuts.

Check back for a new recipe and video featuring the products from our latest harvest!