{ Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter {

This week we hear from Conrad Vispo, the ecologist who works with us as part of the Farmscape Ecology program. He and his wife Claudia and their son Otter add an all-important dimension to our work as they help us keep our natural environment in view as we make farming decisions. Rachel

Dear CSA members:

This week’s share will include lettuce, kale, onions, fledged bobolinks and a scattering of skippers…. Of course, you’ll have to take our word about the last two; they won’t be available for pick-up. Yet, they are our farm’s seasonal products, just as surely as the vegetables that you will get.

Bobolinks grow in our hayfields. The adults arrive in May and by around this time of year, their nestlings have taken flight. Exactly what makes a hayfield appealing for a bobolink isn’t completely clear, but ample size (by our standards) and a late-cut, diverse vegetation seem important. And choose they do. In spring a “chosen” bobolink field is a busy ruckus of bobolink bubbles as noisy males jockey for field and females, bobbing up and down as they cling to tufts of grass or herb.

Bobolinks have not been doing well on the East Coast. Their “hay day” in our region was probably in the late 1800’s, when our area supplied hay and straw to the horsepower of NYC. Since then, reductions in meadows and changes in technique, including earlier harvesting, have made our County’s fields less appealing to bobolinks. When agriculture left the Hudson Valley it headed west, eventually occupying much of the Prairies – the heart of the bobolink’s range. So, ironically, as our area’s fields became less suitable, their Prairie homes were being “busted” and tilled. The remaining fields of the East can help carry what is now a troubled species, and, while we can’t put all our hayfields aside for a bobolink-friendly July cut, we do spare the bobolink’s most favored fields from early harvest.

Skippers are little bits of butterflies. Never large, often small, they dart from beneath your feet with a moth-like flutter as you walk across our pastures. Like our grassland birds, the ranges of most of our skippers extend west into the Prairies. Their fingers extend into New England along with the prairie grasses that host their caterpillars. Little Bluestem and Poverty Oatgrass are examples of such grasses that establish themselves in the East where localized combinations of soil and climate or the disturbances of nature or humans (for example, farming!) provide an opening for grasses. Some of our rockier pastures, not necessarily favored by the herd, are however favored by native grasses and skippers.

So, as you pick up your share this week, think a little about the prairie ambassadors who, on feathered or scaled wings, have flitted over and among your vegetables. Enjoy. Conrad

Looking Forward to

Next Week

Anticipated for July 14^th

§ Arugula

§ Garlic scapes or scallions

§ Lettuce

§ Rainbow chard

§ Snap peas

§ Japanese turnips

Visiting the Farm

You don’t have to wait for our next event to visit!

Come cool off by the creek, enjoy a delicious lunch at our Farm Store & Cafe, take a self-guided tour or just hang around and watch the cows come home.

Hawthorne Valley Farm is open year-round, with plenty of campgrounds and places to stay in the surrounding Columbia County and Berkshires.

Lentil and Veggie Tostadas

Thought this easy recipe would be perfect for some of the “rookie chefs” among our CSA friends. (You know who you are!)

1 ¾ cups water

¾ cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained

¼ cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

4 ready-made tostada shells

2 cups assorted chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomato, zucchini, and/or yellow summer squash

¾ cup shredded cheese (about 3 ounces)

In a medium saucepan, stir together water, lentils, onions, cilantro, salt, cumin, and garlic. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to mash the cooked lentils.

Spread the lentil mixture on tostada shells; top with vegetables and cheese. Place on a large baking sheet. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat about 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

from Better Homes & Gardens’ Fresh and Simple Vegetable Dinners

Cold Chard Stalks with Prosciutto

Despite what some recipes may imply, chard stalks are edible and belong on the plate, not the compost pile.

2 bunches chard
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 ounces Prosciutto, thinly sliced, then julienned
Zest of 2 oranges plus juice of 1 orange
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin

Clean two bunches chard (leaves removed for other use). Trim stalks on cut end to 6 inches long. Bring one quart water to boil and set up ice bath. Cook stalks for 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water until tender and shock in ice water. Remove and drain. Cut into 1/4-inch julienne and place in bowl.

In an 8-inch non-stick pan, heat 2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil. Add chard stalks to pan and season with salt and pepper. Add prosciutto, orange zest, cinnamon, ¼ cup olive oil and red onion and toss to coat, about 30 seconds. Splash with one tablespoon orange juice and toss again. Season with salt and pepper and divide among four plates. from Mario Batali for the Food Network

Sautéed Chard with Lemon and Hot Pepper

Separate the leaves from the stalks by folding each leaf in half along the stem, grasping the folded leaf with one hand and pulling the rib away with the other. Reserve stalks for another use.

Wash and drain the leaves and cut them into strips.

Sauté in olive oil, covered for about 5 minutes or so, until the leaves are wilted and tender. Remove the cover and cook away the excess moisture.

Season to taste at the last minute, using a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice over just before serving.

Creamy Basil Dressing

Delicious over a simple salad of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

In a blender or mini-chopper, combine until smooth:

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Makes about ½ cup.