In February there was a fire in the washhouse at Kingsbury Farm. The washhouse is the area where we pick-up our shares for Muddy Boots CSA. Thanks to good insurance and quick action by Aaron and Tonya (the farmers/owners), repairs are already underway. They are taking this opportunity to add some features they had been wishing for in the washhouse like bigger windows to allow more natural light in the area. While these improvements will lead to an even better pick-up day experience, the effect of the fire will not have any negative impact on this year’s CSA.
Author Archive for Robin McDermott
You may be wondering about the impact of the CoronaVirus/Covid-19 on our operations for this year. The net-net is that we are moving forward and fully expect to have another great season feeding the Mad River Valley community! Here are our plans:
Muddy Boots CSA Response to Coronavirus/Covid-19
We want to let members and potential members know that we have been giving thought to how the Coronavirus will impact our CSA. The health and safety of our members, their families and our employees is paramount. Our farmers are all moving forward with the coming growing season and some of the food our members will be enjoying in mid-June is already taking root! We are anticipating high demand for local produce this year as a result of the Coronavirus/Covid-19.
Governor Phil Scott, in Addendum 6 to Executive Order 01-20, identifies CSAs as one of the “Service or functions in Vermont deemed critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security.”
The Coronavirus/Covid-19 will not change what we grow, but we may need to make some changes to how it is “delivered” depending on the state of the virus when pick-ups start on June 17. Our tried and true model of people picking their own veggies from bins may need to change. We are considering how we might prepack shares to reduce exposure of the veggies to the virus and to minimize the time it takes members to pick-up their shares.
We know that prepacking shares isn’t ideal for members or the farmers; it makes providing choice difficult and will add labor costs that we haven’t factored into our pricing. Yet, it is a tenable solution to an unforeseeable problem.
Luckily we have many more weeks to come up with other creative solutions to this dilemma. We will keep you posted on our thinking as time gets closer to our first pick-up. We just wanted to let members and potential members know that we are well aware that this virus may require us to think differently about this year’s CSA pick-up process.
When it rains, it pours. Learn about the Washhouse Fire at Kingsbury Farm.
At a pick-up a few years ago, one of our members confessed to Aaron that she didn’t have time to wash her salad greens the previous week and that they seemed perfectly clean. That is when we realized we hadn’t done a good job letting members know what is washed and what you will need to wash.
There are several things you can do to track down the problem of not receiving our newsletters:
- Check with Robin and she can confirm we have your correct email address and will look into whether your emails are being returns or rejected. If your email address is correct and your emails are not coming back to us, it means that the emails are going somewhere and we need to figure out where that is.
- Look into your promotional folder. If you are using Gmail, here is where you will find that:
- Check your SPAM filter. If you use Gmail, here is where you will find it (note that you need to click on the More option to display the SPAM filter):
- Once you figure out what happened to the newsletter, you can change the settings in your email program to allow emails from MuddyBootsCSA.com.
Aaron and Tonya are passionate about their organic salad greens; they are truly a labor of love.
Because the greens are harvested when they are young, the mesclun, kale, mustard greens and arugula need to be sown every two weeks throughout the season to assure availability for our CSA. If a heavy rain hits before the seeds have germinated and started rooting, the entire planting could be washed away. That is why sometimes you see the new plantings covered with a thin white fabric known as remay. It helps protect the fragile plants from rain and sometimes hail that shreds even well established lettuce.
In this picture you can see that different greens are grown separately. This enables us to provide members with a “salad bar” of lettuce leaves to chose from so each person can create their own mix depending on the flavors and textures they and their family prefer.
Before the greens get too big, they are harvested by hand with a mechanical cutter and then are immediately washed several times to remove the sand and soil that clings to the leaves. Finally, they are dried in yes, a washing machine set on the spin cycle (don’t worry, the same machine is not used to wash clothes!). Drying the greens well is critical to their shelf-life!
We encourage our members to bring their own bags for the salad greens to cut down in the amount of plastic used for the CSA. A zippered plastic bag works great and can easily be washed and used many times over. Some of our members have found other bags made especially for storing vegetables that they swear keep the greens super fresh such as these from Debbie Meyer or these machine washable fabric bags or these organic cotton bags. TIP: Always store your greens with a folded sheet of paper towel. It will help absorb moisture and keep the greens fresh longer.
What is Jun (pronounced “hoon”)?
Jason Chojnicki, long time Muddy Boots CSA Member, makes Jun, a kombucha-like beverage and offered it to Muddy Boots members last season. He will be offering Jun again this season to Muddy Boots members from a self-serve, pour your own kegerator. Bring your own 32 ounce growler and fill it up with Jun for just $10 a bottle. There will be a small supply of bottles available for sale at $3 each.
What distinguishes Jun from Kombucha is that it is made with a different strain of bacteria that has been trained to digest honey. This means that Jun is made with locally sourced honey instead of cane sugar. The other distinguishing factor is that it is made with green tea while classic kombucha is made with black tea.
Jun delivers the same benefits that you get from Kombucha, but without the strong vinegar flavor that even kids like!
Jason will be at our first pick-up for a couple of hours on Wednesday offering samples for anyone who wishes to try this light refreshing beverage.
This is from Sweetwater Organic Farm a pioneer in the organic vegetable movement. The farm is located in Tampa Florida!
Carrot roots should be firm, smooth, relatively straight and bright in color. The deeper the orange-color, the more beta-carotene is present in the carrot. Avoid carrots that are excessively cracked or forked as well as those that are limp or rubbery. In addition, if the carrots do not have their tops attached, look at the stem end and ensure that it is not darkly colored as this is also a sign of age. If the green tops are attached, they should be brightly colored, feathery and not wilted. Since the sugars are concentrated in the carrots’ core, generally those with larger diameters will have a larger core and therefore be sweeter.
Short-Term Storage
Carrots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month if stored properly. Cut off carrot greens, place carrots in a containers with lid and cover completely in water. Keep container in the refrigerator, changing the water ever 4-5 days. Do not store carrots next to ethylene gas producing fruits, such as apples and pears. The ethylene gas they release speeds up the ripening process of other fruits and vegetables.
If you purchase carrot roots with attached green tops, the tops should be cut off before storing in the refrigerator since they will cause the carrots to wilt prematurely as they pull moisture from the roots. While the tops can be stored in the refrigerator, kept moist by being wrapped in a damp paper, they should really be used soon after purchase since they are fragile and will quickly begin to wilt.
Long-Term Storage
Carrots can also be stored unwashed and covered by sand. If stored in this manner in a dark, cool, well ventilated area, the carrots will last up to 5 or 6 months. They can also be left in the ground, covered with mulch, and used as needed until the ground begins to freeze. Carrots can also be peeled, cut up, blanched, and then frozen to preserve them for approximately a year.
Leeks belong to the allium family and, in my opinion, are an underappreciated vegetable.
One reason why people shy away from leeks is that they tend to gather sand and dirt between their layers of skin as they push up through the ground. If they aren’t properly cleaned, that grit could easily ruin a dish! But, as long as you know this and clean them properly (it’s easy – here’s how) you will come to love the sweet and subtle onion flavor that leeks add to dishes.
Leeks are supposed to store well over the winter in a root cellar, but I have never had luck with that approach and have tried many variations. Instead, I freeze leeks and they are great to have handy throughout the colder months.
The safest way to make sure you get all of the dirt out of leeks before freezing is to slice them down the middle lengthwise and then cut them into half-moon slices about 3/4 of an inch thick. Put them into a big bowl of cold water and swish them around vigorously. I usually do this a second time for good measure. Then, let them drain and dry on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Only when they are completely dry should you put them into a zippered plastic freezer bag, push out as much air as possible and zip it up and store them in the freezer.
Frozen leeks are awesome for adding to soups and stews in the winter such as this super simple and wonderful classic Potato-Leek Soup from Julia Child, but are equally good as the star in a dish such as this Potato-Leek Gratin from the New York Times.
Below is a picture showing how the dirt gets lodged in between the layers of the leek.
If you are going to be eating the leeks fresh, try making them the star of a veggie side dish such as is done in Buttery Braised Leeks with a Crispy Panko Topping from Food 52. Or, if you are looking to dress up your leeks, try this Savory Creme Brulee with a Crispy Leek Topping also from Food 52.
Rapini, Chard and Kale can be cut and then washed in a large bowl of fresh cold water. Make sure the bowl is large enough to swish the pieces so that they can release any sand or soil that might be clinging to the leaves. Gently lift the greens out of the bowl so you don’t disturb any sand that has settled on the bottom of the bowl. If you notice a lot of sand when you dump out the water, repeat the rinsing process.
Now comes the important part. Dry the greens as best as you can. If you have a salad spinner, use it, but even then, I suggest you get a baking sheet lined with paper towels and spread the greens out onto it. If you don’t have a salad spinner, try putting the greens into a big salad bowl and gently tossing with a couple of paper towels to absorb the excess moisture. Put the greens into a plastic bag and add a folded dry piece of paper towel – it will absorb excess moisture.
Remove beet greens from the beets and wash them the same way you wash the chard and kale. Beet Greens are similar to Swiss Chard and can be sauteed with some garlic and olive oil for a great side veggie. Or, chop them up and add them to soup. I like browning some crumbled sausage, adding some hot pepper flakes and then adding in the beet greens. Toss that with pasta and you have made a meal out of something many people twist off and throw away.
The beets can be stored in a zipped bag in your produce drawer, but leave the top partially open so they can breath. These beets that we get early in the season are super sweet and tender – they are not intended to be stored although they can be. The sooner you eat them, the better they will be!
A member who is new to Muddy Boots this year asked:
Do you have any tips on what to grow in my home garden in light of the veggies we will be getting from Muddy Boots?
What a GREAT question!
Actually many of our members do also have home gardens so I thought I would share my ideas.
Here are some things to keep in mind about Muddy Boots CSA
- We try not to overwhelm you with too much of anything. This means that if there are things that you really like, week in and week out, you should also plan on growing it in your garden.The exceptions to this might be corn which last year we got for 7 weeks and we also offered in a bulk sale and also salad greens which we try to have each week throughout the season.
- We tend to get Muddy Boots produce earlier in the season than you will get from your home garden. For example, last year we got eggplant and cauliflower the first week in July, while those don’t typically come out of home gardens until later in August.
- We offer bulk sales throughout the season and in the fall for folks who like to put up some veggies for the winter. See below for information on our regular bulk sales throughout the season. If there are other veggies you would like that aren’t on the bulk sale list, please let me know and I will try to work with the farmer to get you what you want.
- Aaron offers some extra produce to members for sale each week. Often you will find carrots, onions, and kale.
My garden planning
My husband Ray and I have a fairly large garden. We have 18 3’X12′ beds. We have definitely changed what we grow since we have been Muddy Boots members.
- Onions: We like to grow veggies for storage such as garlic, onions and shallots. They are fairly easy to grow and we go through more than 100 of each of those over the winter.
- Peas: Shelling peas freeze really well and I love having them available so we grow a bed of these. We also love sugar snap peas which we only get once or twice a season with Muddy Boots so we grow them.
- Green Beans: We freeze and pickle green beans so we grow a full row of them – we like the climbing variety because they are easier to pick.
- Hard/perennial/soft herbs: Thyme, rosemary, chives, oregano, savory, sage, mint. We don’t get these herbs in our Muddy Boots shares. We do get basil, parsley, cilantro, Thai basil fairly regularly throughout the summer, but in culinary quantities. In other words, if you want to make batches of basil pesto to freeze, you will want to grow some at home. Typically you will get to mix and match herbs.
- Kale and Chard: We freeze a lot of kale to use throughout the winter and it is easy to grow. The same applies to chard.
- Carrots and Beets: I use a lot of carrots throughout the winter so I grow carrots for storage meaning that I plant a storage variety in mid-July so they are ready to harvest when the weather turns cool. I have stopped growing beets because we get enough from Muddy Boots for our purposes.
- Cukes and Zucs: Throughout the summer, we eat a lot of cucumbers and zucchini/summer squash and they are easy to grow.
- Tomatoes: Frustrated by yearly challenges with tomato blight, we have cut back to growing just cherry tomatoes and heirloom slicing tomatoes. I purchase Roma tomatoes in bulk when we offer them through Muddy Boots in August.
- Peppers and Eggplant: We eat lots of these throughout the summer and therefore include them in our garden plan.
Clearly Ray and I are huge veggie lovers and we get great joy with our garden. Muddy Boots has enabled us to reduce the amount of work we spend on our garden throughout the season. In addition, because of all the food we get with our large Muddy Boots share, we have converted two of our veggie beds to cut flowers (sunflowers and zinnias) which we really enjoy!