July 17th Market & CSA Pick-up #9

This was a very exciting week for us as we were featured on page 178 of Richmond Magazine!

The article was a very good article with just a few corrections. Matt and I both work market together every Saturday. We really enjoy working together and watching our little family farm grow. You can also find our food at Rappahannock Restaurant. In fact, they buy most of our food!

This picture is one of their plates. On this plate, you will find our carrots, shishitos, kohlrabi, and garlic! Seeing a plate made so masterfully by one of the very best chef’s in Richmond makes us so proud!

As we roll in to tomato season full throttle, we have to pay homage to the King of the Hanover tomatoes, Mr. Robby Dodd of Dodd Acres Farm. He passed away in his packing shed on March 20th of this year. He was 86 years old and an active farmer. Mr. Dodd farmed his entire life in the Black Creek area of Hanover and is the founder of the famous Hanover Tomato Festival!

Mr. Dodd coined the term Hanover tomato which is simply a tomato grown in the Black Creek area of Hanover. The secret is that this area of the county has coastal sandy soil. Tomatoes love this soil and grow very well in it. We may not use the same growing methods Mr. Dodd used, but we respect this man and appreciate the impact he made on the farming community in Eastern Hanover. Below is a movie that Martin’s made to highlight Mr. Dodd as one of our local farmers.

Here We Grow: Dodd’s Acres Farm (Tomatoes) from Kent Mast on Vimeo.

Matt grew up on the land that we live and he remembers when the Hanover Tomato Festival was held at the old Black Creek Farm Fire Department. He remembers watching the parade that went down McClellan Road all thanks to Mr. Dodd. One day, someone asked Mr. Dodd who at the time was 80 years old when he planned on retiring. He said, “Somebody asked, ‘When are you going to retire?’ I said, well, when they bury me in the dirt. That’s all I can tell you. I’ve been messing with dirt all my life since I was 12 years old.” Rest in Peace, Mr. Dodd. Thank you for your contributions to our community.

This week, CSA members will receive in their bags: beets, kale, green beans, microgreens, field greens, garlic, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes.

Here is a sample menu to make sure you eat everything in your bag.

Monday: Grilled Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, and Tomatoes

This is so easy! Put a little olive oil and salt and pepper on your chicken and grill it. Toss the potatoes in olive oil salt and pepper, and put it a sheet pan. Next to the potatoes, toss the green beans in olive oil and salt and pepper and place it next to the potatoes on the sheet pan. Slice the tomatoes and place them next to the green beans on the sheet pan, sprinkle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and top them with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

It looks pretty and it is so easy! It also tastes so good!

I also use this same idea when I pack clean lunches. I roast tomatoes, leeks, and green beans while I cook brown rice and 2 chicken breasts. This gave me wonderful lunches for four days!

Tuesday: Field Green Salad with Sautéed Shrimp and Goat Cheese Balls

Along side my very favorite dressing:

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons of good olive oil
a teaspoon of minced shallots a tablespoon of honey

Put it all in a mason jar and give it a shake!

Wednesday: Chicken Orzo Salad

This salad is done in 30 minutes! I make it a little differently than the recipe says because I use what I have on hand. Rather than cucumber, substitute your squash. You can eat squash raw and it has a great taste in salads. I also add black olives to this and it gives it a nice mediterranean taste.

Picture from a recipe from Averie Cooks

I have even made this recipe to take for my clean lunches. You can substitute the orzo for quinoa and it is awesome.

Thursday: Crispy Garlic Parmesan Salmon, Beets and Kale

Yeah!!!! Kale is back this week! I had several CSA members missing the kale! The bug pressure turned on last week and our kale suffered for it. Since we don’t spray pesticides, the bugs did some damage. Matt works hard at controlling the bugs naturally and he was able to handle the bug issue quickly so kale is back!

I love to save the harvest as much as I can. Simply chop it up and throw it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain it and run cold water over it. Ring it out and put it in a ziploc freezer bag and store it in the freezer for later. It is so nice to have Matt’s food when we are out of the growing season.

This week, you will be getting cylintrica beets. These beets are cylindrical in shape and slice beautifully in to medallions!

To make the beets I peel them, cut them up and toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes. While the beets are cooking, I prep the Crispy Garlic Parmesan Salmon, once the 15 minutes are up on the beets, I put in the salmon for another 15 minutes and cook the beets along with it for an additional 15 minutes.

While I am waiting for the final 15 minutes of oven time, I rip the kale up, toss it in olive oil, salt, and pepper and sauté it on the stove top. I love the kale sautéed in olive oil with salt and pepper.

This is a great dinner that is done in no time.

Friday: This isn’t dinner, but I am thinking about a Lemony Summer Squash Bread!

It is something different you can do with your squash and it is so tasty! Treat yourself to this on Saturday morning as you sip your coffee!