Kind souls recently dropped off some delicious food to us. First, there was amazing tomato sauce (Thanks, V!). Then there was eggplant. Fried. We love fried eggplant. (Thanks JS & B!)This is really notable because our family pretty much doesn’t purchase vegetables. We grow them. Sure, we might pick up a nice variety of something from one of our farming friends. We don’t tend to grow fennel or brussel sprouts but enjoy both, so sometimes we’ll get a treat from a peer – in season. (PIctured above: our chard, this morning.)

But tomatoes and eggplant aren’t in season yet here in central Virginia. We haven’t eaten those tasty nightshades since our preserved ones ran out. Canned tomatoes? Gone. A distant winter memory. Battered, frozen eggplant slices, prepared by Nana? History. Oh…they were delicious. Especially together: Eggplant slices baked up and topped with sauce made from our canned tomatoes? In February? Oh my. Sure, we love greens (or reds, as is pictured below). We eat them three meals a day. Cooked, raw, whatever. Yes, we love the crunch, spice, and sweetness of roots. Radishes and turnips..as slices raw. As slices cooked in butter and garlic. Yum. Our beets will be ready soon. We relish kohlrabi. (Pictured below. It is fabulous. Try it.) And we’ve been dining on cucumbers for almost a month, savoring a food with seeds inside. (Below: Trellising cucumber plants)But now we find ourselves a bit teased. Tempted by tastes of the family solanaceae. And all we can do is wait. Tend the plants. Check on them. Obsessively. Remind ourselves why we are seasonal eaters. And make notes to preserve more this summer. 

(Pictured above: Our barn in progress! As of this morning, most vertical posts for the first floor are in place. Gravel is being delivered and spread today. Concrete slab, which will cover half of the footprint, should be poured next week. Framing will continue. It feels like this barn will change our lives! Well, at least our business. But the two are pretty well tied – remember this post? This will house all the vegetable washing, packing, cold storage, farm stand/produce pick up, and equipment and supplies storage that is currently all spread across our yard, tiny shed, back porch, and house. AND – it will hold a kitchen and new earthen oven to scale up and streamline our amazing bread baking. Hallelujah! Thanks for buying our vegetables, which makes our business possible and is funding this next very necessary phase of growing our business.)

This Week’s Harvest:

Our Farm Share Bag (consisting of a farmers’ choice medley of produce, in one easy to order option), Chard, Collards, Cucumbers, Garlic Scallions (Green Garlic), Garlic Scapes, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce (five varieties), Lettuce Mix (bagged larger leaves of head lettuce), Microgreens, Radish, Salad Mix, Transplants for your garden (Tomatoes)…plus Pepper Jelly, and our Naturally Leavened, Hearth Baked Bread.     (Not all transplants can be listed in our online store. If you want a variety not listed, please indicate in the notes section.)

Enjoy ~

Janet, Dan, and the whole Broadfork Crew

Recipe Suggestions: (always cataloged on our Recipe Page)
Radishes – as a topping on Tacos, Radish & Creme Fraiche on Crostini
Kale – Grilled Kale Salad (We say skip the red pepper it calls for…wait until they are ready here! Sub our Radish in its place instead.)
Cucumber – Cucumber Sesame Chicken Salad (We haven’t tried this recipe, but we bet Tofu would be a good substitute also)
Salad – Salad with Turnip & Radish Recipe, Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing

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We continue at two farmers’ markets this Saturday: South of the James in Forest Hill Park, from 8am – 12pm, and the Brandermill Green Market in Market Square from 9am – 12pm.

2014 Market Share CSA Members: Choose your selection through our Online Store to order for pick up on Saturday at our farm, at the Brandermill Green Market , or at the South of the James Market in Forest Hill Park from.

Everyone else: Please sign up for our 2014 CSA and get first priority for the wonderful vegetables that we grow.

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VABF Richmond Farm Tour
Richmond Biological Farm Tour Weekend: September 20 & 21, 2014

Shake the Hands that Feed You!
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21, 1 PM to 6 PM

We will be participating in this inaugural weekend of farm tours in the greater metro Richmond area. Load up your car with friends and family (one ticket covers everyone!) and head out for a day — or two — of meeting farmers and seeing where and how your food is grown. Learn more here and stay tuned for the complete list of farms on tour.