What's in the Box - September 1 (Aug. 30 & 31st cancelled this week due to hurricane.)

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint
Basil - 1 bunch
Long Green or Bell Pepper - 1 piece
Baby Leeks - 1 bunch
Cucumbers - 2 pieces
Red Tomatoes** - 5 pieces
Baby Arugula - 1 bag
Zucchini - 3pieces
Surprise Item!

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

--

QUEENS HERB SHARE

Lemon Thyme
Cilantro

notes on the share

**The red tomatoes need to ripen for a few days on the counter until they reach a uniform, deep red.  Please be sure to wash the tomatoes before eating. We have been spraying them with an organically-approved copper spray to protect against late blight infection.  The copper spray will wash off with a little soap and water. 

News from the Farm

The farm fared relatively well from Hurricane Irene.  We will provide a full update on the state of the crops in next week's newsletter. 

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

What's in the Box - August 23, 24 & 25

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint
Garlic Chives - 1 bunch - Delicious chopped finely in scrambled eggs!
Long Green Peppers - 1 piece
Green Bell Pepper - 1 piece
Cantaloupe Melon - 1 piece
Baby Watermelon - 1 piece
Shallots - 1.25 lb
Red Tomatoes** - several pieces
Nicola Potatoes - 1 quart
Baby Arugula -OR- Baby Carrots - 1 bag
Green Beans - 1 bag -OR- Zucchini - 2 pieces

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Yellow Peaches - 1 bag
Bartlett Pears - 1 bag

QUEENS HERB SHARE

Pineapple Sage*
Thyme

*A posting on Chowhound recommends the following uses: -- flavors a basic vanilla ice cream recipe nicely -- chopped into mango salsa -- combine with mint, olive oil and rice vinegar and make an interesting salad dressing -- chopped with a bit of fresh garlic and rubbed onto chicken breasts for grill -- frozen into cubes with cranberry juice

notes on the share

This week marks the half way point of the CSA season and we have a spectacular harvest to celebrate!  As we've mentioned before, our summer crops were delayed a few weeks, so they're all coming in now.  This will probably be the last week of peppers -- so cut them up and freeze them if you need them for recipes this fall.  Our pepper plants are dying of a root disease caused by excessively wet conditions. 

Shallots!  Shallots are not onions, but they are part of the Allium species.  They have a mildly sweet onion flavor that some say also has hints of garlic.  I like to use shallots in dressings and in place of onions in delicately flavored dishes. 

**The red tomatoes need to ripen for a few days on the counter until they reach a uniform, deep red.  Please be sure to wash the tomatoes before eating. We have been spraying them with an organically-approved copper spray to protect against late blight infection.  The copper spray will wash off with a little soap and water. 

News from the Farm

The tomatoes are finally coming in well, but it has been a lot of work to get them to this point!  Late blight was detected on tomato and potato crops here in Suffolk County and we've had to be diligent about our organic spray regemin to prevent it from taking hold.  Some of you may remember back to 2009 when pretty much all of the organic farms in the Northeast lost their tomato crop.  We managed to save many of ours back then, and this year we were on top of it right away to ensure a good harvest.  That said, the plants are definitely weaker than they are in a healthy year, so we're harvesting as much as we can, while we can!

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Richard's Summer Salsa
Shallot Vinaigrette Dressing - delicious over a tomato salad!

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - August 16, 17 & 18

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1/2 lb.
Long Green Peppers - 2 pieces
Green Bell Pepper - 2 pieces
Eggplant - 1 piece
Baby Watermelon - 1 piece
Green Beans - 1 bag
Walla Walla or Red Onions - 1 quart
Red Tomatoes - 2 pieces

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Yellow Peaches - 1 bag
White Peaches - these are extremely delicate-- so be careful handling them! - 1 bag

QUEENS HERB SHARE

coming soon...

notes on the share

What a lovely summer selection of produce we have this week!  Green beans, red tomatoes, baby watermelon.  The summer crops have been a bit behind schedule due to the cold and rainy start to the season, but they're coming in now, so enjoy! 

The red tomatoes need to ripen for a few days on the counter until they reach a uniform, deep red.  Please be sure to wash the tomatoes before eating. We have been spraying them with an organically-approved copper spray to protect against late blight infection.  The copper spray will wash off with a little soap and water. 

News from the Farm

We are thankful for all of the rain!  It allowed us a few days to slow down (just a bit) and gave the plants a much needed drink.  We are thrilled to report that none of our fields flooded -- meaning that we are doing a good job of keep the soil porous and non-compacted.  We have a new tool that we're using this season to help loosen the soil several feet under the ground!  Most tools can loosen the soil down several inches, but the deeper you can get the better.  It takes a powerful tractor and a powerful tool to do this work and this is the first year we've been set up to use it. 

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Green Beans Braised with Tomatoes & Basil
Fresh, No-Cook, Tomato Sauce

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - August 9, 10 & 11

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Nicola Potatoes - 3lb bag - These are a beautiful yellow-fleshed variety-- Farmer Matt's favorite!
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1/2 lb.
Long Green Peppers - 2 pieces
Bell Pepper - 2 pieces
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Parsley - 1 bunch
Asian Eggplant - 2 pieces
Lettuce - 2 baby heads

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Mixed Nectarines & Yellow Peaches - 1 bag
Mixed Donut (UFO) Peaches & White Peaches - 1 bag

QUEENS HERB SHARE

Basil
Thyme

notes on the share

The tomatoes are finally coming in -- a bit later than usual, but better late than never!  This week we have cherry tomatoes and we hope to have some big red beefsteaks to give out in the share by next week.  Our watermelons and cantaloupes are ripening quickly in this heat, so those should be making an appearance in the share next week as well.  Some of you have asked about cucumbers...  Well, we lost the first few plantings due to poor germination & wet weather that kept us from getting them into the fields on time back in June, but our final planting looks good and should be ready to harvest in about 3 weeks.  The potatoes in the share this week are called Nicola, and are one of our favorites!  They have a beautiful yellow color, lovely textured flesh and delicious flavor!

News from the Farm

This week is our big push to seed all of our root crops for the fall and winter.  We're seeding acres of carrots, beets, and other cold weather crops that we'll be able to harvest from October onwards.  It looks like we have a good stretch of clear weather for the next few days to get everything done.  Farmer Matt has been heading back to the farm every night after dinner for the past few weeks to prepare the fields and make beds for this seeding.  There just aren't enough hours in the day(light) to get everything done, so it's a good thing that our tractors have headlights on them for nighttime tractor work!

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS
Baked Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan
Potato Salad with Green Beans & Salsa Verde --great without the beans too!

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - August 2, 3 & 4

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Red Potatoes - 3lb bag
Cippolini or White or Walla Walla Onions - 1 bunch
Long Green Peppers - 2 pieces
Bell Pepper - 1 piece
Zucchini - 2 pieces
Garlic - 2 pieces
Eggplant - 1 piece - TUESDAY/SOME WEDNESDAY SITES ONLY
Carrots -OR- Chives - 1 bunch
Baby Romaine or Baby Batavian Lettuce - 1 head

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

White Peaches - 1 bag
Donut (UFO) Peaches - 1 bag

QUEENS HERB SHARE

Garlic Chives
Parcel (Parsley & Celery combo)

notes on the share

Due to weather fluctuations earlier in the season and an uneven harvest, the contents of the share is going to change considerably from day to day for the next few weeks.

News from the Farm

We experienced severe thunder storms last night with hail!  Luckily most of our crops seem to have survived-- but some of our new bean plants were severly whipped by the wind. 

More beautiful weather is forecasted for the next week or so.  We got enough rain during the storms to give us a little break from irrigating, which is a blessing during the hot summer months!

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS
Red Potatoes with Olives, Feta and Mint

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - July 26, 27 & 28

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Baby Cabbage - 1 head - TUESDAY ONLY
Red Potatoes - 1 bag
Onions - 1 bunch
Long Green Peppers - several pieces
Zucchini - several pieces
Baby Leeks - 1 bunch
Basil - 1 bunch
Arugula -OR- Purslane - 1 bunch/bag

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Peaches - 1 bag
Blackberries -OR- Blueberries - 1 container

notes on the share

Potatoes are ready!  These are one of our favorite crops to grow -- not only delicious, they're extremely fun to harvest.  You dig into the soil and find dozens of beautiful potatoes right under the surface.  Since the potatoes you're getting in your share this week are so fresh, the skins are very thin and the potatoes are delicate and susceptible to scuffing and damage.  We recommend that you keep them in the fridge and use them within the week.  No need to peel!  Gently wash the skin and you're ready to go!  Here are Farmers Matthew and Galen harvesting a few for our dinner last night...

News from the Farm

Here's a photo of our newly cultivated bean crop! We're getting ready to plant all of our fall crops right now.  ...And tomatoes are coming soon! 

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Potatoes with Pesto & Parmesan
Spaghettini with Arugula, Goat Cheese & sun-dried Tomatoes

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - July 19, 20 & 21

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Walla Walla Onions - 1 quart (These will store for approx. 3 weeks in a cool, dry & dark spot.)
Kohlrabi - 1 piece
Cippolini Onions - 1 bunch (These must be refrigerated.)
Zucchini - several pieces
Garlic - 1 piece
Carrots - 1 bunch
Dill - 1 bunch
Green Batavian Lettuce -OR- Beans & Eggplant - 1 head -or- several pieces

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Peaches - 1 bag
Blueberries - 1 container

notes on the share

The heat is getting to some of the cool weather loving crops-- like the lettuce.  You'll notice that the heads are a little smaller than usual as we've been removing the damaged outer leaves.  Zucchini is coming in like crazy (as it always seems to do...) so you may want to try baking some zucchini bread if you're getting tired of it in its usual form! 

News from the Farm

Another week of great growing weather to report- dry and hot! 

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Pasta with Swiss Chard, Caramelized Onions & Garlicky Bread Crumbs
Roasted Zucchini with Ricotta & Mint

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - July 12, 13 & 14

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Toscano Kale - 1 bunch
Cippolini Onions - 1 bunch
Broccoli - 1 head
Zucchini - several pieces
Basil - 1 bunch
Cabbage - 1 head
Raddichio - 1 head
Green or Red Batavian Lettuce - 1 head

FRUIT SHARE

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Berries (blueberries OR blackberries OR raspberries) - 1 container
Rhubarb - 1 bunch

notes on the share

It's going to be a hot week!  To keep things cool in the kitchen, I recommend making a few big batches of coleslaw with the cabbage and onions, and whipping up some pesto with the basil to have over pasta.  Zucchini and Radicchio are both great grilled (as well as the onions).  The toscano kale isn't looking so beautiful this week, but tastes just fine and would be a good addition to soup, or made into kale chips (see recipe below). 

News from the Farm

More beautiful sunny & dry weather predicted for the coming week. All the crops are looking good!  The garlic was harvested over the weekend and is hanging to dry in the barns. Everything smells like garlic-- which I happen to love!

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Coleslaw
Fettuccini with Basil, Zucchini, Arugula & Lemon
Kale Chips

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - July 5, 6 & 7

VEGETABLE SHARE

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Green Romaine Lettuce - 1 head
Green Batavian Lettuce - 1 head
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Scallions - 1 bunch
Broccoli - 1 bunch
Zucchini - several pieces
Onions - several pieces
Raddichio - 1 head
Beets -OR- Carrots - 1 bunch

FRUIT SHARE - Starts this week for Long Island!!!!

The listing for the fruit share is for our Long Island sites ONLY.  Please contact your core group if you belong to a Queens pick-up site for your updated weekly share. 

Blueberries - 1 container
Gooseberries - 1 container

notes on the share

Wow, what a terrific box this week!  It's great, because I never know what's coming up in the share until I get the picking list from Matthew on Monday, so I can be surprised along with you!  If you haven't had radicchio before, this is the week to try it!  It's delicious both raw in a salad (best paired with a shaving of hard cheese like parmesan to balance out the bitterness), or grilled or sauteed.  Try the recipes below!  We've been grilling up our zucchini this past week, and then slicing and tossing in pasta salads. The recipe I've linked to below is one of our new favorites. I hope everyone had a great long holiday weekend!

Briermere Farms Fruit Share begins this week!  There are blueberries and gooseberries in the share.  Gooseberries are a special treat and can rarely be found in stores, so be sure to make something special with them!  Find some recipe ideas for Gooseberries here.  If you don't have time to cook them up now,  just toss them in the freezer in a ziplock bag until you find time to do so later in the season. 

News from the Farm

Sun and dry weather means that we have to get ready to start irrigating (watering) the crops very soon!  Even though irrigation takes a lot of time and energy, it's controllable, and it's a welcome change after all the wet weather we experienced last month. 

Late blight-- again?  Late blight is hitting some farms out here on the East End already - spotted on both tomato and potato crops, so James started the first round of spraying on our tomatoes last week.  We use an organically certified spray (copper based) as a preventative to protect the plants from "catching" the blight.  If you remember back to 2009, most farms on the east coast lost all of their tomato plants to the blight.  We'll keep you updated...

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Spicy Garlicky Broccoli Salad
Lemon, Almond & Zucchini Pasta Salad (from Smitten Kitchen)
Penne with Caramelized Onions & Raddichio

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - June 28, 29 & 30

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Green Romaine Lettuce - 1 head
Red Batavian Lettuce - 1 head
Toscano Kale - 1 bunch
Scallions - 1 bunch
Mint -OR- Zucchini - 1 bunch/several pieces
Arugula (baby) - 1 bag - this is the second cutting, so you may find the occasional yellow leaf or grass in the bag!
Carrots -OR- White Salad Turnips - 1 bunch
Onions - 1 bunch

Lots of lettuce in the share this week!  It's time to step away from the stove and enjoy some delicious, refreshing summer salads!

News from the Farm

Happy to see the sun!  We're working overtime in the fields to catch up from all the wet weather.  You may notice a slight dip in the quantity of the shares in about a month or so.  This is due to the rainy weather that kept us out of the fields- causing us to miss plantings and transplantings of crops that would otherwise be harvested mid-July.  We can make up for some of the missed plantings by seeding fast-growing crops (like arugula) to fill the box, and then plant more for harvest August through the fall. This is all part of the ups and downs of farming!  Let's hope the dry weather continues for a while so we can get back on track!

Here are some photos of our potato crop.  They're looking spectacular this year!  Many people don't know what the potato plants look like, so here they are in all their glory!  (Yes, that's your little farmer practically hidden by their leaves.  They're tall-- and so is he!)

 

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Grilled Scallions with Lemon
Vegan Ceasar Salad *from 101 Cookbooks*

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - June 21, 22 & 23

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Red Boston Lettuce - 1 head
Red Romaine Lettuce - 1 head
Kohlrabi - 1 bunch
Scallions - 1 bunch
Fennel - 1 bunch
Red Beets - 1 bunch
Surprise Item - 1 bunch

News from the Farm

We're enjoying this beautiful weather and so are the crops! Everything is drying out nicely after last week's rain and we're working overtime to catch up on our field work.  Sweet potatoes are being transplanted, and beans are being seeded. I'll try to get out to the fields with my camera this week so I can give you a visual field update next week!

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Kohlrabi Salad
Fennel with Olive Oil & Parmesan

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page. 

What's in the Box - June 14,15 & 16

The contents of the box may change this week.  Please check back daily for an updated list. You can click on a crop below for recipes and storage information. 

Green Boston Lettuce - 1 head
Escarole - 1 giant head!
Baby Arugula - .35 lb bag
Toscano Kale - 1 bunch
Baby Bok Choi - 1 bunch
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Early Season Red Onions - 1 bunch

News from the Farm

More greens this week!  Escarole may be a new one for many of you.  It looks like lettuce, but it's actually a bitter green related to endive.  The heads of escarole are huge, so you may want to try both recipes below.  If you haven't enjoyed this delicious green before, I would recommend trying it once in a soup, or cooked recipe, and one time raw in a salad.  I find that if eaten raw, it's best to pair it with a shaved cheese like parmesan or gruyere to balance out the bitter flavor.  It's one of my favorites!

A note about strawberries...
The rain this past weekend wiped out a good portion of our strawberry crop.  We do have some later varieties that we hope we can harvest this week so everyone gets a taste.  Please remember that the strawberries are not an "official" part of the vegetable CSA share. We grow them mainly for U-Pick, so our members, and members of the community, can come to the farm to enjoy an interactive farm-to-plate experience.  CSA membership fees do not go towards the strawberry crop, but we do try to include them in the share as a special "treat". This has not been a particularly good year for strawberries, and after talking with some other local farmers over the weekend, we're not the only ones who have experienced small yields.  Just like with any crop, the success of the harvest is determined by weather (rain/sun/temps), weed pressure, disease, germination rate, and other seasonal fluctualities beyond our control. 

News From the Fields

It's been a rainy weekend!  I think most of Long Island and Queens got drizzle, but we got downpours!  It was much more rain that we could use, so we're looking forward to drying out later this week.  Extended periods of rain like this can cause big problems for farmers.  We can't drive tractors in the fields when the ground is saturated (causing us to fall behind on field prep and transplanting), and the crops become more susceptible to disease when the leaves are covered in moisture.  Let's all hope for sunny skies to carry us through next week.  Our transplants could use some good old sunshine to get their "growing" on! 

Explore our Website
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. Check out our CROP GUIDE to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Escarole & White Bean Salad with Fennel and Gruyere Cheese
Escarole Soup
Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup

More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page.