Category Archives: Moose Hill CSA

Garlic scapes: what they are and the best storage for them!

Posted on June 19, 2018 by mtrapp

We are happy to announce that we are now giving out delicious garlic scapes at distribution!

A common question I keep getting is: what the heck are garlic scapes?? Garlic scapes, sometimes called garlic stems, are the flower bud of the garlic plants. They are removed this time of you to encourage the bulb of the garlic to thicken up! They taste great and can be used the same way as garlic in many recipes!

A popular method of preserving the scapes is to chop them in to 1 inch pieces and freeze them in zipper freezer bags. This makes it easy to grab a handful of garlic scapes and add them to soups, stews, stir fry, omelets, or anything else you may use garlic as an ingredient in. The garlic scapes hold up really well when you freeze them and remain firm.

A few things

Posted on June 19, 2018 by mtrapp

We would like to introduce to you our farm manager, Matthew Noiseux (on the right). This is Matthews fifth year as the farm manager here at Moose Hill. He has been working hard to maintain the farm – not just during the summer but year round! Matthew, a local resident of Norfolk, is excited for the farm season which is now upon us – a season which we are hoping to make our best yet!

On the vegetable news side, we will be a bit behind on zucchini this year. We got a second planting last week and hope to have it at distribution as soon as possible! Ah, the joys of farming…

CSA Pick-Up: June 18-22

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Jesse Parker

Here is what we have for pick-up this week:

Strawberries
Peas
Garlic Scapes
Green Onions
Lettuce
Radishes
Swiss Chard

We also still have some native plants available for purchase as well as one variety of Honey (farm field 1lb. $12) and our Moose Hill CSA Cookbooks ($5). We accept cash, card, or check.

If you have not signed up for your work hours yet you can do that here on our Sign-up genius. Our biggest need is harvesting/weeding (specifically Wednesday mornings to bring in the harvest on our biggest pickup day) but if that doesn’t work with your schedule, we can always use your help whenever you’re available.

Reminder for you that we ARE open for distribution on 4th of July, which falls on a Wednesday this year. Please remember that if you cannot make it on a certain week, we invite you to send a friend, family member, or neighbor to collect your share. If you cannot find someone and you could pick up your share on a different distribution day in that same week, with advance notice, we can switch your pick-up day for that week. We must receive an email at [email protected] by at least noon the day before your regularly scheduled pick-up time (no phone calls). The email should include the distribution day you wish to switch to within that week.

Questions? Check our FAQ, and our website for more info or email us at [email protected].

CSA Update: A few things

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Jesse Parker

We wanted to reach out to you about a few things that are going on and that we need some help with.

We made a mistake on the sign-up genius for this coming Monday and did not create slots to help with distribution. Sorry for the short notice but, if you can make it for a distribution slot this Monday the 18th from 3:45-7:15 that would be a great help. We have three slots available. To RSVP send an email to [email protected].
As most if not all of you know we have peas and strawberries here!! Pyo for peas will start Wednesday the 20th. Also a new variety of Radishes are here. We will post a full list of what to potentially expect by Monday morning. As the season progresses, we may periodically need to make changes to what you receive at distribution – it’s hard to fully predict that we will have exactly the same things available Monday and Friday (a lot can change in a week in the fields) but for the most part, the list is what you can most likely expect.
We are also in need of clean towels/rags/shirts or cloth of any kind. After the harvest is brought in we use wet towels to cover everything to keep it cool and fresh. As the harvest grows more towels are necessary, so, if you have anything to contribute, bring it down to the barn next time you are around.
Just a reminder that we can not take back and re-use strawberry pints, rubber bands, egg cartons, etc. We appreciate your thoughtfulness but in order to be sure that we can stay as a certified organic farm, we must use new and clean materials only.
Another reminder for you that we ARE open for distribution on 4th of July, which falls on a Wednesday this year. Please remember that if you cannot make it on a certain week, we invite you to send a friend, family member, or neighbor to collect your share. If you cannot find someone and you could pick up your share on a different distribution day in that same week, with advance notice, we can switch your pick-up day for that week. We must receive an email at [email protected] by at least noon the day before your regularly scheduled pick-up time (no phone calls). The email should include the distribution day you wish to switch to within that week.

Thanks for all of your help so far. We look forward to the rest of the season as our harvest grows more and more every week. Keep an eye out for more recipes coming and some storage tips. Our weekly pick-up list will be up soon too.

See you on the farm,
–the Moose Hill Team

Slow Grow

Posted on June 14, 2018 by mtrapp

Ever wonder how the weather affects our crops? As we have all been aware, the weather the last few months has done a lot of roller-coasting. Really hot, then cold, lots of rain, and then not so much.

With a less full sun days, and not much rain over the last few weeks, our crops have been slower to grow than we anticipated. It can make the start of our season feel a little slow – we have variety in what is coming in, just not always the bigger sizes we all love seeing in our early season greens!

However, the radishes have been a mix of larger and smaller sizes – but they are a root vegetable and thankfully we have great soil for these root veggies!

But, you might be wondering how we deal with little rain, or quick rainstorms, which often run off the vegetable mounds rather than soaking in to properly water our crops. In the fields by the Barn, we do some drip irrigation. Not all of the vegetable are irrigated, just some that will truly need it. In our upper field, we have no irrigation – we must rely on good soil health to best maintain those fields.

If there is something you have been wondering about, be sure to mention it to us – the Farm Apprentices. We are happy to share more information through the blog on the successes and challenges of farming organic!

And, as always, thank you to the shareholders who have helped us down at the farm thus far – we have enjoyed getting to know you and it has been a very fun start to the season!

CSA Pick-up: June 11-15, 2018

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Jesse Parker

For this weeks harvest we have two new additions: Strawberries are ready and we also have Swiss Chard!

Plus, still on the list is:

Kale
Arugula
Lettuce
Green Onions

Our beets and our summer squash will be coming next.

squash flower

Also a reminder that we can take cash, check (made out to Moose Hill or Mass Audubon), or Visa/MasterCard for any of the following items that we have:

Native Plants (while supplies last or until the end of this month)
- $7 for perennials
- $10 for ferns
Honey
- $10 for 3/4 lb. Wildflower
- $12 for 1lb. Farm Field
Maple Syrup for $12 a bottle
Moose Hill Cookbook for $5

sunset at the barn

For those of you who purchased a fish share, please remember to pick-up Monday 4-7 pm at the Barn.

See you at distribution!

A few recipes

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Jesse Parker

Hello all! Having all of this food calls for creativity. Here are a few recipes I have been using with the past weeks harvest that I think you’ll enjoy.

Quick Pickled Radishes:

I know many of you often are asking “What am I going to do with all of these Radishes?!” This recipe is quick and easy and makes a great snack that keeps fresh for weeks. It also mellows out the flavor of the radish a bit so if you aren’t usually a fan of radishes, you might enjoy this flavor.

source: Cookie+kate, Celebrating whole foods!

Ingredients

1 bunch radishes
¾ cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
¾ cup water
3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this yields very spicy pickles, so use ½ teaspoon for medium spicy pickles or none at all)
½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds (optional)-
Optional add-ins: garlic cloves (some of your spring garlic slices will work great, that is what I used) , black pepper(corns), fennel seeds, coriander seeds (I used powder instead of seeds here because that’s what I had and it worked fine)

Instructions

To prepare the radishes: Slice off the tops and bottoms of the radishes, then use a sharp chef’s knife or mandoline to slice the radishes into very thin rounds. Pack the rounds into a pint-sized canning jar. Top the rounds with red pepper flakes and mustard seeds.
To prepare the brine: In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey or maple syrup and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then pour the mixture over the radishes.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature. You can serve the pickles immediately or cover and refrigerate for later consumption. The pickles will keep well in the refrigerator for several weeks, although they are in their most fresh and crisp state for about 5 days after pickling.

Sautéed Kale:

This makes a great side for any meal of the day. I had mine on the side of some spring garlic fried eggs I made with some of the green onions we’ve been handing out as well.

source: Allrecipes!

Ingredients

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic (Your spring garlic will work great with this)

Directions

Soak kale leaves in a large bowl of water until dirt and sand begin to fall to the bottom, about 2 minutes. Lift kale from the bowl without drying the leaves and immediately remove and discard stems. Chop the kale leaves into 1-inch pieces.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add kale to the skillet and place a cover over the top.
Cook, stirring occasionally with tongs, until kale is bright green and slightly tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Arugula Beet Goat Cheese Salad

One of my recipes that I learned from a close friend. This is a great way to use the arugula we’ve been giving out and is a staple in my diet right now. You can also add in some of the Kale, Tatsoi, and Lettuce here. A nice crisp refreshing summer salad.

Ingredients:

~1 cup of arugula leaves
1/4 cup of chopped beets, raw or cooked (I prefer the crunchiness of the raw beet)
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1-2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon candied pecans (optional)
Goat cheese crumbles (as much as you like, I love goat cheese so I load it up)
raspberry vinaigrette

Directions:

Super easy. Once you have all of your ingredients prepared simply add them all to a bowl or plate, toss or mix, and serve.

Radish Chips

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Jesse Parker

one question we often get at distribution is: what is a good radish recipe?

There are actually a lot of great radish recipes out there, but one of my personal favorites is radish chips. Here is how you make them…

Ingredients:
– 10-15 Radish’s
– 1 tbs. olive oil
– ½ tbs. honey
– ½ tbs. cinnamon sugar mixture

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Slice the radishes approximately 1/4 inch thick and put them in a microwave safe bowl. When you are done slicing, microwave for about 30 seconds to soften them up. Drain any liquid, and add them to a larger bowl.

2. Add the olive oil, honey, and cinnamon sugar. Mix well to coat all of the radishes. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure they are evenly spread out and not stacked on top of each other.

3. Cook for 15 minutes at 350, then remove the radishes and flip them over. Reduce oven temperature to 225 and bake for another 20 minutes. You will notice they will begin to shrink in size and crisp up, which is a good thing! Remove from the oven, plate and serve.

A simple recipe with a big payoff! Yum!

CSA Pick-up: June 4-8, 2018

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Jesse Parker

Hello shareholders!

The season is well under way here at Moose Hill! We are proud to welcome aboard two new farm hands this season – Mel and Jessica.

Here is what we have for distribution this week…
– Red Russian Kale
– Radishes
– Spring Onions
– Spring Garlic
– Lettuce Varieties
– Arugula

Coming soon we will have some delicious strawberries and peas!

Remember to collect your eggs, for those who ordered them, and to bring bags for your vegetables.

Reminder: Cape Ann Fresh Catch offers fresh caught local fish delivered right to the barn at Moose Hill Farm for pickup on Mondays from 4-7. For those interested, sign-up can happen at any point and is done directly through Cape Ann Fresh Catch.

2018 CSA: Distribution begins this week

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Jesse Parker

Greetings Shareholders,

We are your new Farm Apprentices and we have been busy all spring, learning the lay of the land, and working alongside Ward’s Berry Farm farmers to get everything ready for production and distribution.

Jesse Parker comes from Granby, CT and went to school to Plymouth State University for Environmental Science. He is now here at Moose Hill to pursue his passion for organic agriculture.

Matt Trapp started work at Moose Hill back in March as a maple farmer. Since then he has done everything from trail maintenance to seeding to giving tours to the public, and he can genuinely say this is the best job of his life!

Our first days of distribution are upon us, here is what we will have available for pickup:

Arugula- peppery green good in salads
Tatsoi- Japanese green very similar to baby spinach
Two varieties of Radishes including French Breakfast
Red Russian Kale
Spring Garlic
Spring Onions
Lettuce varieties

Honey from our hives and our very own Maple Syrup will be available for purchase.

We will have eggs fresh from Chip-In Farm available for pick-up for those who ordered them. If you have not yet ordered eggs and you are interested, let us know during your first pick-up and we can get you signed up for the next week. More information available at the first distribution.

Cape Ann Fresh Catch offers fresh caught local fish delivered right to the barn at Moose Hill Farm for pickup on Mondays from 4-7. For those interested, sign-up can happen at any point and is done directly through Cape Ann Fresh Catch.

A not-much-used option in the past, the Share Bin will be in full swing this year! If you have more of a particular produce than you think you will need, you can donate it to the share bin for another shareholder to take home if they are interested in it. This helps to manage any excess without being wasteful and gives you a chance to stock up on extras of your favorites, if they are available. By moving things to the Share Bin throughout the evening, everyone has a chance throughout distribution night to get extras, or share their extras, with fellow shareholders.

Also, new this year, we will have a farm stand set up on weekends! If you have any friends that are on the fence about signing up for a share and want to see what it is all about, or are just looking for some fresh produce for the week, send them down to the Moose Hill Farm Barn Saturdays and Sundays from noon-2:00pm, or until our freshly harvested vegetables run out, whichever comes first.

If you have not done so yet, our work hours calendar is up and available for sign-up and can be done through our sign-up genius here.

Questions? Check our FAQ, and our website for more info or email us at [email protected].

We are looking forward to another great season with the CSA!