10/12/09 Newsletter

Dear Shareholders,

Wow! It was cold this weekend! Our temperatures dropped to 15 degrees overnight. Just to return to a balmy 25 degrees during the day! I am really looking forward to our warmer days by the end of the week! Somebody tell me; is it supposed to be fall or winter?

The crew is working hard to get all the winter crops harvested for the Winter Share. This week they will be working on harvesting the winter carrots and the green and red cabbage. The carrots will be stored in a pit, six feet underground. The cabbage has a colder room waiting for them in a strawbale building. Hard to imagine, but the pit stays at a warm 55 degrees where the strawbale building will be colder because of being exposed to the weather. Which is just what the cabbage, popcorn, garlic and onions prefer!

We hope to plant next years garlic by the end of the week. Working Members started separating garlic last week. This isn't a hard job, just a monotonous one! Hopefully the job will be completed this week and Jerry can get it planted by Friday.

I made an error in one of the Denver locations. I was informed that 6th Avenue and Colfax run parallel to each other. (I did know that, but failed to recognize it at the time!) The actual cross streets are Colfax and Sheridan. Since the Central Denver locations have moved from the Wash-Park area, we will be calling each and every one of you who have listed the Central Denver location as your Distribution Center. You will have a choice of one or the other, (38th and Tennyson) with the understanding there is a limit as to how many people can be served at one location. Then everyone else will automatically go to the other location not completely filled.

The Boulder location will stay at Arapahoe and Foothills. Jon and Kim Haines (with the help of neighbors) have worked out a schedule to run the Distribution Center. It now looks like we will have a Broomfield Distribution Center too. Sherri MacLean has offered her home. We know of at least 8 to 10 people that would like to sign up; if there is a Broomfield location. If anyone would like to change Distribution Centers or would like to join as a Winter Shareholder now that we have a Broomfield Distribution Center, please let me know. Connie Brown is also willing to be a Distribution Center for Golden. We will need a minimum of 10 people to join at this location before we will make the drop off. Again, please let me know if you want to pick up at this location if there becomes a Golden Distribution Center.

Those of you who get honey monthly and bi-monthly will be getting the last shipment of the season. Hopefully, you have planned for the winter and have a small stash in your pantry by now!

This is also the last delivery of fruit. You will be getting DAnjou winter pears. They will keep one or two months in your refrigerator (helping you to extend your fruit into the winter). You will be getting them in the light green stage. It will take anywhere from 6 to 10 days to finish ripening on your counter top. They are ready to eat when they have a slight yellow tinge. This is a very prestigious pear. First Fruits is very excited to have them & hope you will enjoy them thoroughly! First Fruits would like to thank you for being patient with them and Mother Nature. They love being orchardists, but hate they do not have more control as to when fruit ripens!

This week you are receiving Acorn winter squash, Yukon Gold potatoes, yellow onions, carrots, celery root, garlic, broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers and tomatoes.

You have had everything before except the celery root. This is very popular to put into soups, stir-fries, salads or serve on a relish tray. It is one of the ugliest veggies we raise! Peel the outside tough root skin and discover the prettiest white flesh inside. Cubed, sliced or Julian is the best way to prep it.

This is week 17 out of 18. We have one more week to go! Your Distributors will be notifying you of the amount owed for eggs received this summer. Please bring a checkbook next week to pay for those eggs! Speaking of eggs, if you would like to receive eggs over the winter, you can do this even if you do not get a Winter Share. Send in your order form and we will get you set up.

Thanks everyone and have a great week!

Jacquie and Jerry, Alaina and Kyle

Herb Scallop Potatoes

¼ cup onion, chopped
1/8 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp rosemary
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp thyme
¼ cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 ½ tsp salt
5 to 7 large potatoes, sliced

Melt butter on medium-high heat and summer onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper & herbs. Add milk, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Cook 2 minutes more. Place potatoes in a casserole dish. Pour milk mixture over potatoes. Cover and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 30 minutes or until potatoes pierce easily with a fork.

Roasted Oregano Potatoes

5 to 7 medium potatoes
½ tsp dried oregano or 1 tsp fresh
2 Tbsp oil
¼ to ½ tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced finely
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Wash potatoes thoroughly do not peel! In a large bowl toss potatoes in the next six ingredients. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for one and a half hours.

Note: This can be done with all root crops, try a mixture of turnips, beets, celery root & carrots to impress company! Important to make sure all veggies are approximately the same size.

October 5th Newsletter from Jacquie

Dear Shareholders,

This was one of the most interesting years to farm in. We had such a cold and rainy summer! To tell you the truth, we really didn’t know what to expect from the crops that were planted. We have started to use more plastic mulch and drip irrigation every year. This year, it was a god send. The plastic mulch allowed plants to survive the rain as well as thrive. We feel we couldn’t have harvested as much variety without this important part of our irrigation system.

We have now had our first hard freeze. Normally, we can get a frost (sometimes not killing) anytime after the 20th of September. This year it occurred Friday, October 2nd with the low getting down to 25 degrees. Because of the help coming from Working Members and the Volunteers, we were able to get most of the tomatoes and peppers picked for the next few of weeks. We were also able to get most of the sweet potatoes harvested for the Winter Share. Thank you all for your time given to the farm!

I’m sorry I couldn’t get everyone out to pick pickles & tomatoes this year. We got as many people out as the field could handle and still give out the numbers we needed for distribution every week. Unfortunately, that’s what Mother Nature gave us to work with! We can only hope next year will be more plentiful!

This week you are getting Sugarloaf winter squash, red potatoes, yellow onions, carrots, diakon radish leeks, garlic, bell peppers and tomatoes.

Potato Bread

1 pkg active dry yeast 1 cup mashed potatoes, warm not hot
1 1/2 cups warm water 6 to 6 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar 1 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp softened butter or vegetable oil 1 tsp salt
2 eggs at room temp. milk to brush over top of loaves

Mix yeast with water in large bowl; let stand 5 min. Add in sugar, butter, eggs and potatoes. Add 5 ½ cups flour, the wheat flour and salt to make a soft dough. Now add another cup of flour to make a smooth dough. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth & elastic – about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl; let rise, covered, in a warm place until double the size. This will take 1 to 1 ½ hours. Punch down and divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape and place into greased 9X5 loaf pans. Let stand, loosely covered, until double in size - another 45 min. Brush loaves with milk and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown; approximately 45 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.