Bialas Farms Blog

     The storm that is going to hit the area this weekend is supposed to stay mainly south of the city with New Jersey getting the most of the snow.  As of right now, we’re supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow, mostly during the overnight hours Friday-Saturday.  We’re still going to proceed as planned for now, but we will keep an eye on the storm.  If it tracks farther north and we get 6″ or more of snow, we may have to reschedule the Saturday CSA distribution.  Hopefully it will stay south and we’ll only have a little snow to deal with, but who knows?  I will post an update here if we need to change plans, but for now we’re sticking to our normal schedule.  That’s it for tonight.  See you at the market, jeff

 Well, this is it.  The last weekend of markets for 2009.  I must say that I am a bit relieved that this season is finally over.  I’m looking forward to some time off before our first CSA drop-off in January.  Before I can rest, however, I have two more markets and an Open House/Farmer’s market to take care of this weekend.  Cold weather for all three days and snow possible for Sunday.  What a way to end the year.  My biggest concern is for the veggies.  We humans should be fine, properly layered of course.  The tender lettuces and other greenhouse greens that I’m bringing to market have only known warm days and nights and may not be prepared for a trip into the cold December market.  I’ll do my best with a heater and sides to my canopy, but some December market days can be pretty brutal (last weekend for example). 

     Just a reminder about our winter CSA.  This weekend is the cut-off for signing up so get moving if you still want to join.  And don’t forget to come out to the farm on Sunday from 10am-4pm.  Direction are on our website www.bialasfarms.com

   That’s it for tonight.  See you at the market, jeff

      They said 2 inches of snow.  Up until Wednesday afternoon, they assured us that we’d only get a couple inches of snow and then the rain would start and melt all of the snow.  Well, if we only had 2 inches of snow, it probably would have melted in the rain.  We ended up with about 6 inches of snow that covered everything!  Beautiful romanesco cauliflower, tat soi, broccoli, spinach,  and so many more veggies buried under the snow, possibly until Spring. 

      Fear not, dear friends.  Careful planning and a bit of luck has allowed us to have some veggies this week instead of none.  We started picking some of the crops early, though not because of snow in the forecast.  When temps start dropping into the low 20’s at night, we usually have to wait until the early afternoon to start picking from the fields.  This cuts our normal picking hours in half, so we need to get out and pick whenever the weather allows.  When situations like this happen, we pick as much as we can in the afternoon without worrying about trimming off bad leaves or grading the veggies like we would normally do.  We spend the next morning in the relative comfort of the barn, trimming and washing the harvest from the previous afternoon.  This method is far slower and less efficient than our normal routine of trimming and grading as we pick, but it is much faster than a trip to the hospital to be treated for frostbite.     

     Although we don’t have a full line of veggies, we still have quite a selection.  We have a little bit of the following (not all will make it to both markets due to supply):arugula, tat soi, bok choy, spinach, curly kale, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, leeks, and cabbage.  We also have lots of onions and potatoes (plenty of russets-it’s latke season!) 

     Tomorrow should be interesting;  20 mph wind coupled with below freezing temperatures.  Can’t wait!  Saturday looks a little better, but it’s gonna be cold this weekend.  I need to bring two heaters; one for my helpers and one for inside the truck to keep the veggies from freezing.  I can’t really complain, though.  We’ve had a very mild Fall so far.  We only have one more week of markets after this one, how cold can it get?.   That’s it for tonight.  See you at the market, jeff

    Get out your driving gear and come out to our farm this Sunday.  We’re having our annual Thanksgiving Open house and Farmer’s Market from 10am-4pm and I’ll be looking for you.  All of the info is in the post directly below this one.  We’re only 50 miles from Pleasantville and 65 miles from our 97th St. market.  We will be selling at both of our regular markets as well, so don’t worry about missing out completely if you can’t make it here on Sunday. 

     Since we sold the last of our crop of Yukon Gold potatoes, I have been trying to figure out a solution to the ‘Yukon mashed-on-Thanksgiving’ dilemma.  Each year, most of our customers buy Yukons for mashing and I have been dreading the day that I have to announce that I am ruining  Thanksgiving (only somewhat kidding, you’d be amazed how some people react when we run out of their favorite veggie).  Well, worry no more for me, I’ve found a solution.   Carola potatoes, which are creamy yellow like a Yukon, make wonderful mashed potatoes.  They take a little longer to cook, but whipped up just fine when I made them a few nights ago.  Another option would be to use the French Fingerling potatoes.  Simply boil and mash, skin and all.  The thin skins break up and blend in nicely. 

     In case you’re at a loss for Thanksgiving ideas, I’ll let you in on a few dishes that will be making it onto my table.  Sauteed kale is a must.  Saute curly kale with caramelized onions and toss into the still-warm oven until the rest of the meal is ready.  Kale can take the heat and not lose its taste and texture while it waits.  Another yearly addition is large pan of roasted shallots and  cipoline onions, although no pan I’ve used seems quite large enough.  There are never any leftover from this dish.  As for stuffing, I prefer it cooked outside of the bird, and made almost 50/50 bread and veggies.  Onions, parsnips, celery, celery root, carrot, and garlic are cooked in olive oil until just tender, then tossed with fresh herbs and bread.  I add a little stock if the veggies didn’t give off enough liquid to moisten the bread.  Spread in a baking dish and bake until crusty on top, about 45 minutes.   Those are the basics, but each year will have something different.  It usually depends on what veggies are available.  I’m thinking roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts might be a good addition this year. 

         I’m a bit surprised at the variety we are bringing to market this weekend.  Most years, by late November, we have had at least one night that the temps dropped below 20.  So far this year, we’ve only been down to 25 degrees.  It may not seem like much of a difference, but many frost/light freeze-hardy veggies give up completely when the temps drop to 20 degrees or below.  A big part of the equation is the weather before and after the coldest night.  If we have lots of warm weather before a freeze, most veggies will be damaged.  If we have many cool and cold nights, but not quite freezing, the plants become acclimated to the cold and seem to fare better.    This year is a good example of the latter.  We still have acres of produce that we are able to pick from, all of it still growing (very slowly).  Here’s a quick list of veggies that we are still picking fresh from the fields: broccoli, cauliflower, celery, celery root, parsnips, rutabaga, beets with greens (red and golden), parsley, Brussels sprouts, spinach, turnips, rainbow chard, Tuscan kale, curly kale, collard greens, savoy cabbage, green cabbage, tatsoi, bok choy, carrots, leeks, sunchokes (last of the season), and fresh herbs.  Many crops (potatoes, onions, squash, etc…) have been harvested and are sitting in boxes in our barn, ready to use when we need them.  Well, that’s about it for tonight.  See you at the market (and hopefully here on the farm), jeff

  All week, the Weather Channel assured me that we would have a decent weekend with temps in 50’s.  They said ‘no rain’ and, being the gullible farmer that I am, I believed them.  Ok, maybe I didn’t quite believe them, but was hoping.  Now  I have to accept that rain and wind is what the weathermen really meant when they said good weather for this weekend.  Good or bad weather, I’ll still be there, peddling my wares.  (If you hear about a large canopy being tossed about in the skies over Manhattan, check to see if there is a guy with muttonchops hanging from it.  I’ll try to wave).

    Rain or not, we have quite a nice selection this week: many types of greens, cabbage, radishes,  Brussels sprouts, arugula, potatoes, onions and more.  A few missing items this week however.  There are no herbs (thyme, rosemary, etc..) or sunchokes.  We spent two days this week planting garlic and weren’t able to get everything picked in time.  Wee should have more next week.

  Speaking of next week, get your Thanksgiving shopping list together soon.  Next weekend is you last chance to get our veggies for Thanksgiving.  We’ll be at 97th St on Friday, Pleasantville on Saturday, and we’re having our annual Open House/ Farmers market on Sunday, Nov 22nd.  We will have a full selection of our veggies and many other vendors to shop with as well.   Apples, cider, bread, pastries, wine, mushrooms, and more 10am-4pm inside our barn (across from 74 Celery Ave).  We won’t be attending the Wednesday market at 97th Street because I’m just too tired.  I need a break.  Speaking of which, I’m going to bed.  See you at the market, jeff