News & Reviews
News and blog
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Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Farm News
Full-grown garlic plants prior to the harvest of the scapes (see the curlicues at the top) are pictured on the left. The farm crew is bringing in the garlic this week. This marks the first bulk harvest of the season. About 5000 garlic bulbs must be pulled from the ground. We clean the excess soil from the roots and bundle the plants in groups of ten. These bundles are loaded onto the truck for transport to the greenhouse. We then lay them out on wooden racks placed under the tables, to keep them out of the sun. The greenhouse is also covered with a shade cloth at this time. With all the ventilation fans on, the greenhouse is a warm and dry - an ideal place to cure the garlic. Once it is dry, we clip the bulbs from the tops. We store it in the barn to distribute weekly for the rest of the season. We grow enough garlic to plant our own seed again each fall. We sort out the largest bulbs to be planted as seed in mid-October.
ATTENTION: Please Note
*Flower-picking time is here. Please remember to bring your own scissors and a container to fill with water to transport them home. A pitcher with water is usually available on the side of the barn.
To order mushrooms for this week's pickup, contact Matt & Jesse at PrimordiaFarm@gmail.com. Give your name, amount, and day. $9/lb payable at pickup.
THE HARVEST
Carrots - first picking of the season. Fresh dug carrots are so crisp, sweet and earthy. A real treat from the garden.
Fresh Garlic - Fresh-dug garlic is quite tasty and a bit spicy. The papers surrounding the cloves are still moist because it has not been dried yet. You can store in a cool, dry place, like a cupboard or basket on the counter.
Red Beets - delicious sweet roots and tender cooking greens. This time of year, it is nice to peel, cube, and steam until tender or roast on the grill (in foil packet for juicer beets, or in grill basket for smokier flavor.) Beets are also delicious and beautiful grated raw in salads. The cooking greens can be used just like swiss chard. Enjoy!
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Summer Squash & Zucchini-still plentiful. Check out the recipes for zucchini pizza, zucchini brownies, and more below!
Salad mix - probably the last week for salad - enjoy!
Head lettuce - likely the last lettuce harvest until the fall. Lettuce does not like to grow in hot weather.
COMING SOON: Cherry tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers
UPICK: Snap peas are still going! Green beans are plentiful. Plus herbs & flowers - enjoy!
RECIPES
There are so many wonderful ways to eat summer squash and zucchini. I liked so many of the recipes on Martha Stewart's seasonal produce guide, that I decided to include the link to her guide. I could not pick just a few recipes! Check out this link for delicious ideas - Savory Parmesan Zucchini Bread, Summer squash and chicken lasagna, Zucchini Almond cake, Zucchini -Ricotta Spread, and more!
Also, on our Recipe page, are Sausage-stuffed Zucchini Boats, Baked Summer Squash (with bread crumbs, olive oil, and parmesan), and Zucchini Fritters.
Enjoy!
As always, if you need an idea for the produce in your share, check our Recipe Page! You can search by vegetable!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Animals are raised on pasture and fed grains that are locally and organically grown - this quality and flavor is hard to beat. Check out the new Sampler packages and Monthly specials from our friends at Ledamete Grass Farm!
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Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Farm News
The farm is looking quite green this year. We are experimenting with using cover crops as "living mulch" between our plasticulture beds. Pictured on the right are the young squash and zucchini plants (the next succession - not the plants we are currently harvesting) growing on the black plastic mulch, which warms the soil and conserves moisture. Between the rows we planted a grass mixture which helps to keep down weeds, prevent soil erosion, and also build soil fertility. A bonus for the farm crew - these grass paths make for easier picking after a heavy rain. Plus, we think it makes the farm even more beautiful!
ATTENTION: PLEASE NOTE!
*There will be NO PICKUP on Friday July 4th this week. Friday pickup is moved to Thursday July 3rd!
* Pizza, chicken, and cheese shares this week!
* Pastured meats monthly market this Thursday - online pre-orders and day of sales accepted. Watch for link in next email.
*MUSHROOM SPECIAL - 2 BAGS FOR $16 THIS WEEK!
To order mushrooms for this week's pickup, contact Matt & Jesse at PrimordiaFarm@gmail.com. Give your name, amount, and day. $9/lb payable at pickup.
THE HARVEST
Red Beets -
delicious sweet roots and tender cooking greens. This time of year, it is nice to peel, cube, and steam until tender or roasted on the grill (in foil packet for juicer beets, or in grill basket for smokier flavor.) Beets are also delicious and beautiful grated raw in salads. The cooking greens can be used just like swiss chard. Enjoy!
Cucumbers - first picking of the season - yeah!
Tomatoes - first fruits from the high tunnel - more to come!
Garlic Scapes - enjoy these tasty curlicues (as our son Lyle calls them) for another week or so, then fresh garlic will be in!
Summer Squash & Zucchini - Harvest is still plentiful. These plants are super-productive and huge! They are 5 feet apart in the rows, and there is barely room to walk between them!
Salad mix - Enjoy the last weeks of lettuce; the end is coming soon. As the heat increases, the lettuce stops growing.
Head lettuce
Kale or Swiss Chard
Possible choice items: turnips, radishes, scallions, broccoli
COMING SOON: Fresh garlic, more tomatoes, carrots,
green beans (Upick)
UPICK: Snap peas (last week), herbs
RECIPES
Don't compost those beet greens! They are quite similar to swiss chard and can be used interchangeably. Check out this recipe for Pasta with beet greens, blue cheese, and hazelnuts. It calls for 2 bunches of beet greens, but you can use one bunch of beet greens and one bunch of chard or kale.
Grilled beets is a wonderful way to enjoy this sweet root on a hot summer day.
Looking for a new way to use your garlic scapes? Try Garlic Scape Pesto or White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip.
The pasta and pesto recipes are new - but the other 2 are returning favorites. Just use the search box or scroll down the veggie list to find them!
Enjoy!
As always, if you need an idea for the produce in your share, check our Recipe Page! You can search by vegetable!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Check out the message below from Ledamete Grass Farm. Their pasture-raised meats are truly "a cut above the rest", as they are fed grains which are organically-raised and are GMO-free. See below for more information and to order . . .
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Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Farm News
Even though I witness it every spring, I am still amazed at the rate of growth the plants exhibit this time of year. These early tomatoes, growing in the high tunnel near the berries, are reaching toward the top of the house, and are loaded with green fruits. We are anxiously awaiting their ripening! This year most crops are coming in about 1 week behind average, due to the long, cold start to spring.
The snap peas grew about 1 foot in height last week. The field tomatoes are growing fast enough that they must be tied to their trellis weekly. The plants are soaking up the long days of sunlight, and responding by growing at amazing rates. When you are eating your vegetables this week, think of that sunlight. You are, in essence, eating the sunlight, processed by the plants.
ATTENTION: PLEASE NOTE!
*There will be NO PICKUP on Friday July 4th next week. Friday pickup is moved to Thursday July 3rd!
* ALL FINAL BALANCES ARE DUE THIS WEEK!
* We are seeking volunteers to switch to Friday pickup. Friday is still less busy than Tuesday, and if you are able to switch, please let us know. Thank you!
*To order mushrooms for this week's pickup, contact Matt & Jesse at PrimordiaFarm@gmail.com. Give your name, amount, and day. $9/lb payable at pickup.
REMINDER!! - The Upick garden functions on an honor system. We do not have the workforce necessary to constantly monitor members in the garden. We are relying on you to pick what is allowed on the board. Please be respectful of the amounts and remember that we are sharing the fruits of the UPick garden among all members equally. THANK YOU!
THE HARVEST
Garlic Scapes -Curly tops of garlic plants. Chop finely and saute like garlic. Also delicious (& pretty!) grilled or pickled whole.
Summer Squash & Zucchini -The fruiting of these plants is heavily influenced by the heat. So the amounts will fluctuate through the season based on the heat and humidity, as well as the age of the current planting. But the hotter it is, especially at night, the faster the zucchini and summer squash grow. Check out the picture of the baby zucchini growing from the pollinated flower above. Amazing, isn't it?
Scallions Slender young scallions. Chop entire stalk - greens & whites - finely for salads, topping for soups,& baked potatoes, salads, omelets, etc.
Salad mix or Head lettuce
Kale Wash leaves. Cut or strip out center rib. Check out the recipe section for Kale Chips and a new Kale salad.
Broccoli The start of the harvest from the second planting. The plants are producing medium-sized heads with varying maturity, so the amounts will be best for adding to salad, stir-fry, or roasted veggie mixtures for the grill.
Hakurei turnips This special Asian variety of turnip is quite mild and almost sweet. Very Versatile - eat it raw in salad or cooked! I love to roast it on the grill, in a grill basket or tin foil packet, seasoned with olive oil, salt, herbs and/or balsamic vinegar.
Red radishes Bright beautiful red radishes. Great for salad, sliced in sandwiches, etc.
COMING SOON: Cucumbers, Red beets,
UPICK:Snap peas, herbs
RECIPES
Check out this delicious and fun recipe for Zucchini Noodles, contributed by a long-time CSA member. Thanks Sara!
Also, a new Kale Salad recipe - called The Very Best Kale Salad, which can be a nice meal for a hot day, as it incorporates hard-boiled eggs and a baguette, tossed in the vinaigrette with the massaged kale.
One of my favorite (and my kids favorite!) ways to eat kale is Kale chips. Search for this recipe under the Kale heading on the side or in the search bar.
One of my old favorites to use the medley of spring vegetables is Spring Quiche. Search for this on our recipe page. This recipes uses a very simple crumb crust - no rolling out pie dough! It offers some great ideas on ways to combine the last bits of your share to make a delicious meal.
Enjoy!
As always, if you need an idea for the produce in your share, check our Recipe Page! You can search by vegetable!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Farm News
Our farm neighbors, the Burkholder family, are members of the Organic Valley Farm Cooperative, an organic dairy cooperative. They are opening their farm up to the public for a Discover Day, where local people can come and tour the farm to learn more about organic dairy! For more information, go to this link and click on the map to search for Serenity Acres in Kutztown PA. http://www.organicvalley.coop/who-is-your-farmer/farm-discovery/northeast/#19
James & Ida Burkholder also wanted us to let you all know that they have a small natural foods store - Natures Harvest Natural Foods- located on their farm. The Burkholder's farm is the next farm on Siegfriedale Rd., just west of The Rodale Institute.
ATTENTION: PLEASE NOTE!
*Cheese shares this week! Check off your name & get your bag from the share shelf in the cooler. Bread shares this week as well.
*To order Golden oyster mushrooms for this week's pickup, contact Matt & Jesse at PrimordiaFarm@gmail.com. Give your name, amount, and day. $9/lb payable at pickup.
*Please check the Balance Sheet in the barn. All final balances must be paid by June 30th.
THE HARVEST
Napa Cabbage - (Also called Chinese Cabbage) Tender, juicy cabbage with thin leaves. Excellent for slaw or stir-fry. Search for recipes under Chinese Cabbage.
Garlic Scapes -Curly tops of garlic plants. Chop finely and saute like garlic. Also delicious (& pretty!) grilled or pickled whole.
Asian Greens Mix - Tender, mild flavored mix. Can be mixed with lettuce or used alone as salad. Also can be wilted or cooked gently for pasta, quiche, stir-fry, etc.
Surrey Arugula -Wild-type arugula with more textured leaf and slighty nutty flavor. Enjoy in salads, sandwiches, spreads, etc. Search for arugula salad recipes and arugula pesto recipe on the website.
Summer Squash & Zucchini -Yeah! First fruits of the season. Since they come from a flower, technically squash and zucchini are fruits. See the picture to the right of a baby squash starting to grow.
Head lettuce Crunchy romaine
Scallions Slender young scallions. Chop entire stalk - greens & whites - finely for salads, topping for soups,& baked potatoes, salads, omelets, etc.
Salad mix Our special salad mix is cut from mini heads of multi-leaf (very dense) lettuces, for the best flavor, texture, crunch, and keeping quality!
Hakurei turnips This special Asian variety of turnip is quite mild and almost sweet. Very Versatile - eat it raw in salad or cooked! Search the Recipe page for Turnip Fries and Tempting Turnip Salad.
Red radishes Bright beautiful red radishes. Great for salad, sliced in sandwiches, or make radish dip (see recipe on website.)
COMING SOON: more Broccoli, Red beets,
UPICK:Snap peas, some berries, parsley
RECIPES
If you are looking for inspiration or a fresh idea for Napa Cabbage, check out this page: 8 Things to do with napa cabbage.
Although hakurei turnips are delicious in salad since they are so mild and crispy, I especially enjoy them roasted. Roast them and they become these sweet, juicy, tender treats. Here is a great recipe: Roasted Radishes, Hakurei turnips, and Scallions.
The surrey arugula in the share is a variety of wild-type arugula, which we are trialing this year. The flavor is more nutty and the texture is different too. We think it is quite tasty. Let us know how you like it. Check out this recipe: Wild arugula salad with garlic croutons, shaved parmesan, and lemon.
Enjoy!
As always, if you need an idea for the produce in your share, check our Recipe Page! You can search by vegetable!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
Farm News
We hope everyone enjoyed their first CSA pickup of the season! The shares will continue to be "mostly green" for June, but we will have some new items each week. Enjoy your salads and cooking greens this week!
We hope to have some berries for all to sample and pick soon, but it will not be as much as most years. We did increase the size of our planting from last year. However, as you will see when you walk through the patch, we had extensive winter damage to the plants, although they were covered and mulched for the winter. We suspect that voles were eating entire plants, roots and all, and this was possibly related to the extreme weather conditions. Nearly half of the holes in the plastic mulch where plants should be are empty. So we will not have the yields we anticipated from this patch.
The older patch of berries, nearer to the barn, has re-grown in a "wild" fashion, with smaller plants and berries. However, we expect they will be quite tasty small treats - like wild strawberries.
We are very disappointed that there will not be a lot of strawberries this year, but we do expect that everyone will get to have some from the farm. There is nothing that can compare to the flavor a vine-ripened strawberry, warm from the sun, eaten fresh from the plant while standing in the fields.
The plants which did come back from the winter in the new patch are beautiful and have many berries per plant, so we plan to plant this variety again in the fall, and hope for a better outcome next year.
NOTES
*Marguerite of Switchback Pizza Company will be at the barn this week with samples of their delicious wood-fired pizzas. She will be selling frozen pizzas as well as taking new sign-ups for the pizza share.
*The first Pastured Meats Market Day with Ledamete Grass Farm is this Friday, June 13th from 1-5pm- Order Online Through June 10th! April will be offering day-of-market sales as well!
*To order oyster mushrooms for this week's pickup, contact Matt & Jesse at PrimordiaFarm@gmail.com. Give your name, amount, and day. $9/lb payable at pickup.
*Please check the Balance Sheet in the barn. All final balances must be paid by June 30th.
THE HARVEST
Head lettuce Crunchy romaine or greenleaf heads
Scallions Slender young scallions. Chop entire stalk - greens & whites - finely for salads, topping for soups,& baked potatoes, salads, omelets, etc.
Spinach Delicious & versatile - great raw or cooked. However, to lessen oxalic acid content and improve digestability, cook spinach. Great in quiches, on pizza, in stir-fry, with pasta and garlic and feta, with toasted sesame oil and soba noodles, etc.
Salad mix Our special salad mix is cut from mini heads of multi-leaf (very dense) lettuces, for the best flavor, texture, crunch, and keeping quality!
Kale Wash leaves. Cut or strip out center rib. Stack leaves and chop in thin ribbons. Try cooking with olive oil, and adding a dash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt before serving.
Bok choy Separate leaves by cutting off stem and wash thoroughly. Chop stems and greens. Cook stems first, then add greens. Delicious sauteed with ginger and garlic, or added to broth-y soups such as Miso or Chicken noodle soup.
Hakurei turnips This special Asian variety of turnip is quite mild and almost sweet. Slice thinly for salad or stir-fry. Roast whole on the grill. Trim, wash, and saute the greens as well - delicious and very nutritious! I like to cook the greens with bacon for a southern style side dish.
Possibly French breakfast or red radish
es
COMING SOON: Napa cabbage (also called Chinese cabbage), Garlic scapes, Summer squash & Zucchini, more Broccoli
RECIPES
Have you heard of "massaged kale salad"? This delicious and simple salad can be adorned with any number of toppings, or even different dressings. But the basic method involved rubbing the kale with salt, lemon juice, and olive oil to sweeten and soften the leaves without cooking them. Check out this website for a great step-by-step decription. http://www.insonnetskitchen.com/how-to-make-massaged-kale-salad/
Although the greens are not the stars of the CSA, like the tomatoes, salad mix, and carrots, they are so tasty & nutritious. I like to be a "cheerleader" for these under-appreciated veggies. I believe that once the palate is adjusted/educated to enjoy the dark green goodness, which is so nourishing for the body, everyone can feast on them with joy!
Here are four "template" style recipes, that can be used with a combination of mixed greens, and can be altered to suit the ingredients you have on hand and/or your tastes: Abundant Savory Greens Tart, Green Soup, Green Soup with Ginger, and Greens Aux Gratin.
Enjoy!
As always, if you need an idea for the produce in your share, check our Recipe Page! You can search by vegetable!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
*We hope you enjoy the new monthly Pastured Meats Market from Ledamete Grass Farm! We will no longer carry Ledamete Grass Farm chicken and pork in the barn, so please plan your purchase to last you through the month!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm
First CSA Pickups This Week - Tuesday June 3rd and Friday June 6th! Hours are 1-7 pm. 
We are very excited about the start of the CSA season! This has been a cool spring, which is great for the greens and cabbage family crops, as they grow best under these conditions. You can see the beautiful heads of baby bok choy in this picture on the right.
June is the month of greens! Fresh spring greens are the perfect cleansing and nutritious food after the long winter. We will also have radishes, Hakurei turnips, broccoli, cabbage, and garlic scapes this month. The beets, zucchini, and summer squash usually come in towards the end of June.
THE HARVEST
Salad mix Our special salad mix is cut from mini heads of multi-leaf (very dense) lettuces, for the best flavor, texture, crunch, and keeping quality!
Kale Wash leaves. Cut or strip out center rib. Stack leaves and chop in thin ribbons. Saute with garlic and olive oil, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and serve.
Bok choy Separate leaves by cutting off stem and wash thoroughly. Chop stems and greens. Cook stems first, then add greens. Delicious sauteed with ginger and garlic, or added to broth-y soups such as Miso or Chicken noodle soup.
Asian spinach mix (braising greens)These greens are mild-flavored and wonderful to use in stir-fry, quiche, or pasta, or as a side dish of sauteed greens. Cook gently until just wilted, in butter, olive oil, or a bit of broth. Season to taste.
Hakurei turnips (pictured right)This special Asian 
variety of turnip is quite mild and almost sweet. Slice thinly for salad or stir-fry. Roast whole on the grill. Trim, wash, and saute the greens as well - delicious and very nutritious! I like to cook the greens with bacon for a southern style side dish.
French breakfast radishes Very tender radishes with a bit of spice. Their flavor will get spicier as the weather gets hotter.
Broccoli The first broccoli plants did not grow as tall as we had hoped before beginning fruiting, thus the heads are a bit smaller then normal. But this broccoli was put out the first week of April and endured heavy snow and ice as well as other weather extremes. We are happy it is bearing at all! The first picking is this week - should be more to come!
RECIPES
Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy is a simple, yet tasty dish. Serve it as a side dish or add tofu/meat/seafood serve over rice or noodles for a meal.
Radish & Turnip Greens with Balsamic & Provolone is a great inspiration on how to cook the tender tops of the radishes and turnips. This creamy dish makes a great light meal with some good bread.
Kale & Carmelized Onion Pizza. Do I need to say more? So delicious!
As always, if you need an idea for the produce in your share, check our Recipe Page! You can search by vegetable!
NOTES
*To order oyster mushrooms for this week's pickup, contact Matt & Jesse at PrimordiaFarm@gmail.com. Give your name, amount, and day. $9/lb payable at pickup.
*The first Pastured Meats Market Day with Ledamete Grass Farm is Friday, June 13th from 1-5pm- Order Online Through June 10th!
*Breads from the Daily Loaf will be available for purchase and to sample this week. You can still sign up for bread shares, which will be pro-rated and start next week. Check out the Bread Table in the barn for more info!
*Please check the Balance Sheet in the barn. All final balances must be paid by June 30th.
*Cheese shares and chicken shares this week! Please check off your name on the appropriate sign-in sheet and retrieve your shares from the cooler or freezer. Please ask if you need help!
Your farmers,
John and Aimee Good
Quiet Creek Farm