Appleton Farms Blog: Week 7: An Abundant Harvest

As we wait for tomatoes to ripen, summer is in full swing with fields a patchwork of green and harvests an abundance to enjoy. The sunflowers poked their happy faces out this week at the crest of our pick your own field and bring joy to us each time we pass by them. There’s a beautiful cover crop of buckwheat at our Underhill field, which is in full bloom and a haven for honey bees and pollinators of all kinds. The first round of fall broccoli and cauliflower went out this week it will surely enjoy the rain and cooler weather. In the bustle of summer, one can’t help but to pause and enjoy all the beauty!

This week the share will include:

Mixed greens
Radishes
Head lettuce
Rainbow chard
Beets
Carrots
Fresh onions
Cucumbers
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Eggplant
Cabbage
PYO herbs
PYO flowers
PYO sunflowers

Despite our best efforts to keep a good stash of scissors for the pick your own field, every week many go missing. We encourage you to bring your own scissors if you plan on picking.
As a reminder, our hours for pickup have changed to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12:30-6:30PM. We are also open for pick your own on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon. Shareholders are free to pick up their share any day that best suits their schedule, and do not need to commit to the same day each week. Additionally, shareholders do not need to tell us which day they will be picking up.

Vegetable of the week!

Beets are a member of the goosefoot family, along with crops like swiss chard and spinach. The taproot is beloved for it’s brilliant color and sweet taste. There is a great variety of shapes and colors, including red, golden and candystripped. Beetroot is high in fiber, folate, and manganese. It’s often used as a red food colorant.

Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients: beets, ½ cup parsley, ¼ olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Put whole beets in a baking pan with a couple splashes of water, cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until beets are easily pierced with a knife. Peel beets and cut in quarters. Whisk together vinegar and oil, add beets and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Beet Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 medium beet (you'll need 1/2 cup puréed)
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola or coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 heaping Tbsp flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder + more for topping
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 375, Wrap beet in foil, drizzle on a bit of oil, roast for one hour or until tender. Once cool, remove skin and either grate or puree beet, measure out 1/2 cup. Use rest for beet hummus or beet burgers! Line a muffin pan or grease a cake pan. Whisk milk, sugar, oil, vanilla and beets- beat until foamy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and slowly add to wet ingredients. Pour smooth batter into liners or pan, 3/4 full, and bake 22 to 25 minutes for muffins, longer for cake, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely, dust with cocoa powder or frost and enjoy!

Farm Store News

The store has Appleton milk from our own cows. Try whole, low-fat, or cream top. Cream top is whole milk that is not homogenized -- most people shake it hard before serving. Please remember to bring back your glass bottles!

We also have Appleton cheeses -- 2 hard and 2 soft varieties -- as well as an ever-changing selection of cheeses, meat products (from the farm), and gifts. You can also sign up for Farm events, right at the store!

Farm Programs & Events

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Wee Farmers

Tuesday, July 24
Appleton Farms
Hamilton and Ipswich | North Shore

Family Fun, Farms & Food

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Wee Farmers

Thursday, July 26
Appleton Farms
Hamilton and Ipswich | North Shore

Family Fun, Farms & Food

Friday, July 27, 2018

Appleton's Friday Farm Dinner with CHIVE Events

Friday, July 27
Appleton Farms
Hamilton and Ipswich | North Shore

Family Fun, Farms & Food