Upcoming Events

  • Sunday, November 10th, 9 AM - Bird Watching at the Farm: Join other bird enthusiasts as we wind our way around the farm identifying as many birds as possible. Carly and Ariela will lead the tour. $10 per person. All proceeds go to the Audubon Society. Limit 15 persons. Sign up at the farm stand.
  • Saturday, December 7th, any time between 12 and 2 PM - Wreath Making: Join us in holiday wreath making. We provide the core wreath, natural decor (branches, berries, leaves etc.), and ribbon. You supply the creativity. Sign-up at the farm. $25/wreath.
  • Saturday, December 14th, Baking with Glo - Glo Weeden will lead you in making dough and fillings for both savory and dessert holiday empanadas. You'll go home with recipes and the empanadas made in class. To sign up and receive complete details, email Glo. Cost is $30 per person.

Happenings at the Farm

I wish I could send smell through the internet because the basil pictured above is so fragrant, I can almost taste the leaves! If you read my last post, you may remember that smell is actually an important component of taste. One entire set of sensory cells signals the taste sensation to the part of the brain that takes in smell. The brain them combines the taste sensation with another set of signals that have come from sensory cells in the nose. The combined neural messages are our perception of a unique flavor or taste. In the case of basil, the little cilia that capture "smell" proteins must be fluttering away because there are quite a few essential oil molecules being released from the plant! The two primary oils are estragole - also found in tarragon and fennel and used in perfumes - which has an anise aroma and linalool which releases a sweet, floral fragrance. Interestingly, linalool is added as a scent to many cleaning products! The next layer of scents, somewhat dependent on the variety of basil, comes from eucalyptol which is minty and cooling, citral with a lemony, fresh scent, eugenol which has a clove-spice aroma, and methyl cinnamate which is a combination of strawberry and cinnamon scents. Wow that's a lot of olfactory sensations! Lucky for us our noses can distinguish more than a trillion - yes, you read that right - a trillion different odors! All these oil molecules are sensible to us because they evaporate easily at room temperature, but they also disappear rapidly in the cooking process, so add them at the very end of cooking, usually off-heat, and then lean down and savor the aroma!


New veggies are still springing up here at the farm! Sunchokes were unearthed late last week. Also know as Jerusalem artichokes, these are sunflower tubers that have a nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Great roasted or braised, they are also often used in soups. Farmer Ariela gave the go-ahead on beginning the Brussels sprout harvest. Woohoo! We'll have just the beginnings tomorrow at the stand. Celery root is also making its annual debut tomorrow. Marvelous in soups and stews, celery root is also a great addition to mashed potatoes. A new crop of those wonderful Romano green beans is in. These green beans have amazing flavor and a meaty, but tender, texture. Steam them a little longer than you would the Blue Lake green beans. The forecast is calling for some chilly nights so stock up now on those delicate herbs, especially basil. Did you notice the knobby, lime-yellow fruit that came in last week? Quince! Quince has a floral, pear-like flavor but with a bit of tartness. Best cooked before being eaten, it pairs really well with apples, and you can find plenty of apple-quince tart recipes online. Below I leave you a simple baked quince recipe to get you hooked on this beautifully-flavored fruit! You'll also find Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons along with pomegranates at the stand tomorrow! Mello Gold grapefruit is back as are Murcott mandarins. Berries, apples and pears will still be on the fruit shelves! Can't wait to see everyone!


-Eileen

Inside the Harvest Bag


Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Harvest Bag

all for $20

____


Carrots

Red Cornitos Peppers

Radishes

Baby Broccoli

Onions

Red Butterhead Lettuce

Kale

Basil (see recipes)

Cirone Farms' Apples


Vendors


VENDORS THIS TUESDAY



  • Little Red Hen Bread
  • Brannum Family Farms Microgreens


Bee Wench Farm: chicken and pork - Order online for pickup at the stand



Old Creek Ranch: beef - Order online, pickup at Old Creek Ranch. Order now for October 29th delivery at the farm stand.

The Farm Stand Table should have...


Grown on our farm using organic practices and no pesticides:


celery root | sunchokes | Brussels sprouts | radishes | Romano green beans

acorn squash, orange 'Sunshine' kabocha squash, delicata squash, spaghetti squash

purple, white, and orange-flesh sweet potatoes

jalapenos | cornitos sweet peppers | lunchbox peppers | poblano peppers

jicama | eggplant | mustard greens | collard greens

tomatillos | tomatoes | raspberries | blackberries | red and yellow onions

shishito peppers | zucchini | strawberries | baby broccoli

fennel | green and red cabbage | rainbow chard | carrots | endive | bok choy

white and colorful cauliflower | salad mix | arugula | spinach | broccoli

red and green salanova lettuce | red butter lettuce | romaine lettuce

dandelion greens | kale | gold, pink and red beets | leeks

potatoes--halcyon gold, sierra gold, red and yellow fingerlings

flat-leaf parsley | rosemary | tarragon | dill | thyme | basil

chervil | chives | cilantro | sage | mint | chicken eggs (limited)

dry kidney, peruano and pinto beans

marigold, dahlia, and sunflower flower bunches

____________________


From our partner growers using pesticide-free and/or organic practice


quince!

pomegranates | apples | red and green d'Anjou pears | pineapple guava

murcott mandarins | Valencia oranges | Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons

Encino gold mandarins | mello gold grapefruit | Hass avocados

Medjool dates | local honey | duck eggs | Gilroy garlic

stone-milled flours | almond brittle | sage bundles

bee pollen | Bread Bike granola | essential oils and hydrosols

vegetable and herb starts from Growing Grounds Farm


Recipes

Baked Quinces


Ingredients

  • 4 quinces
  • 8 teaspoons butter
  • 8 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 8 teaspoons honey


Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
  • Wash the quinces to remove any fluffy hair that might cover them.
  • Use a sharp knife to cut them in half, then core each half.
  • Add one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon/cube of butter to each quince half.
  • Arrange the halves on a roasting tray, add a cup of water to the tray to help soften them during baking.
  • Bake for 45 minutes or until tender, but still holding their shape.
  • Serve with your favorite ice cream or a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or star anise.



Thanks to https://www.mygorgeousrecipes.com

Salad Pasta

Anna Stockwell


Ingredients

  • 1 tin of anchovies
  • 1 whole head of garlic, sliced thin
  • Red pepper flakes, crushed, to taste
  • 1 pound of pasta
  • 1/2 bunch arugula
  • 1/2 head of radicchio, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • lemon juice from one lemon
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves
  • 2-3 Tablespoons butter


Directions

  1. First up: I get a pot of salted water on the stove, cover it, and bring it to a boil. As soon as it's boiling, I start cooking the pasta according to the cooking directions on the box.
  2. While the pasta water is coming to a boil and that pasta is cooking, I start my quick pasta sauce by stirring together anchovies, sliced garlic, and some crushed red pepper flakes in a cold skillet with half a cup of olive oil.
  3. As the mixture cooks, I stir my sauce often to encourage the anchovy fillets to dissolve a bit. And because I love to multi-task, I juice my lemon and prep my radicchio leaves and basil, too.
  4. When it's time to drain the pasta, be sure to save your pasta cooking water—it's the magic ingredient that turns pasta sauce creamy and silky.
  5. As soon as the garlic is lightly browned and the anchovies are melted, I turn off the stove, add the cooked pasta, some pasta cooking water, lemon juice, and cold butter to help emulsify the sauce, and I stir until the sauce is thick and glossy.
  6. I want the hearty radicchio to wilt and warm a bit, but I don't want that to happen to the tender baby arugula and basil. So I dump it all (right away!) over my prepped radicchio in a large bowl, and toss to coat. Then I put the arugula and basil on top and lift from the bottom to serve each serving. That way, the arugula and basil are sauced without wilting too much.


Adapted from epicurious.com

Click here to purchase an eGift Certificate to Halcyon Farms.

Stand Hours


OPEN RAIN/SHINE, YEAR ROUND

(may close for high winds or flooding)

Tuesdays & Fridays: noon to 5 pm

Saturdays: 10 am to 3 pm


FARM STAND LOCATION:

1075 "The Pike" in Arroyo Grande.

We are located on the south side of The Pike,

between Halcyon Road and Elm Street.

write an email to us at

halcyonfarmsag@gmail.com

Grab and Go Harvest Bags


AVAILABLE TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS ONLY


NO RESERVATION OR SUBSCRIPTION NECESSARY. $20 per bag.


We have a wooden lean-to set up adjacent to our parking lot with the Harvest Bags and a white mail box where you can put your payment ($20/ bag). We accept cash, checks, and Venmo at the table. Or, you can come into the farm stand to pay by EBT or credit card.

Halcyon Farms | 1075 The Pike in Arroyo Grande | www.halcyonfarmsag.com