Farm Share Management 101

Course Syllabus:

• What on Earth is Kohlrabi?
• No, you really won't eat all of that.
• When to compost your good intentions.
• Eating, freezing, canning, oh my!
• Why it is worth all the trouble.

I won't lie to you all, my most loyal friends. I have just spent over 4 hours managing my farm share bounty. One thing lead to another, travelling, guests and general spacing out has lead to an overflow of produce.

I don't know if I told you we get our share from The Farm School which is an amazing place. They teach the next generation of farmers the ins and outs of organic farming. To say that I have been impressed with their products is an understatement. The first time I opened the box I almost cried at the beauty of it all. Each week is a culinary adventure that I must explore. It had made me a much better cook because it is sink or swim. Kohlrabi? Get cracking. Collards, channel your inner Southerner and y'all start eatin'. Most have been hits...some not so perfect. I know that broccoli rabe must be washed and washed or else you will have a grit pasta when added to a most perfect tagliatelle. Oops.

So it had been a totally new experience to eat totally upon the season. We had strawberries only one week, but cabbage has been a constant. Now is the season for summer squashes of all variety. So far this year I have had about 15! Farm share plus gardener friend! FYI: You can also get farm grown at 7 Acres Farm. Now I really needed to do something with this. I made the most delicious zucchini bread. My first!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs (from 7 Acres Farm)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2-3 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon zested
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Crunchy Crust (optional but really good)

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt, nuts and lemon zest. Stir into egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.

If adding crunchy crust, mix ingredients together really well and crumble on top of the batter prior to baking. (It is very messy getting the loaves out of the pans with the topping. I just did it over the sink.)

Bake for 60-70 minutes or, until done.


I realized there would be not a chance to eat the remaining 11 so I blanched and froze them. Zucchini I shredded and blanched in pre-measured zucchini bread amounts, and the summer squash I chopped, blanched and froze first on a cookie sheet and then transferred to a zip lock.

I had to also tackle beets, turnips and peas. I pressure cooked the beets (20 minutes on high pressure) and made a beautiful beets salad with fresh peas. This is a favorite family staple and it really is quite delicious. I made for the very first time mashed turnips. Why I have never eaten this before is beyond me. I love it! I am eating these 2 dished for dinner tonight and freezing the rest.


So that wraps us today's catch up. Now I have salad greens, carrots, collards, kale and cabbage to contend with until our next share is picked up on Tuesday. I think I can do it. My fridge is looking tidier than it has in weeks and my kitchen no longer looks as if a raccoon ransacked a produce stand.

It must be said that I do have some losses each week. It seems I cannot keep up with some of the salad greens. I do feel guilty about not eating them all, but at least I know that some good can come out of my bad. Compost! We bought our bin from the town, just go to town hall to the public works office, pay and pick up at the garage. We love ours and use it everyday. I am simply amazed that it is not required for all households. If I put all my vegetable/fruit scraps into plastic and put it into the land fill (which I have to admit,I did all my life until last year)...eeeks so much from just our family. Here are the remains just from today's catch-up:

So would I do a farm share again..you bet. Perhaps I may share our share with another family until my little guy gets older and can do his share of the eating. You all can try the seasonal eating without a farm share. Just pop by the Reading Farmers Market by the train station on Tuesdays in the afternoon until 7 p.m. Pick something you wouldn't normally try and go for it! Here's a look at tonight's dinner for inspiration, all local. Pan seared scallops (Twin Seafood) atop mashed turnips with beet and pea salad. I know you can't taste it, but if you were Willy Wonka's Mike TV you would be hooked! Yummmm!