Farmstand Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday
9am - 7pm
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Produce
this week 
For Distribution: Mustard, Carrots, Tomatoes (last week), Beets (hurray!), Cilantro, Dill, Arugula, Peppers, Potatoes, Eggplant, Hot Peppers, Celeriac, Garlic, Onions (lots)
Pick Your Own:
Thyme, Basil, Parsley & Oregano in the front field, next to the farmstand. Cherry Tomatoes and Ground Cherries in Plains Meadow.
Purslane - unlimited!
Flower Share:
18 stems
(unlimited weeds)
Other Produce Available for Purchase |
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Upcoming Events
Friday, October 3rd Stargazing at the Farm. Meet at the Farmstand at 6:30. All ages welcome. "Cloud date", Oct. 10th. Please sign up by calling the farm office at 978-468-3720. $5 per person.
See detailed description, below.
Saturday, October 4th, Noon - 3pm Operation Troop Support at Green Meadows Farm. Families with a relative currently deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan or veterans who have served there and their families are invited to be Green Meadows Farm's guests for refreshments, farm activities, and
entertainment by Dan Clark, "The Singing Trooper".
RSVP to our farm office: (978) 468-3720.
Saturday, October 18th 11am - 3pm
Harvest Festival
We'll have great music from Back Eddy Bluegrass plus excellent food, fresh baked goods and of course, organic produce. Hayrides, pony rides and the Farm's animals will entertain the kids, along with children's activities. Admission is free!
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Stars of Early Fall 
Join local amateur astronomers on Friday, October 3rd for an evening of Family Astronomy under the dark skies of Green Meadow Farm. Learn some of the season's most prominent constellations including Cygnus, Lyra, Delphinus and more, before they leave us for the winter months. Explore our closest celestial neighbor, the Moon. Does it always look the same? Find Jupiter, King of the Planets, which appears now as a very bright, cream-colored star to the south. Using a telescope view closer, Jupiter and its four largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. From the Moon to the constellations, the universe is yours to discover! Bring a telescope or binoculars if you have them. If you have a telescope but aren't sure how to use it, we'll show you. Sky maps and other handouts provided. Dress for a cool fall evening. Sign up is required. Please call the Farm at 978-468-3720 to register. "Cloud" Date: October 10. $5 per person.
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| Farmer Andrew's Update
Hope to see you at the stargazing event on Friday night. Rain/Cloud date is October 10th. Unless we get a hard frost, bring bug spray.
This is the last week for tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and ground cherries. As in past years, we will open them up to unlimited picking. Remember, you are welcome to come do your pick-your-own when it is not your normal pick-up day. If you really want to do some saucing, I recommend you come early in the week.
We're holding CSA sign up for the 2009 season now. Current CSA members have until Oct 31st to hand in their forms and deposit. Meat shares are being offered first to current meat share members, then to existing CSA members before we open them to the public. In a few weeks, we will also have our winter share sign up forms available.
For those looking for a naturally raised or organic turkey, we will be buying in turkeys again this year. The turkeys we're buying in are free range, and you have a choice between organic and natural. Both are hormone and antibiotic free. Natural turkeys will be $4.49 per pound and the organic turkeys are $5.69 per pound. They are available in the following size ranges: 8 - 12 lbs, 12 - 16 lbs, 16 - 20 lbs, 20 - 24 lbs and 25+ pounds. Sign up at the farmstand. The order deadline is October 14th. |
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Crew Spotlight: Mary "Ramsey" Snell
 Ramsey joined the crew about a month ago. She graduated from Gordon college with a degree in Kinesiology and currently coaches girls soccer at Lexington Christian Academy (where she went to high school). She is a part time field crew member and works weekends in the farmstand. Her favorite thing about working on the farm is to see things go from the ground to the farmstand in a sustainable way. She says she feels great about working here. In the future, Ramsey plans to go back to school to become a physicians assistant.When she's not farming, Ramsey likes to go running, hang out with friends, play sports, and lead hiking trips. Her favorite vegetable is Japanese eggplant. |
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Mustard Greens
 From the website Worlds Healthiest Foods: Spunky and soulful describe the taste of mustard greens that add a pungent, peppery flavor to recipes in which they are featured. Mustard greens are the leaves of the mustard plant, Brassica juncea. In addition to providing wonderfully nutritious greens, this plant also produces the acrid-tasting brown seeds that are used to make Dijon mustard.
History
Mustard greens originated in the Himalayan region of India and have been grown and consumed for more than 5,000 years. Mustard greens are a notable vegetable in many different cuisines, ranging from Chinese to Southern American. Like turnip greens, they may have become an integral part of Southern cuisine during the times of slavery, serving as a substitute for the greens that were an essential part of Western African diets. While India, Nepal, China and Japan are among the leading producers of mustard greens, a significant amount of mustard greens are grown in the United States.
Nutrition
Mustard greens are jam-packed with nutrients. They provide good to excellent amounts of 9 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. They also feature the health-promoting phytonutrients known as glucosinolates. One of the unique features of mustard greens is that they are an excellent source of three notable antioxidants: vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin A (through their concentration of beta-carotene). Beta-carotene and vitamin E exert their protective actions against free radicals in the lipid-soluble areas of the body, while vitamin C balances out the job by working in the body's water-soluble environment. By providing antioxidant protection in both the water and fat-soluble areas of the body, mustard greens may offer great benefit to individuals with conditions ranging from asthma to heart disease to menopausal symptoms, just to name a few.
How to Enjoy Mustard Greens
Young mustard greens make great additions to salads. Serve sautéed mustard greens with walnuts and lemon juice. Adding chopped mustard greens to a pasta salad gives it a little kick. One of our favorite combinations is chopped tomatoes, pine nuts, goat cheese, pasta and mustard greens tossed with a little olive oil. For a simple meal with a southern flair, serve cooked mustard greens with beans and rice.
Diana's Recipe for Pasta with Mustard Greens with Bacon:
Boil a pound of spaghetti. Cook eight slices of bacon by heating the oven to 325 degrees and placing on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, for about 25 minutes or until done. In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add 1/2 chopped onion and saute until translucent. Add chopped mustard greens and about three cloves of garlic, minced. Sauté for another five minutes or so, then add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Toss pasta with mustard greens mixture and crumbled bacon. Top with grated parmesan cheese, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Kale, Chard and other greens work equally well. Vermont Smoke and Cure Bacon (available in our freezer) is our first choice for flavor.
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Chickens at the Farmstand
The laying hens have been very busy lately, and we have lots of eggs!  We've processed another round of meat chickens this week. There are still a few folks left on the sign up sheet who need to pick up their chickens. This is on a first come, first served basis, as we only have 40 chickens to distribute this week. Next year, we are only offering chickens for retail sale (no sign up), so everyone will have an opportunity to try them. Between now and December, we will be distributing approximately 400 chickens, so hopefully those who want one will have one. We are also getting a new shipment of "Free Bird" chickens on Friday. We love the quality and price of these naturally raised chickens and many customers have asked for them. Amy, our farm chef, will be making her famous chicken liver pate from our chickens, so please look for this in our cooler. The "Big Bad Rooster Soup" was a big hit last week, and we'll be bringing that back soon. |
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Farmstand Products
 We love Natural By Nature Brown Sugar Whipped Cream. It's made with organic cream, organic cane sugar and organic vanilla. You can really taste the brown sugar, which makes it the perfect addition to any fall dessert, like pumpkin pie or apple crisp. We think it's terrific in coffee or hot chocolate. It's also wonderful plain, all by itself! It's located near our milk products.
Another dairy product we love is Boggy Meadow Fiddlehead Tomme made in Walpole, NH. It is made from raw milk and cave-aged for six months to create a rich semi-hard cheese. The cheese is similar to a Tomme de Savoie from the Haute-Savoie region on the Swiss border. Find it in our cooler, near our other cheeses. Everyone who tries it, loves it.
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