2013 Photo Contest Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered our photo contest this year. Here are the results:

 John Pfaff is the winner this season with a total of 23 likes on Facebook!

Found in the Stony Hill cabbage patch! 7 month old Alex, son of Betsy and Erich Regber of Long Valley, is happy to be part of the CSA program. His first vegetable was Stony Hill's green beans. CSA members (and grandparents) are John and Beth Pfaff of Chester.

A special thank you to all other participants. We love hearing about your experience and welcome any photos you would like to send our way!

 "Thank you for all the wonderful food you provide. I never buy at the supermarket anymore!"-Jonathan McKune

 Omelette with plum tomatoes, onion, and red leaf lettuce- Tanya Meronk

"We love kale chips!"-Teresa Jandziol

November 14 & 16 CSA Update

Good Morning CSA Members,

Here is an update on your shares for this week.

Your apples are:

 Granny Smith: very tart with a crisp skin. Great for cooking or baking.

Melrose: Crispy, sweet-tart and juicy.

Sun Crisp: Tender, sweet apple. It doesn't have a long shelf life so enjoy this one first :)

Full shares members are receiving delicata squash. It is a cross between a sweet potato and a butternut squash. Prepare the same as any winter squash but you do not need to cook it quite as long as its flesh is much more tender.  The flesh is also edible!

Thank You from Chester Food Pantry

Here on the farm we hate to see anything to waste. Last year, Stony Hill Farms teamed up with Chester Food Pantry to donate any shares that were left at the end of each CSA pick-up day to families in need.

You as members have been incredibly generous with you gifts of fresh produce to families that would otherwise go without.

Here is a message from the Chester Food Pantry to our CSA Members:

Dear Stony Hill CSA Member,

 

I would like to, once again, thank the members of the Stony Hill CSA for their generous support of the Chester Food Pantry this season.  I hope that the knowledge that your CSA’s did not go to waste but, instead, were used to help those in need is something that is meaningful to you.  You have no idea how precious that fresh produce is to the people that the Chester Food Pantry assists.  This year we were able to distribute close to 200 boxes to very appreciative families in Chester and Mendham.  Many times the doors would fly open as we approached the homes and young children would tear open the boxes.   Several people shared that they were able to make things for themselves and their families that they never would have been able to if not for the CSA. 

 

We take for granted the fresh produce that we are able to obtain and we don’t always realize how important it is to those that cannot afford it especially the seniors and children.  Thank you for helping us to make our neighbors’ lives a little easier.

Apple & Raisin Stuffed Acorn Squash

 Ingredients

• 1 Acorn Squash (halved and seeded)
• 2 Tbsp, Butter
• 1 Granny Smith Apple (seeded and chopped)
• 1/4 cup, Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp, Pumpkin Spice
• 1/2 cup, Raisins

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash onto a baking pan cut side down. Fill the baking pan with 1/4 inch of water.
   Note: it is easier to make the finished squash sit up straight if you cut a flat spot on the back of each half.
2. Bake the squash in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Drain off any remaining water in the baking sheet and turn squash cut side up.
3. While the squash is baking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the apple in the butter about 15 minutes. Stir the raisins, brown sugar, and Pumpkin spice into the mixture.
4. Fill the acorn squash with the apple mixture. Return the squash to the oven and bake until the filling is hot (about 15 minutes).

Recipe from:Savings Lifestyle

Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• Salt
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup beef stock or water

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Rub the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and pierce each one a few times with a sharp fork. Wrap them in aluminum foil and bake until tender, about an hour.
2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and a couple pinches of salt and brown, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon and turn the heat down to medium-low.
3. Add the onion and carrot to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the stock or water and a couple more pinches of salt and raise the heat under the pan to bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer very gently, stirring every once in a while, until the mixture is thick but still a bit saucy, 10 to 15 minutes. Add more salt if necessary, and set this aside to cool a little while you finish the potatoes.
6. When the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and turn the oven temperature up to 425 degrees. Carefully unwrap the foil and slit the potatoes down the middle, Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, putting it into a heatproof bowl. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil until you have a smooth, silky mash. Add salt to taste.
7. Transfer the meat to the buttered baking dish, smoothing the top. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the top, using a spatula to gently work it out to the edges of the dish and cover all of the meat.
8. Dot the top of the potatoes with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set the dish on a baking sheet with high sides to catch any spillover. Bake the shepherds pie until it is heated through, and the top begins to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. (You can use the broiler at the end to get a little more color on the potatoes if you'd like.) Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe from: Yahoo Shine

Carrots with Lemon Butter & Dill

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound carrots, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the melted butter, lemon juice, dill, salt, and  pepper in a large bowl. Add the carrots to the butter mixture and toss gently to coat. Place the carrots in a preheated large sauté pan. Sauté until tender-crisp. Serve warm.

November 14 & 16 CSA Boxes (FINAL WEEK)

Good Afternoon CSA Members,

Can you believe we are at the end of our season already? We cannot believe how quickly this season has gone by. 

We have a great mix of fall crops for you this week as your final share box.

HALF SHARE
2	onions
2 heads	garlic
5	sweet potatoes
2	acorn squash
3	suncrisp apples
3	crimson crisp apples
3	melrose apples
3	granny smith apples
head	lettuce
bunch	dill

FULL SHARE
2	onions
4 heads	garlic
5	sweet potatoes
2	acorn squash
5	suncrisp apples
5	crimson crisp apples
5	melrose apples
5	granny smith apples
2 heads	lettuce
bunch	dill
bag	baby spinach
1	delicata squash

My family and I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this season such a success! Each of our family members that met you do distribute your shares had a wonderful time seeing you and chatting each week about your experience with our CSA program.  You all have given us so much inspiration, appreciation and motivation to grow and improve our program in the seasons to come. Thank you so much for the kind words and for taking the time to ask questions about where your food comes from. Farming is a tough industry, no doubt about it, but with your help and support we are able to become more successful in our efforts to grow (pun intended) our family business.

Have a great winter everyone. We are wishing you all a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year. We will see you again in June.