Who is Eating your Tomatoes?

On Friday two shareholders stopped me with questions about our tomatoes. One person noticed a giant green caterpillar in the cherry tomatoes, and the folks were having some trouble with theirs in their yard and wanted to compare notes. I mentioned that it seemed a fairly average year so far for tomatoes….which these days, means it’s not stellar. What I mean by that is it seems as though it is nearly impossible to avoid some sort of devastating tomato disease in this region. Our tomatoes at the farm this summer started very strong with individual harvests yielding approximately 800 lbs. After a few weeks though, they have quickly reached a plateau and now we are yielding closer to 100 lbs per harvest. In addition to the onslaught of typical tomato diseases (which shoes up as brown and yellow leaves and some sunken, soft spots on the tomatoes themselves), we are also under siege from some hungry caterpillars! Yellow Striped Army Worm (photo, below left)- this critter eats both the leaves and the fruit of tomatoes. It has become more of a problem in this are in the last few years, as it has been able to overwinter and survive the warmer winter months. Tomato Horn Worm (photo, below right)- Hornworms strip leaves from plants. If a heavy infestation develops, caterpillars also feed on fruit. They feed on the surface leaving large, open scars. Hornworm damage usually begins to occur in midsummer and continues throughout the remainder of the growing season. Hornworms are often controlled by parasitic wasps (Brachonid wasps). These parasitoids lay eggs into the hornworms where their larvae feed inside, and then pupate on the backs of the hornworms. These pupal cases are seen as white projections on the back of the hornworm. If parasitized hornworms are found on the crop, we leave the larva for the next generation of beneficial wasps to emerge.

Yellow Striped Army Worm

Tomato Horn Worm

Food for Thought: Eating in Season

Country folk and urbanites alike are invited to spend a fall evening communing with nature and discussing how to keep eating fresh and local and still be in sync with the Earth’s tilt toward

winter.

Join us in the pavilion at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Thursday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m.

This campfire conversation will challenge
assumptions about what’s fresh and local as fall approaches and the main summer growing season ends.

--Amanda Pfeiffer is a Philadelphia-based food writer and fermenter. Her blog, Phickle, is home to the sour
skinny about what’s up in the world of fermentation.
--Weavers Way Farms Manager Nina Berryman
--Ryan Kuck has been with Greensgrow Farms for seven years. He currently runs Greensgrow's Mobile Market and West Philadelphia operations. Greensgrow, considered a champion of successful urban farming, is based in Kensington and opened a new location this year in West Philadelphia.

And of course, there will be food. Enjoy wine and beer and an appetizer spread loaded with foods harvested and produced locally.

Tickets ($20) are available for purchase ateatinginseason.brownpapertickets.com. Weavers
Way, Henry Got Crops CSA shareholders and Schuylkill Center members get half off using the code MemberFall14

Philly Home Grown Music Festival

If you are sad you missed the music festival last weekend…there is no need to be! It was rescheduled due to some much needed rain on Saturday night.

Join us THIS Saturday the 20th instead! The Philadelphia Home Grown Festival is a free & family friendly live music! BYO
Chairs/blankets.

6:30-6:45 PM Welcome, HomeGrown Overview, Special Welcome from Nina

6:45-7:15 PM Dawnchasers -http://www.reverbnation.com/ dawnchasers 

7:20-7:50 PM The Skis -https://theskismusic. bandcamp.com/

7:55-8:25 PM Could've Been Kings -reverbnation.com/couldvebeenkings

8:30-9:25 PM The Molly Blooms-- http://www.facebook.com/?sk=welcome#!/themollyblooms

9:25-9:30 PM Thank You and Good Night

Spicy Eggplant and Cauliflower with Basil

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
kosher salt
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)
3 small or baby eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into wedges
1/2 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), broken into florets
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large

Directions:

Heat oven to 450º F.
In a large saucepan, combine the rice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 ¼ cups water and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer on low until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, ginger, oil, curry paste, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ cup water. Toss with the eggplants and cauliflower.
Transfer to a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the chickpeas during the last 5 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from oven and toss with the bean sprouts and basil. Place 1 cup of rice on each of 4 plates and top with some of the vegetables.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/spicy-eggplant-cauliflower-basil-10000000671391/index.html

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Crostini

Ingredients: 1 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and   coarsely chopped 2 Tbs. slivered almonds, toasted 3 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice Pinch of cayenne pepper Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 oz. goat cheese Instructions: Preheat an electric panini press according to the manufacturer's instructions. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly on both sides with the 1/4 cup olive oil. Working in batches, place the bread slices on the preheated panini press and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. While the crostini are still warm, rub the top of each one with 1 of the garlic cloves. Set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the red peppers, the remaining garlic clove, the almonds, cheese, 3 Tbs. of the parsley, the lemon juice, the 2 tsp. olive oil and the cayenne pepper. Pulse until a coarse puree forms. Season with salt and black pepper. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Place the crostini in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spread about 2 tsp. of the goat cheese on each crostini. Bake until the cheese is slightly soft and the crostini are warm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and top each with about 1 Tbs. of the red pepper pesto. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. parsley. Makes 24 crostini. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/roasted-red-pepper-pesto-crostini.html

Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup

Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/2 pound chouriço or linguiça (smoked Portuguese sausages) or kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 6 cups water 1 pound kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves very thinly sliced Preparation: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown sausage, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoon oil to fat in pot and cook onion and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring often, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add potatoes, water, and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Mash some potatoes into soup to thicken, then add kale and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in sausage and cook until just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Portuguese-Kale-and-Potato-Soup-356029

Welcome Back Saul Students and Teachers

Monday is the first day of school and we are thrilled to have the campus bustling with students and teachers again. Tara, our education coordinator, has been busy confirming the schedule of teachers who will be coming out to the farm with their classes on a weekly basis. As many new freshmen across the city of Philadelphia are adjusting to the new aspects of high school, Saul freshmen are being introduced to the unique opportunities available at Philadelphia’s only agricultural high school. Freshmen at Saul will be introduced to the life-long lessons behind respect and care for animals, the hard work and patience required to grow food, and the safety and problem solving skills involved in small machinery and landscaping. Welcome class of 2018!