Dearest Customers,
We would like to once again extend our warm thanks to you for your support for this season. The end comes with mixed blessings. We are exhausted, however we are sad to see the box packing end. This fall has brought many wonderful opportunities and we are eager to finish out the season with fun and productivity. I am posting this blog a bit early this week because on Saturday we will be at the West Reading Fall Festival. We (Sam , Michelle and I) will be working the kids area and pumpkin decorating. Please come out and visit us 1pm till 6pm on South 6th street. It will be a great way to meet all of you that we have not yet met. We are always eager to give back to our community and share the beauty of nature with children.
We are also teaming up with The Food Trust, whom is starting a nutrition program in Reading elementary schools. We will be providing yummy veggies for the children to learn about food, nutrition and local veggies.
And we will be at the West Reading Farmer's Market every Sunday until November 9th if you are missing the food. We will still be harvesting for the store each week. Hartz Natural Foods located on the farm is open Monday thru Friday 9 am till 6pm and Saturday 9am till 3pm. Come to the store and peek behind to see the garden.
If you are missing the fruit, the Frecon store on 562 is open through the week and offering "Pick Your Own" on weekends. What a great way to see where your food comes from.
Also, look for our soap in Berks County Living's Gift Guide this fall.
Thank you so much for taking the time to fill out the questionnaire. We hope it was not too damaged in the delivery this week.
This is the last week to order the things you wanted all season. Thank you all for ordering and we hope to see you next season. Stay posted in the spring for our Open House and "Meet the Farmer" event.
Here is the list for Wednesday September 24th: Leeks, Celeriac, Tomatoes (Paste, Garden Peach, Martian, Cherokee, Striped German, & Green Zebra), Carrots, Turnips, Spinach, Collards, Mustard Greens, Arugula, Beets, Scallions, Eggplant (Turkish Orange, Italian, Oriental), Flowers, Swiss Chard, Lettuce (Green Romaine), Salad Mix, Baby Bok Choi, Baby Cabbage, Broccoli Raab ( limited quantities), & Butternut Squash.
Thank you again.
Pictured: Paul Hartz cultivating the garden (and the blue, blue sky); Italian Eggplant, Baby Cabbages.

Our harvest list for September 17th includes: Kale (Dino & Curly or Winter), Salad Mix, Arugula, Tomatoes (Glacier, Striped German, Garden Peach, Martian, Cherokee Purple, & Green Zebra), Carrots, Hakurei Turnips (Japanese Salad type), Spinach, Radishes, Basil (Lemon, Thai, Cinnamon, Italian), Mustard Greens, Baby Bok Choi, Beets, Scallions, Broccoli Raab (Leafy type), Fresh Cut Flowers, Eggplant (Turkish Orange, Italian, Oriental (limited quantities)), Leeks (limited quantities), Celeriac, Collards, Swiss Chard, Lettuce (Green Romaine), Flat leaf Parsley, Sage, Oregano, Anise Hyssop, Mexican Tarragon, & Winter Squash (Butternut & Delicata). Fruit this week will be Nectarines, Pears, & Gala Apples.
This is the second to last delivery. We will be including a Questionaire as well as a self addressed stamped envelope. We hope that you will take the time to give us your feedback to improve our services. Also, if you have any wax boxes around your house we would love to have them back. Reusing the boxes really cuts down on our costs. We thank you all for your cooperation and support. Have a great week.

Another recipe donated by my mom: She has been making this recipe and using as many different veggies as possible. She tops it with different fruit salsas (peach, melon, tomatillo and traditional tomato)
Spicy Corn Fritters (adopted from http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/005275spicy_corn_fritters.php)
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander (try fresh cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups corn kernels (cut from 3 large ears of corn)
4 large scallions, sliced
Grapeseed, Canola, Peanut or Coconut oil for frying
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander and cumin in a medium bowl. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, and cilantro. Stir until just combined.
Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot, spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of fritter batter into pan to make one fritter, pat down with back of spoon. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to absorb the oil. Makes approx 16 fritters. Enjoy.

I apologize that I have not been as diligent with the blogs. It has just been very busy recently with all of the harvest. It is hard to complain about having so many vegetables to pick and clean and eat. Hooray for eating. I have been cooking up a storm. My husband told me the other day that I was "on a roll". I immediately responded with "aren't I always on a roll." Ha Ha. During the hours of weeding I spend dreaming of dinner and the possibilities. The vegetables are my blank canvas because I am not much of a painter. And it is so wonderful to be able to share the artwork with others. It enriches their mouthes and their bellies. Pies, I am inspired by the fruits. Peach pies, Raspberry Kanten pies. Butter crusts, Graham Cracker crusts. Ummmm.
And with the veggies: Tomato soup, Nut Terrine, Eggplant Raviolis, Corn Fritters. I am so thankful for summer.
As things are beginning to slow at the farm we are able to catch up with the weeds, finish our planting, and plan for the fall. We are wrapping our brains around finishing our walk-in cooler and building our greenhouse. No small feat but we are so excited, it is like spring all over again. (I am not ready for it to end).
Pictured above: Scallions, Celeriac, and Scarlett our pet Garden Orb Spider. As you can see Scarlett is also reaping the benefits of a healthy summer garden. A "gentle" spider, she is not only beautiful she is helpful at the same time. We look forward to seeing her new webs every morning.
As for some cooking ideas:
Celeriac (AKA Celery Root)
It is actually the cultivated root of celery. Bred for the root and not the stalk. Although, the stalk is edible it will not give you the same celery flavor and texture when eaten raw. Used in soups however, it will add a nice mild celery flavor. Which is similarly said for Celeriac. This root will store (without greens) for up to 6 months. It is amazing to have a fresh celery taste (not from California) in December for soup. My favorite Celeriac preparation is to peel it, (it should always be peeled the outer skin is very tough), slice very thin, place in a roasting pan with onions, salt, pepper, and butter. Bake at 400 degrees until tender (about 25 minutes). Or for an even better treat bake for 45 minutes until crispy (Celery chips).
Celeriac is wonderful added to potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes.
Celeriac is also wonderful when eaten raw. Shredded with carrots, and apples this makes a wonderful salad. You won't need to add dressing but it is nice with a bit of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. This recipe is always a big hit at potlucks.

Have a great cooking week and please feel free to share your own culinary artworks with us.

Dear Customers,
The list for the week of September 10th is as follows: Green Romaine Lettuce, Celeriac (Celery Root), Fresh Cut Flowers, Tomatoes (Garden Peach, Martian, Striped German, Cherokee, Glacier, Green Zebra, Paste), Carrots, Hot Peppers, Beans (Green), Broccoli Raab (leafy type), Radishes, Salad Mix, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Arugula, Collards, Baby Boc Choi, Pac Choi, Red Beets, Scallions (real Scallions), Swiss Chard, Parsley (Curly & Flat), Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, Cinnamon), Winter Squash (Hokkaido, Buttercup, Butternut, & Delicata). Fruit will be a choice of: Nectarines, Gala Apples, Red Raspberries (limited quantities), & Pears.
Including this week there are only 2 full share deliveries left (fruit only 2 weeks). On September 24th we will be delivering a 1/2 box to make up for the 1/2 box on the first week of delivery. It is hard to believe we are finishing up. We will be very sad to be ending the CSA for this season but look forward to gearing up for a longer season next year. We will be at the West Reading Farmer's Market until the first Sunday in November. We will be selling in our store (Hartz Natural Foods) until the ground freezes and the crops cease to produce. We thank you all very much for your support and participation. Have a great weekend.