Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter January 4, 2010

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Happy New Year from the Griggstown Quail Farm & Market! The holiday season is over and the winter has put our produce fields to rest, but we are still stocked with some great veggies from New Jersey and Northeast farms, and, as always, our all-natural, free-range poultry. Try our hearty boneless turkey breast or our Griggstown Chicken Sausage…simply delicious!

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

  • Acorn Squash
  • Butternut Squash
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
  • Red & Yellow Onions
  • Red Bliss Potatoes
  • Russet Potatoes
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Shallots

Herbs:

  • Parsley
  • Thyme
  • Winter Savory


Feature of the Week: Griggstown Farm Market Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program

Griggstown Quail Farm & Market is proud to announce the 2nd season of our new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program designed to offer our valued customers fresh, local, naturally-grown produce at an affordable cost. At each pick-up throughout the season, shareholders receive a seasonal assortment of fresh vegetables & herbs. This product offering will provide a well-rounded supply of groceries for shareholders to take home and enjoy with their family and friends. Additionally, CSA participation insures the shareholder will save dramatically on the retail price of store-bought organic or conventionally grown produce.

How It Works:
Each week, each in-season crop is harvested from our CSA plot and divided amongst the participating shareholders. Throughout the growing season (June thru October), shareholders stop by our farm to pick up their share of the weekly harvest. Shares average 10-20 lbs. of produce per week. Typically, the shares start out with cold-hardy crops at the beginning of the spring, swell as the summer’s bounty matures, and return to the spring offerings in the fall before the fields are put to rest for the winter. We encourage our shareholders to embrace the seasonality of New Jersey agriculture and remain open-minded to our changing availability.

What Does It Cost?

$600 – Full Share / $350 – Half Share
Includes: A broad range of seasonal vegetables and herbs grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers
Share Size: Our full share generally supplements the produce needs of a family of four, or two adult vegetarians. Our half share is suitable for two adults. Full and Half shares may each be “split shared” to accommodate two (or more) participating families or individuals.

When Will It Happen?

Shareholders may pick-up the weekly harvest on Thursday and Friday from 12-6 pm throughout the 20-week season. Shares may also be boxed and put aside for weekend pick-up. We anticipate an early June start date and a late October end date. Pick-up location is at our farm, located at 986 Canal Rd. at the corner of Bunker Hill Rd. in Princeton, NJ.

For more information, please email produce(at)griggstownquailfarm.com or call the market at (908)359-5218.

Recipes:

Griggstown Italian Chicken Sausage & Potato Soup

Stuffed Griggstown Turkey Breast with Cider Gravy

Leeks with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter December 15, 2009

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

There’s still time to order one of our wonderful poultry options for the holiday season. Try one of our gourmet geese, delicious ducks, or terrific turkeys. Oven-ready options are available! Place your order over the phone or stop in our Market.

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

• Acorn Squash
• Griggstown Broccoli – freshly harvested every morning throughout the week!
• Easter Egg Radishes
• Butternut Squash
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Griggstown Spicy Mesclun Mix & Winter Mix
• Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
• Red & Yellow Onions
• Red Bliss Potatoes
• Russet Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Shallots
• Swiss Chard

Herbs:

• Parsley
• Thyme
• Winter Savory

Poultry of the Week: Muscovy Duck

The Muscovy Duck has been domesticated for centuries, and is widely traded as “Barbary duck”. Muscovy breeds are popular because they have stronger-tasting meat – sometimes compared to roasted beef – than the usual domestic ducks which are descendants of the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). The meat is lean when compared to the fatty meat of mallard-derived ducks, its leanness and tenderness being often compared to veal. Muscovy ducks are also less noisy, and sometimes marketed as a “quackless” duck; even though they are not completely silent, they don’t actually quack. The carcass of a Muscovy Duck is also much heavier than most other domestic ducks, which makes it ideal for the dinner table.

This non-migratory species normally inhabits forested swamps, lakes, streams and nearby grassland, and often roosts in trees at night. The Muscovy Duck’s diet consists of plant material obtained by grazing or dabbling in shallow water, with some small vertebrates and insects. This is a somewhat aggressive duck; males often fight over food, territory or mates. The females fight with each other less often. Some adults will peck at the ducklings if they are eating at the same food source.

Muscovy Ducks had been domesticated by various Native American cultures in the New World when Columbus arrived. The first few were brought to Europe by the European explorers at least by the 1500s.

The term “Muscovy” means “from the Moscow region”, but these ducks are neither native there nor were they introduced there before they became known in Western Europe. It is not quite clear how the term came about; it very likely originated between 1550 and 1600, but did not become widespread until somewhat later.

In one suggestion, it has been claimed that the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands traded these ducks to Europe occasionally after 1550[6]; this chartered company became eventually known as the Muscovy Company or “Muscovite Company” so the ducks might thus have come to be called “Muscovite Ducks” or “Muscovy Ducks” in keeping with the common practice of attaching the importer’s name to the products they sold[6]. But while the Muscovite Company initiated vigorous trade with Russia, they hardly, if at all, traded produce from the Americas; thus they are unlikely to have traded C. moschata to a significant extent.

Finally, John Ray clears up much of the misunderstanding by providing a contemporary explanation for the bird’s etymology:

“In English, it is called The Muscovy-Duck, though this is not transferred from Muscovia [the New Latin name of Muscovy], but from the rather strong musk odour it exudes.”

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovy_Duck)

Recipes:

Lavender Honey-Glazed Roast Duck
Duck a l’Orange
Molasses-Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast with Cornbread-Venison Sausage Dressing

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter December 3, 2009

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Make it a Griggstown Christmas! Place your orders now for Christmas pick-up of our gourmet goose, delicious duck, or terrific turkey. Oven-ready options are available! Place your order over the phone or stop in our Market.

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

• Acorn Squash
• Easter Egg Radishes
• Butternut Squash
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Griggstown Spicy Mesclun Mix & Winter Mix
• Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
• Red & Yellow Onions
• Red Bliss Potatoes
• Russet Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Shallots
• Swiss Chard
• Yellow Squash

Herbs:

• Parsley
• Thyme
• Winter Savory

Poultry of the Week: Griggstown Goose

Domestic geese (Anser anser domesticus or Anser cygnoides) are domesticated Grey geese (either Greylag geese or Swan geese) kept as poultry for their meat, eggs, and down feathers since ancient times. In Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the Greylag Goose Anser anser. In eastern Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the Swan Goose Anser cygnoides; these are now known as Chinese geese. Both have been widely introduced in more recent times, and modern flocks in both areas (and elsewhere, such as Australia and North America) may consist of either species, and/or hybrids between them. Chinese geese may be readily distinguished from European geese by the large knob at the base of the bill, though hybrids may exhibit every degree of variation between them.

The domestication, as Charles Darwin remarks in The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, is of very ancient date, with archaeological evidence for domesticated geese in Egypt 5,000 years ago. They are much larger, and they have been selected for that larger size, with domesticated breeds weighing up to 10 kg, compared to the maximum of 3.5 kg for wild Swan Goose and 4.1 kg for wild Greylag Goose. This affects their body structure; whereas wild geese have a horizontal posture and slim rear end, domesticated geese lay down large fat deposits toward the tail end, giving a fat rear and forcing the bird into a more upright posture. This also completely prevents flight, though geese will run and flap their wings when startled, and may get a foot or so in the air momentarily. Geese have proved resistant to intensive rearing methods, and they remain to be an expensive luxury compared to other poultry like the chicken and domesticated turkey. Geese produce large edible eggs, weighing 120-170 g.[2] They can be used in cooking just like chicken’s eggs, though they have proportionally more yolk, and this cooks to a slightly denser consistency. The taste is much the same as that of a chicken egg.

A goose can be roasted as a whole bird, but its size tends to preclude this except for banquets and other festive meals (such as at Christmas). Goosemeat contains much more fat than turkeys or chickens – at least 500 ml (around one pint) of fat may be rendered from an average-sized goose during cooking. One liter is not unusual for larger birds. The Cantonese barbecue features roast goose over a charcoal spit with a “tuned” crispy skin. Roast goose is a traditional Christmas food in Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland and the UK.

Most of the fat is concentrated in the skin, and the meat itself is very lean, rather like duck.

Goose fat is often separated and stored for use on its own. It can be used as a substitute for butter, although the flavor can be slightly “gamey”. Potatoes cooked in this fat are highly regarded by some. The fat keeps well in the refrigerator. Goose schmaltz is very popular in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, and the overfeeding of geese to produce this schmaltz is widely considered to be the origin of foie gras in modern Europe. Goose can also be prepared as confit, and the fat used to preserve the meat.

When Aphrodite first came ashore she was welcomed by the Charites (Roman “Graces”), whose chariot was drawn by geese. The geese in the temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill were said by Livy to have saved Rome from the Gauls around 390 BC when they were disturbed in a night attack. The story may be an attempt to explain the origin of the sacred flock of geese at Rome.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_goose)

Recipes:
Roasted Holiday Goose Breast and Braised Legs with Cassis Sauce
Gala Goose
Risotto of Goose Giblets

Sold Out of 2009 Red Bourbons!

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Griggstown Quail Farm & Market has sold out of Red Bourbons for Thanksgiving 2009. Everyone that has ordered a Red Bourbon will receive one. For those of you who still haven’t ordered your Griggstown All-Natural, Free-Range Turkey for 2009, hurry soon! We still have plenty of White Broad-Breasted, but they’re moving fast!

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter November 11, 2009

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

• Acorn Squash
• Apples (Cortland, Empire, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Winesap)
• Griggstown D’Avignon French Breakfast Radishes
• Butternut Squash
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Griggstown Leeks
• Griggstown Spicy Mesclun Mix
• Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
• Red & Yellow Onions
• Red Bliss Potatoes
• Russet Potatoes
• Baby Griggstown Scallions
• Sweet Potatoes
• Shallots
• Swiss Chard
• Yellow Squash

Decorative:

• Gourds
• Indian Corn
• Corn Stalks

Herbs:

• Parsley
• Thyme
• Sage
• Oregano
• Dill
• Cilantro

Poultry of the Week: Griggstown Chicken

The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food, consuming both their meat and their eggs.

Conventional wisdom has held that the chicken was domesticated in India, but recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was already under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago. From India the domesticated fowl made its way to the Persianized kingdom of Lydia in western Asia Minor, domestic fowl were imported to Greece by the fifth century BCE. Fowl had been known in Egypt since the 18th Dynasty, with the “bird that lays every day” having come to Egypt from the land between Syria and Shinar, Babylonia, according to the annals of Tutmose III.

The chicken is believed to have descended from both the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) and the Grey Junglefowl (G. sonneratii), though hybrids of both wild types usually tend to be sterile. Recent genetic work has revealed that the genotype for yellow skin present in the domestic fowl is not present in what is otherwise its closest kin, the Red Junglefowl. It is most likely that the yellow skin trait in domestic birds originated in the Grey Junglefowl.

Before the development of modern commercial meat breeds (cows, chickens, etc.) broilers consisted mostly of young male chickens (cockerels) which were culled from farm flocks. The males were slaughtered for meat and the females (pullets) were kept for egg production. Compared to today, this made chicken meat scarce and expensive compared to eggs, and chicken was a luxury meat. The development of special broiler breeds decoupled the supply of broilers from the demand for eggs. This, along with advances in nutrition and incubation that allowed broilers to be raised year-round, allowed chicken to become a low-cost meat.

Recipes:

Chicken & Tarragon
Chicken Provencal with Grilled Vegetables
Crisp Oven Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter November 4, 2009

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Griggstown Thanksgiving:
Don’t forget to place your orders now for our all-natural, free-range White Broad-Breasted or Heritage Red Bourbon Turkeys. Please remember to place all orders for our delicious side dishes by November 18th. Orders may be placed on-line, over the phone, or in-person at our Griggstown Farm Market location. Turkeys are available for pick-up in Bernardsville NJ, Headhouse Market in Philadelphia, Flemington NJ, and of course, our very-own Griggstown Farm Market in Princeton NJ.

In-Store Seasonal Produce:
• Acorn Squash
• Apples (Cortland, Empire, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Winesap)
• Baby D’Avignon Radishes
• Butternut Squash
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Griggstown Spicy Mesclun Mix
• Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
• Red & Yellow Onions
• Red Bliss Potatoes
• Russet Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Shallots
• Swiss Chard
• Yellow Squash

Decorative:
• Mums
• Pumpkins
• Gourds
• Indian Corn
• Corn Stalks

Herbs:
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Sage
• Oregano
• Dill
• Cilantro

Poultry of the Week: Griggstown Quail

The Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix, is a small bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is widespread and is found in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa with several subspecies recognized. They are also bred and kept as poultry in some parts of the world both for eggs and meat. It is a small (17 cm) rotund bird, essentially streaked brown with a white eyestripe, and, in the male, a black chin. As befits its migratory nature, it has long wings, unlike the typically short-winged gamebirds. This is a terrestrial species, feeding on seeds and insects on the ground. It is notoriously difficult to see, keeping hidden in crops, and reluctant to fly, preferring to creep away instead. Even when flushed, it keeps low and soon drops back into cover. Often the only indication of its presence is the distinctive “wet-my-lips” repetitive song of the male. The call is uttered mostly in the mornings, evenings and sometimes at night. It is a strongly migratory bird, unlike most gamebirds. Upon attaining an age of 6–8 weeks, this quail breeds on open arable farmland and grassland across most of Europe and Asia, laying 6-18 eggs in a ground nest. The eggs take from 16–18 days to hatch.

The Common Quail was previously much favoured in French cooking, but quail for the table are now more likely to be domesticated Japanese Quail. The Japanese Quail, Coturnix japonica, is a species of quail found in East Asia. They are a migratory species, breeding in Manchuria, southeastern Siberia, and northern Japan, and wintering in the south of Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and southern China. They dwell in grasslands and cultivated fields. The plumage of the Japanese Quail is a speckled yellow-brown, with a creamy white strip above the eye. Adults are approximately 20 centimeters in length. The species is abundant across most of its range. The Japanese quail is used mainly for table and egg production, and is a good dual purpose bird. The Japanese Quail is the type of quail raised at the Griggstown Quail Farm.

The Common Quail is also part of Maltese cuisine and Portuguese cuisine, as well as in Indian cuisine such as a bhuna. Quails are commonly eaten complete with the bones, since these are easily chewed and the small size of the bird makes it inconvenient to remove them. Quail eggs are considered a delicacy. They are sometimes used raw in sushi and often found in Japanese Bento lunches. In Colombia, quail eggs are less exotic than in many other countries, and a single hard-boiled quail egg is a common topping on hot dogs and hamburgers, often fixed into place with a toothpick. In the Philippines, kwek-kwek is a popular street food delicacy, which consists of soft-boiled quail eggs dipped in orange-colored batter before being skewered and deep-fried.

from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Quail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quails_in_cookery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Quail

Recipes:

Grecian Quail
Greek-Style Quail Salad
Pomegranate-Mint Marinated Quail with Figs, Arugula, & Crispy Potato Croutons
Quail with Portobello Mushrooms
Butternut Squash Soup from “The Asylum” Restaurant in Jerome, AZ

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter October 28, 2009

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

  • Acorn Squash
  • Apples (Cortland, Empire, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Winesap)
  • Baby D’Avignon Radishes
  • Butternut Squash
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Leeks
  • Mesclun Mix
  • Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
  • Red & Yellow Onions
  • Red Bliss Potatoes
  • Russet Potatoes
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Shallots
  • Swiss Chard
  • Yellow Squash

Decorative:

  • Mums
  • Pumpkins
  • Gourds
  • Indian Corn
  • Corn Stalks

Herbs:

  • Parsley
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Oregano
  • Dill
  • Cilantro

Poultry of the Week: Griggstown Pheasant

The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), is a bird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae). It is native to Asia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe (where it is naturalized), it is simply known as the “pheasant”.  It is a well-known gamebird, among those of more than regional importance perhaps the most widespread and ancient one in the whole world.

The Common Pheasant is one of the world’s most hunted birds; it has been introduced for that purpose to many regions, and is also common on game farms where it is commercially bred. Ring-necked Pheasants in particular are commonly bred and were introduced to many parts of the world; the game farm stock, though no distinct breeds have been developed yet, can be considered semi-domesticated. The Ring-necked Pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota, one of only three US state birds that is not a species native to the United States.

Common Pheasants are native to Asia, their original range extending from between the Black and Caspian Seas to Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, Mainland China and Taiwan. The birds are found in woodland, farmland, scrub and wetlands.  In its natural habitat the Common Pheasant lives in grassland near water with small copses of trees. Extensively cleared farmland is marginal habitat that cannot maintain self-sustaining populations for long.  While Common Pheasants are able short-distance fliers, they prefer to run. If startled however, they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed, with a distinctive “whirring” wing sound and often giving “kok kok kok” calls to alert conspecifics. Their flight speed is only 43-61 kilometres per hour (27 to 38 mph) when cruising but when chased they can fly up to 90 kilometres per hour (60 mph).  Common Pheasants feed solely on the ground but roost in sheltered trees at night. They eat a wide variety of animal and vegetable type-food, like fruit, seeds and leaves as well as a wide range of invertebrates, with small vertebrates like snakes, lizards, small mammals and birds occasionally taken.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Pheasant)

It’s Almost Halloween!

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe’en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sau-an), which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly “summer’s end”.  A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf). The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”, and is sometimes regarded as the “Celtic New Year”.

The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honored and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off.  It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm.  In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.  Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores.

The Origin of Jack-o’-lantern:

The name jack-o’-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America where pumpkins are both readily available and much larger- making them easier to carve than turnips. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their doorstep after dark. The American tradition of carving pumpkins preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 1800s.Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel or taffy apples are a common Halloween treat made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween)

Recipes:

Old-Fashioned Candied Apples

Caramel Apples

Homemade Candy Corn

Roast Wild Scottish Pheasant with Swiss Chard and Wild Mushrooms With Sweet Potato-Vanilla Purée

Skewered Pheasant Breast Rolled with Three-Seed Mustard and Sage

Jack Daniel’s Pheasant Braised under Cabbage

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter October 22, 2009

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

Apples
Fennel
Garlic
Leeks
Leaf & Romaine Lettuce Mix
Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
Red & Yellow Onions
Russet Potatoes
Red Bliss Potatoes
Shallots
Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Yellow Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Poultry of the Week: Broad Breasted White TurkeyBroad Breasted White Turkeys Close-Up

The Broad Breasted White is commercially the most widely-used breed of domesticated turkey.

The modern domesticated turkey is descended from one of six subspecies of Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo, ancient Mesoamericans having chosen to domesticate this taxon. The Aztecs domesticated the turkey (Mexican Spanish guajolote, from Nahuatl huexolotl) and used it as a major source of protein (meat and eggs), and also employed its feathers extensively for decorative purposes, as did many other Mesoamerican cultures. The turkey was associated with their trickster god Tezcatlipoca, perhaps because of its humorous behavior.  There is also evidence that it is possible the Hopi Indians may have domesticated the turkey even before the Aztecs.

Turkeys were taken to Europe by the Spanish who had found them as a favorite domesticated animal among the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican peoples. After being introduced to Europe many distinct turkey breeds were developed (e.g. Spanish Black, Royal Palm). Turkey was one of the many game species hunted by early American colonists and is thought to have been served at the first Thanksgiving, although there is little evidence to support this claim. In the early 20th century, many advances were made in the breeding of turkeys resulting in varieties such as the Beltsville Small White.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_turkey)

Announcements:

Griggstown Farm Market is Hiring!

Griggstown Farm Market is seeking someone with retail, small-business, or farmer’s market experience to join our Farm Market team.  Work would include all aspects of in-store business, from customer service to product management.  Computer skills are a plus! Please contact chef@griggstownquailfarm.com or service@griggstownquailfarm.com for more information, or to submit a resume.

Recipes:

Turkey Avocado Wrap

Apple-Rosemary Roasted Turkey

Vegetable Wild Rice

Griggstown CSA Waiting List

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

If you are interested in information regarding our 2010 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) season, please email produce@griggstownquailfarm.com and ask to be added to our waiting list.  Announcements for 2010 sign-up will start shortly, first for our 2009 members and then opening up to our waiting list and general public afterwards.  Thank you to our 2009 shareholders for an exceptionally supportive first year!  We hope you enjoyed the season.

Griggstown Farm Market Newsletter October 14, 2009

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Griggstown Thanksgiving:

You may now reserve your Thanksgiving turkeys, gravies, soups and sides online through our website.

Place your order online and earn a chance to win your Griggstown Thanksgiving for free!  Simply enter the promo code ‘PRINCETON’ (all caps) when checking out.

In-Store Seasonal Produce:

  • Apples
  • Eggplant
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Leeks
  • Mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake)
  • Red & Yellow Onions
  • Peppers, Variety (Green, Purple, & White Bell, Italian Fryers, Red Cayenne, Jalapeno, & Habanero)
  • Russet Potatoes
  • Red Bliss Potatoes
  • Shallots
  • Butternut Squash
  • Yellow Squash
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Swiss Chard
  • Tomatillos
  • Tomatoes
  • Zucchini

Decorative:

  • Mums
  • Pumpkins
  • Gourds
  • Indian Corn
  • Corn Stalks
  • Fresh Cut Flowers

Herbs:

  • Parsley
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Oregano
  • Dill
  • Cilantro

New Section- Poultry of the Week – Heritage Breed Red Bourbon Turkey

The Bourbon Red is a breed of domestic turkey named for its unique reddish plumage and for Bourbon County, Kentucky. Mature Bourbon Red toms weigh 33 pounds (15 kilos), and mature hens weigh 18 pounds (8.2 kilos). Bourbon Reds slaughtered at market weight are 16 pounds (7.25 kilos) in toms and 10 pounds (4.5 kilos) in hens. The breed’s feathers are a dark chestnut base color, with white tails and flight feathers.

In the past, the breed has alternatively been called Kentucky Reds and Bourbon Butternuts. The bird originated in Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the late 1800s, and was created by crossing Buff, Standard Bronze, and White Holland turkeys. It was first recognized as turkey variety by the American Poultry Association in 1909.

It was selectively bred for utility traits as a meat bird, and was an important variety in the turkey industry throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Like most turkey breeds, it declined after this point with the commercial adoption of the Broad Breasted White. Populations began to recover in the early 21st century, and today it is one of the most popular heritage turkey breeds in the U.S. Despite its relative popularity as a heritage breed, it is still listed as “watch” by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, entailing that there are fewer than 5,000 breeding birds in the States. The Bourbon Red is also included in Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste, a catalog of heritage American foods in danger of extinction.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_Red)

Announcements:

Griggstown Farm Market is Hiring!

Griggstown Farm Market is seeking someone with retail, small-business, or farmer’s market experience to join our Farm Market team.  Work would include all aspects of in-store business, from customer service to product management.  Computer skills are a plus! Please contact chef@griggstownquailfarm.com or service@griggstownquailfarm.com for more information, or to submit a resume.

Recipes:

Griggstown Chef Matthew’s Overstuffed Thanksgiving Wraps

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Thai Turkey Satay