That said, I’ve hedged my bets a little more this year against reality. In the past, I’ve purchased seeds based primarily on how good the veggies looked in the catalog and what I had helped grow on Blackberry Meadows Farm when Mandy and I interned there for a season. A lot of these were heirloom varieties that delivered amazing flavor when conditions were right, but were also extremely sensitive to weather and water fluctuations, blights and bugs. After being hit hard last year by the cucumber beetle and a mild, wet late summer (lousy for tomatoes), I made the conscious decision this year to seek out hardy, high-yielding varieties that have been time-tested against the very pests that pestered me the most last season.

One that I’m very excited about is the Diva cucumber from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. My cucumbers succumbed quickly last season to a bacterial wilt spread by the cucumber beetle. The Diva variety is not only a highly attractive, thin-skinned cuke with few seeds, but it’s parthenogenetic, meaning it can bear fruit without pollination. In the past, I would have to remove the protective row cover from my cucumber plants when they began to flower so the bees could do their business. Unfortunately, this also left my cukes naked to the ravaging cucumber beetles. With Diva, I can grow the plants all season under protective cover. At least that’s the January dream!

At the end of each season I send out an online survey to CSA members asking what worked and what didn’t. I pay particular attention to the crops that were favorites, those that flopped and what members would like to see (and eat) more of. In this year’s suggestions, I hear more lettuce, more onions, more potatoes, some traditional pumpkins, and fewer spicy peppers. I also made the executive decision to drop kohlrabi. It’s a beautiful and bizarre looking plant that’s relatively easy to grow, but I felt very limited as to what I could do with it in the kitchen, and I feel like most members agree. I’m also doubling down on a few of last year’s biggest successes: sweet corn and watermelon. While I daydream of hot-buttered summer corn, peruse the full seed order list for this year and have some garden fantasies of your own.

The Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh paid Manchester-Farms a great honor by choosing its iconic farmhouse and 18th century outbuildings as the latest additions to the famous Miniature Railroad & Village installation. Patty Rogers is the artist/curator in charge of the miniature railroad and I had the pleasure of meeting her at the farm while she was taking photos. Her recreation of the farmhouse is ridiculously detailed and accurate, right down to the real stones she cut for the foundation. Like and idiot, I forgot my camera when we visited a few weeks ago, but I found some pics from other visitors:

A pie that will make dessert jealous

Our friend Kara introduced us to the simple magic of the tomato pie. There are lots of recipes out there, but they all share some key ingredients: fresh-picked, super-ripe tomatoes, basil or other fresh herbs, mayonnaise, cheese and a pie crust. Mandy made an arse-whooping version the other night with a homemade pie crust (lard-based for extra authenticity), but the frozen kind works just as well. To keep the pie from turning out watery, salt the tomato slices liberally and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes to drain before layering them in the pie. We like to keep our pie simple, layering heirloom tomato slices with whole basil leaves and topping with a mixture of a cup of shredded mozzarella and maybe a half cup of mayo. Here are some other versions from the interwebs:

• Heirloom Tomato Pie (Food Network)
• Tomato Pie (Paula Deen)
• Tomato and Cheddar Pie (Bon Appétit)

2 large leeks

5-7 new potatoes

3 TB butter

4 celery ribs

(optional: chopped greens like kale or chard)

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock

salt and pepper

parsley or finely chopped celery leaves

1. Remove darkest green ends from leeks. Slice the leek down the middle from top to bottom and rinse under cold water to remove dirt from between the layers. Chop the white and light green parts of leek into thin discs.
2. Heat a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the chopped leeks. Stir frequently for 10 minutes, until leeks are super soft, but not browned. Lower the heat if necessary.
3. Finely chop the celery, and slice the potatoes into thick chunks. Add them both to the pot, stir a couple of times and put a lid on the pot to allow the celery and potatoes to sweat for a minute.
4. Add the stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to the simmer and partially cover the pot with a lid. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fall-apart tender. If you’re using the greens, add them 5 minutes before the soup is done.
5. Use an immersion blender, a regular blender or a food processor to blend up the soup, which should have a relatively thick, creamy consistency. If it’s too thick, add more stock or water.
6. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley or celery leaf tops.

Straight from the pot

Freshly dug new potatoes are a bona fide delicacy. Here are three ways to quickly prepare the egg-size morsels included in this week’s CSA share:

Quick-Boiled New Potatoes with Butter and Sea Salt

We always eat the first batch of new potatoes “naked,” so we can really taste the creamy, buttery potato-ness of the little suckers.

6-8 new potatoes (Yukon Gold or Red Norland work great)

generous pat of butter

fresh ground sea salt to taste

1. Gently scrub off the dirt from the potatoes, cut the larger ones in half, and set them in a pot of cold, salted water
2. Bring water to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer
3. After seven minutes, check with a fork. If the fork easily slides into the potato, pour them out into a colander, then back into the empty pot
4. Drop in a large dollop of butter and stir to coat the potatoes. Season with sea salt and eat ‘em straight out of the pot.

Roast Potato “Salad” With Herbs and Garlic

This is adapted from Nigel Slater’s Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch, which my mother-in-law Bonnie gave me for my birthday. Thanks, Bonnie!

10-12 new potatoes

3 cloves of garlic, not peeled

olive oil

sprig of fresh rosemary, sage or thyme

For the dressing:

2 TB red wine vinegar

2 TB Dijon mustard

5 TB olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Wash dirt off the potatoes and set them on a roasting pan. Scatter the whole garlic cloves and herbs among the potatoes and drizzle everything liberally with olive oil. Season with sea salt and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes are puffed, fluffy and golden brown
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and season with salt and pepper
4. Gently smash the roasted potatoes with the back of a fork and drizzle over some of the dressing (you can save the rest for a salad or next week’s potatoes). Squeeze the roasted garlic from its peel as you eat… heaven.

CSA members are getting fresh dill this week, which goes great in this ultra-simple preparation, also from Nigel Slater.

6-8 new potatoes

2 TB creme fraiche or sour cream

fresh dill

sea salt

1. Scrub potatoes and place them in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 6-8 minutes until potatoes are fork tender
2. Drain potatoes and return them back to the empty pot. Mix in the creme fraiche or sour cream and the chopped fresh dill. Season with sea salt and try not to eat all of them before you get to the table.