Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying your first farm shares from King's Hill!  

Since July 4th falls on Thursday this year, we will be delivering our CSA shares the day before on Wednesday, July 3rd.  The pick-up hours will be the same.  We look forward to celebrating our country's bounty and food heritage with a local and delicious harvest!

Thanks again for joining us on the journey.

Cheers,

Delia

King's Hill Farm

kingshillfarm.com

mobile 608.320.9190

farmhouse 608.776.8413

Happy Growing and Eating To You and Yours!

1 pound broccoli di rape (broccoli raab)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
¼ cup water, or as needed

DIRECTIONS

To trim the broccoli raab, first cut off the tough ends of the stems. Wash the trimmed broccoli rabe in a sinkful of cold water, swishing the stems gently to remove all dirt from between the leaves. Let the leaves sit a minute or two undisturbed to allow the dirt to settle to the bottom of the sink, then lift the broccoli rabe from the water with your hands or a large skimmer. Drain in a colander. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil and cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Carefully lay the broccoli raab into the oil, season lightly with salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Stir and toss to distribute the seasonings. 

Pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet tightly and cook, lifting the lid to turn the stalks occasionally, until the broccoli raab is tender. Taste and season with additional salt and crushed red pepper if necessary. Serve hot.

Source:  Lidia's Italy

2/3 cup red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Coarse salt

2 bunches red radishes (about 6 ounces), ends trimmed, thinly sliced

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Add radishes, and stir to combine. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Pickled radishes are best used within a few hours but can be kept refrigerated for up to 1 day.

[Martha Stewart recipe]

Why bother signing up for a CSA when you could stop by a big, bright grocery store instead?

1. Freshness: CSA shares offer you unparalleled freshness.  Because of the time most commercial produce must spend on trucks traveling to distribution centers and then to retail establishments, not to mention sitting on the market shelf, it is logistically impossible for a grocery store to get their products to you as quickly as a CSA box from a local farm.  By reducing the time from harvest to your kitchen, we provide food that is far more delicious and is actually better for you because it has not suffered the moisture loss, quality and nutrient degradation, and potential microbial spoilage that can occur over time.  Imagine - baby spinach that stays vibrant in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat it! 

2. Sustainability: By growing a wide variety of plants on a reasonable scale, CSA farms do not need to rely on damaging growing practices that harm the land, deplete the water table, and eventually lead to a reduction in food yields.  In contrast, large scale industrial agriculture (such as that found in California's Central Valley, where one third of all produce in the US is grown), functions by treating the earth like a factory and exploiting as much water, soil, mineral resources, air, people and animals as possible. Unfortunately, this way of producing food has a way of catching up to us.  It requires enormous inputs of unhealthy synthetic chemicals and still can not safeguard us from the potentially devastating blight, pests and fungus that are so effective against monocrop agriculture.  In fact, contamination is already taking vast swaths of land in the Central Valley out of production.  If you want to be a part of an agricultural system that can feed our society in a sustainable way, a CSA share is your very best option.   

3. Family: In an era when we are losing more than one acre of farmland per minute in the US, and the remaining farmland is becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of large corporations, a CSA membership enables you to instead invest directly in a hard-working local family.  By paying in advance, you are helping an independent farmer avoid costly loans and burdensome debt during the the lean pre-harvest months of the year.  While small-scale organic farming is not always the most lucrative or glamorous work, we are very grateful for the opportunity to share and enjoy the harvest.

4. More Delicious Meals: In an effort to maximize efficiency, large-scale industrial agriculture results in a surprising lack of varietal choices at the grocery store. Therefore, it is entirely possible that you will open your box one week to discover a vegetable or a variety of a vegetable that you would not have otherwise purchased from the store (either because it was not available or it was too unfamiliar).  Lucky you! A CSA share is a great way to break out of your cooking doldrums, discover new and exciting ingredients, and develop your cooking methods and repertoire.  In addition, we provide excellent recipes in our e-newsletter each week as well as on our website in order to provide some optional guidance. 

5. Cost: A CSA share offers more value for your food dollar because 100% of your money goes directly to the farmer, thereby eliminating the extraneous costs of middle men and long-distance shipping.  

6. Ecological Stewardship: According to a study conducted by Richard Pirog, associate director for Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainabile Agriculture, produce arriving in Chicago travels on average 1,518 miles.  Unfortunately, this extensive journey results in one's dinner creating an unnecessarily large carbon footprint.   By selling our organic produce locally, we drastically reduce food miles for a much more environmentally-friendly option.  And by growing a wide array of vegetables and fruits for our CSA boxes, including heirloom and open-pollinated varieties, our growing practices help to maintain biodiversity and insure that future generations can enjoy a healthy and varied food supply.

FULL VEGETABLE SHARE: This box typically features 10-12 items (a bunch of something equals one item) and is usually appropriate for 3-4 people. This membership costs $550 ($525 if paid in full by March 15).

HALF VEGETABLE SHARE: This box typically features 6-8 items and is usually enough for 1-2 people.  This membership costs $295 ($280 if paid in full by March 15).

NEW! This year we are also very pleased to offer two optional add-on shares from outstanding local businesses: Hook's Cheese in Mineral Point and Madison Sourdough Company in Madison.

HOOK'S CHEESE: If you choose this optional add-on share, you will also receive a half pound (approximately) of incredible cheese each week with your box.  Hook's is a family-run operation right down the road from our farm and has won numerous national and international awards for their many delicious varieties.  At least ten different types of cheese will be featured on a rotating basis throughout the season and will include aged cheddar, Colby, Little Boy Blue (sheep's milk), pepper jack, 2-year swiss, parmesan, pesto jack, and Gouda.  For more information about the Hook family and their wonderful business, visit the Hook's Cheese website.  This share costs $110.

MADISON SOURDOUGH COMPANY BREAD: If you choose this optional add-on share, you will also receive one artisan loaf of bread per week with your box.  Madison Sourdough has kindly agreed to offer this share in 2 different sizes to accomadate different household sizes and appetites.  A FULL bread share will include a 2 pound loaf each week and a HALF bread share will include a 1 pound version. Producing exceptional breads using sustainable business practices and the finest ingredients from local sources, MSC is a real gem of the Madison community.  Please note, because this fresh and crusty bread needs to be delivered within hours of coming out of the oven, this optional add-on share is only available for drop-sites in Wisconsin (sorry Chicago!).  Seven different breads, all naturally leavened with sourdough starters made from organic wheat or rye depending on the bread, will be featured on a rotating basis throughout the season and will include: sprouted rye, miche, sesame fennel, raisin coriander, hops and malt "beer bread", pain aux cereales, and durum pave.  For detailed descriptions as well as a list of ingredients, please send Delia an e-mail at cordelia.gallo@yahoo.com.  To learn more about the Madison Sourdough Bakery and Cafe, visit the MSC website.  The FULL share costs $185 and the HALF share costs $95.

1750 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL

Every Saturday May 5 - October 27

7am - 1pm 

Glenview Farmers Market

Wagner Farm at 1510 Wagner Rd, Glenview, IL

Every Saturday June 23 - October 13

8am - Noon

Northside Farmers Market*

Northside Towncenter at Sherman and Northport, Madison WI

Sundays May 5 - October 7

8:30 - 12:30pm

*We will not be at this market every week.  Please e-mail or call to confirm exact dates.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

Summer Intern 

Stipend Available

Responsibilities:

Assistant Farmer - Position lasts March-October

Stipend: $1000/month

Responsibilities:

• Operating tractors and other farm equipment for field preparation, transplanting, cultivating, mowing, etc.
• Assisting with training, management and oversight of summer intern crew
• Harvest Management
• Working with crew in all aspects of production including: sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, watering, weeding, harvesting, washing, and packing a wide array of small fruits and vegetables
• Identifying and harvesting wild edible plants
• Cultivation and maintenance of shiitake mushroom logs
• Installation of deer-proof netting
• Approximately every 4-6 weeks, accompany farm manager to Chicago on Friday to deliver CSA boxes, stay overnight, and sell at a Saturday morning farmers market before returning back to the farm Saturday afternoon
• Once a week prepare lunch for entire crew
• Weekly rotating cleaning duties of living accommodations

 Minimum Qualifications:

• 2-3 years relevant experience, either through employment or education or both
• 1 year experience operating farm machinery 
• Ability to foster a good work ethic and positive attitude among crew members
• A willingness to learn new skills and responsibilities
• A commitment to organic and sustainable methods while living and working at King's Hill Farm

Fill Out Our Online Application for both positions HERE

 2 parsnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and chopped fine

 3 shallots, chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)

 1 leek (white and pale green part only), trimmed, halved lengthwise, washed well, and chopped fine

 1 granny smith apple

 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

 1 cup apple cider or juice

 1/2 cup heavy cream

To make soup: Peel potato and cut into 1/4-inch dice. In a heavy kettle cook potato, parsnips, shallots, leek and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until leek is softened, about 12 minutes. Add broth and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. In a blender puree mixture in batches and transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in cider or juice, cream, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Keep soup warm. Serve soup topped with julienne granny smith apples and a sprig of parsley. Makes about 4 cups.