Week #2, 2012 season

This is a huge harvest, it took several hours longer than we
anticipated due to the sheer quantity of greens. Everything seems to be at its peak
just before the slugs wake up and the leaf miner finds its way into those
gorgeous chard leaves. Enjoy salads with the dressings below or check the recipe
tab for more ideas.

Weather continues to dominate our lives as farmers. Beautiful
weekend and very wet week keep the outside ground too soggy for tilling. We
managed to get a few of the beds in the greenhouse harvested and replanted with
summer crops. We planted the first of the basil and our third bed of carrots.

The kale in the field that was holding out completely went to
bloom this week. We will harvest one last time and the flowers will provide
pollen for the bees and nutrition for the goats. Juvencio tilled the whole
field and it looks so inviting until you set foot on the soil. Hopefully with
the warmth today a second pass will make it the loam we want to put our plants
in.

The fourth greenhouse still is without it’s plastic cover but is
oh so close!! Our greenhouse tomatoes are bushy and ready to start growing in
the earth. The peppers look like they are in suspended animation while the
eggplant are taking off. Does anyone really care about the eggplant? We have
cucumbers seeded and just peeking through the soil of their pots, not sure if
they really want to try their luck with warm days and cold nights.

The aliums, the aliums (onion family) loved the “hair cut” I gave
them 2 weeks back. They are plump and look ready to go. They need very fine
soil and require hours of tedious planting, but I think they will be in by the
end of the month. This is an amazing plant family that takes about 6 months or
more to grow and lasts for over 6 months once harvested, depending on the
variety. We planted Walla Walla onions in October and they are doing well. The
killdeer made a nest in their bed and we are watching the 5 eggs, hoping they
hatch while “Mulan” our at isn’t watching. We will plant more Walla Walla
onions for early summer. They are not good keepers, so best eaten fresh. The storage
onions like “copra” and “redwing” will last all winter. The shallots are the
real gems. They seem to love it in our well composted soil and get large and
flavorful. They will store until mid May.

It is time to think about starting your own garden. Plant starts
will be available in May. We will have some peas sitting out this week for
those who want to purchase them as they are ready to go in the ground, more
will be available in 2 weeks. Look at the list of seedlings we have and
send/bring me your orders. You can always come to the Beaverton Farmers market
and buy from me there. I sell with Pumpkin Ridge Gardens and we start on May 12^th.

LEEK FRITTATA
2 Tbs. olive oil

2 large leeks, sliced into rings

8 eggs

2 Tbs. sour cream

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

2 Tbs. fresh chopped chives or scallion greens

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. white pepper

In a 10 inch oven proof skillet, warm the olive oil over
medium high heat.  Add the leeks and
sauté, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender.  Remove pan from heat.  Meanwhile whisk eggs lightly. Whisk in sour
cream, Parmesan cheese, chives or scallions, salt and pepper.  Pre-heat the broiler.  Place the skillet back on low or medium low
heat.  Gently pour in the egg mixture,
stirring to evenly distribute the leeks throughout the eggs.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, without
stirring, for about 8 minutes or until the eggs are set and only the top
remains uncooked.  Place the pan under
the broiler for 1 to 3 minutes, until the frittata top is lightly browned and
the eggs are completely set.  Loosen the
frittata with a large spatula and slide it onto a serving plate.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and
a sprinkling of chives or scallions.  Cut

a generous wedge for each diner.  If the
frittata is too set in the pan for easy removal, simply cut the wedges in the
pan.  Serves 6.  From The Onion Book by Jan
Roberts-Dominguez.

Don’t throughout your radish greens.  Believe it or not, those fuzzy leaves can be
transformed into a smooth green soup, with a hint of watercress flavor.

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onions or white part of leek

8 cups loosely packed radish leaves

2 cups diced potatoes

6 cups liquid (water, chicken stock or
combo)

salt

½ cup heavy cream (optional)

freshly ground pepper

Melt 4 T butter in a large saucepan, add
onions or leeks and cook until golden, approximately 5 minutes.  Stir in radish tops cover pan and cook over
low heat until wilted, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile cook potatoes until soft in liquid along with 1 teaspoon of
salt.  Combine with the radish tops and
cook covered, for 5 minutes to mingle flavors.
Puree finely in a food processor of food mill.  Ad the cream if desired and enrich with 2 T
of butter.  Season to taste with salt and
pepper.  Serve hot. (serves 4-6)

2 lb country-style (meaty) pork ribs

2 lb chicken thighs, legs, and wings

4 scallions, coarsely chopped

1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, chopped

12 cups water

1 1/2 lb bok choy, leaves halved lengthwise, then stalks and leaves thinly
sliced crosswise

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper \

1/2 lb ground pork (not lean)

1 large egg yolk

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 (1 1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)

1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

About 30 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen

Simmer pork ribs, chicken, scallions, ginger, and water in a 6- to 8-quart tall
narrow stockpot, uncovered, until meat is very tender and falling apart, 4 1/2
to 5 hours. Pour broth through a sieve into a large bowl and discard solids.
Cool broth, uncovered, then chill, covered, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Stir together pork, yolk, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil,
salt, and white pepper in a bowl in 1 direction with your hand until just
combined (do not overwork, or filling will be tough). Put 1 wonton wrapper on a
work surface (keep remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap). Spoon a
rounded teaspoon of filling in center of square, then brush water around edges.
Lift 2 opposite corners together to form a triangle and enclose filling,
pressing edges firmly around mound of filling to eliminate air pockets and seal.
Moisten opposite corners of long side. Curl moistened corners toward each
other, overlapping one on top of the other, and carefully press corners
together to seal. Make more wontons in same manner.

Skim any fat from broth, then bring to a simmer in a 5- to 6-quart pot. Stir in
bok choy, salt, and white pepper and simmer, uncovered, until bok choy is
crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wontons and simmer, uncovered, gently
stirring, until filling is just cooked through, about 3 minutes (cut 1 open to
check).

• Broth can be chilled up to 1 day.

• Wontons can be made 1 month ahead. Freeze in 1 layer on a plastic-wrap-lined
baking sheet until firm, about 30 minutes, then transfer to a sealable plastic
bag and keep frozen.

Gourmet

January 2004
Asian Style Ginger
Dressing

1/2 c rice vinegar

1 Tbs dark sesame oil

1/8 c. sugar or honey

1 Tbs grated ginger

2 tsp soy sauce

salt, pepper to taste

Delicious over a salad of chopped kale, mustard greens, spinach,
etc–the addition of red bell pepper and/or cucmbers are nice too–then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

1 c. coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2Tbs lemon juice

1/4 c olive oil

salt, pepper to taste. Combine in a blender or food processor with a tablespoon or two of
water until very smooth

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp wet mustard

5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

black pepper

Press garlic into the bottom of  your salad bowl.  With a fork, mix well with salt until it
forms a paste.  Mix in vinegar and
mustard until salt is dissolved.  Whisk
in olive oil to make an emulsion.  Add
black pepper to taste.  These proportions
are in no way set in stone.  You should
experiment to find the proportions you prefer.
Also, other spices, herbs and vinegars can be used to vary the dressing.

Swiss Chard with Peppers and Walnuts3 large
bunches Swiss chard, about 1 ½ pounds total

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, de ribbed and coarsely chopped

1 cup finely chopped green onions (white part only)

1-cup chicken broth

1 or 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Salt and freshly pepper, to taste
Wash the
card well and dry.  Trim off any tough
ends, and then chop coarsely.  Heat 2
tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the peppers and green onion and sauté for
2 minutes. Add the remaining oil and the chard; sauté for 6 to 8 minutes.  Add the broth and simmer until the chard is tender and the broth has cooked away (pour off the excess liquid).  Sprinkle with vinegar and toss with the nuts.  Season lightly with the salt and pepper.  Serve at room temperature.  Serves 6.

1 lb Swiss chard stems,  coarsely chopped

2-4 garlic cloves,  mashed

1/2 c tahini

1/4-1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

salt

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 c. toasted pine nuts (optional)

1 Tbs fresh finely chopped fresh mint (optional)

Boil the stalks in salted water until quite tender;  drain.
Transfer

to a food processor and puree.  Add the garlic and process until
well

blended, then add the tahini and salt to taste.  With the machine

running,  slowly add the lemon juice.  Transfer to a wide bowl
and

drizzle with the olive oil and garnish with pine nuts and mint if

desired.

STIR-FRIED CHINESE BROCCOLI
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 lb Chinese broccoli (sometimes known as Chinese kale), ends of stems trimmed
and broccoli cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup Thai chicken
stock or canned chicken broth

2 tablespoons Thai yellow bean sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

Special equipment: a large (6-qt) wok

Heat oil in wok over high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir-fry garlic
until pale golden, 10 to 15 seconds. Add broccoli and stock and stir-fry 2
minutes. Add bean sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar and stir-fry until broccoli is
crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Cooks’ note:

Broccoli can be trimmed and cut 6 hours ahead and chilled in a sealed plastic
bag. Gourmet May 2004