- Sugar snap peas!! – the garden candy is here! These peas do not need to be shelled, just snap off the end of the pea and pull off the fibrous rib and pop in your mouth. Many members report they are eaten by the kids on the car ride home.
- Salad mix – enjoy fresh “salanova” baby lettuce leaves and some baby romaine
- Chinese broccoli or regular broccoli – Chinese broccoli is on the way out sadly while main crop broccoli is very small and pinched. All those hot days alternating with wet weather affected their potential.
- Kale – either Red Russian or Black Lacinato both are staples in our house
- Chard or spinach – Please don’t disparage this amazing garden green. It cooks down to almost nothing, makes a great breakfast green with eggs and toast. If you need to add flavor add a bit of pork to the pan, “everything is better with pork in it”
- Radishes or turnips – “Pink Beauty” is a winner, they are hot as they were grown under row cover out in the field. Cut away the damaged areas and chop into salads or soups. Don’t forget the tops make great soup. The Moroccan Chicken with turnips is a spring favorite of many, give it a try.
- Kohlrabi – cut away the tough outer peel and enjoy the tender inner section, sliced or shredded, sautéed or raw
- Garlic scapes – See the link provided by Sierra. We just added a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled them, they were delicious
- Fresh garlic – this is an early variety of garlic that hated the wet then dry then hot weather and tried to make each clove of garlic into seed. You can peel each clove and use for fresh garlic. Don’t try and store this garlic for weeks it will not keep.
- Green onions – remember that this is the healthiest of all of the Alium family and can be added to any egg dish or stir fry!
- Mizuna or dill – select the one you like the most. The Mizuna is spicy and great in stir fry or salad, the dill is unique and can be dried or eaten fresh with potatoes or fish.
- Beets or Carrots – early germination of carrots was so poor that we have few carrots. Those that do mature are competed out by the weeds. If they happen to survive 3 rounds of weeding we have resident gophers who love them as much as you do and they nibble the ends! We seem to be doing a bit better with beets, but nothing like the old days of 27 weeks of beets.
Our greenhouses are being transformed. The early spring crops are coming out. The peppers, basil and newly seeded carrots are in. Our greenhouse tomatoes have flowers and are beginning to set fruit. The thistle is happy too, popping up with sharp thorns among every cultivar. Juvencio has been doing an amazing job of tying up peas, tomatoes and cucumbers. Trellising is the key to packing crops into the best real estate on the property. We have to prune the tomatoes and cucumbers as well. This job can be frustrating as finally when you think you have gotten to all the different tomato beds and you loop back to the first bed they are ready for another pruning. We grow mainly indeterminate tomatoes, which means they keep on growing and set fruit as they grow. They get really tall but production is better. We grow smaller hybrid varieties in the hoop house so we have tomatoes early (July in Oregon). We grow all sorts of heirlooms out in the field for later summer harvest. Last year was disappointing for they heirlooms, so this year we have invested more space and compost and love to them.
The Schram family helped us get our first part of winter squash in the ground after harvesting last Sunday. They proved that a family of six can get a task done in no time. After they left our enemies the striped and spotted cucumber beetles arrived and made the leaves into lace. We are experimenting with covering half of the plants with row cover, planting trap plants, spraying pyrethrum and hoping for the best. My strategy for overcoming the pests is just keep planting more, eventually there is enough for everyone to get some! I hope it all works out.
The garlic is getting ready to be harvested. As I mentioned above some varieties hated the wet and then dry weather. The majority still looks ok, but the rust is setting in. Farming is so frustrating!! It all looked amazing 1- 2 weeks ago, the best ever, then some pest or disease gets it. Fortunately the strategy of “just plant more” seems to have given us space for a 100 feet of garlic to fail while 700 more feet work out.
The onions, shallots, leeks are growing well. Hopefully they don’t get the rust that affects their greens and makes it harder to bulb up. I was chatting with some other farming friends and we all recognize that no matter how long you have been farming, Mother nature is in charge. You can think you have figured out a crop and how to grow it (we have 55 different crops to “figure out”)some condition out of your control will pop up and humble you.
Our friend Eric, living in Oregon for 5 months said; “I want to help you get all the transplanting done before summer”. I just laughed, “We transplant every week until October, it never ends”. We seed, weed, transplant, and till every week. Once a crop is harvested, that bed is prepped for the subsequent crop and usually replanted that same week. We have more winter squash, pumpkins, and beans to be planted. Then we will seed and plant the fall brassicas, celery and radicchio. We seed and plant lettuce every week. Basically “It never ends” until it gets just too cold to work the ground in November.
We have put out the word, it is time to sign-up to help harvest. We ask that each member (full or half share) sign-up to help bring in the harvest twice over the course of the season. Children are welcome but if they are under 5 or 6, one adult should be here to work while another adult watches the children. The harvest generally starts at 0700 on Sunday and Wednesday. We hope that you will help until the harvest is completed. That could be 2 hours or 5 hours depending on what we have to harvest and how many helpers there are. We are flexible and understand that life happens. We do count on your help so try and plan to be present on the days you sign up to help.
The canning party is planned for September 13. We will take the first 21 participants and then form a wait list. Mark your calendar if you don’t want to miss this farm event. The harvest festival is set for October 19. It seems far off but . . . it is hard to believe we are on harvest #7. Time flies when you are having fun.
September 13. We will take the first 21 participants and then form a wait list. Mark your calendar if you don’t want to miss this farm event. The harvest festival is set for October 19. It seems far off but . . . it is hard to believe we are on harvest #7. Time flies when you are having fun.
Moroccan Chicken and Turnip Stew
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 small (2 1/2 lb) chickens
3 Tb butter
1 Tb oil
2 onions
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp powdered saffron
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 lb small turnips
2 cups chopped turnip leaves and stems
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Rinse chickpeas in water and rub lightly to remove skins; drain and set aside. Cut chickens into quarters, removing wing tips and backbones; put them aside for stock. Melt butter and oil in a casserole and lightly brown chicken on all sides, cooking in two batches if necessary. Slice onions and stir into butter and oil to color. Then add the chickpeas, stock, pepper, ginger, saffron, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add turnips and greens and simmer 20 minutes more. Remove chicken and turnips to a covered warm dish. Boil sauce to reduce, mashing some of the chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce; it may take 10-15 minutes to produce a nice thick sauce. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat the chicken and turnips in the sauce and serve. Serves 6 to 8. From The Victory Garden Cookbook.
A great salad can be made with beets and broccoli. We steam the broccoli and beets together with the sliced beets on bottom. Generally, when the broccoli is done (i.e. just turned dark green and starting to get tender) the beets are also done. We then toss them in a simple vinaigrette and can serve either warm or cold. This vinaigrette is the one we use:
VINAIGRETTE
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.
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Sweet Lemon and Mustard Dressing
Fresh From the Garden, Perla Meyers
Salt
1 ½ pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
juice of 1 large lemon
6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons finely minced scallions
Freshly ground white pepper
1. Bring salted water to a boil in a vegetable speamer. Add the peas and steam, covered for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Run under cold water to spot further cooking and drain on paper towels. Place in a serving bowl and set aside.
2. In a small jar, combine the lemon juice, oil, mustar, and sugar. Cover tightly and shake until the mixrure is smooth and well blended. Add the scallions, serason with salt and pepper, and pour dresssing over the peas. Cover an d chill at least 2 hours before serving.
SIMPLE BEET SALAD WITH ONIONS
Grate scrubbed beets or cut into julienne; toss with chopped green onions and vinaigrette you make or from a bottle in your fridge. Add toasted nuts and/or a sharp cheese (blue, Parmesan, feta). Serve alone or with lettuce.
ROASTED BEETS
Just cut them into chunks and roast them with olive oil, S & P until they are tender.
Simple summer beet soup
Boil and peel beets. (Can use both kinds). Whirl in food processor with orange or lemon juice, small amount of fresh mint leaves if you have some, and black pepper. Chill. Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream.
A beet suggestion from Anina Marcus, a CSA member from Carmel: “I would like to say what I did with the beets. I parboiled them till tender, sliced them thin and then made a vinaigrette of Meyer lemon, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons honey or pomegranate molasses and then sprinkled your thinly diced mint over all that. It was so lovely. If you really want to get adventurous you can slice strawberries into that also. You get the wonderful sweet of the strawberry against the different sweet of the beet all put into balance by the Meyer lemon and balsamic to offset the sugars slightly… It’s a palate pleaser… I just had to tell you because I did that tonight to go with corn on the cob.”
Creamy Beet Soup with Pistachio Mousse
adapted from the Cook’s Garden by Ellen Ogden
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch beets, peeled and cubed
1 small onion or leek, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 cups white wine
2 cups apple cider or juice
dash of ground allspice
1 stick of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 pint sour cream or yogurt
S & P to taste
Pistachio Mousse
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts, slightly toasted
8 sprigs fresh chervil or 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
4 fresh mint leaves
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beets and onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the apple juice, spices, and return to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook until the beets are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Stir in the sour cream or yogurt.
Transfer to a bowl and cool. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile make the pistachio mousse. Process all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve the soup cold, seasoning with the salt and pepper and garnishing each bowl with a spoonful of the mousse.
6 medium beets roasted
Olive oil
Salt
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 Tbl yogurt
2 Tbl Mayo (regular or vegan)
4 tsp curry powder
3 Tbl fresh lemon juice
10 tbl olive oil
4 Tbl chopped cutting celery or cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Wash, trim and wrap beets individually in foil. Place in a shallow pan and roast until tender. A sharp kitchen paring knife should pierce through the foil easily. Set aside to cool. Mix dressing by combining all ingredients except oil. When all ingredients are smooth, whisk in the oil and set aside. Many people don’t prepare fresh beets because of the staining juices. Wearing latex or vinyl gloves will protect your hands and preparing on a covered surface
Will protect your cutting board. I often roast beets without wrapping and use them skin included. However, this is an alternative method. Whatever method you use, it is well worth the effort!
Unwrap the beets, and rub away skin. Slice into wedges and set into your dish. Spoon curry over the beets and serve at room temperature.
Honeyed Beet Quinoa Summer Salad, with variations
from Fresh from the Farm and Garden by The Friends of the UCSC Farm and Garden
Julia’s note: I make many variations of this salad, with whatever vegetables/alliums/dressing I have on hand. I love using quinoa, but brown rice and couscous also work nicely. Likely other grains too. For this much salad I usually use half the amount of cheese they recommend and half the amount of nuts. Any mixture of the below herbs work well: just parsley, just cilantro, just basil, or any combo… chives, tarragon for a different flavor….. The possibilities are endless and having a salad like this on hand makes healthy lunches/dinners much easier.
6 beets, roasted
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups orange juice
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup fruity olive oil
3 cups cooked quinoa, or another grain such as brown rice or couscous or??
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, or shredded parmesan, or??, optional
1 cup toasted walnuts or almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped basil OR cilantro
1/2 cup chopped parsley
6 minced green onions or 3 shallots or other mild allium
lettuce greens, ready for eating as salad
Dice roasted beets and marinate in orange and lemon juice and honey at least one hour. (Julia’s note: I warm up my honey a bit before mixing it in the juices/oil… but don’t make it too hot or it will ‘cook’ the juice and fruity oil!) Combine with other ingredients except salad greens. Chill at least one hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve on bed of salad greens.
BEETS
From a book I got from the library: A Mother’s Book of Traditional Household Skills by L.G. Abell, originally published in 1853
Wash them clean with a cloth, rubbing them well. Be careful not to cut them, unless they are very large, and then you may cut them in two, not splitting them. They require, when grown full size, three or four hours’ boiling. When tender all through, scrape off the outside, split or cut them in thin round slices, and pour over melted butter, and sprinkle with pepper. Boiled beets sliced, and put in spiced vinegar until pickled, are good. The tops of beets are good in summer boiled as greens. Beets should be kept in the cellar, covered with earth to keep them fresh. It is said they are nicer roasted as potatoes for the table.
Orange Beets
2 large beets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped almonds, toasted
Leaving root and 1 inch of stem on beets, trim tops, and scrub with a brush. Place in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain; cool. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets into cubes to measure 3 1/2 cups.
1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add beets, rind, and next 4 ingredients (rind through pepper). Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is the consistency of a thin syrup (about 12 minutes), stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with almonds.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
CALORIES 89(29% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.4g; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 157mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.8g
Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2001
Balsamic-Dressed Roasted Beets
A simple sweet-and-sour dressing complements earthy roasted beets. Its bright flavors make this dish a fitting accompaniment for roasted meats.
6 medium beets (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1 tablespoon sugar
1 star anise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°.
Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Wrap beets in foil. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool beets to room temperature. Peel and cut each beet into 8 wedges.
Combine juice, vinegar, sugar, and star anise in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Discard star anise. Combine beets, vinegar mixture, salt, and pepper; toss well.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
CALORIES 79(3% from fat); FAT 0.3g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 2.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 258mg; FIBER 4g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 17.9g
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005