Week #1, 2016
- Salad mix – these are the bitter greens of They require a nice dressing and some good cheese, either blue, gorgonzola, parmesan, or manchego to cut the bitter. (some recipes are listed below). If it is too bitter for you super tasters don’t dismay, you will be forgiven for not eating it and adding it to your compost.
- Shallots – nice and spicy held over from last years harvest, great in soups
- Swiss Chard – a nice mild green to use in stir fry or in your morning smoothie.
- Spinach – take not of the intense color, full of vitamins and cooks down to a reasonable amount!
- Leeks – nice to use the white parts and some of the pale green in soups
- Cauliflower – this is the last of the overwintering wonder. We planted these in August of last year and the plants held in the field all winter. In February they started to grow and headed up over the last few weeks. Enjoy them roasted (our favorite) with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Sprouting broccoli – a seasonal favorite that peaked in March. We have a bit left for you, but we can’t control mother nature so more than 200 feet of broccoli went to waste L
- Radishes or arugula – you choose one to add to your salad this week.
The day has finally come! We are so excited to open our 17th season of growing vegetables. The time has flown by and we have learned so many things and there remain so many mysteries! We had a mild but wet winter with this beautiful dry warm spell that has put us ahead of schedule. From my notes over the years there are warnings not to plant in early April! “Don’t be fooled it can and likely will still freeze until after May 15th”, my scribbles say. But, we jumped ahead and have our entire upper field planted with frost tolerant plants, the rain this week is welcome and hopefully it won’t get too cold.
The greenhouses are full of growing plants despite the rivers that ran through many of them in March. The lettuce is almost ready for salad mix, the Chinese broccoli is starting to form it’s first stalks and the kale is oh so close. This week you will eat mainly what has survived the winter. Next week you will eat the late winter planting of spring crops. This time of year is full of flavors, many bitter and then sweet. They are all good for us, some need a little doctoring to make them more palatable.
We have many baby animals at this time of year. The lambs and kids are jumping all around and their mamas are making nice rich milk. Juvencio tries to find time to fence for them to graze out in the field, but his time is like gold (el tiempo es oro) not enough in the day to get it all done. Soon they will spend their days out in the field and be brought in at night so the coyotes don’t get them. We have 8 weaner pigs as well, black and spunky.
With all the new life we also have loss. Yesterday we said good-bye to our loyal Pepito. He has been a great dog, so loveable and good hearted always there to greet people. He died of old age accelerated by a life of jumping and hard work on the farm (although the last few years he was not working that hard it took a toll on his body). We also said good bye to our old mare Victoria. She passed earlier this week. Her son, Venture, the Morgan gelding is struggling without her and is kind of at a loss. She was very old but survived here on the farm for over three years. Life marches on.
Zuko, our newest dog has grown some, but to our dismay he seems to be a “mini” cattle dog. He is still young and needs to be taught not to jump and heard people. Please do encourage him not to jump and lick little ones in the face. He loves to be pet and is anxious for attention. Fiora, our border collie mix is our best working dog, she herds the sheep and goats and tries to catch the gophers. She is very friendly when not distracted by her “work”. Oliver, now the eldest of our dogs at 6 is a tough Napoleon complexed rat terrier. He has gotten more friendly, but on his own terms, so pet him when he comes to you, and let him be when he is standoffish.
Our season opening potluck starts today at 2:00 and runs until 6:00. Please drop in and enjoy the food, music and a tour of the farm. Part of what makes La Finquita different is the community we strive to create among our subscribers. You will have the opportunity to meet like minded (or at least like eaters) people who are committed to eating seasonal, local food grown with care and consideration for the environment and the people who will be consuming those vegetables. The pizza oven will be fired up and you can build your own pizza. BYOB, and pizza topping. See the attached flyer for full details.
We still have space for more subscribers and we know from experience that the best subscribers come from current subscribers, so tell your friends! This is a unique opportunity to see where your veggies are grown. We have a veggie pool that helps people who live in Portland get there veggie dropped in their neighborhood and reduces the number of visits one has to make to the farm. Spread the word and have people contact us via email: lynjuve@msn.com or call or text my cell phone: 503-568-5760.
We look forward to getting to know each of you over the course of the season. Please do let us know if there is something you want us to grow or if something is not to your liking so that we can try and meet your needs. We want happy subscribers and we want you to eat your veggies every day!
Spinach Soup
(When I make this I never have all the ingredients and I’ve never used the crème fraiche and it is still delicious!)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 small carrot
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup parsley leaves
- 2 bunches young spinach
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons crème fraiche
- Peel the onion and garlic, and slice thin. Peel the carrot and dice fine.
In a large pot, stew the onion, garlic, and carrot in the olive oil, covered until soft an translucent. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Prepare a large bowl half filled with ice and smaller bowl, preferably stainless steel, that will fit inside and rest on the ice.
Wash the parsley and spinach and add them to the pot with the chicken stock and other vegetables. Shut off the heat and allow the soup to stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes, no longer. Immediately puree the soup in a blender and pour it through a medium mesh strainer into the bowl in the ice bath. Stir the soup slowly with a spoon or spatula until it has cooled to room temperature and then remove it from the ice. Quick cooling preserves the color of the soup. Chop enough tarragon to make about 1 Tablespoon and stir it into the crème fraiche. To serve the soup reheat it to just below the boil point and garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of the crème fraiche.
Serves 6
Garbanzos y Acelgas
Chickpeas and chard (or spinach)
9 ounces of dried chickpeas
1 carrot, diced
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
2 yellow onions 1/3 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
9 ounces or 1 bunch chard, beet greens or spinach (more is even better)
2 eggs (hard boiled or fried and placed on top of each portion)
Put the chickpeas in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak overnight.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put in a large saucepan with the carrot, parsley, bay leaf and half the chopped onion. Cover with water then bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes or until almost tender. Add 2 teaspoons salt and half the oil and cook for another 10 minutes. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the garlic and remaining onion for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Stir the tomato mixture into the chickpea mixture (it should be wet enough to be saucy but not too soupy). Stir in the chard, beet greens or spinach. Cook for 5 minutes or until the greens are tender. Season well and serve with either the hard boiled egg or fried egg on top.
Serves 4
Lyn’s Salad Dressing
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic pressed
Add all ingredients to a Mason jar and cover with lid. Shake until creamy and well blended.
Spinach, Radish Slaw with Crispy Chiles and Pepitas
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 dried Anaheim or dried New Mexico chiles,* stemmed
Canola oil
2/3 cup shelled raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
4 9-ounce bags spinach leaves (not baby spinach)
2 10-ounce bunches large red radishes, trimmed
4 ounces Cotija cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
Whisk both vinegars and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD:Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.
Cut chiles in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Using scissors, cut chiles crosswise into 1/4-inch strips. Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to reach depth of about 1/8 inch; heat over medium-high heat. Add chiles and fry until beginning to crisp, about 45 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add pepitas to same skillet and fry until golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to another set of paper towels to drain. Sprinkle chiles and pepitas with salt. Cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Line 1 large bowl and 1 small bowl with paper towels. Working in batches, stack spinach leaves into piles and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Transfer to prepared large bowl.
Using grating disk on processor, grate radishes. Place in strainer set over another bowl; drain 15 minutes. Transfer to small bowl lined with paper towels. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; chill.
Place spinach, radishes, chiles, pepitas, and cheese in very large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
* Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.
Bon Appétit
December 2008
by Tori Ritchie
Radish Top Soup
Don’t through out 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)
Favorite Escarole Salad as Martin prepares it:
4 heads escarole, dark outer leaves removed, washed and torn into large bowl. Dress with: olive oil, sherry or champagne vinegar, shaved parmesan, S & P, and truffle oil. this is very very delicious.
Wilted Escarole
3 T olive oil
2 medium escarole – rinsed, dried and chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
chopped zest from one lemon
2 tablespoons capers, roughly/barely chopped
10 dark, pitted olives, kalamata are good here
ground black pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add escarole; cook and stir until greens begin to wilt. Stir in lemon juice & zest. Add capers, S & P, and olives; cook and stir for another 15-30 seconds.
Blanched Escarole with Fried Capers
from 366 Healthful Ways to Cook Leafy Greens by Linda Romanelli Leahy
1 bunch escarole (about 1 pound), trimmed and shredded
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons thinly sliced lemon zest for garnish, optional
- Drop the escarole in a pot of salted boiling water. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until it is as tender as you like. Drain well.
2. While the escarole is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the capers and cook 2 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Stir in the drained escarole, salt and pepper and heat through. Place on a serving plate and top with the capers and lemon zest, if using. Serve immediately. Serves 4