• · Lettuce (delicious Romaine and “Oscarde” red oakleaf)
• · Spinach (it’s back and it is beautiful, we love “Emu”)
• · Green onions (scallions)
• · Basil (just a taste of what is to come)
• · Zucchini (we hope the stripped cucumber will let us share some)
• · Kale or chard
• · Sugar snap peas (last of the indoor peas – they really gave it their all for 4 weeks)
• · Walla Walla sweet onions
• · Garlic scapes (the last, the rust that took over this week has made the rest of the sccapes brown and unappealingL.)
• · Turnips or kohlrabi (so sweet, just peel and slice and eat)
• · Chinese broccoli (is this the last week? Who knows, it just keeps on producing)
• · Beets

Happy father’s day to all those dads and granddads out there. Our farmer is still in the troughs of recovery having had his tonsils out 4 days ago. He says it was painful initially but the pain is just getting worse as the swelling sets in. He is able to eat very little and is dropping the pounds in rapid fashion. I tease him that I would probably lose 1# to his 10# – Metabolism!! Maybe women are just better survivors.

That being said the farm is in dire need of helpers especially for weeding. The kids and I are maintaining the animals and the major tasks but the weeds are winning out over the onions and beans. If you have extra time or a deep desire to get your hands in the dirt come on out and lend a hand. Today in the afternoon or later in the evening any night this week I can direct you to the work at hand. At this point there is some hoeing but lots of kneeling and hand pulling of monster weeds.

Those annoying cucumber beetles love green zucchini. We have definitely seen them go straight for this one variety “Noche” and leave the “Zephyr” (yellow with green tip) alone. We hope you are understanding of the great abundance of yellow vs. green zucchini this season as we search for a way to provide while under siege. The aphids seem happy too as they infest the cabbage, broccoli and other cole crops. We feel pulled in all directions, so much weeding to do and then so many pests to battle. We haven’t used the back pack sprayer so often in YEARS. The white powder is certified organic as is anything else we use to deal with the plagues.

The tomatoes in the hoop house are green and starting to set fruit. We managed to get them weeded just in time. Now we spend the next month pruning and training them to go vertical and use their energy for fruit instead of leaf production. I uncovered the peppers (over 300 feet! )from under a carpet of pigweed and other weeds. I found a beautiful bed of “Nelson” carrots under those same weeds and managed to save them for now. If only weeding happened just once or even twice, but alas one often needs to return to the same beds weekly to keep the big ones from blooming.

The tomatoes outside (Cherry, heirloom, paste) are finally turning green and showing signs of growth. Donna, Analise and Meta helped weed and prune the cherry tomatoes and it seems to have been just what they needed. They are growing well. The remainder of the tomatoes mentioned above need some work but can likely wait until later in the week. Jacob helped get the pole beans set with 100 foot netting. They seem perched for take-off up those nets, it is a race against the cucumber beetles, we sure hope they win! We hope that once the outside snap peas are done in about a month we will gently transition into fresh snap beans. Hints of summer are in the air as we celebrate the summer solstice this week. Summer solstice means a lot to farmers. This is the date that onions and the rest of the aliums turn the corner, they stop growing leaves and begin to bulb up. We have seen the garlic is doing this already. June 21 also means we are entering summer and that is a transition in the vegetables we will have for offer from zucchini to beans to tomatoes on the horizon.

Hopefully our farmer will be feeling more like himself next week, the harvest was quite a bear without him. Thanks to the Crabtree family and Marilyn we got through it by 11:30. Wednesday will be another story with the boys running the show.

Zucchini Trifolati

Sautéed Zucchini

The secret to this fabulous cooking technique is the long slow cooking which infuses all the flavors. Vegetables cooked this way make great pasta sauce or you can serve them as crostini. Try mushrooms with garlic and mint.

2 pounds Zucchini

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

chili pepper (or herbs)

Salt

Cover the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and chile peppers to the pan; NOW turn on the heat. Slice the zucchini into thin slices and add to the golden garlic, salt and cover the pan. The salt will bring out the liquid in the zucchini and they will stew in their own juices and infuse with the garlic. Let them over cook. It is a pleasant surprise.

Miang Khum(Spinach Leaf Wraps W/ Satay Roasted Coconut

Description

Foo Swasdee, a restaurant owner and sauce manufacturer in Austin, Texas, offers a unique and very flavorful appetizer that should be made a few hours before your party or dinner.

Ingredients

• 30 single spinach leaves, fresh, cleaned and dried
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened, toasted
• 1 tablespoon lime, whole, fresh, diced
• 1 tablespoon shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup peanuts, fresh roasted
• 1/2 tablespoon Thai chile pepper, fresh, diced
• 4 ounces Satay Thai Roasted Coconut Salsa

Methods/steps

Place the spinach leaves flat on a serving platter.

Place 2-3 peanuts, one teaspoon of toasted coconut and a few pieces of all other fresh ingredients in the center of each spinach leaf.

To serve, add 1/2 teaspoon of Satay Thai Roasted Coconut Salsa on top of each spinach leaf; roll the leaf into a ball and eat the whole topped leaf in one bite. This results in an explosion of delicious varied flavors and textures

Chinese Scallion Pancakes
recipe by Elsa Chen

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for flouring the rolling surface
1 cup water
2 teaspoons oil
A bunch of green onions, green and white parts, chopped medium-fine

A few tablespoons of oil to brush on pancakes (a mix of canola or corn oil and sesame oil is good) some salt A few tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
Mix together the first three ingredients by hand or in a food processor. Flour a surface and knead the dough. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before continuing.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a well-floured surface into a big, flat square or rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Brush the pancake with a bit of oil, and sprinkle with spring onion pieces and a little salt. Starting at one short end, roll up the dough tightly, jelly-roll style, so you have a “snake.”
Cut the “snake” crosswise into 8 – 10 pieces. Then flatten each piece again gently with your palm and rolling pin to make a little rectangle. Don’t flatten it too firmly, because you want a little air to remain trapped between the layers of the pancakes so they’ll puff up a bit between the layers and be lighter.
Press one or both sides in sesame seeds (optional).
Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large skillet. Shallow fry the pancakes until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Serve plain or with dipping sauce. An easy sauce can be made by mixing soy sauce with a little minced garlic, scallion, and rice vinegar