Week #3
- • Lettuce
- • Radish or Turnips
- • Chives or Dill
- • Spinach
- • Swiss Chard
- • Kale
- • Chinese broccoli or Purple sprouting broccoli
- • Arugula or Mizuna
The weather has been unbelievable, it makes us feel like June and it is just the end of April. We are racing to put water on the field crops and wishing for at least one day a week of good rain. We got a lot of ground tilled and composted, now we are ready to plant. We have to be cautious because it is not time yet to put out the tender crops such as cucumbers, summer squash and tomatoes although those 77 degree days sure were tempting.
Juvencio managed to prepare a large swath of ground where the pumpkins and winter squash grew last year. Yesterday Diego and his friend Alex and Luna helped to pull old t-tape pipes and Juvencio got the front garden tilled. Diego also helped get the hot peppers transplanted into the soil of our hottest hoop house. The hot house tomatoes and peppers are sandwiched in between lettuces and kohlrabi. We hope to get the cucumbers in the ground soon as well, at least those that go under cover.
We have lots of greens this week and for the foreseeable future. We ate the turnips and their greens in the Moroccan stew. I also enjoyed the radish top soup and chard stem hummus Sue made for a potluck at work. The kale was great as crispy kale and thinly sliced in kale salad. The broccoli was easy in a stir fry. The bok choi was eaten many different ways as the vegetable of the week in our house. We made wonton soup with bok choi, cream of choi soup and stir fried bok choi with garlic.
Payment is due this week for half of your remaining share. The total is $840, you should have paid $100 deposit so your balance is $740, $370 is due by May 1st. Please either bring your check with you to pick-up or send it in the mail to La Finquita del Buho 7960 NW Dick Rd. Hillsboro, OR 97124
In your email this week I sent out the order form for plant starts for your home garden. Please email with any questions. Please consider coming to see me at Catlin Gable next weekend (Sunday 5/4 )to get your vegetable starts. The Spring festival starts at 12:00 and runs to 4:00 pm. I start at the Beaverton Famers Market on May 11 and go every Saturday through October.
We hope you have a great week, off to continue planting the onions, shallots and leeks!
Kale and Lentil Soup
(Marilyn’s invention from Sue)
3 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion and 1 rib of celery (chopped and sauté for 4 minutes)
6-7 cups of water
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups green lentils (rinsed and checked)
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ – 1 # kale (washed and sliced)
12 oz. Kielbasa (slice in 1” rounds)
16 oz. plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion and celery for 4 minutes. Add water and chicken broth as well as lentils to the sauté mix. Add the bay leaf and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the Kale, kielbasa sausage, tomatoes and red wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more and serve. Great the next day.
ARUGULA SALAD WITH MANCHEGO, APPLES, AND CARAMELIZED WALNUTS
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup walnut oil
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
8 cups arugula
2 Red Delicious or Fuji apples, unpeeled, cored, thinly sliced
6 ounces Spanish Manchego cheese or sharp white cheddar cheese, shaved
1 1/2 cups pitted dates, sliced
1 cup Caramelized Walnuts
4 large shallots, minced
Boil balsamic vinegar in small saucepan over medium-high heat until syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes.
Whisk oil and Champagne vinegar in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead) Keep at room temperature. Re-warm balsamic syrup before using. Re-whisk vinaigrette before using.)
Toss arugula, apples, half of cheese, dates, walnuts, and shallots in large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.
Mound salad in center of each plate. Drizzle balsamic syrup around salads. Sprinkle remaining cheese atop salads.
Bok Choy:
from a CSA member:
Bok Choy: (the bok choy in the box was amazingly good!)
1 T oil
1.5 lbs bok choy
1 T light soy sauce
2 T chicken stock or water
Heat wok over moderate heat. Add oil and then bok choy. Stir fry 3-4
minutes, until leaves have wilted a little. Add soy sauce and chicken stock/water.
Continue to stir fry for a few more minutes, until the bok choy is done until still slightly
crisp.
Very easy, very good.
Source: Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery
(very good recipes, clear instructions, and excellent taste)
SAUTEED BOK CHOY W/ CASHEW SAUCE
Serving Size : 4
1/2 c Cashews — roasted
1/4 c White vinegar
1/4 c Water
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Soy sauce
1 tb Ginger — minced
7 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 tb Basil — finely chopped
2 tb Mint — finely chopped
1 1/2 lb Bok choy — washed & dried 1/3 c Peanut oil 1. In a food processor or blender, combine the cashews, vinegar, water, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, Tabasco, basil and mint, and puree. 2. Separate bok choy leaves from stalks, and cut stalks into 1-inch-long- pieces. In a large sauté pan, heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add bok choy and cook, stirring briskly, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until it is bright green and well seared. Remove from heat, drape with cashew sauce and serve at once. Yield: 4 servings. Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 340 calories, 25 grams fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 1,065: milligrams sodium, 7 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate. ** New York Times — Living Arts section — 29 November 1995 **
Bok Choy Stir Fry
This is an easy recipe.
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry Sherry
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 1/2 cups thinly sliced trimmed bok choy
1 5-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
10 1/2 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Heat vegetable oil until very hot in heavy large wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper. Stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy and stir-fry until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Mix in water chestnuts and green onions and stir-fry until onions are tender, about 1 minute. Add tofu and lightly stir-fry until tofu is just heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour over soy mixture. Stir-fry until liquid boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
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.
Swiss Chard Stalk and Tahini Dip
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.