- Spinach or chard
- Carrots or beets
- Green onions
- Sugar snap peas – we are happy to feature them this week and for the next few weeks as long as we don’t think about how many there could have been without the goat invasion.
- Garlic – fresh heads, not cured yet, so their flavor is mild. Peel and chop as you normally would.
- Cilantro, dill or parsley – the herbs are coming, they add spice to your life.
- Kale – finally our friend has taken off, we have tons of it! Enjoy kale at every meal!!
- Lettuce – we have moved on from salad mix to head lettuce, we have a lot! Wash carefully , spin dry and you will have salad all week. If you haven’t tried my salad dressing yet, now is your chance. We always come back to it as it takes any bitter edge off.
- Kohlrabi or radish choose one
This has been a busy week trying to keep up with the weeds. Juve managed to whip some of the garden into shape as he tilled all the paths. The drizzle of rain gave everything a boost, especially the pig weed! The lettuce took off in a way we didn’t think possible. I plant lettuce every week, but it seems that it is all ready at once. Enjoy salad every day, I guess nature is telling you what you need at this time of year, green.
The tomatoes in the greenhouse have flowers and a few small fruits, hoping for a July start on tomatoes. The peppers inside and outside the hoop house are bulking up and seem to enjoy this weather as well. We got over 150 eggplant in the ground as well as all the outdoor tomatoes. We are officially out of space and have to wait for crops to finish before we can add more. Fall crops like broccoli and cauliflower will soon be seeded. The Brussels are already up and will be transplanted into the beds freed up by the garlic. CSA farming is never DONE, but is constantly a rotating work of art. Make sure to look out from the barn window this week, it really looks beautiful out there. If you have time, stroll into the field and see the broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and onions growing.
We had a big week of pizza parties. We fired up the oven for Jacob’s PSU sustainability club after they helped us with the harvest last Sunday. We also hosted the Liberty Girls Lacrosse team end of the season celebration on Thursday night. Today we have an Indian feast. My first attempt at one of my favorite dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala. We will see how that turns out. We did roast goat last weekend and it was quite good. The curry was better than my barbacoa, who knew goat could be so tender. This week I will be busy arranging wedding flowers in addition to farming.
Next weekend is Memorial Day, we will harvest as usual on Sunday and we understand that some people who usually pick up on Monday may wait until Tuesday, that is fine. I had better stop chatting and get out there and harvest. We hope you are keeping up with the veggies, remember kale for breakfast is delicious! The crispy kale recipe takes care of the entire bunch and is eaten like an appetizer in our family.
Here is a recipe shared by new member and cooking enthusiast Pat Lando. He says he just whipped it up on Sunday(last week) and it was a hit with the whole family.
Braised Lentils with Spinach
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1-1/2 cups brown lentils
- 1 small onions, diced
- 1 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, trimmed and diced
- 1 bay leaves
- Salt
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups finely shredded fresh spinach, thoroughly washed and drained
Preparation
- Pour enough cold water over the lentils, onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves in a 3-quart saucepan to cover by three fingers. Season with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat so the water is at a gentle boil and cook until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the lentils, discard the bay leaves, and transfer to a large skillet.
- Pour in the chicken stock and olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced enough to coat the lentils, about 3 minutes. Scatter the spinach over the lentils and toss just until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I didn’t use chicken stock, but instead cooked ¾ lbs boneless, skinless chicken in the pan (with herbs) then deglazed the pan with white wine and added the lentils.
- I used all of the spinach stalks instead of the greens which turned out really well.
Roasted Beets w/ Feta
Directions
Peel 4 medium beets and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste on a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F, stirring once or twice, until tender, 35 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; toss with 4 chopped scallions and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Top with crumbled feta.
Beet with Sesame Vinaigrette
1 pound beets (after cooking there should be about 2 cups)
6 tablespoons mild olive oil
2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, additional for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Trim tops from beets, leaving about ½ inch from the beets, so that they don’t bleed too much. Put the beets in a pot and cover with cold water. Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until tender. Pour off most of the hot water and add cold water to the pot. Peel the beets while they are still warm. Or you may rub the beets with a little oil and bake them in a covered pan at 350 until tender. If the beets are large, cut them into ¼ inch slices. If they are small, cut them into 4 – 8 wedges. Place the beets in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk the remaining ingredients together, pour over the still warm beets, and toss to coat. Sprinkle more sesame seeds if you like and serve.