Week #4
- Salad Mix
- Spinach or Chinese Broccoli or Raab
- Bok Choi
- Shallots (the last of these power houses)
- Cilantro or Thyme or Sage
- Green Garlic
It is official:
“A recent Associated Press weather brief looked at the soggy season we’ve been experiencing here in the Pacific Northwest. Colby Neuman, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Portland is quoted in the article saying Portland has experienced the most wet days ever, with 145 (now 148!)days of rain since Oct. 1, 2016. Tell us about it.
Wednesday will add another day to that auspicious total (making it 146) and Thursday will pile on one more. The old record of 142 was set in between Oct.1, 1998, and April 30, 1999 (records for Portland go back to 1940).”
I said to Jacob before I read this that I did not remember such a wet and horrible rainy season since we moved here in 1998 and I was right! When we take a look at the weather challenges of 2016-17 it is amazing that we have anything to offer you. We had; snow that took the plastic off the seeding greenhouse, wind that tore the plastic off greenhouse #1, rain that flooded greenhouses #1 and #2, rain that prevented greenhouse #5 and #6 from being covered with plastic, birds that for the above reasons were ravenous and ate all of our transplanted lettuce, peas, spinach and the list goes on. Thus we arrive at this week and next . The overwintered vegetables are finished and we rely on what we have been able to plant since late January. It is slow going and the variety is decreased.
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The Chinese Broccoli that we usually count on at this time of year is 1/4 the amount. Two beds of broccoli were planted in our new greenhouse which has proven to be “too hot” for them to grow. The soil is not well decomposed and wood chips inhibit the growth of the roots. The one healthy looking bed is being attached by micro slugs. The carrots and beets we seeded in January mostly got washed away and are skimpy at best. The peas as fore mentioned were dined on by hungry sparrows are now just considering growing. Alas, there will be less variety than we had planned and less quantity than we had expected. The true meaning of CSA, you are in this with your farmers and share in the risk. Enjoy every leaf that you get and keep looking towards tomorrow.
On a positive note: We managed to get about 1/3 of the outside field planted! We have 3 of the 6 beds of onions in the ground, the first set of green beans, the parsley and more. Once the small harvest is completed I will get more lettuce, more spinach, more onions and the shallots in the ground. About half of the sweet peppers are in the greenhouse establishing their roots. The greenhouse tomatoes are changing from a shocked purple to a bright growing green. We keep plugging away, seeding, transplanting, watering and now weeding.
The Beaverton Farmers Market http://www.beavertonfarmersmarket.com starts next weekend and I have been gearing up with my business partner Polly from Pumpkin Ridge Gardens https://pumpkinridgegardens.com/. We have every vegetable start that you can dream up. We sell under her farm’s name. The market starts at 8:00 and runs until 1:30. Please come and see me! If you want an earlier start Polly is selling at a benefit for Birthing Way (Midwifery school) today in the parking lot of Ben and Jerry’s on Hawthorne. I will be selling at Catlin Gable school next Sunday. I can also take special orders for seedlings. I have previously sent the list and will do so again this week.
Thank you to all who joined me at the People’s Climate March yesterday. It was a fair turnout, nothing like the Women’s March in January. If you missed out and want your voice to be heard against the misogynistic, xenophobic, etc. current administration please join me tomorrow in Salem. Tomorrow is May Day, the day of the worker, the immigrant , the family and I will be marching in Salem http://oraflcio.org . Please let me know if you want to carpool or caravan. I am committed to action and welcome anyone who wants to join as we raise our voices against this madness.
On to harvest your veggies!
Chinese Broccoli
(Lyn’s Quick Stir Fry)
1 bunch Chinese Broccoli (flower, stem and leaves) – remove any hard end of the stem
2-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 – 2 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup water
Olive oil
Heat a wok or frying pan and add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Add minced garlic until aromatic (about 1 minute) then add the broccoli and toss to coat with oil and garlic for about 1 minute. Add soy sauce and coat then add the water and cover for 3-5 minutes until tender and still bright green. Serve by itself or over rice. . . YUM!
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.
Raw Green Garlic Uses: mince and add to salads, pound into a paste to make green garlic aioli, use in salad dressings, sprinkle onto any creation using bread or noodles with cheese
Cooked Green Garlic Uses: Poach the last 4″ of the tips and dress with a mustard vinaigrette, dice and saute the tender portions and add to an omelet or frittata, chop and add to stir frys, chop and add to soup.
Green Garlic Soup Au Gratin
8 Stalks Green Garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons Butter, plus 2 teaspoons Butter
8 sl Day-old Bread
1 1/4 c chicken or vegetable Broth
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, grated
Remove and discard upper third of garlic stalks; (green leaf ends) thinly slice bulb. Heat olive oil and 1 T butter until beginning to foam. Add garlic; saute 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat, cover tightly, and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread bread with 2 T butter; oven toast until lightly golden. Add broth to garlic, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Ladle into 2 oven-proof serving bowls; cover with toasted bread and top with cheese. Dot each with a teaspoon of butter. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, until cheese has melted and begun to turn golden.
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.