Dinner with lettuce, kohlrabi, new potatoes and crispy shallots
What a head of lettuce!
New potatoes
roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper
• Radish or Turnip
• Lettuce
• Kohlrabi
• Spinach
• Kale
• Green onions
• Summer squash !! the first, but certainly not the last, it is just starting.
• Dill or parsley or basil
• Beets or carrots (hopefully enough this week for everyone to enjoy
• Broccoli or peas (possibly both)
• New potatoes
I write this note with a rough idea what is out in the field and sometimes when I get out there things have changed. Last Sunday after I happily reported a change in our fortunes, “things are turning around at La Finquita” Juvencio shared the news that our horse and his pals, the goats and sheep had roamed through the field the night before munching on just about everything. They tasted the lettuce, the broccoli, cabbage, sunflowers, parsley, peas and beans. The damage could have been complete, but it was not, I guess they got full or something caused a stomach upset. Luna and Mikaela were able to get Venture back in the corral. He was vocal the rest of the morning about the havoc he has wreaked.
So, take what I write at 0600 with a grain of salt, by 0700 things can be very different. Last week I made the mistake of listing both turnips and kohlrabi and told Juve either/or. Sorry that some of you received none ☹. I also forgot to list Kale as an item even though it was labeled and harvested for everyone. Alas, we all make errors, thank you to Kira for pointing it out to me. Please do let us know if something seems odd, not listed etc. Please do your part as well, turn the labels of the bins so that everyone can read them. Please coordinate with your share partner as sometimes both people pick up on the same and we end up short. We do harvest extra of each item just in case but last week was an odd confluence of errors.
The rain brightened the farm, just look out in the field! Vincent was a life saver with the onions and shallots. They are all weeded (for now!) and they are growing like crazy. As we approach the equinox they put all their energy into the green part, but as of the 21st of this month that focus will change and they will begin to bulb up. Check it out, it is amazing to see how daylight sensitive crops behave. The garlic is another crop in a similar situation. About 3 weeks after we pull the garlic scapes (flowers) they send their energy into the bulb and it is time for harvest. The green tops of the garlic is rapidly browning and will signal harvest time in the next two weeks.
The tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are taking off and setting flowers. We move from hoop house lettuce to outdoor lettuce. We are so excited for you to try it! We transplant (I do the seeding and transplanting) lettuce every week, but despite the best laid plans it often is ready at the same time. So we are swimming in lettuce which means you have to eat salad every day or try the soup or salad wraps or something. Thanks to Evita for this recipe, we are making it tonight!
I am unable to finish a note without commentary on our political state. Our democracy is in peril we have to stay on top of this. The Donald is ignorant, dangerous, racist and completely unfit to be president. “Standing by this president makes you an embarrassment to all that is good in this country. It makes you a stain on the fabric of our nation. It makes you the antithesis of everything that your party purports to stand for. Simply put, it makes you un-American.” Michael Starr Hopkins. Onward . . .
Cream of Lettuce Soup
Eric Ursin
2 ½ cups of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium potato
3 quarts chopped lettuce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¾ cup cold water
1 tablespoon arrowroot
½ table spoon tahini
½ cup milk (almond milk)
Combine water, vegetable broth and tamari in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add the potato and broth and simmer until the potato is tender. Add the greens and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend until smooth. Stir in the vinegar. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and slowly add to the soup. Just allow the soup to gently simmer long enough to allow the arrowroot to thicken the soup. Serve with fresh grated Romano cheese.
Carrots prepared in a way so that children will love them
Ingredients
o 10 carrots (about 1 ounce [30 g] each)
o 1 tablespoon (20 g) honey
o Black and white sesame seeds
o A little cayenne pepper
o Salt
Directions
Heat a convection oven to 525°F (275°C).
Peel the carrots, coat them liberally with honey, and sprinkle them with sesame seeds, cayenne, and salt.
Bake the carrots for 5 minutes, or until they are slightly charred, but still crunchy.