Week #3
The Weekly Share
- Salad mix – our lettuce is at it’s peek! Salanova, a special lettuce developed by Johnny’s makes small perfect leaves that are buttery and delicious. Our Little Gem romaine is also delicious. It is hard work to harvest lettuce like this but well worth the effort.
- Chard or beet greens
- Kale – the first of the newly planted kale, very tender and sweet.
- Parsley or thyme – herbs make your food exciting
- Cauliflower – this was a long term investment! We seeded this in June, transplanted it in July and are harvesting it in May! We hope you appreciate this delicious veggie.
- Chinese broccoli (while it lasts!) it is just starting and there are a few bunches with much more to come. This is a family favorite, you eat the stems, leaves and flower portion.
- Bok choi – a nice addition to any stir fry, and it grows fast so farmers love it.
- Spinach – this is the first of the spring spinach, it is so tender. Clean well as the tiny slugs love it as well.
- Onions or shallots – we are nearing the end of our stores from last fall. We will move on to green garlic next week.
- radishes
We have almost finished planting the back side of the field. Juvencio and I worked into the night until the rain showers sent us inside. We have the cabbage and broccoli transplanted and we will move on to onions. There are over 25 flats of alliums (onions, shallots, and leeks) that have to be transplanted one at a time. By the time I get them in the ground it will be time to weed the first bed. This is the life of the farmer.
The tomatoes in the hoop house loved the heat and have really taken off. We will harvest the radishes from near by and give them the space they need to grow. I am hopeful that the peppers will get transplanted into several different greenhouses over the next week or so, they still have some growing to do. The cucumbers have been super slow this year and I like to wait until they are a bit larger before I transplant them. They are prone pest infestations and death, so I wait patiently (really??) for them to get to a more substantial size.
Juvencio spends some time each week in McMinnville with our cattle. He has beef available so please contact him. He sells it by the ¼, ½ or whole animla and you pay the butcher fee, the cut and wrap and then you pay the farmer $4/# hanging weight. He also brought home 4 pigs on Thursday and he has sold most of the pork. They will go to the butcher in 4-5 months. If you want meat, make sure to reach out to him ASAP and leave your deposit. He will let you know the details.
I started at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market yesterday. It was a slow day but our starts are looking great! Next Saturday is the official opening of the summer market. I will be there every Saturday from 8 – 1:30 until the fall. Polly and I sell under her farm: Pumpkin Ridge Gardens. We sell all sorts of vegetable starts , perennial and annual flowers and cut flowers. Check out her farm at https://pumpkinridgegardens.com/beaverton-farmers-market/.
Ballots have gone out for the May 15th election. Make sure to turn your ballot in. We have information in the barn about some of the candidates and a list of those candidates we support. We will have the election night celebration for Juan Carlos Gonzalez (running for Washington County Representative to Metro) at the farm on that night May 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and everyone is welcome.
Our State representative Janeen Sollman will be at the farm today from 2-3:30 having a listening session. Do join us!
Here are your recipes for the week:
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!
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Chinese Cuisine, Huang Su-Huei
12 stalks Chinese broccoli (5-inch lengths)
2 T oyster sauce
1 T corn oil
Bring ½ pot of water to a boil; add a dash of salt. Place the Chinese broccoli in the water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with oyster sauce and oil. Serve.
Kale Omelete
By the Armard Family
INGREDIENTS
– as much kale as you could get with two hands together (as a buch) after it has been chopped (aprox. 2 cups)
– Olive oil (2-3 tablespoons)
– One small well-chopped clove of garlic
– 1 teaspoon of salt
– 1/4 cup of feta or chevre cheese (small pieces)
– 1 small-medium riped tomato or 4-5 cherry tomatoes (chopped)
– Fresh black pepper
– 3 eggs
– Finely chopped basil or parsley
PROCEDURES
– Stir the eggs very well with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Set aside
– Heat the olive oil at medium-high and when hot add the kale and the chopped garlic. Cook until kale is soft stirring constantly. Don’t overcook. Then take out
– Reduce the fire to low-medium (let the pan cool down a little first), re-stir the eggs and poor them on the pan (use more olive oil if needed before adding the eggs)
– Immediately add the cooked kale/garlic, the chopped tomatoes, the cheese and the remaining salt
– Cover for about a minute with a lid
– Fold or whatever you prefer or can do (fritatta Vs. Omelette)
– Take out and add some chopped parsley or basil on top
Little gem salad
Bon appetite
INGREDIENTS
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup blanched hazelnuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- 6 heads of Little Gem (about 1 pound total), cores removed, leaves separated
- 4 small carrots (about 4 ounces), scrubbed, thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 1½ ounces SarVecchio or Parmesan
- Flaky sea salt
RECIPE PREPARATION
- Combine garlic, cream, and ½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl; season with salt. Cover and chill 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool before chopping coarsely.
- Strain cream mixture into a large bowl and add oil. Whip to soft peaks, then whisk in 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Toss lettuce, carrots, mint, and half of hazelnuts with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in another large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add a few dollops of lemon cream and gently toss to coat.
- Spoon remaining lemon cream onto a platter and top with salad. Shave cheese over salad and top with cracked pepper, sea salt, and remaining hazelnuts.
Recipe by Joshua McFadden, Ava Gene’s, Portland, Oregon
Photos by Michael Graydon Nikole Herriott