Week #8
- Lettuce – enjoy those salads!
- Beets or carrots
- Sugar snap peas – eat the whole pod, enjoy fresh and sautéed
- Kale or chard
- Chinese broccoli – eat the stems, flowers, leaves, so delicious
- Green onions – the most nutritious of the onion family. I chop them up and add them to hamburger meat.
- Sugar snap peas!! Garden candy, more to come
- Dill or parsley or cilantro – herbs are the spice of life! Add them to your hamburger meat too.
- Summer Squash!! – we have green zucchini, yellow and green called “Zephyr”, patty pan and heirloom variety called “Costata Romanesco”, it sure feels like summer is here. We had poor germination of the green variety so it was planted late and is being attached by you know who (the cucumber beetles).
- Spinach is back! This is the last week and then not again until fall. Make Saag, see recipe below.
The weeds have taken off! We have planted almost the entire farm. There are 4 beds that are waiting for the first transplanting of the season and there are many that are moving on to the second transplanting of the season. As lettuce, carrots, beets are coming out cucurbits (cucumbers, melons) and potatoes are going in. I still have 50# of potatoes to get planted! I have vowed to have Brussels sprouts in early October and they are ready to be transplanted!! The garlic is almost ready to be harvested and the favas look close to harvest as well.
We will burn the candle at both ends this week as we weed, prune tomatoes, transplant and compost. We have graduation festivities almost every night this week from awards night Tuesday, to graduation on Thursday to grad party on Saturday. We are so happy for Luna! Diego is next week as we help him celebrate his B.S. degree in biology. We are so excited Jacob will be home from Homer Alaska to help us celebrate.
I will make this quick as the morning has gotten away from me again. Here are some recipes for this week:
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.
Asian Style Grilled Tofu with Greens
Use tatsoi, mizuna, pea shoots, spinach or bok choi for the greens
Dressing:
1 small carrot, chopped
½ cup prepared carrot juice
2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil (I would use olive oil)
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped ginger
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
Tofu and Greens
2 14 ounce firm tofu
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean past
2 teaspoons minced garlic
10 ounces Asian greens or baby spinach
- To prepare dressing: combine carrot, carrot juice, miso, vinegar, oil ginger and garlic in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- preheat grill to medium
- To prepare tofu: Slice each tofu block crosswise into 5 slices; pat dry with paper towels. Combine honey, oil, soy, black bean paste, garlic in a small bowl. Spread half the marinade in a large baking dish and top with tofu slices. Spread the remaining marinade over the tofu to cover completely.
- Oil the grill rack. Grill the tofu until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. To serve toss greens with the dressing. Divide among 6 plates and top with tofu.
Sugar Snap Peas with shallots and Thyme
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- kosher salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Spread sugar snap peas in a single layer on a medium baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with shallots, thyme, and kosher salt.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender but firm.
Kohlrabi Slaw
Salad:
1 1/4 lbs kohlrabi, peeled and coarsely shredded
2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded
1/2 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 c. chopped scallions, including green
Dressing:
2 T oil, pref olive oil
2 T vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 t or more fresh snipped dill
1 t sugar (I used 1/4 t)
1/2 t ea. cumin and mustard powder
1/4 t crumbled tarragon
1/4 t ea. salt and pepper
1/3 c plain yoghurt
Toss salad ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, blend oil and vinegar, then blend in other ingredients. Pour over salad, toss, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hrs before serving.
Serves 6
Roasted Beets and Braised Beet tops with Canellini Beans(serves 4)
2 bunches medium beets with tops
1 medium red onion, cut into thin (1/4 – inch) wedges
water
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t dried oregano or 2 t fresh oregano leaves, minced
½ t Kosher salt
½ t minced garlic
Freshly ground pepper
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut green tops from beets, leaving about ½ inch of stem attached. Set greens aside to be used fro Braising Beet tops.
Wash beets and dry. Wrap each bet tightly in a square of foil and roast until tender when pierced with a skewer, about 1 hour or more, depending on size. Cool, unwrap foil and rub off outside skin. Trim and discard stems and ends, and cut beets into ½ inch wedges. Set aside separately until ready to serve. Strain any juices left in foil into a small bowl and reserve.
Place onion wedges in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Add a handful of ice cubes and let stand until ready to use. To make Braised Beet Tops, wash beet tops in several changes of water, trim stems and coarsely chop leaves into 2 inch pieces. There should be about 8 cups, or 1 pound, lightly packed. Heat 2 cups water to boiling in a large, broad saucepan. Stir in beet greens and cook until wilted and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, cool and then press lightly on greens with back of spoon to remove excess moisture.
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, reserved beet juices, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste until well blended. Measure out 1 Tablespoon and add it to the beet wedges. Toss to combine.
Remove ice cubes and drain water from onion. Add onion to dressing along with cooked beet greens and beans. Toss gently to blend. Spoon into a serving bowl and arrange beet wedges around edges and on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.