- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Onions – we planted these overwintered varieties in August last year and they are coming at the perfect time.
- Cilantro or dill
- Chinese broccoli
- Beets or Carrots
Farming is in full swing. The weather this week was such a relief from the heat wave of last week. The rain was an amazing gift that brought new life into the field crops. We finished the allium transplant (leeks, shallots, onions) and got in the celeriac just before a huge cloud burst. We have tomatoes, peppers and eggplants as well as tomatillos to get out in the field, plus the winter squash and then we are planted fully for the first round. Once the garlic is pulled, we will get in fall crops and the cycle begins again through the last planting in late October.
Juvencio turned over greenhouse #2 and #5 making space for cucumbers, melons and what ever else we can think of that can stand the heat. We are planning soil testing for some areas to see if additional nutrients are needed, especially for those tomatoes that we struggled with last year. Better not to relieve the struggles of last year as it makes me feel inadequate when I run the list. We will look to the bright side of all the successes. Farming is just that way, many challenges and a lot of luck.
We have beef available. We are selling it by the ¼, it is grass fed and not grain finished, making a healthier meat with more omega 3. Please communicate with Juvencio by email or text to get on the list, it will be ready in June.
We will have sugar snaps next week! This means it is time to consider lending a hand on the farm. We have a lot of harvesting to do with sugar snap peas and your help makes that work go faster. We harvest Sundays 7:00 – 11:30 and Wednesdays 7:30 – 11:30. We expect helpers to show up at the start of harvest and plan to stay until it is completed. Of course there are circumstances when that is not possible so just let us know. We welcome older kiddos help with the harvest. We fully understand that they will not harvest the whole time but rather get to help for some of the harvest and play and entertain themselves for the remainder. As for younger ones they are welcome as long as there is a dedicated adult to hang out with them while the other adult actually helps harvest. You are not required to help harvest. We offer this opportunity to get your hands in the dirt and see what it is like to feed over 100 families! We appreciate your help and count on it to get the work of harvest (or weeding) done. It is best for us if you sign up so we know we can count on you coming. You are always welcome to just show up as well. We hope that those who are able will sign up at least twice during the season (now until end of October).
I sent out a slew of great recipes last week and the line up of vegetables is similar except for the new onions. Here are a few more recipes, but please check out the website and share your favorite recipes with me.
Kohlrabi Slaw
Salad:
1 1/4 lbs kohlrabi, peeled and coarsely shredded
2 lge 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
Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli
Recipe By: Grace Young “In this Asian stir-fried vegetable recipe, a touch of sugar is added to balance the bitterness of Chinese broccoli. Serve with Asian-marinated meat and brown rice for a healthy weeknight dinner.”
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Chinese broccoli (see
Tips) or broccoli rabe
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 3 slices fresh ginger ( ¼ inch thick), peeled and smashed
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice wine (see Tips) or dry sherry
Directions
- Trim ¼ inch off broccoli stalks. If the stalks are thicker than ½ inch, cut in half lengthwise. Keeping them separate, cut the stalks and leaves into 2-inch-long pieces. Combine sugar and salt in a small bowl.
- Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large heavy skillet (not nonstick) over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil and add ginger and crushed red pepper; stir-fry until the ginger is fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the broccoli stalks and stir-fry until bright green, 1 to 1½ minutes. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the broccoli leaves; sprinkle with the sugar mixture and stir-fry until the leaves are bright green and just limp, about 1 minute. Swirl in rice wine (or sherry); stir-fry until the stalks are just crisp-tender, 1 to 1½ minutes. Remove the ginger before serving.
BEETS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS WITH FETA
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (preferably whole-grain or coarse-grain)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb onions (2 medium), quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch
pieces
2 (15-oz) cans small whole beets, drained and quartered (or halved if very
small)
3 oz crumbled feta (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup pine nuts (1 oz), toasted and
coarsely chopped
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl,
then add 3 tablespoons oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well.
Cook onions with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Add onions to dressing, then add beets and cheese, stirring gently to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.