- Lettuce
- Parsley, dill or cilantro
- Green onions
- New potatoes
- Chinese broccoli or kohlrabi
- Beets or carrots
- Kale
- Chard or spinach
- Sugar snap peas
Well the grind continues. . . we harvest, we plant, we weed, we harvest, we plant, we weed. We have managed to plant every square inch of our farm at least once. Many of the beds in the hoop houses are getting planted for the second time. Some will be seeded with Sudan grass or buckwheat as cover crops so they can take a break from production and replenish themselves. When ever we have a crop that does not work well, we aim to make that better the following season. That is the story on winter squash, we have triple the amount we had last year, with varied locations and soil supplements, we hope for a bumper crop. We hope for the same with eggplant. Now, these may not be your favorites, but they are staples to us, so we are working extra hard to make them a great addition to the summer/fall lineup.
The tomatoes in the hoop house are in bloom, the peppers are bulking up and weeded, the sugar snap peas are 9 feet tall. We have basil in the ground outside and melons almost ready to be transplanted into hoop house #6. We did some soil testing at the encouragement of the USDA and NRCS hopefully once Nick Andrews helps me interpret how much Gypsum I have to add we will have the well-balanced soil we dream of. All in all the soil looks pretty good, very close to where we want it both in pH and mineral content. We have not done testing in years, and it is good to know that naturally we have not been so far off.
The real work of harvesting begins as we head into the summer and we are hopeful that our subscribers will lend a hand at least twice during the season. We harvest Wednesdays and Sundays and begin our harvests at 7:00 am and often are finished by 11:30, of course more hands make light work and we can finish earlier if the support is there. The signup sheet is in the barn, this just helps us know who to expect, but anyone can show up anytime they can, we are happy to have the extra help.
Here are some recipes for this week:
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Sweet Lemon and Mustard Dressing
Fresh From the Garden, Perla Meyers
Salt
1 ½ pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
juice of 1 large lemon
6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons finely minced scallions
Freshly ground white pepper
- Bring salted water to a boil in a vegetable steamer. Add the peas and steam, covered for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Run under cold water to spot further cooking and drain on paper towels. Place in a serving bowl and set aside.
In a small jar, combine the lemon juice, oil, mustard, and sugar. Cover tightly and shake until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add the scallions, season with salt and pepper, and pour dressing over the peas. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before
New Potatoes with garlic and parsley
READY IN: 38mins SERVES: 4
UNITS: US
INGREDIENTS Nutrition
12 small red potatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 teaspoons lite olive oil (divided)
salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Scrub the potatoes well.
Pare a 3/4″ strip around the middle of each potato (this is just to give you a little contrast in color).
Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.
Simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until tender.
Drain potatoes and place them in a bowl add two teaspoons of oil& toss.
In a nonstick frypan add the remaining oil over medium heat.
Add garlic, cook approximately 1 minute.
Add parsley, salt& pepper, mix well.
Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and cook stirring constantly for 1 or 2 minutes.
Serve
BABY GREENS WITH ROASTED BEETS AND
POTATOES
for vinaigrette
1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
For salad
2 medium beets (1 lb with greens; 14 oz without greens), stems trimmed to 2
inches
1 lb small new potatoes (about 1 inch in diameter) or fingerlings (1 to 1 1/2
inches long), scrubbed well
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 oz micro greens* such as baby Bibb, red-leaf, and oak-leaf lettuces and baby
arugula, or mesclun (about 10 cups)
4 cups baby spinach (3 oz)
1/3 cup lovage* leaves, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh chervil and/or dill leaves
1/3 cup fresh tarragon leaves
20 unsprayed organic nasturtium blossoms*
Make vinaigrette:
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add oil in a slow stream,
whisking until emulsified.
Roast beets and potatoes:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
Wrap beets individually in foil and roast on a baking sheet in upper third of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Once beets have roasted for 30 minutes, toss potatoes with oil and salt in a small baking pan and roast in lower third of oven, shaking pan occasionally, until potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully unwrap beets and cool slightly, then slip off and discard skins.
Assemble salad:
Cut beets into 1/3-inch dice and put in a large salad bowl. Cut potatoes into
1/3-inch-thick slices and add to beets along with all greens and herbs. Add
vinaigrette and toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle blossoms on top and serve immediately.
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 Chinese broccoli, 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.