- Lettuce
- Chinese broccoli or bok Choi
- Kohlrabi
- Fenugreek
- Kale or chard
- Spinach
- Herb
- Turnips or radishes
- Beets? Or garlic scapes
This week at the farm we managed to get all of the leeks planted, the celery and the celeriac as well as some of the sweet red peppers. In a short break from the rain,Juvencio was able to till the entire field and it’s ready to go now it’s my turn to get out there and plant it all. We have cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more flowers to get in the ground this weekend and next week. It seems really late to be getting these things finally into the ground but it has been so wet and cold.The night before last we still had frost. Our first planting of beans looks like a complete loss due to frost. Many of the summer squash that were left uncovered have also been taken out. On the other hand tomatoes inside the greenhouses are starting to bloom and are needing their trellising. Some of the sugar snap peas are well over 6 feet tall and in full bloom.
We used agricultural fabric (reemay) in the field to protect early crops like lettuce and spinach and broccoli. Juvencio pulled back the fabric and found that the lettuce and spinach had already gone to seed and the broccoli was making heads the size of a lemon. Very disappointing to have worked so hard to get things in the ground early and to protect them from cold and find that they are ruined. There seems to be no way to get ahead of this weather you’re kind of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
I hope you’re getting the message that it’s not too late to plant your garden. We had the biggest day of the season at the Beaverton Farmers Market yesterday. I will be at the Beaverton farmers market every Saturday through the end of July with lots of vegetable starts and cut flowers. The flowers are just starting to take off and the upcoming warm weather should be welcome. You can order veggie, flower and herb starts from our website: https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/. Or come and see me at the Beaverton Farmers Market.
In the middle of last week I sent out a sign-up sheet for people to start thinking about when they want to volunteer their time to come and help us harvest vegetables. Harvest at this point are still quite manageable until we have the peas and beans and cherry tomatoes the three of us can handle just fine. The sugar snap peas look like they are still two weeks away and then the real work begins.
We do have lots of new vegetables for you this week we have fenugreek. Fenugreek makes us see that many of you may be familiar with it in Indian cooking. The greens are a special once a season treat that can be cooked down in dal. They are slightly bitter so please follow the recipe that is included that will help you make this delicious. We also have kohlrabi. Many of you wait for the springtime old world treat. Somehow this year I did not plant an over abundance of kohlrabi so you’ll get a taste. My recommendation is to peel it and slice it nice and thin and eat it on a raw vegetable platter. Sue Kass has looked up some recipes for you to try if you get motivated to cook. And we have our first batch of beets that we seeded all the way back in February. They are not maturing evenly so there’s probably not enough for everybody to get some this week. We are hopeful that everybody will get an opportunity to eat some beets this season. Direct seeded crops like carrots and beets are very difficult on a large scale. But we will keep trying.
Recipes for this week:
Kohlrabi home fries
1-2 lbs kohlrabi
1 Tbs rice flour
2-4 Tbs neutral oil (canola/grapeseed/sunflower)
chili powder, ground cumin, curry powder or paprika to taste
Peel the kohlrabi and cut into thick slices about 1/2” wide and 2” long. Heat the oil over med high heat in a heavy skillet. Meanwhile, place the flour on a large bowl with salt if desired and quickly toss the kohlrabi sticks in the flour so they are lightly coated. When the oil is shimmering, carefully add he kohlrabi to the pan in batches so it isn’t crowded. Cook one one side until browned, about 2- 3 minutes, then use tongs to turn and brown the other side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice. Serve hot
Buttery Roasted Kohlrabi
3 Tbs EVOO
60 g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes
2 red chiles, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2-3 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
5g each basil, oregano
400g cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
Heat oven to 400. add all the ingredients to a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper and toss to mix well. Roast for 25 minutes, stir and roast again for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drizzle with lime juice, parsley a more EVOO to serve.
kohlrabi noodle salad
2-3 medium kohlrabi, trimmed and peeled
for the nut-seaweed-chileseed sprinkle:
2 tsp white sesame seeds toasted
1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp poppy seeds, toasted
(can also use Trader Joe’s “everything but the bagel” seed mix)
! tsp seaweed powder—blitz a sheet of nori or toasted seaweed in a spicer grinder or food processor
3/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp finely crushed peppercorns
1Tbs roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped.
Flaked sea salt
Ginger-lime dressing:
3Tbs lime juice
2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Tbs rice vinegar
6 scallions, finely chopped
4 Tbs sunflower oil
Slice the kohlrabi as thinly as possible—use a mandoline if you have one. Stack the slices and cut into 2cm wide strips to resemble ver short tagliatelle. Transfer to a bowl with the lime juice and a teaspoon of flaked sea salt and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
Make the seed sprinkle.
Meanwhile, put the ginger and 3/4 tsp salt into a mortar and pound into a paste. Tansfer to a small bowl with the vinegar and 2/3 of the scallions.Heat the oil in a small pan until warm, then pour over the ginger and leave to steep 20 minutes. Drain the kohlrabi to ge trid of the liquid, then toss with the ginger oil and transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with the seeds and scatter the remaining scallions over to serve.
Fenugreek leaves recipes:
https://www.yummly.com/recipes/fresh-fenugreek-leaves
https://frombowltosoul.com/wprm_print/2405
Some great recipes from last year around this time:
Kale Salad (from Kris Schamp)
Flax oil (1/8 C)
Lemon juice (1/8 C)
Soy sauce* (less than 1/8 C)
1 bunch kale
Red onion
Shredded or shaved (with peeler) carrots
¼ C pumpkin seeds
1/8 C sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds
Sprouts (any kind)
Mushrooms (optional)
* can use Bragg’s – a low sodium substitute for soy sauce
1) Make the dressing: equal parts flax oil, lemon juice & soy sauce (or Bragg’s – a low sodium substitute for soy sauce. Use less soy sauce if sensitive.)
Marinate very thinly sliced / shaved red onion in the dressing while you prepare the kale.
2) De-stem the kale – try to get the young, tender smaller leaves.
Cut it into ribbons. Place in very large bowl to allow for easy mixing.
Add rest of “dry” ingredients.
3) Add the dressing and marinated onions to the kale mixture. Using hands, gently massage the dressing into the kale; softening down the structure of the kale and aiding the absorption of the dressing by the kale.
Let sit for a while (20-30 mins) before serving. Can be made well beforehand and refrigerated. Can add chopped avocado when serving. Goes well with marinated tofu-you can use the same dressing.
Lyn’s Salad Dressing
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic pressed
Add all ingredients to a Mason jar and cover with lid. Shake until creamy and well blended.
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!
Spinach, Radish Slaw with Crispy Chiles and Pepitas
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 dried Anaheim or dried New Mexico chiles,* stemmed
Canola oil
2/3 cup shelled raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
4 9-ounce bags spinach leaves (not baby spinach)
2 10-ounce bunches large red radishes, trimmed
4 ounces Cotija cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
Whisk both vinegars and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD:Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.
Cut chiles in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Using scissors, cut chiles crosswise into 1/4-inch strips. Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to reach depth of about 1/8 inch; heat over medium-high heat. Add chiles and fry until beginning to crisp, about 45 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add pepitas to same skillet and fry until golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to another set of paper towels to drain. Sprinkle chiles and pepitas with salt. Cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Line 1 large bowl and 1 small bowl with paper towels. Working in batches, stack spinach leaves into piles and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Transfer to prepared large bowl.
Using grating disk on processor, grate radishes. Place in strainer set over another bowl; drain 15 minutes. Transfer to small bowl lined with paper towels. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; chill.
Place spinach, radishes, chiles, pepitas, and cheese in very large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
* Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.
Bon Appétit
December 2008
by Tori Ritchie