- Kale
- Chard
- Spinach
- Radishes
- Green onions
- Lettuce or parsley
- Leeks (the last)
- Baby bok choi (Li Ren Choi)
- Onions or shallots
Well, winter veggie lovers, this is it, the last winter harvest of the 2022-2023 season. We are so excited to be able to offer so many greens and crunchy radishes. The few days of sun felt like spring to us and the plants. The next few nights are dipping quite cold but hopefully everything will pull through just fine.
We had issues with our heat matts for starting our tomatoes, peppers and cukes and those issues seem to have been fixed. I thought I fried them after I froze them but tomatoes are tougher than they look (as long as it is not 16 degrees). We have most of the hoop houses full of spring veggies and will transition to heat lovers as soon as the regular season begins and our starts are big enough to transplant.
Polly and I will start back at the Beaverton Farmers Market April 1st. We have veggies on our website already for pick up at the farm or farmers market 4/1. Please do share our website with neighbors and friends. We will have a huge selection of all your favorites as they become ready to transplant. Here is the link:https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/uploads/b/0ec0794ba082b050fdab5b617117c50705666729359da9140c1fd7f09b0576ca/IMG_2476_1679420476.jpg?width=1200&height=480&fit=cover&dpr=3 click on the sort by available tab – very user friendly!
It is updated weekly so check back if you don’t see what you are looking for. We seed weekly so we can take special orders through May.
We have space for the regular season and we would love to continue growing for you. Please send us an email and deposit- the season opens 4/16! Here is a great 3 minute video explaining the true cost of cheap food and what eating sustainably really means: https://www.pbs.org/food/features/lexicon-of-sustainability-true-cost-accounting-the-real-cost-of-cheap-food/?mc_cid=a80b4ba3cd&mc_eid=9a01d9a6da
Quick update on land use issues. SB4A passed out of committee. It is fast tracked and will likely pass. I met with a group of local farmers yesterday and expressed my deep dismay with 1000 friends for going neutral on the bill. I do understand that it was a compromise among bad options. We are now pushing for the bill to have side rails making the governor choose UGB (urban growth boundary) land first. If you have not yet signed the petition put out by farmer friend Aaron Nichols do it now: https://chng.it/WskbZMDGdT
Tile Flat Road extension (Ordinance 882) issue at the Washington County Commissioners meeting last week was also a disappointment. Commissioners who had been against expanding roads on rural lands sided with staffers and have prolonged the decision until October 2023. Metro allowed a land swap that brought the road and surrounding farmland into the UGB. That does not change the value of that land in my mind or in the minds of the farmers in south Hillsboro but it feels like the county will be open to paving over more wetlands and farmlands. We will keep you posted on action items. If you are in district 1 – Nafisa Fai’s district or Pam Treece in district 2 they are the ones who flipped and allowed more study on an unneeded major north south corridor. Chair Harrington held strong and voted against the road expansion and any further study while Willey and Rogers are pro development and were voting for the ordinance already.
Honestly keeping “track” (barely) of one issue is a full time job and as my attention turns to farming and wedding planning (oh yes! Jacob and Courtney are getting married at the farm at the end of April) something will have to give. I will continue to reach out to you all to make our voices amplify and do what we can.
Thank you for hanging in there with us this season full of challenges. Spring will come and flowers will bloom. Hopefully the birds will lose interest in everything we plant and go and eat worms and other fresh leaves. Off to transplant tomatoes, trim pottery and the like. Please stay in touch.
Recipes and commentary from Sue Kass the recipe guru and one of our founding members:
“No recipes for radishes because I ate them all on the drive home—they don’t need anything! The leaves were pretty sweet too—I tossed them in with the other greens for greens soup/salads. My favorite radish top soup, though, is the one with ginger and garlic which is in your website recipe list https://www.finquita.com/wordpress/?page_id=772 . Plus it uses up those green onions!”
- Fresh greens with farro and tahini sauce
- 1 1/c c farro, cooked according to package directions
- 3 to 5 ounces greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, arugula
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- fresh cracked pepper
- 1 lemon, halved, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini paste
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced, optional, see notes above
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- Place a large pot of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Add the farro and a big pinch of salt (I add 1 tablespoon). Cook according to package instruction
- Meanwhile, remove the greens from the stems (if using kale or chard), then slice very finely — you can chiffonade the leaves but want small pieces of greens here. Place the greens in the bowl with the farro, add ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and fresh-cracked pepper to taste. Squeeze half of the lemon into the bowl . Toss, taste, and adjust with more salt or pepper to taste . The farro and greens should taste slightly lemony and nicely seasoned, but nothing spectacular—remember that the magic happens when the grains and greens meet the tahini sauce. At this point, you can chill the farro and greens until you are ready to serve.
- Make the tahini sauce: Stir together the tahini, remaining ¼ cup olive oil, juice of remaining half lemon, ¼ teaspoon salt, maple syrup, garlic, if using, and 2 tablespoons water. Add more water by the tablespoon. Dressing should be pourable—I typically add another 2 tablespoons water. Taste and adjust with more salt, lemon, or maple syrup to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl or set directly on the table. In a medium skillet over medium (or higher) heat, stir the pine nuts until golden all around.When ready to serve, spoon the greens and grains into bowls, drizzle the tahini sauce over top, and sprinkle pine nuts over top as well. Pass more sauce and pine nuts on the side.
Spring Greens Soup with Garlic Pesto
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp to serve
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
4 strips finely shaved lemon skin (with no bitter white pith), plus 2 tsp juice
100g swiss chard, stalks and leaves separated, both finely sliced
Salt and black pepper
200g cavolo nero, stalks removed and discarded, leaves finely sliced
1 litre vegetable stock
100g frozen peas
15g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
For the pesto
3 tbsp olive oil
20g parsley, roughly chopped
30g wild garlic, roughly chopped (or 1 garlic clove and 10g extra parsley)
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
30g parmesan, finely grated
10g tarragon
First make the pesto. Put all the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor with two tablespoons of water and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Blitz to a rough paste and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high heat, then fry the onion, celery, lemon skin, chard stalks, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper for 10 minutes, stirring a few times, until caramelized and soft.
Add the chard and cavolo nero leaves, and fry, stirring, for two minutes longer, until the leaves wilt. Pour in the stock and peas, leave on the heat for two minutes or so, until boiling, then stir in the tarragon and lemon juice, and divide between four bowls.
Drizzle pesto on each bowl.
Sautéed Choy Sum (substitute bok choy or chinese broccoli
3 tbsp groundnut oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
3cm piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin julienne strips
3 thin strips orange skin (with no bitter white pith)
20g salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
550g choy sum, stalks and leaves separated, stalks cut into 5cm pieces, the leaves kept as whole as possible
1½ tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
Heat the oil in a small saucepan on a medium-high flame, then fry the garlic, ginger, orange skin and peanuts for two to three minutes, stirring, until the garlic and nuts are a light golden-brown. Tip into a small bowl to stop it cooking, and put the pan aside until later.
Half-fill a large saucepan with a steamer attachment with water – just enough so it doesn’t touch the base of the steaming basket. Bring to a boil, steam all the choy sum for 90 seconds, then transfer to a plate.
Return the peanut pan to a high heat – don’t worry about wiping it clean – and warm through the oyster and soy sauces for just 10-15 seconds, then pour over the choy sum. Sprinkle the peanut mix and two tablespoons of the oil on top, and serve at once.