- Lettuce (last romaine for awhile) (have it on a burger – that is what we plan to do tonight!)
- Cabbage
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes (cherry or “new girl”)
- Herb (parsley or basil)
- Potatoes(pink and purple!)
- Beans or peas (maybe we will see what is out there)
- Red currants
- Translucent apples (good for applesauce and not much more – these are the pollinator apples in an orchard. They bloom for a long time and help cross pollinate other varieties. They have soft skins and a slightly mealy consistency. They make fine sauce or pie)
- Eggplant or tomatillos (already!! salsa and pasta sauce here we come)
- Elephant garlic (mild flavor and huge cloves)
We passed the halfway mark this season and we didn’t even celebrate! We have had our heads down working as best we can to keep up with the weeds, planting and harvesting on the farm. Potatoes are out and fall broccoli and cabbage are going in. It is so dry we are hand watering everytime we plant and this is time consuming and dusty work. We have about 20 flats of radicchio to get in the ground later this week and luckily the weather looks like it should support that transplanting.
Pest pressure has been very intense this year with squash bugs, cucumber beetles of all types, and underground vermin. All the parsley has either gone to seed or been eaten from below. This is a crop that I love and is so useful all year long and I have planted two beds and can’t keep it alive.Higo is training now in the hunt for underground predators and seems to be the most promising of our crew. The other dogs bark, dig and catch nothing. Juvencio is quite good at catching them as well, but we need more working hours each day to attend to all the farm tasks.
Harvests are getting bigger and more time consuming. Please sign up to help harvest. More hands make lighter work and allow us to focus on those additional farm tasks once the harvest is cleaned and packaged. Here is the link to sign-up: La Finquita Harvest Signup 2023
There is one more week for me at the Beaverton Farmers market and I will take a month off. I will focus on wreath making and have Saturdays (mostly) available for farm work and maybe a weekend getaway (haha!). That means I will have tons of fresh cut flowers. I am offering the 4 week flower subscription and hopefully people will join. 4 weeks of beautiful flowers for the month of August for $40! Please spread the word and join starting August 6-30.
Here are some recipes to keep you going this week:
The best zucchini recipes from the food network
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/our-best-zucchini-recipes
Tortilla Espanola (yeah, you have to cook it—but once you do it tastes good hot or cold!)
2-3 large potatoes or 4-6 smaller ones, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 medium fresh onion, thinly sliced
1/4-1/2 c olive oil
6-8 eggs, beaten
Heat 3-4 Tbs EVOO in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat, then gently cook the potato slices and onions until the onions are soft and the potatoes are getting translucent. It helps to keep gently loosening the potatoes so they don’t stick. Remove the potatoes and onions to a large bowl but don’t clean the pan. Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes in the bowl and gently mix to coat. Season w/salt, pepper, and any chopped fresh herbs if you want.
Heat 3-4 TBs EVOO over medium heat in the skillet again, and pour in the egg-potato mixture. Push down any potatoes that try to pop up above the eggs. Cook until the edges are starting to set.
Technically you are supposed to cook until the eggs are starting to set, then flip the whole thing and cook the other side. I never have the guts to do that, so I just put the whole thing under the broiler for 5-10 minutes or until the eggs are set and starting to brown. THEN I flip the whole thing out onto a plate and cut into wedges to serve.
Alberto’s Ratatouille
This recipe calls for about everything that is in season now. It is delicious by itself, cold or warm, with a baguette or so, or with scrambled eggs. It is originally from Murcia, the “Farm of Spain.” It is similar to ratatouilles, but better.
The trick is to cook the ingredients separately first so cooking is even and right.
INGREDIENTS
2 small zucchinis
1 small eggplant or 1 big, in essence, equal amount of zucchini and eggplant
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 large sweet onion
1 whole red pepper
1 whole green pepper
A little bit of chopped parsley
1/2 can whole San marzano tomatoes (or about 5 VERY well ripened tomatoes, peeled, no seeds). I prefer the San Manzano for consistency
salt
pepper
a tiny bit of “Pimenton de la vera” (Spice, you can find it in New Seasons or so)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 anchovy filet chopped very fine
HOW TO
1. Chop the eggplant and the zucchini and add salt, let it be. Chop them into very small pieces.
2. Chop everything except for tomatoes and garlic, very small bite size.
3. In a tall pot, begin sautéing onion at medium-low heat until soft, put a little salt and pepper at beginning. use a ton of olive oil, about 1/2 cup or more
4. When is almost ready, add garlic (chopped finely) and cook for another min and lower heat a bit
5. Remove and save in a large bowl, careful to leave oil on the pan. Don’t add any oil on subsequent steps
6. Sauté peppers on the same oil at medium-high heat until they get color and a little char. Take out to the bowl
7. Sauté now the zucchini and eggplant, same thing, don’t add oil, let them cook for about 3min, until soft, then to the bowl
8. Chop the tomatoes loosely, save the juices from the chopping, and add them with the sugar, a little salt and a tiny amount of pimenton de la vera, about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the chopped anchovy, Cook for about 5 min
9. Add all ingredients back to the pot and lower the heat some. Let it cook until the tomato juices are almost gone. remove and put on bowl and add parsley, just a little, about 1 tablespoon
10. Try salt and correct as needed.
11. let it cool down completely then put on refrigerator
12. Let be in refrigerator at least 4h
Yummy looking and quick cabbage salad:
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/7935110/simple-cabbage-salad/
Tomatillo recipes: