Our meal last night, made from a share that was left over. McFaddin’s twice cooked potatoes with herbs, salad of lettuce, kale, kohlrabi and radish with my dressing. Tenderloin steak with parsley and shallot chimichurri and sugarsnap peas with Chinese broccoli.
Here is what you get this week:
- Radishes
- Parsley or cilantro
- Beets or zucchini
- Chinese broccoli
- Kale
- Sugar snap peas
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Fennel or Kohlrabi
Juvencio returned safely from Honduras. His father has made a remarkable recovery although his speech remains difficult to understand. He is up walking around,eating and participating with the family in ways that we did not ever imagine. He spent the two days he has been home catching up on weeding. He rescued the cabbages and the potatoes. And is now moving onto the onions. The tomatoes are getting strung up in the hoop houses and outside will begin soon. They will need to be pruned a second and fourth before we let them grow as they will produce fruit for you.
We continue to turn over beds. As the first bed of potatoes was harvested I put in a set of cucumbers. As each bed becomes available, we will plant more potatoes, more winter squash, and the weekly lettuce and green onions. This week there is no lettuce. If you were curious about this ask Juvencio. It is definitely the week of the snap as all three beds are going crazy. Last weekend we were lucky enough to have Sue Kass the master pea picker. She picked 45 pounds of peas all on her own. The value of a good picker cannot be underestimated as the summer wears on. We will have more and more need for help with the harvest as it is almost impossible to get this all done, just our family. We are lucky to have Luna, Kody and Jacob to help harvest Sunday. On Wednesdays Juvencio is essentially alone unless someone has been able to help him the night before. Our niece Fernanda has gone back to Honduras. We will miss her dearly. She was fun to have around and help to us on the farm.
Reminding you all of the extras you can add on to your share. You can join Cloud Cap Mushrooms and have weekly fresh organic mushrooms delivered to our farm for you to pick up. Follow this link to order and pay them directly: https://cloudcapmushrooms.com/la-finquita-del-buho/mushroom-add-on
We have an egg and flower add-on subscription. Email us for details. You can also order weekly by texting early in the morning and I will set aside for you. We have ground beef for members available in the freezer in the barn. We also have t-shirts with our newly minted design. We appreciate your support of local agriculture.
We are waiting for the baby to come, they are due any day. Courtney remains in good spirits, by this time in all my pregnancies I was done and in fact they (the babies) knew it and all came out 10 days early. Today it is supposed to be torrential rain, I will stop writing and get out there to harvest the radishes and fennel which are the most exposed. Then we will move into the covered areas inside the hoop houses.
Seafood, Fennel, and Lime Salad from ‘Ottolenghi’
· 2 small fennel bulbs
· 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
· Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
· 2 cloves garlic, crushed
· 2 tablespoons chopped dill
· 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
· 1 mild chile, seeded and finely chopped
· 4 tablespoons olive oil
· 8 tiger prawns
· 12 ounces (350g) cleaned baby squid
· 1 tablespoon sumac
· 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
· Coarse sea salt
· Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
1. Trim the bases and tops of the fennel bulbs, then slice crosswise as thinly as you can. A mandoline would be useful here. In a large bowl, mix the fennel and red onion with the lime zest and juice, garlic, dill, parsley, chile, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
2. To prepare the prawns, peel the shells away from the bodies, keeping the tail segment of the shell on. Cut a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and use the tip of a small knife to remove the dark vein.
3. Place a heavy cast-iron pan, preferably a ridged grill pan, over high heat and leave for a few minutes until piping hot. Meanwhile, mix the prawns and squid with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch of salt. Grill them in small batches, turning them over after 1 minute and continuing until just done (about 1 more minute for the squid and 2 to 3 for the prawns). Transfer to a cutting board and slice the squid into thick rings. You can leave the prawns whole or cut them in half.
4. Add the seafood to the salad bowl and toss together. You can serve the salad immediately or leave it in the fridge for up to 1 day. To serve, stir in the sumac and cilantro, then taste and adjust the seasoning. When pomegranate seeds are available, they make a beautiful garnish.
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Fennel PomegranateSalad
Could use chopped cherries or dried cranberries in place of pomegranate
½ pomegranate
2 medium fennel heads
1½ tsp olive oil
2 tsp sumac, plus extra to garnish
juice of 1 lemon
10g picked tarragon leaves
10g parsley, roughly chopped
70g Greek feta cheese, sliced
salt and black pepper
Remove the leaves of the fennel, keeping a few to garnish later, and trim the base, making sure you leave enough of it still attached to hold the slices together. Slice very thinly lengthwise (a mandolin would come in handy here).
In a bowl, mix the olive oil, sumac, lemon juice, herbs and some salt and pepper. Add the fennel and toss well. Taste for seasoning but remember, the feta will add saltiness.
Layer the fennel, then the feta and then the pomegranate seeds in individual serving dishes. Garnish with fennel leaves, sprinkle over some sumac and serve immediately.
Sauteed Radishes and Sugar Snaps with Dill Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2004
To remove strings from fresh peas, just snap off the stem end and pull string lengthwise down each pod.
Makes 6 servings.
1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots 12 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed 2 cups thinly sliced radishes (about 1 large bunch) 1/4 cup orange juice 1 teaspoon dill seeds 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Melt butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add sugar snap peas, cook for one to two minutes, and radishes sauteing until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Add orange juice and dill seeds; stir for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped dill. Transfer to bowl; serve.
Roasted Beet & Fennel Salad 1 fennel bulb, sliced 1 1/2 c beets, cut into small pieces (you can do more this is just what I had on hand) olive oil
kosher salt salad greens fennel fronds, chopped Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the fennel bulb & beets in a small roasting pan. just coat with olive oil & sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 30 minutes or until tender. (If it’s too hot to roast the beets & fennel inside, cook them on your grill in a grill basket) Place on a bed of salad greens. Dress with Lemon Vinaigrette. Sprinkle fennel fronds over the top. Lemon Vinaigrette 2 T olive oil 1 T lemon Juice 1 T white wine vinegar 1 small clove garlic, minced salt & pepper to taste
Crunchy Vegetable Salad
Serves 4
For the vegetables:
½ English hothouse cucumber, very thinly sliced
4 small radishes, trimmed, very thinly sliced
2 scallions, very thinly sliced
1 pound mixed snap beans (such as green, wax, and/or Romano)
Kosher salt
4 ounces sugar snap peas
For the sesame-lime dressing and assembly:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1. Prepare the vegetables:
Place cucumber, radishes, and scallions in a colander set inside a bowl of ice water. Press down on vegetables to submerge. Let soak, stirring occasionally, until very firm and crunchy, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Drain and pat dry.
Meanwhile, cook beans in a large pot of boiling generously salted water just until their color intensifies and they are barely softened, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer to a large bowl of salted ice water (use about 1 Tbsp. salt for every 2 quarts water).
Return water to a boil and repeat the cooking process with sugar snap peas; add to a bowl of ice water with beans. Let vegetables cool; drain and pat dry. Trim beans and remove strings from sugar snap peas. Slice into large pieces on a steep diagonal.
Whisk lime juice, oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and sugar in a large bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper. Add beans and peas and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add cucumber, radishes, and scallions and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter.
Beans and peas can be blanched 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill,
From last year at this time:
Kale & Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Dressing:
3/4 c canola oil
1/2 c peeled chopped ginger
1/4 c miso paste
1/2 c rice vinegar
2 lemons or 2 limes, zest finely grated and juiced
1/4 c sugar
Salt, pepper
Salad:
2 Tbsp sugar
6-8 dried apricots
1 medium bunch kale, roughly chopped
2 c sugar snap peas
4 oz crumbled feta
1/4 c almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 Tbs fresh mint
Combine all ingredients for dressing in a blender or food processor.
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine sugar w 1/4 c water. Add the dried apricots
and poach just until rehydrated, then remove from heat.
In a serving bowl, combine the kale, snap peas and feta. Add salad dressing to taste, sprinkle with almonds and mint
Smitten Kitchen’s Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Miso Dressing
Serves 4
Salad
- Table salt for the pot
- ½ pound sugar snap peas, untrimmed
- ½ pound Napa cabbage, cut into thin ribbons (about 3 cups) – optional
- 4 ounces radishes (4 medium-large), julienned, or quartered and thinly sliced
- 3 large scallions (about ½ bundle), white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Sesame Miso Dressing
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons mild yellow or white miso
- 2 tablespoons tahini or sesame paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- Instructions
- Blanch sugar snaps. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and prepare a small ice-water bath. Boil the sugar snaps for about 2 minutes, or until just barely cooked but still crisp. Scoop them out with a large slotted spoon, and drop them in the ice-water bath. Once cool, drain and pat dry. Trim ends and cut sugar snaps into thin slices. Toss in a large bowl with cabbage, radishes, scallions, and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.
- Make the dressing. Whirl all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- Assemble the salad. Toss salad with half of dressing, and taste. Use more if you desire. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds.
- Store any leftover dressing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator and use on your next salad.
Bowties with Sugar Snaps, Ricotta and Lemon
As sugar snap season comes and goes all too quickly for my addicted tastes, consider this a template for any green vegetable — segments of asparagus, green beans, snow pea pods, or whole sweet peas — that you think might enjoy some lemon/ricotta/parmesan/salt/pepper treatment. Most of these other vegetables will benefit from 2 to 3 minutes boiling time, so add them earlier in the pasta cooking process.
Serves 4 to 6 (main course-style), up to 8 as a first course
Salt for pasta water
1 pound sugar snaps
1 pound dried pasta bowties
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) finely grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
Glug, then drizzle, of olive oil
Coarse or fine sea salt for sprinkling
Ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
Few leaves of mint, slivered
1 cup ricotta; use fresh if you can find or have motivation to make it
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. While waiting, string sugar snaps and cut into 1/2-inch segments. Cook bowties for two minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the package, then add sugar snaps to pasta. Cook for one minute more. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water, then drain sugar snaps and bowties. Add them back to the empty pot with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, grated cheese, a glug of olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook on high for one minute, tossing constantly. Add a splash more cooking water if pasta looks too dry. Turn heat off, dollop ricotta all over in large spoonfuls and, without stirring, tip pasta mixture into a wide serving bowl. (I do this because I love the idea of finding slightly unmixed pockets of ricotta.) Drizzle pasta with a small amount of olive oil, then squeeze lemon juice over the whole dish, sprinkle with mint, and finish with an extra sprinkling of parmesan. Serve quickly; eat happily.