In the Box

• Sugar Snap Peas
• Italian Parsley
• Snow Peas
• Giant Bag of Salad Greens
• Garlic Scapes (last time!)

Pea season has begun. We started harvesting peas last Friday with about 20 pounds. Today, we picked about 60 pounds total of snow peas and sugar snaps. Both types of peas are edible-podded peas. This means you eat them pod and all. Both are delicious raw or lightly cooked. Pea season is short - about 3 weeks - so enjoy them while you can. I hope the shelling peas will mature this week so we can have some of those for you next week.

We have a gorgeous planting of salad mix right now so you got large bags of salad greens. With the hot weather predicted for this week, the greens will be good.

We plant salad greens every 2 weeks of the growing season, but this is an outstanding patch. It is amazing that the weather (rain, sun, temperature and wind) can make a huge difference from one planting to the next.

This is the last week for garlic scapes, so enjoy them. Try marinating them in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and then grilling them for a couple of minutes. Yum!

This Week’s Recipes

• Chicken or Tofu Stir-Fry
• Gremolata: A Traditional Italian Condiment
• Salad Greens with Garlic Dressing

Boxes

Our new boxes are rather stiff. Some of them are coming back torn up. Please remember to NOT pull up on the flaps. Rather, slide the flaps back towards the edge. The middle of the flaps should push up towards the sky. If you have difficulty with this, please don’t try to flatten the boxes. Just bring them back still in their box form and I will flatten them. Also, if you have difficulty remembering to return your box, please just empty the box and leave it at your pick up site. Thanks!

Veggies and Hot Weather

Some of these very hot days are difficult for the veggies, particularly if you pick up your box late in the day. Any of the salad greens, radishes, beets, and many others would benefit from being put into cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Then spin the greens (if you have a spinner) and put the greens back into a bag and place in the refrigerator. The veggies that do NOT want to be dunked in water include basil, potatoes, sweet potatoes, dry onions, garlic bulbs, green beans and winter squash.

Riley Writes

The Kitties and I really like these long days. There are bunnies and butterflies to chase, places to dig, veggies to eat, people to jump all over. So we need to start our days really early. The birdies start to sing at about 4:30. We have to wake mom up so she can let us out right away. It’s a team effort. First Mandalay runs into the bedroom. She dashes across the bed several times and talks with her squeaky voice. Sabrina is next. She can purr loudly. So she purrs and purrs. Then she kneads with her feet and puts her claws into Mom just a little. I’m next. I jump on the bed, stand over Mom and stare at her until she wakes up. If that doesn’t work I drop my 50 pounds on top of her and start petting her with my paws (and nails). Sometimes she ignores us and turns over. We just move around to the other side and start over. But we always win. So lately, Mom has been up by 5 and working very early. I tell her it’s better on these hot days. She’s not convinced - especially on Sundays…

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Ingredients:

¾ cup broth
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons ginger root (minced)
1½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
½ teaspoon dried chilies (optional)
1 pound boneless chicken or 1 block firm tofu (cubed)
1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
12 ounces pasta, soba noodles or rice noodles (cooked)
½ cup green onions

Directions:

Whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and dried chilies. Set aside.

In large fry pan over medium-high heat sauté chicken or tofu in small amount of olive oil until the meat is cooked through or tofu is lightly browned. Remove tofu. Add sugar snaps or snow peas. Add soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, 3 minutes. Mix in noodles and green onions. Top with browned tofu (if using) and serve immediately.

Source: Simply in Season

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Ingredients:

2/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tablespoons grated lemon zest

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Let stand at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Use to top baked potatoes, broiled chicken, or any mild-flavored baked fish. Makes 2/3 cup.

Source: From Asparagus to Zucchini, 1st Edition

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Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic or 3 scapes, minced
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ cup milk
salad greens

Directions:

Put garlic, oil, vinegar, basil, salt, Parmesan and pepper in a blender; process 2-3 seconds. With blender still running, slowly add milk, processing until dressing is thick and smooth. Toss with greens. Makes 1½ cups dressing.

Source: From Asparagus to Zucchini, 1st Edition

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The Kitties and I really like these long days. There are bunnies and butterflies to chase, places to dig, veggies to eat, people to jump all over. So we need to start our days really early. The birdies start to sing at about 4:30. We have to wake mom up so she can let us out right away. It’s a team effort. First Mandalay runs into the bedroom. She dashes across the bed several times and talks with her squeaky voice. Sabrina is next. She can purr loudly. So she purrs and purrs. Then she kneads with her feet and puts her claws into Mom just a little. I’m next. I jump on the bed, stand over Mom and stare at her until she wakes up. If that doesn’t work I drop my 50 pounds on top of her and start petting her with my paws (and nails). Sometimes she ignores us and turns over. We just move around to the other side and start over. But we always win. So lately, Mom has been up by 5 and working very early. I tell her it’s better on these hot days. She’s not convinced - especially on Sundays…

No comments yet »

In the Box

• Dill
• Head Lettuce
• Braising Greens
• Arugula
• Garlic Scapes
• Salad Mix
• A Bit of Broccoli

Spring planting time is a busy time. Farmers speak in terms of ‘windows of opportunity’. These are the moments when I get the soil worked and the seeds planted and then it rains after planting. But, spring being spring, we often get rain between the plowing and the planting. Then the soil has to be worked again before planting.

I missed one of those opportunities this spring and it became obvious today. This spring I had a couple of days when I wasn’t feeling well. I decided to sit and work in the greenhouse instead of plowing the field. It was beautiful planting weather. Then it started to rain and didn’t stop for a week. I got the peas planted a week late. Today I was walking through the pea patch. It looks beautiful and I think we will have a good pea season, but we should already be picking peas. Next I was walking through the greenhouse and picked my first Sungold tomato. I think this is the first time I have picked a tomato before peas. I know the tomatoes are in the greenhouse so they have an advantage, but it was still strange. The good news is the peas will be ready soon and so will the sungolds…

We finally had some heads of lettuce mature that the deer did not eat. We found a place where the fence was down and the deer were sauntering through to the salad bar. Try mixing the braising greens and dill in with the lettuce for a great salad.

Most of you got a tiny bit of broccoli. A couple of you got zucchini instead as there was not enough broccoli. Summer broccoli tastes good, but does not look very pretty.

This Week’s Recipes

• Garlic Green Sauce
• Spanish Greens
• Garlic Scape Pesto

Calendar of Events

September 8th - Fall Farm Frolic. Join us for a potluck dinner, farm tour and games.

July ? - I’d like to have a greenhouse raising party. Date and more details to be determined. No experience necessary.

Riley Writes

It was a hot week! Supposedly it is not even summer yet, but it sure felt like it this week. I was glad to have my pool to run through. It’s best to run through the water, then through the dirt and back into the water. I do that over and over.

It’s raining now and we really need it. I need more mud puddles to run through too. I hope it rains all night.

WE have a bunch more people working on the farm for a couple of weeks. I had to greet and jump on so many people this morning. I had to take a nap after they all arrived. It’s very tiring work…Anyways, they are here to help with the harvesting and to catch up on the weeding and other projects. I’m going to be very busy supervising all these activities. I will have to run around to everyone and stick my nose in their faces to make sure they are doing everything correctly. Then I’ll have to roll over on my back and have them scratch my belly. Then I’ll know that they are focused…on me. But don’t worry; I’ll keep everything running well on the farm.

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Ingredients:

2 stalks green garlic, coarsely chopped
4 cups Arugula
¼ cup toasted hickory nuts, pecans or other nuts
grated zest of ½ lemon
juice of ½ lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Coarsely puree the first five ingredients in a food processor. With machine running, gradually add enough olive oil to make a thick sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use the sauce to accent asparagus spears, pan-sautéed trout fillets or grilled steak, to zip up rice pilaf or scrambled eggs, or as a dressing for cold pasta salad.

Source: Isthmus 5-12-06

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, flattened or smashed with the flat of a knife
½ pound greens
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Directions:

Heat oil over high flame in large skillet. Add garlic cloves and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds. Discard garlic. Toss in greens. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; wilt greens 2-3 minutes. Add raisins and pine nuts. Check for seasoning and serve.

Serves: 2-4

Source: From Asparagus to Zucchini, Third Edition

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1 cup tender scapes, cut in about 1″ pieces then processed in a food processor until finely chopped

Add the following and process until well blended:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped pine nuts

This can be served now or frozen for future use. I freeze it in the small 1-cup Gladware containers.

Source: Karen Delahaut, Vegetable Specialist at UW

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It was a hot week! Supposedly it is not even summer yet, but it sure felt like it this week. I was glad to have my pool to run through. It’s best to run through the water, then through the dirt and back into the water. I do that over and over.

It’s raining now and we really need it. I need more mud puddles to run through too. I hope it rains all night.

WE have a bunch more people working on the farm for a couple of weeks. I had to greet and jump on so many people this morning. I had to take a nap after they all arrived. It’s very tiring work…Anyways, they are here to help with the harvesting and to catch up on the weeding and other projects. I’m going to be very busy supervising all these activities. I will have to run around to everyone and stick my nose in their faces to make sure they are doing everything correctly. Then I’ll have to roll over on my back and have them scratch my belly. Then I’ll know that they are focused…on me. But don’t worry; I’ll keep everything running well on the farm.

No comments yet »