July 2008
Monthly Archive
The Radish Buncher: July 22, 2008
Posted by Tricia on 22 Jul 2008 | Filed under: The Radish Buncher
In the Box
Out with the peas and in with the cherry tomatoes and basil. It is a tasty trade. The cherry tomatoes are primarily the orange Sungold variety. I call them farm candy as they are such sweet, tasty treats. You also got a few pink grape tomatoes and maybe some black cherry tomatoes.
Now we pick the cherry tomatoes slightly under ripe. I know this disappoints some people because they want us to pick them fully ripe. But by picking them a little under ripe we get to eat the tomatoes without some critter taking a bite out of them first. This means letting the tomatoes sit on your counter until they are fully orange, pink, or purple. Then you can fully enjoy these little bites of heaven.
Picking basil is a favorite task of mine. The scent is so wonderful and it stays on my hands for a long time. I also adore its flavor on many dishes. I love to grill zucchini and patty pans with basil. I cut up the squash, drizzle olive oil over it, chop basil and grill the whole mix. It’s absolutely delicious. The recipe for patty pans listed below is also a great and very simple recipe.
The carrots came out of the greenhouse. Carrots are a difficult crop to go here because of all the weed pressure. Carrots take so long to germinate that the weeds are often too large to remove for the carrots to grow. So I tried planting some in the greenhouse where there is a little better weed control. It seems to have worked. I don’t know if our field carrots will get weeded in time. So enjoy these now.
The Care and Keeping of Basil and Tomatoes
Basil and tomatoes are two special crops. Tomatoes should never and I repeat never go into the refrigerator unless they are cut. It will destroy their flavor. Leave your tomatoes out on the counter and use a whole tomato at a time so there are no leftovers to go into the fridge.
Basil is very picky. It should not get wet or it will turn black. It’s okay to wash it right before you use it, but unless it is sandy, I wouldn’t bother to wash it. I have had good success keeping basil in a glass of water on my kitchen counter. Most refrigerators are too cold for basil. If you aren’t going to use it right away, you can put it in a towel in a bag in the fridge.
This Week’s Recipes
Yellow Squash with Fresh Basil and Toasted Pecans
(Source unknown)
Note: This recipe works well with a combination of zucchini and patty pans.
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 lb. patty pans or zucchini cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
Toast pecans in dry skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant, shaking pan often. Set aside to cool. Fill large pot with 1 inch water. Set steamer basket in pot, cover and bring water to a boil. Place squash in basket. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and steam 4 to 6 minutes, or until squash is tender. Transfer squash to large bowl. Toss with olive oil, basil and pecans. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Yellow Squash with Fresh Basil and Toasted Pecans
(Source unknown)
Note: This recipe works well with a combination of zucchini and patty pans.
- 1 15-ounce can of white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
Dressing ingredients:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or
- 3 garlic scapes chopped
- 1 3-inch sprig rosemary
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
Start by making the dressing. Put the garlic and rosemary in olive oil in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the rosemary begins to sizzle. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes, allowing the rosemary and garlic to infuse in the oil. Remove rosemary sprig from the oil, discard. Remove the garlic from the oil, reserving the oil. Add the garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. In a medium bowl, gently fold the garlic mixture in with the beans until they are well coated. Let sit for a few minutes. Gently mix in the reserved olive oil, tomatoes, and parsley.
News from the Farm
Riley is better. She is tearing around the farm every morning. In the afternoon, she is the smart one sitting in the shade or getting in her wading pool. The rest of us are out working in this very hot, muggy weather. We are busy with weeding, trellising tomatoes, taking down pea trellis and all the various July tasks. We could use some rain. The irrigation is running 24/7, but rain would be better. Have a good week!
The Radish Buncher: July 1, 2008
Posted by Tricia on 01 Jul 2008 | Filed under: The Radish Buncher
IN THE BOX
- Snow Peas
- Rhubarb
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Cilantro
- Garlic Scapes
- Salad Mix
- Petite Head Lettuce
Snow peas are coming in strong. Sugar snap peas are starting to be plentiful. Today we picked our first shelling peas. So for the next 2-3 weeks, we will be picking peas 3 days a week. It is a lot of bending over time, but the rewards are well worth it.
Both the snow peas and sugar snaps in your boxes are edible podded peas. That means you can eat the whole pea. The trick with both types of peas is to not overcook the peas. Lightly steam the peas for 1 to 2 minutes. They will turn bright green. Take them off the heat and remove them from the steamer. If you leave them in the pan they will continue to cook until they are overdone. I like to either serve them immediately or chill them and add to pasta salads.
The rhubarb comes from Mary Ellen and Roger Frey. They sell next to me at the Dane County Farmers Market. Their produce is not certified organic, but they do not use any pesticides or herbicides on the rhubarb. Try the recipe listed below. It is easy and very delicious.
Cilantro makes a delicious pesto. Try combining it in a blender or food processor with garlic scapes, olive oil, nuts and Parmesan cheese. It’s great on pasta.
This Week’s Recipes
Wisconsin Fresh Fruit Crumble
(Fresh Market Wisconsin)
6 cups rhubarb, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup flour
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ pound butter, in small pieces
½ - 1 cup oatmeal (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread fruit over bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle white sugar evenly over the fruit. Mix flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until it resembles the size of tiny peas. (You can use 2 knives if you don’t have a pastry cutter). Spread this mixture over the fruit. Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Sesame Snow Peas
(From Asparagus to Zucchini, 3rd Edition)
½ pound snow peas, ends removed
¼ red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Steam peas over simmering water until bright and crisp tender, 1-2 minutes. Cool under running water. Drain well and let stand to dry. Toss with remaining ingredients.
Makes 4 servings.
Keeping Produce Happy
We spend lots of time picking and cleaning your produce. Then, the produce is refrigerated. On Tuesday mornings, we pack your boxes, load them into the van, and deliver them to the pick-up sites. Between the time I drop the boxes off and you pick them up, several hours may have passed. As the days get hotter, you may want to take some steps to ensure better produce. Here are some ideas:
- Pick up your box as early as possible.
- Most produce suffers some dehydration. Try putting greens, radishes, peas, and other veggies in cold water to soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Most of these items can go right back into plastic bags in the fridge. Salad mix should be either spun in a salad spinner or pillowcase. Or, pat it dry in a towel.
- Some veggies will be fine as they are. This includes tomatoes,
peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes and green beans. - Some things will not want to be put into water. This includes basil, sweet potatoes and some other herbs.
These are some basic steps that will help your produce last longer. I’ll try to keep you posted on any other tips. News from the Farm The farm is looking very beautiful.
We got caught up on our transplanting in the last week. Then we began mulching between the beds with straw. So the rows look very clean. The weeds will eventually start to poke through the straw, but for now it looks great.
Now we need to start trellising tomatoes, transplanting more zucchini and the fall broccoli and weeding the areas we haven’t mulched. Plus, we still need to mulch the winter squash, but it is all coming together nicely. My crew is fabulous. They all work very hard and I appreciate all their efforts.
The summer crops are starting to come in. I picked about 10 zucchini this morning. We will soon be overwhelmed by them. The cherry tomatoes have lots of little green fruits, so they will come in by mid-July. The peppers will be delayed due to the flooding, but the tomatillos look fantastic. The onions look great. Basil and parsley will be a little while yet. Lettuce and salad mix will continue for a while. Beets and beans are growing, but need to be weeded. There will probably be some other veggies to come soon.
Have a great holiday weekend.