• 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:

1. Pick up your box as early as possible.
2. 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.
3. Some veggies will be fine as they are. This includes tomatoes,
   peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes and green beans.
4. 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.