Summer Share Four June 5th 2017
Important information:
- We are sold out of summer produce share for the season.
- Thanks for your prompt return of share boxes!
- Tree fruit share will begin with sweet cherries which usually ripen around the first week of July. It should be interesting to see when they’ll be mature with this unusually cool start to the season!
Farm News from Jane
Today was our first worker share day on the farm and although it wasn’t too sunny the weather and field conditions were perfect for weeding! What a great crew we had; we flew through the blueberries and they look absolutely spotless and beautifully mulched. The berry set looks good as well as the bushes themselves. Blueberries like it cool and moist and so they are thriving. The lettuces are also enjoying the weather conditions but the asparagus would like a little heat. The days when it was hot we picked 100 pounds per day recently we have only been picking less than twenty pounds per day. The end of the week is forecasted to be in the seventies so hopefully the “gras” will grow a little faster. Within the next few weeks we will have cut salad greens, Swiss chard, beets, green onions, kohlrabi and garlic scapes as well as lots of head lettuces. A few of you will notice that your green garlic has a small shoot coming out of the center of the stalk called a garlic scape. This shoot contains a small seed pod which we pull out and use for seasoning also. They are just as potent as the mature bulb and very tender when they are fresh. When the majority of them have “escaped” we will walk through the blocks of maturing garlic and remove them. This removal will cause all the energy of the plant to be directed to increasing the size and quality of the bulb. And is also gives us a season stretcher for having delicious garlic for cooking.
We mulched the block of cherry tomatoes on Saturday and today we were able to get the stakes in the ground for trellising. We did not have any straw available and so we “borrowed” a bit of the clover cover crop and used that to mulch them. I think the job would have been much easier if we had a small roller crimper at our disposal. Those machines can apparently help with killing cover crops and mulching, making the process faster. But we managed to produce enough for the plants. We hope that the mulch will not only keep the weeds suppressed but also provide a healthier environment for the tomatoes. There is a naturally occurring fungus in the soil which causes the wilting disease known as “blight”. When the ground is covered with mulch the plants are less exposed to the spores in the ground which get “splashed” up on the leaves when it rains. As we do not use any chemical to prevent disease we are continually trying different types of mulching and trellising to help the tomato plants to stay healthy. There are so many areas to “grow” in knowledge in especially by experiential learning. That’s what’s great about farming; there is always another year to try again!
Thanks for your patience as we bear with Mother Nature’s weather pattern this spring. In a few weeks I’m sure that we’ll hear people “fussing” about it being so hot. The plants say “bring it on”… More heat; more to eat!!! Be well, Jane
Produce: Romaine lettuce Green garlic Tuesday: Rhubarb Thursday: Asparagus
Produce tips:
-As you can see by the produce index there is not enough asparagus for Tuesdays shares so next week you will get “caught up”. The rhubarb likewise we’ll have for next week’s Thursday shares.
– Romaine lettuce: A dieter’s dream, romaine lettuce has about 8 calories and 1-2 grams of carbohydrates per cup. Although it’s low in fiber, it’s high in minerals, such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. It’s naturally low in sodium. Plus, romaine lettuce is packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. Crisp romaine lettuce is a highly nutritious leafy green to use in a green smoothie
Recipes
HONEY-MUSTARD DRESSING
In a screw-top jar combine -1/3 cup of coarse grain mustard, cup olive oil, cup lemon juice, cup honey and 2 cloves of garlic, minced. Cover and shake well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Shake well before serving. Recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook
HONEY-PEANUT DRESSING
Mix cup honey, cup creamy peanut butter and 1 T. lemon juice. Makes cup dressing
Recipe form Betty Crocker Cookbook
GRILLED ROMAINE 1 head romaine lettuce – cut in half lengthwise and washed, shopping list 1/4 cup olive oil, shopping list 2 T balsamic vinegar, shopping list 1/4 tsp. dried minced onion, shopping list 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, shopping list 1/8 tsp. oregano ,shopping list 1/4 tsp. salt, shopping list 1/8 tsp. peppershopping list Place split heads of Romaine lettuce in a freezer bag .Mix all other ingredients together in a separate bowl and pour in bag. Lay bag flat in fridge for 15 minutes. Then turn bag over and lay flat again for another 15 minutes. Pre-heat grill. On medium heat, grill Romaine for about 2 minutes on each side. Serve warm.
GARDEN GREENS AND CITRUS SALAD
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts; 1 orange; 1 pink grapefruit; 8-10 oz lettuces; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1/8 tsp salt; Freshly ground pepper; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tsp honey; 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese; 2 or 3 thin slices sweet red onion, separated into rings
Preheat an oven to 325 F. Spread out the nuts on a baking sheet and bake until they begin to change color, 6-8 minutes. Watch carefully so they do not burn. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Peel and section the orange and grapefruit. Set aside. Wash and dry lettuces thoroughly, and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste until the salt dissolves. Add the olive oil and honey and whisk until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and toss to coat well. Divide the lettuce among individual plates. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments among the leaves. Sprinkle on the feta cheese and nuts, scatter on the onion rings, and serve.
CAESAR SALAD
3/4 c olive oil; 1/4 c red wine vinegar; 2 tsp anchovy paste; 2 garlic scapes or green onions, minced;
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp ground white pepper; 1 c grated Parmesan cheese; 1 large head romaine lettuce; Croutons
Put oil, vinegar, anchovy paste, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and white pepper in food processor; blend. Add Parmesan; pulse just to blend. Rinse, pat dry and tear lettuce into bite-size pieces. Add half the dressing to lettuce; toss. Add more dressing, to taste; toss, then add croutons. Serve at once. Makes 4 servings
RHUBARB BREAD
cup honey, cup oil, 1 egg, 1cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour milk, 1 T. soda, 2 1/2cups whole wheat flour, 1 t. salt 1-2cups or rhubarb, diced, T vanilla, 1/2cup chopped nuts. Topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1t.cinnamon, 1 1/2T butter
Preheat oven to 325degrees. Mix honey and oil, add egg and beat well. Dissolve soda in buttermilk, and then set aside. Mix salt and flour and add to honey oil mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in rhubarb, vanilla, and nuts. Pour into a 9×5 greased bread pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter. Bake @ 325 for 1 hour. * If you are using white flour decrease soda to 1 t.
RHUBARB SAUCE
2 cups rhubarb, chopped; 1/4 c. sugar; 2 T. water; 2 teaspoons cornstarch or clear jell (opt.)
Place chopped rhubarb in a saucepan and stir in water. Stir sugar and cornstarch together then stir into rhubarb. Cook over medium heat approximately 5 minutes or until tender. It may be served warm or cold. Refrigerate covered.
ROASTED RHUBARB SALAD
2 c 1/2 inch pieces fresh rhubarb, 2 T sugar, 2T balsamic vinegar, 1T canola oil, 1T minced green garlic, t salt, t freshly ground pepper, 8 cups mixed greens, c crumbled goat cheese or feta, c chopped walnuts, toasted, c golden raisins.
Preheat oven to 4500. Toss rhubarb with sugar in a medium bowl until well coated; let stand, stirring once or twice, for about ten minutes. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk vinegar, oil garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add greens; toss to coat with the dressing. Divide the greens among 4 plates. Top with the rhubarb, goat cheese (or feta), walnuts and raisins.
* Recipe from Serena Beneduce; modified and shared by CSA members Sebastiano Andreana and Concetta Beneduce
RHUBARB CRUMB BARS
For the Streusel: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for pan, 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan, 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt For the Cake: 1/2 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter and flour parchment and pan, tapping out excess flour.
Make streusel: Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and salt. Add flour and mix with a fork until large crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make cake: In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup flour. In another medium bowl, whisk 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, beat in vanilla, then flour mixture. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with rhubarb and top with streusel. Bake cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake from pan.
Cut into 16 bars.