2017 Week 5 Newsletter
Soil Matters
In the spirit of keeping you informed about the challenges at the farm as well as the successes, we encountered a setback earlier this spring when a batch of potting soil did not perform as we had hoped, resulting in a month's setback for many crops. The starts we sowed germinated well, but then just sat there, not growing not dying. It was confusing and frustrating to say the least, but thankfully we were able to recover all the crops. Chalk it up to another lesson learned in our farming adventure.
CSA Basket - Week 5
Your CSA basket this week includes the following:
Romanesco or Black Star Zucchini - We've been enjoying them sautéed in a cast iron skillet with onion and mushrooms served with eggs and toast for breakfast.
Flashy Trout's Back Romaine and Buttercrunch Lettuce - enjoy a fresh salad on a hot day - use a simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil with salt and pepper and top with a feta cheese
Snap or Snow Peas - While they can be cooked, ours rarely make it that far...they get snatched up and eaten directly instead. Time to say goodbye to peas until the fall.
Hakurei Turnips - enjoy sliced or quick pickle them with the radish for a tasty salad topping
Umpqua Broccoli Florets - blanch and them eat as a snack with your favorite dip
Mixed Bunch Kale - full share rounded out with the now familiar green
Purple Kohlrabi - what is that cool/weird looking thing? I like it cubed and roasted best and greens sautéed - but it can also be eaten raw - cut into sticks and used on veggie plate. Or grated and made into coleslaw. If eating the bulb raw, consider peeling first.
Garlic Scapes - rumor has it that cutting off this tasty flower bud/stem increases the garlic bulb yield. See following recipe!
Carrots! - While the leaves really make the bunch look pretty, they store better if you cut off the leaves before putting them in the fridge.
Veggie of the Week
Did you every wonder about the orange-ness of a standard carrot? We learned from one of our Dutch friends, that hundreds of years ago, in the Netherlands, carrots were specially cultivated for a change of color in honor of Williams of Orange, the Dutch independence leader. Very quickly, the new orange carrot gained popularity over the common white, yellow, or red versions.
Kymberly's Nasturtium Dip One of our members followed up on the recipe from a couple of weeks ago and posted her beautiful results on Facebook. Please feel free to share online as well!
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients:
6 garlic scapes
1/4 cup unsalted walnuts
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Use a blender or food processor to pulse into a paste the scapes, nuts, cheese, salt, and pepper. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil so that it emulsifies. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. For pasta, add the pesto to cooked noodles of your choice and thin with an amount of the pasta cooking water to the desired consistency. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Four Leaf Clover
Our kids are great at finding these on the farm - a little bit of luck this week from us to you! See you at the Market!
- Your SVF Farm Team