2018 Week 6 Newsletter
Fruits of Labor
It turns out that farming takes a lot of patience. The fruits of our labor are long in coming and brief in their stay. This continues to be a challenge for me as patience is not my strongest virtue. But the rewards of all the planning, hard work, and patience are great. The first ripe fruits of the season bring such immense joy. The pictures this week are a bit of a tease of what is yet to come in July and August. Enjoy!
““The gardener’s work is never at an end; it begins with the year, and continues to the next: he prepares the ground, and then he sows it; after that he plants, and then he gathers the fruits...””
— John Evelyn
CSA Basket - Week 6
Here is what you can expect to find in a large share basket this week (asterisk for small share items):
Spicy Salad Mix* - Try a dressing using an herb infused vinegar
Cabbage* - roast with turnips or eat fresh as a slaw
Scallion* - try them whole on the grill or saute with eggs for breakfast
Purple Top Turnip* - try roasting with an herb infused olive oil and top with parmesan cheese
Watermelon Radish* - perfect on a salad or try roasting with turnips
Cucumber - chop into chunks and freeze - add to your favorite summer drink - water or cocktail
Swiss Chard -perfect sauteed and added to eggs for breakfast or on rice for lunch
Carrots -perfect snack eaten whole or grate into your slaw
Peas - tasty as a raw snack
Sorrel - see ideas in Chef's Corner
Vegetable of the Week - Sorrel
Botanical Facts - Common sorrel or garden sorrel is a perennial herb in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock. It is a common plant in grassland habitats and is cultivated as a garden herb.
Historical Origins - Common sorrel originates from the grasslands throughout Europe and Central Asia. It is common in North America as an introduced species after the 1600s.
Culinary Uses - Once a common ingredient in soups, stews, salads and sauces, sorrel vanished from use for hundreds of years. Now this delightful, leafy green is finding its way back into gardens and kitchens, where its tantalizing flavor and good nutrition can be enjoyed. It has a tart, lemony flavor that is an excellent complement in salads.
Another Bite - From Chef Darlene:
Young, small sorrel leaves have a pronounced lemon flavor and can be eaten raw, mixed with other greens in a salad. Large leaves are more bitter and should be cooked. Add a little sorrel to spinach recipes or toss into vegetable or lentil soup.
CSA Tip of the Week: Roasting
Any of the firm vegetables can be roasted. Even the greens can be tossed with olive oil and thrown into a 425’F oven. The time obviously depends on how firm the vegetable is and how small you cut it. In the case of greens, you just want to wilt them, but with root vegetables, you can roast until they are nicely browned. Having roasted vegetables in the fridge means that any number of meals are one step closer: top a pizza, toss with pasta, use as an omelet filling, stir into risotto or polenta (or grits), toss with a vinaigrette and serve as a lettuce-free salad topped with blue cheese or goat cheese, make a roasted vegetable Panini…
Baby Barn Swallows are hatching and are all cozy and snug in their nests. I love the bright, white line around their mouth. This line helps the parents find their hungry little mouths when they bring tasty insects for their brood. Juvenile Barn Swallows lose this trait after they fledge the nest and get their adult colors.
We would love to hear from you! What have you been preparing with your vegetables? Have you tried something new? Let us know! Send us an email or post on Facebook and we can share your ideas with others in the next newsletter.
We will continue to be at the Harstine Island Farmers Market and Shelton Farmers Market on Saturdays throughout the summer. You can also find us online at Fresh Food Revolution for deliveries to Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, and Allyn. Come see us at the market!
Your SVF Farm Team