Life on the Farm (Week 24)

We almost had 2 new pets join the family last night. It was 6pm, we were planting peppers, dogs were sleeping along the field margin, Rog whispered “Look over your shoulder.”, I looked and 2 yearling deer were 20ft from us and still coming! I exclaimed, dogs awoke just as surprised.
Dazs woofed.
Dazs

And Sage took a couple step toward the youngsters (WHO DIDN"T RUN).
Sage

Sage stood there confused, and they kept coming all curious-like! I finally whooped and hollared and waved my arms (did the “Razz Deer Dance” No photo available.)

It took awhile, but they finally found some flight instinct and turned. Then it took 5 minutes to scoot them around the field and into the woods. Odd, and life-threatening if they don’t learn a little healthy fear of people and dogs! Especially a fear of Razz since they were probably the little twirps who munched the beautiful lettuce heads awaiting harvest this week!

The green, leafy things are enjoying the mild temps and this nice early morning soaking we are getting. The pepper transplants are especially liking the soaking! Today looks like a good indoor seeding and outdoor weeding day since the beds are too wet to plant.

In the Market, you will find some tangy greens for cooking and salad fixings for your lunches. Also available are a few vegetable transplants; these are all 8-10wk old seed-starts that will come “bare rooted” and in need of immediate planting into your gardens. We also have a small selection of hanging flower baskets to add some colorful flair to the mix.

Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.

Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .

Recipes for your consideration

Lentils and Greens
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 ½ cup sliced/chopped morel, cremini or portobella
1c brown lentils
7-8c broth
1 bay leaf
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp red pepper (optional)
3 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
4 cup greens (spinach, mustard, boc choi, kale, chard)
2 tbsp dry sherry (optional)

In soup pot, sauté oil, onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms until tender. Stir in lentils, broth, herbs/spices and garlic. Boil, reduce heat and simmer 20min until lentils tender.

Remove bay leaf. Puree half of soup and return to pot. Adjust consistency with add’l broth. Stir in spinach and sherry. Season w/ salt and pepper to taste.

Boc Choi Slaw

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp white or black sesame seeds
6 cups very thinly sliced bok choi (about a 1-pound head, trimmed)
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Whisk first 6 ingredients together. Pour over vegetables and toss. Let sit in refrigerator 2-3hrs prior to serving.

Did You Know…

It’s easy to eat more vegetables by hiding them in plain sight!

Smoothies: It may look funny, but 2 handfuls of spinach, kale, or boc choi with 2 sprigs of parsley well blended in a fruit smoothie will go down pretty easily! Add a date and/or a ¼ of a ripe banana for nice sweet taste.

Bean stews: Creamy soups made with beans (kidney, white, lentil, black) are an easy place to pile loads of vegetables; they add to the complex, rich flavor. Even the greens go down easier in a stew.

Stir fry: A large pan, a little oil, high heat and a pile of vegetables. Change up the 1) oil choice, 2) protein choice, and 3) seasoning choice to make it “new” every time. You can do the typical Asian style (soy sauce, ginger), but Italian (oregano/basil/garlic) and Indian (curries) and Thai (coconut, mint) are all open to this quick-meal cooking strategy.

Produce Subscription Highlights

Anticipated this week for the CSA subscription boxes:

Radish
Salad turnips (maybe)
Head lettuce
Spinach
Asian green triplet
Boc choi
Thyme
Chives
Pea shoots! (maybe)
And a sweet surprise…

Start your meal planning now!

We hope to feed you soon!

Roger and Lara

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