Life on the Farm (Week 34)

Time for a little rain, eh? Sprinklers are going 18hrs a day with Rog repositioning every 2-3hrs. The up-side of this weather is a relative absence of mosquitoes! Gotta love that— Life without a bugsuit!

Water boy

Our weeds are much more under control thanks to several enthusiastic volunteers willing to brave the elements. The forests of weeds yielded much entertainment as they uncovered toads and caterpillars and snakes and spiders. (All were appropriately relocated to more permanent habitat nearby.)

The Market is open for more summertime orders.

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

Green enchilada sauce

6 Anaheim chile peppers
2 cups soy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, divided
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt, or as needed

Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Arrange peppers on prepared baking sheet.

Broil peppers in the preheated oven until skins begin to blister and turn black, about 5 minutes. Turn peppers and repeat until other side is evenly blistered and blackened.

Place peppers in a plastic resealable bag, seal, and cover with a kitchen towel. Let peppers sit so the steam loosens the outer skin, about 10 minutes. Remove peppers from bag and rub off blackened skin.

Break open and remove seeds and stem.

Blend peppers, flour, and 1 cup soymilk/vinegar in a blender until creamy. Transfer to a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add remaining 1 cup soymilk/vinegar and stir. Season with salt. Simmer until sauce is thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

To cover 6 enchiladas

Celery Risotto with Kale

7 cups well seasoned vegetable stock/broth
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
6 celery branches, preferably from the heart, diced (2 cups diced celery)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup chopped kale
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp vegan, grated Parmesan-flavor cheeze (by Galaxy Nutritional Foods)

1. Put your stock or broth into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby. Make sure that it is well seasoned.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan. Add the onion, celery and a pinch of salt, and cook gently until just about tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not brown.

3. Stir in the rice and the garlic and stir for a few minutes, just until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. After 10 to 15 minutes stir in the kale with the next addition of stock. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, usually about 25 minutes after you begin cooking, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning.

4. Add the parsley and chives, and another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the nutritional yeast and vegan Parmesan and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy. Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

Yield: Serves 4 to 5 generously
Adapted from The New York Times

Did You Know…

Potatoes, onions and garlic all turn brown and fall over in the summer? No, it’s not a sign of bad farmers; they are telling us it’s time to harvest. The above ground plant (green leaves) turns brown and dies back— that’s our signal to go get the underground gems.

Then they all need a time to cure. This drying in a warm area allows the skins to toughen up to protect them for storage. (Doesn’t apply to “new” potatoes or “fresh” onions or “green” garlic, by definition.) Some varieties of potatoes/onions/garlic, with proper storage, can make it thru the winters up here in the Great White North. (Something to strive toward…)

Garlic curing in the shade

Produce Subscription Highlights

Anticipated this week for the CSA produce subscription boxes:

Tomatoes
Carrots
Cucumber
Celery
Lettuce
Chard
Onions
Cauliflower (for remaining folks)
Sweet pepper (variety)
Anaheim peppers (mildly hot, used for chile rellenos and sauces)
Summer squash and zucchini
Thyme
Sage
Garlic chives
Garlic

Start your meal planning now!

We hope to feed you soon!

Roger and Lara

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