Produce Subscription (Week 26)

Rain is the topic of this week too. And heat! Just found our first damp-loving and heat-loving pests— aphids. They were finding succor on a weak little kale plant, much his neighbors’ junior. Off they all when to the compost for recycling and renewal! The lettuce is just beginning to suffer from bottom rot with all of the damp; and their tops are feeding our little herd of deer who have oddly taken up residence at Farm WLIG. A young fawn spent the night under our side steps, several yearlings daily investigate the greenhouse, adult females frequently are seen to saunter across the yard unfazed by us, the dog, and the hub-bub. Needless to say, none of us are pleased by the wee beasties; lettuce without a heart is no lettuce at all!

Your boxes will be in their respective drop site locations by 9am Wednesday. (Dropsite Location Details) Find the box with your name and have at it!

If you have any questions, please call Roger on his delivery phone 626 488 5437 (if before 10a) and the farm phone 715 426 7582 (if after 10am).

Green is the color of life in your boxes this week!

Broccoli No huge heads (need to work on our nitrogen) but plenty of florets for easier preparation and less dense stem to throw away. (How’s that for glass half full?)
Mesclun More quick salads this week.

Lettuce Another mix of types and colors. The iceberg and butterhead types are not taking the heat well, so harvested before they left us…hard to grow but wonderful to eat! The baby romaines are heartier and will give you the crunch.

Kale (White Russian) A new variety to the farm; highly recommended. See what you think.

Cabbage (Caraflex) How about a fresh spring coleslaw? Is it still spring? Was it ever?

Cabbage (Napa) These beauties are leafy and crispy and delicate and perfect for the Bangkok Curry recipe below. Thanks, MP.

Potatoes, Purple majesty or All Blue Purple Mag is the deepest color; All Blues have a white “line” just under the skin when sliced. Both are similar in their “handling” when cooked. Good for salads, boiling, fries.

Garlic chives I think I like these little fellas better than regular chives. Now I am craving some Chedda-n-chive biscuits!

Dill Well, dill. I have missed you. Anyone else? Mince with a nice olive oil and sea salt over some boiled blue potatoes. Mmmmm, a meal in itself.

Thyme Try making some of your own homemade mustard. This Beer-Thyme Mustard Recipe
is awesome and simple.

Recipes for your consideration

Mind you, this is a concoction, but straight from the field, to the stove, to the table, to our bellies on this harvest day. Quick and satisfying.¬

Braised brassicas with tofu and ginger

1 tub tofu, extra-firm (Wildwood brand is my favorite)
1 bunch garlic chives
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup tamari/soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp sriracha (homemade from last year! Yum.)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 inch ginger root, zested
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp garlic powder (dried from last season) or 2 cloves fresh, minced
1-2 cup broccoli, rough chopped
1 bunch kale

Drain tofu and cut into bite-sized cubes. Chop garlic chives. Heat sesame oil in wok or large fry-pan to medium-high. Add tofu and chives and braise for 5-10 minutes, until moisture from tofu is evaporated and tofu is just beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, mix tamari/soy sauce, sriracha, maple syrup, ginger, sesame seeds, garlic powder. When tofu is done, add to bowl of sauce and set aside.

Strip kale from heavy stems and rough chop. In same wok/pan, maintain med-high heat and add kale and broccoli (and any green brassicas will do— mustard greens, boc choi, turnip greens, etc.) Toss every 30 seconds or so to thoroughly wilt/braise the greens. Cook to your preference but try to maintain a bright green color for optimal nutritional content.

Add marinated tofu back to wok/pan while still heating. Toss to coat greens and mix. Serve over rice, rice noodles, quinoa, etc.

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This is a nice “make ahead” and pop in your lunch box option. High protein, low carb, great flavors.¬

Tofu Quinoa Burgers

½ cup quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup minced scallion/onion/chives
¼ cup chopped parsley
10oz tofu, mashed
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp sea salt
4 Tbsp garbanzo flour
2 Tbsp almond butter or tahini

In saucepan, boil ¾ cup water and add quinoa. Return to boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook approx 14min or until all water absorbed. Transfer to bowl to cool. (Or cook according to package directions.)

Preheat oven 400F and lightly oil sheet pan.

In sauté pan, sauté scallion/onion/chives in oil, approx 3-4min until soft. Stir in parsley and cook until wilted. Transfer to quinoa bowl.

Drain (press if you’d like) and crumble tofu into quinoa bowl. Add herbs/spices, soy sauce, salt, garbanzo flour and almond butter/tahini; knead and mix with hands. Make ¼ cup patties approx. 1/2 in thick and place on baking sheet.

Bake 20min, until tops are browned and crust has formed.

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Anyone been to Noodles &Co.? We find it a nice stop for a quick dinner on the road; my favorite is the Bangkok Curry with Tofu. MP loves it too and wrangled this recipe from somewhere on the web; yahoo!¬

Bangkok Curry

1 lb rice noodles, thin/flat type
1 cup (or more!) broccoli florets
1 cup carrots, julienne cut
1/2 cup scallions (cut on bias) or red onion, half-moon sliced
1/2 cup sweet red pepper, julienne cut
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp ginger root, zested
1 Tbsp Thai curry paste (red or green)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 can coconut milk, lite
1 Tbsp tamari/soy sauce
1/2 cup sweet chile sauce
1 cup napa cabbage, finely sliced (per person)
1 tsp black sesame seeds
4 oz tofu, extra-firm (per person), bite-sized cubes

Soak noodles in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Drain and cool in ice water. Drain, let rest & toss with oil.

Blanch broccoli & carrots in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, cool down in ice water, drain and set aside.

Place large sauté pan over high heat. Add canola oil and sauté mushrooms and cubed tofu until lightly golden.

Add coconut milk and Thai curry paste.

Add carrots, broccoli, peppers, scallions, ginger, sweet chile sauce, sweet soy, and noodles to pan in that order. Toss once or twice to coat all ingredients well with sauce.

Make a bed of napa cabbage on plate, add noodles/sauce/veggies atop. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Everyone feel free to add your favorite recipes to the website.

For Your Reading & Viewing Pleasure

I stumbled upon several interesting sites recently and saved them for the newsletter. This first one regarding Keeping Vegetables Fresh is a quick read. Good recommendations.

And this five minute video about Grilling Your Vegetables Properly will get you all prepped for some wonderful summer grill-fests with FarmWLIG fare.

When I was trialing some burgers for the recipe section, I came across this site that itemizes 10 Vegetables for Making Burgers and many associated recipes. Great resource for some creative patties!

And finally, I’m always on the lookout for ways to encourage/brainwash/entice/bribe/fool/coerce kids into eating whole, fresh, colorful food. As a kid, I ate my green beans by cuttting them into small pieces and swallowing them whole, just so I could leave the dinner table. Quite the transition to today! This colorful USDA fruits and veggies poster is printable as a PDF and might be educational for any of ya’ll working or living with kids.

Farm News

The high tunnel is shaping up nicely. After weathering the scourge of the cutworms, we still have a goodly number of healthy tomato plants. Some of the creative cherry types we are trying this year may be few and far between, but ce la vie.

Trellising the cucumbers in the hightunnel. Cucs in a couple weeks!

Three beds of hightunnel peppers are putting down their roots. Hoping soon to start seeing the flowers that signal the arrival of sweet peppers again. Here’s hoping for another good Year of the Pepper.

Peppers…TMTC! The sweet color from last season.
(Here’s to hoping.)

Please bring your boxes back this week. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (thanks!)

Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.

Roger and Lara