Life on the Farm (Week 28)

Our trial with occultation prior to our winter squash planting looks promising thus far. A couple generations of weeds and weed seeds have hopefully been eradicated under 3wks of plastic. Winter squash is in, a wee-tad bit late (ok, really late), but here’s to hoping for a late fall frost! (Everyone cross their fingers for me now really quick and the positive vibes will make it all the way out here to the farm.) We’ve got some funky giant white pumpkins for a fun trial, and a new Sweet Dumpling variety of squash that was given rave reviews by a colleague of mine.

Before and After: Field 3, Beds 41-50, weed-free and prepped for squash.

We visited with a nice big Fox Snake today who had come in from harvesting our local small pest population out in the fields. It was a good snake day; found another one patrolling our compost heap. Keeping it local and keeping it natural!

Foxy, our local enforcer.

Rows and rows of potatoes are coming in nicely; just starting to see some flowers. Really bummed about the (planned) new potatoes; they are not yet in flower (which is the trigger to go find the little babies.) It was a substituted variety after crop failure of our first choice organic seed from The Maine Potato Lady. So, either it is a later variety or I am just getting ant-sy. (But seems to me it has been long enough! Patience is a virtue I sometimes lack.)

The Colorado Potato Beetle is well represented here at Farm WLIG; they have not only been holding large town meetings in the potato plantings, but they have immigrated to another field, crept under a row cover and set their little babies to munching on the eggplants (another known favorite of the little twirps.) I had the immeasurable joy of witnessing a little potato beetle baby actually stopping to “eliminate” (you choose the correct word of your choice…I can’t write any of them here!) right in front of me. I am learning an awful lot about bug digestion in this job. Not sure what I think about that self-development area….

Starting life as a Purple Potato.

The Market is now open for some herbs and the leafy things.

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

Cabbage is loaded with good stuff; phytonutrients, anti-ulcer properties, and lots of fiber. Serving as a cold salad is always nice, but if you’re looking for something simple to do to serve it as a warm sidedish, consider roasting it, inside or out!

Roasted Cabbage

1 Head of Cabbage, sliced into wedges or quarters depending on size
Note: Leave the dense stem intact and it will hold everything together until eating.
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lemon juice or seasoned rice wine vinegar, for drizzling (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Slice your cabbage into wedges. Lay them on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Salt and pepper your wedges to taste.

Bake the cabbage wedges for 20 to 30 minutes until tender and golden brown in spots (baking time will depend on the thickness of the wedges).

Serve immediately. (Drizzling a little lemon juice or seasoned rice wine vinegar right before serving adds a nice kick!)

Alternative: Heat up the grill and keep the house cooler. Place the well oil-brushed wedges/quarters directly on the grill. Keep the flames low and watch closely; move to cooler rack if needed.

Napa cabbage works wonderfully with hot-cold salads of the Asian variety. With a nice marinated protein atop, this flavor-filled salad makes a full meal fairly quickly. If you are not familiar with ginger root, buy a small knuckle in the produce section of the grocery and store it in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer. I use a Microplane zester to quickly prep the root for use in all Asian dishes, straight from the freezer, no need to peel. Adds a sweet, tangy flavor to salads, stirfry, hot/iced tea, lemonade among other things.

Spicy Ginger Tofu-Noodle Salad

1 pkg firm/extra-firm tofu, rectangular ½ in cubes
2 Tbsp canola oil

6 Tbsp olive oil
6 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tsp minced/zested ginger root
4 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp pepper flakes
4 green onions or 1.5in bunch chives, chopped

1 package fine rice noodles (Asian section of grocery)

½ head Napa cabbage
1 cucumber, diced

Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil in large pan over medium-high heat; braise tofu, turning every few minutes once they are browned on each side. When well crisped, remove from heat, drain on papertowel.

Mix olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger root, garlic, sugar, chili oil and flakes, green onions/chives in medium bowl. Add tofu to marinate for a few minutes while you prepare noodles and cabbage.

Meanwhile prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.

Slice/shred cabbage nice and fine. Place in bottom of large-ish sized individual serving bowls. Add a bed of noodles atop the cabbage.

Add tofu with marinade back to pan and heat through. Divide equally atop the noodle bed. Serve immediately.

Another twist on noodles and cabbage; a little more sedate.

Napa Cabbage with Noodles

3 Tbs olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, quartered
½ large head Napa cabbage, cored and cut into 1/2in slices
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbs dry sherry
1 cup vegetable stock
1 lb bite-sized noodle, cooked according to package directions
2 scallions or 1in bunch chives, chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds or cashews, coarsely chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned.

Add the cabbage, sugar, salt, and pepper and sauté over very high heat until most of the juices have evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the cornstarch mixture and stock and stir until the mixture boils and thickens.

Stir in the noodles and heat through.

Garnish with chopped scallions, nuts, and cilantro.

Adapted from: Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider

Did You Know…

Air is over 70% nitrogen. We fertilize naturally with nitrogen by enlisting little soil bacteria and several plants in the bean or “legume” family (either “cash crops” that you eat, or cover crops that the soil gets to eat.) Special rhizobial bacteria colonize the roots of legume plants and the plant, if happy with the type, actually set up a factory around the bacteria by creating a little nodule on its rootlets— meet, the nitrogen-producing team. These nodules range in size from a BB pellet to a kernel of corn. They turn pink inside when actively processing nitrogen from the nitrogen gas (N2) found in soil air-pockets. The bacteria contribute an enzyme that helps convert the gas to ammonia (NH3), which the plant uses to make amino acids, the building blocks for proteins. In return, the host plant supplies the bacteria with carbohydrates to fuel the N-fixation process. In annual legumes, N fixation peaks at the flowering stage, but remember, it’s all happening in the roots!

Subscription Box Highlights

Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:

Broccoli
Kale
Napa cabbage
Spring “regular” cabbage
Head lettuce
Salad mix
Garlic scapes
Dill weed
Chives

Start your meal planning now!

We hope to feed you soon!

Roger and Lara

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