Produce Subscription (Week 29)

The season is really wacky this year, isn’t it? We were closing windows last night and putting on long pajamas…in July?!?! The tomatoes are scratching their heads and the lettuce is saying “whew!”. How does one predict anything relative to growing veggies anymore?

Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers humming right along in their plastic house.

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).

We are filling you up with cruciferous vegetables in your boxes this week; summer things ARE coming, we promise.

Squash, zephyr Their heeeerrrrre…a little sampling of the firsts. Summer squash is coming in! I know not everyone misses them over the winter like we do, but, well, here they come!

Cucumber, slicing These crisp beauties are coming on strong! We are very happy with the hightunnel cucumbers this season. Enjoy!

Broccoli WebMD made me do it! (See website read below.)

Broccolini Note: Some received this week, some will receive next week. Actually a broccoli/Gailon cross with a slightly different flavor package. Eat the entire thing, lightly braised with garlic and a nice peanut sauce as an appetizer.

Kohlrabi Peel like an apple, slice and dip away!

Lettuce A couple large leaf lettuces and a couple single serving Romaines. Salad for the week.

Kale (Triple bunch) Some of each— red Russian, white Russian, Dinosaur. See which tweaks your fancy. Maybe a nice massaged kale salad ?

Cabbage (Caraflex) They didn’t size up like they did last year; too hot this spring. Enjoy some grilled cabbage steaks this week.

Onions, green/scallions This season was nice to us on green onions; pretty and easy to harvest…those don’t go hand-in-hand too often. Enjoy the savory sticks.

Chives, garlic Perfect for a light vinegrette for those salads.

Thyme Seems to pair with lemon most commonly; if you don’t use it right away, heat oven, turn off, put sprigs in warm oven and leave overnight, strip off leaves and fill your herb jar for later.

Recipes for your consideration

Lentils are one of my favorite proteins, and kohlrabi is one of my favorite fresh “crunches”. The two together work quite well in this simple salad.¬

Lentil Kohlrabi Salad

1 cup French green lentils, rinsed (substitute other lentils if unavailable)
1 small onion or shallot, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium kohlrabi
3 Tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted
a few pinches of ground cumin
a glug of toasted sesame oil
a glug of cider vinegar
sea salt, freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, onion, and 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) fresh water. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the lentils are cooked through but still pleasantly firm. Fifteen minutes into the cooking, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a colander, rinse briefly under a stream of fresh water, and drain well.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare the kohlrabi. Trim the wispy stems (use the leaves like you would parsley). Inspect the skin, and use a vegetable peeler to peel off any part that looks a little tough or woody; the soft, pale green parts don’t need to be peeled.

Dice the kohlrabi to form smallish cubes, and put them in a medium salad bowl with the sunflower seeds. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cumin, dress with a glug each of sesame oil and cider vinegar, and toss to coat.

When the lentils are cooked and rinsed, add them to the bowl and stir gently to combine. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

From: Chocolateandzucchini.com

Full flavor, high protein snacking, at its best!

Crispy Paprika Chickpeas

Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas (4 cups), rinsed and drained (or make your own from dried beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Use a dish towel or a salad spinner to make sure the chickpeas are as dry as possible. Lay them flat on a non-stick baking sheet.

Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then shake to redistribute, and cook for 10 minutes more.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the roasted chickpeas and toss until well coated. Return the chickpeas to the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 5 more minutes, until very fragrant.

Serve warm or at room temperature as a table snack, or atop a salad or side.
From: biggirlssmallkitchen.com

Peanut sauce and broccoli, the slightly sweet and the slightly bitter. Great combo!

Garlic Broccoli with Coconut Peanut Sauce

4-5 cups broccoli, chopped into florets and small stems
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup canned coconut milk
2.5 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 pinch cayenne pepper

In a skillet sauté garlic in olive oil on medium-low heat for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add broccoli and turn heat to med-high. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until broccoli is bright green and browning in some spots.

Prepare your sauce. To a small saucepan, add all sauce ingredients. Whisk together over medium low heat until combined, thick, and bubbly.

Spoon generously over broccoli; and rice if desired. If serving with rice noodles, toss to combine.

From: fireandearthkitchen.com

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

For Your Reading Pleasure

So I have been telling you that there is an ulterior motive to ALL of that broccoli you have been receiving. And here it is in living color, on the interweb…it must be true!

Broccoli belongs to the brassica family, otherwise known as a cole crop (derived from the Latin caulis, meaning stem or cabbage) or cruciferous vegetable; and the dieticians (or somebodies) out there have named it one of the Super Veggies. Have a read of the linked article; it’s not just me saying broccoli is the NEW spinach.

Farm News

Well, the wild razzberries are coming in strong! With all of the wet weather, they are fruiting plump and delicious. Lot of purple “green” smoothies on the horizon for Farm WLIG. And the mosquitoes, which usually carry us away while picking, are holding to a dull roar. Amazing! (knock wood) All around, it seems the bug life is less than previous years (well, not potato beetles or flea beetles!) but bugs in general. Anyone else noticing that? My forays into the field with camera set to “closeup” mode are few and far between.

Work this week is geared toward direct seeding, seed starting (in the basement) and initial transplanting of some fall crops. The weeding continues; carrots are one-half “found” and purslane has taken over the bean beds. Someone once told me you can eat the stuff as a delicacy with benefits. Hmm, maybe ya’ll get that next week… (45 things to do with purslane) We’ll try it first…but what do you think?

Have no fear…Razz got to leave for work (in her car, not on foot) this week.

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

Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.

Roger and Lara