Life on the Farm (Week 30)

We have had a week without rain! What a concept. It has allowed us to get many of the Fall items seeded and transplanted— more still to come. The leeks are busting out of their nursery wanting to get into their final growing sites. The head lettuce sprouts are chugging away in the basement week after week to then cycle out to the field, staying ahead of the deer. The sweet fennel is just about to go into the ground and start bulbing up.

Can you count all of the cucumbers ready to go?

Today looks like another gorgeous day for seeding and tomato/cucumber pruning and trellising. But (!) it is already 85 degrees, so I think the lettuce really is going to give up the ghost on us soon and move to northern Canada for some cooler summer weather. The cucumbers have gone nutty, so be prepared. The tomatoes all have little fellas and fillies coming along; no one blushing yet. The peppers are just about there for a first harvest. I stole one last night that had a bug-bite; gotta love the “seconds”! We have missed our fresh peppers.

The buckwheat covercrops are filling in to cast a sea-green waving haze over large patches of the fields— beautiful. The rows of beans are flowering, and if they survive the deer, we will have fresh baby beans in another week or two. (Love eating them, hate picking them!)

Pretty purple salad onions ready to come out of the field

Special offering of Colorado Peaches and Bartlett Pears brought to us and you by a friend of a friend with a family farm in Colorado. Ordered now and only now by the 20# box (you’ll need that many to actually get some home uneaten!) and delivered to your dropsite the week of approximately Aug 24 (peach) and Sept 7 (Pear). They are fabulous for fresh eating, baking, canning, freezing or drying.

(We are happy to take phone/in-person orders on these too with checks-in-the-mail if you prefer; just make sure it is by Monday PM. We’ll have them on the market next week if any pre-ordered remain unpurchased.)

The Market is now open for all comers.

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

_ Prepared with the lighter napa-style cabbage, seasoned with the flavors of toasted sesame oil, and providing the crunch of noodles and nuts. Top with lightly seasoned tofu, and you have your complete meal._

Napa Cabbage Salad

1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 pkgs oriental ramen noodles
3 oz unsalted sunflower seeds
4 oz slivered/sliced almonds
3-4 green or mini onions
1 head Napa cabbage, finely sliced/chopped
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp dry mustard (or 1Tbsp Dijon-type prepared mustard)
2 pkgs ramen seasoning (from noodle package)

Toast the following in sesame oil: oriental ramen noodles (crunch up into bite-sized pieces) unsalted sunflower seeds sliced or slivered almonds.

Let noodles and nuts cool as you prepared the cabbage.

Toss all together in large bowl. Top with dressing just prior to serving.

The marinating effect of packing this and eating later is the key. You can substitute Napa cabbage for the kale too.

Couscous and kale salad-to-go

1 cup dry Israeli couscous
1 14-oz can of chick peas, rinsed (i.e., about 1.5 cups cooked chick peas)
1 bunch kale, leaves stripped/chopped or ½ head Napa cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, grated
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins or craisins

Dressing:
1.5 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Italian spice mix (or create your own mix with fresh herbs)

Cook the couscous in 1.5 cups water, covered, for about 6 minutes or until water is absorbed. Add it to a bowl along with all the other ingredients, then toss with the dressing.

Add salt and pepper to taste, pack in your favorite container, grab a fork and you’re ready to hit the road.

From— http://bistrokatie.com/

A fresh, spring taste on a sunny afternoon. Sorry the limes are not local…but they are a favorite weakness. You could get creative and change the Simple Syrup to local maple syrup-syrup and see what that yields!

“Soft” Mojito

8 leaves mint
1 1/2 Tbsp simple syrup
1/2 lime, juiced
crushed ice
soda water, sparkling water or gingerale

Simple syrup (gotta have it hanging around in the fridge for quick, fresh drinks!) Bring 2 cups of plain cold tap water to a boil. Stir in 2 cups of plain granulated sugar. Turn the heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely.

Drink recipe: Muddle mint and simple syrup in a highball glass (i.e. crush it and beat it and get those essential oils outta the leaves). Put ice in glass, add lime juice and fill with sparkling liquid of your choice.

Stir and enjoy!

If anyone has some good recipes for this weeks ingredients, pop on over to the website and enter them there for everyone’s benefit!.

Did You Know…

…research shows that those who eat a diet full of vegetables high in iron are less likely to suffer from PMS (premenstrual syndrome). (For the many of you females reading this, and for the males reading might who just be motivated to pass on this knowledge to females they know…and live with!)

In one of the first studies that observed the effects of mineral intake on severity of PMS symptoms, American researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Harvard evaluated the diets and overall health of about 3,000 women over a decade. Non-heme iron (i.e. plant sourced) was the most striking with zinc in second position.

Just think about all of that non-heme iron in the brassicas and dark leafies coming from the Farm! Keep on smoothie-ing, salad-ing, saute-ing to get your vital minerals.

Sources of produce high in non-heme iron include:

sun-dried tomatoes (9mg per 100g)
dried apricots (6mg/100g)
parsley (6mg/100g)
soybeans, cooked (4.4mg/100g)
spinach, raw (2.7mg/100g)
olives (3.3mg/100g)
currants and raisins (3mg/100g)
quinoa (3mg/100g)
palm hearts (3mg/100g)
lentil sprouts (3mg/100g)
swiss chard (2.3mg/100g)
kale, raw (1.7mg/100g)
broccoli (1.1mg/100g)

Subscription Box Highlights

Anticipated this week for the CSA/Subscription Boxes:

Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Head lettuce
Purple salad onions
Kale
Summer squash
Cucumbers
Cilantro
Basil
Parsley
And maybe, just maybe some New Potatoes!`

Start your meal planning now!

We hope to feed you soon!

Roger and Lara

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