week 11

In one bag: Tomatoes 

           

In another bag:  Sweet Red & Yellow Peppers  

Sweet Corn                 Garlic              New Potatoes

and finally: Lettuce     Summer Squash         Okra    

Sorrel       Basil           Parsley

Then: Watermelon and Hot Peppers

What a great big harvest this week.  Wow!

So, the corn is starting.  We have a hot electric fence around it to protect it from night time marauding raccoons and squirrels.  This is ‘young’ corn by our standards, so we’re just sending a little bit.  It sure is nice and sweet.  Next week, barring unforeseen corn tragedy, we’ll send more and it will be more ‘mature’.  In our experience, corn is best enjoyed as fresh as possible.  If you are not going to eat your corn right away, we think your best bet is to cook it anyway, which holds the corn sugars in their freshest state (they start to turn to starch REALLY FAST, and lose that amazing fresh corn taste). 

Do not be amazed when you crack open your watermelon.  It’s supposed to be yellow.  We love these sweet things!  There are two varieties in the garden this year – Early Yellow Moonbeam, and Petite Yellow.  They are both delicious, ice box size, melons.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  There are more standard-colored melons ripening, and a world of cantaloupes as well.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the sweet pepper situation, you’re not alone.  We are too.  The best advice I have is to freeze some.  It’s so easy (no blanching – just freeze them raw).  I highly recommend roasting them, too.  The sweetness is intensified, and they freeze well that way too. 

Don’t know about your, but we’re ready for a break from the rain.  The Fall seedlings are begging to be transplanting, and we need the soil just a hair drier to feel good about getting things done.  Hopefully, we’ll be busy at that task this week.

New plantings of summer squash and cucumbers look promising.  Beans are struggling with the moisture, but okra is going full blast.   The season is turning around – the green of the trees is a little less intense, and now and some trees even look a little orange here and there.  Could be Fall approaching. 

week 11

deep in tomato-land

Sweet Corn                Green Beans                        Cucumbers

Cantaloupe                Summer Squash            Tomatoes        

Potatoes               Swiss Chard         Onions & Garlic             

Basil                Cilantro          Sorrel              Thyme

“…the failure of one thing repaired by the success of another; and instead of one harvest, a continued one throughout the year.”   ~ Thomas Jefferson on the garden

We’re giving a shout out this week to the pollinators in our garden.  It’s great to see them out there early in the morning, hard at work.  We had never associated bees with sweet corn until this year.  The summer squashes are planted amidst the corn, three-sisters-style, so we see the dance more clearly now.  Large and small bees, bumbling, zooming, buzzing high and low notes, drop down into the deep squash blossoms, then float up and crawl along the dangling corn tassels, strewing streams of corn pollen as they fumble along, their legs coated with bright golden-yellow pollen.  What a pleasure it is to see them, and to know that they are fed too (and not poisoned) by the work they do here.           

The corn is a long story this year.  Last winter we bought our favorite organic corn seed from our favorite seed house.  It was warm and dry and we planted it not too early, but early enough to feel good about the stand.  Then there was no stand!  We went looking, and found rotted kernels, and about 6 sprouted corn plants out of 6 rows.  At that point, we were right on time to plant, so we pulled out some seed left over from last year, still viable.  It sprouted lovely little green shoots which were immediately eaten by crows and turkeys.  Now we were really frustrated, out of corn seed, and getting late for planting.  We resorted to buying a-lot of corn seed from the local co-op – the bright pink fungicide-treated stuff (we rinsed it until the water ran almost clear before planting) and proceeded to plant and plant until we had a stand tall enough to not be plucked by marauders.  Some raccoons got into this first patch one night before the kernels were even budding, so we’ve had the electric fence on it ever since.  After it tasseled and silked, a storm knocked the plants down into the squash, making a big tangle, but the tops reached back up to the sun, and finally, we have some corn.  If we’re lucky and the fence holds, the wind stays mellow, and the hot days don’t roast the ears in the husk, we’ll get two or three weeks of picking from our patches.  That’s life in a garden!

If you are a corn enthusiast, we hope you’ve been enjoying some earlier corn, and that you enjoy this corn ASAP.  The sugars in fresh corn change to starch FAST.  Even if you don’t want to eat the corn tonight, you might do well to just cook it (4 minutes should suffice) and store it in the fridge or freezer until you want it.

Our apologies if you encountered a bitter cucumber.  We found some in our last cucumber salad, and we hope that you didn’t.  But if you did, sorry!

The melon patch is a mess.  We’re not sure what we were thinking when we planned the space that the melons would take.  We did not plan according to their ability to make vines this year.  The vines are crawling, sprawling everywhere, and thankfully, there are melons coming along.  These cantaloupes are mostly Halona – one of our favorites.  

The soil is dry again.  It’s to be expected in August, I suppose.  Nevertheless, it is unnerving.  We’ve started the drip tape up again and hope to see a good steady soaker this weekend.  As far as we can tell, the drier conditions are responsible for some of the fruiting veggies slower pace this week.  Tomato, pepper and eggplant ripened considerably slower.  The only crop that made more than we expected was green beans – and they seemed bothered by the heat, not as crisp as we’d like, even as we were picking them.

Recipes this week are from American Grown, by Michelle Obama (and the White House chefs).

Green Beans with almonds

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans, trimmed              1 cup slivered or chopped almonds

1 tsp melted butter                                         1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp olive oil                                                  1 Tbsp butter

¼ cup minced shallots or onions                   1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the green beans for about 5 minutes.  Drain and place the beans in a large bowl of ice water to cool quickly.  Drain again and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, toss the almonds with the melted butter and paprika.  Spread in a single layer and bake for 7 minutes, or just until fragrant.  Do not let the almonds burn.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. In a medium pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and butter.  Add the shallots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the green beans and sate until warmed through.  Remove from heat and add the parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the beans in a serving dish and garnish with toasted almonds.  Serve immediately.

Corn Soup with summer vegetables

4 to 6 ears of fresh corn, shucked and silk removed                        2 sprigs fresh thyme

Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 Tbsp.)                                           Salt and Olive Oil     

Grilled vegetables of your choice (summer squash, eggplant, pepper, tomato, mushrooms, etc.)

1. Cut the corn off the cobs and set aside.

2. Place the cobs in a large pot and just barely cover with water.  Bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the stock has a rich corn flavor.  Strain the stock and set aside.

3. Reserve ¾ cup of corn kernels and place the remaining corn in a blender.  Blend, starting on low speed and increasing the speed as the corn purees.  You can add a little of the corn stock to get the corn started.  Blend on high for 45 seconds to a minute.

4. Pour the pureed corn into a medium saucepan through a fine mesh strainer to remove the bits of skin.  Add the thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.  You do not want the soup to boil.  As the soup heats, the natural starch will begin to thicken the soup.  Once the soup has thickened, add the lemon juice and the reserved corn stock little by little until the soup reaches the desired thickness.  You should have 4 to 6 cups of soup.  Add salt to taste.     

5. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat; add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil begins to smoke, add the reserved corn kernels and do not stir until the corn has a nice brown color.  Stir the corn and then remove it from the heat.  Add the seared corn and any other grilled vegetables of your choice, cut into bite sized pieces, on top of the soup and serve.

 Thanks for your support – Have a great week…              

week 13

August 18, 2011 week 13

Tomatoes Cucumbers Sweet Peppers Corn Cantaloupe Summer Squash Garlic

Beets White Potatoes Green Onion

Herb Bag: Basils Parsley Sorrel

It's been an exciting week out here. We've been participating in a farm group called CRAFT (referring to the craft of farming), and last Monday was our turn to host a farm tour. Our farm friends and their interns turned out in what seemed astounding numbers to us. They came from as far away as Louisville, and enjoyed a garden tour and then demonstration and discussion about a few of the more unique things we do. Paul showed the crowd our grafted tomatoes, solar battery charger, and how to save tomato seeds. A brave few went exploring in the cold creek, and we all enjoyed a lovely pot luck dinner, topped off with home-milked, hand cranked ice cream from our friends at Hill and Hollow Farm. Branden got some quality time with other interns (i.e. young folks); Coree got to chat it up with the farm wives; Paul enjoyed some serious farmer-guy time, and Lulah played with rough and rowdy farm kids until the day was done. It was a good exhausting day.

The cold snap has been great. Though it's still way too dry, the cooler temperatures protect the plants (and the gardeners) from completely frying in the field. The more temperature-sensitive plants have bloomed again and stand ready to set more fruit (tomatoes, eggplants). The watermelons had been taking the heat pretty hard, which is unusual for them. They seems to be making more fruits again now too. We hope to have Crimson Sweets in the van next week. The cool weather has slowed production on some of the mid summer crops like okra and squash, but we're confident that they will catch up soon.

The corn has seen some tough predation. We put an electric fence around the field from the time it tassled, but the raccoons and squirrels have broken through a few times. There is a conspicuous lack of nuts on the ground in the woods this year, and so the hungry animal population is exerting great pressure on a lot of crops. We're feeling fortunate to have been spared as much as we have. Corn ear worms are the organic certifiers of our corn crop. If they disturb you too greatly, we recommend taking a heavy knife and just chopping off the silk end of the corn before you shuck it. We also recommend that whatever happens, you cook this corn TONIGHT. Corn is best as fresh as possible, and we work hard to keep it fresh for you. Make the most of it and enjoy. Hopefully, there will be another flush of it in a few more weeks.

How about these peppers? This is a lot more than a peck of perfect peppers, and this is a good time to freeze some sweet peppers for the winter months. Chop them to whatever size and shape you enjoy cooking with, pop them into baggies and on into the freezer. They're a real treat for homemade pizzas, pastas, and stir frys when this season of plenty has passed. Keep in mind as well – a ripe red sweet pepper has THREE TIMES as much Vitamin C as an orange, and loads of beta carotene as well. As much as these plants love the sunshine, its no wonder!

Sweet Pepper and Lentil Soup

inspired by a recipe in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, or 2 leeks, chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon freshly purchased paprika or smoked paprika

1-3 sweet peppers, depending on their size, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup brown or black lentils, rinsed 5 cups broth or water

1 tsp salt P to taste 1-2 Tablespoons champagne or sherry or rice vinegar

Cook the onion in 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat in a skillet until the onion/leeks begin to soften. Stir in paprika and allow it to cook for about a minute more.

Add the chopped sweet pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until everything begins to soften. Scrape all this into a slow cooker. Add the lentils and broth (or water) and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are completely soft, 7-9 hours.

Season the soup with S & P (more salt if you used water, less if you used purchased broth), and last Tablespoon olive oil. Stir in 1 Tablespoon of one of the vinegars, adding more if needed. Serve hot.

Fettuccini with Sweet Peppers & Pinenuts

1 lb package uncooked fettuccini pasta 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 3 large sweet peppers, cored, seeded and julienned

1/2 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup fresh parsley or basil leaves, chopped

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, halved 1/4 cup capers, drained

1 tablespoon coarse salt or coarse sea salt black pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions: drain and return to pan to keep warm. In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil. Add garlic and bell peppers (yellow, red & orange), and cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Add pine nuts and cook approximately 4 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Gradually stir in basil or parsley. Add olives and capers and heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a serving bowl, toss the sauce mixture with prepared pasta.

Pickled Beets (tangy and sweet refrigerator pickles)

4 cups cooked sliced or diced beets 5 cups water 1 tsp. salt

marinade: ½ cup lemon juice 1 cup vinegar ¼ cup honey

½ Tbs. Dill ¼ tsp mustard powder

Soak and chill the cooked beets in water and salt for several hours, then drain off the water. Prepare the marinade, mix with beets, and store overnight in the refrigerator. Serve next day.

Sweet Steamed Beets

4 cups raw beets 2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp coriander powder

Slice or cube beets. Steam until tender (+/- 20 minutes), drain. Melt butter. Put beets in a serving dish and drizzle with butter and lemon juice. Sprinkle with coriander. Toss to coat evenly, and serve.

We hope you enjoy the harvest.

Your gardeners,

Paul, Coree, Lulah, Levon, and Branden

“Then only is our life a whole when work and contemplation

dwell in us side by side, and we are perfectly in both of them at once.” - Ruysbroeck