How about those crisp organic carrots? Are they not the best?!
Janet sent me a delicious recipe for Russian Carrot Pie. And since we have lots of carrots right now, it seems very appropriate!
Here it is online: http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=russian_carrot_pie
Thanks, Janet!
Also, here is an online recipe for Minted Marinated Zucchini. If you need or want mint, there is plenty. And here is one for Zucchini Herb Casserole.
Any others? How are you using your cabbage?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Ground Cherries Are Here!
Do you know what ground cherries are? They are a husk tomato relative that get sweet. They are terrific in baked things, preserves, or fresh. We used to have them in something called "One Egg Cakes" and if I (Melissa) can get a hold of that recipe, I'll post it - I think, unless it's someone's family secret! Ground cherries are you-pick. They actually fall on the ground when they're ripe.
Green bell peppers are starting in this week also! They're just beginning to ripen now, so expect around 2 per full share.
A good number of cherry tomatoes are also in for you-pick: mostly red, but there are also some yellow and orange varieties that are ripe, and some yellow pear tomatoes are coming in too.
Beans are going fast -- they might only be left this week and next week.
No more kohlrabi until fall, but we should have cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squash, as well as all the rest of the summer garden gang!
Green bell peppers are starting in this week also! They're just beginning to ripen now, so expect around 2 per full share.
A good number of cherry tomatoes are also in for you-pick: mostly red, but there are also some yellow and orange varieties that are ripe, and some yellow pear tomatoes are coming in too.
Beans are going fast -- they might only be left this week and next week.
No more kohlrabi until fall, but we should have cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squash, as well as all the rest of the summer garden gang!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Recipe Tuesday
The sauteed zucchini with basil and feta from last week, and the radish recipe suggested in the comments 2 weeks ago, are worth trying! Try them, try them! I made those 2 dishes for company on Saturday and they couldn't get enough!
Anybody have anything new?
Anybody have anything new?
Garden Update
There are beans to pick! They are in 3 different rows now, coming in faster and faster as July rolls along.
The second planting of corn came in nicely. It looks small compared to the neighboring fields but it's growing fast.
And speaking of growing fast, the cherry tomatoes in the small garden have been growing incredibly! They are abundantly fruitful but still green at the moment.
The zucchini is also growing fast - on Monday it's flowering and by Wednesday there is a six-inch fruit. Amazing!
All our melons are starting to vine (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew). They should start coming in in late August.
Tomatillos are green and they're ready to pick if anyone wants to make salsa. They're not ready to be eaten raw until they turn purple.
Peppers are steadily getting bigger. They like it hot.
The peas are almost done. That's interesting because they were planted 5-6 weeks apart, but the heat is ending them all at the same time. Peas do not like it hot.
We do have dill and cilantro, but it needs to be weeded. Volunteers can come Wednesday morning or Thursday morning, just give us a call.
We are seeing more and more earthworms in the main garden, which is great news! They are our soil's best friends! Who would have thought that all of humanity depends on worms?
And of course, Japanese beetles are also here. They're not too bad, comparatively, but you may see some damaged leaves from them. There are 2 options with Japanese beetles: cover everything or spray. The latter is not going to happen, and the former doesn't seem necessary with the numbers we have. So, we do option 3: Share.
The conference last Friday at Rodale was great for Rako - very informative and practical. It was all about using cover crops and organic no-till farming methods.
See you Friday!
The second planting of corn came in nicely. It looks small compared to the neighboring fields but it's growing fast.
And speaking of growing fast, the cherry tomatoes in the small garden have been growing incredibly! They are abundantly fruitful but still green at the moment.
The zucchini is also growing fast - on Monday it's flowering and by Wednesday there is a six-inch fruit. Amazing!
All our melons are starting to vine (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew). They should start coming in in late August.
Tomatillos are green and they're ready to pick if anyone wants to make salsa. They're not ready to be eaten raw until they turn purple.
Peppers are steadily getting bigger. They like it hot.
The peas are almost done. That's interesting because they were planted 5-6 weeks apart, but the heat is ending them all at the same time. Peas do not like it hot.
We do have dill and cilantro, but it needs to be weeded. Volunteers can come Wednesday morning or Thursday morning, just give us a call.
We are seeing more and more earthworms in the main garden, which is great news! They are our soil's best friends! Who would have thought that all of humanity depends on worms?
And of course, Japanese beetles are also here. They're not too bad, comparatively, but you may see some damaged leaves from them. There are 2 options with Japanese beetles: cover everything or spray. The latter is not going to happen, and the former doesn't seem necessary with the numbers we have. So, we do option 3: Share.
The conference last Friday at Rodale was great for Rako - very informative and practical. It was all about using cover crops and organic no-till farming methods.
See you Friday!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Recipe Tuesday
Recipe Tuesdays are, of course, for contributing recipe ideas.
Here's one: Arugula and Cheese make a Perfect Omelet.
Also, that Thai Beef Chard Wrap from last week is really, really good! Worth trying!
And these ideas from the Nygards, which they highly recommend, especially the first one:
Sauteed Zucchini
Gently saute thinly sliced zucchini in 2-3 T in olive oil for 1.5 pounds of zucchini
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and a little pepper
Put in serving dish, then put chopped basil and crumbled feta on top.
Sauteed Zucchini with garlic and lemon
Saute thinly-sliced zucchini in olive oil
Add sliced garlic (2 cloves worth), being careful not to let it turn brown.
Sprinkle salt and pepper as it sautes.
Put in serving dish, tossing with lemon, dill, basil, and parsley.
Who else?
Here's one: Arugula and Cheese make a Perfect Omelet.
Also, that Thai Beef Chard Wrap from last week is really, really good! Worth trying!
And these ideas from the Nygards, which they highly recommend, especially the first one:
Sauteed Zucchini
Gently saute thinly sliced zucchini in 2-3 T in olive oil for 1.5 pounds of zucchini
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and a little pepper
Put in serving dish, then put chopped basil and crumbled feta on top.
Sauteed Zucchini with garlic and lemon
Saute thinly-sliced zucchini in olive oil
Add sliced garlic (2 cloves worth), being careful not to let it turn brown.
Sprinkle salt and pepper as it sautes.
Put in serving dish, tossing with lemon, dill, basil, and parsley.
Who else?
Harvest Day Rendezvous
Alternatively titled, "That Irresistable Open Gate."
First, he snacked on some peas.
First, he snacked on some peas.
Upon being discovered, he ran.
(This was the part where Melissa was chasing him, trying to run him out of the gate while shouting menacing threats and pelting him with stones, all the while hoping he wouldn't really get hurt.)
Here he got too terrified to make it all the way to the door so he stuffed himself out through a square in the fence, getting quite stuck and kicking his way through with his back legs. Melissa caught up with him and was horrified, feeling so sorry for him and afraid he would die in the process. Here she is helplessly watching him struggle.
A much skinnier rabbit went home to drink chamomile tea.
New Comment Options!
Being fairly new to Google Blogger, I didn't realize that we originally set this blog up to be open only to comments by registered users. Some of you were having trouble commenting because you didn't have a Google account. It's now fixed, so anyone can comment, Google member or not.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
And the Beets Keep Rolling In
Think of beets as relatives at a family reunion: there's lots and lots of them, they are a bit odd perhaps, and they make you think of your childhood, but you know it's good for you to get to know them. Besides, you won't see them again for at least another year. So be gracious and enjoy them - you might miss them when they're gone.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Recipe Tuesday
Here is an informal recipe I got from Bill (one of our members):
Pickled Beets
Cooked beets, sliced
A pickling solution made from 50% water and 50% vinegar, and then sugar added to taste.
Put the beets in the vinegar-sugar-water in the fridge for a day or so. Then, eat them! They're good! I'm sure most of you know this dish or have eaten it before.
Also, here are some links to other beet recipes, kindly supplied by my friend Erin:
Roasted Beets with Feta
Beet and Pear Puree
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beet-Orange-and-Apple-Salad/Detail.aspx?src=etaf
And here is a link to a swiss chard recipe that looks really great:
Thai Swiss Chard Wraps
Any others?
Pickled Beets
Cooked beets, sliced
A pickling solution made from 50% water and 50% vinegar, and then sugar added to taste.
Put the beets in the vinegar-sugar-water in the fridge for a day or so. Then, eat them! They're good! I'm sure most of you know this dish or have eaten it before.
Also, here are some links to other beet recipes, kindly supplied by my friend Erin:
Roasted Beets with Feta
Beet and Pear Puree
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beet-Orange-and-Apple-Salad/Detail.aspx?src=etaf
And here is a link to a swiss chard recipe that looks really great:
Thai Swiss Chard Wraps
Any others?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Why we do what we do
For all the fresh discoveries of earth, unexpected tastes, baby bunnies and bugs - And for all of you, who come week after week, gracious and grateful, leaving with your brimming bags stuffed with health and a longer life -
We are so honored to be here.
Recipe Tuesday
I (Melissa) spent time searching recipe books for beet foods our children would truly enjoy. Slim pickins. So I shut the books and started thinking. And I came up with a SMASH HIT for the little Zechs:
Purple Pancakes:
Use your typical pancake recipe that you always use. (We used whole wheat.) Use a little less milk or water than normal. Add about 2-3 cups of pureed beets. (I used cooked beets). The batter should be thick and not runny so the pancakes will be thick and moist.
Then I just cooked them like I always do. One batch I made with sprinkled cheese on top - that was really good - and another batch I put cinnamon into the batter. That was good too. Both times we had it, we didn't need syrup - but they are really good with butter. I'm guessing they'd be really good with chocolate chips inside too.
Here's another one that they'll gobble up, even if it's not all that healthy:
Red Bread:
Take a banana bread recipe and simply substitute mashed cooked beets for bananas. I included extra cinnamon, and also walnuts. If I make it again I will put in extra beets (probably substitute a cup and a half of beets for one cup of bananas, for example) to make it more red. I would probably also add raisins.
How to Cook Beets:
Take kettle filled with water. Dump in your beets straight from the farm, stems and all! Boil them for a few minutes, then turn the heat down a little to a simmer/low boil. Let them go for 40 minutes or so. Check if they're tender all through, then drain them and cool them (I put them on ice) and then peel them with your fingers. They peel so easily and the stems slide right off - no knife is needed.
(I never knew this before this year because I always cut them up and ate them raw. You can do that that too!)
How about you?
Purple Pancakes:
Use your typical pancake recipe that you always use. (We used whole wheat.) Use a little less milk or water than normal. Add about 2-3 cups of pureed beets. (I used cooked beets). The batter should be thick and not runny so the pancakes will be thick and moist.
Then I just cooked them like I always do. One batch I made with sprinkled cheese on top - that was really good - and another batch I put cinnamon into the batter. That was good too. Both times we had it, we didn't need syrup - but they are really good with butter. I'm guessing they'd be really good with chocolate chips inside too.
Here's another one that they'll gobble up, even if it's not all that healthy:
Red Bread:
Take a banana bread recipe and simply substitute mashed cooked beets for bananas. I included extra cinnamon, and also walnuts. If I make it again I will put in extra beets (probably substitute a cup and a half of beets for one cup of bananas, for example) to make it more red. I would probably also add raisins.
How to Cook Beets:
Take kettle filled with water. Dump in your beets straight from the farm, stems and all! Boil them for a few minutes, then turn the heat down a little to a simmer/low boil. Let them go for 40 minutes or so. Check if they're tender all through, then drain them and cool them (I put them on ice) and then peel them with your fingers. They peel so easily and the stems slide right off - no knife is needed.
(I never knew this before this year because I always cut them up and ate them raw. You can do that that too!)
How about you?
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