September 20th and 23rd

Putting the Animals to Work 

Puffa...prepping the the root washer.

Simon...performing a quality control taste test on the corn.

Simon...managing our green bean harvest.

This is the Sandy Field.  It has held a multitude of your food this year.  And although it's the sandiest field we have (hence the name), it has performed quite well this year despite the dry.  When soil becomes overly dry, it is actually sand that can adsorb and hold any bit of moisture we put to it, verses our more clayey soils.  In clay, the drier it gets, the tighter the soil becomes, losing any air space between soil particles as well as space to hold water.  It seems a bit counter intuitive, but this year has been a visual proof.

From the Sandy Field we are currently picking green beans, chard and kale.  And soon spinach, hakurei turnips, cabbage, chinese cabbage and broccoli.  There is also a gorgeous planting of cauliflower and romanesco, which we HOPE will make a nice head before it gets too cold.  Even though this soil can hold a bit of moisture, crops are still a week or so behind.  Since this year was so dry, we've had to do extra work to get many of the crops to perform: overseeding, irrigation, row cover protection, extra nutrients...  A LOT of energy and love go into ALL the crops we grow and to see things thrive is a glorious feeling.  I find myself holding my breath this year, just hoping the last of the harvest will be just as we'd hoped.

This Week's Bounty: lettuce, celery, carrots, cabbage, onion, tomato, pepper, corn, green beans 

The Farmer's Table:

  

 Spiralized Tater fries, pulled pork with cole slaw, cherry tomato salad.

Pepper, Tomato and Sausage "stuff" with sausage and kale.  I think he sauteed the peppers and sausage and then stewed the tomatoes with olive oil and salt and then mixed it altogether.  Yum!!! oh, and those are smoked jalapenos in the background.

This is chopped up onion, pepper and celery (the Holy Trinity of Cajun cooking)...the start to etouffee

From the Shareholder's Table:

Egg Roll Stir Fry

Thai style cabbage
Combine about 12 cups shredded cabbage with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts and 1 cup chopped mint (cilantro works nicely as a substitute). Combine 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon neutral oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the juice of a lime, and some minced hot chili to taste. Whisk to combine the sauce, then toss with the cabbage. 

A simply tasty meal from LRF food!

Week 13--The Mark of Fall

So here it is Tuesday 1:30 and I haven't even finished harvest yet! Loads of new fruits are ripening up in the garden. Hope you guys enjoy them as much as i enjoy growing them!!!

Okay and I also admit, I am running a little late--regrouping after our little trip away this weekend, canoeing!

Edemame Soybeans--These delectable beans are a little bit of work, but oh so worth it. Remove the pods from the plant and boil them in salt water for about 7 minutes, or until soft. Slide the pod through your teeth and "suck" out the beans (don't eat the pod!). I also like to sprinkle olive oil and garlic over them after they are cooked so you get this flavor as they pass through your teeth.

Melons--The yellow ones are a Honeydew called Orange Honey. It has firm flesh and is sooo sweet!

The netted ones are a muskmelon called Halona. They also have softer orange flesh and are super sweet too!

Coming soon--small red-fleshed watermelon called Little baby Flower

Cucumbers are tomatoes are all you can eat this week. Meaning no need to weigh. Feel free to take up to 10# of each for canning and freezing.

Cucumbers with pasta

This can be made ahead of time, put in the frige and then brought to room temp just before tossing with the pasta

1# cucs

salt and pepper

white wine vinegar

1.5# ripe tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbs chopped parsley

1 Tbs chopped basil

1/4 cup olive oil

1 # spaghetti

parmaseam cheese

Seed cucs and dice into 1/4 pieces. Toss with 1/2 tsp salt and 2 Tbs vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes., then drain. Dice tomatoes and combine with thte cucs, onions, garlic, herbs and olive oil. Taste and add more items as needed. Toss the mixture with pasta.

Week 12--The Half-Way Mark

The end of August already! I can't believe it. The gardens went from full and lush to fall very quickly. It some ways I am not ready, but I know there are good things in store like sweet melons and squash...and cooler nights.

Garlic Harvest was abundant and they should serve us well into the winter. This week, onions will come out of the field too...now I just have to find a place to dry them! Both onions and garlic take about 4 weeks to dry. Either can be eaten "fresh" or "green". But curing them in a cool, dry place allows their skins to cure and will allow for long time storage. Hope you are enjoying the bounty!

SAVE THE DATE!!! (I did change it)

Pick Your Own Pumpkin and Potluck.

October 17th from 10am-1pm.

A wagon ride into the pumpkin patch and then enjoy a nice lunch!

This week's Loot: Purple Majesty Potatoes, red onions, garlic, summer squash, cucs, zucchini, corn!, lettuce (sorry inside may be slightly bitter), tomatoes, green cabbage, cilantro, dill

Next Week's Loot: Carrots, Beets, Cucs, Zucs, Summer Squash, Lettuce?, Corn?

Spicy Bean and Cucumber Salad

2 c cooked beans

1 c finely chopped cucumber

1/2 c finely chopped onion

2 Tbs fresh cilantro

2 Tbs red wine or cider vinegar

2 tsp fresh chili pepper (or jalapeno) or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Summer Food

A large pinch of saffron threads
1/2 cup olive oil
7 ounces red or yellow cherry tomatoes
4 ounces green beans
1 zucchini, diced
3 ounces freshly shelled peas (or frozen if fresh are not available)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Put the saffron in a bowl with 1/3 cup hot water and set it aside to infuse.
Heat half the oil in a heavy-based skillet over high heat and add the tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking the skillet so that the tomatoes soften and start to split. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pan and set them aside. Add the beans, zucchini, and peas and stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Set the vegetables aside with the tomatoes until needed.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet with the garlic and rosemary and cook over low heat for 1 minute to flavor the oil. Add the rice to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, until the rice is shiny and opaque. Add the broth and the saffron water to the skillet. Stir, then increase the heat and let the liquid reach a boil. When the broth is rapidly boiling and little holes have formed in the rice, reduce the heat to medium and let the liquid simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until almost all the broth has been absorbed.
Scatter the cooked vegetables over the rice, cover the skillet tightly with foil, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes so that the vegetables are just heated through. Sprinkle the almonds on top to serve.