Yeah for more hot weather! We are starting to feel like we are getting ahead of things here. Most of the ground is planted with irrigation set up so now it is just maintenance weeding and harvesting.
Part of growing a successful crop means planting more than you anticipate needing and crossing your fingers. When you are direct seeding (vs. transplanting) you plant extra seeds to ensure that enough germinate and come up. When you have good germination and you feel confident that they have overcome pest pressures, you have to thin these crops so that they can fully mature. This week you are reaping the harvests of our thinned crops, beets and turnips (and even some of the lettuce in the salad mix).
Unfortunately, direct seeding crops can also be risky. As I’ve mentioned before, we are having a very tough carrot year. I have replanted out initial carrot bed 3 times and finally gave in and tried a new bed. Last week we watched as all the seeds germinated and this week, as they have begun getting munched off. I have been having a really tough time with this because carrots are my absolute favorite thing to grow. I have even resorted to an organic pesticide to deter the sluggish creeps who insist on torturing me but so far its been tough. I feel lucky that this is, of course, one of many crops that we are growing and is readily available at farmer’s markets but also that I have a group of dedicated farm supporters who have bought into this season and its ups and downs. If I was a larger-scale farmer relying on this one crop I would be in a very tough situation but the fantastic thing about a CSA is that the risk of a single crop failure is very diluted and shared. So thank you! On the flip side, you also share in the bounty…
This week please enjoy the following:
Salad Mix- This is quite a mix. There are multiple varieties of lettuce, escarole, frisee, arugula, and calendula flowers.
Sugar Snap Peas- We’ve got to eat these while we can. They are ready to harvest so enjoy the abundance! We love them fresh but here’s a great recipe to try cooked. You can also just trim the ends, pull the string off, and saute and in butter.
Basil- You can make pesto by blending with green garlic, olive oil, walnuts, and parmesan in a food processor or blender. Or add to sauces, chop and sprinkle into salads and veggie dishes, or even add to lemonade.
Green Garlic- There are a million great recipes on the internet for this stuff. Basically it is immature garlic that has not dried down or cured. It should be stored in the refrigerator and used relatively quickly. You can get fancy and make a cream sauce, risotto, or even aoli but we just use it as we would regular garlic. The green stalk can be used almost like a leek (trim upper tops and use lower less green portion).
Purple Top Turnips- This is the first harvest from these turnips so some are on the smaller side. They are great at absorbing sauces in a saute and sweeten nicely when roasted. The greens are also very edible and can be easily used in any greens recipe. Some people prefer these peeled before eating…You can decide that for yourself. I found this very helpful blog that has a bunch of great tips and stats on the turnip.
Baby Baby Beets- Another thinning foreshadowing larger roots to come. These very baby beets are mostly used for their greens. Beets are related to chard and have very nutritious leaves and stems. We’ve been loving sauted greens topped with a fried egg, so simple and hardy. The small beets can be chopped and added to a salad or stir fry.
Lacinato Kale- For lunch today we made a raw kale slaw. I removed the ribs and chopped this very fine and added one grated apple, a splash of olive oil, about 1/4 c. yogurt, juice from half a lemon, and salt. I used my hands to mix and rub it together to loosen up the stalkier leaves and then poured a handful of sunflower seeds on top. It was delicious!
