It is week 10 of the farm share, and we are now in the heart of Summer. Rumor has it the heat is returning later this week. Irrigation duties are finally easing up a bit, as we begin to cut off water to crops like winter squash, potatoes, fall onions, and tomatoes, and till in old beds of Spring crops that we are done with. We planted buckwheat in the top field nearest the farm stand, a Summer cover crop that you'll be able to watch rocket upwards over the coming weeks and help preserve our topsoil and fertility during dry windy weather. And we have been making a big push to get the last Fall crops in, so over the last few weeks we have been transplanting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, and collard greens, and direct sewing seeds of rutabaga, turnip, winter radish, kale, chard, and spinach. There are about two more weeks of planting and sewing, and then we'll be done and able to relax a bit when harvest is over! Late August until November is probably my favorite time on the farm, as we have tons of food but less hectic insanity.
It is the time of year when it is hard to decide what to put in the share, as there is so much food in the fields! I was almost Considering trying to do a share entirely made up of Crops that begin with the letter C, as the list of possible share additions included chard, carrots, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, cauliflower, cherry tomato, and celery. Not a bad share! Except I don't think the cilantro is quite ready, or if there's enough corn or cauliflower for all the shares, and I wanted to put strawberries back in the share and put in some baby leeks. So now it is just a farm share with many C vegetables.
Chard- It's been a while since we've had Swiss chard in the share, so it's time. I love to eat Swiss chard in the Summer. Its mild sweet flavor seems to go best with the other Summer crops like zucchini and tomatoes and corn. Here is Martha's page, which is kind of Fall themed but has some nice recipes for chard. Use the little arrow on the right to scroll through them.
http://www.marthastewart.com/274967/swiss-chard-recipes/@center/1009845/fall-produce#967833
Carrots- Carrots are back in your share. We are in to a newer bed, so they are back to the medium small size, but the same delicious orange variety. We may do them topped rather than bunched this week, as that's how we've been selling them lately, but if so it will be basically the same amount of carrots. Enjoy!
Strawberries- Strawberries are back in the share! They are coming on strong and the quality is super nice right now. The biggest and I think sweetest berries we've gotten all year. I think the plants enjoyed a bit of cooler weather, and the relatively small amount of rain we got hasn't seemed to do them much harm. They should be easy to get rid of.
Cucumbers- With squash in the share last week, it is time for cukes again now. They are continuing to yield heavily and look very good. Try making a chilled cucumber soup!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/creamy_cucumber_soup.html
And I will be sure to put extra squash up in the farm stand on Thursday, so feel free to grab some for free if you'll use them! We are feeding quite a bit of summer squash to our two pigs right now, Brad Pigg and Angelina Jowly.
Baby leeks- The leeks have really grown great, and I thought it would be nice to put a different type of allium (garlic, onions, leeks and shallots) in the share this week. This will just be a smaller bunch of a couple baby sized leeks, but they should be delicious and are great on a salad. Leeks have a flavor a little bit like onions, but much milder with almost no bite. Use the stalk from the roots all the way up to where the leaves begin. Here are some recipes:
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=summer+leek
Cherry tomatoes- More of our delicious little sungold tomatoes. They are coming on strong now, and the plants are taller than I am! I hope that EVERYBODY got their cherry tomatoes from two weeks ago now....this time around I promise to put them in the bag!!
Broccoli/cauliflower- Well, I couldn't decide which we'd have more of, or if we'd have enough of either, but between the two it should work out great, and everyone will get a nice head of EITHER broccoli OR cauliflower. If you have a strong preference, peak into the bag to find the one you want.
Corn OR eggplant- Same goes for the sweet corn and the eggplant....not sure we have enough of either one for all the shares, so you'll get one or the other. I think I'll try to do the same thing again next week, so if you get corn this week you can get eggplant next week.
Corn- This is a great early corn variety that I discovered years ago. It is a bicolor (white and yellow kernels) that is consistently ready a week or two before and of my other corn! The ears are not huge, but the flavor is great. My favorite way to eat corn is raw out in the field. But you also can't beat fresh sweet corn on the grill. It's so good!
Eggplant- Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, and I think that homegrown eggplant is much better than the stuff at the store. The eggplant is VERY early this year....Usually it's just getting started in late August and doesn't hit its peak until late September/early October. I am hopeful that it will keep going all through the Summer and into the Fall even though it's starting so much sooner!
Oh my gosh some of these recipes look delicious...I may have to try one or two this week.
http://www.marthastewart.com/274258/eggplant-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide#1004630
Ebb Tide Produce Blog for week 9
Everything continues to go well on the farm. The Summer crops are getting going, and we are slightly overwhelmed with large amounts of squash, cucumbers, and green beans at the moment. The tomatoes are getting going and hopefully about to be ripening in droves, and the corn looks like it's right around the corner....hopefully we should have sweet corn in next week's share!
In the share this week:
Tomato- The larger tomato plants are just starting to produce, so I am going to hang on to them in the hopes of giving everyone one or two tomatoes this week. If I run a bit short, a few of you may get some more cherry tomatoes!
Beets- Beets are back in the share after quite a few weeks off. The beets are growing and sizing up super quickly right now. We are still growing the same mix of red, gold and chioggia types.
Beets and bacon!?! http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/salads/r/roastedbeet.htm
Torpedo red bottle onions- This is a really great fresh red onion that has an unusual torpedo-like shape to it. They are an Italian heirloom with a mild, sweet taste that is great raw or lightly cooked.
Arugula- It has been a very long time since we put arugula in the share, so we thought it was overdue this week. Nothing beats the spicy flavor in a summer salad.
Radish- Radishes are back in the share this week, too. These very young French Breakfast radishes should be mild and sweet with just a little bit of kick. It seems like this week's share is all pointing towards making a large salad....
Fennel- I have been waiting for these fennel bulbs to size up enough to be in the share. Fennel has a sweet, anise flavor. It can be cooked (like onion) to make the flavor milder, or sliced thin and enjoyed raw. Here is a recipe to use the fennel and arugula in your share...you could even add the radish, onion, or even the (precooked) beets to this salad:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-fennel-and-arugula-salad-353816
Here is another recipe for how I always remember eating fennel as a kid. You can also use the beans, radishes, pretty much anything produce that is nice to eat raw...with some tasty cheese, meat, and dip to make this "Pinzimonio" plate:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-vegetable-platter-with-olive-oil-dip-103419
Green and yellow beans- More fresh beans in your share, this time with the addition of a pretty yellow wax bean. We are working hard to keep up with all the beans the plants are producing right now! Here is a recipe that includes the torpedo onion, and either cherry tomatoes (or substitute other tomato sliced up). I don't think there will be a pound and a half of beans in the share, so you may have to half this large recipe.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/green-bean-yellow-bean-and-cherry-tomato-salad-103487
Summer squash- It keeps producing! Hope you are ready for some more. If any of you would like a LARGER amount of summer squash, let me know. We probably have plenty, and I could put some up in the farm stand if you'd like to make a big batch of food. Hang on to your arugula if you want to make this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-summer-squash-salad-365655
In the share this week:
Tomato- The larger tomato plants are just starting to produce, so I am going to hang on to them in the hopes of giving everyone one or two tomatoes this week. If I run a bit short, a few of you may get some more cherry tomatoes!
Beets- Beets are back in the share after quite a few weeks off. The beets are growing and sizing up super quickly right now. We are still growing the same mix of red, gold and chioggia types.
Beets and bacon!?! http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/salads/r/roastedbeet.htm
Torpedo red bottle onions- This is a really great fresh red onion that has an unusual torpedo-like shape to it. They are an Italian heirloom with a mild, sweet taste that is great raw or lightly cooked.
Arugula- It has been a very long time since we put arugula in the share, so we thought it was overdue this week. Nothing beats the spicy flavor in a summer salad.
Radish- Radishes are back in the share this week, too. These very young French Breakfast radishes should be mild and sweet with just a little bit of kick. It seems like this week's share is all pointing towards making a large salad....
Fennel- I have been waiting for these fennel bulbs to size up enough to be in the share. Fennel has a sweet, anise flavor. It can be cooked (like onion) to make the flavor milder, or sliced thin and enjoyed raw. Here is a recipe to use the fennel and arugula in your share...you could even add the radish, onion, or even the (precooked) beets to this salad:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-fennel-and-arugula-salad-353816
Here is another recipe for how I always remember eating fennel as a kid. You can also use the beans, radishes, pretty much anything produce that is nice to eat raw...with some tasty cheese, meat, and dip to make this "Pinzimonio" plate:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-vegetable-platter-with-olive-oil-dip-103419
Green and yellow beans- More fresh beans in your share, this time with the addition of a pretty yellow wax bean. We are working hard to keep up with all the beans the plants are producing right now! Here is a recipe that includes the torpedo onion, and either cherry tomatoes (or substitute other tomato sliced up). I don't think there will be a pound and a half of beans in the share, so you may have to half this large recipe.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/green-bean-yellow-bean-and-cherry-tomato-salad-103487
Summer squash- It keeps producing! Hope you are ready for some more. If any of you would like a LARGER amount of summer squash, let me know. We probably have plenty, and I could put some up in the farm stand if you'd like to make a big batch of food. Hang on to your arugula if you want to make this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-summer-squash-salad-365655
Can't believe it's already Week 8!
I'm sure a lot of you have been enjoying the cooler weather. We sure have on the farm for the last few days, and I'm happy to see that it looks like it is supposed to be a cooler week ahead. Not only is it physically much more exhausting picking food in 80 degree heat, it is really mentally tiring just trying to keep everything fresh, cool and looking good after we pick it. The summer crops have really benefited from the additional warmth, but 70 degrees with a few clouds shouldn't do them any harm at all and will make the farmers happy. Here's what's in the share:
Potatoes- As mentioned in the email, we decided for a bunch of reasons not to put these in last week's share, so here they are. Enjoy! Man, Martha Stewart's website is awesome:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274469/new-potato-recipes/@center/1009726/spring-produce
Cherry tomatoes- YES! Our first sungold tomatoes! We picked them last week and I was surprised how many we got, so I'm hoping we should be able to give all of you a half pint. They are delicious. If some are bit paler yellow than others, just leave those ones on the counter for a day until they're fully ripe.
Snap peas- Well, I'm almost sure these will be the last snap peas in the share this year. Usually we have them all through July, but the warm weather has made them come on earlier and set more heavily all at once. By the end of July the quality is always starting to decline a bit anyway, and right now they're still very good, so enjoy while you still can!
Cucumbers- Hope you enjoyed the cuke in your share last week, and have room for a few more. More Martha:
http://www.marthastewart.com/1060111/cucumbers
http://www.marthastewart.com/1058924/cucumber-salad
Garlic- The garlic is all cleaned, tied up and hanging to dry in the barn now, so it will be very easy to cut down a head for each of your shares. It is mostly dried down now and can be used more or less like regular garlic...should have more flavor and spice than the grocery store varieties though.
Celery- Our very first time picking celery on the farm! This is the first year we've grown it, and we will be harvesting the first batch for you. I think we will pick it more like an herb this time, cutting the outer stalks and bunching them, so the plant survives. Then in August or September we will be able to harvest the whole plant, and you will get the heart as well as the outer stalks. I think celery is one of the crops that makes the biggest difference whether it's homegrown or grocery store....store bought celery just doesn't taste like anything. It does have a great crunch though, and home grown celery can be tough if it doesn't get enough water....we have tried to keep ours well watered, so I am hopeful that it should be tasty AND crunchy. Fingers crossed.
Basil- The basil is growing crazy fast, and we are trying to keep up with it. Should be a bigger amount in the share this week than last time....same varieties though, Italian, purple, and lemon.
Lettuce- We have some very nice lettuce now. There may be different varieties in different shares, so peak in the bag to get the type you want. Use the snap peas instead of frozen peas, and any kind of lettuce, to make this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lettuce-and-pea-soup-108090
Potatoes- As mentioned in the email, we decided for a bunch of reasons not to put these in last week's share, so here they are. Enjoy! Man, Martha Stewart's website is awesome:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274469/new-potato-recipes/@center/1009726/spring-produce
Cherry tomatoes- YES! Our first sungold tomatoes! We picked them last week and I was surprised how many we got, so I'm hoping we should be able to give all of you a half pint. They are delicious. If some are bit paler yellow than others, just leave those ones on the counter for a day until they're fully ripe.
Snap peas- Well, I'm almost sure these will be the last snap peas in the share this year. Usually we have them all through July, but the warm weather has made them come on earlier and set more heavily all at once. By the end of July the quality is always starting to decline a bit anyway, and right now they're still very good, so enjoy while you still can!
Cucumbers- Hope you enjoyed the cuke in your share last week, and have room for a few more. More Martha:
http://www.marthastewart.com/1060111/cucumbers
http://www.marthastewart.com/1058924/cucumber-salad
Garlic- The garlic is all cleaned, tied up and hanging to dry in the barn now, so it will be very easy to cut down a head for each of your shares. It is mostly dried down now and can be used more or less like regular garlic...should have more flavor and spice than the grocery store varieties though.
Celery- Our very first time picking celery on the farm! This is the first year we've grown it, and we will be harvesting the first batch for you. I think we will pick it more like an herb this time, cutting the outer stalks and bunching them, so the plant survives. Then in August or September we will be able to harvest the whole plant, and you will get the heart as well as the outer stalks. I think celery is one of the crops that makes the biggest difference whether it's homegrown or grocery store....store bought celery just doesn't taste like anything. It does have a great crunch though, and home grown celery can be tough if it doesn't get enough water....we have tried to keep ours well watered, so I am hopeful that it should be tasty AND crunchy. Fingers crossed.
Basil- The basil is growing crazy fast, and we are trying to keep up with it. Should be a bigger amount in the share this week than last time....same varieties though, Italian, purple, and lemon.
Lettuce- We have some very nice lettuce now. There may be different varieties in different shares, so peak in the bag to get the type you want. Use the snap peas instead of frozen peas, and any kind of lettuce, to make this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lettuce-and-pea-soup-108090
Blog for Week 7
Hi everyone,
We have a very nice share for you this week. At the risk of being extremely repetitive, everything is so early this summer! It's crazy. I was out planting more carrots, beets, radishes, and salad greens this morning, more than I planned to because I can't believe how quickly we are going through plantings. We have lots of food on the horizon, but I must admit, I am worried about still having food come September. But then I tell myself that, no matter what, their always seems to be tons of food in September, with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and melons all at their peak. The corn and beans are all just coming on so quick that it makes me think I should have done more plantings for late Summer though. The mental anguish of growing veggies. I guess it's always something.
In other news, the Orchard Kitchen is scheduled to have their opening ceremonies this weekend. That is the name of the commercial kitchen, restaurant and event center that Vincent and Tyla Nattress (the owners of the land that Ebb Tide Produce sits on) are opening. They have been working at a feverish pace trying to get everything ready, and the property has been a huge construction site for over a month now. We are all very excited to see them launch into the next phase of their project.
Here's the share:
Lettuce- Lettuce is back, and we've finally found a way to keep the deer from destroying it...by covering it with the floating row cover that we use to protect many other crops from (usually insect) pests. Thank goodness. The deer were driving me crazy.
Carrots- More carrots in the share this week.
Zucchini and cucumber- Hope you enjoyed the first squash this week! This week we will probably give you one squash and one of our first cucumbers. Eventually I think we usually switch to either two squash or two cucumbers( every other week), but as the cucumbers are just getting started I think we'll only have enough to give everybody one, and in the meantime we have lots of zucchini!
These "Adam" cucumbers are really, really delicious. The skin is thin and tender, so they don't need to be peeled. My favorite way to eat them is right out of my hand in the field, but here's a recipe for a cucumber salad: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Korean-Cucumber-Salad/
Cauliflower- Well, I very much hope we can give everyone a head of cauliflower. The cauliflower is one of the few crops that is not enjoying this warm weather...the heads are a bit less uniform than usual and not coming on at a super consistent pace. We'll do our best!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spiced-carrot-cauliflower-soup-51262700
Green beans!!- I am excited to have green beans already. They are so delicious fresh off the plants. These younger, fresher beans are so much tastier than the ones from the grocery store. Great to eat raw, too, unlike the tougher ones at the store.
New potatoes- Pretty similar to the ones you got a few weeks ago, but as you will see, they are getting bigger! Still thin skinned and tender, so treat them with care and store them in the crisper drawer of the fridge like your other root veggies.
Walla walla sweet onions- Well, I went back and forth about whether you all would prefer onions or kale in your share this week. We have plenty of both. The share this week doesn't have much green stuff in it, but onions are always nice...if you really want kale let me know and I'll put extra in the farm stand on Thursday. You can grab a bunch on the house.
Hi everyone,
We have a very nice share for you this week. At the risk of being extremely repetitive, everything is so early this summer! It's crazy. I was out planting more carrots, beets, radishes, and salad greens this morning, more than I planned to because I can't believe how quickly we are going through plantings. We have lots of food on the horizon, but I must admit, I am worried about still having food come September. But then I tell myself that, no matter what, their always seems to be tons of food in September, with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and melons all at their peak. The corn and beans are all just coming on so quick that it makes me think I should have done more plantings for late Summer though. The mental anguish of growing veggies. I guess it's always something.
In other news, the Orchard Kitchen is scheduled to have their opening ceremonies this weekend. That is the name of the commercial kitchen, restaurant and event center that Vincent and Tyla Nattress (the owners of the land that Ebb Tide Produce sits on) are opening. They have been working at a feverish pace trying to get everything ready, and the property has been a huge construction site for over a month now. We are all very excited to see them launch into the next phase of their project.
Here's the share:
Lettuce- Lettuce is back, and we've finally found a way to keep the deer from destroying it...by covering it with the floating row cover that we use to protect many other crops from (usually insect) pests. Thank goodness. The deer were driving me crazy.
Carrots- More carrots in the share this week.
Zucchini and cucumber- Hope you enjoyed the first squash this week! This week we will probably give you one squash and one of our first cucumbers. Eventually I think we usually switch to either two squash or two cucumbers( every other week), but as the cucumbers are just getting started I think we'll only have enough to give everybody one, and in the meantime we have lots of zucchini!
These "Adam" cucumbers are really, really delicious. The skin is thin and tender, so they don't need to be peeled. My favorite way to eat them is right out of my hand in the field, but here's a recipe for a cucumber salad: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Korean-Cucumber-Salad/
Cauliflower- Well, I very much hope we can give everyone a head of cauliflower. The cauliflower is one of the few crops that is not enjoying this warm weather...the heads are a bit less uniform than usual and not coming on at a super consistent pace. We'll do our best!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spiced-carrot-cauliflower-soup-51262700
Green beans!!- I am excited to have green beans already. They are so delicious fresh off the plants. These younger, fresher beans are so much tastier than the ones from the grocery store. Great to eat raw, too, unlike the tougher ones at the store.
New potatoes- Pretty similar to the ones you got a few weeks ago, but as you will see, they are getting bigger! Still thin skinned and tender, so treat them with care and store them in the crisper drawer of the fridge like your other root veggies.
Walla walla sweet onions- Well, I went back and forth about whether you all would prefer onions or kale in your share this week. We have plenty of both. The share this week doesn't have much green stuff in it, but onions are always nice...if you really want kale let me know and I'll put extra in the farm stand on Thursday. You can grab a bunch on the house.
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