It was great to see some of you at the party last week! We had nice weather and some good snacks. I think Jack and I both felt like it was really nice doing the party a month into the share, rather than in May....the fields look great and there are more crops to see, it seemed like more people were able to come, and we had more produce to serve as snacks. If we can, we'll try to host another get together before the end of the year.
Vincent and Tyla Nattress, who own the property we farm, are taking a well deserved weekend off from the Orchard Kitchen to get off island and celebrate the fourth with their daughters. They'll be back to serving dinners at the Orchard Kitchen this coming week though, and all of us from Ebb Tide have been invited to eat with them this coming Thursday! We are very excited. If you haven't had a chance to eat at the Orchard Kitchen, you should check it out. They'll be serving dinner Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights for the rest of the Summer. Here's a link: http://www.orchardkitchen.com/#foodweb
They are also still working to improve the property for their dinners; right now they're building a patio overlooking our crops, and fixing up the old hay barn to use for additional seating!
In all shares this week:
Strawberries- The berries are back in the share! It's always hard to anticipate, but it seems like the plants are primed for a big flush of ripe fruit, so I'm thinking we should have plenty of berries to give you all a pint this week.
Arugula- More lemony, peppery arugula in the shares this week. Great for a Summer salad. Bobbi and I just had arugula for dinner with some grilled zucchini and onion.
Sugar snap peas- The peas are so great raw and so easy to eat. If you can avoid snacking on them, though, you could make an easy pasta dish with lots of the stuff in your share: just sauté some cauliflower and kale in olive oil, add some chopped peas and zucchini, and finish with some basil and arugula, salt and balsamic vinegar.
Basil- After getting off to a slower start this Spring, all of a sudden the basil has really taken off! When the basil starts getting big, it needs to be picked hard to encourage it to keep growing, so you all will be the beneficiaries!
Kale- We planted lots and lots of kale this Spring, hoping to wholesale it to Willowood Farm in Coupeville, as they always get aphid problems in the Summer months and can't meet the demand for kale from all the Seattle restaurants they sell to. Unfortunately for us, so far they have had no aphid issues and have tons of their own kale...so we are stuck with an enormous kale surplus. If anyone knows of someone who wants to buy 50 pounds of kale, let me know!
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=kale
Cauliflower- Our first cauliflower planting is on, and it is truly beautiful! Cauliflower is one of my favorite crops to grow; it is usually pretty difficult, but it loves the soil at Ebb Tide and we usually have no problem producing some really nice cauliflower. Finding the snow white heads hiding inside the huge plants and cutting them out is kind of like a treasure hunt!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/oven-roasted-cauliflower-with-garlic-olive-oil-and-lemon-juice-recipe.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/275272/cauliflower-recipes#233356
In large shares only:
Fennel- Fennel bulbs are a great vegetable that a lot of people are less familiar with. They have a pleasant crunch similar to celery, but with a sweet, anise like taste. If you love the flavor, it is strongest and crunchiest eaten raw, and is great in a salad, slaw, or sliced for an appetizer plate with a dip. If the flavor is too strong for you raw, try chopping it and sautéing or roasting it as you would an onion for a soup, pasta sauce, or casserole.
http://www.marthastewart.com/286398/fennel-recipes
Zucchini- More zucchini for the large shares this week. We have been using our barbeque a lot, so it is always great to have some zucchini around. It is so easy to slice up, brush with some olive oil and throw on the grill for a few minutes.
Lettuce- A nice head of (I hope green butter) lettuce to round out the large shares. Butter lettuce is a great summer treat with its mild, sweet leaves. It is easy to grow, but doesn't hold for very long, so we need to pick it as soon as it's ready.
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