Monday, June 30, 2008

Ain't no bugs on me

As sometimes happens with brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, etc) that are grown without pesticides, you may on occasion find a little green caterpillar hiding among florets or under leaves. They spin a little, sticky, weblike thing which makes it hard to simply rinse them out with water. Before cooking to serve, or blanching to freeze, we soak the vegetable in a bowl or sinkful of cold water with salt added. The cabbage worms crawl out and can be easily removed.

First Saturday Garden Day July 5th

Our next "garden day" is this Saturday the 5th. We will be harvesting, staking the tomatoes, weeding, mulching and doing some misc. planting. All of the great food at the last garden day has inspired us to make this lunch a potluck as well.
We will provide the fresh greens and some form of protein. Feel free to use your imagination to fill out the menu.
We know some of you will be out of town for the weekend. Enjoy your travels and we'll see you upon your return.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Abundance

As more and more things start to come in, the vegetable options can spoil us.
In our house we regularly try to use those veggies that are in surplus first, especially if they cannot be put up (preserved). When the garden offers items that can be put up, say like cauliflower, broccoli and green beans, we tend to eat them in moderation because we know how much we'll appreciate them come winter. Kind of like saving the best for last.
Putting a few things in the freezer every week will not only save you from marathon processing sessions, but it will also start to add up in your freezer and most importantly, help efficiently use all that the garden has to offer. Fine tuning your seasonal eating habits takes time and experimentation. The homestead garden planned for year-round eating is less about instant gratification and more about balanced eating throughout the year.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

What are these curly green things??


If you picked up today, you've no doubt found 'em. If you are a Saturday pick-up, you're gonna get 'em. What are they and what to do with them?

Garlic scapes are the flower/seed stalk that shoots up from the garlic bulb. They are clipped to allow the plant to put its energy into developing a big bulb.

Here's a few recipe ideas...

Garlic Scape Pesto (from maryjanesfarm.com/SimplyMJ)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 lb. scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.

Fried Scapes (from dakotagarlic.com)
Cut scapes to green bean size and saute them in butter and salt for six to eight minutes. During the last minute of cooking add about 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Spinach and Scape Frittata (adapted from dakotagarlic.com)

3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Garlic Scape Soup
(This soup enhances the delicate garlic-asparagus flavor of the scapes. You may use the flower as well.)
3 cups garlic spears, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the garlic spears and the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until vegetables are soft. Add the thyme at the end. In food processor, pureé the vegetables and add chicken stock as needed to make a smooth paste. In saucepan, heat the vegetable mixture and add the remaining chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and add the cream. Adjust the seasoning. Serves 4.


Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Garden Update #8 June 18


Hello All,

Time passes so quickly these days. It seems the longer the days, the quicker time flies.
It is raining very hard at the moment. Garden updates and weather reports go hand in hand and this week is no different. In the past 10 days we've had over 7" of rain, 80 degrees plus with high humidity, strong winds and now daily highs in the 50's with rain. Thankfully the garden and environs were spared the brunt of this past week's instability (aka hail).

We started to harvest snap peas today and the shellers are not far off. The early potatoes have been hilled twice and are looking good. The popcorn is up and the second planting of sweet corn is in the ground, as is the last round of edamame soybeans. Also recently planted were some fall storage cabbage, more green beans, wax beans and another round of cilantro. As soon as we get a break from the rain, we will plant the storage potatoes along with next year's seedstock.

All of the animals are doing well. The first round of chickens should start their migration to your freezers in another 3 weeks or so. The turkeys have yet to start setting but we (Marilyn) are incubating eggs to hedge our bets. We still haven't resolved our steer issue. The local feller that we purchased them from has been in and out of the hospital and has been unable to make delivery. We are trying to get this worked out and will keep you updated as it unfolds.

We are starting our formal harvest days from here on out. We will be emailing you all ASAP to confirm your day and to go over how things will work. If you have any questions/comments about this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to bring it up.

Enjoy your solstice.

Monday, June 9, 2008

No Knead, Dutch Oven Bread


1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 to 1 5/8 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting.*

1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

  1. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

  1. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

  1. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.

  1. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

* You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two. I have also made it with part semolina flour and Jean has made it with rye flour too, I believe. I have also added a ¼ to a ½ cup of bran to this mix. You can try mixing in herbs too.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Garden Day Update and Wrapup

Greetings from a very happy garden. It's nearly impossible to walk around the garden without
smiling. Having the beds so well weeded and mulched makes for an impressive sight.
The peas are starting to flower and pods are not far off. The removal of the row cover from the well established cabbage and brussells brought out the flea beetles. These little buggers are a real pain but the plants should be large enough to withstand the attacks. The potato beetles are on the eggplant and getting closer to the early potatoes. Tri daily walks among the plants picking bugs helps keep things in check. Searching for eggs under the leaves is also critical. The potatoes are growing well in the newly plowed area and will need to get their first hilling this week. All of the above mentioned observations tell me one thing, the garden is starting to gain momentum and is entering yet another phase.

We really enjoyed all the yummy food that was brought for the potluck lunch that followed our garden time! We are lucky to be surrounded by great cooks!!! If there are any questions about the pressure cooking demo, don't hesitate to ask.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Garden Update #7 June 1


After another dry stretch of weather that included a hard frost on Monday night, we welcomed 2" of rain on Saturday. It came just at the right time. Friday was spent transplanting the hot crops, including tomatoes (paste and slicers), peppers (bell, hot and anaheim), winter squash, cucumbers (picklers and slicers), melons and pumpkins. We also seeded the sunflower garden and some other cutting flowers such as cosmos, zinnias and african daisy.
Many local gardeners were hit pretty hard with the frost. Reports of lost tomatoes, peppers, basil, flowers and potatoes dying back were all the buzz on Tuesday. Our only loss was a few annual flowers and a frost nipped leaf or two in the perennial flower/herb garden.
In the past week we also increased our livestock numbers with the settling in of 5 heritage breed piglets (Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spot crosses) and 3 Ramboulet lambs.
Today we will put the the first round of meat chickens out on grass. This is always a welcome relief and a bit nervewracking at the same time. The indoor brooding is over, but the weather and predators are now the challenge. It's always something, but that's what makes farming so interesting and challenging.
Our early potatoes and legumes are starting to show themselves. Internal frustrations over things being slow have turned out to be a blessing in disguise, considering the frost earlier in the week. All things happen for a reason. Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield.

Just a reminder about our next "Garden Day" on June 7th. It is going to be a potluck lunch. We will provide the chicken, bean dish and salad. Hope to see you then.