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Thursday, June 9, 2011

First Harvest of 2011

Welcome to the first harvest,


How does it work?

If this is new to you, come on up to the barn, you will see a sign-in sheet to initial, a friendly farmer or two to greet you, and fresh veggies of course.  We encourage the use of cloth shopping bags, but we also have plastic shopping bags here for you to use as well as produce bags.   Signs will tell you how much of each item is for Half shares and Full shares each week.  You do not need to take the full amount if you don't care for something very much, or know you won't be able to use all of it.
As berries flowers and herbs mature, we will add them to the Pick Your Own board.  We will also answer cooking and nutritional questions that you may have.  Enjoy!


A few Guidelines: 
We want everyone to have a great time here at the farm, there is a lot to enjoy. For everyone to have an excellent experience please observe the following:

--to allow flowers, herbs, ornamentals, berries or fruits to reach proper size please wait to harvest until they are listed on the Pick Your Own Board.

--please keep dogs in your vehicle while at the farm.

-- accompany any children under your care, avoiding all machinery and watch for poison ivy, which tends to pop up under larger trees.

           Red and Green Lettuce doing well 

a nice planting of lettuce


 Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

Lettuce heads: great for salad, sandwiches, enough said :-)
Garlic Scapes:  these green garlic necks are tender and can be used in lieu of bulb garlic in any meal,
see pesto recipe below
 Chard: this green is a cousin of the beet and is good for salad and as a spinach substitute in lasnagna or elsewhere.
 Kale and Collards--a little butter or bacon fat or oil and sautee these well--very tasty side dish. My wife serves with eggs and sauteed onions and mushrooms--fabulous.
Bok Choy:  think of this as a crispy cabbage of Asian origin.  Also think of peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and onions as great companions with this vegetable. See recipe below.

Garlic Scape Pesto:
 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
 3 T. fresh lemon or lime juice
 1/4lb fresh garlic scapes
 1/2 c. olive oil
 Salt to taste

 Puree scapes and olive oil in blender until smooth.  Stir in Parmesan and lemon or lime juice and season to taste.  Serve on bread or crackers.  --courtesy of Mary Jane's Farm

Bully for Bok Choy 
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has this to say about  bok choy:  " It looks like a cute little vase made of green leaves, and the flavor and texture is that of  a very sweet, juicy white cabbage.  We try to find reasons to eat as much of it as possible, not just a piece or two tossed in a stir-fry.  So with that in mind, this is our favorite way to quickly prepare bok choy on a weeknight…"

Baby Bok Choy with Crispy Shallots and Sesame Seeds
1 lb bok choy
2 small shallots, peeled and sliced into very thin rings
1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp peanut oil, or other cooking oil
1 Tbsp mirin or apple juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Slice off the stubby base of the bok choy from the white, thick bottoms.  Slice the white stems away from the leafy tops.  Wash stems and chop  into 2 to 3 inch chunks, and set aside.  Wash the leafy part of the bok choy in a large bowl or salad spinner.  Shake off excess water and set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the sliced shallots and sauté  for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  If there is no oil left in the pan, drizzle in extra oil.  Add grated ginger and stir fry for about 15 seconds.  Add the bok chow stems and  sauté them for 2-3 minutes.  Add the leafy greens and stir fry for about 2 minutes until the green leaves start to wilt.  Add the mirin and soy sauce, stir briefly, and cover the pan.  Steam for 2 more minutes, then remove lid.  Stir for about 30 more seconds and remove from heat.  Top with fried shallots and roasted sesame seeds and serve.

Coming up this Month:
Snow peas
Blueberries
 Cilantro
 Green Beans
 Scallions

 Thanks for joining us for the twelfth season of the farm program, we are looking forward to a great season of fruits and vegetables. 

Scott Breneman
 Farm Manager 

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