Welcome to the first harvest, it's been half a year in the making, so we are glad to have a lot of great food for you! The farm is bustling with excitement as we begin harvesting--lots of delicious and nutritious food to harvest this week, probably lettuce, cilantro, dill, bok choi, napa cabbage, kale, chard, green garlic scapes, and pick your own snow peas, our best guess.
Weekly Pickup: whichever day suits you best from week to week.
Thurs: 3-7pm
Fri: 11-7pm
Sat: 9-1pm
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, farm market style. 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 do our best to 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, and please avoid machinery, and equipment areas.
Red and Green 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. Spanakopita anyone?
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.
Napa cabbage: not familiar with this one? It's like lettucey cabbage. It is used in kimchee, the fiery hot pickled cabbage of Korea, and can be used in recipes calling for cabbage. Great to stir fry and use with garlic scapes, onions, ginger, soy sauce and sesame.
Garlic Scape Pesto:--this is awesome!!
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 and made often by Elizabeth Swope of Goodwill at Homefields Farm fame.
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:
Blueberries
Green Beans
Scallions
Thanks for joining us for the thirteenth 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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