In your box

• Basil
• Beans
• Carrots
• Kale, “Red Russian”
• Grapes
• Summer squash or eggplant
• Sweet Pepper
• Sweet onion
• Tomatoes
• Turnips

Farm News

We got rain! We picked up 4.5 inches of rain last week, which equals our total rainfall since Memorial Day! All of our fall greens are in the ground now, so the rain was a real benefit to them as well as our established crops. And now I can’t complain about the weather for at least a week.

I’ve had a lot of personal questions about the status of my pants this year, and I wanted to be sure and address that with everyone. Last year was a breakthrough year in the realm of pants, when I finally had two pairs survive the entire farm season for the first time in my career. Farm work involves a lot more kneeling, stooping, crawling, bending, and sweating than most pants are made for. So when I finally found a brand of pants that could survive everything a farm season throws at them, I knew these pants were special. “Ol’ Blue” and “Big Brown,” as they are well known, have so far made it through an unprecedented second year.

But then tragedy struck from the air. I was wearing Ol’ Blue last week and went to hang up a long-tined digging fork in the shed. The fork slipped off its hook and fell from its perch well above my head. I dove out of the way, but alas! The falling digging fork caught a crease in my pants and sunk in for the full 12” length of one of the tines. The sharp metal grazed my skin, but unfortunately Ol’ Blue wasn’t so lucky. The digging fork pierced a quarter-sized hole where the crease had been, as my pants gave up their life to save mine. Ol’ Blue will continue to limp through the year, so be sure to tip your cap in respect if you happen to see me wearing blue pants.

As for Big Brown, might this pair of pants survive to an unbelievable third year? Will they also sacrifice their life to save me if duty calls? Time will tell.

This week’s box

Yes, these Grapes have seeds. And yes, the skins are tough. But once you try the incredible sweetness of a Minnesota grape, it’s pretty hard to go back to the water balloons they call “grapes” in the grocery store. I grow four different kinds of table grapes, all similar to Concord but bred at the U of M to survive in our climate.

This week we finally have sweet turnips to offer. Our first three plantings back in the spring were wiped out, so I’m excited that we finally have these turnips ready for harvest. These have a nice sweet flavor and are delicious shredded into a salad or cole slaw. The tops are edible too–treat them just like kale. Turnips will keep well in the fridge for up to two weeks, but the tops will get wilty after 3-4 days.

Garlic is coming! I know I keep listing it as expected the following week, but I keep finding fresh veggies in the garden that I’m going with instead of storage crops. Just one more week! Also, this is almost certainly the final week of beans for the year. We’ve had six weeks of beans, and at this point the plants are pretty well spent (and so are my knees from bending over to harvest!).

Sauteed Kale with Turnips

from SweetLoveAndGinger.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot or onion, diced
• 1 bunch fresh turnips, peeled & chopped
• 1 bunch kale, ribs separated from leaves & removed, leaves chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a medium-sized saute pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add shallot /onion and saute for 1 minute.
3. Add turnip and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the turnips begin to brown.
4. Stir in the kale and turnip greens and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Coming up

Next week we are expecting onion, potatoes, head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, parsley, summer squash, sweet pepper, garlic and tomatoes.