In Your Box:

• Bok Choy
• Currants or summer squash
• Fennel
• Head lettuce: “Starfighter”
• Radishes
• Scallions
• Turnips

Farm News

We hope to see you all out on the farm this Saturday, July 15th for the Lakewinds Farm Day tour of local farms.  Join us for an open house from  10am-2pm for farm tours, yard games, and a beautiful day in the country. Bring a lunch and join us for a picnic. We also plan a work day in August and a harvest celebration in September, so there will be other opportunities to visit as well. Hope to see you on the farm this year!

July weather tends to be rather nasty in terms of heat and humidity, so I have been absolutely in favor of the comfortable weather we’ve been enjoying overall the past couple weeks. Cool mornings, low humidity, not much wildfire smoke–this is about all I can ask for in terms of working weather.

This week’s box

This week marks the end of many of our spring vegetables as we start to bring in more of the fruits and veggies of the summer season. This week looks to be our last harvest of bok choy, radishes, and turnips until the fall. I’ve experimented with different varieties of head lettuce that handle the summer heat well, so we still plan to offer lettuce for as many weeks as the crop will allow.

Fennel is a close relative of carrots and celery, and it has a strong taste of licorice. Both the leafy fronds and the central bulb can be eaten, and are tasty either raw or cooked. The fronds tend to wilt quickly, so they should be kept in a plastic bag or container and used within a few days. The bulbs are a bit heartier and should last 7-10 days. The fronds are best chopped fine and added to salads, while the bulbs are great as a crunchy, flavorful addition to a stir fry.

I had hoped for a better harvest of red currants this week, but unfortunately the fruits were not as abundant as they have been the past couple years. I’m not sure if it was a pollination issue or the result of the plants holding back after the drought last summer, but my red currant plants only had about half the berries they have provided in the past. I didn’t even find enough to go around, so some of you will receive our first summer squash in place of the berries.

Fennel-Tomato Pasta Sauce

From Asparagus to Zucchini, 3rd ed.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage links (hot or mild)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped fennel stalk
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 cans (each 28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed, or 7-8 cups peeled, chopped, fresh tomatoes.
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• pinch sugar
• red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fennel leaves (optional)
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat one TB olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame.
2. Add Italian sausage links and brown on all sides.  Drain on paper towels.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add onion, garlic, chopped fennel stalk, and fennel seed.  Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender.  Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.  Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.
4. Slice sausages into rounds and add to sauce. Continue to simmer 30 or more minutes.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in minced fennel leaves just before serving, if desired. Toss with hot, cooked pasta (use a short, thick type like penne or corkscrew) or serve over hot polenta, with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 8-10

Coming up

Next week’s box should have salad mix, summer squash, peas, scallions, head lettuce, beets, kale, and cucumbers.