In Your Box:

• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccolini (yes, some of it is purple!)
• Radishes
• Mint
• Scallions
• Snap Peas
• Summer Squash
• Turnips

Farm News

We’ve really been blessed with great weather lately, picking up just some modest showers as the fields finally dry out. Many of the crops have been thriving with the warmth and humidity, and it really feels like summer!

We’ve been farming here for 16 years now, and in that time I’ve always been able to avoid relying on deer fencing. I don’t like the feel of fencing–it always seems like being in a cage or an exhibit at a zoo. But at least once a year a deer will wander through the farm, grazing at lettuce and ripping a few beets out of the ground. I’ve come to rely on netting and shade cloth to keep deer and rabbits out of our lettuce, which has worked well overall this year. Except when I get too busy with odd jobs around the farm and neglect to put the netting on, which happened last week. Deer quickly found the unprotected lettuce and made a meal of it, so unfortunately we don’t have any lettuce to offer this week. The rest of the lettuce is covered, so hopefully we’ll have many more weeks of lettuce to come this season.

This week’s box

With the warmer weather we’re finally having, this week’s box includes a few new crops bringing some welcome color and variety to the season.

Our summer squash plants are bearing nicely already. We grow four varieties of summer squash, including traditional yellow and green zucchini. The  half-yellow, half-green variety is called “Zephyr”, while the mottled green and white variety is “Mexicana.” I grow different varieties because they tend to bear at different times, giving me a steady harvest throughout the summer. They can all be used interchangeably in the kitchen, though. For the next couple months we stick squash in everything–pizza toppings, chopped into spaghetti sauce, baked into zucchini bread…. The first squash of the year is always welcome, but by the end of August they can really pile up in the fridge! We’ll keep providing recipes and ideas for using them over the next few weeks.

Our sugar snap peas are appearing very late this year, which is unfortunately running up against our first heat wave of the summer. Peas don’t like heat, so I’m afraid their season will be short-lived this year. Snap peas are delicious and don’t need to be shelled. Just remove the flower-stem at the top and any strings that come with it, and enjoy the pod and peas as a delicious snack. Peas should be kept in the fridge and eaten raw for a treat on a hot summer day.

We had our first turnips in the box last week and they make an appearance again today. These are the white roots that are larger than the radishes. Unlike the purple turnips that we grow in the fall, these sweet turnips are delicious raw. Simply wash and peel off any blemishes, and then chop into small slices. Turnips are great raw on a salad or plain on a veggie tray. If they’re too spicy for your taste, you can also stir-fry them to dull the flavor.

Our beets are in great shape and I was very impressed with their quality and size for this first harvest. Beet greens are edible and work well as a substitute for cooking spinach. The leaves keep well for 3-4 days in a bag in the fridge while the roots keep for 7-10 days. 

Mint keeps best when it is refrigerated in a plastic bag and pressed against a moist paper towel. It tastes great mixed in a salad or added to a summer beverage.

Radish-Squash Slaw

from MyRecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup julienne-cut carrot
• 3/4 cup julienne-cut radish
• 3/4 cup julienne-cut yellow squash
• 3 tablespoons cilantro or parsley leaves

Directions:

• Combine dark sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and salt in a medium bowl. Add carrot, radish, and summer squash; toss.
• Top with cilantro or parsley leaves.

Serves 4

Coming up

 We are expecting broccolini, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, kale, lettuce, scallions, turnips and hopefully peas.