In Your Box:

• Beets
• Broccolini
• Cabbage
• Cherry tomatoes or sweet pepper
• Cucumber
• Head lettuce (full shares)
• Kale, “Red Russian”
• Sweet onion
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

Farm News

Nina has always grown a beautiful flower garden, complete with some usual varieties as well as family favorites. Last year a neighbor asked if she could provide flowers for her wedding, so we tripled the size of her flower garden and Nina provided a beautiful array for the September wedding. This year we don’t have any weddings planned, but with the ground ready to go we still planted the same number of flowers. It’s a truly beautiful sight!

We don’t have any summer events planned on the farm this year, but we’d love to have you out to pick a bouquet of flowers and tour the farm. You could also pick up your veggies on the farm if you want to combine trips. If you’re interested, just email me and we can come up with a date to show you around.

This week’s box

This week we are finishing off our spring cabbage planting. Most of you will receive a small head of red cabbage, but I’ll also be throwing in some of the green caraflex heads we had a couple weeks ago. Our fall crop of cabbage is coming along nicely, so we should have more coming toward the end of the season.

So far the cherry tomato harvest has been off to a slow start. The plants look healthy and have certainly had good heat lately, but they just aren’t producing like I would expect this time of the year. We do have more disease pressure in our tomato plantings than I’ve seen before (early blight especially), so overall I don’t expect a monster tomato year.

This week’s beets might be the last we have to offer this year. Unfortunately our neighborhood deer have cleaned out all of our fall planting. Next year I will be investing in deer fencing, and I’ll make sure that our lettuce and beets are safely planted inside it for a more reliable crop.

Pasta with Kale and Cabbage

from NYTimes

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and washed
• ¼ medium head of cabbage (about ½ pound), kept intact on the core
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• Salt to taste
• ¾ pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
• 1 to 2 ounces Parmesan, grated ¼ to ½ cup

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; you’ll use it first to blanch the kale and cabbage and then to cook the pasta. Fill a large bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the kale. Blanch 3 minutes and, using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer kale to the bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Place on a cutting board and cut into thin ribbons. Add the wedge of cabbage to the pot and blanch for 3 minutes. Transfer to the ice water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Cut away the core and cut crosswise into thin ribbons. Cover the pot and keep the water at a simmer for cooking the pasta.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, wide skillet and add the shallot. Cook, stirring until tender, about 3 minutes, and add the garlic and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add the kale and cabbage to the pan. Stir together for a couple of minutes, then add ½ cup of the blanching water to the pan. Cook uncovered, stirring often, for 5 minutes, then add another ½ cup of the blanching water to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Cover the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Meanwhile, bring the remaining water in the pasta pot back to a boil and add the farfalle. Cook al dente, about 10 minutes. If desired, add another ¼ to ½ cup of the pasta water to the kale and cabbage, then drain the pasta and add to the pan. Toss together and transfer to a platter, a wide pasta bowl or plates. Top with the Parmesan, and serve.

Coming up

 We are expecting broccolini, head lettuce, carrots, parsley, summer squash, cucumbers, sweet onions, tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.