News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 8
This week’s share includes:
1 head red buttercrunch lettuce – This is the end of the lettuce for the time being, until my next planting matures, probably 3 weeks from now. Last week I transplanted our fall lettuce, since one of my goals this year is to do a better job in providing lettuce throughout the season. In a week or two, it’ll be ready to go into the garden, to grow to full size for our salads.
4 heads broccoli – Not the nicest broccoli we’ve grown, and with the heat, I should be cutting it every 12-15 hours or so. But it tastes great and will store for the winter, if you’re so inclined.
1 head bok choy – Suprisingly this hasn’t gone to seed yet, so we’re still enjoying it. Maybe one more week with this one, I’ll try to get creative with the recipes.
1 half-pint black raspberries –This is a surprise addition to today’s share. I didn’t think there would be enough ripe to share with you, but here they are. They are fabulous (and great for you as well) fresh, or baked up into pancakes or smoothies. That is, if you can pry them from your kids! Please bring back our green containers next week. This Friday, during the farm stand, we’ll offer black raspberry U-pick, 12-5 if you’d like more.
1 bunch cilantro – this is a love it/hate it kind of herb. To some, it tastes soapy. To others it tastes like heaven! It is also known as Mexican Parsley and is fantastic in salsas, or eggs, but I try and put it in everything, salads, on top of potatoes or grilled cheese, inside burritos. Yum.
1 bunch Swiss chard – A gorgeous bouquet of Swiss chard, makes fabulous pasta. Don’t forget to temper it with either balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.
3 bulbs purple kohlrabi – A relative of broccoli, but sweeter. It can be eaten raw or cooked, but please remove the leaves prior to eating.
1 Qt Snow peas
1 Qt Shelling peas
1 bunch baby carrots – These sweeties are baby, since they only grow to about 4 inches long. They are our interim carrot, until our main season, Sugarsnax carrots are ready (at about 18 inches long!). Our sandy-loam soil is perfect for carrot growing. Enjoy them raw, or roast them like asparagus (I can’t wait to try this!), I’ve heard that they get incredibly sweet that way. Or toss them with the kohlrabi in the recipe below.
1 summer squash – the summer squash is just starting to produce. Today we have an assortment: round “eight-ball” zukes, long, straight zukes, and yellow squash.
Best guess for next week – Red potatoes, mini cabbage, broccoli raab
Photo captions: 1) Our family eats a lot of broccoli, all year long, and this is how we put it up. Here it’s all cleaned, cut, blanched, cooled and is now drying on towels. 2) Now it’s packaged into bags, which will be closely sealed and packed in gallon size bags.
I hope you had an enjoyable holiday weekend! We got so much work accomplished here, by 11 am, I felt like I had already worked the entire day. We were out before first light, to see where our broiler chickens and turkeys were sleeping. Sure enough, many of them were still outside, too lazy to make the 3-step hike back into the coop. So we caught them all and transported them to our portable coop in the pasture. (The laying hens we moved into the barn pasture.) Mark mowed the chickens’ pasture very short, to encourage them to forage. It’s great to see them scattered about the pasture. Now they only have to make one step to be inside the shelter of their coop.
After chicken moving, it was pig moving time. Mark set up new portable electric fences (to keep the pigs in and the coyotes out), moved the water line, the pig coop and the tall bulk feeder. I set up the new electric line to charge their fence. The kids even helped, by using the hose to make the pigs a new wallow. It’s a whole family activity. The pigs love fresh pasture, and had parts of it rooted up within the day. These pigs root enough for double their number!
After smelling like pig, we got back to the near-constant work of installing our greenhouse! We finally sunk all of the ground posts, (after measuring a million and a half times) which have to be spaced properly, and be plumb, and driven to the proper height. Next we’re assembling the frame for a Saturday Greenhouse building party. I’ll include details in the email.
After all this work during the weekend, I finally opened my eyes and looked around! The kids were so excited to point out all of the new flowers that had opened over the weekend: sunflowers and many different shades of hollyhocks. I felt like I hadn’t even opened my eyes all weekend. I’m glad my kids are here to remind me to notice the beauty in life.
We hope you’re enjoying the bounty our farm has to offer. If you have any comments or suggestions, we’d be thrilled to hear them.
Thanks for your support, we love being your farmers!
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde
© 2008 Gwen Hyde
This Epicurious.com recipe: SWISS CHARD WITH RAISINS AND ALMONDS
2008 Week 8
This week’s share includes:
1 head red buttercrunch lettuce – This is the end of the lettuce for the time being, until my next planting matures, probably 3 weeks from now. Last week I transplanted our fall lettuce, since one of my goals this year is to do a better job in providing lettuce throughout the season. In a week or two, it’ll be ready to go into the garden, to grow to full size for our salads.
4 heads broccoli – Not the nicest broccoli we’ve grown, and with the heat, I should be cutting it every 12-15 hours or so. But it tastes great and will store for the winter, if you’re so inclined.
1 head bok choy – Suprisingly this hasn’t gone to seed yet, so we’re still enjoying it. Maybe one more week with this one, I’ll try to get creative with the recipes.
1 half-pint black raspberries –This is a surprise addition to today’s share. I didn’t think there would be enough ripe to share with you, but here they are. They are fabulous (and great for you as well) fresh, or baked up into pancakes or smoothies. That is, if you can pry them from your kids! Please bring back our green containers next week. This Friday, during the farm stand, we’ll offer black raspberry U-pick, 12-5 if you’d like more.
1 bunch cilantro – this is a love it/hate it kind of herb. To some, it tastes soapy. To others it tastes like heaven! It is also known as Mexican Parsley and is fantastic in salsas, or eggs, but I try and put it in everything, salads, on top of potatoes or grilled cheese, inside burritos. Yum.
1 bunch Swiss chard – A gorgeous bouquet of Swiss chard, makes fabulous pasta. Don’t forget to temper it with either balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.
3 bulbs purple kohlrabi – A relative of broccoli, but sweeter. It can be eaten raw or cooked, but please remove the leaves prior to eating.
1 Qt Snow peas
1 Qt Shelling peas
1 bunch baby carrots – These sweeties are baby, since they only grow to about 4 inches long. They are our interim carrot, until our main season, Sugarsnax carrots are ready (at about 18 inches long!). Our sandy-loam soil is perfect for carrot growing. Enjoy them raw, or roast them like asparagus (I can’t wait to try this!), I’ve heard that they get incredibly sweet that way. Or toss them with the kohlrabi in the recipe below.
1 summer squash – the summer squash is just starting to produce. Today we have an assortment: round “eight-ball” zukes, long, straight zukes, and yellow squash.
Best guess for next week – Red potatoes, mini cabbage, broccoli raab
Photo captions: 1) Our family eats a lot of broccoli, all year long, and this is how we put it up. Here it’s all cleaned, cut, blanched, cooled and is now drying on towels. 2) Now it’s packaged into bags, which will be closely sealed and packed in gallon size bags.
I hope you had an enjoyable holiday weekend! We got so much work accomplished here, by 11 am, I felt like I had already worked the entire day. We were out before first light, to see where our broiler chickens and turkeys were sleeping. Sure enough, many of them were still outside, too lazy to make the 3-step hike back into the coop. So we caught them all and transported them to our portable coop in the pasture. (The laying hens we moved into the barn pasture.) Mark mowed the chickens’ pasture very short, to encourage them to forage. It’s great to see them scattered about the pasture. Now they only have to make one step to be inside the shelter of their coop.
After chicken moving, it was pig moving time. Mark set up new portable electric fences (to keep the pigs in and the coyotes out), moved the water line, the pig coop and the tall bulk feeder. I set up the new electric line to charge their fence. The kids even helped, by using the hose to make the pigs a new wallow. It’s a whole family activity. The pigs love fresh pasture, and had parts of it rooted up within the day. These pigs root enough for double their number!
After smelling like pig, we got back to the near-constant work of installing our greenhouse! We finally sunk all of the ground posts, (after measuring a million and a half times) which have to be spaced properly, and be plumb, and driven to the proper height. Next we’re assembling the frame for a Saturday Greenhouse building party. I’ll include details in the email.
After all this work during the weekend, I finally opened my eyes and looked around! The kids were so excited to point out all of the new flowers that had opened over the weekend: sunflowers and many different shades of hollyhocks. I felt like I hadn’t even opened my eyes all weekend. I’m glad my kids are here to remind me to notice the beauty in life.
We hope you’re enjoying the bounty our farm has to offer. If you have any comments or suggestions, we’d be thrilled to hear them.
Thanks for your support, we love being your farmers!
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde
© 2008 Gwen Hyde
This Epicurious.com recipe: SWISS CHARD WITH RAISINS AND ALMONDS
You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241474
SWISS CHARD WITH RAISINS AND ALMONDS
1/2 large onion, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick (1 cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
2 lb Swiss chard, center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds with skins
Cook onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Sprinkle with paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chard in batches, stirring frequently, until wilted, then add raisins and water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt.
Cook almonds in remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle almonds over chard.
ROASTED KOHLRABI (from http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/01/roasted-vegetables-roasted-kohlrabi.html)
Hands-on time: 10 minutesTime to table: 45 minutesServes 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)
Cook onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Sprinkle with paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chard in batches, stirring frequently, until wilted, then add raisins and water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt.
Cook almonds in remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle almonds over chard.
ROASTED KOHLRABI (from http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/01/roasted-vegetables-roasted-kohlrabi.html)
Hands-on time: 10 minutesTime to table: 45 minutesServes 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)
1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar
Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but you'll likely use more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).
NUTRITION ESTIMATEPer Serving: 64 Cal (45% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 44% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 8 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 4; 31 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 23 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 pointCREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUEAdapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop
Broccoli and Bok choy Stir-Fry (from “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce”)
1 Tbs peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 two-inch piece of ginger, grated
Pinch salt & pepper
1 pound bok choy, shredded
2 Tbs sherry
1 Tbs soy sauce
NUTRITION ESTIMATEPer Serving: 64 Cal (45% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 44% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 8 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 4; 31 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 23 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 pointCREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUEAdapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop
Broccoli and Bok choy Stir-Fry (from “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce”)
1 Tbs peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 two-inch piece of ginger, grated
Pinch salt & pepper
1 pound bok choy, shredded
2 Tbs sherry
1 Tbs soy sauce
Heat oil in wok or deep skillet. Stir fry peppers, broccoli, ginger, salt and pepper until broccoli softens slightly, 3-4 minutes. Add bok choy and sherry; cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with soy sauce, serve immediately. Two servings.
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