In the share this week:
1 bunch beets
1 bunch swiss chard
1 lb broccoli
4 pickling cucumbers or 2 slicer cucumbers
1 bunch dill
2 ugly kohlrabi
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch radishes
Thoughts from farmer Anna:
Well, the rain hasn't stopped yet, but it looks promising for a dry week from Tuesday onward. I do feel so fortunate for our hilltop location when we get 6+ inches of rain in a little over a week. The beds we plant into are also raised a bit which allows the rain water to drain to the aisles. Even with those advantages, we are seeing the effects of too much water on the farm. Some of our summer lettuces are beginning to have bottom rot on their lower leaves. The greens of the beets in your share this week looked perfect last week, but this week have quite a bit of leaf spot (a fungal disease). I'm noticing yellowing leaves in some of the plants in areas that don't drain quite as well as others. This is a sign of nutrient deficiency when the roots of the plant are so wet that it can't properly take in the minerals it needs. All in all, we will see some real losses from this big week of rain, but I don't think it will be too bad. There is so much resiliency built in to a diversified small farm like ours. Some of the crops we grow will likely flourish with this heavy dose of rain before the true heat of summer sets its. Others will succumb to fungal disease. Luckily, we plant enough different types of crops that there will always be something lovely to harvest. The corn and bean farmers of the midwest are not fairing so well this year. We drove up to Kokomo, Indiana this weekend to visit with family and witnessed for ourselves the sad state of many of the farm fields in the corn growing areas of the state. Farmers there have just barely been able to get their crops in and it looks more like late May than late June. The crop they have been able to seed isn't germinating well in the soggy fields. Yields will take a major hit this year. The difficulties of trying to farm in this age of rapidly changing climate will hopefully convince more farmers to give organic methods a try. Even with the resiliency that organic matter and methods bring to farming, these are difficult times.
I didn't take many pictures last week with all of the rain, but we did spend a fair bit of time in our hoophouses (pictured above), pruning and trellising tomatoes and getting ground cover installed to smother the weeds. These hoophouses are hugely helpful when we get so much rain. The tomato plants would certain succumb to fungal disease much more quickly if they had been in the field instead of their protected shelter. I'm just seeing the first few blushing fruits this week, so major harvests aren't too far away. For now, we are harvesting a few pints of cherry tomatoes each harvest day and those are available to swap or add on in your shares.
We have a nice big share for you this week. I love the recipes Maria has for you since they use up so many of the different items you have :)
Swiss Chard with Beets, Goat Cheese and Golden Raisins
Ingredients
1 bunch red beets
1 bunch Swiss chard
3-4 Tbs olive oil
1/2 large red onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
1 bunch sliced green onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Chopped fresh dill
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
1 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons golden raisins
6 Tbs fresh lime juice
1/2 log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast peeled and chopped beets until tender, about 1/2 hour. Cool.Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately.Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.Add onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Asiago Cheese Ham, Chicken, Kohlrabi and Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the casserole:
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (yellow, peeled and cut into thin slices) 2 kohlrabi (peeled and cut into thin slices) 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
4 slices of ham (cut into squares) 1 bunch broccoli chopped into florets
For the buttery Asiago Cheese sauce:
1/4 cup butter (equals to 1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (can use Cheddar too)
4 stalk scallions (green part cut into small circles)
Salt to taste, Pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat oven to 375 degrees.Spread the potatoes, kohlrabi and broccoli in a large (about 9 x 13 inches) casserole, sprinkle this first layer abundantly with salt and pepper.Add chicken on top of the vegetables, also in one single layer. Salt and pepper the chicken layer as well.Now evenly spread butter pieces, ham and cheese across the entire surface. Sprinkle with scallions.Pour the heavy cream over top of casserole. Salt and pepper this layer.Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, place it in the oven (on the second shelf from the bottom) and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.