share highlights- july/august split

Tomorrow we're doing the first cutting on a lovely new succession of MIXED SALAD GREENS. This mix includes mizuna, tatsoi, kale, mustard and arugula.   This week also includes a unique vegetable. It may be the only time you'll find it in your share. FENNEL, with it's notable licorice notes raw, is tamed significantly with heat. Grilling or roasting with other veg is popular. As is shaving it into salads. The entire plant is edible. And some PURPLE BASIL! Try it in fresh salads that preserve it's color. Or infuse some light colored vinegar. It'll turn a beautiful burgundy and be a good starter for vinaigrette.

“The forces of power, particularly corporate power, are impatient with what is adequate for a coherent community. Because power gains so little from community in the short run, it does not hesitate to destroy community for the long run.”  

                                                                                                      Wes Jackson

garlic distribution underway

Had all intentions of sending out an update before Friday pickup but didn't come to pass. The majority of you know to expect your garlic in bulk when it comes out of the field, Fresh (20 bulbs apiece) and Year Round (100 bulbs, up from 50). The harvest is abundant and well sized. We've been spared another season be the leek moth that's sweeping the region and damaging crops.

He's a link to a past post about some handling and curing tips. You won't be seeing garlic in the weekly pickup until the end of the season, when we'll distribute a few more. So use accordingly, and above all, ENJOY! Don't be daunted by the curing, especially if planning to eat within the calendar year.   Pulling off the outer layer is cleaner aesthetically, but not required for storage. Just rub off the soil and clip and tops and roots.

2011 blog post- garlic handling tips

wiping clean without removing any outer skin

share highlights- last week o' july

This week's highlights include the first picking of CARROTS as well as GREEN BEANS! The carrots are perfect kids snacking size. The rest in the field will continue to grow and you'll be receiving them in various sizes (and varieties) throughout the season.


The cucumbers have begun to trickle in and if all goes well, more will be available in future weeks.

 

"And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home."

“One of the most important resources that a garden makes available for use, is the gardener's own body. A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race.” 

                                                                                     WENDELL BERRY

share highlights- third week o' july

This past weekend, we test dug a few hills of the EARLY POTATOES. New potatoes are known for their tenderness. The same tubers would continue to grow if left in the ground. Additionally, the SUMMER SQUASH harvest is on. You'll be regularly seeing two varieties as well as the solid green zucchini. Let us know if you have a favorite. Squash is a vegetable that is known for its abundance. It's not known for an abundance of ways to preserve it for long term storage. The growth habit of this veg is such that it needs to be harvested a couple times a week as opposed to a kale, which is a also continual harvest but the picking window is wide. In short, we'll try not to overwhelm folks with squash, but it'll be coming in steadily for weeks!

sunburst and zephyr (summer squash)

red norland new potatoes

"I have made a lot of mistakes falling in love, and regretted most of them but never the potatoes that went with them."                                                                                                                                                   ANONYMOUS

cilantro chutney recipe

The inspiration for this fresh treat was a jar brought home from a Pakistani shop in Ottawa. That version contained coconut, but it seems that this condiment has a range of possible textures, ingredients and spice levels. This is fairly mild. Add some of the green chile seeds if you want to turn up the heat. In fact, adjust any ingredient level or omit altogether, seasoning to taste. Due to the broad range of ingredients, it's more forgiving than pesto which has a tendency to taste salty or dark.

Cilantro Chutney

1 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2 cup scallions
2 hot green chiles, seeded
2 Tbsp fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin, toasted
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

Can also add/substitute asafoetida, onion, or coriander seed.

Puree all in a food processor. Will last in the fridge a couple weeks (or more). Freezes well. Some suggest freezing in ice cube trays. The farmhouse has some big eaters, so foods are frozen in larger containers.

We quadrupled this recipe with great result. Also experimented with entire cilantro stem versus just the leaves. Both were great, whole stem is much less work and a little juicer.

share highlights- second week o' july

Highlight of this week's share include SCALLIONS, CELERY and FRESH GARLIC. The celery is  many individual stalks bunched together, rather than one entire plant. That way we can harvest from them several times while distributing the best stalks before the largest ones turn woody or bitter. We recommend using it in the next couple days, as it won't last in the fridge for as long as an entire plant would.
 

"Care of the soil and care of the soul are not separate things." -SATISH KUMAR

july second saturday garden morning

pickling garlic scapes

WHO: littleGrasse shareholders and friends
WHAT: group morning in the garden with potluck to follow
WHEN: Saturday July 13th 9am-1pm
WHERE: share barn at 309 Miner Street Road

Reminder: No on street parking. First cars park smartly (edges of driveway) in barnyard. If that's full, there should be space at the farmhouse next door.

We'll be making a refreshing chilled soup for the potluck if the weather is summery.

-->If you won't be in town next weekend or want to catch up on some gardening time we'll also be in the fields this Saturday. Folks can come by anytime 8am-noon.

share highlights- first week of July

Highlights of this week's share include BROCCOLI and CHINESE CABBAGE. We've been mainlining the snow peas with a lemon yogurt dipping sauce and look forward to eating more this week.

In the share barn you'll see the, 'Pass It On,' cooler where you can leave any veg you don't wish to take and grab anything that other folks leave.  

"Imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in true accounting, it really cost. We could then talk about some other things at dinner. For we would no longer need any reminding that however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we're eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world."  

Michael Pollan