This week we put a fence around our winter squash because the deer seem to have found it. We also opened up a new garden and turned in a cover crop of buckwheat in another garden. We’ve also been diverting a lot of energy to building a shed and foundation for Kendra’s wood fired oven. We recently received the results for this years round of soil tests. While being slightly discouraging, they were also great in that they showed progress and reminded us that building and balancing soils is a long term project. It can be frustrating to put so much work into certain crops only to watch them languish in infertile soil. But then patience is rewarded with slow but steady growth; growth which points toward and illuminates the inherent potential of our soils. Reading our soil test results is like reading an elaborate mystery novel for which the last chapter is missing: we have all of the clues, but we’ll never understand how they fit together. This property was last farmed so long ago that all details of it’s past life are long forgotten and we’re left guessing as to what may have happened. Why is the sulpher in this field, like, off the charts? And is that giant mound, that one over there, all of the topsoil which belongs over here where we’ve planted all of our crops in the hard, rocky earth? As we discover more of these clues, we become more amazed that things are doing as well as they are. Sure, I’ve not seen potatoes or parsley ever grow this slowly, but they are growing. And the fact that they’re not just growing but looking damned healthy (if sluggish) is all the more exciting as we start to think about what this place will be like once we’ve re-placed the topsoil and adjusted the soil acidity (pH). And nutrients. And organic matter. It’s a lot to do, but it’s a great, optimistic thing to be working toward and we know that every little thing we do is moving us in the right direction.
All shares contain:
- Zucchini, Summer Squash and/or Patti-pan Squash
- Cucumbers
- Green Onions
- Napa or “Chinese” Cabbage
- Lettuce (see note below)
- POTATOES!
“Full” shares also contain:
- more onions, zucchinis, cucumbers and spuds
- TOMATOES!
- Sage
Veggie Notes
Lettuce – We noticed a few aphids in the water as we were washing the lettuce heads this morning. These tiny, green insects are harmless, and the lettuce looked OK, so we decided to call it all good. That said, you should rinse the lettuce thoroughly before eating it and try to eat it sooner than later. If you want to keep it for a little while, keep it in a plastic bag by itself. Aphids are tiny, harmless, green insects, but it can be disconcerting to share a meal with them. Please let us know if you have any problems or are unhappy with this.
New Potatoes – These are fresh, or “new” potatoes. New potatoes have a fragile skin and juicier flesh than “regular” potatoes. They’re great for potato salads (just toss with some fresh herbs that have been briefly sauted in LOTS of butter) or with basil pesto. Actually, all spuds start out as new potatoes, but lose their freshness after they’ve been stored for a while. (They’re still perfectly good after having been stored, but they’re not really the same.) Most potatoes available in stores at not new potatoes (in fact, they’re likely last year’s crop), and if you’ve never gone out of your way to have fresh potatoes, you’re in for a treat. If you notice any funky, corky, sunken spots, they can easily be carved out or peeled off. We try to grade out all of the bad ones, but some inevitably slip through.
Tomatoes – This week, full shares get a taste of some of our first tomatoes. While “vine ripened” tomatoes in supermarkets are only allowed to just begin to blush from green to red, all of our tomatoes are picked off the vine fully ripe (or at least pretty damn close to fully ripe). The maters this week are a selection of Jet Star, Big Beef and Moskvich. (The former two are tasty hybrids, the latter is a great heirloom.)
Recipe Ideas
Sweet and Sour Cabbage
This recipe has passed the simplest test: we’ve made it once and we’re excited to make it again. Be aware that a giant pile of shredded cabbage will cook down to the barest amount. We got this recipe from a great stir fry book called Wok Hei or Breath of a Wok.
1 tbsp rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
2 tsp Maine maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot (optional)
2 tbsp minced scallions (or green onion tops)
Combine rice wine, soy sauce, maple syrup, salt and cornstarch and reserve. Heat a wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes in 1 to 2 seconds. Add the oil and swirl, then add the ginger and stir fry for 10 seconds. Add the cabbage and carrots and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until the veggies are just limp. Add the rice wine mixture and bring to a boil for 30 seconds or until thickened. Serve sprinkled with scallions.
As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.
We hope you enjoy the share!