Turtle Times
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Vol. 13, No. 8, June 30, ‘08 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 6/25, 2.9”; 6/26, 1.3”; 6/27, 0.1”
In the Box . . .
Scallions ‘Evergreen hardy’
Sugar snap peas and/or snow peas (both edible pods)
Cabbage ‘Hermes’ (round) or ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ (cone head)
Garlic scapes
Swiss Chard (to those who request it)
Broccoli and Piracicaba broccoli (some sites)
Ala carte: Strawberries ($5/qt) Last week for U-pick.
Ala Carte Herbs ($1 ea): Rosemary, mint, chervil, summer savory, thyme, lemon, lime, thai, cinnamon and sacred basils, fennel (bulb $3)
Free herbs to anyone who requests them: marjoram, sage
Farm Update
More than four inches of rain (again), winds blowing newly laid weed fabric off, sending home a crew of six people at the beginning of the day because of rain, breaking the transplanter, and loads of potato beetles were the challenges and disappointments of last week. Several years ago, the Colorado potato beetle was not a problem in Iowa, just the more Western states were plagued by them. But the last two years they began making minor appearances on this farm, and this year there is quite an explosion of them. We went through the patch on Monday to remove them, and by Wednesday, you could not tell we had done it. It remains to be seen who gets to eat more potatoes—the bugs or you.
The good parts of the past week have been the abundant harvest of peas—so many it’s been hard to pick them all, the herbs are looking happy, so I hope you are able to take advantage of as many of them as you wish, and we got the sweet potatoes planted. Of course the good part of every week is the inspiring farm crew that shows up in a good mood to work, despite mud, rain, and mosquitoes. They certainly keep me going.
The first cabbages are ready for harvest this week as we continue our feast through the brassica family. If you still have kohlrabi in your refrigerator, it keeps really well, so you don’t have to polish it off immediately.
Equipment Changes
Just as we have personnel turnover, we sometimes have significant equipment turnover as well. I no longer drive my red Ford truck on the highways (although it is still servicing the farm for a while), but have acquired a white Chevy to replace it. This week the large 50’s vintage Farmall 400 that worked wonders when it was running, but mostly didn’t, was passed on to someone who can repair it and use it. At the beginning of the season, weary of not having a dependable tractor, I had already purchased a shiny red Massey Ferguson (not so big) tractor. The little blue Ford tractor is still around, still dependable, and still a challenge to use with no power steering—a real muscle builder. I hope that’s all I have to report on this issue for a long time.
Recipes
More garlic scape ideas from the “Seed Savers’ Summer Edition”: brush the entire scape with olive oil and put on the grill. When the scapes are heated through and have nice grill marks, they can be placed on a platter, drizzled with lime juice and used as a side dish to chicken or steak. Or try the tops fried in butter with sugar snap peas or steamed with asparagus.
Or this recipe from Farmer John’s Cookbook:
Garlic Scape and Fennel Spread
2 tsp. olive oil
½ fennel bulb, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ c. water or chicken stock
2 tsp. mirin or other rice wine
¼ tsp. salt plus more to taste
4-5 garlic scapes, quartered
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the water or stock and the mirin; bring to a boil. Add the salt. Cook until thick, 4-5 minutes. During the last 30 seconds of cooking, stir in the garlic scapes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Season to taste with more salt.
Use to enliven sandwiches, roasted meats, or with shrimp, stir into hummus or slather over grilled vegetables