Turtle Times
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Vol. 13, No. 13, Aug. 5, ‘08 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 7/28, 0.7 “
In the Box . . .
Carrots ‘Nelson’ (from Growing Harmony Farm)
Onions ‘Mars’ and/or ‘Red Baron’
Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Golden Boy’, and a smattering of others
Cucumbers ‘Diva’, ‘Marketmore’, ‘Tokiwa’
Cabbage ‘Super Red’ or ‘Faroa’ or ‘Invento’
Peppers ‘Islander’ (purple ones), ‘Romanian’ (light yellow ones)
Sungold tomatoes, eggplant, raspberries, and summer squash rotating among sites
Swiss Chard (to anyone who requests it)
Ala Carte Herbs & Veggies ($1 ea): Lavender, mint, parsley, tarragon, thyme, lemon, lime, thai, cinnamon and sacred basils, collards ($3)
Free herbs to anyone who requests them: marjoram, sage (and the basil buckets at each site)
Farm Update
Some of my colleagues have had far worse results on their farms due to the weather this season than I have, so I was curious to know how Gary Guthrie (our carrot supplier) was doing. Lucky for you and me, his carrots are coming through. For those of you new to Turtle Farm, Gary’s wonderful carrots are not certified organic, but he uses organic practices that I am comfortable with. We will have them this week and another week later in the season. The new plantings of cucumbers and summer squash are just about to take off, so those should be more plentiful soon. A second planting of green beans will be ready in a week or so as well. And the tomatoes are finally appearing. Some of the first ones are quite ugly, but usually with the first ones, we don’t care.
Gary Guthrie and I met for the carrot exchange at a PFI (Practical Farmers of Iowa) field day in Ankeny at the Craig and LaVon Griffieon farm. It is always interesting to visit other farms—I just wish I had more time to do it in the summer. The Griffieons are primarily row crop farmers, but one can learn from them even if we’re all about vegetables. They have urban encroachment and water runoff concerns. Turtle Farm is having another field day this year. Every year that I have one, I vow I will never have one again, because they are so much work. But because of the research grant we got for raspberries, we have to show the results through a field day, so I guess it’s a fair exchange. Mark Sept. 13th on your calendar--a Saturday from 4-6 pm. It is preceded by a field day at Small Potatoes Farm near Minburn (1-3pm), and followed by a PFI fundraiser special dinner featuring garlic at the Corn Crib Restaurant near Madrid. If that date is free on your calendar, you might consider joining us. (The dinner portion requires reservation—call Cedar at the PFI office, 515-232-5661.)
Recipes
While we don’t have green beans this week, I’m including this unusual recipe for them so that you have time to go out and get the ingredients. Jude Dickson, who sent it in says that some of the more unusual ingredients can be found at some of the Indian grocery stores in town. Or you might try Penzey’s.
Green Beans with Sesame Paste and Garlic (The Tassajara Recipe Book, by Brown)
3 T. brown sesame seeds
1 T. black sesame seeds (or another T. brown)
1 pound green beans
2 T. oil: peanut, light sesame, or olive
2 T. black mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. fresh ginger, grated
1 T. lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper or cayenne
2 T. fresh cilantro, minced
Roast the brown and black sesame seeds separately, reserving the black sesame seeds for garnish. Grind 3 T. of the brown sesame seeds in a clean coffee grinder or spice mill.
Wash and trim the green beans, and cut them into one-inch sections. Blanch in boiling, salted water for several minutes until nearly tender; remove and drain. Heat the oil, add the black mustard seeds, and cover the pan while the seeds pop. Add the garlic and ginger, stir and add the green beans along with one or two tablespoons of water. Add the ground sesame seeds and lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and heat. Garnish with the cilantro and reserved whole black sesame seeds.