Turtle Times
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Vol. 14, No. 6, June 16, ‘09 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 6/12/09, 0.4”
In the Box . . .
Strawberries ‘Northeaster’, ‘Jewel’
Turnips ‘Hakurei’
Broccoli ‘Nutribud’, ‘Blue Wind’, ‘Green King’
Peas ‘Sugar snap’ (some sites)
Garlic Scapes
Lettuce ‘Freckles’, ‘Blushed Butter Oak’
Scallions ‘Evergreen Hardy’
Pansies, edible flowers
Ala carte options: Strawberries ($5/qt), Asparagus ($5/lb), rosemary, parsley, tarragon ($1 ea.)
Free to anyone requesting it: Pac choi, kohlrabi, marjoram, sage
Email (info@turtle-farm.com) if you want any of these free or ala carte items
Farm Update
Well, they took their time ripening in the cool weather, but the strawberries are coming on pretty strong now. The rain is not a plus, so we hope it is minimal this week. Both the early variety and the late variety decided that they wanted to ripen at the same time. Each share should plan on receiving 4 quarts. Some of you wanted to use your ala carte money for berries. Please email or call me to let me know for sure, and we will fill them as best we can. Those without ala carte deposits can request them as well, although we will give priority to those already with ala carte deposits. We have also stopped picking the asparagus to give it time to rest for next year. We still have some in the cooler that we are selling at the farm stand, but if any of you have not had your fill of it this year, you can request that as well. Two crops free for the asking include pac choi and kohlrabi, some of which was not mature enough when we harvested them originally, so we will give these out by request until they run out.
We are transitioning out of some of the cold weather crops. The spinach is done (the farm crew is happy about that—not our favorite thing to pick leaf by leaf) as well as the radishes and green garlic. The broccoli and peas are starting, and cabbages will not be far behind. Something new to some of you will be the garlic scapes or the flowering portion of the stiff-neck garlic. It, too, can season your dishes with garlic flavor like the green garlic while we wait for the bulb garlic to mature. And while we are on the topic of garlic, we will have our farm garlic dig opportunity on Saturday morning July 11. Children and adults can be helpful with this farm activity. Watch future newsletters for more details on this.
I forgot to include pictures last week of the of the farm crew—Andrea, Adam, Sue, Ben and Angela-- to help you visualize them a little. Also the ISU and farm crews who worked so hard putting up the row covers, can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/turtle-farm.
Recipes
I turned to Farmer John’s Cookbook (Petersen) for help with young turnip recipes as most cookbooks would think you were dealing with the strong flavored fall turnips.
Young Turnip Salad With Apples and Lemon Dressing
1 c. peeled and grated raw young turnips (about 2 medium turnips)
1 c. peeled and grated tart apples (Granny Smith or other, about 1 apple)
½ c. finely chopped fresh parsley
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss the turnips, apples, parsley, lemon juice, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Young Turnip and Apricot Salad with Toasted Walnuts Serves 4-6
½ c. walnut pieces, toasted ¼ c. plain yogurt
4-5 young turnips, cut into matchstick-size 2 shallots, quartered
½ c. finely sliced dried apricots 1-2 jalapenos, stems, seeds removed
1 small bunch parsley, chopped quartered
1 bunch young turnip greens, coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic, quartered
½ c. mild-flavored vegetable oil 2 tsp. dry mustard
½ c. extra virgin olive oil 1 T. grated horseradish
1/3 c. vinegar 1 tsp. soy sauce or tamari
Salt and freshly ground pepper and salad greens
Combine the turnips, apricots, and toasted walnuts in a large bowl and stir to combine. Put the parsley, chopped greens, two oils, vinegar, and yogurt into a blender; process briefly, until the ingredients are just combined. Add the shallots, chile pepper, garlic, dry mustard, horseradish, and soy sauce or tamari; process until thick and creamy. Pour the dressing over the turnip-apricot-walnut mixture; toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over salad greens.
Young Turnip Galette with Cardamom (Serves 4.) As a side dish or dessert . . .
1 T. cornstarch 6 T. butter
1 T. powdered sugar salt
½ tsp. fresh ground cardamom cinnamon sugar (if dessert)
2 T. cold water whipped cream (if dessert)
3 young turnips, preferably similar sized, sliced into very thin rounds
Whisk cornstarch, powdered sugar, and cardamom in a medium bowl. Whisk in the water until it forms a thick paste. Stir in the turnips and coat evenly. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then remove the skillet from heat. Place one of the turnip rounds in the center of the skillet. Add the rest of the slices, overlapping them in concentric circles, until you have used them all to form a large single circle that fills the bottom of the skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat; cook until slices are golden brown on the bottom, about 10 minutes. As a side dish, carefully flip the galette with a large spatula. Continue to cook the galette until it is golden brown on the second side., about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat. Season galette with salt to taste and slice into triangles. If you are serving the galette as a dessert; sprinkle the top surface of the galette with a generous layer of cinnamon sugar, then flip it with a large spatula. Continue to cook until a caramelized crust forms on the bottom, 5-8 minutes. Remove the skillet form the heat, slice galette into triangles, and top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream.