Turtle Times

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Vol. 14, No. 12, Aug. 4, ‘09     7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

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Rain: None

In the Box . . .

 

Garlic ‘Inchelium’

Cabbage ‘Farao’, ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’, or ‘Super Red’

Haricot vert green beans ‘Maxibel’

Summer squash ‘Raven’, ‘Costata romanesco’, ‘Sunburst’, ‘Dark star’, ‘Zephyr’

Cucumbers ‘Marketmore’, ‘Tokiwa’

Tomatoes ‘Sungold’ and ‘Juliet’ (some sites)

Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Brandyboy’, ‘Paul Robeson’, ‘Golden boy’, ‘Amish paste’, ‘Better boy’

Peppers ‘Romanian’, ‘Islander’, ‘Sweet Banana’, ‘Orion’ (green), jalapeno

Basil

Ala carte options: lemon basil, Thai basil, oregano, mint, chocolate mint, rosemary, lavender, parsley, tarragon, thyme ($1 ea.), fennel ($4)

Free to those requesting it: Swiss chard, sage, basil bouquet (priority to those who have not yet gotten Swiss chard and basil as these need a little regeneration)

Email (info@turtle-farm.com) if you want any of these free or ala carte items

 

Farm Update

 

John and I have been hosting nightly beer parties at our house.  Actually, John and I don’t drink beer, but we have lots of disgusting guests who do.  We actually marvel at them drowning in it, because you see, they are slugs—literally.  We have a type I’ve not seen before at our house, a gold colored type.  We don’t have this type at the farm as best I can tell (just the little brown ones), although a couple tried to hitchhike on the bottom of a crate brought from my home.  And while we don’t have beer at the farm, we do have a salt shaker—another way to get rid of these unwanted guests such as those hitchhikers.  The slug infestations are a result of the very wet spring.  Now we are at the other extreme—very dry.  Irrigation is going on somewhere at the farm at all times.  The ground is very hard in the garlic beds where we have remaining the last of the hard necks, which we hope to chisel out this week.  Meanwhile we are starting to clean and distribute the softneck ‘Inchelium’ garlic which was the first one we dug over two weeks ago.

 

The slicing tomatoes are finally starting to ripen!  We are very excited to see them finally changing colors, although in a couple of weeks we will be sick of picking them.  This week will be the last of the cabbages.  We have some red and some green.  If you have a strong preference for one or the other, email me.  We are still trying to figure out why most of the cabbages this year have not sized up as they normally do.  Different locations and varieties were all similarly affected.

 

Potluck and Cousin Update

 

We hope you still have 4 pm August 16 marked on your calendars for the Turtle Farm potluck. One note is that if the weather is 90 degrees or more, we will switch the potluck to our home in Johnston (feel free to call if you are uncertain of the temperature and location).  Details are the usual—bring a generous dish to share, your own service, and maybe a chair.  Drinks (water, tea, lemonade) are provided.  We generally eat around 5 pm. Our Swedish cousins will arrive on the 9th.  We are looking forward to seeing them again and introducing them to a little American culture.

 

Recipes

 

I hope that you all know that when a recipe calls for zucchini, you can also use any of the other summer squashes, including the new ‘Zephyr’.  You may get more yellow than green, but the taste should be about the same.

 

Spaghettini Squared: Pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Zucchini (food network)

¾ lb whole-wheat dried spaghettini

¾ pound zucchini

½ c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 T minced garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes

3 T. coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

2 T. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ c. Basil oil (or Lemon flavored olive oil)

½ c. grated Parmesan + 2 T.

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.  While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, cut the zucchini with the fine French-fry cutter on a mandoline.  If you do not have one, cut by hand into the longest, finest julienne you can manage.  Season with salt and pepper.  If your zucchini is very finely cut, it does not nerd to be cooked.  Otherwise, place in a colander, suspend over the pasta pot, cover the pot, and steam the zucchini until still slightly crunchy, about 2 minutes.

 

Heat ¼ c. of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add the garlic and sauté briefly, but do not brown.  Turn on the exhaust fan and add the red pepper flakes.  Quickly mix in the basil and parsley and remove from the heat.  When the pasta is al dente, drain through a colander, reserving about ½ c. of the pasta cooking water.   Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl; add the zucchini, basil (or lemon) oil, the garlic mixture, and ½ c. of the cheese.  Toss well, adding cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce.  Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper, as needed.  Grate about 2 T. Parmesan over the top and serve at once. (To make your own basil oil, check out this recipe on www.foodnetwork.com.)