Turtle Times
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Vol. 14, No. 13, Aug. 11, ‘09 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 8/3, 0.15”; 8/7, 0.25” (est.); 8/9, ?
In the Box . . .
Garlic ‘Inchelium’
Potato ‘French Fingerling’
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 ‘Ace’,‘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
Email (angela@turtle-farm.com) if you want any of these free or ala carte items
Farm Update
I did not get any emails to my info@turtle-farm.com address last week, so if some of you sent orders or other communication to me on that email address, I did not receive it. I would appreciate knowing if you sent one so that I know for sure it is not working. In the meantime, send your ala carte orders and other communication to angela@turtle-farm.com until further notice.
Since several of you have asked about raspberries, I think it is time for a raspberry update. Like everything else, they are late this year, but the new patch is looking very good. Raspberries start ripening on lower branches or shorter stems first and build up to ripening the main berry crop on the tip of the canes. They have finally reached that point of starting to ripen the tips, although we are still not at full production. I don’t know if we will get enough for everyone to get a pint a week, but you should start seeing them arrive with your box more frequently.
The farm crew did our first excursion into seed saving last week. Some of the winter squashes that we like are open pollinated and seed is limited or hard to find. So we hand pollinated Gill’s Golden Pippin. This involved taping shut male and female blossoms that look like they are showing yellow and are most likely to open the next day. This kept the natural pollinators (bees) out of those blossoms. The next morning, we tore open the male blossom, took it to the female blossom, which we carefully untaped, and then “painedt” the female blossom with the pollen from the male blossom. Then we taped the female blossom back together so that no other pollinators could bring other unwanted squash pollen to the female blossom. We marked that bloom with a ribbon so that we will know the fruit (squash) to hold for seed once it is mature..
Potluck, Cousins and Elderberries
Gleaning at the fall potluck last year was so popular, we are going to provide another U-pick opportunity to anyone interested. If you are coming to the potluck next Sunday, and it’s cool enough to have it at the farm, you are welcome to harvest some elderberries to cook with (they are poisonous until cooked). However, if the weather is 90 degrees or more, and we switch the potluck to our home in Johnston at 7260 NW 58th St. (feel free to call if you are uncertain of the temperature and location) you will have to make other arrangements to get some. The most common uses seem to be jam, wine, and a syrup.
Details for the potluck: bring a generous dish to share, your own service, and maybe a chair. Drinks (water, tea, lemonade) are provided. Arrive anytime after 4 pm. We generally eat around 5 pm.
Recipes
For those of you new to Turtle Farm, the French Fingerling potatoes this week are a great roasting potato, or they can be boiled, but their firm texture doesn’t make them work for mashing. Sue brought this recipe to the farm this week. It’s for the adventurous among you.
Spicy Marinated Jalapenos, Haricots, Verts, Red Pear Tomatoes and Okra (food network)
½ pound fresh jalapenos
½ pound fresh haricots vert
½ pound red pear tomatoes
½ pound fresh okra
2 tsp. Zatarian’s Concentrated Liquid Shrimp and Crab Boil
2 T. black peppercorns
6 bay leaves
2 T. salt
12 cloves garlic, peeled
1 ¼ qt. distilled white vinegar
Place the vegetables in a 2 quart glass mason jar. Add the crab boil, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and garlic. Pour in the vinegar. Tighten the lid. Shake the jar several times. Place the jar in a cool place and marinate for 1 week before using.