Turtle Times

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Vol. 15, No. 5, June 8, ‘10    7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

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Rain:  6/8,1.3”; 6/4, 0.9”; 6/5, 0.3”

In the Box . . .

Kohlrabi ‘Kohlibri’, ‘Korridor’

Broccoli (some sites)

Braising greens (Tuesday) or Pac choi (Friday)

Scallions ‘Evergreen hardy’

Lettuce ‘Deer tongue’, ‘New Red Fire’

Endive ‘Tres  Fines’

Turnips ‘Hakurei’ (on the side only—look for a crate of them at your site)

Spinach ‘Tyee’, ‘Corvair’, ‘Hector’, ‘Renegade’

Radishes ‘Cherry Belle’, ‘Pink Beauty’, ‘French Breakfast’, ‘Plum purple’

Asparagus (for some) ‘Jersey Giant’, ‘Purple Passion’

Pansies, edible flowers

Ala carte options:  cilantro, lovage, oregano, tarragon, thyme, mint, choc. mint ($1 ea.), Red  Russian kale, mustard greens ($3/bag), extra berries ($5/qt)  

Free herbs: Sage

(Please email angela@turtle-farm.com or call 278-4522 to request ala carte or free herbs.)

Farm Update

 We were so thankful for the rains this week.  The extremes of the weather already this season—wet/dry/wet, cool/hot/cool—have had an up and down impact on the crops.  We’ve have broccoli and greens bolting from the heat, strawberries ripening almost overnight, and the insects are quite numerous.  If you’ve had a few hitchhikers in with or noticed more holes in your produce, the insect populations are high and they are hungry.    Entomologists are saying that the heavy snow cover last winter didn’t allow the ground to freeze and so insect populations survived better.

We are heavy into strawberry season.  We may potentially open for U-pick by Saturday or the following week.  You can call 515-278-4522 for updates on that if you are interested.  Please return your green berry boxes if they are still in good condition.  When we get berries picked for the CSA share commitments, we can begin to fill requests (as supplies allow) that you might have for extra berries using your ala carte deposits.

Restaurant Friends

As you visit restaurants around town, you may notice a number of them are members of the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign or otherwise support local growers.  There are two restaurants that we sometimes sell extra produce to—Mojo’s in Johnston and Le Jardin in Des Moines.  Le Jardin even bought a half share this year.  We thought you would like to know so that if you eat there, you can thank them for their support.

Other Friends

The month of May this year was very unusual.  We had visits from three past Turtle Farm workers in that short time period.  Curtis Meyer (’00) was infamous for his snake expertise and the snake hook he kept in his trunk.  He and his wife and two daughters now live in Illinois and were back visiting family.  Myra Knapp (’03) and her husband Bill and baby Oliver stopped by to visit and brought mint tea for the farm crew.  They now live in Linden just to the west near Panora.  Leila Rahbar (’02) came back all the way from Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter to visit her sister in Ames.  I felt honored that all these young people thought enough of the farm to return to see it.

Recipes

I’ve heard of radish sandwiches and maybe you have eaten them.  Who would think that you would need a recipe for them, but here’s one from Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors.

Radish Butter for Radish Sandwiches

6 radishes                                             1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

4 T. unsalted butter                               Sea salt

Wash and trim the radishes.  If the leaves are tender and fresh, set a dozen or so aside, stems removed.  Slice the radishes into thin rounds, then crosswise into narrow strips.  Chop the leaves.  You should have about ½ c.  Mix the butter with the lemon zest until it’s soft, then stir in the chopped radishes, radish leaves, and a pinch of salt.  Spread on slices of crusty baguette and serve.

The Unforgettably Forgotten Kohlrabi Marinade recipe served at the orientation meeting (with horribly tough grocery store kohlrabi, I might add) is on my website (among others), but a close variation is given in the Asparagus to Zucchini Cookbook that sounds tasty.  Sauté peeled, sliced or diced kohlrabi in a little oil with shiitake mushrooms, sweet red peppers, shallots, minced gingerroot and cashew or pine nuts.  Season with rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a pinch of sugar. 

There’s also a recipe in that cookbook for a salad with spinach,  thin-sliced purple cabbage, and kohlrabi cut into small narrow strips with a horseradish vinaigrette:  3 T. olive oil, 2 T red wine vinegar, 2 tsp. prepared horseradish, ½ tsp. brown mustard, ½ tsp. sugar, and salt and pepper.