Turtle Times
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Vol. 15, No. 9, July 5, ‘10 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 7/4, ?
In the Box . . .
Potatoes ‘Chieftain’
Beets ‘Ace’, ‘Chioggia’
Cabbage ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ (cone-shaped), or ‘Farao’
Scallions ‘Evergreen hardy’
Summer Squash ‘Dark Green’, ‘Costata’, ‘Zuchetta’ (some sites)
Green beans ‘Maxibel’, ‘EZ pick’ (some sites)
Raspberries ‘Autumn Bliss’ (some sites)
Ala carte options: rosemary, dill, parsley, tarragon, mint, choc. mint ($1 ea.), a few Swiss chard ($3/bag), fennel ($4)
Free: Sage
(Please email angela@turtle-farm.com or call 278-4522 to request ala carte or free items.)
Farm Update
We’ve reached that in-between-season, when the cold weather crops are starting to fade away and the hot weather crops are starting to trickle in. For a while we will have green beans, summer squash, and raspberries in amounts that can only go to some sites each week. We’ll rotate those around to everyone as best we can. This is normal for the raspberries, but weather and insects are culprits with the green beans and squash. We’ve replanted the squash that got gobbled up by cucumber beetles, and have the next successions of squash and beans started as well. We’ve got a new tool borrowed from The Homestead to help us dig potatoes. It’s shaped a lot like a double edged plow and turns the soil and the potatoes out to be picked up. In a year when the weeds in the potatoes will be a challenge, it’s better than a potato digger, which can’t handle the weeds very well. And it for sure is better than hand digging, which we had to resort to when it was too wet last Monday.
Thank you to Roslea Johnson, who came out last week to help weed. An okra lover, she came to weed there, but when she saw it was like a rice patty, she weeded eggplant instead.
Last year there was a bumper crop of winter squash, not only at the farm, but in my backyard garden. I still have frozen winter squash in my freezer. I’m going to make some soup and maybe pizza with it for the volunteers who are able to come help us start our garlic harvest this Saturday July 10. With the recent moisture it may be a garlic pull rather than a dig. We’ll start around 9 am and go at least until noon. Long pants are recommended. Hope to see you there!
Recipes
Laura Ruttman sent in this potato salad recipe and Claudia Murphy, the beet salad. If you have recipes that you like and want to share, please do so. It’s helpful if you get them to me when the featured vegetable is in season.
Potato salad with mustard and dill
(Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)
2 lbs waxy potatoes
1/4 c Dijon mustard
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c sour cream
1 T sherry or wine vinegar
3 T chopped fresh dill (I don't recommend substituting dried dill. If you don't have fresh use some other fresh herb like basil or parsley or tarragon)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
3 T sliced green onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring salted water to a boil. Cut potatoes into bite size pieces and cook in water until tender but not mushy. Drain potatoes.
2. Mix mustard, olive oil, sour cream, vinegar, dill, thyme and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with potatoes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with sliced green onions.
3. Serve warm or at room temp. Leftover salad should be refrigerated but I think it tastes better if allowed to warm up to room temp or just slightly cooler before serving.
Raw Beet Salad (from French Farmhouse Cookbook, by Loomis)
Beets: For the Greens:
1 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly grd.. black pepper Sea salt & pepper
2 T. extra virgin olive oil 1 T. olive oil
¼ tsp cumin seeds 7 oz. oak-leaf lettuce (8 c. loosely packed),
1 shallot, peeled, sliced paper-thin rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size
4 medium beets, trimmed, peeled and pieces
finely grated
Whisk the vinegar with salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Taste for seasoning; then stir in cumin seeds and the shallot. Add the beets and toss so they’re thoroughly coated. Let stand about 15 min before serving.
Prepare the greens. Right before serving, whisk the vinegar with the salt and pepper. Add oil in thin stream. Add the lettuce leaves and coat. Arrange lettuce on serving platter; place the beets atop the lettuce.