Newsletter - June 11

NICK’S FARM REPORT
Cultivate!
June 11, 2010


Hello! Hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying a break from the warm weather. Now that all of the tomato and pepper plants are in the ground, we have been focusing on cultivation. Between the time that we plant our seedlings and sow our seeds and the time that we actually harvest, we work to ensure that the plants are provided with an optimal growing environment.
Most of our cultivation energy goes into controlling the weeds which compete with our vegetable plants for sun, water and nutrients. Because we follow organic growing practices, we use hand-weeding or mowing rather than herbicides to control unwanted weeds. We also use physical barriers, like mulch, to discourage weed growth in between the plants.
Cultivation also includes tasks like trellising cucumbers, staking tomatoes, and hilling potatoes. Each plant grows differently, which makes our farm fields look like a 3-D patchwork quilt!
On another note, you may have noticed that the mushrooms in this week’s share that hail from another farm. Often, CSA farms will spend a certain amount of share money to “buy in” products that we do not grow on the farm. It gives us a chance to provide you with more variety, while also allowing us to support other small, local food producers.


In the CSA Bag This Week:

Spinach
Red Ace Beet Greens
Lettuce (Butterhead or Black Seeded Simpson)
Mushrooms (from River Valley Farm in WI)
Bok Choi
Bunching Onions

Salad Days

We take advantage of the cool weather in the spring to grow tons of greens. Tossed with vinaigrette dressing, a greens salad can be an elegant accompaniment to any meal!

Simple vinaigrette: Combine 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 T sesame oil, 1 T prepared mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add thinly chopped green onions, herbs, or garlic as desired. Remember to wash and dry the greens thoroughly before using, as dressing will not stick to wet leaves.

If you want to go beyond the basics, try serving strips of grilled meat (chicken, steak or fish) or tofu on a bed of greens. You can also add protein to a salad by including vinaigrette-marinated chickpeas or other firm legumes.


Tips and Suggestions from our kitchen:

This week’s CSA share features more delicious spring greens, along with a new green: bok choi. Boc choi (or pac choi or Chinese cabbage), is a crunchy and refreshing member of the Brassica family, along with broccoli and cabbage. The whole head is edible.

Bok choi is often found in stir-fries, but can also be eaten raw in salads. It is excellent when chopped into thin strips, tossed with sesame oil, rice-wine vinegar and cold rice noodles, and topped with chopped peanuts or toasted sesame seeds. We also hear that bok choi and sliced strawberries dressed with vinaigrette are a yummy combination for those who enjoy fruit in savory salads.

To use bok choi in a stir-fry with green onions and mushrooms:

Heat cooking oil in a large skillet or wok on medium heat. Wash and chop bok choi into pieces, separating the white stalks from the green leaves. Add bok choi stalks, chopped green onion, and sliced mushrooms (and chopped ginger and garlic, if desired) to the skillet, add ½ t salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine 2 T soy sauce, 1 T water or stock, 1 t lemon juice, and 1 t brown sugar. Add bok choi greens and soy sauce mixture to the skillet, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the greens are wilted. Serve over rice.

Mushrooms and green onions can also be added to our basic greens recipe from last week to liven things up a bit:

Slice 3-4 green onions and about 1 cup mushrooms thinly, and sauté in a heavy duty frying pan in olive or sesame oil until soft (3-4 min). Add washed, chopped spinach or beet greens and cook until wilted (3-4 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.

This spinach/greens/mushroom concoction is very versatile. Try mixing it with shredded cheese and use it as a filling for omelettes, tacos, or enchiladas. Sautéed greens and mushrooms can also be tossed with orzo or bow-tie pasta, lemon juice, and feta cheese and served hot or cold as a yummy pasta salad.