A Very Rainy Spring
As we prepare for yet another week full of rain it seems that this rainy weather might not come to an end. Over the past 3 weeks we have received almost 8 inches of rain at the farm. These are Pacific Northwest conditions, not what we are used to in New Jersey. We find our ability to get into the field and make/compost beds for planting has about a 12 hour opening each time before the skies open up again. While many think this is a great thing for our crops, it actually isn't. Our greens and peas (keep your eye out for peas next week!) enjoy it, but all of our Summer crops.. not so much. Too much rain leads to fungal diseases and a whole slew of other problems. We do a lot of early planting and planting in tunnels so we're blessed to have tons of early crops but many farmers we know are not fairing as well. Broccoli is one of those things we're lucky to have. Planted in mid-March, we put a lot of time and effort into trying to have early broccoli. It's the sweetest, most tender we'll get till Fall and luckily we get to share a taste of it this week with you all! A lot of our field crops are growing very slowly but we have more crops ready to harvest every week! We're hoping to get a bit of sunny Spring weather before we go back up into the 90's. There's only a handful of perfect 70 degree sunny days we dream about and this rain is really cutting into those. We've been hard at work tending to our warm weather crops and with any luck (and a couple sunny days) we will have summer squash, new potatoes, peas, cucumbers, and beets coming at you next week!
Kale and Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta
Adapted from Farmhouse Table, serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch kale, washed and torn from the tough stem
1 bunch garlic scapes roughly chopped (or 2 garlic cloves)
1/2 cup pecans (or any type of nut)
1/4 cup grated parmesan, more for serving
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or flaxseed oil for more nutrition)
sea salt to taste
1 pound rigatoni pasta (use gf pasta if you like)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale (that has been washed and removed from the tough stems) and using tongs, plunge kale into the boiling water for about 30 seconds and quickly transfer to the ice bath. Squeeze kale to remove most of the water and place in a food processor.
If making pesto pasta, bring water back to a boil and cook the rigatoni pasta according to the directions on the box.
To the kale in the food processor, add roughly chopped garlic scapes (or garlic cloves), pecans, Parmesan and a generous pinch of salt. Process until finely chopped. With the processor running, slowly stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until the pesto comes together. Taste and add more sea salt to taste. Scrape down the sides of the processor and process again to completely blend.
Drain pasta and mix with the batch of pesto. Stir gently until the pasta is coated. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan, if you like.
Hakurei Turnips with Greens
4 medium size hakurei turnips with their greens
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup of coarsely chopped onion or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 large clove of fresh garlic (see picture above), slivered
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup diced, cooked bacon (optional)
Cut the greens from the turnips, remove large tough stems, steam for 2 minutes, then drain, chop and set aside.
Peel the turnips, cut into chunks and set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet, add the onion and garlic, then saute for about a minute. Add the turnip chunks and continue to saute until the turnips are a nice, tan brown. Add the chopped greens, vinegar and water, cover and steam for about 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle with bacon if desired.
Skillet Collards with Mushrooms & Eggs
(adapted from Martha Stewart) Serves 2 as a main dish
Ingredients:
Olive oil or coconut oil Your choice of mushrooms – cut into thin slices 1 stalk green garlic – minced One large bunch of collard greens – hard stems removed, and cut into 1-inch ribbons 4 eggs Sprinkle Salt Spring Red Pepper Flakes Additional toppings (optional): Feta cheese, goat cheese or shaved parmesan cheese
Method:
1. Heat a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high fire. Swirl in some oil to coat the skillet well. Add in mushrooms, and cook for a minute or until the mushrooms are almost tender. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant. Then add in the collard greens, and cook until the green begins to wilt (stir greens while cooking). 2. Make four wells in between the greens. Crack an egg into each well. Lower the heat, cover, and let cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. When the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove from heat, season lightly with salt and red pepper flakes. Top with cheese and serve.
Share Options This Week Strawberries- 2 points (limit one) Kale- 1 point/bunch Chard- 1 point/bunch Garlic Scapes- 1 point/bunch Carrots- 2 points/bunch (limit one) Green Garlic- 1 point/bunch Broccoli- 1 point (limit two) Salad Mix- 2 points Butterhead Lettuce- 1 point/head Kohlrabi- 1 point/bunch Napa Cabbage- 2 points/head Mushrooms- 1 point/pint Collards- 1 point/bunch Bok Choy- 1 point/head Sweet Turnips- 1 point/bunch
