In the Share: Week 2

In the Share: 

TAT SOI: As deep green as can be, tat soi is mild enough for a fresh salad, a stir fry, or even a kimchi. Some of this week’s bunches have some flowertops, all of which is very edible and add color to your dish.

RED LEAF LETTUCE The lettuce is starting to size up well. The “New Red Fire” variety is both crispy and tender.

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE: A favorite around here. Cut it into wedges and dress with shredded root vegetables, nuts, raisins and dressing.

RADISH/SALAD TURNIP BUNCH: The radish is crisp and fresh, while the turnips are sweet and juicy. These are some of our best.

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: It seems to us that the broccoli is only getting sweeter. It is good both raw and cooked when topped with mustard vinaigrette.

ASPARAGUS: The asparagus plants are starting this season strong and we are happy to be able to get a bunch to everyone. Snap off the tough, white end and enjoy this spring treat. We dusted the spears with garlic and onion powder before frying in a little oil until crisp.

CILANTRO/DILL BUNCH: A fresh garnish for most anything you cook, we like to add it to yogurt to make a dressing/dip.

SPINACH OR CHARD: These two greens are actually in the same botanical family. Only spinach is recommended for fresh eating. This week’s chard is bagged, so there is not as much stem as with the bunches. So all you have to do is rinse it, cut it up, and add it to your pasta sauce, soup or potatoes. 

Farm report: 

Greetings from the farm! Our “home office” is the great outdoors which is a lot quieter these days without the community working with us. In the evening we go indoors and catch up on the news and our hearts sink, but during the day our spirits are lifted by the natural world that surrounds us. The high tunnel has never been happier.

Turnips, red lettuce, spinach and sprouting broccoli fill the frame. All of what is in the share this week, except asparagus, is coming out of the high tunnel. After this share, the indoor pickings will be slim and we will need to rely on the outside fields to keep us fed. The freeze two weeks ago did do some damage. It may be a lighter share in two weeks as a result.

The freeze came under the covers.  Some of the strawberry flowers were lost. Any with black centers won’t bear fruit. Luckily many more healthy flowers are blooming now.

The aerial shots were from the last transmissions of our first drone-SKYBOT-1. Too lightweight for a stiff wind, we lost the little guy in the pond. The pics do a good job of showing how we have changed from a rectangular farming system to one on the contour.

 The swales are placed to move water throughout the farm, rather than letting it rush away and erode the soil. The space between the swales, (aka, the “alleys”) is where we will be growing our crops, pasturing livestock, planting perennials, and managing water. We are glad we could get a view from above of what we have been doing. It helps us better visualize our progress.