It has been hot hot hot! All though the weather may be a little uncomfortable for us,
the plants are loving it! Its amazing how much energy and mass plants accumulate in such a short period of time. The weeds, however, are loving it too. In my opinion, the season can be broken up work wise into three periods: the first part of the season is a lot of planting and bed prepping with a lot of bare ground and chilly evenings. The second (the one we are now entering) is filled with a lot of harvesting and weeding with a moderate amount of planting. The third is mainly filled with a LOT of harvesting. And with a transition how the farm days are occupied, also comes a transition in the dominant vegetables. We are now exiting the days of the salad and entering into the midsummer vegetables.
To kick us off, this week:
Half Share & Full Share:
Broccoli (!) Green Onions Napa Cabbage Dill Basil Shelling Peas Leaf Lettuce Strawberries
Yes! Broccoli!
Who doesn’t love broccoli? Stir fries, cold creamy salads, steamed, roasted, omelets, ahh…..all he potential. I really love it roasted or sauteed with a white vinegar.
Napa Cabbage: Also called Chinese Cabbage, this beauty is lighter and fluffier than a typical cabbage head. Its airy texture is the perfect crisp solution to a hot evening. Or super good sauteed lightly. Recently I had a killer spicy Indian dish featuring Napa as its main ingredient. Also great for a light coleslaw. Some people like to use the incredibly large leaves as beautiful individual platters for serving fancy dishes on, like crab cakes.
Shelling Peas: These guys push the box over the edge. I love these sweet peas. I also really enjoy how much pleasant time it takes to shell them and eat them. You can often find Kevin or Me in the field “working” by the peas for a good five minutes before any work actually gets done. To shell, remove the “string” by pinching off the top and stripping its string from the mid rib. Split open shell, then figure out which finger or method you like best for actually removing the peas (I personally use my thumbs) and collect in a bowl. Eat fresh or toss into a salad or saute with your napa cabbage!
Strawberries! Round two, the strawberry season is nearing its end, so enjoy!
Dill: Commonly used when pickling, I love using them in salad dressings or on anything that involves cream cheese.
Until next week!
sleepy root farm 