Friday, July 30, 2010
Week 10 Delivery
Week 10
In the box:
Fresh Garlic
Orient Express Eggplant
Onions
Jalapeño Peppers
Green Top Carrots
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Cucumbers
Yellow Zucchini
Zephyr Squash
Patty Pan Squash
Green Beans
Beets
Rainbow Chard
Collard Greens and Dino Kale (a mixed bunch, coming back from cabbage worm trauma)
Broccoli or Cauliflower (one or the other or a little bit of both)
Basil
Parsley
Sage
Thai Basil
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Fresh Garlic is here!! We will be giving 1-2 heads per week, hopefully through most of the rest of the season. If you share a box with others, you may want to alternate. We will begin drying it tomorrow, so it will transition from “fresh” to “cured”. It is good and we are so happy with the size of the cloves, we hope you are too.
You are getting a taste of what is to come with eggplant. It is the most beautiful plant in our garden and we love watching it grow and produce. If you are afraid of eggplant, please try it on the grill, sautéed in a stir fry with Thai basil, or marinated with tomato sauce and cheese. It is delightful and our children even love it. Recipes next week as more comes in and you are trying to figure out what to do with it.
The peppers are beginning to ripen and we hope to be sending at least the mini bell peppers next week. The heirloom tomatoes tease us all summer and are starting to turn, so look for the beginnings of them and some cherry tomatoes (the ones we can save from our kids) next week as well. Melons in the field are growing and looking close to done, we are hoping for some musk, cantaloupe, and small water melons within the next 1-3 weeks. More sweet corn soon, too.
We have been blessed with warm weather and enough rain to keep everything happy. Last summer we watered until our pump overheated and this year we have had to water only once. Last year we had one severe weather warning that amounted to nothing, this year we have had at least one every week since June, 70 mph wind, and two hail storms. It is amazing what can change year to year and as I learn the ropes of farming I understand more and more how much we are at the mercy and the blessing of that Mother Nature hands out.
In the box:
Fresh Garlic
Orient Express Eggplant
Onions
Jalapeño Peppers
Green Top Carrots
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Cucumbers
Yellow Zucchini
Zephyr Squash
Patty Pan Squash
Green Beans
Beets
Rainbow Chard
Collard Greens and Dino Kale (a mixed bunch, coming back from cabbage worm trauma)
Broccoli or Cauliflower (one or the other or a little bit of both)
Basil
Parsley
Sage
Thai Basil
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Fresh Garlic is here!! We will be giving 1-2 heads per week, hopefully through most of the rest of the season. If you share a box with others, you may want to alternate. We will begin drying it tomorrow, so it will transition from “fresh” to “cured”. It is good and we are so happy with the size of the cloves, we hope you are too.
You are getting a taste of what is to come with eggplant. It is the most beautiful plant in our garden and we love watching it grow and produce. If you are afraid of eggplant, please try it on the grill, sautéed in a stir fry with Thai basil, or marinated with tomato sauce and cheese. It is delightful and our children even love it. Recipes next week as more comes in and you are trying to figure out what to do with it.
The peppers are beginning to ripen and we hope to be sending at least the mini bell peppers next week. The heirloom tomatoes tease us all summer and are starting to turn, so look for the beginnings of them and some cherry tomatoes (the ones we can save from our kids) next week as well. Melons in the field are growing and looking close to done, we are hoping for some musk, cantaloupe, and small water melons within the next 1-3 weeks. More sweet corn soon, too.
We have been blessed with warm weather and enough rain to keep everything happy. Last summer we watered until our pump overheated and this year we have had to water only once. Last year we had one severe weather warning that amounted to nothing, this year we have had at least one every week since June, 70 mph wind, and two hail storms. It is amazing what can change year to year and as I learn the ropes of farming I understand more and more how much we are at the mercy and the blessing of that Mother Nature hands out.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Week 9 - Sweet Corn and More!
Attached you will find our weekly newsletter and list. Enjoy.
BTW: Eggs are available, we will bill you periodically if you have purchased or do purchase any. $2/dozen. Quantities are limited, but we haven't reached that limit yet.
Thank you.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Week 8- Summer Bounty Begins
This Week, you will begin to see a steady supply of summer veggies emerge. The Squash is just the start. Cucumber, Peppers, Eggplant, Tomatoes. All of these will be weighing down your box in increasing quantities over the next several weeks.
Also, please visit www.mariquita.com/recipes for an excellent recipe collection.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Week 7 Delivery
Week 7 Update
In your boxes this week:
Green topped Red Beets (yep—they are still coming in like crazy!)
Cauliflower (maybe the last for a bit)
Rainbow Chard
Collards and/or Dino Kale
New Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans (a small amount as we wait for new plants to replace hail damaged ones)
Snap Peas
Napa Cabbage
Boc Choi
Rapini
*Yellow Summer Squash (just a taste with much more to come)
*Broccoli
Herb bunch of *thyme, parsley, thai and sweet basil, sage and tarragon
Coming soon:
Lots more summer squash, green topped carrots, broccoli shoots, more cilantro ...
Farm Update:
Things are getting back to normal as recovery happens for our plants. We have a few pickling cukes and greenhouse cukes forming, so we hope to start to share them soon. We are trying to catch up on a crazy amount of weeding that is needed after all of the rain we got, during which time it was impossible to weed. We are planning second plantings of many items to prepare for fall harvest and are debating how to best utilize our hoop house in our fall plans. We are planning to take a much wanted vacation near the end of August, so we may be contacting you for an early delivery, but will keep you posted. We are also speaking to our insurance agent about the possibility of some type of crop insurance to allow us to grow safely and with integrity towards our customers.
Recipes:
Beet Roesti with Rosemary (From Mark Bittman, author of How To Cook Everything)
Makes 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes
An almost unbelievably sweet and wonderful side dish. The sugar in the beets caramelizes, and the flavors of the rosemary, beets, and butter meld beautifully.
1 to 1 1/2 pounds beets
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1. Trim the beets and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in a food processor or by hand. Begin preheating a medium to large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. Toss the grated beets in a bowl with the rosemary and salt, then add about half the flour; toss well, add the rest of the flour, then toss again.
3. Place the butter in the skillet and heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape the beet mixture into the skillet, shape it into a nice circle, and press it down with a spatula. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the bottom of the beet cake is nicely crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Slide the cake out onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and slide the cake back into the pan. Continue to cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the second side is browned. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
Best Broccoli of your Life (from The Barefoot Contessa)
2-3 pounds of broccoli
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
4 cloves garlic
lemon zest and juice
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
2 T. fresh basil
You preheat the oven to 425.
Take 2 to 3 pounds of broccoli, cut into florets and dry THOROUGHLY
Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too.
Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until "crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned."
When it's done, take it out of the oven and add zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 Tbs julienned fresh basil.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Week 6 Delivery
Week 6 --Kicking it into summer!
What is in the box this week:
Gold beets
Red Beets
Cauliflower
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Beans
Spring Onions
Lettuce (A variety as we get near the end until fall)
Pac Choi
Napa Cabbage
Green Bunch (this will vary also, as we allow our greens to heal from the storm)
New Yukon Gold Potatoes *
Basil* (A small bunch of sweet and/or Thai to get you ready for tomato season!)
Sage
Cilantro
Parsley
Dill
*NEW this week
Coming soon:
Broccoli (we have some, but wanted to wait until we could give you all beautiful heads)
Summer Squash (this would have been ready if not for the storm)
The Yukon gold potatoes are beautiful and oh-so delicate. That is why they will still be dirty when you get them. When handling potatoes as young and fresh as these, you can easily damage the skin and flesh. As a result, we have handled them as tenderly as possible so they arrive to you ready to enjoy. In our humble opinion, potatoes at this maturity are unmatched in texture and flavor. Enjoy!
The basil is a sampling to get started with what we hope will be weeks and weeks, especially when tomatoes are filling your boxes.
An update on the storm:
Our greenhouse looks as though someone had soft ball practice on one side, but is still standing and stable. We look forward to early tomatoes and cukes to arrive soon from inside.
Our main crop cucumbers (marketmore slicers and pickling) have suffered significant damage from the hail. We should still have decent crop, but will likely not be offering pickling boxes this year. Our melons (water, honeydew, and cantaloupe) also suffered greatly. We all guessing at this point that many will live, but may not thrive as they did without the weather they endured. We started more and may offer two rounds to try and accommodate the smaller amount as a result.
The rest of the garden is recovering remarkably well. Some items that we had hoped to offer early this year may come in around regular time as they heal from damage. This is true for the majority of the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Again, overall we are truly fortunate for the little damage we received from a very large and powerful storm. It is humbling as we move forward and acknowledge how dependant we all are on the Earth to provide and what mother nature can dole out in the blink of an eye.
Recipes:
Many of these are versions of recipes from Molly’s favorite cookbook, Farmer John’s Cookbook. If you are loving CSA’s are going to continue to support this model, or you love to garden, this cookbook is GREAT at walking you through cooking through the mid-west season.
BEETS:
Yummy cold beet salad with fresh dill (adapted from Farmer Johns)
4 large beets, cleaned and trimmed
2 T. fresh chopped dill
3 T. umeboshi vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
Plain yogurt or Sour cream as desired for consistency
1. Place beets in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce and cook uncovered until tender (35-45 min).
2. Drain under cold water. When they are cool enough to touch, remove skins. Cut into thin strips. Place in medium sized serving bowl
3. Add dill.
4. Whisk liquids and stir in until well mixed.
5. Add sour cream or plain yogurt until you get to the desired consistency if wanted.
6. Chill and serve.
POC CHOI:
Choi with Gingery butter (Farmer Johns Cookbook)
1 bunch choi
6 T. butter
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. finely grated ginger
1 clove minced garlic (or more if you live in our house!)
1 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1. Bring water to boil. Add choi and cook until tender but still crisp (2-3 min). Drain and run immediately under cold water. Drain again.
2. Melt butter in large skillet on medium. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and choi. Stir constantly until choi in coated and heated through.
3. Remove. Cover with cilantro and serve immediately.
CAULIFLOWER:
Roasted Cauliflower Recipe (Simply Recipes)
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Lemon juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.
2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
What is in the box this week:
Gold beets
Red Beets
Cauliflower
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Beans
Spring Onions
Lettuce (A variety as we get near the end until fall)
Pac Choi
Napa Cabbage
Green Bunch (this will vary also, as we allow our greens to heal from the storm)
New Yukon Gold Potatoes *
Basil* (A small bunch of sweet and/or Thai to get you ready for tomato season!)
Sage
Cilantro
Parsley
Dill
*NEW this week
Coming soon:
Broccoli (we have some, but wanted to wait until we could give you all beautiful heads)
Summer Squash (this would have been ready if not for the storm)
The Yukon gold potatoes are beautiful and oh-so delicate. That is why they will still be dirty when you get them. When handling potatoes as young and fresh as these, you can easily damage the skin and flesh. As a result, we have handled them as tenderly as possible so they arrive to you ready to enjoy. In our humble opinion, potatoes at this maturity are unmatched in texture and flavor. Enjoy!
The basil is a sampling to get started with what we hope will be weeks and weeks, especially when tomatoes are filling your boxes.
An update on the storm:
Our greenhouse looks as though someone had soft ball practice on one side, but is still standing and stable. We look forward to early tomatoes and cukes to arrive soon from inside.
Our main crop cucumbers (marketmore slicers and pickling) have suffered significant damage from the hail. We should still have decent crop, but will likely not be offering pickling boxes this year. Our melons (water, honeydew, and cantaloupe) also suffered greatly. We all guessing at this point that many will live, but may not thrive as they did without the weather they endured. We started more and may offer two rounds to try and accommodate the smaller amount as a result.
The rest of the garden is recovering remarkably well. Some items that we had hoped to offer early this year may come in around regular time as they heal from damage. This is true for the majority of the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Again, overall we are truly fortunate for the little damage we received from a very large and powerful storm. It is humbling as we move forward and acknowledge how dependant we all are on the Earth to provide and what mother nature can dole out in the blink of an eye.
Recipes:
Many of these are versions of recipes from Molly’s favorite cookbook, Farmer John’s Cookbook. If you are loving CSA’s are going to continue to support this model, or you love to garden, this cookbook is GREAT at walking you through cooking through the mid-west season.
BEETS:
Yummy cold beet salad with fresh dill (adapted from Farmer Johns)
4 large beets, cleaned and trimmed
2 T. fresh chopped dill
3 T. umeboshi vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
Plain yogurt or Sour cream as desired for consistency
1. Place beets in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce and cook uncovered until tender (35-45 min).
2. Drain under cold water. When they are cool enough to touch, remove skins. Cut into thin strips. Place in medium sized serving bowl
3. Add dill.
4. Whisk liquids and stir in until well mixed.
5. Add sour cream or plain yogurt until you get to the desired consistency if wanted.
6. Chill and serve.
POC CHOI:
Choi with Gingery butter (Farmer Johns Cookbook)
1 bunch choi
6 T. butter
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. finely grated ginger
1 clove minced garlic (or more if you live in our house!)
1 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1. Bring water to boil. Add choi and cook until tender but still crisp (2-3 min). Drain and run immediately under cold water. Drain again.
2. Melt butter in large skillet on medium. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and choi. Stir constantly until choi in coated and heated through.
3. Remove. Cover with cilantro and serve immediately.
CAULIFLOWER:
Roasted Cauliflower Recipe (Simply Recipes)
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Lemon juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.
2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
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