Greetings form the Garden! This week's box has lettuce, chard, mizuna, Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage, radishes, green onions, carrots, broccoli, turnips, basil and mint.
Field Notes. We got 1 1/2 inches of rain in a very short period of time on Sunday. It started just as the folks on the farm tour were sampling snacks from the garden. We moved indoors before it began to pour. It was great to get rain again. The pattern this summer = once the rain began last month - has been for us to get rain before we desperately need it. That's great! If this continues, maybe lake levels and the water table will recover from the last four dry years.
The garden and field have some empty spots as crops come out and new ones go in. All season Ken plants greens every seven to ten days, so we usually have greens in various stages of growth. Ken has also been planting green manures this season as the rains have come. The past four years we mulched as soon as the soil was warm to conserve soil moisture. Ken's planting of green manures between crop rows add organic matter and nutrients to the soil and prevent soil erosion. With the rains they are looking good.
From the Kitchen. This week we have basil. Basil can be used for more than tomato sauces. We chop and add basil to pasta salads, rice dishes, salad dressing, and even grilled cheese sandwiches. Basil's fresh flavor tells us summer is here
Turnips are so underrated! The roots have vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. The greens are even more nutritious with vitamins A, B complex, C, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. After the farm tour I served raw turnips - great for dips - and thinly sliced and salted turnips. The salt changes the flavor of the chlorophyll and sweetens the turnip and maintains vitamin C which is lowered when vegetables are cooked. Turnips are great in medleys with carrots and other vegetables boiled and served with a bit of butter and salt and pepper. Cooked turnips are also good with a bit of cream. When we have a good turnip crop , I often blanch and freeze some turnips for zip to chase away those winter blahs.
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