Greetings from the Garden! This week's box has potatoes, red oak lettuce, endive, spinach, micro greens, daikon radishes, green onions, winter squash, and Chinese cabbage.
Field Notes. October is a month of many changes - crops coming out to go to the root cellar and crops going in - green manures like winter wheat and winter rye, and the garlic. So as Ken takes crops out, he is also working up beds for planting.
Since crops are rotated from season to season, Ken is already planning for next season - like planting the garlic for example. That bed will have a crop in it til the middle of next season, and he wants the garlic in a spot where he did not have any onion family planted this season. The ancient Celtic calendar saw October as the end of the year, and as we plan to put the garden to rest for winter, I can see how an old agrarian culture viewed the year this way. Ken has also been hauling more manure to mix with leaves for compost.
From the Kitchen. We grow several varieties of potatoes, and each has qualities that set it apart. Last week everyone got a mix as those surfaced after we had dug potatoes. This week we have Russian bananas - a buttery flavored fingerling potato that really shines when roasted in the oven with olive oil and herbs or baked with a roast. Fingerlings are smaller finger shaped potatoes with great flavor. Most have lower yields than standard varieties commonly found. But great flavor is the reason we grow them!
Daikon radishes are a long white Asian radish; they are mild and versatile. During winter festivals in Japan, there are vendors selling boiled daikon on a stick with your choice of mustard. Daikon are found in winter soups, shaved as a side to sushi, grated and topped with soy sauce as a condiment. We also pickle daikon with some turmeric for color. Daikon are a nice zippy addition to a stir fry.
Micro greens are a vitamin power house. They can be added to salads or tossed into soups just before serving. Ken made a delicious salad Monday with garlic, cheese and vinegar and olive oil.
Chinese cabbage can be used so many ways. I often saute onion, add cabbage to wilt and add a dressing or interesting vinegar like umeboshi vinegar. We add the outer leaves to soups and stir fry. The tender hearts sliced thin make a great ripply salad ingredient. A friend says Chinese cabbage are good for cabbage rolls, too.The green onions, daikon and Chinese cabbage would make a great stir fry.
No comments:
Post a Comment