Sauvie Island Organics Farm Blog

  This Weeks Share:

• Beans
• Beets
• Carrots
• Chard
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Garlic
• Herbs
• Lettuce
• Summer Squash

Beans- Dragon Tongue is the variety of bean in your share this week. It is a beautiful flat bean with deep purple markings. To keep their unusual color you need to serve them raw. This is easy to do since they are so tender and sweet. They are also great cooked but unfortunately their purple color will fade.

Beets- Kestrel is the variety we are harvesting. This dark red beet is sweet with that hint of earth that makes beets so tasty. We are topping your beets because the greens are no longer nice enough to eat.

Carrots- According to the cookbook From Asparagus to Zucchini the carrot originated in middle Asia, first eaten by the hill dwellers of Afghanistan. The early cultivated varieties were purple and pale yellow. The first orange varieties did not appear until the 1600′s in the Netherlands.

Chard- Indigenous to the Mediterranean, chard is often referred to as Swiss chard due to its initial description by a Swiss botanist in the 16th century. The common beet root evolved from the leafy Swiss chard. We grow a variety called Rudy Red.

Corn- Corn is here! We transplant all our corn which is laborious but ensures a great stand and helps with weed pressure. We did eight separate plantings with seven different varieties of corn. This summer you will receive Sugar Buns and Spring Treat which are yellow, Sugar Pearl and Silver Queen which are white varieties and Fleet, Brocade and Luscious which are bicolor. This week is Fleet.

Cucumbers- Hope you are staying as “cool as a cucumber”. Cucumbers are refreshing because they are 95% water. They contain small amounts of vitamin A, C and a few minerals. Cucumbers are also rich in vitamin E which makes them not only great eating but effective skin conditioners. Try rubbing an end slice or an inside peel on your face and experience its refreshing benefits.

Garlic- If you need to store your garlic it does well in a cool, dark, dry and well ventilated place. Warm temperatures will encourage garlic to sprout. Do not refrigerate, unless storing peeled cloves for a short time. If so, keep them in an airtight container to avoid garlic odor spreading to other foods. For very long term storage, garlic can be minced and covered or blended with olive oil and placed in small airtight containers and frozen. After removing from the freezer, keep it in the refrigerator.

Herbs- Cilantro and dill will both be in your share this week. Both of these herbs are great chopped into a variety of chilled summer salads, such as pasta, potato, tuna and cucumber. They also enhance many stews and soups. Try this recipe for simple dill garlic butter. Melt butter over a low flame. Sauté garlic, being careful not to burn. Add finely chopped dill and continue to sauté for another couple minutes. Pour over potatoes or other cooked vegetables. With a splash of lemon it makes an excellent sauce for broiled or baked fish.

Lettuce- Lettuce is making a reappearance this week. Red Cross is the variety we will harvest.

Summer Squash- We harvest summer squash three times a week to unsure that the fruits do not get too big. If you find yourself falling behind on eating your squash it can be cooked, pureed and frozen in airtight containers. Then in the winter you can pull it out and use it as an addition to or as a base for winter soups.

Coming Soon- Eggplant and Tomatoes will all be showing up in your shares in the next week or two.

Recipes

Just to be adventurous or to prove to those picky eaters in the house that yes, they will eat summer squash or yes, they will enjoy beets here are two surprising ways to use your vegetables. As dessert!

Sweet Zucchini Crumble
Adapted from Farmer John’s cookbook The Real Dirt on Vegetables

Silky smooth baked zucchini is the surprising filling in this sweet dessert. Like the best apple crumble, this dessert has a tender, lemony-sweet, spiced filling just waiting to be discovered beneath its irresistible, crunchy crust. Serves 6 to 8

• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups shortening, softened, or butter, cold
• 6-8 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 4 large zucchini)
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Stir the flour, 2 cups of the sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Add the shortening or butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse oatmeal.

3. Pour half of the mixture into a 9×13-inch cake pan. Using your fingers or a rubber spatula, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside.

4. Combine the zucchini and lemon juice in a large pot over high heat and cook until zucchini is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Simmer for 1 minute more. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved flour mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove the pot from the
heat to cool for 10 minutes.

5. Pour the zucchini mixture over the baked crust and sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake until it is lightly browned and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes.

Beet-Chocolate Cake
Adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh, Seasonal Produce

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup oil
• 3-4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups shredded beets

Combine dry ingredients. Sift or mix well together. Melt chocolate very slowly over low heat or in a double boiler. Allow chocolate to cool then blend thoroughly with eggs and oil. Combine flour mixture with chocolate mixture, alternating with the beets. Pour into 2 greased 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes, or until fork can be removed from the center cleanly. Ten servings.

In The Fields

Last Monday we hosted a Farmscaping for Beneficials walk on our farm. These walks are sponsored by OSU and The Xerces Society who are working together on a project to support grower-led activities that build the knowledge and implementation of conservation biological control (CBC) on local farms. Conservation biological control can be defined as methods used on and around farms to restore and enhance beneficial organism populations that can increase to numbers that may limit pest populations. Such methods may include insectary plantings, grassy field margins, beetle banks and hedgerows. We have implemented several of their strategies on our farm to encourage beneficials: whenever possible we allow our cover crop to flower; we grow many cut flowers on the farm, and we have edges that are not disturbed by tillage. We continue to learn what we can do to create habitat that will encourage beneficials and help us to be better farmers.

Community Outreach

This is the second year that Sauvie Island Organics is involved with the Janus Youth Food Works’ program. Food Works is a youth employment program, which engages 14-21 year olds in all aspects of planning and running an entrepreneurial farm business. Their farm is adjacent to ours on Sauvie Island. On Fridays, the one day that we do not harvest and use our barn for pack out, we hear the music of the Food Works youth as they bring their harvest in for washing and packing. You can find them each Saturday at the PSU farmers’ market downtown.

This week’s share

• Beans
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Garlic
• Herbs
• Kale
• Onions
• Summer Squash

Beans- Green that is. Venture green beans are a sweet young bean. Beans will be coming your way for weeks to come.

Carrots- Our carrots are sizing up a bit slowly this year. But what they lack in size they certainly make up for in taste and crunch.

Cucumbers- The two varieties we grow are Marketmore and Lemon. The plants, like other cucurbits (squash and melons), will really sprawl out, grabbing onto whatever they can. We are training our plants to climb trellises to make harvesting more efficient and keep the fruit in better shape.

Garlic- Making its debut this week is the lovely Siberian garlic. It is a porcelain garlic which means bigger cloves for you! This purple striped variety has a full flavor. As this garlic grows its neck becomes hard giving us a natural handle for easy harvesting.

Herbs- Yum! This week your share includes dill. Add to your cucumbers or last weeks potatoes for a delicious summer salad.  Also, Sweet Genovese basil (what a great variety name) will be included for those who did not receive it in last week’s share.

Kale- Red Russian kale is coming to you a bit later than planned. Some nasty little garden centipedes called Symphylans got a hold of our first planting but we managed to come back with this second planting and triumph over those tiny pests.

Onions- Another debut here, the Purplette onion is a mini summer variety. Started in the greenhouse in late January, these Purplettes first saw the true light of day in April. Some of you may remember planting these at our Spring onion party! Other varieties to come: Red Torpedo, more Walla Wallas and some storage onions to get you through the winter.

Summer squash- As Blake mentioned last week, the race is on. It’s time to get creative and use your resources. I simply typed in zucchini recipes on Google and one site boasted hundreds of recipes.

Note- Although broccoli is pictured above it will not be in your shares. We thought we could eke out one more harvest this week but alas broccoli is indeed done for the season.

Recipes

Oh, how the internet has changed our lives. When I was young I thought in the future we would be ordering pizza and groceries through our computers and they would pop out of the printer instantaneously. Though thankfully that is not the case some wonderful recipes can be found there. This one comes from www.low-fat-recipes.com and would be a great addition to a picnic or sack lunch. Add a little of your mini onions for added flavor (their greens can be used as well!)

CUCUMBER, POTATO AND DILL SALAD

• 3/4 pound boiling potatoes
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 large cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook potatoes until tender in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and rinse under cold water in colander. Drain potatoes well. Stir together yogurt, dill, coriander, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Combine with potatoes, cucumber, and season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Serves 2.

Here is a recipe from www.cooks.com to help you eat all of your summer squash and give you a tasty healthy snack. Apple sauce can be used as a direct replacement (1:1) for the cooking oil to make this recipe a little lighter. Also, remembering to adjust the baking time, this recipe could turn into some wonderful muffins!

SUPER WHEAT GERM ZUCCHINI BREAD

• 1 1/4 c. wheat germ
• 3 c. flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 c. chopped nuts
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3 c. cooking oil
• 3 c. grated zucchini

Mix together wheat germ, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Beat eggs until light colored and fluffy. Beat in sugar, vanilla and oil. Stir in zucchini. Gradually stir in wheat germ mixture. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 325 to 350 degrees.

Introduction

My name is Kylie and I have been working here at Sauvie Island Organics for a little over a month now. I traveled from a land where yellow brick roads and ruby red slippers can be found on t-shirts in souvenir shops. From Kansas I journeyed west to check out the agricultural scene. I stumbled upon the organic farming scene about a year and a half ago with one semester left before my graduation from the University of Kansas. I was in need of one more credit in order to graduate and decided to take a look at the connection that people have with their food’s roots. I did an apprenticeship on a small farm in Oskaloosa, Kansas and got a taste of, what you all are taking part in, the CSA. I’m in love with this personal form of farming and am excited to meet more of you as the season progresses.

  Field Notes

 Though the weather as of late would have you believe that it is fall this is not the case. Summer is in full swing. Yesterday I saw one of the biggest smiles I have seen in a while as Shannon (our Crew Leader) walked in from the field carrying the first red, juicy tomato of the season! The ripe tomatoes are few and far between at this point but the excitement is building. Also, on the horizon, there are little baby eggplants greeting the world with their smooth deep purple goodness. Another sure sign of summer is that the ears of succulent sweet corn are filling out. I know it’s hard to wait for these summer gems, but waiting only makes them taste that much better!

  Lettuce Notes

Though you may not remember, it was quite hot and sunny just awhile ago. This intense heat causes the sensitive lettuce leaves to become bitter and bolt (go to seed) more quickly. For this reason some of you received small heads last week as we were scouring the field for every last usable head. This week we are taking a break from harvesting head lettuce in order to let them size up a bit for next week.

The Rain

What does all of this rain mean for us? Well, of course rain is good for the plants but too much rain can heighten our concerns about blight. Blight is a fungus that affects the foliage of our tomatoes and potatoes when too much moisture is present. You may recognize blight as the cause of the Irish potato famine. We use several tactics to figth the blight. We grow most of our tomatoes in our Haygrove high tunnels. These large greenhouse-like open-air tunnels give the tomatoes a little extra heat, which they like, and also protect them from direct contact with the rain. We also tie our tomatoes up, weaving twine between posts that are placed every three plants. This keeps the plants up off of the ground, also reducing the opportunity for blight. We also try not to handle the plants when they are wet as blight can be spread easily from one wet plant to another.

New Farm Truck

Our old farm truck has been retired from the road. It is now confined to the fields where it seems most at home. We have recently acquired a little red pick-up from a CSA member that will allow us to run our errands off farm. Thank you Laleña!

True “Farm” Love

Saturday evening we had a wedding on the farm. Congratulations Amber and Jason! Amber and Jason met as apprentices in 2005 here at Sauvie Island Organics.

This week’s share:

• Beans
•  Beets
•  Broccoli
•  Carrots
•  Cucumbers
•  Garlic
•  Herbs
•  Lettuce
•  Onion
•  Potatoes
•  Summer Squash

Beans- This year we did four plantings of beans using three different varieties. The three varieties you will find in your share this summer are: Venture a slim green bean, Dragon Tongue a flat podded bean with purple markings and Roma II a flat podded green bean. If you did not receive beans in your share last week you are in for a treat. We are continuing to harvest Venture this week and next up is Dragon Tongue which is now flowering.

Beets- Chioggia beets are in your share this week. These are a spectacular candy-striped beet brought to the US from Italy in the 1840′s. They are a bit sweeter then their all red relative. An added bonus is that they do not bleed. Beets are wonderful cooked or grated raw on top of a salad.

Broccoli- The broccoli is going out with a bang here in mid-July. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Carrots- Notice the slow increase in the size of the carrots in your shares each week? We sure notice when we’re pulling them out of the ground…all of the crops are growing so quickly right now with the long daylight hours and summer heat.

Cucumbers- We grow two varieties of cucumber: a long green one called Marketmore and a specialty cucumber called Lemon because of its shape and color. Cucumbers are here to stay for the summer.

Garlic- I had never grown my own garlic before coming out to work on the farm, so the taste of our fresh home grown bulbs was a shock to me. It’s so pungent and tasty…not too much longer until there will be tomatoes to go with it…

Herbs- This week in your share you will be receiving either cilantro OR basil. Herbs will appear in your share most weeks of the summer. Making their appearance throughout the summer will be basil, cilantro, dill, and parsley.

Lettuce- The lettuce harvest continues…celebrate with a salad! Your share this week has all kinds of great salad fixing’s to go with it.

Onions- We grew some enormous Walla Walla sweet onions this year, and as a result your share includes one gigantic onion. Onion rings anyone? These are the last of our fall planted onions. Fall planted onions are harvested in the spring while our spring planted onions will come to you at the end of August. 

Potatoes- The Yukon gold potatoes are back this week. These flavorful taters make for a great cold potato salad. The next potatoes you will get to help us dig. On Saturday August 11, we will be having our annual potato harvest work party.

Summer Squash- The squash will be a constant in your share throughout the summer, because once these plants start fruiting there’s no stopping them. It’s a race against time to harvest the squash while it’s still young and tasty. I never enjoyed summer squash nearly as much as I have in the last few weeks, with several varieties to try and different methods of cooking to experiment with. If you’re doing any barbequing, these little guys taste delicious off the grill.

Recipe:

Fruits and vegetables are not the only things to be enjoyed seasonally…hobbies and activities have their times of year as well. In my opinion, winter is the time for complicated cooking, when the kitchen is warm and cozy, and summer is great for simple and easy recipes. With that in mind, here is a very simple recipe for roasted summer vegetables.

• 1 lb. potatoes
• 3-4 beets
• Large onion
• 5-6 carrots
• 2 summer squash
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• chopped head of garlic
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• ground cumin
• cayenne powder
• fresh herbs, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking pan or casserole dish. Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, balsamic, garlic, and spices. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat. Sprinkle with herbs; definitely the basil or cilantro, plus rosemary, thyme, or parsley from your own herb garden. If baking on a cookie sheet, cover with foil. Bake 45-50 minutes.

Introduction:

My name is Blake and I am a first-year apprentice out here on Sauvie Island. I am originally from northwestern Washington State, but I’ve been in the Portland area for a few years now. As first years, our brains are being filled every day with new information about crops, pests, soil, water, and more. It is both an honor and a pleasure to have the chance to grow food for you all.

Field Notes:

With all this hot, dry weather we’ve been having, irrigation out in the fields becomes increasingly important to keep the crops alive and happy. In June I got to be the irrigation assistant, helping Vanessa and learning tons of stuff about obscure farming technology. Here at SIO we use two types of irrigation- “overhead” and “drip.”

Overhead is what we call the use of sprinklers. Lines of aluminum pipe are hooked up to a high pressure hose, broadcasting water across 10 beds of crops and making a picturesque scene to look upon when the sprinklers are running in the evening. Using overhead irrigation demands the exhausting but rewarding job of moving the cumbersome pipes around the farm to whichever fields need water.

Drip is when we use lines of plastic tape which drip water at a steady rate directly onto the soil where the crops are growing. These lines are hooked up to a smaller hose via a pressure regulator to control and maintain water pressure throughout the lines. Some plants, such as tomatoes, prefer drip, as they don’t like getting water on their foliage. Setting up drip requires a whole plethora of gadgets and tools that are both fascinating and at times confusing.

Field trip:

Last week we got the chance to visit 47th Avenue Farm, which is similar in size and scope to ours. Like us, they have an apprenticeship program and grow a variety of organic crops. It is great to make connections within the farming community by meeting other apprentices and farmers.

This Weeks Share:

broccoli – By now you should be familiar with this tasty flower bud, if you weren’t already. We grow 2/3 of a acre of broccoli every year to keep the shares full in the spring and early summer. The broccoli doesn’t really like all this hot weather so it probably won’t last much longer.

cabbage – The variety is Gonzales and we grow it on tight spacing to keep the heads smaller. Cabbage is versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked, in salads, slaws, soups, or even used as a wrapper for rolls. Cabbage keeps very well in the refrigerator, if the outside leaves wilt peel them back just before using the center. The insides will keep crispy for weeks. See the recipe below.

carrots – Carrots are another main crop for us. We plant about a half acre in 15 successions in order to have fresh carrots from now through the winter. While the tops are still beautiful we’ll bunch them. If you don’t use the greens for pets, or cooking (a rarity) you can remove the rubber band and cut them off at your pick up site (box share members: you’lll have to compost your own). If you plan on storing them more than a few days make sure to remove the tops so that they don’t wick moisture out of the roots making them limp and rubbery.

chard or kale – If you’re a returning member and you’re wondering where the big bunches of kale and chard have been this spring, the symphylans have been eating them. Our first planting of kale was a total loss and the chard is just starting to produce now. We’ve been giving out as many cut greens as possible to replace the bunches that we’ve missed so maybe you haven’t even noticed. We’re hoping that our replants will keep us in greens through the fall. This week you’ll be seeing the first harvests from one or the other, with more to follow in future weeks. If you’re not familiar with these bigger leaves, both benefit from washing and then running a knife along the rib to cut away the leaves. Chop the ribs and cook them a few minutes before adding the leaves and wilting them. Chard will work wherever spinach is called for, and kale is a more delicate relative of cabbage.

garlic – again this week is Romanian. This is the earliest head garlic we grow and was harvested three weeks ago. The latest of the garlic varieties was pulled out of the ground last week and all of the garlic is curing in the barn now. Romanian is a variety that we’ve decided not to plant again so instead of saving seed we’re giving it all out. Enjoy the beautiful heads while they last and look forward to sampling the four other varieties we grow later this season.

lettuce – the lettuce harvests are continuing strong. In the winter we try to plan out the varieties that will be harvested each week but in the end it’s alway a suprise, almost until the moment they’re cut. We grow a wide variety to keep things interesting. Lettuce is planted weekly to keep the supply consistent through September and as far into October as the weather will allow.

parsley – Italian Flat Leaf parsley is more than a garnish and a breath freshener. It is wonderful sauteed with garlic in olive oil and then poured over pasta. The heat sweetens the flavor. My father’s favorite meal when I was growing up was clam spaghetti, essentially the above recipe with a can of clams added.

potatoes – a small bonus round of All Blue potatoes this week. The yields were good for such an early harvest so we have a few extra spuds to pass out. There will be lots more of the yellow and red varieties in weeks to come.

summer squash – We’re growing five varieties of summer squash this year, two are experimental but you may see them in your share at some point during the season. Our standards are:
Raven zucchini,

Sunburst patti pan,

and the yellow and green Zephyr.

Added to the mix are Tromboncino, a long curling squash with lots of firm sweet meat and a tiny seed cavity,

and Cocozelle which replaces Costada Romanesco, a ribbed zucchini which is much more pleasant to harvest than its spiny relative.

Recipe

Here’s a recipe that I’m looking forward to trying from Madhur Jaffrey’s excellent cookbook, “World of the East, Vegetarian Cooking.” Umeboshi plums are a unique experience for those who haven’t tried them, very sour and pickled in salt. You can eat them whole but they make a better seasoning which is how they are used here. Umeboshi plum vinegar is also an excellent seasoning for cabbage and stir-fry, it’s expensive but a little goes a long way.

Cabbage Seasoned with Umeboshi Plums

Core the cabbage and slice it into long thin slivers. Remove the pits from the plums and pound the flesh into a past, a mortar works well for this.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium. Add the cabbage and salt and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cabbage has wilted and is just cooked. Add the sugar and plum past and mix togther.

Field Notes

Introduction – For those of you who haven’t met me my name is Josh and I’ve been working on the farm for the past seven seasons. I started out as the Field Manager and then moved into the Crew Leader position last year when Zoe left the farm for graduate school. This year Shari has created a new position for me, “Special Project Manager.” This is also my last season on the farm, I haven’t figured out what next year will bring exactly but I want to concentrate more on garden scale food and seed production so I’m hoping I can find a way to do that in Portland and support myself at the same time.

As “Special Projects Manager” I’m spending this year taking all of the ideas for improvements around the farm that I’ve collected over the last six seasons and actually making them happen. I’m also documenting a lot of what we do here on the farm, how we do it and how we’ve done it. Below are a few of the small tools that I’ve built or modified this spring and are now being used on the farm.

The G mounted dibbler.

We use a old Allis Chalmers Model G tractor for a lot of tasks on the farm and one of them is marking the beds for planting. In the past we would mark the beds with the tractor, which set the path ways (wheel tracks) and also made marks for the lines to plant on so that when we cultivate with the tractor we don’t take out the plants we just put in. The second step in the marking process was to pull our “dibbler” down the bed which made three rows of divots spaced one foot apart. If you’ve been to a planting party this probably sounds familiar.

The new dibbler mounts directly to the tractor so we’ve taken a two step process and eliminated one of the steps. The marks are clearer than the old method and the dibbler also creates nice firm paths that are easy to follow with our earthway seeder for direct seeded crops so we can use one marking method for almost all of our plantings.

The G mounted spreader

After five years of trying to figure out how to hook the drop spreader, that we use for spreading soil amendments, up to the tractor I finally succeeded. This doesn’t eliminate a step but it makes what used to be a very heavy job a little lighter.
The new set up has also changed the way we seed most of our cover crops. The drop spreader will drop small seed as well as soil amendments so Scott has been seeding with the spreader. He can drag a ring roller behind the tractor which presses the seeds into the soil and this does save a step in seeding cover crop, as well as making it more convenient to do. As a result we have beautiful summer stands of sudan and buckwheat out in the fields right now (The photo below is the most beautiful field of sudan we’ve ever had with vegetables in the background).

Other Projects
It’s been a productive spring in the “Special Projects” department. Some of the other highlights have been improvements to apprentice housing, a new workshop area, garlic curing racks (see the week 7 blog for photos), new cultivation tools, and improvements to the wash area plumbing

Cut Flower Care

For those who signed up for the cut flower share here are some simple tips and tricks to extend the vase life of your cut flowers

1. Location
choose a spot in your home which is cool and not in direct sunlight. Avoid placing flowers near dry heat, drafts, or gas appliances. These things diminish the vase life of cut flowers.

2. Check their water
A clear glass vase is best to keep an eye on how fresh and deep the water is. Change the water at least every third day and cut 1/2 an inch off the stem base with clippers or scissors when you change the water.

3. Feed your flowers
Add a 1/2 teaspoon of table sugar per quart of water to your vase.

4. Acidify the water
At the base of the flowers stems bacteria grows and blocks the conductive tissue thereby starving the flowers. Add 1/2 of an aspirin per quart of water to the vase to acidify the water and slow the bacterial growth.

Community Announcements

CSA member Lisa Lyon asked us to help get the word out about this fundraising event for the Children’s Heart Foundation – Oregon Chapter

We would like to invite you and your family to our fourth annual Lionheart in Laurelhurst Park on July 14 (11-3 pm) to celebrate the courage of children with congenital heart defects. This year’s event promises to top all other years!! Entertainment is listed below! Tickets are available at the door or at

http://www.chforegon.org/lionheart.html

July 14, 2007 11AM – 3PM

This Weeks Share:

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Choi
• Fennel
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Summer Squash

Beets- one of the best dietary sources of folate and also a good source of Vitamin C, potassium, manganese and fiber. Beets, whether roasted or boiled, pickled or pureed, add a distinctively sugary shock of color to any meal. Peel raw beets and grate them over the top of a salad for a nice color/texture addition.

Broccoli- Broccoli is back this week and may only be making a few more appearances in your share before the weather gets too warm for our cool weather friend. Raw or slightly steamed these tasty florets are sure to be a crowd pleaser. See Recipe.

Carrots- These little tasty treats are so sweet and delicious I recommend eating them raw with a salad or just by themselves. As the season progresses the carrots themselves will get larger and although they don’t lose a lot a flavor some of their baby sweetness goes away so eat them now and delight in their delicately sweet flavor.

Choi- Stir-fry is one of my personal favorites and fresh chois are an extra special treat. When the time comes to start cooking, you’ll find that choi is extremely adaptable. Boiling, steaming, stir-frying and even deep-frying are all possibilities. When stir-frying add a tablespoon or two of water to the wok and cover. If desired, adjust the seasonings, adding a bit of salt or sugar during cooking. Whichever cooking method you choose, be sure not to overcook the choi – the stalks should be tender and the leaves just wilted.

Fennel- These lightly licorice flavored bulbs are a summertime delight. Cooking with fennel has many possibilities. Grate in salads or use them in herbal vinegars. Thick slices are excellent braised, or boil the heads whole and then slice and sautee.

Lettuce- Cool, crisp, head lettuce is a perfect way to delight your palate on a warm summer day. Great for making large salads and cold sandwiches

Onions- These exceptionally sweet onions, from Walla Walla seed, are best eaten raw or only slightly cooked making them perfect for sandwiches and fresh salads. However, they sweeten any dish making them great in pizzas, pasta or grilled.

Summer Squash-The plants are still small and just coming into production. We’re growing five varieties this year, all interchangeable in recipes but with subtle differences in taste and texture and especially in appearance.

Recipes:

Vegan Lemon Broccoli

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florettes and small stem pieces
• ¾ cup water
• 3 to 4 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 C+ 2 Tbs water
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 to 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (optional)
• Garnish: 1 slice lemon, chopped fresh Italian parsley

Put prepared broccoli into a 4-quart (4 liter) saucepan. Add 3/4 C water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low, and steam 4 to 5 minutes or until broccoli is just tender. Transfer broccoli to the food processor. Add lemon juice, water, salt, and olive oil and process until pureed but still textured. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove to an attractive serving bowl and garnish with a twisted slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh, chopped Italian parsley.

Tofu and Choi Stir-Fry:

• 1 lb firm or extra firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 walla walla onion thinly sliced
• ½ lb Choi
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons natural, good-quality stir-fry sauce, or to taste
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts, optional

Cut the tofu into ½ inch thick slices. Blot well between clean towels or several layers of paper towels, then cut into ½ inch dice. Heat the oil in a wok or wide skillet. Add the tofu and the stir-fry over medium-high heat until golden on most sides. Add the choi, onion, garlic, stir-fry sauce, and about two table spoons of water. Quickly stir together, then stir-fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, just until the choi and its leaves are wilted. Stir in the optional peanuts and serve at once.

Introductions:

Hello, my name is Brian and I’m a first-year apprentice. Living and working out at the farm is a wonderful way to learn about sustainable farming practices. I’ve really enjoyed watching the season progress thus far and am excited about watching the farm change through the rest of the year. This is going to be my second year working on an organic farm. Last year I worked as an apprentice with Beth Gibans in Joseph, OR. Some of you may remember her from her days working here with Shari at Sauvie Island Organics. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season and all of the wonderful opportunities that SIO has in store for me. See you Soon. Brian

Field Notes:

Flowers are on their way. Next week we’re expecting to harvest the first cuts of the season. There are still a few flower shares left so if you’d like to sign up there’s still time. Stay tuned next week for more information on how to care for cut flowers.

CSA Reminders:

Please Remember to check your name off on the check off list when you pick up your share. If you have an egg or salad share you need to check your name off on those lists too. Thanks

CSA Connections:

Coordinating egg deliveries with our new partner Kookoolan has connected the farm with an old Chef friend, Meg. We’re using her house as an intermediary transfer point between the two farms. A big thank you to Meg for helping make the egg shares happen this year.

Meg is a personal chef and there’s a little write up below on her services. We’re always interested in what our CSA members do. If you’d like to be included in the blog or have announcements that would be appropriate for the CSA community e-mail us and let us know.

If you, or someone you know, is struggling to get healthy meals on the table, a personal chef service may be something to consider. At Homemade Everyday we personalize meals to an individual’s specific needs and wants, cooking them fresh for the week or for freezing for future meals. Special diets, such as wheat-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-salt, etc, are no problem. Our service uses the freshest ingredients we can find, going weekly to local farms for fresh eggs, milk, chickens, and vegetables. We can schedule cook-dates weekly, monthly, bi-monthly or on an occasional basis.
Our web site explains the service in more detail:
www.homemade-everyday.com
Or call Chef Meg at 503-234-5646 and enjoy healthy, homemade meals again!