This Week’s Share:
- Arugula
- Choi
- Green Garlic
- Lettuce
- Mustard
- Radish
Arugula – Eruca species. Also called rocket, this nutty tasting green can be eaten raw in salads, lightly steamed, or my favorite sautéed in a little olive oil with some toasted walnuts and sprinkled with parmesan cheese over penne pasta, yum.
Choi Mix – Brassica rapa chinensis. The baby choi plants in this week’s share are very delicate and delicious, they include Mei Qing, Joi Choi and Tatsoi. They do not require much cooking. A quick stir fry with shiitaki mushrooms for flavor, tofu for protein, carrots for crunch and color, and a little soy sauce make for a fast and delicious meal.
Green Garlic – Allium sativum. Picked at this stage, this immature garlic is mild enough even for any of our vampire shareholders out there. I am a huge garlic fan and use this type like green onions. Last night I ate super garlicky quesadillas for supper, unfortunately had to sleep on the couch.
Lettuce – Lactuca sativa. With one head each of red and green lettuce this week enjoy as a salad paired with anything else from this weeks share. Or if adventurous and have never tried cooked lettuce then go for it! Try braising with green garlic and serve with butter.
Mustard – Brassica juncea. This week’s red mustard leaves are definitely on the spicy side; try slicing into thin ribbons and sauté with choi and some green garlic. Or add raw to any old fashioned ham and cheese sandwich.
Radish – Raphanus sativus. These radishes are, well radishy. Radishes may help our bodies absorb the nutrients contained in the other foods we are eating, but are relatively low in vitamins and minerals themselves. Try some diced up raw with equal parts diced carrots and a little soy sauce, or sliced thinly on a sandwich.
What’s Cookin’?
Here is my own recipe to spice supper up a bit.
Glazed Radishes
Scrub one bunch of radishes and drop into boiling water for three minutes. Drain. Melt a little butter and add olive oil in a pan, add radishes, sprinkle with a little sugar and fry over high heat, stirring until browned and caramelized. Eat!
Powered by Bio-diesel
Hello everybody. My name is Scott Latham. I recently moved from New Jersey and am now the new Field Assistant here at SIO. I am the one riding around on one of those three bright orange Kubota tractors each day. The first time the new Kubota 5700 started up with 20% bio-diesel I immediately started craving Chinese food. Each time the tractors are driven, especially now that we are using 99% bio-diesel, I really do smell differences in each fuel batch and start daydreaming about deep fried food. Besides making my tractor driving experience more pleasant, bio-diesel also cleans and lubricates the diesel engines and supposedly lengthens there working life. To make refueling easier and more efficient we will be purchasing a 55 gallon barrel of bio-diesel and pump to keep on farm and this week the tractor’s fuel filters will be replaced. The bio-diesel’s solvent effect tends to loosen old petro-diesel deposits from within fuel lines and tanks which then clog the fuel filters. We will see how often after this first round of maintenance it will have to be done again. Basically bio-diesel is made from used cooking fats, be them from animal or plant oils, disposed of by restaurants, processing facilities, or farmed canola grown specifically for bio-diesel production. Check out the article titled” In Bio-diesel We Trust” in the May 22nd Portland Tribune for some more timely information.
Field Notes
Last week on the farm the first melons and summer squash plants were transplanted. Also planted were the celery, Brussels sprouts, beans, tomatoes, head lettuce, and the last of the leeks. The greenhouse is quickly emptying. I have mowed most of the winter cover crops such as the clover, rye, and vetch and either disked or spaded them in to make room for more vegetable plantings or the next planting of summer cover crop which will include buckwheat and Sudan grass. Besides transplanting the crew has been busy harvesting, irrigating, weeding and beginning to stake and trellis all of our tomato plants. And to our great excitement Josh has just hooked up a much improved overhead washing system for the harvested produce.