We’ve gotten into a bit of a rhythm, our mid-summer rhythm, at the Food Farm the past few weeks. Broccoli harvest in the morning. Cucumbers and zucchini in the afternoon. Carrot weeding. Potato bug picking. Tomato trellising. Washing bins and buckets. Share harvest and packing. More carrot weeding. 

I have to say, carrot weeding may be my favorite summer farm job thus far. It’s definitely the most satisfying. When we see the carrots just popping up and the weeds breaking through alongside the carrots, we know it’s time to grab our close weeding knives and get to it! When the weeds are small, we scratch around the surface with our knives to cut what weeds are visible and disturb the soil enough to stop the not-yet-but-almost-germinated weeds. 

As we crawl up and down the field scratching the soil surface, we leave behind rows of soft green carrot tops uninhibited from growing up to be the most delicious carrots I’ve ever had! By weeding these carrots when they’re young, we give them all the space they need to soak up water and nutrients. No weeds hogging up their resources! 

One of the biggest challenges that I find this time of the season is remembering and taking the time to drink extra fluids! While last week’s cool weather brought some welcomed relief (I even wore a sweatshirt for half a day last week), the weather is quickly heating up again. Great veggie growing weather! Heat and water! However, it can be easy on the farm to get so caught up in what you’re doing that you forget about drinking water. I’m sure this is relatable for many people in the summer. 

So as the weather heats up this week, I hope that you stay hydrated and safe! 

For the farm crew,
Madison 

In your share this week: 

Beets – Broccoli – Carrots – Cucumbers – Napa Cabbage – Onions – Peas – Green Bell Pepper – Hot Pepper – Tomatoes – Zucchini 

Classic Stir-Fry

Adapted from Jennifer Drummond

Ingredients

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup onion, sliced small

2 cups sweet bell pepper, seeded, sliced in thin strips

1 poblano pepper, seeded, sliced in thin strips

2 cups zucchini, sliced in thin strips

2 cup brown rice, cooked

Handful of peas

A few thinly sliced carrots

Sauce (more ideas below):

21/2 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp chili paste

1 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions: 

1. Cook rice according to direction.
2. In a large fry pan; over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Heat oil for about 30 seconds, add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and peppers, stirring occasionally and cook for about 4 minutes. Add zucchini, carrots, and snap peas and cook until slightly tender, but still firm, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in sauce.
3. Divide rice between two bowls, and evenly divide vegetables. For a pinch of heat, I added sriracha sauce to the stirfry.

To make the sauce:

In a bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste and mustard; mix until combined.

Additional sauce ideas: peanut sauce, sunflower butter sauce (for nut allergy folks), or try the sauce included in this recipe! 

 

Beet and Corn Salad 

Adapted from The Food from Great Island

Ingredients

1 bunch of beets I had 3 medium sized beets

2 ears of corn kernels removed

1 cup of fresh peas if you have them

1 small red onion minced or a couple green onions minced

2 stalks celery minced

1 cup feta or goat cheese crumbles

olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper

Instructions

Trim the tops off the beets and put them in a pot of water just to cover.  Boil for 30-45 minutes until they’re just tender.  Check by sticking a sharp knife into the center of one.  Cool them while you prep the other vegetables. Instead of boiling the beets, you can pressure cook them if you have a pressure cooker or multi-use cooker like an InstaPot. Very easy!

Put the corn, celery and onion into a serving bowl. When the beets are cool enough to handle, trim off both ends and gently peel off the skin. Chop the beets into chunks and add to the bowl. 

Add salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to taste!

The salad will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week.

Share your Food Farm meals with us by using the hashtag #FoodFarm and/or tag us on Instagram or Facebook! We’d love to see how you use your veggies.

I have had a bad case of “make hay while the sun shines.” I haven’t put away anything from the farm yet, but maybe some of you have frozen some broccoli or this and that from your weekly shares. I confess, what I’ve been after this past week is raspberries, cherries, a hill full of Juneberries and beach time! So much to do, so little time!

Such is summer. Summers always seem so rushed and full in the north, because we all know winter comes so soon. Many years summers rush by and it seems there is little time for rest, or reading in a hammock. For farmers this is especially true. Perhaps insulated hammocks for winter would be nice for farmers…?

For all of us, this summer has such a different feel with weekends free from weddings, grad parties or family reunions. Bitter sweet- to have some free time to stay in-town, but for such a sad reason.

In the spirit of the shortness of summer, I will leave you there. My baby is anxious to be outside (he also wanted to include “AAAAAAS” to share with you all, which I told him didn’t fit with the rest of the newsletter, but that’s the mind of a one year old for you).

I hope you all enjoy the mid-summer offerings this week, and the lovely weather too.

For the farm crew,

Karin

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In your share this week:

Basil – Red Cabbage – Carrots – Cucumber – Kale – Snap Peas  – Tomatoes! Just a few now, but more to come…

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Kale Peanut Salad

from the Leek and the Carrot

1-1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, divided
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound kale, ribs removed and very thinly sliced
1 cucumber, seeded and sliced
4 scallions, trimmed
3 radishes, thinly sliced

1. In a food processor, combine 3/4 cup peanuts, oil, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
2. In a large bowl, combine kale with the dressing, using half at first, tasting and adding more as you like. I often use the full amount for a pound of kale but you may not want to.
3. Top with scallion, radish and remaining 1/2 cup nuts. Serve right away or store for 2-3 days in your fridge. The kale can stand up to being dressed in advance.

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Red Cabbage date and feta salad

From The Smitten Kitchen

1 to 1 1/4 pounds red cabbage (1 small head or half of a large one), sliced very thin
3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice (I use lime)
Salt and red pepper flakes (I used the mild Aleppo variety) to taste
About 1/2 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped or sliced
4 ounces feta, crumbled into chunks
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons well-toasted sesame seeds

Toss cabbage with olive oil and first tablespoons of lime juice, plus salt and pepper, coating leaves evenly. Taste and add more lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. I do this a few times, making sure I really get this base well seasoned because it will be hard to do it as well later.

Toss dressed cabbage gently with half of dates and feta. Sprinkle with remaining dates, then feta, then parsley and sesame seeds. Dig in.

Do ahead: The whole salad can sit assembled for at least an hour, if not longer in the fridge. Mine is going strong on the second day. You can also prepare the parts separately (feta, chopped dates, sliced cabbage) to assemble right before serving, if you’re planning ahead for Thanksgiving or a dinner party.