Shepherd's Pie

In the "box" this week:
beets ("flat top Egyptian")
kale (dwarf curly or "dinosaur")
beans! (yellow and green roma or yellow wax and royal burgundy)
mint
garlic

Yeah, I know, the purple beans cook up green. They are tasty and will still make a pretty plate served with the tender yellow wax. Since I'm not labeling boxes I hope you get to try each variety over the next few weeks.

I'm still fighting pests and weather in the garden. Most of the kohlrabe has been damaged by the groundhogs/woodchucks. They're even starting to take a look at the beans!

The tomatoes and peppers are still developing slowly, but the okra is starting to blossom! I even have some interesting looking cardoon. That's an heirloom veggie that we'll have to share recipes to figure out. It's similar to artichokes but you cook the huge, spikey stems (can grow up to 6 feet?!), blanched then breaded and cooked with cheese for an interesting casserole. I'm hoping there are "lighter" summer recipes that aren't as heavy, as I prefer my summer meals light and easy.

I'll try to update my Google farm page with more recipes and photos. . . but I'm still busy trying to get more fall crops planted (beets, radishes, multi-colored carrots, purple cauliflower, and cabbage). And there's the weeding. . .  the constant weeding . . . it's the best defense I have against bugs but they're still trying to munch on the dinosaur kale, "red arrow" broccoli raab, and eggplants. I will try using "bt" on the plants this week to minimize the damage. "Bt" is an Organic-approved bacteria, not a pesticide.

I was also extra-careful while harvesting today. Some of you noticed I have a summer cold. I washed my hands often and used anti-bacterial wipes as an extra precaution. I don't like the anti-bacterial products but it's an extra precaution for your safety.

I still haven't made a decision about the Monday vs. Thursday delivery date. I'll send an e-mail blast when I do. Some of you know I'm a vendor at the Logan Square Farmers' Market on Sundays, drive back to the farm, harvest some, go to sleep, get up, harvest more, then drive in on Monday afternoons before teaching a Monday night class. Normally I can handle it, but if there are rain storms I may not have enough time to get into the field to harvest. The past few years were drought years and I forgot what it's like to have normal rains every week! If I can stay in town on Sunday nights I may be able to de-compress and psych up for the peak harvests coming up!

Posted by verica at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oops! I forgot to send out a quick e-mail on Monday night.
In the box this week:
beans!
garlic (in the bottom of the bean bag)
dill (not for Michelle!)
Swiss chard
blueberries (from Rambo farms)

Finally, the beans are in. They should be in your boxes through the end of the season and I have several different varieties: yellow and green Romas (flat), yellow wax, and royal burgundy. These are much better than the green snap beans that you find in the grocery store, which are made to take the abuse of shipping and are a bit tough. The yellow beans are sweet and tender and are my faves. I mixed up a few varieties to make your dinner plates interesting (and to make a generous bag).

The garlic is a little small this year but full of rich garlicy flavor. This variety doesn't store well so please use it up in recipes. I was chased out of the fields while picking them by the rain storms and apologize for the small amount. I'll try to get more harvested this week for next week's delivery.

The blueberries come from a neighbor. It's an amazing picking process as they have a giant harvester that goes over the blueberry rows and has "fingers" that pull off the ripe fruit. After that it goes through a conveyer belt and is sorted by dozens of migrant workers in sterile caps and outfits. Those berries were picked Monday morning just before I got to Rambo's, with rain still on them. No refrigeration means they were full of fresh from the field flavor and I hope you enjoyed them.

I'm thinking of switching deliveries from Mondays to Thursdays in a few weeks. Does this cause a problem for anyone? I'm thinking of the knitting group folks, especially since some of you come into Hyde Park from other neighborhoods one day a week. A Thursday delivery will give me an extra day of harvesting and will help create a more generous weekly delivery during the peak growing season. A few of the early deliveries were small and I want to make up for it with beans, tomatoes, and peppers. I'm thinking of switching to Thursdays in mid- to late-August.

Did you guys see me on the cover of the Tribune's food section last week? Sorry I didn't shamelessly self-promote then, but here's a link (without dorky photo of me with a pickle jar on my head):  http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-home-pickling-preserving-16jul16,0,5750295.story

Posted by verica at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the "box" this week:
kohl rabe (purple and white)
beets (Egyptian Flat" and "Golden")
curly kale
pea shoots and snow peas
green onions (starting to bulb!)

I wasn't expecting the beets and kohl rabe to be ready so soon but the recent cool and wet weather helped them develop nicely. I'm glad to offer them to you this week. Eat Green Foods made a wonderful slaw with kohl rabe and carrots (vinegar-based not cream). Another good option is a Granny Smith/kohl rabe slaw, a tart combination that's great for those hot summer days.

I walked through the garden today and the snap beans are in full bloom and little beans are starting to grow! Expect them to be included next week. . .  the varieties ripening are a yellow "Roma" (flat and large),  "Royal Burgundy (purple that cooks green), and those tiny green French fillets called "Masai."

I've had some crop loss on the broccoli raab and will try to find seed for a fall harvest. I'm still putting in seed for a purple cauliflower that likes to ripen in the cool autumn weather. Last week was a full-throttle planting and weeding session for me. I finally got those 5,000 tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings in the ground (planted and watered by hand!). I also planted three more bean varieites, including the Asian yard-longs. And I've only got a few more rows of weeding around the okra and green beans (plus the ornamentals that I use to dye wool).

The melon plants are starting to grow well, and I have six types of basil slowly growing, waiting for the heat to take off. Did I mention that I usually package sweet basil as if it's a bouquet of flowers? Plenty available and remember that pesto freezes well for winter use. I'm hoping they'll be available at the same time as the tomatoes start next month.

If you're taking a week off please send me an e-mail reminder so I can mark it on my calendar. If you're paid in advance we can extend your deliveries into October to compensate (or I can offer you bulk crops if you're interested in canning/freezing for winter).

There was one leftover bag in the fridge from last week. Since I'm not labeling the bags I have no idea who didn't pick up their orders. Once I switch over to the boxes I will be labeling boxes. If you're paying week to week and didn't pick up you will still be charged. These early boxes were difficult to fill because of crop failure so the additional produce would've made larger offerings for the other subscribers (and I hate  to see food go to waste).

Posted by verica at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the box this week:
rainbow Swiss chard
"dinosaur" kale
green onions
long red radishes
parsley

It's good that I gave the chard/kale a rest last week and supplemented with that strawberry offering. They grew nicely in those two weeks and I was able to package up larger amounts for you. The onions are starting to develop bulbs so they're getting substantial. I may not let them dry in the fields but offer them as a fresher offering in upcoming weeks.

The beans are in blossom! That means they're be in your boxes within the next two weeks. I didn't plant any "green beans" this year, instead of some "royal burgundy" (purple), "Yellow Roma" (flat, large, and sweet as butter), "Green Roma" and a few weeks behind that a yellow and green mix of French fillet beans (thin, tiny, and delicate).

Kohlrabe is also starting to develop nicely. I'm still fighting the groundhog family for them, I caught one in the patch last night when I got back from the market. I also found a few deer tracks near my snow peas! They head for the good stuff, don't they?

I'm still behind in planting. The weather has been either too dry or too wet. We have to first brush chop the weeds down in the field, plow the field, disc the field, pile up hills, lay plastic/drip tape in the field. . . then plant! This morning we brush chopped until the rains came. I'll be lucky if the water gets hooked up before I get to the planting stage. The last few years I was poking holes in the plastic with my dibble, placing the plant in the hole, watering the hole with a gallon of water (aiming carefully, too large a hole lets the weeds grow through), then squeezing the dirt around the plant's roots. I have a little over 5,000 seedlings to plant.  Yes, my back does get a little sore for a few days but my muscles are developing and the winter fat is quickly disappearing. Anyone interested in the Videnovich Farms workout? I may ask for volunteers (generous bonus late veggies in return?) if I get any further behind in weeding. 

Posted by verica at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)