Happy Sunny, Summer Day! We wanted to share some images from the farm tour two weeks ago. Thank you to our CSA members Ardyce (pictured above) and her daughter Kris for printing these pics up for us to share with you! If you look close at the pics above you can see the field of strawberries with our 1948 farmall cub tractor in the background and also the little red barn where the chickens sleep at night. Notice how we like to goof around with overgrown squash at the farm!
Today it took us a whopping three hours to harvest all the berries for the CSA. We have berries everywhere! Since our 'fridges are full of berries we had to take a truckload of our produce up to Dillard Farm Stand today. Jill Laurance (McGregor) who owns the stand and farm was kind enough to share some of her coveted walk in cooler space with us.. how nice! We went pretty gung ho this spring with our green cabbage planting and had 160 heads in the field that needed to be cut. We wanted to give you all a break this week on the cabbage so we needed to find a cool place to keep it in the meantime.. luckily cabbage stores well! We also went through and harvested what appears to be the last of the spring planted broccoli.. (finally!) it is sooo good though! Broccoli will not store as well so it will make an appearance in your baskets again this week. Please get through any lingering cabbage this week as next week we may hit you again hard with it (limited access to that coveted cooler space!)
Back to the joys of a walk in cooler.. it is definitely on our list of either buying one already made or building our own.. it is a pretty big expense and really we will only need it for three months out of the year.. but how much easier it would make our lives.. so if any of you have one collecting dust in your backyard please let us know! :) (we can always wish!)
Another huge thank you is in order this week to CSA members Beth and Jim Houseman. They both came down from Sutherlin for the farm tour and as we walked among the potato patch they saw we did not have a proper potato digging fork. So we were surprised a few days later when Jim pulled into our driveway with a new digging fork in his hand. It is truly these moments that make many a hot, weary, dreary day of farming worthwhile! So thank you Houseman's for your gift! You can thank them as well as it hopefully ensures many less potatoes riddled with slashes and cuts from the shovel method of harvesting.
Thank you to all of you for supporting these local farmers!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A (see M.A I spelled it right!) Violet and Sally
Harvest This Week Includes:
Summer Squash
Strawberries
Basil Tops
Beets
Maxibel Haricot Bush Beans
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Walla Walla Onions
Broccoli
Glacier Tomatoes (a few for everyone!)
How to Store it & Eat it!
Your beans this week are a French green bean called a Haricot Vert.. they are characterized by their long, pencil thin shape. They are our favorite string beans because they taste so good and although bush beans (not pole) they produce and produce. Green beans are will keep best in a bag in the fridge.
Green Bean Stir Fry
Serves 2
Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon peanut butter
* 3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
* 4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, brown sugar and peanut butter; set aside. In a large skillet, stir-fry the green beans in oil until crisp-tender. Remove from the heat. Add the soy sauce mixture; stir to coat.
Ginger-Garlic Green Beans
1 lb. fresh green beans
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock
Wash the beans, trim the ends, and cut into 2" pieces. Arrange beans over vegetable steamer and place over boiling water. Cover and steam 5 minutes, until the green beans are tender crisp. Drain beans and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil over low heat. Add ginger and garlic and sauté 3 minutes ,or until tender. Add chicken stock, stir. Add beans, cook 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Serves 4.
Walla Walla (bing bang) onions! Walla wallas are pretty famous and coveted around these parts and for a good reason! They are heavy, juicy and sweet and a fleeting seasonal treat. Walla Walla season is from early June through mid- September and we have learned the hard way that you cannot store walla wallas for more than a few weeks without them spoiling so use them up quick! If you would like to keep the green tops on them please refrigerate or else lop off the tops and keep onions in a cool, dark place.
French Onion Burgers
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped Walla Walla onions
1 pound ground beef
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
4 hamburger rolls
4 teaspoons blue cheese salad dressing
Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium high heat.
2. Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 10 minutes or until tender. Spoon onion into a large bowl. Set aside to let cool.
3. Add beef, pepper, egg white and salt to onion, and stir well. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping into 3/4-inch-thick patties.
4. Oil grill grate. Grill burgers for 5 minutes on each side or until done.
5. Serve burgers on rolls with dressing.
The Houseman's Onion Casserole (passed along from CSA members.. if you have a fave recipe using Big Lick produce please pass on for us to post!
4 large walla walla onions (please half recipe if not enough onions in your bskt!)
1/2 cup butter
saltine crackers
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
black pepper
1/4 cup cheddar cheese grated
1 can (15 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1. Slice onions, saute in butter 'til clear
2. Grease bottom of 9x13 baking dish, crush some crackers into bottom of dish
3. Add half of onions and half of soup, alternating until gone.
4. Beat eggs, milk and pepper. Pour over top.
5. Top with cheese and some additional crushed crackers.
6. Bake at 350 degrees until brown (about 30 mins) yummy!
More beet ideas sure to tempt the beet hater in your family!
Beet burgers
Makes 6-8 servings
4 medium sized beets
2 sprigs of basil, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 to 2/3 cup flour
olive oil
mozzarella cheese
burger buns
1. Trim beet tops and root. Shred the beet in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Add basil, onions, eggs, salt and pepper; mix.
2. Mix in just enough flour to make the mixture stick together. Form into 4-inch patties about 1/2 inch thick. (Don't make them too thick or the centers won't cook well.)
3. Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes on one side, until crispy. Turn, place a slice of mozzarella on top and fry 2-3 minutes more, until crispy.
4. Place hot on bun; serve immediately.
Roasted Beets with Pesto~ serves 4
Ingredients
* 4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
* 6 tablespoons basil pesto
* salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Place the beets in a large saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the beets are just tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, and allow the beets to cool until you are able to handle them. Peel and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, then toss with the pesto in a bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
3. Spread the beets out onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the beets are hot and have turned slightly brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.
In regards to the pesto I just whipped up a huge batch on Sunday in the food processor and then froze it in ice cube trays until frozen, then popped pesto cubes into freezer bags for winter use. I took all the basil (even the more tender stems) put in food processor, put in enough nuts (pine nuts, walnuts or even macadamia nuts work well), a quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice, three cloves of garlic (we love garlic.. you could use less :) and then a good drizzling on top of all with your favorite olive oil. Since I was freezing ours I did not add the Parmesan cheese but you could add to taste and whip up with the rest of the ingredients.. should be smooth and no chunks when you are done!
Happy eating!!!!!
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