Happy Day Everyone! It is with great pleasure that we introduce our greatest achievement to date and that is in the birth of our first child.. baby boy Tione (pronounced Sohneh) born June 20th at 8 pounds and 4 ounces. His name is a Kiribati name in honor of his Kiribati father and heritage and it means "gift from heaven".. we found the name very appropriate.
Life has been a bit chaotic since his arrival.. operating the farm on sleep deprivation has become the new routine and Asinete is on his own in the field for the time being until Mama heals up. We are more thankful than ever to our CSA support team M.A, Violet and Sally who are here every Wed to help harvest, wash and pack your baskets. Also thank you to our neighbor and good friend "Aunty Joo Joo" for helping with harvest while Mama is on the mend.
You are right to think it strange for farmer's to have a summer baby and we couldn't agree more! We had planned on a winter baby, a time of the year where we have time to put up our feet and enjoy the slower pace of life on the farm. But in the end Tione came when he was supposed to and we are just so happy he chose to come at all!
With the extra hubbub going on at the farm we have decided to hire someone once a week to help try to keep us from falling too far behind. We were fortunate to acquire the agrarian skills and gifts of Geronimo our Oaxacanian friend who comes and spends 9-10 hours a week with us. He has already taught Asinete quite a few tricks of the trade in the month he has been with us. We are grateful for his expertise and it sure is great to have another set of hands to battle the weeds that never give us a break, new baby or not.
As the summer crops draw nearer to harvesting next week we will be filling the now empty greenhouse with seed trays of fall crops. Kales, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and all the other yummy tastes of fall we love.
We hope your experience so far eating locally and in season has been a great one! We have many more veggies and fruits to tempt your pallets and your taste buds planned for the upcoming weeks.
Thank you for supporting this local(and now family)farm~
Suzie, Asinete, Baby Tione and the Crew
Harvest This Week Includes:
Fennel Bulb (try some recipe ideas below)
Nantes Carrots
Broccoli OR Cauliflower
Strawberries
Snow OR Snap Peas (freezing suggestions below if you'd like to save some of the bounty)
Head Lettuce
Cilantro
Cabbage (a very comical looking new variety we are growing called caraflex) Let us know what you think! It was bred this way to pack more easily. We hope it tastes good too!
How to Store it and Cook it!
Fennel~ love it or hate it we hope you give it a chance! Do not be offset by the smell and think it tastes like licorice. When prepared in one of the recipes below you will see too that the taste is like that of the most tender celery heart. Indeed fennel can be used in the place of celery in salads and other recipes. We hope you become a fennel lover too! The bulb keeps best wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of fridge.
Oven Potatoes with Fennel
20 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut in 1" slices
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced finely
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine potatoes, fennel, onion, parsley, oil, salt and pepper; toss gently until well coated. Arrange mixture in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally, until potatoes are crisp on all sides, 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.
Fennel and Carrot Pasta
Ingredients
1 bulb fennel (about 1 pound)
4 ounces bow-tie, gemelli, or corkscrew pasta
2 large carrots, cut into thin strips (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups shredded radicchio or fresh spinach
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1.Remove upper stalks from fennel, including feathery leaves. Discard any wilted outer layers on fennel bulb; cut off a thin slice from the base. Wash fennel and pat dry. Quarter fennel bulb lengthwise and discard core; cut quarters in thin strips.
2.Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Add fennel and carrots; cook for 5 minutes more or until pasta is al dente (tender but still firm); drain.
3.Meanwhile, in a small skillet cook onion and garlic in hot oil for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in pepper and salt. Transfer pasta mixture to a serving dish; add onion mixture, radicchio or spinach, and Parmesan cheese. Toss well to mix. Makes 4 side-dish servings.
How to preserve your snow/snap pea bounty for later in the season
It is that time of year again when the peas are coming in heavy, the big hurrah before the tender vines succumb to the summer heat and literally are killed off by it. We wanted to share with you a few easy steps you can take to freeze your peas for later use.
Your peas will need to be blanched before they can be frozen. Bring a large pot filled with water to boil on stove. Once water is boiling add the peas and boil for 90 seconds. Have a large bowl or pot ready nearby filled with ice cold water. After peas are blanched in hot water for 90 seconds immediately strain them and add strained peas to ice water for 90 seconds. Strain out cold peas and place in freezer bags (vacuum seal bags work best). Viola! You have your frozen peas ready to eat later this year.
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