Week 7
Hi everyone,
Wow, it's hot! Sue and Claude finished up with their 1st cutting of hay, and that meant that this week we were able to catch up with some other projects around the farm. The wonderful rain we had on Wednesday helped us catch up on weeding and tending all the things growing in the greenhouses, including tying up the tomatoes again, weeding the beets, picking cucumbers and trellising some of the flowers for the bouquets. All in all a productive week. The cucumbers are coming in strong now, and the beans have just started, so we'll be enjoying those for a while. And we had the first couple cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse! It won't be long now before we start having enough tomatoes to give out- hopefully by the end of the month.
In Your Bag:
Salad Mix
Beets w/ Greens
Pearl Onions
Snow Peas
Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Garlic Scapes
Beans
Cinnamon Basil
Garlic Scapes
Cinnamon Basil
If you haven't used them before, garlic scapes are the flowering stem part of the garlic, and diced up, it adds a nice mild garlicky flavor to a dish. It works great in a saute or a stir-fry. As for the cinnamon basil, it's similar to Thai basil, and works well in stir-frys or curries. But it can be used in place of any kind of basil with good results.
Here are some recipe ideas to try:
1) Roasted Beets with Sauteed Beet Greens
Here's a simple recipe to roast those beets (truly the best way to eat them, in my opinion). I also suggest slicing the beets before roasting them in the butter or olive oil. They cook so much faster and carmelize nicely around the edges.
2) Sauteed Green Beans and Corn
Corn and beans are a great combination, and nothing says "Summer" more than those two vegetables!
Here's a recipe from the Moosewood "Cooking for Health" cookbook. The veggies are very interchangeable, so here it is with some of the veggies from this week:
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes 2 Tbls soy sauce 1 Tbls grated ginger 4 Tsps vegetable oil 3 Garlic cloves minced 1/4 cup minced onions 1 Tbls Thai red curry paste 1 14 ounce can of coconut milk 1 Cup water 2 Keiffer lime leaves (optional) 2 Cups sliced summer squash and zucchini 1 Cup sliced snow peas 1 Cup cut green beans 1 Cup Sweet potatoes 1/4 Cup chopped basil 1/4 Cup chopped cilantro Sliced limes 1. In a bowl toss together the tofu, soy, and 1 tsp. of the ginger. Set aside for 10-15 minutes while you prep the vegetables. Then drain the tofu and save marinade. 2. In a skillet on medium heat, warm 2 tsps of the oil and add the tofu cubes. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes until the tofu is golden. Set aside. 3. In a soup pot on medium high, warm the remaining 2 tsps of oil. Add the rest of the ginger, the garlic, onion and curry paste and cook stirring constantly for about a minute. add the coconut milk, water, and lime leaves and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir in the sweet potato and bring back to a low boil. Now, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the green beans and zucchini and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas, basil, tofu cubes, and the reserved marinade. Return to a simmer for 3-5 minutes until all of the vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the cilantro and squeeze half a lime over top. Add salt and curry paste to taste if necessary. Serve over rice with lime wedges.
Stay cool everyone!
All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm
