I’m appreciating the beauty of the forest this week. As I was gazing out the window eating my breakfast and listening to the rain, two male Western Tanagers zoomed back and forth in front of my window hopping from one pine tree branch to another, methodically picking out the insects to eat. Their color is breathtaking with their bright yellow and orange markings. I am so thankful for the wildlife here on Daily Lane and reminded that I am a guest in their habitat, and hopefully, a good steward of the land.
This Week in Your Box ……
Lettuce: This week all three lettuce varieties are full head size. Try one of each: Romaine, Buttercrunch Bibb and Red Cross red leaf.
Salad Turnips: Small and crunchy like radishes. The greens are also extremely nutritious
Carrots: A benefit of a farm share is enjoying all the imperfect shapes of fruit and vegetables. Some of the carrots are quite funny shaped and look like they could walk right off my plate. My senior thesis project, at OSU, was analyzing food waste across the world. Globally, approximately 40% of the food produced is disposed of because it is considered “imperfect”. This means the consumer expects a certain size, shape and color for a vegetable to be marketable. The USA food waste averages 50% with 40% of it left in the field where it is grown, and is the highest food waste percentage in the world. It’s a tragedy how consumerism drives this waste, so I try to help reduce this number personally with a zero waste goal on Daily Blessings Farm. Anything not eaten by humans, is either fed to the chickens, composted, burned and returned to the soil, recycled, or reused. I challenge you to try living with “zero waste” for a week and see what new thoughts and questions come to mind as you shop, cook and eat.
Spinach: The spinach has been absolutely beautiful. Some leaves are “donkey ear sized” when we can’t harvest them quickly enough. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I have.
Garlic Scapes: You are hopefully an expert now chopping up the scape stems into your sauces and casseroles.
Broccoli: Yes, finally a little bit of broccoli. The heads range quite a bit in size but I hope you enjoy this family favorite.
Radishes: Just a few bunches left until a new crop is ready in a couple weeks.
Swiss Chard: Try substituting Swiss chard for spinach in any recipe. It has a little stronger flavor but fits nicely into most recipes instead of spinach.
Sugar snap/Snow Peas: Usually the peas have subsided by now because the hot summer heat has set in, but our cool nights and intermittent rain storms are keeping the peas productive. There are two kinds of peas in this mix: Mammoth Melting Snow peas and Oregon Giant Snow peas.
Braising Greens Mix: The general feedback is that this mix goes best with meat. Whether served as a side dish or mixed into the main entre, it’s great either way. One neighbor put it on his taco’s. The red mustard gave it the extra peppery kick. Nice idea!
Strawberries: As much as I love vegetables, there’s just nothing better than a juicy strawberry…..except maybe a juicy watermelon. Try floating them in your lemonade. If you would like more pints than is available on Harvie, let me know. I’ve been picking daily and have had more available when the CSA boxes are picked up from the farm. Special pricing for farm share members only: $4/pint or 3 pints for $10.
Beets: You will notice that we are beginning the 2nd succession of beets. They are small again as I thin the rows, and they have the most delicious tender greens. You can order extra beet greens if you would like. Soon our Touchstone gold beets will be ready. These are a gorgeous orange beet – my favorite. Here are a couple shots of farm share member, Jane, and I washing your beets today.
Extras:
I'm so excited to announce that I have partnered with Corinne at Pistol Farm to offer you her floral bouquets. She is so talented and creates beautiful arrangements with her flowers. This week we are offering small and large bouquets at an introductory price of $9 for a small arrangement and $13 for a large one. So add some color to your home or take one home for Father's Day this week. Here are some pictures of her work:
What’s Happening on the Farm?
Is it washed or not? A couple members asked me whether I wash the produce or not because it seems so clean. This seems like a good week to address the question. All of the greens and roots are washed. They are initially submerged in cold water immediately after harvest. This is to remove the field heat and prevent wilting. Then each head of lettuce and root is rinsed individually to remove dust, ugly leaves, any loose dirt and bugs. If the greens are loose leaf, like the braising greens, then it receives one more rinse and a spin in the giant salad spinner to remove the water. After washing, all produce is stored in a refrigerated cooler of some sort. I have four coolers all maintained at different temperatures and different relative humidity levels to maximize the post-harvest freshness. Most of the current crops hold best at 32°F which is why they don’t last very long in the average refrigerator which is usually just under 40°F. Some items are not washed to preserve the post-harvest hold time. Tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash and potatoes are just wiped off if they are muddy. Summer crops are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures and hold best at 50-55°F. Again, the average refrigerator is too cold for these crops so they become soft and mushy quickly. I keep my household summer squash and tomatoes in my fruit bowl, at room temperature; however, potatoes and winter squash, which has a cured skin, can hold for months at 32° F.
Strawberries! I was quite surprised to see so many strawberries ripen in the last week. With the consistent once a week rain, I was sure they would be damaged but they seem to be doing quite well as long as I keep the weeds under control. So I hope you will all enjoy some strawberries this week.
Planting-Weeding-Harvesting Oh My! The last week has required a lot of harvesting and weeding while transplanting basil, bell peppers and red cabbage. I also have an enormous number of volunteer tomatoes which I’ve been thinning and trellising. They are most likely San Marzano, Big Beef and Jasper red cherry tomatoes. They are already flowering but the rain can cause serious disease when the blossoms are open. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. The trio green beans will be ready in a couple weeks too. This is a wonderful mix of green Provider, yellow Rocdor, and purple Royal Burgandy string bean varieties all planted together. They are tender and crunchy eaten raw but the purple beans turn green when you cook them. It’s a fun magic trick to share with the kids in the kitchen.
Pullet Eggs are Here! The long awaited day has arrived. After 17 weeks of feeding, warming and protecting the new 60 chicks, they have started laying pullet eggs. These are tiny little eggs that get a little bigger each week until the birds are mature enough to lay large and XL eggs. I’m letting the new hens interact with the older ones for a few hours every day now until they become fully integrated and can share their food nicely. Remind me when you pick up your box if you want to see what they look like. I’ve been eating them for breakfast as they don’t sell every well.
Book Recommendation: I’ve been reading a book called To the Table by Lisa Graham McMinn. Lisa was one of my son’s professors at George Fox University and she shares an insight about food, and how it brings people together to build community. It has made me think about eating with more mindfulness; appreciating the history, cultural impact, food system networks, labors taken to create food, appreciation of true food flavors without all the sugars and salts, and spiritual connections that take place when food is shared with others. I grew up in a home where the whole family sat down to eat together, but I certainly couldn’t always make that happen with my own kids. I remember many meals served in the car when I tossed a quesadilla, on a paper plate, into the back seat for my kids to inhale between band rehearsals and cross county practice. Ah, we do the best we can as parents, but I thought I’d share this book if you have interest in pursuing it further. I hope you enjoy it.
Blessings,
Carrie
