Pick List:
Strawberries - Garlic Scapes - Basil - Napa Cabbage - Lettuce - Zucchini - Cucumbers - Broccoli
The heat wave is hitting our farm so hard right now. Today we took a 10am ice-cream break because what else do you do when you’ve been picking berries since 5am and it’s already in the 90’s? Don’t worry yall, another icecream break was taken at 1:30ish pm when we finished picking berries for the day and I expect one to follow as a post-work 6pm cool out. That said, our ice-cream sandwich supply is beginning to dwindle and i expect food stress to follow… which is funny because we are a farm with plenty of food.
YES! PLENTY OF FOOD!! Greens (salad) season, is just now starting to shift into grilling season (hoorah for the first zucchini!!) and as the week’s progress you will start to see more excellent grilling items to maximize your summer eating- speaking of, go slather the rest of your garlic scapes in olive oil, pinch of salt and throw them on the grill.
As for, this week on the farm… we are still picking strawberries. Goodness gracious, the amount sometimes is overwhelming but we have such a positive crew!! Everyone shows up at 5am, ready to pick and I swear by the 6th hour of straight picking, folks are still making jokes, poking fun, and getting some good laughs in. We are so lucky to have such wonderful people on field crew this year. OK, It’s time for me to get up from this air-conditioned office and get to the green house for the next seedings of arugula, spinach, cilantro, dill, etc… It’s now 5pm, the sun is still high and it’s still hot, so I’ll just go ahead and pretend the greenhouse is a very fancy sauna and I’ll throw cucumber slices in my water to really get into character.
Happy Heat-Wave Everyone!
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
because how else can we manage this heat wave?
6-8 fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish
1 lime half juiced and half cut into wedges
English cucumber 1" thick slice cut in half plus 3 thin slices
1 TB. honey simple syrup *see below
1 shot white rum or vodka
Soda water
In a sturdy glass or jar, add basil leaves, lime juice, lime wedges, thick slices of cucumber, honey simple syrup and rum. With a muddler or wooden spoon, work to combine flavors (until the basil leaves and cucumber start to break down).
Fill glass half way (or a bit more) with ice. Add the thin cucumber slices and top with soda water. Garnish with a basil leaf.
*For the honey simple syrup, combine equal parts honey and water (say 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup water) in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the honey dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using. Store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge. Works great for sweetening iced tea and other summer drinks too!
The dressing is a simple blend of buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, a touch of mayo, shallots, sugar, salt and pepper but the flavor is anything but. This is my new go-to creamy dressing. I am sure it would equally delicious with some crumbled blue cheese mixed in, if you’re into that kind of thing.
The dressing would be really great on an iceberg wedge or romaine hearts salad, or any kind of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mega mixed bowl. Like your lunch tomorrow.
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons minced garlic scapes
1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups)
6 radishes, diced (any leftovers?) 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced diagonally
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in chives.
Toss cabbage, radishes, and celery with dressing.
(trying so hard to mimic that broccoli YAMA appetizer… if anyone is wondering this dish, though very good, does not taste like YAMA, please email me immediately if anyone knows the secret cold broccoli side dish).
6 cups fresh broccoli florets 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce(I use low sodium)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger (grated) 2 garlic cloves(minced) 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
In a dry skillet, toast sesame seeds at medium heat until golden brown. Mix rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds. Let stand. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp. Mix dressing and steamed broccoli, and top with remaining sesame seeds. Let stand at room temperature until served.