THE FARM NEWS Volume 4; Issue 3R/7E June 25, 2012
Greetings,
Well, we finally have a few days with no rain! For a farmer – rain’s a good thing. But too much rain is not. We were very blessed in that we did not have any flooding issues. We did, however, have some rain damage. The ground could not soak up all the moisture and we had some run-off issues. A few of the crops were damaged by the rain and hail we received. One of those crops was this week’s lettuce. It doesn’t look “pretty”, but tastes fine.
Because of the weather issues, this week’s box is not as strong as last weeks’. Last week, we had a lot of produce ready to go. This week – not as much was ready as we were hoping for. We feel bad, as we wish every week could look like last week. But, as Dan quotes his grandfather “that is the nature of farming”.
As we talked about last week, Dan is going back in for a 6-month follow-up procedure on July 20th. At this point, we are talking about delivering the CSA shares as normal. That could change, and if it does, we will let you know.
For our egg-share members, please be careful with your eggs this week. We ran out of our large-sized egg cartons and had to use the extra-large cartons. The eggs maybe a little “loose”. So be aware of how you handle the cartons.
I apologize for the delay in getting this out to you all. A week ago Saturday, when I came home from a farmer’s market, I discovered an hour old abandoned kitten. We (and by that I mean my girlfriend and I) have been bottle feeding and taking care of it. This morning she woke up before her “normal” feeding time and required attention. The thing about babies of any kind is that they don’t care what the “schedule” is. It is all about “them”. Of course, once we get the “baby” settled, the other animals think that they need equal time. It is never dull around here!
Take care and have a blessed week.
From our home to yours,
Dan & Donna Moe
www.thefarmofmn.com
ITEMS OF THE WEEK: KALE
See our page on Kale for more info
Quick Ideas:
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Healthy sauté kale with fresh garlic and sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil before serving.
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Braise chopped kale and apples. Before serving, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and chopped walnuts.
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Combine chopped kale, pine nuts and feta cheese with whole grain pasta drizzled with olive oil.
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The taste and texture of steamed kale makes it a wonderful topping for homemade pizzas.
RECIPES
Kale Chips
Ingredients:
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1 bunch of Curly Kale
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Olive Oil
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Sea Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, wash kale and cut the leaves off of the big stems. You do this by sliding a sharp knife along the stem. If the pieces seem too big, tear them into chip size. Keep in mind that the bigger the pieces, the longer it takes to crisp up. Don’t make them too small – they do shrink when crisping.
Drain the washed pieces in you colander. Put the drained kale in a bowl and dowse with olive oil – just enough to coat the kale. Sprinkle with a healthy pinch of salt. Toss well and be sure that the kale is coated. Spread the coated kale on a sided cookie sheet. Check several times, stirring them around to even out the cooking. If some of the kale seems to be taking a lot longer to crisp up, remove the already crisp ones and start eating. There is nothing like warm Kale Chips – so Enjoy!
Garlicky Kale with New Potatoes
Ingredients:
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1 large bunch of kale
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2 small new potatoes (2 lbs.) scrubbed
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1 Tbs. olive oil
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1 small onion
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3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
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1/4 to 1/2 C water
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Juice of 1/2 lemon to 1 lemon, to taste
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Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Remove stems and thick midribs from greens. Discard stems; midribs may be finely diced and used if desired. Rinse greens several times to make sure that all sand and grit are removed.
Steam or microwave potatoes in skins until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut in half. Meanwhile, in large pot or stir-fry pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Add greens, cover and steam until just tender, adding 1/4 to 1/2 C water as needed (steaming time varies greatly, so check frequently, but a good estimate is 10-15 minutes). Drain and transfer to colander. Remove and discard garlic. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess liquid.
In a serving bowl, combine chopped greens, potatoes and lemon juice; toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
ENJOY!
This Week’s Items –
Extended:
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Kohlrabi
- Kale
Large:
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Kohlrabi
- Kale
Small:
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Kohlrabi
- Kale
