Week 7A  July 26th, 2018

Hi Threshing Table Farm Members,

In your box this week:

Potatoes          Savoy Cabbage    Turnip Greens            Kale

Summer Squash

Green Beans      Onions                Savory                     Oregano                 Cucumbers

Beets                   Fennel

We are enjoying all the smells of summer. The herbs are delicious, the hay near us has been cut and the pigs… well, they are adding their own flavor to the air.  It is hard to believe that the County fair is behind us and the reluctant countdown to school starting is ahead of us.  We had a great time at the fair. Some great awards were earned, some disappointments were handled well and a lot of growth and learning happened. We also treated ourselves to plenty of fair food and enjoyed visiting with old friends and making new ones.  One particular high note is that Claudia’s “Chicken” art work earned her a grand champion.

Fair week is always pretty exhausting, as we have to juggle that with the  farm work. We are still trying to catch up on sleep.  A quick nap here or there is all that we can do, but that’s what winter is for.

The late summer crops of cabbage, greens, kohlrabi and more are looking lovely in the field. We are looking forward to those as well as the tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc.  We’re still a few weeks away from tomatoes, but we’re seeing a fair amount of green ones on the plants. Cucumbers and summer squash are at their peak right now and keeping us very busy with every other day pickings.   The potatoes have sized up nicely and the summer carrots are nearing maturity.

We planted the fall carrots just before the fair. The most exciting thing about fall carrots is that they are plagued by very few weeds. This is the opposite of the summer carrots which we spend a ridiculous amount of time weeding and never quite win the battle. It’s only because the weeds know they won’t be able to grow to maturity and set seed, so they just don’t show up.  Smart buggers!!

Storage Tips:

Potatoes:  Cool, dark place. These are not cured, so these are not for real long storage.

Savoy Cabbage: Great cooked, raw, in any recipe calling for a green cabbage. Savoy leaves are easier to use when making cabbage rolls, etc. than other green cabbage.  Store in the crisper drawer. Place in plastic bag for longer storage.

Turnip Greens and Kale: Covered container in fridge (Or plastic bag)

Summer Squash, cucumber, fennel, beets:  Refrigerator, crisper drawer.  A Great way to use the fennel:  Cut up the bulb into chunks and place in the slow cooker with a beef roast and quartered onion.  Sprinkle on some Savory and Yum!

Herbs: A covered jar in the fridge.

Onions: They are starting to cure. You can keep these on the counter, but keep an eye on them. If they seem to not be growing a new stem, use them fast or stick them in the fridge.

Kale and Turnip Green Gratin

2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh savory
1¼ cups shredded fontina cheese, divided
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch turnip greens, trimmed and chopped
2 cups day-old cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Garnish: chopped fresh savory

Preheat oven to 375°.
In a small Dutch oven, bring cream, garlic, and savory to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup fontina, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper until smooth. Remove from heat.
In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Working in batches, stir in kale and turnip greens; cook until wilted. Stir in cream mixture until combined. Top with cornbread. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup fontina.
Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Garnish with savory, if desired.

Cucumber Sandwich Spread

1 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup mayo

1 T.

minced onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. chopped parsley

Partially peel and remove seeds from cucumber before chopping. Drain well by squeezing between two layers of clean cloth. Combine cucumber with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spread on buttered bread.

Zucchini Potato Patties

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1 1/2 cup shredded potatoes

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 eggs, slightly beaten

Squeeze excess liquid out of zucchini. In a large bowl, toss zucchini, potatoes and onion with flour. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop zucchini mixture about 1/4 cup

In this Week’s Box:

Baby Potatoes                 Cabbage                         Dill                       Parsley                               Summer Squash

Cucumbers                     Onions                                    Fennel                  Beets                          Lettuce

Hello!

This week’s box has lots of new items in it.  We’re excited that the cucumbers are making such a strong showing. We definitely got the cucumber plants into the ground much later than we would have liked. At the time, we were struggling with a very dry stretch of weather. We couldn’t put the cucumbers out unless we were going to be able to irrigate immediately after. Our irrigation system can only water a couple of rows at a time and everything needed it badly, so we kept putting off planting the cucumbers. Obviously, we did get them in. Since then we’ve had plenty of rain and humidity, so they all caught up quickly. We should have them in the boxes for at least a month.

We are extra busy with the county fair this week. Wed. is regular judging day, with the kids bringing a variety of projects to the fair to be judged. Thursday, the cattle are moved into the fair barn and Saturday is the dairy show.  Claudia and Malcolm will also be busy volunteering to run activities and help out in the 4-H food booth over the course of the fair. Stop out in Glennwood City for the fair if you get a chance. Claudia and her calves can be found in the dairy barn under “Riverside 4-H”.  Look for the sign. (As well as the words,
“There’s no place like the Barn!”)

Monday, I had a quarterly Land Stewardship Project Board meeting. At this meeting, I was named Chair of the Board. It’s an honor to be given the opportunity to chair the board and help to guide an amazing organization that works hard to put more farmers on the land, while fighting for healthy soil and water, rural communities, racial justice and more.  If you want to learn more about LSP, please go to their website:  www.landstewardshipproject.org or ask me! (Jody)  LSP is how Mike and I got started farming. We took their Farm Beginnings Class and the rest is history. LSP is for farmers and anyone who supports strong, healthy, communities.

The garlic is harvested! That was a big job that my employees worked at very diligently while I was at my LSP meeting. It’s all been pulled and is now drying in the greenhouse. We’ve had to put a shade cloth over the greenhouse to keep the sun off of the garlic. If there were any vampires in the area, they definitely didn’t come near my employees! After pulling garlic all day, they all smelled quite strong of garlic!  🙂 We’ll start putting it in the box in a few weeks after it has cured.

The potatoes are ready!!! These baby reds are amazing! Such a treat! We do not wash them as the skins come off too easily. Wash them just before you use them. We put them in a plastic bag, just to make sure that the mud from the potatoes does not transfer to your other veggies.  As we move into more mature varieties, we will be washing them before we send them.

Storage tips:

Fennel: Snip off the green fronds and store separately from the bulb. Fronds should be put in a plastic bag and the bulb can go in the crisper drawer.

Dill: Glass of water on the counter or refrigerator.

Potatoes: Open bag and leave on counter in dark place until you will use them. Use them soon!

Lettuce: This is an oak leaf lettuce, as you’ll notice, the leaves have a similar shape to oak leaves.  Store as you would any other lettuce, preferably in a covered bowl or plastic bag.

Everything else, Crisper drawer!

Cucumber Salad

3-4 medium cucumbers

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion rrings

1/2 T. celery seed

1/2 T. chopped dill

1 tsp. salt

1 c. vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

Wash cucumbers, slice thinly. Do not peel. Combine with onions and seasonings. Mix together vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumber mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

Warm Fennel, Cabbage and Pear Salad

2 firm, medium pears

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced

4 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage

1/4 cup water

3 tblsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3/4 cup fresh goat cheese (Or cheese of your choice.)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Peel, core and slice pears.

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat.  Add fennel and sauté until crisp – tender, 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and toss with fennel. Cook until both are tender, 2-3 minutes longer.  Add sliced pears, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper to skillet, gently combining ingredients. Cook until all liquids are absorbed, 6-8 minutes.

Remove from heat. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with cheese and walnuts. Serve warm or at room temp.

Zucchini Pancakes

3 cups shredded zucchini or summer squash

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 T. olive oil

Put shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Use hands to press out as much water from zucchini as you can. Stir and repeat.

Put zucchini in a bowl with eggs, flour, cheese and onions. Mix well.

Make like pancakes. Batter may be thick. Spread into circles as needed.

Cook about 5 minutes per side, until deep, golden brown.

Serve with sour cream and dill.

Happy Eating!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

July 12th, 2018

5A

Hello Farm Members!

In this week’s box:

Green Beans                                Lettuce                            Swiss Chard                         Peas

Onions                                         Dill                                    Cilantro                                 Zucchini/Summer Squash

Broccoli

We are happy to see the summer squash and zucchini make their way into the boxes this week.  They are such a staple of summer salads, veggie kabobs and desserts. They will be around for awhile, so start looking for great recipes to use them in. A little info. about summer squash and zucchini:  Zucchini is a type of summer squash. We generally think of zucchini as green and summer squash as yellow. However, we grow a zucchini that is yellow and some of our other summer squash are green. Summer squash and zucchini can be used interchangeably in recipes. If we list summer squash on the newsletter, you can count on several varieties being in the box.  Enjoy!

The county fair is only a week away! That always adds a little extra excitement to our days. Make plans to stop by the fair in Glennwood city and see all the fun! Claudia will be happy to introduce you to her 3 heifer calves.

Things are turning a corner in the fields. Next week we should see baby potatoes (At last!). Fennel is sizing up, the cucumber plants are blossoming. Cabbage is not far off, and lots more!  Sadly, this is the last week of peas, but all good things must come to an end. We are looking forward to lots of green beans over the rest of the summer.

One of my beehives swarmed last week. I re-hived it and things are looking good. I don’t know yet if any of my hives will produce extra honey, but I’m hoping.

One of our hens nested in a baler that was being stored in our shed. She was sitting on 7 eggs the past few weeks. It takes 28 days of sitting for chicks to hatch.  Unfortunately, our neighbor needed the baler to bale they hay he cut. She and her eggs had to be moved. We moved them to a cozy spot nearby, but after an hour, it was clear that she was not going to go back to her eggs. Luckily, I had another hen sitting on eggs, so I set these under her. She settled then in with her others. We’ll see if we get any chicks after all of this. I don’t depend on these chicks for my flock, but if a hen wants to set on the eggs, it’s nice to let them once in a while. We love seeing the little ones wandering the farm. We’ll keep you posted!

Save the Date!!

September 7th. Pack Shed Party!   Pot luck, music by Gravel Road- All are invited!! More info to come!

Storage

Peas and Green Beans: Plastic bag in refrigerator

Lettuce: Covered container or bag in refrigerator

Broccoli and Swiss Chard: Plastic bag in refrigerator.  We have been battling cabbage worms. They love broccoli too. Keep an eye out for the buggers when you are cutting up your broccoli. My old neighbor Bernie used to tell me, “That’s just a little extra protein!” But I’m happier without it!

Onions and Summer Squash: Crisper drawer

Herbs: Covered jar in refrigerator.

Skillet Macaroni with Swiss Chard

1 T. olive oil

1 bunch Swiss Chard Leaves

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

12 oz. elbow macaroni noodles

2 c. water or beef broth

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Add the olive oil to a large, deep, skillet.  Sauté the Swiss Chard for 2-3 minutes, until soft and bright green.  Stir in the spaghetti  sauce and seasonings. Stir in 2 cups of broth and pasta. Gently combine and add more water until the noodles are all under the liquid.

Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.  Stir once.

Once the pasta is al dente, remove skillet from heat. Let sit uncovered for a few minutes to thicken sauce as needed. Toss in the the Parmesan Cheese and stir. Serve hot.

Squash and onions with brown sugar

2 medium summer squash

1 medium onion

2 T. butter

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 Tblsp. brown sugar

Slice squash into 1/2 inch rounds. Melt butter in sauce pan. Add onions and cook 4-5 minutes. Add squash, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes until squash is very soft.

Remove cover and cook 8 minutes, to evaporate the juices.When only a glaze is left, season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

1  cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. shredded zucchini

Mix all together well. Bake in greased 9X13 pan. 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Happy Eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

Happy Birthday America!!

In this week’s Box:

Broccoli            Lettuce                  Peas                       Strawberries                           Kale

Kohlrabi           Garlic Scapes        Fresh onion            Savory                                    Cilantro

We hope you are enjoying your day and maybe even a long weekend.  I am writing this to the background of fireworks. We live in a magical place around the 4th of July. The skies light up on all sides of us for the week of the 4th. It’s fun to see the sunsets give way to the splashes of color.

July is an important month for us. It’s the month of the St. Croix County Fair. We are counting down the days! Claudia is a flurry of activity as she puts the final touches on her numerous fair projects and works daily with her show calves. Jonas is eyeing up the vegetables to see what he will choose to bring and is dusting off the Lego projects he built some time ago for the fair. Malcolm on the other hand, is thinking about what he might want to take to the fair. Procrastination and working under last minute pressure seem to be his theme.

Saturdays on the Farm! starts in July. July – October we open the farm up on Saturday mornings to the public. It’s a chance for people to stop out, spend some time on the farm and purchase extra produce, farmer’s market style. If you are in need of extra produce or know friends who would like to get some, send them our way. Saturdays, 8am – 1pm.

July is also the center of the farming season. We’ve been farming (hands in the dirt) for 4 months. We have about 4 more months before the season ends. So much is ripening and flavors are abounding! It’s a really exciting time on the farm! It’s also exhausting. Weeding, watering, planting, harvesting. Sun up until sun-down. With headlights and head lamps, we can even do it after dark!   Much of the weeding and planting goes away in August, so we know we just have to push through this.

This week is the last of the strawberries. We’re thrilled that we were able to get you 3 weeks after we thought we’d have none. The picking was harder this week, smaller and fewer berries to pick from. However, they are super sweet. The pea picking went better this week than last. We were able to get a little more this week. There are more out in the field, maturing each day. If you would like to come out and pick peas for yourself, for free- come on over! Bring the kids! It’s a great time and everyone leaves with full stomachs and maybe even a few make it into the bag to take home.  Picking is easy! Ask our dog Tess. She loves to stop by the peas every chance she gets to just eat right off the vines. We were mighty entertained by her as we picked.  When she’s not picking peas, she’s sniffing out birds, chasing after butterflies, moths and her mom, June.  Next week we will move into green bean picking. I wonder if she’ll like those as much as peas.

Storage

Broccoli – plastic bag in fridge

Lettuce- plastic bag or covered container in fridge

Peas- plastic bag in fridge

Strawberries- Crisper drawer

Kale- Plastic bag in fridge

Kohlrabi- Crisper drawer.  (I love to eat this raw! Just peel and cut into chunks, like an apple.)

Garlic Scapes- Crisper drawer.  Do you have too many from the past weeks? Chop and freeze for winter cooking. You’ll be glad you did!

Fresh Onion- Crisper drawer

Savory- Covered jar in refrigerator or hang to dry. Savory is great on all types of meat and veggies

Cilantro: Covered jar in refrigerator.

Sautéed Kale and Kohlrabi

1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled

1/2 tsp. grated lime zest

2 T. fresh lime juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch kale, stems and center ribs discarded

1 scape, chopped

1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, chopped

Very thinly slice kohlrabi. Whisk together lime zest, juice, 2 tbsps.. oil and 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Toss kohlrabi with dressing.

Finely chop kale. Heat remaining 2 Tbsps.. oil over med. high heat. Sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale by the handful, turning an stirring. When all kale is wilted, saute with salt until tender. (about 3 minutes.) Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temp. Toss kale with kohlrabi and pistachios.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups of hot cooked rice ( long grain recommended, since it does not come out mushy)
2 small limes ( or 1 large lime)
1 lime, zest of ( all of one lime)
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt ( to taste)

Once your rice is cooked fluff with fork.
Add lime juice, zest, cilantro and salt.
Stir well.
Serve warm.
Enjoy.

Happy 4th of July!

Your farmers,

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz