the super strawberry solstice
The solstice coincided with the Supermoon this weekend. The longest day of the year, the time when the moon is closest to the earth, and the full moon of June, dubbed the strawberry moon. The super strawberry solstice moon. A grand celestial weekend indeed.
The solstice always comes as a shock on the farm. You mean the days start getting shorter now? That's all we get? It feels like we just put away our winter clothes. It's around this time when our energy changes from planting to harvest, although we still have one eye looking on to fall as we seed our late plantings to be harvested in September and October. The greenhouse, nearly empty of all its seedlings, begins to fill again and as we sweat in the summer sun we think of frosty mornings and frozen fingers to come.
sad swiss chard :(
The rain this spring has been a bit much and we're starting to see it take its toll. Our carefully spread nutrients have leached away with downpours and there been hardly a chance to reinvigorate through irrigation. Some disease is starting to show its face, and a visit from the Agricultural Extension Office brought sad news of a virus in our beets and swiss chard.
top soil taken by the last huge rainstorm filling up the pathways.
But as with every season of vegetable growing with the sad comes the happy! Bounty is upon us! Our spring greens are still going strong, while our summer crops are looking healthy and starting to flourish. Lushness abounds!
healthy onions with covercropped pathways of oats and clover.
happy buckwheat covercrop.
matt cultivating under the big blue sky.
The share shall include:
kale
swiss chard
collards
head lettuce
salad mix
esacarole
radicchio
broccoli
snow peas (just a few)
summer squash
cucumber
cabbage
mixed asian greens
arugula
tatsoi
turnips
radishes
kohlrabi
beets (just a few)
garlic scapes
Recipes!
Broccoli Salad
from browneyedbaker.com
Ingredients:
2 heads broccoli
½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 ounces cubed cheddar cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
Directions:
1. Trim the florets off of the broccoli, cutting large pieces into bite-size pieces, and rinse in a colander.
2. Combine the broccoli, bacon, cheese and onion in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
4. The broccoli salad can be served immediately, but it tastes even better if you cover it and refrigerate it for an hour or two before serving. Leftovers the next day are even better! :)
Grilled Radicchio, Summer Squashes, and Scallions
from Martha Stewart.com
Ingredients
2 heads radicchio, core intact, cut into 1/2-inch wedgesDirections
Step 1
Preheat grill to medium-high. Arrange vegetables in a
single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush generously
with oil, and season with salt and pepper
Step 2
Grill vegetables until just tender and slightly charred: about 3 minutes for the scallions, 4 to 5 minutes per side for the squashes, and 10 minutes total for the radicchio, flipping every 2 minutes. Squeeze lemon halves over vegetables.
Also, check out this article about Tatsoi: "Tatsoi is the new spinach, haven't you heard?" http://food52.com/blog/6220-tatsoi-is-the-new-spinach-haven-t-you-heard
Happy week!
Your Roots to River Crew.