Solstice Time

The summer solstice has come and gone. Sometimes the event is celebrated with friends around a fire with lots laughing and eating. But this year, after a long Saturday of work, it felt best just to sit quietly and watch the sun go down. The longest day of the year signifies the beginning of summer. This is the moment when our long-term crops put on the most growth; the onions begin to bulb, the first tomatoes shoot up and start to fruit, the sunflowers begin to bloom and the potatoes start to flower. On the night of the solstice you can almost hear the farm growing.

This is also the time when our lives begin to speed up. Harvest starts to take over and we get much less picky about other things. Phrases like “weed for survival not beauty” and “only pick what we have to, let’s not get crazy” start to get used. The tables outside the greenhouse are still full with plants to go into the ground, while the crops we’ve already planted start to demand more attention. It’s an exciting time, and summer has only begun. Now our weekly routine becomes the rhythm of our lives and the plants lead the dance. And every night we can sit and watch the fireflies and know that the farm is growing all by itself.

Solstice share:

Salad mix

Head lettuce

Kale

Swiss Chard

Collard Greens

Arugula

Asian greens

Beets

Carrots

Summer Squash

Cucumbers

Escarole

Radicchio

Napa cabbage

Sugar snap peas

Garlic scapes

Radishes

Turnips

Kohlrabi

Fennel

Dill

Cilantro

Barn swallow on its Farmall perch.

Mowing on a cloudy Sunday.

Nat and Josh harvesting sunflowers.

Solstice cooking:

RECIPE

A new way of looking at radishes!

I have never been a fan of radishes.  We buy them from the Co-op because they are so beautiful – but they have always been sliced one or two at a time into a fresh green salad.  That all changed after two different people told me to grill them.  I looked up some recipes and then created my own very simple one. 

1 Large Bunch Radishes – LOCAL of course

1 stick /half pound of butter

1 – 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary - more to taste

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped mint - more to taste

Trim radishes to leave about an inch of green tops.   Save the greens for your morning smoothie.  They are jam-packed with nutrients.   Wash the radishes well.  Cut in half through the tops.

Melt butter and watch it carefully as you turn up the heat and cook it JUST until it turns brown.  Take it off the stove.  Throw rosemary in the browned butter.  Add all of the halved radishes to the butter/rosemary pot and stir well to coat.  Scoop them out with a slotted spoon (reserve the butter!) and put directly into a dry, hot skillet and sauté until they are lightly golden.

Scoop them into your serving dish.   Add the reserved butter and chopped mint and stir.  Enjoy the little “handles” nature has provided to eat with your fingers if you wish.  You’ll never look at a radish the same way again!

By Lisa White

Doylestown Food Co-op Member/Owner….   Everyone can shop!

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Blood-Orange-Beet-and-Fennel-Salad-378345

yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Our fresh take on the classic Moroccan salad pairs shaved fennel and red onion with assorted beets and oranges for color contrast.

Ingredients

• 2 medium red beets, tops trimmed
• 2 medium golden beets, tops trimmed
• 3 blood oranges
• 1 medium navel orange (preferably Cara Cara)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline
• 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced on a mandoline (about 1/3 cup)
• Good-quality extra-virgin olive, pumpkin seed, or walnut oil (for drizzling)
• Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro and/or chervil leaves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash beets, leaving some water on skins. Wrap individually in foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges; discard. Working over a medium bowl, cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into bowl; squeeze juice from membranes into bowl and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and Cara Cara orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon juice and lime juice.

Peel cooled beets. Slice 2 beets crosswise into thin rounds. Cut remaining 2 beets into wedges. Strain citrus juices; reserve. Layer beets and oranges on plates, dividing evenly. Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish salad with cilantro leaves.

Best-of-Summer Grilled Radicchio and Pear Salad

http://food52.com/recipes/18988-best-of-summer-grilled-radicchio-and-pear-salad

Serves 4

• 1 head Radicchio, quartered lengthwise
• 1 medium Fennel bulb
• 1 Bartlett Pear, sliced
• 6 leaves Red Lettuce
• 12 blackberries
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (optional)
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat a gas grille to medium-high or prepare a medium hot fire in a charcoal grill. Drizzle olive oil over quartered radicchio and place on grill; cover and cook until outer leaves are lightly charred. About two minutes per side.
2. Cut fennel and pear into thin slices and arrange on red lettuce leaves. Add grilled radicchio, berries and nuts.
3. In a small bowl (or a food processor) whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, lime juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad. Optional: add crumbled Gorgonzola. Enjoy.

Happy SUMMER!!

Malaika, Amanda, Sarah, Mike, Nat, Kat, Josh, Kidogo and Lucky