Pickup #4

And here we are at the summer solstice. As farmers, we are distinctly in touch with how the sun behaves both daily and through the season. We can feel in our bones the shift in seasons and how the plants on our farm go through their own cycles. With the coming of the solstice I can see the potatoes about to flower, the zucchini about to size up, the tomatoes putting on huge growth. I notice the spring crops starting to bolt and their outer leaves become a little more tough as they hang on through longer days of hot weather. I notice the weed populations go from grasses to broad leaf weeds, the field edges from dandelion to white clover. and the hedgerows from flowering honey suckle to fruiting wild blackberry. As a member of a farm you get to experience these transitions through your palate. Notice the soft spring bib lettuce give way to the crunchy summer crisp varieties and the multitude of greens give way to bulbs and fruits. Let the veggies be your connection to the sun and its unstoppable rhythm.

Scenes from the farm: pepper and tomato block looking great, last cultivation on the potatoes, the 2nd catapillar tunnel fixed and ready for planting late season peppers and cucumbers, golden hour over the herb beds.

Available to order this week:

garlic scapes (bunch)

fresh garlic (1 stalk)

head lettuce (green and red)

salad mix (bag)

curly kale (bunch)

tuscan kale (bunch)

hakurei turnip (bunch) limit 1

escarole (1 head) limit 1

bok choy (1 head)

carrots (bunch) limit 1

arugula (bag) limit 1

spicy greens (bag)

kohlrabi (2 bulbs with greens)

radish (bunch)

swiss chard (bunch) limit 1

fennel (1 bulb)

radicchio (1 head)

beets (bunch) limit 1

zucchini (2) limit 1

scallion (bunch) limit 1

Fennel, cherry & goat’s cheese salad with lentils

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/fennel-cherry-goats-cheese-salad-lentils

Ingredients

  • 50g walnut halves or pieces

  • 250g pack pre-cooked puy lentils

  • 1 large fennel bulb, finely sliced, fronds reserved

  • 140g cherries, halved and pitted (or small figs, halved)

  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

  • ½ tsp clear honey

  • ½ small pack tarragon, roughly chopped

  • 100g pack soft goat's cheese (any kind will work, but ash-rolled looks a bit special), thickly sliced and halved

Method

  1. Heat a dry frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the walnuts and cook for 3 mins, stirring frequently, until they smell toasty and the skins are a deep golden brown. Set aside to cool.

  2. Heat the lentils following pack instructions, then tip into a large bowl and loosen with a fork. Tip the fennel and cherries on top.

  3. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, mustard, honey and tarragon, then season. Fold the dressing through the lentils, fennel and cherries, then scoop the salad onto a platter. Scatter with the cheese, walnuts and the reserved fennel fronds.

Malaika SpencerComment