Kretschmann Farm Aug. 8, 2006
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
We
finally got a respite from the heat and humidity late last week, but what a
dramatic ending! As the skies blackened
late Thursday, for the second time in a week we were “treated” to lightning and
strong winds. The rain which followed was difficult to discern from which
direction. Luckily it was not as
torrential as that last Sunday. It replenished the moisture in the ground adequately
without washing any gullies.
Last Friday we began in earnest digging the
spring planted crop of carrots. There
appears to be quite a good crop. There
are lots more to dig, so beware—they’ll be coming your way. Curiously, there were quite a few with very
strange forked roots which we have been told is the result of having been
disturbed when they were growing. It
fits perfectly with the fact the we had weeded them many more times than normal
last spring and into the summer. But
many still engender comic comment.
It’s been one of the most productive cabbage
years ever, with all the rain we have had.
We only wish the spring broccoli could be as bountiful. Peppers love the
heat and moisture and all varieties are growing like gangbusters. Bell peppers are familiar to most. The long yellow ones are Hungarian hot wax,
and the thick-walled yellow blunt ones are Antohis. Antohis are a great frying pepper. All of them are good in a mix of veggies for
fajitas.
Tomatoes are still slow to come. What can we say? We’ll enjoy them eventually all the more…
Hoping you are enjoying the summer, we are,
sincerely,
Becky, Don, & The Kretschmann Crew
P.S. When
leaving a message for us, please indicate your stop letter and be sure to leave
the last name listed for your account.
(especially e-mailers) We can
then go right to our lists and saves us having to look up the stop or puzzle
out the name from the phone # or e-mail address.
Next week, the final payment for the veggie
season will become due. We’ll send out a
statement, but it saves the postage if you send it before that happens
(hopefully the following week). Extra
items you might have gotten will be added.
The amounts would be Small--$200, Medium--$250, Large--$300, 1#
coffee/mo add $27. Decaf-$33.
Red
cabbage and Carrot salad: Shred cabbage and grate the
carrots. Dress with oil, vinegar, honey
and salt. Shredded green tomatoes or
peppers can be added too.
Gingered Red Cabbage and
Carrots: Cut up 2 medium carrots into julienne strips
and slice ½ # red cabbage into
strips. Melt 2 tbs butter in skillet or
wok then sauté on high heat ½ tsp. minced fresh ginger root 30 seconds. Then add carrots and sauté 3 min. then add
cabbage and sauté another 2 min. Add 1
tbs water, cover tightly, and turn down heat to low and simmer another 5
min. Toss with 1 tsp soy sauce and ½ tsp
honey and serve.
Assorted Stuffed Peppers: Smaller sized peppers can be stuffed with a
variety of interesting fillings. Cook 1
c. cornmeal in 1 c. water with a little salt.
After this cools slightly, add 1 egg and 1/2 c. grated cheese. Stuff into hot or sweet peppers and place in
an oiled baking dish and brush with a little oil. Cover slightly with tomato sauce and halve a
few Roma tomatoes in the spaces between peppers. Bake in hot (400 deg.) oven about 30 min.
until tender. You can also stuff peppers with any of the grain-burger mixes
available. Italians stuff hot banana
peppers with sweet sausage. And of
course there's the All American ground beef and rice stuffed pepper.
Fajitas: Mix or blend 1/3 c. lime juice, 1 tbs brown
sugar, ½ tsp ground cumin, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tbs oil, salt and hot
pepper (cayenne or other) to taste.
Marinate beef, chicken, or shrimp in marinade 1 hour. Cut up mix of vegetables—carrots, peppers,
onions, squash coarsely then toss in marinade just before cooking. Grill or sauté meat over high heat adding
veggies after searing the meat. Cook
until just tender. Remaining marinade
can be tossed into the hot wok or saucepan just before serving to evaporate and
further flavor the fajita fixings. Serve
with tortillas, refried beans, rice, and sour cream.
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage: Shred 2# red cabbage and saute in 3 Tbs.
butter. Add 1/4 c. brown sugar or honey
and 1/4 c. vinegar and about 1/2 c. water and simmer until tender. If desired thicken the sauce by adding a tbs
of flour mixed in 1/2 c. water just before serving. You can also steep spices like cloves or
allspice in a tea ball in the water before adding or use herbed vinegar. Salt
to taste.
Special Order Items:
Blueberries:
12 pint flat--$39 Basil-1/2 bu. @ $10.