Kretschmann Farm June 5, 2007
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com --note
our new e-mail address—
Account: «Name» Balance due: $«Due»
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
Strawberries--the glorious fruit of the spring! Local berries never last long enough. When our oldest daughter, Anne, was a toddler, we’d
bring her with us into the field to pick strawberries. From the way she stuffed berries in her
mouth, you would assume she certainly knew the season was brief and wasted no
time. Red all over the
face (and on the other end too!) We abusive parents.
The drought
has continued for another week. We’ve
had only one ¼” rain in the last month and got only .15” this weekend. Needless to say, we have been pumping water
from the pond to nearly all the crops.
This is unusual for this early in the season. On Saturday we ran a
temporary waterline to our spinach fields down the road. This was the very first time we have ever
done that. We had nearly done it three
years ago and had bought enough plastic layflat line
to do so. It’s about a quarter mile from
the pond to these fields—up over a substantial hill and across a really deep
valley! We were astonished that the hose held up to the pressure. We went to
the bother because the next spinach is nearly perfectly germinated. As we’ve finished the last planting, you can see
the leaves just beginning to yellow from the dryness. A little water will save
the next planting.
It’s a real
challenge to keep the water running well.
On four occasions in very different locations, we’ve been surprised by
animals, likely raccoons, having scratched through the drip lines to get a
drink. This drops the pressure wasting
precious water and creates big muddy lakes, fountains, and streams in the
field. What can you do? The animals are thirsty.
The beets
are starting to form bulbs. We’re irrigating them and expect the first to
arrive in a week or so. Zucchini is also
starting to show flowers forming.
English peas are fully in flower.
Now just a little rain to size the peas…
Hoping you are enjoying the spring things, we are, sincerely,
Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew
P.S. Just
a note on the wooden crates.
Whenever we don’t have a crate on hand for you when we are packing up,
we will put a “temporary” handwritten tag on a box for you. In the past we have had plenty of extra
crates to do this. This year, we are nip
and tuck with the number of crates, so if we have too many missing ones, this
creates a problem (it also slows down the packing and can lead to a forgotten
box). Please try to get your crate back
when you pick up. Thanks.
Sesame Spinach: Steam 10 oz. Spinach. Drain well and chill. Toss spinach with ½ tsp sesame oil, ½ tsp. soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Toast 2 tsp sesame seeds in dry pan until golden. Toss with spinach and ½ tsp rice vinegar.
Herbed
Pasta: Use any combination of fresh herbs you like
(we like to include about 1/2 oregano), chopped and tossed with minced garlic
into about 1/4c hot olive oil. Let sit
about an hour and toss with pasta.
Strawberries and whipped
cream complete the treat…
Our
Favorite Shortcake: Sift 2c. flour, 3 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 tbs.
sugar. Mix in 1/2 c. oil well, until
evenly distributed. Beat 1 egg and 5/8
c. milk and mix with dry ingredients. Pat out with oiled hands or use a plastic spatula to spread dough
onto an oiled cookie sheet about 1/2 " thick. Bake @375 deg about 20 min. (we use whole
wheat flour with fine results)
Pea Shoot, Spinach, Mushroom Salad: Saute ¼ # mushrooms in 2 tbs olive oil and ½ tsp salt about 5 min. (shitake,
porcini, or other sturdy mushrooms) Cool. Blend 1 Tbs
lemon juice, 1 Tbs. wine vinegar, ½ tsp. mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper,
and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss 4 c. pea shoots and 4 c. spinach with
dressing to coat. Add mushrooms, bunch
chopped scallions, and 6 slivered radishes and toss
again. (one can add bits of bacon or some shaved
pecorino)
More recipes are available on
our website under the newsletters.
Washing greens: We usually
wash all our greens to knock the bulk of rain-splashed soil off the produce. We don’t claim to have them “table
ready”. Rewash to your pleasure.
--Veggie ID note: Oregano, thyme, and sage
are the herbs in the bag. If you don’t
use them fresh they dry without a lot of ado. Place on a paper or wicker plate
in an airy place. Crumble the dried leaves between your hands to use. When it’s
dry, oregano should be put in a glass jar to keep it’s
pungency.
Special
Order: We will have the Friendship
Farm 7-grain bread available for the next several weeks @ $4 per loaf. E-mail if you’d like some.
Billing: We will keep a running total as we e-mail the
newsletter to you. A negative amount
means you’ve paid ahead.