Kretschmann Farm July 10, 2007
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com --note
our new e-mail address—
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
In addition
to the normal picking and packing boxes, we’ve spent the last week planting
lots of those tilled fields which have now had a little rainfall. The fall potatoes have already popped out of
the ground and are off and running.
We’ve probably planted more winter squash than ever; another planting of
zucchini went in next to the spuds.
Saturday we seeded 12 long rows of carrots and 3 of Forono
beets along with planting another round of lettuces into the field and seeding
more lettuce in flats. This week we’ll
hopefully get the fall broccoli and cauliflower into the ground.
We’ve begun
harvesting the summer fennel and picked the first cabbages. I think I’d grow fennel if only for the
wonderful aroma one encounters stepping into the walk-in cooler. Cabbage is always a treat for the picking
crew—it’s actually more of a sport than a chore. We don’t carry any boxes through the field (too
heavy)—we pick directly into those “big bins” you might have seen filled with
watermelons or apples. We try to plant
it near the edge of the field and then one person picks it and tosses it to
another standing near the bin. It’s a
challenge to keep one’s eye on the “ball” coming your way—sometimes scooping
them up from low, sometimes fielding a high one, concentrating on a “spitball”
wet with dew, or backstopping a surprise throw seen out of the corner of your
eye coming from a second thrower. Then
there’s Erasmo with his infamous sidearm. There’s
always a few spectacular catches and humorous mishaps.
Swiss
chard is a wonderful, nutritious, and versatile green. You can use it a lot like spinach (except in
a salad). Sauted
with onion and garlic, a dash of balsamic or lemon and a little feta cheese…as
a side, or a warmed leftover in pita bread. It’s also a staple green of “Southern”
cooking--American South or European.
Serve over grits, polenta, or cornbread.
As you can
see from your box this week, zucchinis and yellow crookneck squash are
abundant. A good use for larger ones is
to stuff them or shred them. This way,
too, you can use them at a later time. Swiss chard too, can be blanched , cooled and frozen in Ziplocs. Pull a bag of this out in midwinter to make a
wonderful frittata.
“Coming
soon”—new potatoes, blueberries, and green beans.
Enjoy! --- Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew
Housekeeping
Note: If you are at a stop where you
can take your veggie box home with you, please don’t bring the empty box back
to the stop other than on the day you get your veggies. We come back the next day, to pick up empty
boxes and after that it’s likely an imposition for the host family to have
boxes sitting there for a whole week. If
you have quart strawberry containers, blueberry pints, or other containers we
have given you and they are in good condition, we will take them and reuse
them, but please keep then in your wooden box making sure they don’t fall out
when nesting the boxes together. We
don’t reuse plastic bags and rubber bands.
Squash and Basil Salad: Julienne or slice very thinly 3 zucchini or other
summer squash. Add ¼ c. chopped fresh
basil leaves and ¼ c. minced green scallions.
Combine 2 tbs wine vinegar, 2 tbs olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, dash pepper, drizzle of honey
and toss salad. Allow to marinate prinkle w/3 tbs. Parmesan cheese and serve.. (you can serve with lettuce as well)
Greek Fennel: Saute 2 cloves
minced garlic in 1 T olive oil. Add 1
medium fennel bulb (julienned) and 1 small chopped
onion (or scallion) and sauté until tender, 5-10 minutes. Add 1 T lemon juice and 1 chopped medium
tomato. Cook over medium heat until part
of liquid evaporates, 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in ½ c. crumbled feta and ¼ cup black olives. Serve plain as a side dish or over pasta or
polenta. It can also top Italian bread
toasted with olive oil.
If zucchini is getting too numerous for you to
consume immediately, one can quickly and easily shred and freeze it for later use in
cakes, or ….
Zucchini Pancakes: Shred 2 c. unpeeled
zucchini, add 4 beaten eggs ¾ c. flour, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt and 3
tbsp. olive oil and stir well to blend. Finally, add 4 tsp. baking powder and
mix using a spoon (Batter consistency should be like heavy whipping cream).
Drop like pancakes on hot skillet etc. Serve with jam, jelly,
butter, or syrup!
Zucchini Latkes: Grate 1 lb. zucchini without peeling into a bowl,
sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain or squeeze out
the liquid. Mix zucchini, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 c. matzoh meal, dash salt, and 1 tbsp. oil and blend
well. Heat oil in skillet: Drop zucchini mixture by tbsp into pan and
brown on both sides. Serve with applesauce, if desired.
AuGratin Cabbage: Saute
until crisp-tender 2 cups shredded cabbage,
½ cup shredded carrots, 1/3 cup
chopped green onions. Transfer to greased 1 quart baking dish. Combine in small bowl: ½ cup milk, 1 egg and
3 TBSP. shredded cheese. Pour over
vegetables. Garnish with 1 TBSP chopped
fresh parsley and 1 TBSP grated
parmesan cheese. Bake at 350F for 30-35
minutes.
Veggie ID’s: We’ve taken a
few pictures and posted them online under
the newsletters to help you identify some of the herbs and vegetables you might
be unfamiliar with.
