Kretschmann Farm July 24, 2007
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com --note
our new e-mail address—
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
The all-night rain last Wednesday evening
was one of those rare confluences when everything comes together
perfectly. We had set out a large field
of cauliflower and broccoli two weeks ago, then early
last week had transplanted cabbage, winter squash, basil, and lettuce and had
seeded the fall carrots and beets. Becky
and I were leaving for a family reunion in
The beans this week, we’ve picked with our
new bean-picking machine. We are still
getting used to it and perhaps have a too-high expectation that it can pick beans
as nice as one does by hand. The natural
sorting one does when picking by hand doesn’t occur. So there are more “rusty” ones and more “fat”ones. The
machine is just not as gentile and picks up some dirt. We’ve dunked them in water to clean, but you
might want to dry them and do some sorting and washing yourself before steaming
them. As the season progresses, I’m sure
we’ll get the hang of it. We’ve got a
lot more beans seeded.
New
potatoes continue to beckon, “Dig me.”
We’ll be hunting these buried red skinned treasures by next week. Peppers are late this season, but we’re
beginning to see the first of the tomatoes.
--- Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew
Basil Green Beans: Place 1 pound fresh trimmed green beans in a saucepan, cover with water
and bring to boil. Cook uncovered for
8-10 min; drain. Place in dish; add 1
Tbs. minced basil, 1 Tbs. butter, salt and pepper. Toss and serve.
Roasted Green Beans and Radicchio
with Garlic: Position 2 racks in
center of oven; preheat to 450˚F.
Place 1 lbs trimmed green beans and 4 smashed garlic cloves on a large
baking sheet, single layer. Drizzle with
1 Tbs. olive oil; sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper. Add 1 head radicchio (quartered, cored, cut
into ½ inch strips) and 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar; toss. Roast until vegetables are tender and
browned, about 10 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cucumber Salsa: In a medium bowl, combine 2 cucumbers (peeled, seeded, and chopped), 1 c
sour cream, 1 c plain yogurt, ¼ c chopped parsley, ¼ c
chopped cilantro, 1 tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp salt. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.
Zucchini and Carrot Sauté: In a large skillet, sauté 1 bunch carrots in 2 Tbs. butter for 4-5
min. Add 1 small onion (sliced); cook
for 1 min. Stir in: 2 small zucchini
(cut into ¼ in slices), 1 Tbs. basil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until
crisp-tender.
Carrot Salad: Boil and slice about 1# carrots on
bias. Combine 3-4 cloves minced garlic,
1/2 bunch chopped parsley, 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro, 1/4c. lemon
juice, 1/4 c. olive oil, tsp. salt, white pepper. Add carrots. Serve chilled or at room
temperature.
Special Order Items: Blueberries:
12 pint flat--$43 (one
of our most popular items—easy to freeze)
Our berry grower—Rich Hunter—said the berries are shaping up because he has
had a rain as well.) Basil: ½ bushel--$10
