Kretschmann Farm Aug. 19, 2008
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
The lack of rain continues to haunt us, in
the wee hours of the night adding anxiety.
We’ve started to be concerned that the pond is now down by 4’ from where
it was five weeks ago with all our irrigating.
But the good news is that we’re not watering the early cucs, zucs, beets, carrots, and
onions because they are harvested. And
the tomatoes are basically sized up and even without much moisture will produce
a good crop. The big question is the
fall crops. The broccoli and other
crucifers are planted on the north side of the hill where it is normally moist,
and though they have had scarely a drop of rain, look
very good. Same for the fall beets and
carrots. Another upside to no rainfall
is that it’s been easy to eradicate virtually every weed. And because the drought causes the plants to
chase water deep in the soil and develop extensive root systems, a good soaker
will bring on these cole crops like gangbusters. Come on Faye….go north!
We had planned on watermelons and sweet corn
for this week, but they just aren’t quite ready yet. The cool weather these last few weeks has set
them back a bit. But you could depend on
a juicy treat next week, and hopefully corn as well.
Maybe the Italians have a point—nothing
seems to go together so well as basil and tomatoes. So simple, so tasty. Try a cherry tomato, a small cube of chevre, and a sprig of basil on a toothpick—exquisite! Without
our staple for salad—lettuce—we’ve enjoyed some gourmet salads of tomatoes,
onions, slivered peppers, and of course basil
A little feta cheese, some olives, and it’s practically an entre.
We are already seeing some of the
horn-shaped Italia peppers turning red.
We should soon see lots more with the predicted heat. Lettuce will be back in the palette
soon. And the hard squashes will be here
pronto as well.
Dusty on the ranch, we are
----
Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew
Note: Just a reminder that the payment for the
second half of the season is due any time now.
Second half payments for the basic veggie box every week: Sm--$225, Med. $275, Lg. $325. Berries, cheese, coffee, etc. is extra. We’ll be mailing a bill out if we don’t
receive anything in a few weeks.
More of that tomato-basil combo…
Pasta
a la
Pasta w/ white beans, carrots &
pesto: Soak 1 c. dried white beans covered in cold
water 8 hrs. Drain the simmer in 4 c.
vegetable or chicken stock 30min, then add ½ # diced carrots & simmer until
all is tender. Cook 8 oz. penne or
ziti. Toss beans & carrots w/
pasta& basil pesto.
Basque Potatoes: Chop finely 4
tbs. rosemary and thyme. (If you’ve dried
and squirreled away some of the herbs we gave you earlier in the year, here’s a
little trick we’ve discovered—remove the herb leaves from the stem and grind
them to a powder in your coffee grinder! It does a great job.) Mix herbs well with 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 c. olive oil.
Slice 1# red potatoes about 1/2" thick. Toss potatoes well in herb
mixture and arrange on oiled cookie sheet.
Bake @ 350 deg. about 20 min.
Curried Carrots: Melt 3 tbs. butter in heavy large skillet over
medium heat. Add 1t. minced ginger, 1 clove minced garli
and ¾ tsp curry; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in ¼ c chicken or vegetable broth and 2
tbs. apricot preserves. Add 1# carrots
cut on diagonal ¼ “ thick Curried Carrots; cover and simmer until carrots are
crisp-tender and coated with sauce, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and
pepper. Mix in 3 tbs chopped cilantro
Special
Orders: Organic Blueberries—12
pt. flat $45 (We’ll continue to have these as an extra as long as the season lasts.) Basil—$11/half bu. Jalepenos or
Hungarian Wax Hot Peppers--$15/half bu.