Kretschmann Farm June 10, 2008
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
How the heat of the last week has pushed the crops! Previously, lettuce had been progressing at
an even pace with plenty of time to allow for harvest over several weeks. Now it’s all ready immediately. So we’ve got to pick it, and quickly cool it
so it will last the week. The mesclun we just picked last week is completely regrown already! And
there’s nothing like 90 degrees to make the strawberries all come in at once. But
what a treat these local red berries are.
Sometimes they’re sweeter, sometimes more tender, but always they just
explode with juicy tart flavor begging for cream.
The first broccoli of the year is a little on the small side. Why? –likely the very cold weather early
which can stunt the shoots, and then beastly hot… But it’s quite possible the side shoots which
develop after you pick the main stem will produce well. They can surprise you.
We’ve been doing triple duty here, still planting like banshees, yet
picking washing and packing as well. We
still have lots of things in the greenhouse and coldframes
in various stages of growth and lots more to seed for the fall crops. All in all it’s a symphony of effort, just
now completing the first movement.
The
on-deck circle: Greens will continue
in plentitude for some time yet—lettuce, spinach, and the various greens of “mesclun”. We’ve
planted some exotic smaller cabbages which are about ready. Swiss chard is bumping up to size as
well. Scallions and garlic scapes are coming right on.
Beets—perhaps two weeks out. Zucchinis coming along too.
Hoping
you enjoy the berries and other treats of this special time of the season, we
are, sincerely,
Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew
Kale Simply: Clean the kale, and
tear it into bite-sizes pieces, removing the center rib. Steam or boil until just tender & serve hot. Drizzle with a
little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt to
taste. Variation: drizzle a little sesame oil & sprinkle w/ seeds. Yum yum!
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 all whole wheat flour with fine
results) Cut up
strawberries and top with whipped cream. This is
breakfast, lunch, and dinner around here in early June (also a midnight snack)
Tabouleh: (Lebanese dish) to 1c. cooked
bulgur (cracked) wheat, add 1/4 c olive oil, 1/4 c lemon juice, 1 bunch finely
chopped scallions, lg bunch finely chopped
parsley. Salt to
taste. Another refreshing
addition is a little finely chopped fresh mint.
Serve on bed of lettuce or Lebanese style, wrapped in single lettuce leaves and eaten
out of hand.
Vinegrettes: combine and shake well-1/2 c. olive oil, 2-3
Tbs. red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 med. clove garlic
minced. For variety, add finely minced
herbs or fruit juices or fruit vinegars.
Washing
of the greens: The handling of produce to wash usually
damages it slightly and reduces it’s shelf life. We usually wash our greens to knock the bulk
of rain-splashed soil off. We don’t
claim to have them “table ready”. Rewash
to your pleasure.
Veggie ID: Lots of questions about what the tangly greens were in a small bag—pea greens. Pick off the tender leaves and add to a salad
for a hint of pea flavor.
Special
Orders Note: Hope you enjoyed the samples of goat cheeses
this week made by the Bylers and for those who
ordered them, the raw milk cow’s cheeses this week from Adam Dean. Within the next two weeks we’d like to start
putting together a steady cheese list to begin the week of July 7-11. All
cheeses are @$6.00/half pound except Camebert which
is $10/half pound. Every second week of the month, we'd like to develop a
regular cheese order. We realized that
you need to know what the cheeses are--hence the first two weeks to get to
taste them; then we'd like to have a manageable way to get them to you
regularly--once a month, same order.
Thanks for your patience, we’ll keep you posted
as we refine the delivery.
You can also add a loaf of seven grain bread to your box at least
for the next several weeks—cost $4.