Kretschmann Farm June 24, 2008

257 Zeigler Rd., Rochester, PA 15074 (724)452-7189

don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com

Greetings from the Kretschmanns,

The afternoon-evening thunderstorms followed by sunny and warm days reminds one of summer weather in the Rockies. We got another half inch yesterday just as we were finishing planting the late potatoes. The trek to the hill on the other side of the pond after supper to retrieve a flat tire on a tractor was a scene out of a romantic painting with the mists starting to rise and the sun low in the sky. Needless to say, the crops seem to be benefiting from the moisture. Lettuces are growing exceptionally (except for the third planting over the hill, surrounded on three sides by woodland, which has more than it’s share of critter pressure). Beets are sizing up with beautiful leaves for a saute or to steam. Chard, kale, and collards—picture perfect

The zucchinis have arrived and it’s officially summertime. The first zucs of the season are great to simply sauté slightly with garlic (or garlic scapes) in a little butter. Crumble a little of that fresh oregano you dried last week on top, and you’ve got an award winner. Sliced beets in your salad are a welcome red color in the sea of green. And grab some anchovies for that Ceasar salad.

Apologies for the rather shredded looking Arrowhead cabbage. Believe it or not, before a sudden thunderstorm they were nice tight heads in the field. By the morning the sudden watering had swelled them to the splitting point. We thought these unique sweet cabbages were just too tasty to waste, so we quickly picked them and put them in the cooler so they’d stay fresh.

The spring plantings of spinach are nearing the end. We’ll have it again in the late fall.

Hoping you enjoy the various fresh treats of the season, we are, sincerely,

Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew

P.S. For those unfamiliar with preparing fresh beets—cut the tops about an inch from the root. Cover with water and boil until tender when paring knife is inserted. Drain and run under cold water to be able to handle them. The skins slip right off. Serve hot or cold.

The beet tops are a vegetable in themselves and every bit the equal of spinach, kale, or collards.

Beet Greens: Chop greens in bite-sized pieces, keep stems separate. Saute stems and a few cloves minced garlic in olive oil for a minute. Add chopped greens and saute another minute. Turn heat to low, add a few tbs. water, cover tightly, and simmer a few minutes. Add lemon juice and salt to taste

Beet Green Omlette: Cut up about 2 c leafy portion of beet greens into small pieces. Separately dice about 1/2c. redish thick parts of the stems. Slice about ½ c chives or green onions into little rings. Shred ½ c. cheddar, or cheese of your choice. Saute beet stems in olive oil 3 min. then add beet greens and continue to sauté until they begin to wilt and cook. Remove greens from pan, add a little more oil and heat pan. Pour in 6 beaten eggs, turn down heat and cover tightly, When edges just begin to cook, add beet greens then cheese and cover tightly again and cook until egg firms up Garnish with chives or green onion rings.

Zucchini Curry-- Heat 2 tbs ghee and sauté ½ tsp black mustard seeds until they dance. Add 8 c. thinly sliced zucchini, ½ tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp tumeric, ½ tsp sugar, cover and simmer until zucchini is tender. Mash slightly. Salt to taste. (Ghee is easily made by heating butter until the water particles are boiled away.)

Greek Cabbage Salad: Cut 1 cabbage into "slaw" style strips. Dice 1 small onion to desired consistency. (you can also sliver scallions as well) Mix with 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese, ¼ c. raisins, ½ c. toasted walnuts, 1/8 c. sesame oil, and 2 tbs. lemon juice and salt to taste.

Veggie ID: The crazy ropey looking stems in the bag are garlic scapes. These are the tender seed shoots of the garlic plant. Use them anywhere you would use garlic. But it’s lots simpler—just chop up and sauté in olive oil to add to greens, spinach, meats… http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18appe.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Cheese Orders: Beginning the week of July 7-11, every second week of the month we’ll start delivering cheeses. We’ll have Sam & Suzy Byler’s goat cheeses—plain chevre and feta. Also Adam Dean’s raw cow’s milk cheeses—Cheddar, baby Swiss, Colby, Jack, Pepper Jack, and Camebert. Let us know what you’d like to get every month. All cheeses are @$6.00/half pound except Camebert which is $10/half pound wheel.