IN YOUR BASKET THIS WEEK
Garlic
Various Winter Squash
More Various Squash
Cooking Greens Bouquet
Red Express or Farao Cabbage
Lincoln Leeks
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
It is cold and wet and mighty difficult to get much of anything productive done out in the rain. Reconstructing the greenhouse has been put on hold and all the animals are very wet. We are getting a lot of bookkeeping done though!
While the water is nice, the wet, cloudy, chilly days mean that the vegetable crops have not been growing much. This week, we are doling out much more of the winter squash while it’s still storing well. There is not enough of one type of cooking green to bunch, so we are using our artistic license and creating tasty mixed green bouquets. You will never find it in a grocery store except for maybe at Westside Renaissance Market. The rain pounded some of the small lettuce seedlings, but the second planting of lettuce heads are okay and will hopefully be up to size in a week or two. Again, that depends on how much sun breaks through.
A couple days this past week, we were digging trenches all day to reinforce the drainage system of the garden, particularly the steeper north section. There has been a little erosion and a couple plants washed away here and there, but no major wash outs. The water has been really rushing down the hill and through the little canals we made. We had to dig many lines or trenches across the roads to direct water away as well.
This week, an NRCS staff person will be coming out to the ranch to see what kind of conservation planning and rangeland fencing we could do and receive cost-share assistance for. We are also contemplating possible applying for a new NRCS pilot program that offers cost-share assistance in building a high tunnel – one of those big plastic greenhouse-looking things that helps extend the vegetable season.
Just for fun, here are pix of us harvesting veggies:
http://bit.ly/5PBnuV
check it out while it’s still online.
Eat well,
Paula & Adam
Cabbage & Walnut Stir-Fry
(adapted from Practical Cookery: Vegetarian)
Ingredients:
1 medium cabbage head
4 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp walnut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 scallions
8 oz firm tofu, cubed
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 ½ oz walnut halves
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp poppy seeds
salt & pepper
Instructions:
1. Shred the cabbage thinly and set aside.
2. Heat the peanut and walnut oils in a preheated wok or heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the garlic, cabbage, scallions, and tofu and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
3. Add the lemon juice, walnuts, and Dijon mustard, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.
4. Transfer the stir-fry to a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with poppy seeds and serve immediately.
