Sunday, July 24, 2016

Week 6 Newsletter 2016

Hello Everyone,


Cherry Season is marching on and we will start shaking tart cherries later this week. 

The other big news.... the garlic has been harvested.

Garlic is a crop with many steps. We last purchased seed garlic in 2010.  Which means we bought garlic bulbs from another farmer.  In October, we split the garlic bulbs into individual cloves and then we plant one clove every 9 inches in a raised bed.  Then we cultivate the garlic beds a few times in October to prevent any weeds from coming up that fall.  Once the ground freezes in November we apply a heavy mulch of straw over the garlic section.  This straw insulates the garlic and the soil during the spring to prevent the frost from shoving the garlic bulbs out of the soil.  When we have a warm fall/early winter the cloves start to sprout and the little green sprouts are sheltered under the straw over the winter.

In the spring as the weather warms the green sprouts shoot up out of the straw.  All spring the garlic continues to grow.  In early June the garlic we grow sends up a curly Q out of the middle of the plant.  These are garlic scapes. You may remember seeing garlic scape in one of the earlier bins.

In mid-July the garlic is ready to harvest.  If you wait too long the garlic begins to split in the ground which means it won't store very long.  We gently loosens the soil around the garlic bulbs making it easy to pull them out of the ground. We pull out the bulbs, gently twist off the roots and place them boxes.  Then they need hot, dry conditions to allow the bulbs to dry quickly to prevent any molds from developing.  The garlic you are receiving in your bin is fresh garlic and it has not been cured.



Garlic 2016




What to expect to find in your bin this week:

Cherries


Sweet Banana Peppers
Salad Greens

Banana Peppers

Carrots

Fingerling Potatoes
                                                                                      
Zucchini

Broccoli/Cabbage

Rosemary & Thyme

Fresh Garlic



Small share:

Cherries

Zucchini

Banana Peppers

Cucumber

Dill



Roasted Shrimp With Rosemary and Lemon

  MARK BITTMAN  YIELD 4 to 6 servings  TIME 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

 Several rosemary branches
1 ½ pounds peeled shrimp
 Olive oil
 Fresh lemon juice
 Lemon wedges, for garnish

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 500.
Lay a bunch of rosemary branches in the bottom of a roasting pan, and put 1 1/2 pounds peeled shrimp on top. Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
Roast, turning the shrimp once, until they’re pink all over, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.


Parsleyed or Dilled Potatoes

PIERRE FRANEY  YIELD 4 servings  TIME 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

12 small new red potatoes (about 2 pounds)
 Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup finely chopped parsley or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill

PREPARATION

For an attractive touch, use a paring knife to remove a thin band of skin around the middle of each potato. Leave the rest of the skin intact.
Wash the potatoes and put them in a saucepan with water to cover. Add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and add the butter, pepper and parsley or dill. Toss well, and serve hot.

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