Week 6 Newsletter 2019

Hello Everyone,

We are in the heat of the summer now, and brighter-colored veggies are going to start filling up your bins and buckets where there was once only green. Along with all the heat we've been dodging some intense storms. It has been a great season in the garden and the heat loving plants have really moved ahead this week.

As you can imagine, things are a little crazy on our farm right now. Our refrigerated truck has made 4 trips down state with fresh cherries and many loads are planned for this week. It takes quite a team to get cherries picked, packed and delivered. The group that sometimes gets forgotten are those that are still tending the orchards. We have one fellow who visits weekly to scout for pests and disease, then there is follow up on his recommendations, mowing, spraying and maintaining equipment. Another ring of the circus started this week, we rolled out the mechanical harvester. Yes, cherry season is the adrenaline season on our farm!

My experiment this year was escarole. I have tried for years to grow radicchio with very little success. Escarole has the same type of bitterness and grew wonderfully in the hoophouse. Please share any outstanding recipes you have or find that include this green.

What to expect in your bin this week:

Black Sweet Cherries

Mixed Greens

Lettuce

Escarole

Broccoli

Zucchini or Cucumber

Basil

Rattail Radishes

.....and in the buckets:

Black Sweet Cherries

Strawberries

Mixed Greens

Sugar Snap or Snow Peas

Escarole

Lentil and Escarole Soup

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

YIELD Serves four to six

TIME 1 hour 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1  small onion, finely chopped

1  large or 2 small carrots, cut in small dice

3 to 4  garlic cloves, minced

¼  teaspoon red pepper flakes

1  14-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice; or 3/4 pound tomatoes, seeded and grated

1  cup lentils, washed and picked over

 A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a few sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a Parmesan rind

6  cups water

 Salt

 freshly ground pepper

1  small head escarole, washed and roughly chopped about 6 cups

 Optional: 4 to 6 slices country bread, toasted and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Add the lentils and simmer with the tomato mixture for a few minutes, then add the bouquet garni and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and add salt to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons). Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add the escarole, and bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the escarole and the lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bouquet garni.

Toast slices of country bread if desired and rub with a cut clove of garlic. Place a slice in each bowl, ladle in the soup and serve.

Advance preparation: The soup will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

Leafy Greens With Spicy Garlic Oil

CHRIS MOROCCO BON APPÉTIT JULY 2016

YIELD Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large bunches Swiss chard or Tuscan kale, or 1/2 head escarole, leaves separated

PREPARATION

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Bring garlic, oil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium. Cook until garlic is golden. Let cool; season with salt and pepper.

Combine greens and oil in a large bowl, massaging oil into greens. Grill until lightly charred and softened, about 1 minute per side.