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This Week's Share:
Beets: Red
Kale
Lettuce
Herbs:
Cilantro
OR
Parsley
Scallions
Summer Squash
Some locations may receive:
Arugula
Broccoli
Kohlrabi
EOW Will Also Receive:
Pac Choi
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Dear Members of Turtle Creek Gardens,
The sun is back! (for now...) In this issue, Janet tells the story of how the farm fared during this past week's extra-wet weather.
REMINDERS:
- Boxes: please break down your CSA boxes and return them to your pick-up site for reuse.
- Past newsletters: You can access these any time at our website: turtlecreekgardenscsa.com/newsletters
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Another Freak Weather Event
Talkin’ about the weather I’m sure gets old BUT: this past week was a doozy.
Last Tuesday we once again experienced a
microburst with 60 mph winds, perhaps more. I’m just guessing, since it was once again a freak-of-nature event, right over our farm. OK, maybe we are a target, maybe there’s some magnetic pull that conjures the worst of it right over our heads. We know that this microburst was only ¼ mile to the north and about ½ mile to the south of our farm and not sure how far west and east, but I’m guessing a few mile stretch.
Steve had just left to check on our remote land, a 4-mile drive from our farm, when the storm hit. The roads were impassable as he tried zigzagging his way home. Torrents of rain fell and once again we received over an inch of rain within 20 minutes or less. Trees bent at 90 degree angles as our field crew rushed back from the field in the pelting rain, taking a beating from the stinging drops.
Tom was running like a wild man, shutting high tunnels and greenhouses and bolting down the road to examine the trees fallen across the road like dominoes. Steve checked in and said, “No one’s going home anytime soon, including me. There’s a power line down and trees down in every direction.” We were caged in.
Soon our neighbor who has a tree removal business was out in force on his big bulldozer, pushing fallen trees from the road so our water-logged crew could get home and Steve could get back to the farm. Not long after, the city road crews were out clearing debris off the roads with their snow plows. Never saw that before.
When the rains subsided, we took a quick trip around the fields to assess the damage. Our 20 ft aluminum irrigation pipes blew off the pipe wagon and scattered like pick-up sticks across the onion field. One 110 ft section of connected pipe that was laid out to irrigate our recent carrot sowing had also blown from the wheel tracks and landed on top of the bed of newly planted carrots.
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There was also a big pond in our root and leaf field that ran over the field road into the adjacent
brassica planting. We decided that it was time to invest in that pump we’ve been holding off purchasing. The next day, we began pumping water from the flooded area to get it off the newly planted crops. By the end of the day, we had the water off the fields.
The high winds sheared the tender leaves off chard, lettuces, summer squash plants, and others. Every day as I walk the fields I see more damage that has occurred. I think the biggest concern is the disease that enters the wounds of the plants. Like getting a scrape on skin, it’s the perfect environment for bacteria to enter.
The silver lining is that the plants are lush and growing like mad. Water is the cheapest form of fertility, as the saying goes; one can witness the advanced growth that has taken place this past week from all the rain we had. And with that…come the weeds too.
Fortunately, it looks like we’ll have some nice crops to harvest despite the catastrophe. And it looks maybe like some of the lettuce has grown out of some of the shredding with new growth. Now, let’s hope for some sun, a little wind to dry it out so we can plant and get back on track--and just enough rain to keep things moist but not too wet or too hot. I hope that’s not asking too much.
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Change out the ingredients
in this
Basic Vegetable Crumble
as the season progresses and you'll never eat the same dish twice.
This week, try summer squash, kale, and scallions--for starters.
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How to Eat 2 LB of Greens--Every Week
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According to Health and Wellness chef,
Alia Dalal, it's easy! Each of her recipes, linked below, calls for 2 LB of mixed greens, which yields several servings that one person can eat over the course of a few days.
Suitable greens include:
- kale
- beet greens
- spinach
- mustard greens
- collard greens
- Swiss chard
- turnip tops, radish tops
****Thanks to CSA member Sarah K. for sharing
Alia Dalal's tips on ways to make full use of your CSA greens.
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Prep time: 20 min.
Total time: 20 min.
Ingredients:
2 T. Dijon mustard
4 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. celery seed
1/2 t. sugar or honey
1/2 t. salt
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Cracked black pepper
1 LB beets, peeled and shredded, about 3 medium beets
1/2 LB carrots, peeled and shredded, about 3 carrots
3 T. fresh chopped parsley leaves
Method:
In a small non-reactive bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and olive oil. Season with pepper.
Place beets, carrots and parsley in large serving bowl, pour dressing over salad, toss to
combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serves: 4
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Asian-Style Lettuce Wraps
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There's something very summery about lettuce wraps. Any filling you would put into a sandwich or tortilla can be used, such as egg or tuna salad, re-fried beans etc.
Ingredients:
1¼ lb lean ground beef (or any ground meat you prefer)
1 T. olive oil
1 c. onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
¾ c. water chestnuts, roughly chopped
5 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. soy sauce
10 large lettuce leaves
Optional toppings:
-shredded carrots or radishes
-roughly chopped peanuts
-toasted sesame seeds
-chopped scallions
Method:
Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large pan. Add in ground meat and break it apart with a cooking spoon while stirring to brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste; cook till no longer pink. Set aside on a separate plate.
In the same pan, cook onion, garlic, and ginger for 3-4 minutes. Return meat to the pan with water chestnuts.
Stir in hoisin and soy sauce; and cook until heated through--several minutes.
To serve, place the meat mixture in the lettuce cups and top with shredded carrots, peanuts, sesame seeds, green onion, and extra hoisin sauce.
Serves: 4-6
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Turtle Creek Gardens, LLC | 262-441-0520 |
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