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Buenos Dias!

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Buenos Dias!
This Week's Vegetable Harvest:
  • Summer Crisp Lettuce
  • Baby Garlic Heads
  • Summer Salad Mix
  • Broccolini or Kale
  • Zucchini
  • Mixed Red and Gold Beets
  • Sweet Onions
  • Cucumbers

This Week's Fruit Harvest:
  • 'Tart' Cherries
  • Blueberries
  • Black Raspberries
  • Sweet Cherries
What's New at the Prairie Wind Farm Stand
  • 'Ugly Cucumbers' - Just in time for pickling season, we're selling 3lb bags of 'ugly' cucumbers that simply need a little trim and they are ready for the jar. 
  • AND, plenty of seasonal goodies like chive vinegar, strawberry rhubarb jam, salad greens galore, pasture-raised eggs, humanely-raised meat, and more! We restock 2-3 times per week, so check back often. This seasonal farm stand is always changing!
  • Hours: Open daily, 7am-7pm 
Farm Journal
Good evening from the farm!
From crops that thrive (like this beautiful overwintered wheat cover crop!) to changing weather patterns, to different pests, to sighting new animal populations, to new crew members -- each farming season is different. Every season is a new opportunity to be challenged, learn and get better.
This season's crew is half native English speakers and half native Spanish speakers. Several people on our farming team are bilingual (Jeff, Arlet, Owen) so they oftentimes help to translate directions quickly. But in general, we're all learning ways to communicate with each other and we strive to communicate in everyone's native language. In other words, we're all trying hard to learn and adapt each day.
Jeff translates our daily plans into both languages, so team members often carry and look at these lists to learn the vocabulary to communicate. Our harvest tracking boards, labels, and all training documents are in both languages now. We all keep our smartphones close by to help us translate more detailed thoughts to each other. All tools aside, you'd be amazed at how much we can mime to each other and communicate -- though it is generally impossible to keep a straight face!
Beyond language, most of our crew members hail from farming and gardening families. Oftentimes, the plant and animal care we provide is a universal language that needs no words. We share a passion for farming and making a positive impact on the land.
Both our Spanish and English speakers tell us that their second language is improving. We're finally able to tell jokes in both languages -- as you can see from getting our group picture organized -- which makes work more fun! 
We're honored to work with such a talented, hard-working team of people who challenge themselves each day to communicate and understand each other. This team is all united, no matter the language, in a shared focus to produce the best food possible.

Thank you for making us your farmers!
Jeff, Jen, Owen, Gavin, Arlet, Cleto, Riley, David, Yamany, Silas and Lucas 
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
As long-time farm share members know, beets grow well on our farm and come in all shapes and sizes! Like Swiss chard, beet greens can be used in place of spinach in many recipes. I'd encourage you to separate your beets from the beet greens when you get them home and store the two separately. They should both be stored in a plastic bag and greens used within a week. The beets themselves are so lovely and tasty that you don't need to do a whole lot to them. 
Black raspberries are slightly smaller than their red raspberry counterparts, though they share a similar bright, tart flavor. Black raspberries offer more antioxidants and they are beautiful when combined with red cherries and other fruit.

Our cucumbers are thriving this season with the cucumber vines taking over our fields as the plants tend to stretch to 6-8 feet and look for more area to spread out. This year's crew is especially good at the "cuke and zuke" harvest, as we call it. They are adept at finding these cucurbits hidden amidst the vines and quickly determining which should be harvested and which should be left to size up until the next harvest. With a bountiful harvest this week, try out my favorite refrigerator pickle recipe featured below. We love adding these sweet pickles to sandwiches and hamburgers, though we tend to just eat them out of the mason jar for a quick afternoon snack.
Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen

Smokey Vegetarian Beet Ruebens

Sour Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Zucchini Tart

Turmeric Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice

Combine onion and cucumber slices in a clean spring-top jar. Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 full minutes to wake up the flavors of the spices. 

Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the onion and cucumber slice, completely filling the jar. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before topping off with any remaining pickling liquid. Refrigerate. They will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator.
(foodnetwork.com)
 

Beet and Feta Burgers
3 cups grated beets (about 4 to 5 beets)
1 sweet onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 small bunch fresh parsley, stems removed
1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or olive oil, for frying

Peel and grate beets, onion, and garlic on a box grater or use a food processor with the grating blades attached. Place the grated vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, eggs, and rolled oats and mix everything well.

Add feta, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside for about 30 minutes, so the oats can soak up the liquid and the mixture sets (this step is important for the patties to hold together). Try shaping a patty with your hands. If the mixture is to loose, add some more oats. Form 6 to 8 patties with your hands.

Grill the burgers a couple of minutes on each side – or fry them in a frying pan until golden on both sides. Serve with grilled sourdough bread and toppings of your choice. 
(www.food52.com)

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