This week is a pickup week for members registered for weekly Spring Vegetable Shares. This is the final week of the spring season.
Early Summer Shares begin the next week - Please review theinformational email to confirm your registration, review important dates and find pickup details.
Announcements
Pizza Night on the Farm is this Sunday! - Join us for an evening of wood-fired pizzas on the farm on Sunday, June 24th from 4-7pm. Pizzeria Deville's Chef John Durning brings his wood-burning oven to the farm to create delicious, farm-fresh pizzas for purchase. We'll also have farm produce and beverages available for purchase. The event is free and open to all. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy dinner on the farm, and stay afterwards to take a leisurely stroll through the farm and enjoy the sunset.
This Week's Harvest:
Strawberries - from Mick Klug Farm, St. Joseph, MI
Carrots
Zucchini
Basil
Purple Kohlrabi
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Garlic Scapes
White Button Mushrooms - from River Valley Ranch, Burlington, WI
Purplette Onions
Farm Journal
This week's harvest is an exciting one for us, as we feel the seasonal shift from spring to summer in our fields and in our crops. The spring lettuces, asparagus, tender greens and early roots can no longer tolerate the summer heat and quickly go to seed. Those crops that thrive in the warmth, like zucchini, summer root crops and brassicas, take their place in the harvest list.
During this time of year, the crops grow and change so quickly that our daily field reviews are important. Our sons often join us for these reviews, sometimes to simply enjoy a breezy late day drive around, sometimes to enjoy time together with us, and sometimes they like to be our taste testers.
In this photo, you can see that Gavin did not think that the fennel was quite ready yet!
During these reviews, we also observe other changing aspects around the farm like the growth of our wind breaks/hedgerows and noticing how the surrounding native plants are reacting to rain/heat. The boys enjoy taking the temperature of a nearby compost pile (they measured the pile at a 160 degree internal temperature last week!) and talking about the composting process with their dad. Finally, they keep an eye on the animals around the farm including our red-tail hawk, kestrel, frog, bee and rabbit populations. We're thankful for the help from our young agronomists/biologists and we hope you'll enjoy field walk of your own next time you visit the farm.
Have a great week! ~ The Miller Family (Jeff, Jen, Owen & Gavin)
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
ThePurplette is a mini onion variety with beautiful purple and white coloring and a delicate, sweet onion flavor. You can eat the whole plant, from the bulbs all the way to the tips of the green tops.
Kohlrabi is a member of the broccoli and cabbage family. Kohlrabi forms when the stem swells to a bulb right about the soil. Some varieties are purple and others are light green or white. The bulb is delicious peeled and eaten raw. Just peel it, slice thinly and serve with or without dip. I tend to slice into match sticks and kids eat like apples! The greens of kohlrabi can be used like kale, collards, and other hearty cooking greens. These types of greens become tender and delicious when simmered over low to medium heat for 30 to 60 minutes.
Swiss chard is flavorful yet mild, and can be used in the same ways as spinach in many dishes including quiches, lasagna, pasta sauce, smoothies, etc. Chard is high in vitamins A, E and C and the minerals calcium and iron. You can use all of its beautiful color by chopping the entire leaf as well as the tender stem. We enjoy it sautéed with mushrooms and garlic, then and used as an omelet filled with aged cheddar, added to pasta with Parmesan on top or as a colorful addition to a mixed greens salad.
The curly garlic scape is the flower stalk of the garlic plant. We snap the scapes off at this stage in the plant's development so that the plant will devote all of its energy to making a delicious, big garlic bulb rather than a flower. You can use the entire scape. Chopped scapes can be used in place of chopped garlic cloves in most dishes. We grill the entire scape along side our zucchini and then, chop both and put into our cool pasta salad. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and are only available for a limited time (and volume) in early summer. Here's a favorite link of ideas might be helpful. Enjoy!
