Pick List:
Strawberries - Lettuce - Asian Greens - Scallions - Cucumbers - Arugula - Radishes - Rhubarb -Garlic Scapes - Fuchsia Plant
Real magic in the fields today as we greet the Summer Solstice. The only appropriate thing to do on this day is to roll out of bed at 5am (maybe a little groggy)- work til 9pm (still a little groggy?) and take advantage of every single second of sunlight. We all benefit from the light levels this time of year- especially the plants. I know first hand that the strawberry fields are especially loving these long days. Rows and rows of berries soak up all the sunshine while SLLLLOOOWWWLY turning color from green to red. And on this day, June 21st- I finally see more red in the fields then green. Should be any day now that we open up for Pick Your Own Strawberries- stay tuned through instagram (@edgewaterfarm), facebook, and our website PYO page for the latest news from the strawberry fields.
Strawberries aside- i hope you agree with me that the radishes in your share this week are the most beautiful radishes you’ve ever seen. Or, at least that’s my opinion. And yes, we are still deep into salad season.
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
Asian Greens: y’all- if you haven’t already gotten into asian greens then look out- you are about to be so pumped. The beauty behind asian greens is their versatility. For example, I chop them up and throw them into eggs in the morning and make them into a salad at night. They are an excellent addition to soups, stir-fries, etc…
LEMON VINAIGRETTE
2 tsp honey 1 small shallot, peeled & finely diced
¼ c. lemon juice 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
¾ c. extra-virgin olive oil (more if needed to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste
ROASTED RHUBARB
¾ pound rhubarb, cut into ¾ to 1-inch pieces on a slight diagonal 1/4 c. honey
SALAD
6 c. of arugula 2 tblsp toasted almond slivers
1/3 c. crumbled fresh goat cheese
LEMON VINAIGRETTE…. makes approximately 1 1/4 cups
Place honey, shallot, lemon juice and mustard in a blender. Puree until smooth. With blender running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream. Start with ¾ cup and taste. If the vinaigrette tastes too acidic, add a little more olive oil to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
ROASTED RHUBARB
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss rhubarb with honey. Roast on upper rack until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.
SALAD
Place the greens in bowl. Toss with roasted rhubarb, almonds and enough dressing to just coat. Garnish salad with goat cheese. Refrigerate any leftover dressing for future use.
serves: makes about 1.5 cups of dressing
notes: I would only recommend doing this with the scapes if you’re making the dressing in a blender. Depending on how long they’ve been around, garlic scapes can be quite fibrous so just use the more tender parts. Also, I use grapeseed oil here because its neutral flavour doesn’t overpower the scapes.
1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup filtered water
1 tsp salt ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard 1/2 tbsp light agave (or honey)
2 garlic scapes, roughly chopped
3/4 – 1 cup grapeseed oil (I tend to like dressing more on the acidic side so I lean to the 3/4 cup measure)
Combine the vinegar, water, salt and pepper in the blender pitcher. I like to add the salt with the vinegar so that it gets a head start on dissolving. Then, add the dijon, agave and garlic scapes. Blend the contents until the scapes are more or less pureed.
Put the blender on a low speed, remove the top feeding lid and slowly drizzle in the oil with the motor running until the dressing is thoroughly combined and creamy. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Another note about Garlic Scapes: Each individual scape is cut from the top of the garlic plant. By Cutting the scape from the plant, the energy it takes to produce the scape (flower) goes back into the plant producing a bigger garlic bulb. As a result, we get to eat garlic scapes! They have a mild garlicy flavor- chop saute and add them wherever you might add garlic. Also noteworthy, they make an excellent addition to an early season bouquet. For example, i keep my scapes in a vase with a bit of water on our kitchen table simply because it looks cool.
YOUR FUCHSIA PLANT:
1) Re-pot or plant in ground. 2) if potted, water but not too heavy 3) put outside in part shade 4) bring inside before the first frost 5) dead-head! Take off the flowers that start to look tired 6) enjoy!!