A quick housekeeping item to start off our newsletter:
We will be closed on Monday, May 29th for Memorial Day. If you normally pick up on Saturdays, we encourage you to make sure you come on the 27th to ensure that your vegetables are fresh. The next time we will be open is Tuesday, May 30th. If you are traveling, remember that you must let us know of any changes in your pickup at least 48 hours in advance of the change (see the bottom of the newsletter for directions on how to do this.)
The weather has been completely uncooperative this past week. As you know we had a frost overnight from Wednesday into Thursday. The gale force winds made it so that we weren't able to prepare for the frost earlier in the day by covering the crops with remay cloth. It would have just completely ripped the cloth off and shredded it (and these cloths cost hundreds of dollars!) Of course, it's already so dry as well that the wind has been ripping the plastic right off of our rows. The dirt is like sand and so it can't weigh the plastic down against the wind. So, our crew came to the rescue and returned to the farm just before sunset to help us cover the crops when the wind died down.
Of course, to make matters harder we had already staked our tomatoes.
We received a question about why we plant our tender crops so soon when we recommend that gardeners don't put their crops in the ground until the end of May. Because this is our livelihood, we can't waste any time on growing crops (especially things like tomatoes, which are customers' favorites!) so we take the gamble and then take measures to prevent major losses.
We then spent the night hoping for the best!
Loss from the frost was manageable. We lost a few cucumbers, tomatoes, and melons that weren't quite covered by remay, which will need replacing. All-in-all they were okay.
The biggest loss was that the grapes were completely destroyed. There were already clusters forming, which were killed. Unfortunately, we won't be able to harvest grapes this year, which would have been our first yield.
Such is farming. Still, we forged ahead and planted eggplant the next day.
In happy news, the start to our plant sale was a success. We had to move the sale to Friday because of the rainy forecast on Saturday. We had an awesome turnout! There are still plenty of seedlings available in the days ahead: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cukes, squash, zucchini, lettuce, herbs, beans, broccoli, kale, pumpkins, zinnias and sunflowers.
This week, you're receiving a bunch of cress from our greenhouse.
This variety of cress is called upland cress, and is specifically grown for its peppery flavor (think arugula). It's more popular in the UK and also in the southern U.S. where it's sometimes refered to as "creasy greens." This is my all-time favorite resource for a GIGANTIC list of recipes involving cress. I encourage you to share your cooking successes with cress in our Facebook group - I would love to reshare them on our social media to show the world how creative we are with our cooking.
You're also getting the option to "Grab a Green" as part of your share this week! This means that one of your items will be of your choice: lettuce, bok choy, broccoli rabe, choy sum, pea tendrils, or Tokyo bekana. I encourage you to go out of your comfort zone with your selection! We receive so many questions about what to do with items that are unfamiliar. I threw a bunch of Tokyo bekana into the crockpot during the last 30 minutes of cooking time on this Easy Peanut Chicken Satay and it wilted down beautifully. Greens are pretty interchangeable and can be cooked similarly, so don't be scared off by the name of a veggie.
And finally, a cute little story from the farm. After we dropped Peter off at preschool, Danielle took the Ford Explorer to pick up an order of coffee from Redding Roasters. Unfortunately Peter's beloved stuffed animal Big Bear went for a ride. Peter was devstated when we picked him up from school in my Subaru and thought he would never see Big Bear again. So, Danielle assured him she would be back soon with the coffee and sent Peter a whole bunch of pictures of Big Bear's adventure. Here he is at Redding Roasters!
And, we have a new Indonesian blend that we picked up, which is a mix of dark and medium roasts. Thanks for the help, Big Bear!
In Your Share (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 bunch of cress
1 bunch of Asian greens mix
2 bunches of spinach
2 Grab-a-Green choices!
1 head of escarole
1 bunch of scallions
Small:
1 bunch of cress
1 bunch of Asian greens mix
1 bunch of spinach
1 Grab-a-Green choice!
1 head of escarole
1 bunch of scallions
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Shake out any excess water in the head of escarole, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use.
Store cress, Asian greens mix, spinach, and scallions in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Or, trim the ends and store it in a glass of water, like a bouquet. Wash when ready to use (within the week).
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
Easy Asian Greens (quick and simple side dish!)
How to Change Your Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice since we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday. Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday. Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday. You have the option to choose another of those pickup days: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. Or, you can skip a pickup and double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day (Monday for Saturday members), and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.