LDF News: Back and Back in Shed 2!

This season is bringing lots of field walks with kids, bikes, and dogs! ​

The greenhouse is packed with so, so many beautiful plants. We are about a week behind, planting wise, but we are right on schedule for seeding in the greenhouse. This means a full house! Hopefully after this next bit of rain, the fields dry out and we are planting by this time next week. In the meantime, these plants are bursting with healthy and growth. ​

Warm, wet, spring nights bring out the amphibians. Please enjoy this terrible picture of a frog the size of my thumbnail. The kids and I (with Clare too!) happened to be driving home from a dinner on Tuesday night and allllll the frogs and toads were out. I went so, so slow. We pulled over multiple times to get a closer look. I saw several toads walking across the road, which is not the mode of transportation I typically imagine for them. It was so cool. And also I worry so much about them on nights like that. 

But, I think most of them made it. 

Garlic! It rises with the warmth and daylight. This year we are well ahead of the weeds with stale bedding and mulching. That doesn't mean we have nothing to worry about but I will say, this is the healthiest and happiest our garlic has looked in the spring for a good long while. Hurray!

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Ahoy!

Ok, so we didn't make it back into the field before it rained. And it rained, but not as much as was called for. We still managed to seed beets, sweet turnips, and some lovely brassica greens. We have a place for our lettuce and spinach to go. And our new big tractor has a clean bill of health. The parts for the 695 will be enroute before the day is through. I'd say we're alright. As much as you can be nowadays and in the spring.

Observations of self: My intensity increases before a consequential weather event. I become more focused, more persistent, more anxious and eager. I try my hardest to do all I am able when the boundary between able and not able is so visible. Sometimes there is a feeling of despair that I didn't do more when I was further from the boundary. Before I knew that there wouldn't always time. Naively because time runs out. And then, it passes. The rain comes and there is nothing more to do but enjoy the sounds or batten down the hatches. Look for frogs. Let go of what wasn't able to be done. And, when I'm feeling wise, determine what I can add to less frenzied moments so I will be able to do more when I see that boundary coming up. 

Is that middle age? Recognizing the finite nature of "your" able time? Ok, ok, get out of the pool now Helen before you drift off into a deep, deep thought. They have computers for that now. Joking, joking, but seriously. What I do know is that we are always facing weather events with less sway. This morning it was warm and the sky was bright. The rising sun tinged the clouds. Wild is exciting, movement, change. Steady is balancing, reflection. Smooth water surfaces. Ok, ok, ok, signing off! 

A reminder about our Community Account: 

• It is open to those who need it, no questions asked.
• We will also use it for our local food pantry if the funds don't seem to be being used.
• Please feel free to donate to it when at market

Between all the community resource info and the farm membership promotion, there is a lot going on in this email. Please see the "table of contents" for easy navigation to what you are looking for! You can click on the links there and it will take you where you want to go within the email. 

Onward folks, doing the things we can do. 

Cheers,
Helen
she/her/hers

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Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Arugula
Cilantro
Kale
Microgreens
Pea shoots
Spinach

All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples
Beets
Napa Cabbage
Cabbage: red, cone, round green
Carrots!
Eggs!! From Hen House Farm- Clare!! And Hill Top (David!)
Garlic
Potatoes
Fingerling Potatoes
Watermelon radish (not pink inside)
Daikon radish: Red, Korean White Daikon, and purple, Chinese White Daikon
Purple top turnips


Coming soon:
Green garlic
Scallions
Salad radishes

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Cilantro Sauce Recipe for Tacos, Nachos, and More

From Umami Girl

This is the cilantro sauce you've been waiting for. Even if you didn't know it. A fresh, tangy sauce for Mexican food, from tacos to nachos to quesadillas and more.

​Ingredients 

• ⅓ cup (78 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lime, 2 to 3 tablespoons
• 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large bunch cilantro, about 4 ounces/114 grams, washed well, including stems

 
Instructions

1. Roughly chop cilantro. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to push cilantro down into the blades as necessary.

Notes

1. A reasonable extra-virgin olive oil from the supermarket is a good choice. The flavor will definitely come through, so choose something that you like. But there's no need to tote out your fancy unfiltered versions with the perfect level of astringency.
2. Plenty of freshly squeezed lime juice and fine sea salt work in tandem to create just the right balance of flavors. (That said, salt preferences vary a lot from person to person, so if you're sensitive to salt, you can start with less and adjust as you go.)
3. Fresh garlic is essential to bring together the flavors. You can vary the amount to suit your preference.
4. The recipe calls for a generous amount of cilantro. Some varieties have a fairly aggressive flavor while others are positively mellow, so taste yours before buying if possible, and make sure you like its specific flavor profile. You'll use both the leaves and stems in this recipe.
5. Store cilantro sauce in a tightly sealed jar in a nice cold fridge for up to a week. The flavor will mellow a bit, but the generous amount of lime juice will prevent the cilantro from oxidizing too much. I sometimes like to store it with a thin layer of additional olive oil on top to create a seal.
6. Or freeze it in ice cube trays, then transfer to an airtight container, and keep in the freezer for up to a year. That way you can defrost it in small portions if you like.