Here is Exie the Wonder Dog! She has been my number one gal pal since the year I started farming full time. I remember Exie keeping me company on lots of long days when it was just me working. I would look over at her resting under a tree. I would wave, and she would wag. She can be found daily alternating between laying in the sun and in the shade, sitting in the driver's seat of the truck, or in her new favorite place beneath Wiley's highchair.
Happy solstice indeed! The lightening bugs are sparkling in the trees, the days are long, and (most) of the nights are cool. The plants are using all that sunlight to power their systems. The market table will show it.
In this email:
Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!
Greens:
Chard
Head lettuce
Kale
Pea shoots- Back next week
All Manner of Deliciousness
Baby Green Garlic
Cucumbers
Baby Fennel (New this week!)
Kohlrabi
Snap Peas
Radishes
Sweet turnips
Summer Squash!
Herbs (If we have time)
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Coming soon:
Basil
Beets
Carrots
Parsley
Cherry Tomatoes!
Recipe: Steamed Kale
Not to be overlooked, steamed kale is delicious. It is a fast and easy way to tenderize kale. After it is steamed, it can be used for a variety of things or seasoned and eaten as is. I also considered steaming large leaves and using them to wrap some delicious filling.
This recipe calls for using a steamer but note that you can also steam kale in the microwave, in a pan with water on the bottom, or in an instant pot. Just a few nights back I cooked rice in the instant pot and added two bunches of kale (destemmed) before I closed it up. Just 6 minutes in there did the trick with no extra work.
From: Rouxbe
Ingredients:
• pinch sea salt
• 1 bunch kale, cleaned
• squeeze of lemon or citrus of your choice
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• sea salt, to taste
Directions:
Set up a steamer. Fill with one inch of water and place over medium-high heat. Refer to the lessons on Steaming for more information, if necessary.
To prepare the kale, remove the leaves from the stem. Tear into bite size pieces. Wash thoroughly in cold water and spin dry.
Place the kale into the steamer basket. Place the basket over the simmering water. Cover with a lid and let steam until tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to toss the kale half way through to ensure even cooking.
Once the kale is done to your liking, use tongs to remove it from the steamer basket. Shake the excess water off of the kale before transferring it to a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon or your choice of citrus over the kale and toss well.
Lastly, taste the kale for seasoning and serve immediately.
Market Details: We are at market this week
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler and radish aficionado Wiley! 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)
Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole! 6 am to 2:30 pmRoyal Oak, Saturday with Jim and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm
In this email:
- Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.
- Fresh from the Field
- Recipe
- Market Details
- Tales from the Farm!
Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!
Greens:
Chard
Head lettuce
Kale
Pea shoots- Back next week
All Manner of Deliciousness
Baby Green Garlic
Cucumbers
Baby Fennel (New this week!)
Kohlrabi
Snap Peas
Radishes
Sweet turnips
Summer Squash!
Herbs (If we have time)
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Coming soon:
Basil
Beets
Carrots
Parsley
Cherry Tomatoes!
Recipe: Steamed Kale
Not to be overlooked, steamed kale is delicious. It is a fast and easy way to tenderize kale. After it is steamed, it can be used for a variety of things or seasoned and eaten as is. I also considered steaming large leaves and using them to wrap some delicious filling.
This recipe calls for using a steamer but note that you can also steam kale in the microwave, in a pan with water on the bottom, or in an instant pot. Just a few nights back I cooked rice in the instant pot and added two bunches of kale (destemmed) before I closed it up. Just 6 minutes in there did the trick with no extra work.
From: Rouxbe
Ingredients:
• pinch sea salt
• 1 bunch kale, cleaned
• squeeze of lemon or citrus of your choice
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• sea salt, to taste
Directions:
Set up a steamer. Fill with one inch of water and place over medium-high heat. Refer to the lessons on Steaming for more information, if necessary.
To prepare the kale, remove the leaves from the stem. Tear into bite size pieces. Wash thoroughly in cold water and spin dry.
Place the kale into the steamer basket. Place the basket over the simmering water. Cover with a lid and let steam until tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to toss the kale half way through to ensure even cooking.
Once the kale is done to your liking, use tongs to remove it from the steamer basket. Shake the excess water off of the kale before transferring it to a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon or your choice of citrus over the kale and toss well.
Lastly, taste the kale for seasoning and serve immediately.
Market Details: We are at market this week
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler and radish aficionado Wiley! 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)
Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole! 6 am to 2:30 pmRoyal Oak, Saturday with Jim and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm
We finally got our cucumbers on the line. This may be the last time that we grow "early" cucumbers. They really hate the cold and we don't use supplemental heating in our field tunnels (just the sun!) I am pretty sure that if we had planted these a month later, they would still be at about the same stage.
Tales from the Farm:
The yearly peak of daylight and yet summer has just begun, how is this possible? I was going to compare it to a hang glider that is launched and then glides back to the earth's surface. Before I did, I read about hang gliders to make sure it was a reasonable comparison and realized they are super cool! Maybe we can all carry on like turkey vultures in the sky. They are not the best comparison because modern hang gliders are able to manage updraft and stay in the air for longer than ever, even ascending further after launch! Old-fashioned ones that only go down? That's more comparable. The energy went into the launch, and even though reunification with the baseline is eminent, the ride is still ahead.
We are weeding and prepping, irrigation for sure, and harvest demands are picking up. Did you know for optimal ripeness, snap peas, summer squash (zucchini included), cucumbers, and tomatoes prefer to be harvested every other day? In order to get a touch of breathing room in high summer, we harvest these crops 2-3 times per week. We "go hard" on the harvest Fridays, which often leads to delectable young fruit for squash, cukes, and peas, and to fruit that will last a bit longer on the counter for tomatoes.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)
The yearly peak of daylight and yet summer has just begun, how is this possible? I was going to compare it to a hang glider that is launched and then glides back to the earth's surface. Before I did, I read about hang gliders to make sure it was a reasonable comparison and realized they are super cool! Maybe we can all carry on like turkey vultures in the sky. They are not the best comparison because modern hang gliders are able to manage updraft and stay in the air for longer than ever, even ascending further after launch! Old-fashioned ones that only go down? That's more comparable. The energy went into the launch, and even though reunification with the baseline is eminent, the ride is still ahead.
We are weeding and prepping, irrigation for sure, and harvest demands are picking up. Did you know for optimal ripeness, snap peas, summer squash (zucchini included), cucumbers, and tomatoes prefer to be harvested every other day? In order to get a touch of breathing room in high summer, we harvest these crops 2-3 times per week. We "go hard" on the harvest Fridays, which often leads to delectable young fruit for squash, cukes, and peas, and to fruit that will last a bit longer on the counter for tomatoes.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)
Cherry tomatoes threatening their first wave. Tyler tasted the first one of the year and confirmed they are delicious.
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