LDF News: Spinach and more at market!

Helen and Boomer in the morning.

We got all the tomatoes in the ground before June! Hooray! A lot of them were big healthy transplants. Some of them were just surviving and are going to be so, so glad to be out there. In any even, we will have tomatoes!

The summer squash plants are blooming and bustling in the the hoop house. I am so excited for squash fritters, zucchini and marinara, squash bread, and more things squash!

What are you looking at here? A giant Ichneumon Wasp (I think.) The part that looks like a long stinger is actually an ovipositor, used to lay eggs deep in wood and other material. Interesting fact: The adults don't eat! Can you imagine if this was the case for humans? Would I be out of a job? Thank goodness for the children, we would say.

Eddie, Exie, Tyler and Clare (from left to right) harvesting swiss chard on a dry morning. They are all dry mornings nowadays. Our irrigation has really saved us this spring.

You can see our potatoes mixed with canada thistle here. We used our tine weeder (yay!) to knock out the majority of the other weeds, but thistle? That is a whole other animal. With a deep, resilient root system and the ability to regrow from a fragment of plant part, thistle is a formidable foe.

First thing to notice in the picture is that the sky is beautiful. Not to be too cheese but we are lucky every day for the beauty of the natural world. Nature is a constant buoy in my life. I can always rise up hearing a bird call, noticing the sky, or observing a phenomenon. The other thing to notice is ALL. THAT. THISTLE. Boy oh brother is there quite a lot of it. The main strategy for thistle is knock it back, knock it back, knock it back. That way it expends all its hat way it expends all its energy trying to regrow, depleting its resources. There is quite a lot of it. Some of it will be demolished through mechanical cultivation. Then we will follow up and hand pull the rest. It will be a job alright. A job accomplished under a beautiful sky.

Ahoy!
​
​So much to say, I can't say it all. We are working and chipping away in the heat and the dry. Do some rain dances folks, we could all use it.
This week we have some new greens: spinach and chard! Plus some flowering tatsoi and arugula. It is a little disappointing to have it all flower like that, however, not too surprising with weather like this.
We're heading to market tomorrow and hope to see you there!
Cheers,
Helen
 
In this email:

• Generally important notes
  • Ann Arbor Members! We will be at the Wednesday Ann Arbor Farmers' market for the season. We'll look forward to seeing you there! We hope to start Ann Arbor Saturday soon in June (it's June!) but we are still sorting out the staffing. Thank you for your patience. If any members are feeling worried, please send me an email. 
  • Farm Members! Accepting sign-ups for the 2023 Season. Please ask for a sign-up sheet at market or print one (here) and bring it!
  • 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: Lemon Kale Orzo
• Market Details: Royal Oak and Eastern (shed 2, 276 &274)!

Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Bok Choy!
Chard- baby and delicious
Kale- Red Russia and Siberfrills!
Microgreens: Basil, Cilantro, Cress, Mustard, Radish Mix, Watercress
Pea Shoots
Spinach!
Spring Raab: the tender flowering stalks of greens. We have arugula and tatsoi raab this week.
Sunflower shoots

All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples (Al Mar Orchard, certified organic)
Green Garlic!
Radish- spring cuties. Light this week, but many more next week.
Daikon (White  from Tantre- grown with organic methods)
Purple top turnips

Transplants
Snap peas!
Summer squash!
Tomatoes
Peppers

Coming Soon
Sweet turnips

Recipe: Lemon Kale Orzo

From: Last IngredientReady in 20 minutes, this lemon kale orzo with garlic, breadcrumbs and pecorino cheese is a simple pasta that's great to eat anytime of year.
Ingredients

• 1 cup orzo
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 3 cups chopped curly kale
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions: 

• Cook the orzo in salted boiling water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water in a colander or strainer.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Toast the breadcrumbs, stirring frequently, until they turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the kale, lemon juice and zest and sauté until the kale has wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir the orzo, pecorino cheese and parsley into the kale and give it a minute for everything to warm.

Notes:

• I read this recipe but did not have lemon or bread crumbs so didn't try it. What I did do was sautee kale, chickpeas, onions, and mushrooms, add lemon, butter, and pepper while cooking some orzo. I then stirred the orzo into my vegetable concoction. I have to say, I recommend. I would add the cheese that I didn't have though. Plus, caramelized lemon sounds like a real treat. 

Market Details: We are at market this week
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market- We are starting Wednesdays and will be there next Wednesday, May 17th. I expect to begin attending Saturdays at the beginning of June. 

Eastern Market, Shed 2, stalls 276 and 274 (Our regular, outside spot at the center of the shed), Saturday with Helen and Aaron plus Paul! 6 am to 2:30 pm

​Royal Oak, Saturday with Tyler! 7 am to 1 pm