So much for the simple life! There seems to be such a breadth of knowledge to attain on how vegetables grow, and I am ever a student. Like this week, I came to the unpleasant realization that we had very few tomatoes. Since we had quite a few last week, I thought their abundance was a given, however I learned that there is an innitial burst of ripe tomatoes (a cluster on each plant) when they first start to turn, followed by a lull, and then an explosion of ripened tomatoes where the whole plant’s load turns red at once. It’s encouraging to know that excesses of tomatoes are in our future, even if they are a precious commodity at the moment. The gargantuan zucchini that grew practically before our eyes last week (harvested every 2 days) aee poking along in their growth in the cool and cloudy weather this week. However, an array of colour makes this week’s box exciting again- orange carrots, straight as soldiers, magenta radishes, purple beans, rainbow chard, red leaf lettuce and of course, contrasting greens make me rejoice in the harvest again.
Plus this week, I had the pleasure of harvesting garlic. Pitchfork in hand, I felt like a conqueror, subduing the field before me, baby in pouch as usual, sleeping soundly. It made me think, spending a few hours volunteering on the farm this summer may be strangely satisfying for you also. Would anyone be interested? You wouldn’t go home empty-handed of course. I find sometimes being in a field harvesting alone is some of the best
Half Share
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carrots
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burgundy beans (purple when raw, turn green when cooked- fascinate your kids!)
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green cabbage
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rainbow swiss chard
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chicory (this variety can be used like endive, raw in salad or cooked)
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garlic
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cucumber
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red radish
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red leaf lettuce
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mini red potatoes
Whole Share
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carrots
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burgundy beans (purple when raw, turn green when cooked- fascinate your kids!)
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green cabbage
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rainbow swiss chard
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chicory (this variety can be used like endive, raw in salad or cooked)
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garlic
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cucumber
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red radish
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red leaf lettuce
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mini red potatoes
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red beets
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campari or beefsteak tomatoes
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zucchini
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green leaf lettuce
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strawberries (not the prettiest but still tasty)
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grape tomatoes
Easy Nutritious Lunch: Cucumber-Tomato Hummus Wraps
Ingredients:
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flour tortillas
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any type of tomato, chopped
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cucumber, skinned and chopped
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any type of lettuce or greens, torn, washed and dried
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generous heap of hummus, homemade or store-bought (I made my own without a recipe by using a can of chickpeas, 1 tbsp. lemon juice (or even a tbsp. red wine vinegar if you have no lemon juice), a few cloves of fresh garlic, and enough water to liquify in the blender, and it was delish!
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Fresh parsley (if desired) – I had some left over in my fridge
Directions:
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Wash and chop veggies. Spread hummus on wrap, followed by veggies and parsley and wrap.
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Consume with no guilt, knowing you ate low-cal and high-vitamin and taste!
I will send you to another blog for the Endive (chicory) Mash and Dutch Meatballs as it is pretty gorgeous in its original glory. Jannette (my mother-in-law and co-owner of the farm, speaks fondly of this dish, and I love how there is no need to cook the chicory or endive (apparently you can sub chicory for endive). Enjoy! http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/endive-mash-and-dutch-meatballs
All the best as you wash, prepare and chop to better health!
Sincerely,
Jennifer (the accidental farmer 😉