2024 Summer | Week 4
That’s a lot of Garlic
Matt and I harvested all of the garlic last week, so we’ll have plenty for our crates for the rest of the season. For the next few weeks, you’ll receive a couple of bulbs with the greens and dirt attached. These are in curing mode, meaning we age them in a cool, ventilated place for 3-6 weeks to let them dry out. But, as long as you use them every week, the fresh bulbs are excellent. “Fresh, ‘uncured’ garlic is moister than the usual ‘cured’ garlic, but can be crushed, baked, diced, etc. just like normal garlic.”
This is the harvest from one of our four 100’ rows.
We use racks to lay out the garlic to “cure.” Here we bunch and hang. We’ll trim and clean in about 3-6 weeks and then store in a cool, dark place in a mesh bag.
We’ll be talking more about garlic in future. Have a great week.
What's in Your Crate this Week?
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BEETS 101—Beets are healthy, versatile, taste amazing, and look beautiful. One of the best things about them is that they keep well before and after cooking, and every part is edible and delicious. Beets can be broiled, steamed, grilled, or roasted, our favorite. (We like cut beets roasted in olive oil and salt and pepper the best!)
EAT NOW—Roots: Just before cooking, scrub the beets well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or a veggie peeler, then grate or cut them according to the recipe. To remove the skins, roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will slip right off.
Beet greens: Wash the leaves in a basin of lukewarm water to remove grit. Remove the thicker stems. Depending on use, cut the greens into appropriately sized pieces.
OR LATER - To Freeze: Beet Roots: Boil or bake beets until done. Cool them in ice water or let them come to room temperature. Remove peels. Trim the beets into 1/4-inch slices or keep them whole (if they are small). Place in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze. Beet greens: Blanch wash beet greens for 2-3 minutes in hot boiling water. Immediately dunk in ice water to stop the cooking process. Then drain and pack into airtight containers. Freeze them in “balls” on a cookie sheet, then pop them into a freezer bag for the perfect portion.
DON’T TOSS THOSE BEET GREENS! - Beet greens are delicious! Here are some simple ways to use them: Use them for making vegetable stock, toss them into a salad — especially the smaller leaves, braised with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes, toss in a smoothie, add them to an omelet, frittata, or quiche, stir them into a pasta sauce in the final stages, add to a soup, like you would kale or spinach, turn them into a pesto
RECIPES
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Celery 101 - Celery is a member of the Apiaceae family which includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, and celeriac. Its crunchy stalks provide a wide range of health benefits—from anti-inflammatory to lowering blood pressure; celery is a versatile veggie that can be cooked or enjoyed raw.
EAT NOW - Keep it cold! Wrap it in a damp paper towel and then wrap it tightly in foil, leaving the ends open.
OR LATER - Blanch and freeze
RECIPES
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PEPPERS 101 - Whether hot or sweet, peppers are full of beneficial vitamins and minerals and are great raw or cooked. They can be sliced on pizzas or as part of salads and even stuffed with meats and cheeses. Hotter peppers like jalapeños can be cooked or roasted to reduce their heat. They make a great addition to any meal such as: sandwiches, tacos, pizzas, or chopped and added to soups, stews, sauces and more. Our personal favorite, are Jalapeño Poppers.
EAT NOW - First rinse and dry your peppers. Cut off the top and slice. If preparing hot peppers, be careful to wash your hands after handling - don’t touch your eyes! For less spicy peppers, cut in half length-wise and remove seeds and ribs. Are best stored whole.
OR LATER - Store whole or sliced in fridge for up to 1 week. To store longer, flash freeze (whole or sliced) on a cookie sheet. Transfer to a freezer bag once frozen. They keep well in the freezer – no need to thaw for use in cooked dishes.
RECIPES
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RADISHES 101 - Our radishes are delicious when raw, with a sprinkle of salt or butter. The spicy, raw flavor is a wonderful addition to slaws and salads, or you can sauté and roast radishes to bring out a more subtle earthly flavor. You can even try them grilled!
EAT NOW - Scrub radishes well to remove dirt, then trim stem and rootlets. Slice, chop, mince or leave them whole. Delicious raw and cooked.
OR LATER - Remove leaves and store unwashed greens in loosely wrapped plastic bag in crisper. Store unwashed roots in plastic bag in fridge for up to 1 week.
RECIPES
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TOMATOES 101 - Probably the most versatile fruit in the garden, tomatoes can be used in countless ways - salsa, gazpacho, sauces, slow roasted, puree and even a bloody Mary. Ours are grown for taste so eat them right out of the crate.
EAT NOW - Store unripe tomatoes upside down on a plate at room temperature until they fully ripen. Wash, pat dry, slice or dice, and enjoy the taste of a real tomato.
OR LATER - Refrigerate any fully ripe tomatoes - allow to come to room temp before serving. To freeze, first blanch and dunk in ice water to cool. Remove stems and core. Transfer to storage bags, seal and place in freezer.
To blanch, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. While you wait for boil, prepare an ice bath. Once boiling, drop veggies into water - water should return to boil within a minute otherwise you have too much veg for the water. Once boil has returned, cook for 1-5 min until veg has a vibrant color. Immediately put into ice bath to stop cooking.
RECIPES