2024 Summer | Week 6
Summer is in Full Swing
We are entering a summer doldrum of sorts. Summer crops are widing down but it’s too hot to start the fall ones. In the meantime… TOMATOES, GARLIC and PEPPERS. Let’s embrace and expand our outlets for these great ingredients. As we ramp up, we should have more and more quantities so we can offer more recipe ideas and ideas for extending your supply. For those who have never frozen marinara, tomato juice, we’re talkin’ to you! Never had a tomato pie or fresh salsa, listen up!
We are also going to ramp up our microgreen factory in the next few weeks. More on micros later but they are in short, the ultimate superfood and we love them.
Meet the Garlic
(descriptions from Mad River Garlic)We started our garlic crops last year. We planted ten pounds of three varieties. This initial investment amounted to 100’ of garlic and was about $420 in seed garlic. We harvested around 70 lbs last year and saved most of it to reinvest in our crop this year. We haven’t tabulated our haul this year but hope for 400 lbs. Here’s a little about the varieties we planted. There is only one soft neck. It’s easy to identify as, well, the neck of the garlic is floppy. Here are some notes from Mad River on each variety.
Romanian Red (porcelain)
This has been another good variety for us however it is one that does not like competition from weeds. Bulb size will be noticeably reduced if you lose control of the weeding around this variety. It is strong and pungent with a long lasting bite and is very good for storage. Averages 4 to 5 cloves per bulb. Porcelain Garlics—These are the largest of the garlic plants. The highest amount of Allicin for health benefit. They are typically very cold hardy. Large easy to peel beautiful cloves. Loves moisture. The bulbs are usually beautiful in shape and white in color. Clove skins yellow-tan to pinkish-brown.
Music (porcelain)
Music produces very large bulbs. Strong, robust plants stand out in the garden. A sweet and substantial garlic when baked. Hot when consumed raw. A Bestseller. The flavor is good, sweet and pungent. It is an Italian variety brought back to Canada by Al Music in the 1980s from his homeland. Averages about 5 cloves per bulb. Porcelain Garlics—These are the largest of the garlic plants. The highest amount of Allicin for health benefit. They are typically very cold hardy. Large easy to peel beautiful cloves. Loves moisture. The bulbs are usually beautiful in shape and white in color. Clove skins yellow-tan to pinkish-brown.
Inchelium Red: (Artichoke)
It is a large bulbed vigorous strain with several layers of cloves. In a 1990 taste test at Rodale kitchens this was a top rated softneck. Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation,. It has a mild but lingering flavor. It Is braidable. It has four or five layers of cloves with 8 to 20 total cloves possible per bulb. Bulbs over 3 inches possible. This mild flavored garlic is great baked and blended with mashed potatoes. It averages four or five layers of cloves with 8 to 20 total cloves per bulb. Artichoke Garlics—Are easy to grow and the most productive. They mature early in the season and one of the first to harvest. They can store 8-10 months in proper conditions. They have multiple clove layers on their large flattened bulb. Clove skins are off white-tan. Performs well in southern regions as well. Does not typically scape. Most commonly grown commercially.
Matt and Pete - photographed by Charlotte - harvest day is our favorite day of the week.
Zuchinni - 7 days ago
2 days ago
Today
What's in Your Crate this Week?
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GREEN BEANS 101 - Turning a vibrant, beautiful green when cooked, string beans are versatile and delicious. Easy to prepare, string beans are great sautéed, roasted, grilled, or in stir-fry – we even like snacking on them while we cook! We believe simple is almost always better and like them best with a little of our 1808 Olive Oil, salt, and pepper. If you’re feeling spicy, try adding red pepper flakes.
EAT NOW - Rinse beans in cool water and pat dry. Snap off stem and any damaged parts before use. Can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of delicious ways!
OR LATER - Store unwashed beans in a perforated plastic bag in the veggie bin of your fridge for up to 1 week. Rejuvenate limp beans by soaking them in ice water for 30 min. To freeze, blanch, dry well, and pack into airtight containers.
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.
RECIPIES
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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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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