Turtle Times

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Vol. 12 No. 11, July 17, ‘07     7260 NW 58th  St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

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Rain:  No rain

In the Box . . .

Green beans ‘Bush Blue Lake’ (some sites)

Cucumbers ’Marketmore’ (green, spiny), ‘Diva’ (green, smooth), ‘Poona Kheera’ (light green turning brown)

Onions, early sweet ‘Ailsa Craig’

Swiss Chard (doling out to those requesting greens)

Cabbage ‘Invento’ or ‘Farao’ (round)

Broccoli ‘Arcadia’, ‘Packman’, ‘Gypsy’

Summer Squash ‘Sunburst’ (yellow patty pan), ‘Costata Romanesca’ (green striped), and ‘Dark Green’ (green zucchini), ‘Goldie’ (yellow zucchini), ‘Zephyr’ (yellow and green)

Herbs available by request by anyone:  sage

Herb share availability:  mint (regular and chocolate),  marjoram, thyme, sage, rosemary, summer savory, lavender, lemon or lime basil (makes a great tea), thai or cinnamon basil

Farm Update

This week, one of my favorite onions appears, the Ailsa Craigs.  I don’t know if it’s their name, or their great flavor, but I always am eager to have them. Last week some of your scallions were the variety ‘Lisbon’, which starts to bulb up a little bit, unlike the ‘Evergreen Hardy.’ I think the heat or lack of rain has made some of the broccoli heads kind of funky looking.  This is most likely their last week. And we have some green beans and peppers and Swiss Chard starting with a trickle.

Julia, Alex, Cole, Gabe, and Ella McGuire and Donald Bustell dug a lot of softneck garlic on Saturday.  Nancy Rambo did the lion’s share of tying it up, with a little help from Debbie Julien, Carol and Kevin Schoeppler.   Thanks much to these volunteers that helped reduce the farm crew’s busy work load this week.  After a couple of weeks of drying, you get to start enjoying the eating part.

            This Saturday July 21, 9 am to noon is a PFI field day at the farm.  We will be highlighting the RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions) plantings, the Trees Forever buffer-strip plantings, and the efforts of preserving farmland in a rapidly urbanizing area.  There will be samples of black raspberry ice cream and some of the heirloom foods such as garden huckleberry pie, ground cherries, and bean dishes as long as they last. 

Recipes

An abundance of zucchini and broccoli brought out some recipe donations (always welcome)--zucchini bread from Beth Grob, and broccoli salad from Bonnie Boal.

Zucchini Bread   (Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook by Diane Roupe)

3 c. all-purpose flour                                                   3 extra-large eggs

1 tsp. baking powder                                                  2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda                                                        3 c. unpared, coarsely shredded fresh 1 tsp. salt                                                                                zucchini

1 tsp. ground cinnamon                                              1 c. broken pecans

2 c. sugar                                                                     1 c. flaked coconut

1 c. vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease lightly two 5x9-inch loaf pans on the bottoms and only 1 inch up the sides; set aside.  Onto waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside

            In a large mixing bowl; place the sugar and vegetable oil; using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until light and well blended.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well on high speed after each addition.  Add the vanilla; beat until well blended.  Add the flour mixture in halves, beating on low speed after each addition only until blended.  Add the zucchini, pecans, and coconut; using a large mixing spoon, fold in until evenly distributed.  Pour the batter equally into the prepared loaf pans.  Using a small, narrow spatula, spread the batter evenly in the pans.  Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.  Remove the bread from the oven and place on wire racks; cool 10 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pans; let stand on wire racks until completely cool.  Wrap the loaves separately in airtight aluminum foil.

Farfalle and Broccoli Salad With Gorgonzola Dressing

1 pound broccoli, tops cut into 3/4-inch florets, stems cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta , or any other shape you like

3/4 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 cups), crumbled, plus more for garnish
6 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

            Cook broccoli stems in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Add florets and cook until stems and florets are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to strainer. Refresh under cold water. Drain. Bring same pot of water to boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse under cold water.

Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, and vinegar in large bowl. Add half of Gorgonzola cheese. Using rubber spatula, mash until cheese is almost smooth. Stir in remaining cheese. Add pasta, green onions, parsley, and broccoli; toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Makes 8 to 10 servings. (I used Maytag blue cheese in this, but any crumbly blue, Gorgonzola or Roquefort will work nicely.)