Turtle Times

Turtle Times

_____________________________________________________________________

Vol. 12, No. 18, Sept. 4, ‘07 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston, 278-4522 (577-9208)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rain: 8/28, 2.2”

In the Box . . .

Watermelon ‘Crimson Sweet’ (red), ‘Orangeglo’ (orange), ‘Peace’ (yellow)

Cantalope ‘Sharolyn’, ‘Haogen’

Garlic ‘Inchelium’

Green Beans ‘Maxibel’ (haricot vert), ‘Trionfo’ (purple), ‘Gold of Baucau’ (some sites)

Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Amana Orange’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Big Beef’, ‘Brandywine’ (RAFT), ‘Golden boy’, ‘Nebraska wedding’ (RAFT), Amish paste’ (RAFT), Kentucky Beefsteak’, ‘Green zebra’, ‘Evergreen’, ‘Orange strawberry’

Eggplant ’Pingtung Long’, ‘Black bell’, ‘Cloud 9’, ‘Italian blush’, ‘Thai green’, ‘Rosa Bianca’, ‘Neon’

Peppers ‘Ace’, ‘Antohi Romanian’, ‘Jimmy ‘Nardello’, ‘California Wonder’

Hot Peppers, ancho, pepperoncini (only to those requesting hot peppers)

Raspberries ‘Autumn Brittany’, Autumn Bliss’, ‘Caroline’ (some sites)

Basil

Okra (for those requesting it)

Herbs available by request by anyone: sage, parsley, basil

Herb share availability: marjoram, thyme, rosemary, lemon, lime, thai or cinnamon basil, lemon grass. For tarragon or lavender (call ahead)

Farm Update

Those of you who were able to visit the farm this season have been able to see the progress of the Trees Forever border plantings which are to act as drift protection from the housing development to the south. The bushes and peach trees are doing well, but most of the Norway spruce died and will have to be replanted. I wish the border could prevent other kinds of drift. It has been interesting and not always positive to be next to a housing development in the building stages. The first item drifting over was all the debris from building sites, some of it blown by winds, some dumped on purpose. We have collected pickup loads. This season it has been construction vehicles drifting over. Farms seem to be considered public areas for many kinds of construction traffic with their own idea of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. A truck loaded with sheetrock got stuck in the backyard of a home under construction this spring. A second similar truck decided to traverse over the farm to get there and for both of them to get out—otherwise, they would have had to call a tow truck! “We couldn’t ask permission because you weren’t here”, they explained after my arrival. It will take winter’s frosts to lighten up those trenches. More recently a skid loader drove onto the farm and over one of our peach trees to get to a backyard to work on “because there wasn’t any other way to get there.” When I noted that perhaps he could have come through the lawn of the home he was working on, he replied “but that’s sod and this is just grass.” And so it goes . . .

Last week we were attacked by ripe melons as we innocently walked by the patch. Mind you, we had just visited the melon patch 5 days earlier with no hints of ripe fruits there. We hope to have enough for seconds this week. You are receiving the second installment of garlic, a soft neck variety. The raspberries are definitely over the hill and in decline.

Recipes

Buckwheat with Cucumber and Tomato (Sue Davies’ potluck dish)

For smaller households, this recipe also works well when halved.

1 cup buckwheat groats

2 cups water or broth

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)

2 medium cucumbers cubed

2 large tomatoes cubed

vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Simmer the buckwheat groats in water or broth until done or liquid is absorbed. Saute chopped onion and garlic. Cube cucumbers and tomatoes. Mix it all together. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Can be served warm or cold.

Fresh Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Dill (Tedesco potluck dish from The New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook, 2007)

Yield: 25 Servings

For the Salad:

18 ears fresh corn, husk and silk removed

4 scallions, sliced

3 large red bell peppers, cut into ½ inch dice

3 large green bell peppers, cut into ½ inch dice

3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped

½ cup chopped fresh dill

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

For the Dressing:

1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

½ cups balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Meanwhile, hold each ear of corn upright in a very large bowl and slice off the kernels. Add the corn kernels to the boiling water and cover. Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes, stirring the corn once every minute. Drain and refresh under cold water.
Put the corn in the large serving bowl with the remaining vegetables. Add the oil. Toss well. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Marinate 1 to 2 hours.