Monthly Archives: August 2011

Summer Week 12: Just What is a “Pattypan”?

Posted on August 29, 2011 | 4 comments

This variety is from Italy, "Stregonta". It means "sorceress". It was supposed to be a pole strain, and we were saving seed, but it turned out to be a bush variety and they are done WAY early. They are pretty and delicious, nonetheless.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• “Stregonta” Shelling Beans
• Green Onions or Walla Walla Onions
• Cabbage
• Swiss Chard
• Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
• Cucumbers
• Genovese Basil
• Garlic

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Green Beans
Lettuce
Spinach

We all know this has been a strange year. As yet another example, we already have shelling beans. In a typical year, we don’t have any varieties ready until at least the end of September. But not this year. The “Stregonta” are ready now, and the “Cannellini” will be ready in another week or two. Then the other varieties will follow. There is a whole page of recipes, so be sure to click on the link.

We planted 10,000 basil plants. Can you smell it yet?

The basil is finally ready. We have waited for weeks for the little plants to grow big enough to bunch, and it has finally happened. Make pesto, or chop it up and toss it with your sautéed squashes, or just roll around in it. It smells and tastes amazing. We’re having pesto and pasta for dinner tonight, with Pecorino, of course.

Beatrix Potter's, "The Pie and the Patty Pan".

And now the story: I have wondered for years, maybe even decades, what is a pattypan? Last spring, as I sat in the childrens’ section of the library, I was browsing through the collection of Beatrix Potter books on the table. I thought I had seen them all, but then I saw a new one: “The Pie and the Patty Pan”. I gasped, and read it, and then took some pictures. I hope the copyright police don’t come and get me.

So there really was a patty-pan. Poor Miss Kitty.

There in the story, about a little dog and cat who are visiting and having a potluck, is a patty pan. It’s just a little pie tin, with scalloped edges. I have a number of them, for making single-serving tarts and pies. You can just see it in the bottom right of the picture.

Pattypan Squashes. This variety is "Benning's Green Tint". There are a number of heirloom varieties in the Seed Savers' Exchange book. I once got seeds from someone in France, I remember one variety named "Patisson Panaché Vert e Blanc". It was pretty.

After reading the story and looking at the illustrations, I could see why this type of squash was named a pattypan.

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Summer Week 11: Trip to the Desert

Posted on August 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Cosmo, the Cucumber Cowboy. What a great helper.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Cucumbers
• Green Onions
• Purslane
• Beet Greens
• Lettuce
• Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
• Dill or Cilantro
• Garlic

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Green Beans
Basil
Shelling Beans

I so apologize for this late post. My amazing iMac has been giving me fits, shutting down abruptly when it gets hot, which it has been a lot lately. It took a while to figure out that it only did it when it gets hot. Which is why now I’m posting early in the morning when it has been cool all night. Thank you, Greg for your suggestions yesterday: I plan on taking care of it tomorrow and getting her opened up.

It has been amazing, hot, summer weather. Planting is furious now as we meet our winter planting deadlines. The cucumbers have exploded, so you can expect a lot of them in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, the lettuces have all bolted, even the Speckled Bibb, which is usually the last holdout. There will be more, but not for another week or two.

The real newcomer this week is the Purslane. I know a lot of people have asked me what it is, and I was anxious to get a new How To Eat It page ready for it. It is now done, and you can find a number of recipes. It is very popular in Mexico, and for this reason I sell a lot of it at the Columbia City Farmers Market. Surprisingly, it is also very popular in Eastern Africa, Turkey, and Greece. It is so fun to go to a market with many cultures. Much to learn.

A glowing handful of zucchini blossoms. This is about 30. They have to be picked in the early morning or they melt.

The summer squash have exploded as well, and the plants are covered in blooms every morning. Be sure to let us know if you would like to try some blossoms.! I need to know the day before so I can pick them when they are at their peak.

The last picking of fava beans was not for eating. They are starting to dry on the plants, so we picked about 40 pounds to save for seed. We should end up with about 20 pounds of seed to plant in the spring.

We have more green beans coming—they are just blooming—but the fava beans are finished. We picked the last of them to save for seed, and the next day we had winter’s kale planted in teh same spot.

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Summer Week 10: An Edible Trip to Italy

Posted on August 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Ferny Finocchio in the field.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Romano Beans, or Green Snap Beans
• Big, Beautiful Lettuce
• Torpedo Onions (Rossa Lunga di Tropea)
• Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
• Fennel
• Carrots
• Thyme

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Green Beans
Purslane
Cucumbers
Basil
Fennel

Gotcha! No we haven’t been to Italy, but this week’s selection of produce is largely Italian. The ferny Fennel, or Finocchio, the beautiful Rossa di Tropea (Red of Tropea) onions, and the genuine Italian Romano Beans—seed direct from Italy—are all Italian heirloom vegetables. If only the basil had been big enough this week. Soon, though, soon.

Sparkling Red Torpedo Onions. Seed from Tropea in Florence, Italy.

First, check out the Fennel page. There is a link to it above and to the right. Red Torpedo onions are not quite as sweet as a Walla Walla, but they are not as hot as a red onion. They are quite delicious. And the Romano beans do NOT need to be shelled. They are a snap bean, just like the American green beans, but they do need an extra minute or two to cook, just because they are bigger. They cook up tender, and delicious—more flavorful than the standard green bean.

I like to cut them into 1″ or 2″ sections and sauté them with onion or garlic in olive oil. Then we eat them as a side dish, or on top of pasta. The other night I got into the kitchen to make dinner after 9:00, and I sautéed some garlic, a bunch of Romano beans, and some sliced zucchini. After the vegetables were tender, I splashed some thick balsamic vinegar in. Had it on pasta and put lots of Pecorino on top. Quick and easy.

Honeybee in a Bachelor Button Blossom.

I’ve always watched and been fascinated by bees. More so this year, though, since we got our own honeybees. There seem to be many more bumblebees than usual. I don’t know if it’s better observation, or reality. I’ve noticed that the bumblebees definitely prefer certain flowers—white clover, for one, and beans, pumpkins, zucchini, and cucumbers. It turns out that honeybees don’t really get much from those giant flowers, as far as colony-building is concerned. They prefer alfalfa, sweet clover, and berries. Although, they are fond of Bachelor Buttons.

Honeybees don't get much from squash and pumpkin flowers, but the bumblebees seem to thrive on them. Here's a bumblebee swimming in a pumpkin blossom.

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Summer Week 9: More Bounty!

Posted on August 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

Finally, the first carrots of the year are ready. Hopefully they'll last a while.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Fava Beans
• Yellow Snap Beans
• Big, Beautiful Lettuce
• Sweet Onions
• Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
• Carrots
• Thyme

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Green Beans
Purslane
Cucumbers
Basil
Fennel

Fresh Yellow Snap Beans

The snap beans are finally ready to pick. I don’t know if we’ll be able to u-pick this patch because it is very weedy. Not just ordinary weeds, but with something called “wild buckwheat”. It looks like a morning glory vine, but it’s actually in the buckwheat family. It creates a viny tangle though, very hard to work through, and impossible to rototill because it winds up in the tines of the machine. So, we slowly pick our way through to get the camouflaged beans. There will be another patch, close to the farmstand. You WILL be able to pick those when they are ready, toward the end of the month.

Beautiful lettuce again this week. This one is called "Flashy Green Butter Oak". Frank Morton, in Oregon, has taken to breeding amazing varieties of lettuce. This is one of the prettiest.

We are back to heads of lettuce again. The salad mix was a fill-in item. I wish we had more heads of it, but one of my new favorites is “Flashy Green Butter Oak.” There is a man nearby who spends his time developing new, beautiful lettuce varieties. Not hybrids, but just cross-pollinating different strains. This one is beautiful, tasty, and quick to mature. One of his tastiest is “Blushed Butter Cos”, but it hasn’t done well so far this summer. It doesn’t appreciate temperature fluctuations.

The heat has been fun for the kids. Cosmo loves to get muddy and dirty. Della just loves the sprinklers. Look for more produce to come. Unfortunately the broccoli hasn’t done well. Sadly, the heads are small and most flowered while we waited for them to size up. Broccoli doesn’t appreciate the swings between hot and cold either. Too temperamental. It was doing fine while the weather was cool, but as soon as it got hot it bolted and ran away. Don’t fret too much though, a new patch of broccoli and cauliflower has gone in the ground and should be ready toward the end of September when the weather is nice and cool.

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Aside

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for supporting us and allowing us to feed your families! Email me!

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Posted on August 9, 2011

Summer Week 8: Brace Yourselves, Summer is Here

Posted on August 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

A happy customer with her beautiful bouquet from the u-cut flower garden. Nice job!

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Fava Beans
• “Spanish Roja” Garlic
• Cabbage
• Salad Mix
• Fresh Dill or Fresh Cilantro
• Spinach or Swiss Chard
• Zucchini

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Carrots
Broccoli
Green Beans
Cucumbers

Zucchini are ready!

Today I heard a lot of people say how different the farm looks after two weeks of sun. It’s true. Everything has grown by leaps and bounds since the weather warmed up. We gave the squashes extra water over the weekend to pump them up, and it worked—we have zucchini for everyone!

The cabbages are juicy and sweet. The herbs are full of flavor, because the heat boosts the essential oil content. The favas have more flavor this week. Last night we made a 15-minute dinner out of shelled favas, sautéed with a bunch of sliced sweet onions and a few cloves of garlic. I grabbed a bottle from the counter (thought it was some form of vinegar, but it turned out to be Marsala) and dressed it after I turned off the heat. We served them on top of pasta and topped with Pecorino. It was yummy. 15 minutes. No recipe.

The new patch of spinach is lovely, the Swiss chard is developing good color. Both are delicious simply sautéed or steamed, or wilted. We grilled up a bunch of halved zucchinis dressed with olive oil and salt. They were crunchy-tender and yummy.

Summer is finally here, so get used to eating more veggies!

And, for those of you who have been watching the rogue mama chicken and her babies, all 15 are still alive and well, but she has decided that they don’t need her anymore, so she’s sitting on a new nest of eggs. She kicked off another hen and took over. She taught them how to roost before she sent them packing.