Week 5 (6/26 and 29)
This week your basket contains: green onions, snap peas, spinach, bok choi, SUMMER SQUASH OR CUCUMBERS OR Asian broccoli, new potatoes, PARSLEY, kohlrabi.
One of the most important things about having to fill baskets every week of the year is timing. We have honed our system over the past 20+ years so we generally know when to start what and what varieties to plant to ensure a nice progression of harvests. All of this is subject to the whims of nature, however. Last week we decided to take a week off between our hoop house new potatoes and the outdoor new potatoes to let the latter develop just that much more. It seems to have paid off. Lettuce this week needs a week off due to a combination of lags in seeding and bed prep. We hope to have good lettuce again next week. This year we have an additional element complicating our timing: a killdeer has built a nest in one of our gardens! These interesting birds are ground nesters who prefer open, sparsely vegetated soil for their very shallow nests. This year the area I started prepping for winter cabbage caught this bird’s fancy and before we knew it, there were four eggs. We are checking the calendar and hoping the eggs hatch soon enough for the final bed prep and planting. Here’s a picture of her nest. We will keep you up to date on their progress.
Even though we don’t have lettuce, the spinach is perfect for a salad this week. This is a great dressing.
HOT BACON SALAD DRESSING
10 slices smoked lean bacon
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 green onions, chopped
1 egg yolk, boiled and grated
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
In a skillet, sauté bacon until crisp; crumble into pan. Drain, reserving a tablespoon of bacon drippings. Add sugar, vinegar, horseradish and pepper. Chop green onions (use the green tops as well as the white portions). Sauté for 1 minute. Pour immediately over baby lettuce or potatoes. Sprinkle boiled, grated egg over the salad as a garnish. Note: Be sure lettuce or potatoes are dry so they are better able to absorb the dressing. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Serve hot. From COOKS.COM
SPRING ROLLS WITH BOK CHOY AND TOFU
2 Tbs. dry mustard
2 slices ginger plus 1 Tbs. minced
Salt
4 c. thinly sliced bok choy
1 bunch scallions, including greens
1 c. broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1 10-ounce package extra-firm tofu, diced
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. rice wine vinegar
12 egg roll wrappers
12 cilantro sprigs
Peanut oil for frying
Mix the mustard with 3 Tbs. water and set aside. Heat 2 quarts of water with the sliced ginger and one Tbs. salt. When it boils, add the bok choy, scallions and broccoli and cook for 1-½ minutes. The water will not return to a boil. Drain the vegetables, rinse them with cold water, wrap in a clean towel, and squeeze several times until dry. Combine them with the tofu, minced ginger and garlic. Sprinkle with sesame oil, sugar, vinegar and ¾ tsp. salt. Toss well, and taste the mixture to be sure it’s seasoned sufficiently.
Lay one egg roll wrapper on the counter at a diagonal with a corner facing you. Heap 3 Tbs. of the filling crosswise near the base. Lay a cilantro sprig on top, fold up the lower corner, fold in the outer corners, and then wrap. Repeat, using the rest of the filling. Place the egg rolls on a plate, cover with wax paper, then with plastic, until ready to cook. To cook, heat a ½ inch of peanut oil in a medium skillet until hot enough to quickly sizzle a corner of an egg roll. Add 2 egg rolls and fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry the second side, then remove to paper toweling to drain. Continue frying the rest. Serve hot with the mustard sauce. From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.
If you have paper grocery bags with handles, we need them. Polly uses them at the Beaverton Farmers Market. Just leave them with your empty basket, and we’ll re-use them.