The cows coats are shiny and beautiful this time of year from all the fresh green grass. They fill their stomaches easily and spend more time ruminating during the day. The pasture is filling up with baby calves, some of whom are big enough to see now.
We put a shade cloth on one of the tunnels for the summer season, allowing us to grow spinach, basil, and other crops without it being too hot. We hope to also cut down on our use of row cover in the fields. We are also working through prepping all of the fields. The first field has been spaded and we are getting ready to water it. The next one is being spaded today.
This week's pick list:
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Fennel
- Potatoes
- Chard
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Turnip
- Lettuce
- Scallions
- Green Garlic
- Ground Basque and Cayenne pepper
- Herb Tea Blend
- Revolution Bread is available
Wheat Berry Salad With Green Garlic and Fennel, adapted from thekitchn.com
- 1 cup wheat berries
- 3 cups water
- 2 stalks green garlic (white and light green parts only), cut into 1-inch pieces*
- 2 tablespoons toasted almonds
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of one lemons
- Zest of one lemon
- Coarse kosher salt
- 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons torn mint leaves
Cook wheat berries: Combine wheat berries, water, and large pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Make green garlic sauce: Blend green garlic, almonds, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender until smooth. If the mixture is very thick or dry, mix in 1-2 tablespoons of water.
Assemble salad: In a large bowl, combine barley and green garlic sauce. Then mix in fennel and mint. Season to taste.
*Note: Green garlic is much more mild than mature garlic and we like it just fine raw. However, if you prefer, it can be blanched first to mellow out the flavor.