By Cecilia
I am sure you all have been seeing the veggies growing out in the field when you drive by on CSA day, but I wanted to give you an update on what is going on inside the tunnels! At our all member meeting I spoke a little about how we tried to rearrange our crop plan in a way that allows us to grow less while still feeling as abundant as past years. A big part of that plan is our management of the three tunnels. We originally invested in a third tunnel to be able to grow more during our slimmer winter months. In a non-drought year having that much indoor growing space feels excessive for the summer months. Last year we used the extra space to experiment with growing sweet potatoes. Because of our drought plan this year, we had no extra water to spare for testing out new crops. We decided to convert the third tunnel into an extra shade house in order to have more fresh greens through the summer. With the controlled indoor environment we are able to grow much more with a lot less water. So I hope you are all looking forward to more consistent spinach, kale, arugula, etc. through our hot months.
As for the hot tunnel we have peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant on their way. There are plenty of little green tomatoes waiting to turn red. I am sure they will be worth the wait. I know you can't see them from the driveway, but they are growing fast!
This Week’s Pick List:
Eggs
Cortland Yellow and Monastrell Red Onions (We recommend storing the red onions in the fridge even though they are cured. They are starting to fade.)
Bora King and Cheong Du Radish
Balena Celeriac (last week!)
Solaris Fennel
Hakurei Turnips
Evergreen Hardy Scallions
Dazzling Blue Kale
Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, and Dill
Regiment Spinach
Head Lettuce
Red mustard
Albion Strawberries
Single Herb Tea (We are offering our remaining dried herbs in bulk now!)
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Revolution Bread (Only on Tuesday this week)
Kale Chips
from Smitten Kitchen
1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale (I used Lacinato or “Dinosaur” Kale but I understand that the curlier stuff works, too, possibly even better)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet (I needed two because mine are tiny; I also lined mine with parchment for easy clean-up but there’s no reason that you must). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.
Kale-Dusted Popcorn!:
If you’re making the chips with the intention to grind them up for popcorn, I’d use less oil — perhaps half — so they grind without the “powder” clumping. I ground a handful of my chips (about half) in a mortar and pestle (well, actually the “pestle” was MIA so I used the handle of an OXO reamer, not that anyone asked) and sprinkled it over popcorn (1/4 cup popcorn kernels I’d cooked in a covered pot with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, shaking it about with potholders frequently). I seasoned the popcorn with salt.