Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week #7

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE:

Back when it was raining endlessly, I wondered if there would come a time when the faucet turned off, and the oven turned on. That is indeed what has happened, and it has become interesting keeping everything watered. I've even caught myself hoping for rain...something I couldn't have imagined doing just a few short weeks ago. Funny how things like that work. The great news is that, as long as they stay watered (which, so far, they have), the plants are just loving this warm weather, and they are doing a lot of growing. I am very happy to be able to offer you something besides just leafy greens this week. Enjoy!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX:

Familiar Items: Head Lettuce and Salad Mix.

What's New This Week:

Kale – Kale is one of my favorite leafy greens, and it has a reputation for being very good-for-you too. You can steam it by slicing up the leaves and stems, placing them in your steam basket, and steaming for approx 5 minutes (until the leaves take on a bright green hue, you don't want to overcook them). Or, you can saute it. Here is a recipe recommended by the Food Network's Bobby Flay:

Sauteed Kale

¾ pound young kale, stems & leaves coarsely chopped

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely sliced

¼ cup vegetable stock or water

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar. Serves 2.

Snap Peas – I can hardly describe how excited I was to glance over at the pea vines (that have been planted since March) and see that they had become, seemingly overnight, loaded with peas! Finally! My favorite way to eat them is raw, one right after the other :-). Steaming them is my second favorite way to prepare them. Simply place the peas in your steam basket, place over boiling water and steam until they are just tender (but still with a bit of crunch...approx 1 – 1 ½ minutes).

Carrots – The carrots have loved this warm weather, and have done a lot of growing over the past week or so. I am happy to finally be able to include them in your veggie shares this week!

1 bunch carrots, scrubbed and grated
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
3-8 spring onions, chopped
yogurt on it's own or mixed with a bit of sour cream
splash of vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. You can get creative if you like by adding a bit of mustard, a few raisins, a few nuts or some other grated vegetables. Also, you can spice it up by adding vinaigrette or a flavored olive oil instead of the yogurt.

Dill – I know you've gotten a lot of dill in your shares already. This is just enough to use with the carrot recipe, if you'd like.

Weekly Veggie Share Newsletter

BADGER ROCK FARM NEWSLETTER

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE:

What a week it has been! Large hail hit on Tuesday 6/7 (the night funnel clouds were sighted around Billings, and even in Musselshell county). Roundup also flooded for the second time in as many weeks. This time, I got stuck out at the farm, which is a mile down the road from my house. This was a much more productive place to be trapped, and I was able to make some progress with transplanting. I think that the farm has fared through all of this crazy weather relatively well. I was lucky that I was running behind due to the previous flood, when I got stuck at the house. All of the tomatoes, squash and cucumber plants were still safe inside the greenhouse! Cabbage and broccoli were already out, however, and did receive some damage. I am hoping they stage a full recovery! Some sunshine will do them, and all of us, a world of good! Thank you, to everyone, for your patience through this challenging beginning to your weekly shares!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX:

Salad Mix -- One of my favorite summer staples: fresh salad mix. Included in this mix are various mixed lettuces, as well as sorrel, chard, beet greens, arugula, mustard leaves, cilantro, dill and mint.

Spinach – It's delicious either raw, in salads, or cooked. Spinach quiche is good....you can prepare it following the same recipe for the sorrel quiche from a couple of weeks ago, substituting the spinach leaves for the sorrel. Wilted spinach is also yummy:

2 quarts young spinach leaves, stems removed 

2 slices of bacon, diced 

1 tbsp flour 

2 tbsp sugar 

1/3 cup vinegar 

½ tsp salt 

3-4 tbsp diced onion

Place spinach in a serving bowl, tearing the leaves if they are too large. Fry the bacon until crisp and sprinkle it over the spinach. Add the flour to the bacon drippings that are left in the pan and stir until blended together. Then, add the sugar, salt and vinegar. Cook while stirring until the mixture is thickened. Drizzle it over the spinach and sprinkle the diced onion on top. Toss salad and serve. Serves 4.

Rhubarb – I have to apologize for the appearance of the rhubarb this week. It took a hammering from large hail the night before harvest. I only included the best looking stalks in your share, but there are still some dings and dents visible. Sorry about that. Hopefully Mother Nature sees fit to give us a break from this rigorous Spring we've received thus far!! Here is another rhubarb recipe for this week.

Rhubarb and Spinach Salad

4 stalks rhubarb, cut into thin slices                                                                                      1/4 cup sugar                                                                                                                     2 tbsp. red wine vinegar                                                                                                      Salt & pepper to taste                                                                                                         16-20 spinach leaves                                                                                                          6 tbsp vegetable oil 

Place the rhubarb in a pan, sprinkle on the sugar and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Place over high heat and bring water to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour mixture through a large sieve into a bowl. Return the liquid to the pan. Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper, and place over high heat. Cook, uncovered, until the mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup. While that is cooking, divide the spinach onto serving plates. Arrange the rhubarb over the spinach. When the liquid is reduced, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the oil. Pour over the salads and serve.

Chamomile – There is nothing like a cup of fresh chamomile tea before bedtime. To prepare, simply add approximately 2 tbsp of the fresh flowers to 2 cups of boiling water and allow to steep. You can adjust how much chamomile you add to strengthen or weaken to the tea to your taste.

Dill – Dill pickles aren't the only thing you can make with fresh dill. One of my favorites is dill dip, which can be used for dipping veggies or crackers.

1 cup sour cream 

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 ½ tbsp minced onion (or chives!) 

1 ½ tsp salt (or to taste) 

4 ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, onion, salt, and dill. Mix well. Chill at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.