2024 CSA Farm Update: Week 5
From the Farm: Today’s Garlic
Hello everyone and welcome to week 5 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. This time of year, the crops in the garden change very quickly. Walking through the fields this past week and looking at how everything is progressing, I found winter squash and peppers setting fruit, clusters of green tomatoes slowly ripening, and small potatoes growing underground. Even though this is how the summer is supposed to unfold, seeing it happen always seems like a miracle. How could a seed turn into this? I do not think there is a logical way to explain the metamorphosis that happens over the growing season. Unbiased observation combined with awe is the best I can do!
We have our first onions of the season going into the shares this week. The Rossa Lunga onion is a specialty fresh onion traditionally grown in the Mediterranean region of Europe. Its mild flavor and elongated shape make it great for grilling or pickling. We also have a summer radicchio. While generally lesser known, the Lusia variety is more like a butterhead lettuce, with its delicate red and yellow speckled leaves and mild flavor. A simple dressing with some grated cheese is my favorite way to enjoy it.
I can remember my first year harvesting garlic at Katchkie Farm. There were about four thousand heads of the most robust garlic I had ever seen. It was also the most garlic I had ever taken part in harvesting. Year after year, we have slowly increased our production to around 30,000 heads. It is sold mostly as seed for people to replant and grow on their farms or in their gardens as well as added to the CSA. It also makes up over 10 percent of our farm’s revenue.
The tricky part about growing garlic is that there is about a seven-day window to harvest it. When I checked our garlic last week, the cloves had not quite filled out yet, so it needed another week. Right now, the garlic is looking ready, but the weather looks like rain, with the chances of thunderstorms. Harvesting garlic is the rain is a recipe for mold and rot, which means we need to wait for dry weather. It is a bit of a puzzle as to how we will harvest it during its peak. Maybe we have to pick some each day in the dry windows? Somehow or another it always works out. Here’s to blue skies and a greenhouse full of garlic!
Until next time,
Farmer Jon
WEEKLY HARVEST INCLUDES*
*We try our best to provide the most accurate CSA list in the newsletter! However, there’s always a chance of last minute substitutions in some bags if we don’t harvest enough of a vegetable.
DELICIOUS RECIPES TO TRY
Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing, Steamed Broccoli, Baked Salmon & Herbed Wild Rice
Recipe from Embrace: Wellness
Serves 4
Pair non-starchy veggies with complex carbohydrates and protein for a balanced, nourishing meal.
Heat oven to 400°F.
Herbed Wild Rice: Rinse ½ cup wild rice (yields about 2 cups cooked) in a fine mesh sieve. Place rice and 1 ½ cups water or low-sodium vegetable stock in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. While the rice is cooking, prepare the other components of the dish.
Steamed Broccoli: Put 1 inch of water into a Dutch oven with a steamer basket. Cover and bring to a boil. Cut 2 heads of broccoli into bite-sized florets. Place broccoli in the steamer basket once the water is boiling. Steam for about 5 minutes until the florets are bright green. Drizzle with 1 Tb olive oil and season with pepper to taste.
Baked Salmon: Cut 1 lb wild salmon into 4 fillets. Arrange fillets skin side down on a lined sheet pan. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the fillets and sprinkle them with ½ tsp dried rosemary, ½ tsp dried thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Season with other ingredients like herbs or spices as desired. Cook for about 12 minutes.
Kale Salad: Shred 1 large bunch of curly green kale and mix with ½ cup thinly chopped red cabbage. To make the tahini dressing, mix 2 Tb tahini, 1 Tb olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 Tb red wine vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic and salt to taste. Massage the dressing into the kale and cabbage.
Once the rice is done, toss with ¼ cup chopped parsley and scallion greens. Serve all components together.