Harvest Notes - Week 5

Hakurai Turnips These are all the rage at farmer’s markets and local foods venues and it is hard to understand why they aren’t already a staple veggie in more American kitchens. Unlike your typical storage turnip, these can be eaten raw. Try lightly sauteeing or roasting them as well. The greens are delicious as well- raw in salad, or cooked.

Basil Store these on your kitchen counter with the stems in a glass of water to avoid the blackening and wilting that can happen when kept in the fridge. Use quickly to get the most aroma and freshness out of this herb. I toss basil in just about anything to give it that aromatic complexity- sandwiches, salad dressings, soups, curries, stir-fries, and pasta dishes.

Napa Cabbage This savoyed (meaning- crinkly leafed) cabbage is incredibly crisp and juicy. I love to make a sesame marinated salad with it. Try slicing it thin with chopped peas, basil, scallions, and cucumbers and letting it sit for a few hours in a marinade of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic.

Cucumbers The Persian variety is smallish, with smooth skin and small seeds. The round yellowish variety is called a Lemon Cucumber.

Kale This nutritious green is perfect for roasted kale chips (see recipe on website), soups, massaged salads, curries, stir-fries, or simple steamed greens.

Zucchini We grow a few varieties of zucchini and summer squash and you will get your pick each week for a while. You know your zucchini is super fresh when it “sweats- beads of moisture congregate on the cut side when you slice it.

Garlic Chives These flat leaved chives grow beautifully and are a great addition to most dishes you would put scallions into.

Lettuce You have two gargantuan heads this week- a red leaf lettuce that is delicate and a romaine that is very crispy.
 

The Benefits of Crop Diversity are Enormous. The field above is home to Tomatoes, Lettuce, Potatoes, Onions, Eggplant, Peppers, Herbs, and Flowers. Such diversity and rotation supports a balanced insect and microbial ecosystem- not to mention a balanced diet for all of us who rely on these fields for dinner. The hay stack you see is part of our mulching program which maintains soil moisture and excludes weeds while adding organic matter to the soil.