We checked the watermelon and canteloupe on Friday night and they were smaller then a ping pong ball. On Sunday afternoon, they were between the size of a softball and a volleyball.
Each day brings different growing conditions for the plants and continued unpredictability of the crop outcomes in the garden. We were blessed on Sunday with a gentle rain which amounted to about 25/100″. Tonight as I saw the clouds come over, I was hopeful and grateful for the incoming rain and then became sick to my stomach as I heard the pinging sound of hail on the window. We will see what the remainder of the evening will bring. But again, we know we have much to be grateful for. Pray for rain for those in need, as so many around this great nation are in dire need of it.
On Monday, Steve and Sam tilled the ground to prepare for another planting of lettuce varieties and beans.
Keith assisted with planting.
BOXES OF PRODUCE
This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list.
Remember food safety when preparing, always wash your produce before eating.
The pallet gardens planted with the different varieties of lettuce are working great!
Salad Blend includes: Simpson Elite Lettuce, Prizehead Lettuce, Red Oak Leaf Lettuce– Wash, cut off longer stems.
Cucumbers – We shared some of the cucumbers earlier this week with the students at the Northfield Montessori. We are picking every couple of days. Let us know if you are interested in extra for pickling.
Before doing any kitchen project with the kids, I find it works best to layout all of the ingredients with measuring cups. For this recipe, we needed salt, vinegar and water for the brine. Dill, garlic and rye bread and our items we wanted to pickle which were green beans and cucumbers.
We made Sunshine Pickles on Sunday using green beans and larger cucumbers. We sliced them lengthwise using the mandeline that Steve’s Great-Grandpa Lachey made. It is beautiful craftsmanship!
Keith placed green beans in his jar.
We tilted Sam’s jar to lay the cucumbers in the jar that were sliced lengthwise.
Steve reminded me that after you are done filling the jars, run a wooden spoon around the edges making sure to get the air out and see if there is room for more of whatever you are pickling. Remember to leave about an inch head space to the top of the jar. Remember to see the recipe on Sunshine Pickles on the previous post.
The boys are excited about completing the project and anxious to try them later this week.
Green Beans – A good healthy harvest this week. The boys and I are going to try a quart of Sunshine Pickles with the green beans. Another idea for using the produce.
Summer Squash – zucchini recipes
Onions – We can assure you a plentiful supply of onions this year. In your boxes this week were yellow onions. America’s Heartland provides a bit of USA onion history.
- Potatoes – This week we have Norland – great for mashed or boiled potatoes and Kennebec – great for baking.
Keith and Sam helping to harvest cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Tomatoes – We are so excited to have some tomatoes in your boxes this week to include Big Boys, Roma, Yellow Girl and cherry tomatoes. Learn more about how tomatoes are shipped from farms to processing plants on America’s Heartland.
Peppers – Banana peppers.
Herbs – Red Rubin basil, oregano, cilantro, parsley and lemon thyme Remember you can dry them or you can freeze in an ice-cube to use later.
Fresh Flowers – Zinnias or sunflowers this week. They will both keep longer if you change their water and give them a fresh cut in two days.
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Recipe of the Week
Omelets
Mix Together:
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon of Water
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Dash of salt (I like to use Kosher salt)
Prepare fry pans, toppings, bread for toast and set table before starting the omelets.
Tonight for our omelet filling we used, red and yellow tomatoes, onion, green peppers, cilantro and oregano.
After the toppings were prepared, both of my pans were ready to go, bread was in the toaster and the table was set, I poured my egg batter into my fry pan which was on medium low and had been coated with melted butter. When making an omelet, let the egg cook and gently push the cooked egg in while tilting the pan and the uncooked egg will then fill in that part of the fry pan. Proceed to do this all around the pan until it appears that no more egg batter will move to the side then cover to finish mostly cooking the egg.
Add your toppings and cover the pan to melt the cheese and finish cooking the egg. In the meantime, push down your toast.
Gently loosen the edges and roll out onto your plate.
Don’t forget to garnish with some shredded cheese and some of your fresh parsley. One thing I always remember from my 4-H cooking project, the more beautiful the dish, the more appealing to the pallet. Enjoy!
I was one of those 4-H cooking kids too.
Gotta love those experiences!
Exciting stuff on the farm! Will miss out next week but glad others could benefit!
Thanks Carmine for sharing your produce with others. Have a great vacation!