The boys working as a team to act as the “cucumber combine.” Great Teamwork! They even were thankful for this in their prayers!
TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More – there is no I in TEAM.
Over and over throughout my life, I have been reminded of this. For me, this was ingrained in my head and my every being. This began on the farm as we worked with our animals, bailing straw, rock picking, bean walking…you name it. Then I heard it again in sports, band, FFA, student council etc.
It was funny and very satisfying to hear Steve tell me that while he and the boys were harvesting that he heard our boys also say, “Let’s do TEAMwork.”
Sometimes in our busy lives, we can forget this very common but underlying important common sense message. TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More. A strong TEAM will provide you with a safe place to belong, will push you to excel beyond what you ever thought possible, will force you to work harder than you thought you could and will provide camaraderie that lasts a lifetime.
So why is it important to us to provide our children with farm experience? Because of TEAM. I hope in the end of this journey that we have all excelled to be more than what we thought possible, that we are better people and a stronger family because of it and that we have left a positive footprint on the lives we had the opportunity to be part of.
Watermelon and muskmelon are growing.
We are finding gourds, pumpkins and squashes growing like crazy! Allowing for daily treasurer hunts!
Garden Experiment
Interplanting a variety of crops to maximize space was one of our experiments. The jury is still out on what we thought of interplanting rows of onions between the rows of tomatoes. At least this year’s onion crop is an improvement upon last year.
Boxes of Produce
Please remember to return any cups or plastic containers in your box each week. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your prodcue before eating.
Black Seeded Simpson Elite Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops.
Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – reddish lettuce
Prizehead – is the spear like green leaf.
Broccoli
Red cabbage this week. Enjoy!
Red Cabbage – check out Martha Stewarts recipes for red cabbage.
Tomatoes – Yellow Girls, Romas and cherry tomatoes.
I spy with my little eye…green peppers.
Peppers – Learn how Chile peppers are grown on farms in Arizona.
Onions – A few fresh onions to put in a recipe here or there.
Green Beans – This type of green beans are Providers.
Potatoes – A few fresh Norland red potatoes for you.
Cucumbers – Varieties include Fancipak, Straight Eights and Japanese. Let us know if you are interested in any for pickling.
Sam thought that perhaps the zucchini could be used for a “unihorn.”
Summer Squash Medley and Zucchini – If your kids want to measure a zucchini/summer squash and watch it grow for a week, let me know.
Red Rubin Basil – give it a try. It adds some wonderful color and flavor to your dishes.
Herbs – Basil, Red Rubin Basil, parsley, pepperming and lemon thyme (bags are labeled with the first initial). Click here to hear Martha Stewart discuss herbs. Ideas for fresh peppermint here.
Fresh cut arrangement – A variety went out in your boxes as I had enough variety but not enough of one type for each of you. So the varieties included: Sunflowers or Zinnias.
Recipe of the Week
Garden Omelet
Saute’ garden vegetables in butter. I used red and yellow onion, green peppers, yellow girl tomato and zucchini. Once the vegetables are softened set aside.
Mix together with a fork 3 eggs, 1 Tablespoon water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper and add a few herbs that have been washed and torn into smaller pieces. I used basil, Red Rubin Basil and Golden Oregano.
Garden Omelet
With a fork, beat:
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of Pepper
Add herbs of your choice that have been washed and torn into smaller pieces.
Heat skillet. Butter pan with butter. Place egg mixture in skillet and cook slowly. Run spatula around edge, lifting to allow uncooked portion to flow underneath. Place choice of filling inside. I included sautéed vegetables, a couple of our favorite cheeses (mozzarella and sharp cheddar. Turn off heat. Place pan cover over the mixture for about a minute allowing cheese to melt. Fold sides over as you flip it onto a plate. Garnish with parsley and cheese.
Garnish completed omelet with cheese and herbs. I learned in 4-H foods project that a garnished dish will always taste better to the person consuming it, simply because of the way it is presented.
