Proactive Solutions

Proactive Solutions

It is so easy to look at the problems that lie in front of us and feel so overwhelmed that it is paralyzing. So, paralyzing that you can’t think of proactive solutions to address it. For me, I literally need to talk myself into how great I know I will feel after addressing a solution in this case weeding. Yet, I don’t even want to start weeding. Because once you start weeding, part of it looks wonderful, and the un-weeded looks like a bad hair day…pretty obviously AWFUL. At least when it is all weedy, it looks consistent. You hope that anyone that drives by just doesn’t notice it.

Weeds in our flower and vegetable gardens can feel so overwhelming. I’d much rather stay in bed than face those weeds. Yet, I forced myself on the only free Saturday in June to roll over so that I literally had no choice but to fall out of bed and land on my feet.

While I despise the weeds, I truly admire them. Let’s face it, we all need to be more like weeds and grow and flourish no matter what the weather conditions. Stand tall and proud wherever the seed lands.

I encourage you to find proactive solutions to attack today’s challenges.

After I got over the paralyzing feeling and started in with my proactive solutions, I just started weeding, I took it by sections so that I was able to proudly reflect back on the accomplishments.

By the end of the weekend, the gardens were no longer looking like a bad hair day, rather they appeared to have just come from seeing the hair dresser. The good plants were standing tall and proud and ready to grow in such a manner to shade out the weeds and negativity that hold them back from being productive.

I encourage you to push yourself to find the proactive solutions to what is holding you back. You too will stand tall and proud once you have achieved the dreaded task and implemented proactive solutions.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – President Theodore Roosevelt

It is so easy to look at the problems that lie in front of us and feel so overwhelmed that it is paralyzing. So, paralyzing that you can’t think of proactive solutions to address it. For me, I literally need to talk myself into how great I know I will feel after addressing a solution in this case weeding.
In addition to weeding, we tied up the tomato plants so as they grow they climb up the fence. This will help the tomatoes to stay clean.

Garden Science

Striped Cucumber Beetle

The Striped Cucumber Beetle feeds primarily on cucumbers, squash, melons, and pumpkins. Active from May through August. May kill or retard growth of seedlings, if numbers are severe. Vector of bacterial wilt in curcurbits and of cucumber mosaic virus. Source: University of Minnesota Extension

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 in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

The rhubarb stalks are so long this year. You harvest rhubarb by pulling the stalk out of the ground. This process does not include pulling the root out of the ground. Then you cut the leaf off of the top of the stalk and cut off the part of the stalk that was attached to the base of the plant.

Rhubarb – One-pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, chop into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. No need to peel You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, breads, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte. One or two more weeks of rhubarb. Make the most of it! Check out this recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Cheese Bars.

Black Seeded Simpson can be harvested for several weeks.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. Learn more about lettuce from America’s Heartland.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – I love this beautiful red lettuce leaf. It adds such a wonderful color to your salads.

Spinach with Beet Greens – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal! Check out Taste of Home’s spinach recipes.

Radishes – Wash, cut off the tops and also the bottoms, slice and enjoy in salads. Some enjoy dipping in salt.

Herb Pots – We have a variety of herbs in a pots for you to put on your deck, patio or kitchen. Basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary and oregano. Shareholders will receive a mix of three of these in a pot. Enjoy!

Hosta

Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta leaves, peonies, irises and asparagus ferns.

This week’s CSA share.

Recipe of the Week

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Dressing

3 Tablespoons apple juice

2 Tablespoons strawberry spreadable fruit

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salad

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

8 cups bite-size pieces spinach

1 cup strawberries, stems removed and strawberries cut in half

1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (1 oz)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In small bowl, mix all dressing ingredients until blended; set aside.
2. Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in skillet 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F). Remove chicken to cutting board.
3. Add dressing to skillet; stir to loosen any pan drippings.
4. Cut chicken into slices. Among 4 plates, divide spinach. Top with chicken, strawberries and cheese. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with walnuts.
Source: Taste of Home

Learn by Doing

Learn by Doing

This past weekend, we had the privilege of being one of the stops on our 4-H club’s summer tour. These opportunities are another example of 4-H’s slogan “Learn by Doing” in action.

It was a hot, windy day. Yet, it was still fun to watch Keith lead the 4-Hers around our place and share about what we do, why we do it, and how it works as a 4-H project.

Big Giants 4-H Club Tour

Even when I was a Shetek Royal Harvester 4-Her, these summer tours were a favorite. It is fun to learn from each other, share ideas, and then take what you learn and see how those ideas can be applied to our own lives.

Keith shared about vegetable, potatoes and pumpkin gardens (vegetable project); broiler chickens and laying hens (poultry project); welding project (shop project) and the pigs (swine project). Throughout the tour, the 4-Hers and the parents asked questions. It was nothing short of a joy to watch Keith share his knowledge with others while growing his leadership skills.

Many will say they don’t have time for 4-H. We can’t possibly squeeze one more thing in. Trust me, we know. We have these conversations at our house. Yet, thankfully our entire family knows that when we show up for 4-H activities, like this one, we all come away fulfilled and rejuvenated.

Why be part of 4-H when you have a full plate?

  1. Sharing 4-H projects with others, both youth and adults, help youth to feel valued.
  2. 4-Hers find meaning and purpose in their life by developing skills that last a lifetime.
  3. Making connections outside of normal circles helps with personal growth.

I encourage you to learn more about 4-H projects here and join 4-H to Learn by Doing.

Enjoying the 4-H Summer Tour

Garden Science

The extremely hot, dry and windy weather is drying the ground out. Let’s pray for some rain to get some of these crops to the next stage, and we’ll have an abundance of produce.

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 in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

The Harner Bros are the 5th generation to raise this rhubarb originally planted on the family farm near Tracy by their great-great grandparents after immigrating from Norway and transplanted to our home near Northfield.

Rhubarb – One-pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, chop into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. No need to peel You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, breads, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte. Check out this week’s recipe.

Black Seeded Simpson lettuce continues to produce for a few harvests. Cut the leaves and they will grow back for a few harvests. We do plant a few plantings of this throughout the summer.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. See how lettuce is grown throughout the year so it is available in our grocery stores even on our cold Minnesota days.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – I love this beautiful red lettuce leaf. It adds such a wonderful color to your salads.

Spinach – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal! Check out some of Martha Stewart’s spinach recipes.

Cherry Belle Radish

Radishes – Wash, cut off the tops and also the bottoms, slice and enjoy in salads. Some enjoy dipping in salt or a radish sandwich. I also cut them up and use like carrots or green beans in a hot dish.

Herbchives – wash then chop up chives into small pieces or freeze them to use later.

Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta leaves, Spirea, asparagus ferns.

Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta leaves, Spirea, asparagus ferns.

Raspberry-Rhubarb Slab Pie

Recipe of the Week

Raspberry-Rhubarb Slab Pie

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3/4 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons 2% milk

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained

3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained

Icing

1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

5 to 6 teaspoons 2% milk

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Whisk 3/4 cup milk and egg yolk; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.

2. Divide dough in 2 portions so that 1 is slightly larger than the other; cover each and refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out larger portion of dough between 2 large sheets of lightly floured waxed paper into an 18×13-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up sides of pan; trim crust to edges of pan.

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add raspberries and rhubarb; toss to coat. Spoon into crust.

5. Roll out remaining dough; place over filling. Fold bottom crust over edge of top crust; seal with a fork. Prick top with a fork.

6. Bake until golden brown, 45-55 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

7. For icing, combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency; drizzle over pie. Cut pie into squares.

Source: Taste of Home

It’s All About Weeds

It’s All About Weeds

Weeds, weeds, weeds that’s what it’s all about, we don’t love each other, lambsquarters, nightshade, quack grass, pigweed, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about weeds, weeds, weeds. It’ about weeds, weeds, weeds. This is my weed version spin-off of the song “It’s all about Love.”

Yes, weeds are top of mind with the heat, and this time of year. Controlling the weed competition to provide the optimal growing conditions for a plant to be healthy is important for productive plant growth outcomes. I always feel this is the most challenging time for weeds as there is no natural “canopy” from the garden crops formed over the weeds to shade out their growth.

What keeps us motivated to finish the weeding? Well, the radio always helps, along with, good conversation and a few games of “would you rather.” But to be honest, the feeling of looking back on your work and being able to say to yourself, “job well done” and also knowing that the plants will be healthier and more productive throughout the growing season, makes it all worth it.

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 in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

The Harner Bros are the 5th generation to raise this rhubarb originally planted on the family farm near Tracy by their great-great-grandparents after immigrating from Norway and transplanted to our home near Northfield.

Rhubarb – One pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, and chop into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. No need to peel You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use it for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, bread, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte.

Black Seeded Simpson can be harvested for several weeks.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are run under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. See how lettuce is grown throughout the year so it is available in our grocery stores even on our cold Minnesota days.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – I love this beautiful red lettuce leaf. It adds such a wonderful color to your salads.

The spinach has been growing like crazy.

Spinach with Beet Greens – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal! Check out some of Martha Stewart’s spinach recipes.

Cherry Belle Radish

Radishes – Wash, cut off the tops and also the bottoms, slice and enjoy in salads. Some enjoy dipping in salt.

Chives – wash then chop up chives into small pieces. I enjoy using them in

You all received a small pot with cilantro. If you don’t use it for a while, give it a trim, and it should stay productive for you.

Cilantro – Keep this plant all year long. Put it on your window sill and keep cutting it back.

Peonies, Irises, Asparagus Ferns and Hostas

Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta leaves, peonies, irises and asparagus ferns.

Recipe of the Week

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Source: Sally’s Baking Addiction

3 cups all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats

Filling

2 and 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

2 and 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.

Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. This takes at least 5 minutes of cutting in with a pastry cutter.

Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour/butter mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand. Use your hands if needed– the mixture comes together easier with your hands than with a spoon.

You will have about 6 cups of the crust/crumble mixture. Set 2 cups aside. Pour the remaining into the prepared pan and flatten down with your hands or a flat spatula to form an even crust. It will be a little crumbly– that’s ok. Set aside. (Oats will be used in the topping in the next step.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling: Gently mix all of the filling ingredients together. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the filling. Sprinkle the oats on over top. With the back of a large spoon or flat spatula, lightly press the topping down so it’s a bit snug on the strawberry rhubarb layer.

Bake for about 42-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean (with a few jam strawberry/rhubarb specks!). Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.

Lift the cooled bars out using the parchment paper overhang on the sides. Cut into squares. Cover and store leftover strawberry rhubarb bars at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freezes well.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars
In a blink of an eye

In a blink of an eye

When I was young, adults around me would comment on how quickly time passed. I, on the other hand, thought that the days seemed enormously long, especially the long days out in the field rock picking and bean walking. Now days, it seems that everything can change in a blink of an eye.

In April, our shop burned down due to an undetermined source. While the process of navigating this challenge is time-consuming, we remain eternally grateful for the angels that were present that night providing protection and walking with us as we take one step at a time to rebuild the shop.

Meanwhile, the time I used to think moved slowly has been moving quickly. I feel that I must have blinked and missed May.

Thankfully, we did not lose all of our field and gardening equipment in the fire. Planting did occur at the beginning of May and has continued as the weather cooperated. Crops are peaking out of the ground, and of course, the rhubarb is flourishing.

The first CSA should be right around the corner. Our shareholders should see an email with more information in the foreseeable future, but not this week. I’m sure all of us have plenty on our plate with the end of the school year upon us. Plus, the crops could use just a little bit more time.

Meanwhile, take time to soak in the time spent with your family and friends. In a blink of an eye, it will be but a memory.

Tilling the ground to prepare for planting.
When the weather finally cooperated in May, it made for a long day of planting.
Installing the fence for cucumbers
Some things never change…the work can be exhausting and a nap is warranted.
This past weekend, we were busy with weed control and insect monitoring. The potatoes have really grown!
Tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant and peppers were planted on Memorial Day on a very windy afternoon. Sure enough, as soon as we were done the strong wind subsided.