Despite the funny weather (will we ever stop talking about it?) the farm is still humming along. Almost every week, beautiful beds of salad and cooking greens are coming up in colors ranging from deep reds to lime greens. The tomatoes are looking great, too – this week they got staked and strung. Some even have fruit set on them, but I’m forgoing a crispy fried green one for the sweetness of a sun-warmed red or gold one. It’s been months of anticipation already, a few more weeks couldn’t hurt.
The stars still continue to be the baby lettuces. Whether they are sold in a cut salad mix or in heads, they make an incredible presentation of color and flavor. Lettuces come in a seemingly endless number of varieties, but out here we grow anywhere from 10 to 15. These include:
Galactic – a deep red, somewhat frilly baby lettuce
Red Parella – a green bibb lettuce blushed with a rosy red
Oak - lobed leaves that come in red and green
Speckled Romaine – a baby green romaine with deep red
Little Gem Romaine – a baby romaine with a crisp heart
and buttery outer leaves
Several factors are considered when choosing the which varieties to grow, including market appeal and ideal climate, but our semi-coastal valley climate here seems to make just about any lettuce grow.
Summer is the time for salads of refreshing greens. In addition to lettuces, we grow arugula, rucola (wild arugula), peppercress, anchocress, red and green mustards, and red dandelion. When combined with sweet lettuces, these spicier greens add flavor interest as well as an appearance diverse in color and texture. Whenever you come by one of our farmers’ market stands, you can taste test any of these greens.
To make a satisfying salad for two:
· Select some lettuces that appeal to you -- depending on size (and how much you and your guest like salad), between 2 and 4 per person.
· Select another green to spice up your salad – it doesn’t necessarily have to be spicy, it could be Genovese basil or pea shoots, but something that will provide a contrast to the lettuce.
· Now the best part! Select your dressing!
o If you choose a spicier green, try a strong vinaigrette with a sweet addition like sliced nectarines and toasted hazelnuts; or a sweeter dressing with a strong cheese like Point Reyes Blue.
o If you chose one of the more mild greens, try a simple lemon juice-olive oil vinaigrette, perhaps with some finely grated Asiago and freshly ground black pepper.
Toss lettuces and greens with dressing, then sprinkle with other ingredients. Enjoy!
About a week ago I made this year's first batch of pesto. With toasted almonds and Pecorino cheese it was more wonderful than I remembered 2009's pesto. After eating an abundant amount of pesto pasta, I made another batch the next day, but couldn't imagine eating another round of rotelle. So I turned to a faithful and year-round friend, the turnip.
Creamy Pesto Turnips
Olive oil
1/4 c. yellow onion, chopped
1-2 bunches white turnips & their greens, washed
3-5 T pesto (recipe to follow)
1-2 milk or cream or plain yogurt
Salt
Heat oil in medium skillet, add onions, and cover. Peel turnips and quarter. Once onions are translucent, add turnips and recover. Steam for about 5 minutes then add coarsely chopped turnip greens. Steam only another few minutes.
Combine pesto with milk/cream/yogurt (or a combination of the three) until creamy but not too runny. Salt to taste. Stir into skillet with turnips and toss until turnips and greens are completely coated. Serve hot on top of brown rice or pasta tossed with butter and finely chopped Italian parsley.
Pesto: In a food processor combine 3-5 cloves garlic, 2 packed cups Genovese basil, 1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Blend until smooth. Stir in by hand 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
Even though mouths start watering
around late March in anticipation of the coming strawberry season, farmers have
probably been thinking about those precious berries since they went out of
season last year. Out here on the
Our first tomato starts were planted several weeks
ago, and they just made it out of the greenhouse to "harden off."
This is the process of acclimating seedlings to the harsher conditions of outside
living. It's a transition stage that will reduce any shock the starts might
experience when planted in the field. Unlike in the warm, humid climate of the
greenhouse, the outdoors can present all kinds of challenges like strong winds
and cold nights. During this transition, the starts might be covered at night
to keep them safe from any late-season frosts, but will mostly be left to
adjust and fend for themselves.
Customers are very enthused to see us back at some of
our year-round markets like the
In addition to the regular year-round and seasonal markets,
County Line Harvest is trying out a new venue for selling summer's bounty in
the form of rogue farmers' markets. This concept is fairly new and has become
very popular, both with farmers and their customers. Restaurants we already do
business with will host us on a monthly basis, and it will be a centralized
pick-up rather than a traditional farmers' market. Boxes of freshly harvested,
seasonal produce will be pre-ordered by customers via email and will cost $25. You
can sign-up to be notified of the next scheduled rogue market at one of our
farmers' market stalls or through the website. We are hoping that this
different approach will help us become more involved with numerous communities
throughout
Late, plentiful rains and a very complicated labor audit
have made this particular spring season interesting, to say the least. Our pond
reached the spill line a couple of months ago and we celebrated having enough
water for summer. Now it is fuller than full and the ground is saturated. There
is a lot planted in the fields, and everyday the tables in the greenhouse are
covered with more flats of tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, broccolis and other
various crops that will make their way to farmers’ market and restaurant tables
over the coming months. Every spring is different, and this year we have seen a
slow transition into the season. We have been semi-closed for business during
the past month, going only to our Sunday market at the
Speaking of trials we face, the labor audit began in mid-February with a surprise “sweep” inspection from an enforcing officer of the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). His main concern was learning about how we were processing our payroll. During the two weeks before his return visit, we discovered how convoluted the labor codes really are. While gathering information mostly from 2009, we got pretty good at reading legal jargon and felt that we had learned as much as those working for the labor department. Unfortunately, much of our efforts were used against us to determine a steep fine. Within two hours, the enforcing officer found us in violation of one section of the labor code, multiplied it by the number of employees and number of pay periods, and wrote us the citation. We are currently awaiting the date of the appeal, and it goes without saying that some things have changed around here. While we hope that our fine can be reduced, we are also making this an educational experience, both for ourselves and for the other farmers of our community.
All
that being said, you are reading the first of our weekly blogs! You can come
back to this site every week and check out what is going on in our world. The
blogs will cover any number of topics from upcoming crops to issues in organic
farming to restaurant spotlights to interesting stories about the people who
work here. If there is anything that particularly interests you, a burning
question or a pressing issue, send an email to let me know and I will try to
incorporate an answer. In addition to the blog, you can subscribe to our
monthly newsletter. You will learn about any of the rogue markets we’ll be
doing in