April 18th, 2023
What’s in this Week’s VEGGIE BOX: Oranges, Grapefruit, Chard, Oregano, Asparagus, Salad Mix and French Breakfast Radishes
Bread this week: Sourdough Baguette OR Whole Wheat your choice of one
SPECIAL EVENTS
~Mother’s Day Hats & High Tea~
Saturday May 13th 2-5PM
If you are interested in joining us please email Claire for ticket availability as they are limited. See the website for more information on the event.
This week on the farm
The Picnic Day at the Farm
We have been offering our Spring Open Farm day and Plant Sale for close to 12 years and it comes usually at a beautiful time of the year to be in the garden and at the farm. We plan the day of the event when UC Davis has their Picnic Day in Davis. There are usually lots of folks at the market, but no one is interested in buying flowers or vegetable and then carrying them around all day long. So we decided to have our own Picnic Day at the Farm.
We have not had this event for the last three years due to the pandemic, so we didn’t do our usual advertisements at the market and just put the event in your newsletter. We are slowly getting back into the putting together farm events, and as you might know it takes a lot of farm cleanup, lots of time in the greenhouse planting, estimating what might be the veggie desire of the years, and then the setting up of the area getting ready for you. Claire has become our event coordinator, making sure our ducks are lined up, tables, tents, clean porta-potties, jams, dried fruit, tee shirts; note cards are all together for the Farmers Market booth we set up. Claire gets us organized; every team needs that detailed person to make it all happen, we are lucky she loves doing it.
This last Saturday was a delight. The day was warm clear skies and a perfect day for a picnic. Folks seem to know to bring their blankets and spread them out in the meadow grassy area; kids have their bathing suits so they can splash in the shallow stock tank while mom and dad chat and watch them play. Eric and Zach were manning the pizza oven, cooking and bonding as they churned out perfectly cooked pies that our visitors created. Jeff sat in the meadow and caught up with old members as well as met some new ones. It was a very quiet mellow day. Those that knew they wanted plants made a bee line to the nursery and browsed the options, and Meghan and I helped them find what they wanted and they walked out ready to plant their veggie gardens. Jeff and Ali gave a farm tour which many tagged along to hear what the father daughter team has to say about what is happening at the moment, while also enjoying the banter of the two generations.
Right now the cover crops are getting mowed; the beds composted so the tractor can come in and turn all that goodness back into the soil. The long rainy season has meant that we are behind in the field preparation so this time of year we are all running as fast as we can to get planted. Everything happens at once when the weather changes. We are sprinting from fixing the disk blades, weeding young crops, thinning previous plantings to getting tractors pop pop popping so we can plant those baby veggies that are patiently waiting in the greenhouse.
Each year we plan to sell a few starts to our members, and never know how much to plant and what to pot up, so as usual there are extra plants that didn’t go to a new home and garden. So you will see a list of the plants we have left (and a number next to them of how many we have left). We will be delivering your orders next week, so you have a bit more time to make orders. With the warmish weather, I know I sure am chomping at the bit to get out and turn over my soil and get to planting.
Happy Planting~Annie
(Please get your order to us by April 20th)
Asparagus with Citrus and Oregano
Source:Saveur
2 oranges
1⁄4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano
2 scallions, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch asparagus trimmed
Zest one of the oranges; set aside. Slice off the ends of each orange. Working with one orange at a time, set an orange on end; using a small knife, slice off and discard the peel and the white pith. Holding the orange in your hand, cut the orange segments away from their membranes. Place segments in a bowl and set aside. Over a separate bowl, squeeze the remaining orange pulp to extract any remaining juice. Repeat with the remaining orange. Whisk 4 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, oregano, and scallions into the orange juice, and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside. Transfer the asparagus to a 9-by-13-inch microwavable baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved orange zest and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1⁄4 cup water. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high heat for 2 minutes. Rotate the dish and microwave until the asparagus is just tender, about 2 minutes more. Uncover and drain off the cooking liquid. Toss the asparagus with the reserved citrus dressing, and season with salt. Top with the orange segments. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Oregano Pesto Recipe
Source:gardenuity
½ cup oregano leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 anchovy, chopped
¾ cup raw pistachios, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¾ cup olive oil
Salt and ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay pistachios flat on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. In a food processor, combine the toasted pistachios, garlic, anchovy, oregano, and lemon juice. Pulse together. Add olive oil to mixture and pulse to create pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Viola! You have Oregano Pesto!
Butter-Stewed Radishes
Source:NYTcooking
1½ pounds red radishes, about 3 bunches
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons butter (¾ stick)
3 tablespoons dill or parsley, freshly chopped
Trim the tops from the radishes, leaving ¼ inch of green stem. Cut off the roots at the base of each radish, then cut radish in half from top to bottom. Soak radishes in a large bowl of lukewarm water, agitating them to loosen any clinging sand. Drain and rinse, then soak them in cold water. Soak and rinse a third time if necessary. Put radishes in a wide skillet and season well with salt and pepper. Add butter and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to a brisk simmer. Cook radishes until tender when pierced but no further, about 5 minutes. Remove lid, raise heat and boil to evaporate most of the liquid. Serve in the buttery juices with sprinkling of dill.
Lentil Swiss Chard Soup with Orange Zest
Source:diabetesstrong
1 1/4 cups lentils du Puy
1 stalk Swiss chard (washed and patted dry)
3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
1 small onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves only)
2 strips orange rind (finely minced)
zest of 1/2 an orange
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium carrot (grated)
1 small hunk Parmesan cheese
Rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve.
Slice the leaves from the Swiss chard, then slice the stalk into 1/4-inch pieces. Roll the leaves tightly, slice, then finely chop them. In a soup pot, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and garlic, then sauté until translucent. Add the lentils, stock, thyme, minced orange rind, Swiss chard stalk (reserve the leaves), salt, and pepper to taste. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the Swiss chard leaves and grated carrot, then simmer for another 5 minutes. Ladle into four serving bowls, sprinkle with the orange zest, and grate fresh Parmesan on top
Super Moist Orange and Pink Grapefruit Cake
Source:thespanishradish
1 orange with skin without seeds
1 pink grapefruit
3 eggs
2.3 fl. oz/70 ml olive oil
6 oz/170 g sugar
9 oz/250 g self-rising flour
Preheat oven to 350°F Add the oil, sugar, and eggs to a blender.
Wash your orange and grapefruit under running water and pat dry. Chop up the orange into slices with the skin still on and remove any seeds. Add the seedless slices to the blender.
Cut the grapefruit in half. Remove the skin from one half and discard. Add the skinless half and the half with skin into the blender. Blend ingredients until smooth (around 5 minutes)
Next sieve the self-raising flour into a large bowl. Slowly add the liquid mixture from the blender to the flour and continue to stir until the mixture and flour are combined. Cover a cake tin with some baking paper and pour the mixture into the tin. Bake at 350°F for around 40 minutes
ROASTED TOMATILLO RADISH SALSA
Source:Southernfatty
8 tomatillos, divided
3 French breakfast radishes
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
½ jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup white onion, diced
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Remove the husks of the tomatillos. Rinse to remove the sticky outer layer. Quarter half of the tomatillos and cut all of the radishes in half lengthwise. Under a low broiler in the oven, roast until tomatillos are blistered and somewhat blackened. Alternatively, you can choose to not roast the radishes to keep a more colorful finished product. Allow to cool. Place the roasted tomatillos and radishes, along with the raw remaining tomatillos into a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until desired consistency. Enjoy with chips or tacos.