Weekly Weeder

Olin-Fox Farms Volume No. 7 Issue No. 32 October 4, 2006

www.olinfoxfarms.com Summer Season Week13

STANDARD REMINDER

Please be sure to wash your weekly share thoroughly before serving. To preserve freshness, it is NOT ‘table ready’ (i.e., pre-washed). We deliver your Olin-Fox Farms’ produce right from the fields to ensure highest quality.

This Week's News From the Farms

While the cooler temperatures and the light showers have brought relief to the farming community, there was only one day's reprieve from those blood-thirsty mosquitoes before hordes of pesky flying piranhas were back with a vengeance.  This time, it's a smaller, bolder species that attacks its prey in full sun, so we've resorted to armoring ourselves with more protection - basically, long-sleeve shirts and pants plus an occasional spritz of Off or Cutter's, for those who use the stuff.
 
The more temperate weather ushered in a big planting weekend at Olin-Fox Farms, now that it's possible to direct seed more cool and cold weather crops (many of which require below 60 degree temperatures
to germinate).  A number of our faithful helping members came out to plant D'Avignon French Breakfast Radishes, Tatsoi, Boc Choi, many varieties of lettuces, Purple Osaka Mustard, spinach and - three - get
this - three different varieties of Arugula, including a wild one.  It was fun for everyone, from designing and planting the new herb circle to planting lettuce seeds around the hand prints of two of our youngest
helpers.  Bright green Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce will border the imprints comprised of Bull's Blood Beets.  We promise to take photos of the decorative results.  Believe or not, in addition to all the long
hours of hard work under often trying conditions, there's actually a great deal of enjoyment in planting a garden, especially when a degree of playful creativity is allowed in the selection of contrasting
colors, textures and pleasing patterns for the areas being planted.  For instance, lettuces are one of the quickest and easiest ways to achieve spectacular effects.
 
At the central hub of our new herb circle wheel is a large silvery-gray sage bush with 12 spokes radiating out to the edges.  At the end of each spoke is a rosemary plant, except for the front one, which
features instead a large ceramic figure of our mascot, the fox.  Five thyme plants are planted between the front spokes with Tatsoi planted in the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock lines, to provide an edible deep green
color.  In the remaining areas, we planted three varieties of colorful Arugula.  The gentle evening rain of this past Sunday should help all of the weekend's plantings  germinate quickly.
 
Over the weekend, we also managed to prepare a number of beds for the summer 2007 garlic already ordered from Johnny's Select Seed.  And, new for the Fall Season, we will be growing some green garlic for use in some of your favorite dishes as well as some of Ethan's recipes.
 
Note:  Bags are needed for packing up shares for distribution.  You can drop them off at the Farm, if that's convenient, or make arrangements where you pick up your share to leave them out of the way there for us.  We can use any spare plastic or paper grocery bags, but we especially need those sturdy paper bags; so, given the choice, ask for paper grocery bags at the market.  It will help us and the environment.
 Thank you!
 

 Weekly Weeder, October 4, 2006 Page 2

Crop Report

As mentioned above in the farm news, a major time of planting is in full swing at Olin-Fox Farms, with similar planning and planting continuing at the other farms in preparation for the upcoming seasons.
 We've already started harvesting greens, with the Tendergreen and Turnip Greens last week to be followed in the weeks and months ahead by Kale, Collards, Turnips, Radishes, Lettuces, Arugula, Tatsoi and Bok Choi.

Does anyone other than Alice and Farmer John know off-hand what Tendergreen is?  Tendergreen is actually nothing more than one particular variety of India mustard (it can be prepared the same way as
other members of its family) which has such superior growing qualities that gardeners have given it a special name. The popular green (sometimes called mustard spinach, since its leaves resemble those of
Popeye's favorite food) has become such a grower's delight because it matures quickly (tendergreen often takes only 25 days to age instead of the 35 or 40 required by most mustards) ... never becomes too spicy in flavor (in either hot or cold weather) ... and continues putting out mild, crisp leaves for quite a long time before it finally goes to seed. In fact, if you're careful to harvest tendergreen's leaves and not its roots, a single plant may produce enough foliage for two or three pickings!

In Your Produce Basket This Week

Tendergreen, Cantaloupe, Pattypan Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Garlic,

back by popular demand Gala Apples

Recipe

GREENS: HOW TO FIX 'EM ? General Advice
The simplest way of preparing some fresh-picked potherbs for the dinner table is to wash the harvest, and boil (or steam) the victuals down in a little lightly salted water until they're just tender enough for
chewing (never overcook 'em!). Then drain and slice the vegetables (save the nutritious "pot likker" for soup broth, drinking, or sopping up with corn bread), and serve the fixin's topped with a pat of butter,
a dab of sour cream, or your favorite dressing [mine's a dash of apple cider or balsamic vinegar]. To fix greens in the classic Southern fashion, use to cook a chuck of ham hock or fatback pork; if you prefer
a suitable vegetarian substitute for that the smoky hickory flavor without the grease, try adding a tiny dab of Liquid Smoke to the mix.

Young greens leaves can also be used as garnishes, or added raw to salads or sandwiches. Older fronds can be layered into lasagna, cooked in curry dishes, added to cheese and rice casseroles, or dipped in
batter and fried like tempura.  Feel free to mix different greens to create a tempting flavor balance ... replace a recipe's potherbs with other leaves more suited to your taste ... or - best yet - invent a brand
new "greens cuisine" of your own!

Newsletter and Recipes by Ethan Brent, Official Newsletter Focalizer

Bon Appetit!