This Week

Hope you are all enjoying the sweltering heat out there- coupled with the torrential downpour-(thailand anyone) Believe it or not this is my kind of weather- I like that beer at the end of the day to feel like an oasis rather than an aspirin - like I earned it you know. SO this week has been a battle the weeds kind of time- we fought back against the invasion of spiny amaranth- which gets its name from the really large spikes, that are definitely armor piercing, that go up its stalk , through your gloves and into your fingers. Its our dominant weed in many of the fields- which is great because not only does it set seeds in 4 weeks are less- but it sets thousands per plant, and they can lay dormant for about a hundred years or so- every time you scratch the soil a new bumper crop is waiting right there for you. Our seed bank is mighty- luckily so is our desire to make rent- So the war rages on...

We have green tomatoes all over our plants- I tied up the first planting yesterday and was admiring the different shapes that they are all taking on. The first cherry tomatoes turning red- We planted 1500 in the first planting and they were all heirloom open pollinated varieties this year- except for the Sungolds- which are a necessity- Heirloom means that it is the same variety that it has been for ever- the seed isn't hybridized, and if you were to save seed you would get the same thing year after year- we grow them rather than the typical flavorless hybrid varieties so that we can not only enjoy the real flavor of food and and years of genetic information- but because all the commercial varieties are being snatched up by huge seed companies who can't wait to get a hold of all the types so they can put patents on them to control seed banks, and genetically alter them to not only taste like shit, but they can ship from here to the moon, and they show up cosmetically identical. We prefer to be difficult- never mind the politics of it- you can't go to Harris Teeter and get white or black tomatoes- or a variety of red that was smuggled out of Iraq (al- kuffa) and sent to Missouri so that while this occupation continues the history of this variety won't be decimated like the area it came from, and maybe one day it will find its way back there- and hopefully the plants will continue to set fruit so that it will also find its way into your kitchen.and eventually your mouth.

What are we gonna have this week? Please no more escarole.

This week we are gonna start pulling all our garlic and onions and sending them your way- red and white onions- this year should be like all the others, I 'm realizing that I might not be an onion grower- maybe one day, I guess i can't be perfect in all ways- just most
Garlic- might start coming to you all soon- I pull it and then cure/dry it so it will have a bit of a shelf life- but get ready- and eat it often to scare off the mosquitoes
Squash- fry it up and eat it- or stew it with onions and eat it- or puree it with milk and butter and eat it- or...
We still have greens- don't be tired of them yet because you might miss them soon
The cukes should be here soon- salt pepper and and vinegar- refreshing
haruki turnips- sweet salad turnips- I like em raw but you can eat them anyway you like- braised mashed- stir fried- any thing you want
edible flower mix- add this in your salads or sprinkle on a dish to dress it up a little- a mix of nasturtiums , borage, marigolds, bachelor buttons and calendula-
eggs-
fennel bulbs- fennel's awesome but it takes some getting used to - I like it roasted with maybe some turnips and carrots - coat it in oil and roast it till its soft- than add in whatever you like and watch how fast it goes
Munich bier radish- yeah they go with beer- salt and butter - and lets assume based on the name that the Germans enjoy not only Hasselhoff- but also deez radishes
escarole- so the trick to cooking this bitter is acidity- cook it or grill it and it becomes sweet- or if you go raw- use lots of lemon juice or vinegar- and of course you can cover it in bacon grease to not only be my hero , but also a traditionalist- look for lardon salad on the webs and get creative from there-

beets are suckin wind- we might not have any till the fall- whoops

but beans are lookin good- so is the celery, and the peppers-
and real soon we are gonna drown you in potatoes- we planted 10 varieties so get your Peruvian taste buds ready and see what your favorite is-
well I gotta go to work- these plants aren't gonna complain themselves into order.
See you this week- bring me some brown bags if you have them piling up
Later-