DOOR STEP HARVEST Weekly Delivery Newsletter -06/21/11
This week you’ll find at your doorstep: beets, dandelion greens, stir fry mix; wild and domestic grape leaves, black radish, rat tail radish, onion, berry bag (mulberry, gooseberry, crandall), lavender, herb bag (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, terragon, mint, licorice mint, lemon balm), flowers, and the surprise of the week (more elder flowers!).
News from the garden:
The black berries are looking good and turning red already… if the rain continues coming we’ll all enjoy plenty of black berries this year! The okra is about six inches tall… The squash bugs are destroying the vines already, it may become a bad squash year… Corn and sunchokes look good. Bugs are getting the greens but this time of year growth slows down anyway due to the heat and picks up again in the fall. The herbs look terrific. We planted fall carrots and more green beans today. The scarlet runner beans are going strong and the Asian Pear tree at Grandma’s house is loaded. The wild garlic is just about ready to harvest. Cucumber vines are struggling and eggplants never came up. Heirloom tomatoes look vibrant so far and have set a few fruits. Sweet potato plants look good so far and beets are still growing strong.
*/** Asian Stir Fry Mix: the bugs hit hard this week so this is what we could salvage of chards, kales, and bulls red beets. Add the beet tops to it and cook as explained earlier in the year.
**Beets (red and white): Cover them with one inch of water and boil until tender, rinse in cold water, slip the skins off, cook, slice, and dress with generous amounts of dill, salt, vinegar, and olive oil. Prepare beet tops as any green… (Wiki fact: beets are cultivated for their sugar). Check out the beet and horseradish relish below.
*Dandelion greens: city markets sell these for a hefty price. (Wiki fact: In the north-eastern United States, dandelion is cultivated and eaten in salad.) See recipe below. Cooked as a “dandelion italiano, it is a great addition to breakfast.
**Lambs quarters: more nutritious than most cultivated greens, these are at the height of the season. I like it when mom makes them like this- place 1 lbs ground beef with 1 quart water, 1 cup quick cooking rice (like white basmati), salt, pepper, rosemary/thyme/oregano, and lambs quarter leaves. Boil until meat is done. Great soup. You can add onion and any other veggies.
**Wild and domestic grape leaves: Very high vitamin C.
* Black Radish: Enjoy on salad. Black radish is an heirloom.
**Rat Tail Radish: This variety of radish plant doesn’t make an edible root; instead, it makes a large plant that produces delicious seed pods that taste just like radish. Eat it raw, sliced on salad, or lightly steam.
**Onion:
**Berry Bag: Any available berries including Gooseberry, Crandall, and mulberry. Crandall is sometimes called “clove currant,” it is “sweet and flavorful with a hint of spice.” This is its first year in production at Grandma’s. This week we have tasting quantities.
*Culinary Herbs: Rosemary, Tarragon (nice with fish) Purple Basil, Thyme, Sage, rosemary (Leaf and flower), and Oregano (two varieties): WARNING herbs are not washed. Rinse before use. Many of these can be used to flavor dolmus (stuffed grape leaves)
**Mint: On hot summer days, I make a peppermint tea by filling a quart jar half full (NOT half empty) with the fresh peppermint leaves, and fill it with boiling water. Then we let it cool, sweeten it, and enjoy.
*Licorice Mint: Crush and enjoy in tea.
*Lemon Balm: Crush and use in tea for calming effect. So far, mom says if she crushes enough of it, and applied is directly and liberally to the exposed skin, that the bugs are leaving her alone, just as the books say it will…
*/**Flowers: Lilly and salvia
Wild Crafted Elder Flowers: yes, it’s still in season. A new recipe is included this week.
Beet & Horseradish Relish (from Twinhawks Hollow Farm CSA): “Scrape and wash horseradish root. Grate desired amount into 1 cup sour cream and let stand two hours. Blend 2 pounds cooked and chopped beets, 2 tbsp additional grated horseradish and 1 tsp sugar until beets are coarsely chopped. Mix with sour cream mixture. Place in covered bowl in refrigerator for several days to blend flavors.”