Doorstep Harvest September 14, 2013

Posted on September 14, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 9-14-13

As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts. Also, please note that some herbs-foods may interact with pharmaceuticals so, if you use meds, please go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.

News from the garden: Alex worked at West’s last night and is at the State Fair today for state FACS (family and consumer sciences) judging. I am going to recommend to Alex that he shift to every-other week harvests until the garden begins producing more in the fall. He will contact you about this sometime later this week… half of you will pick up one week and the other half the following, so, he will harvest every week but to ½ the number of people weekly and you each will receive a harvest every other week. Product is just slow for now and should pick up later in the cool season after the hoop is installed.

This week, in your Doorstep Harvest, you will find:

JJCrenshaw melons!!!!

J Tomatoes (regular, heirloom & cherry mix): Tomatoes are still going strong. About 4 pounds.

J Autumn Olive

J/JJ Okra: mix of varieties

J Jalapeño peppers

JJOregano

JJComfrey

JJBasil

JJLavender

J shisho

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) or wild crafted

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar Street home.

Doorstep Harvest September 7, 2013

Posted on September 7, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 9-7-13

News from the garden: The salad is perking up, and tasting better, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tomatillos are setting fruit, and blooming profusely. This is looking to be a good year for them. J The chard is still being eaten by that mystery beetle. I think it needs to be chopped down. This would get rid of the bug eaten leaves, and let the chard make more healthy ones. There were two Crenshaw melons almost ready for harvest. When we checked on them yesterday, they were fine. This morning we saw that something had been at them, and half of each one was torn apart. No Crenshaw melons this week. We’re hoping for next week. They’ll probably be a bit green (picked before the visitor has a chance to literally dig in). The Italian broad bean is just petering out. We’re not sure whether its lack of water,or what… none this week.

This week, in your Doorstep Harvest, you will find:

JJ Potatoes: This is probably the one and only potato delivery this year. It appears they haven’t hardly grown at all this summer. The big patch at grandmas, planted with different seed potatoes in full sun did just as bad, if not worse than the ones here in town.

J/JJ Cucumbers: Cucumbers are really doing poorly, they’re doing just as good as they have in past years. Hopefully they’ll pick back up when the cool fall starts.

J Asian Pear: This is all for this year. Hope you enjoy them : )

JJ mung bean Sprouts: Enjoy them on sandwiches, salads, and stir-frys. Add them very last in stir-frys.

JJ Cherokee trail of tears Beans: Are now a raw shell bean. Shell them and boil in soups.

J Tomatoes (regular, heirloom & cherry mix): Tomatoes are still going strong, not much else to say about them.

JJ Zucchini:

J Autumn Olive: entered in state fair this week and received a purple ribbon.

J/JJ Okra

Yard long bean

JJHerb bag : J Jalapeño peppers, JJOregano, JJComfrey, JJBasil, JJLavender, JJLemon Balm, shiso, sage

J Flower Bouquet:

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) or wild crafted

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar Street home.

Doorstep Harvest August 31, 2013

Posted on August 31, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 8-31-13

News from the garden: Cucumber and summer squash are petering out but tomatillo are filling in. Had to water the garden a lot this week. Chard has too many bugs this week so no greens this week. My favorite fruit is included this week: Autumn olives. They will produce through October and sweeten with frost. Tart – Sweet, they are supposed to be good for men to eat. Some people make jam with them but I eat them fresh & frozen for winter snacks. Those stubborn potato vines still won’t die (we can’t harvest roots until they die). Crensha melons continue to thrive in the heat!!!!! They may be ripe next week or the week after. Bugs have eaten kale and broccoli down to the stem but the roots and plant base are gaining strength and these plants will make gorgeous large leaves in the cold frame hoop house this winter after bugs die from the cold.

This week, in your Doorstep Harvest, you will find:

J Tomatoes (regular, heirloom & cherry mix): 4 pounds this week per person. Just made a gazpacho for lunch today with my garden tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh basil & parsley, and it was fabulous! We’re giving you almost all the ingredients to make some, and I highly recommend it. You should still have your recipe from earlier this year but I didn’t use a recipe…

J/JJCucumbers: 2 of you have the red Edmonson. Next time there are more, we’ll get them to the rest of you.

JJ Green Beans: Heirloom mix. Same as last week.

JJ Zucchini: nearing the end of the season

JJ Triple Crown Blackberries: didn’t think there would be any this week but we were wrong… a few were nestled low to the ground under cane/leaf cover. Possible flush again later in the fall…

J Autumn Olive: otherwise known as Gumi or Auki-gumi… Higher in lycopene than tomatoes and pomegranate (prostate health).

J Asian Pear: crunchy juicy sweet… one more harvest of these at most, so enjoy them because they are very special this year (some how they made it through the late frosts…

J Carrot: A couple to add to soup or grate into salad or stir fry.

J/JJ Okra: coming on stronger each week. Okra loves the heat. Mom says: When the other plants pause in the heat, Okra sprints!

J Elderberry: wild crafted from my great aunt’s pasture, and from side of country roads. Please stem them, then wash before using, and don’t eat stems, as they contain toxic alkaloids. See recipe below. They can also be made into jelly/jam/juice/syrup. I like the recipe below, it’s very strong and thick. I also like it when mom make’s syrup.

JJHerb bag : J Jalapeño peppers, JJParsley (Japanese & Italian), JJOregano (Keep in paper bag on counter to dry for future use or keep in fridge sealed for use this week), JJComfrey, JJBasil, JJLavender, JJLemon Balm

J Flower Bouquet: Goldenrod, straw flower, spider plant, butterfly bush, hyacinth bean flowers, Russian sage.

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) or wild crafted

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar Street home.

Elderberry cordial

Elderberries 1 ½ lb (3 cups) Juice of 1 lemon (1 Tblsp Vinegar)

Sugar 4 oz (½ cup)

Strip elderberries from stalks and wash. Put the fruit in a pan with sugar and lemon juice over a very low heat. Simmer, mashing occasionally with a wooden spoon. Put through a liquidizer or rub through a nylon sieve. To serve, pour about ½ wineglass of cordial in a tumbler, add cold water, an ice cube and a twist of lemon peel.

Decorating with Wild Flowers, Westland, Pamela. 1976.

Doorstep Harvest August 24, 2013

Posted on August 24, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 8-24-13

News from the garden: Crensha melons will be ready the first of September! Tomatillo is creating a jungle in the garden…growing taller than me! Tomatillo is blooming profusely, setting fruit, and beginning to fill out. Sure could use some more rain. The blackberries are still producing. The seeds I planted last week don’t seem to have made it. Bummer. Have to start again. Mom pruned the tree circle at our house on cedar (plum and pear). She says there are a ton of fruiting spurs setting to bear much fruit next year if frosts don’t kill. I helped plant these trees in 2009. The broccoli plants I started from seeds in late winter and transplanted into the hoop had leaves that were eaten by bugs this spring and summer, however, their roots and plant base persevered, and with the cool summer and rain, they are putting on more leaves now, growing well, and will likely hang on long enough to see the cool of fall and season of fruit bearing… in other words, we may yet have broccoli for Thanksgiving meal in November (9 months after germination)! Kansas gardens defy all rules…Yard long beans and okra are now producing well at last. Heirloom green bean stories are below.

This week, in your Doorstep Harvest, you will find:

J Tomatoes: So far so good… production ought to continue through Novermber if we cover with a high tunnel this fall. There are a blend of heirloom, 2 lbs regular, and 2 lbs cherry blend. Many of the heirlooms are rotting on the vine but there are some spared.

J/JJ Cucumbers: Mom says that according the Traditional Chinese Medicine tradition, cucumbers nourish the water element. Organs and meridians associated with water element include Kidney and Bladder. Cucumbers specifically nourish Kidney Yin. Kidney Yin deficiency appears in the body as a grouping of symptoms that include night sweats, hot flashes, shallow sleep with frequent waking, dry stool, malar flush, mild low back &/or knee ache, thin red tongue with fissures, weak pulse on left proximal position. This pattern may accompany other complaints elsewhere in the body.

JJ Italian Broad Bean: From Johnnyseeds, “a cross between Romano and Kentucky Wonder…normally picked at 6-7”, they are still stringless at over 10”. These blanch and freeze well for winter or hold up well in canning.

JJ/JYard long bean

JJGreen Beans: These are really special pole beans. They are all heirlooms from Seed Savers Exchange: Mayflower, Lazy Housewife, Speckled Cranberry, and Cherokee Trail of Tears black beans. All four of these varieties are dual purpose producing edible sweet green beans early in the season and mature to dry bean in late fall. Here are their stories. See if you can identify each in the blend.

The Mayflower seed is named so because it is said to have actually been “brought to north America on the Mayflower by Ann Hutchinson in 1620, followed by a long history of being circulated in the Carolinas.” “This productive cut-short type has short pods packed with small square seeds. White seeds blotched with rose. Young string beans are prized for delicious flavor. Also excellent as a dry bean.”

Lazy Housewife was “introduced around 1810, this is one of our oldest documented beans. Named Lazy Housewife because it was the first snap bean that did not need to have the string removed. Vines bear heavily and continuously until frost. Straight 5-6” long pods with distinctive shiny white seeds. Pole habit. Snap or shell.”

Speckled Cranberry was “brought to America from England around 1825. Triple purpose bean. Can be used as a snap bean at around 60 days, green shell bean at around 80 days, or as a dry bean if grown to full maturity. Produces heavy crops of stringless 7-9” pods until the first frost. Pole habit.”

Cherokee Trail of Tears was “given to SSE in 1977 by the late Dr. John Wyche…of Oklahoma. Dr. Wyche’s Cherokee ancestors carried this bean over the Trail of Tears, the infamous winter death march from the Smoky Mountains to Oklahoma (1838-1839), leaving a trail of 4,000 graves. Green 6” pods with purple overlay, shiny jet black seeds. Good for snap beans and dry beans.”

JJ Zuccinni: vine borer got all the squash at Grandmas. These are from 100% organic seed called Midnight Lightning from Horizon Herbs (an organic medicinal herb seed supplier in Oregon. They have produced beautiful healthy large bushes and are grown without any insecticide at my house. These are large enough to be bakers… I like them made into boats and stuffed with seasoned ground beef.

JJ Chard

JJ Triple Crown Blackberries (11 oz)

JJOnion: So, these are smaller than we hoped but the tops are dead and so I pulled them up.

J/JJ Okra: (tonifies Kidney yin too)

JJHerb bag : J Jalapeño peppers, JJ Shisho (Perilla), JJParsley (Japanese), JJOregano (Keep in paper bag on counter to dry for future use or keep in fridge sealed for use this week), JJComfrey, JJBasil, JJLavender, JJLemon Balm

J Flower Bouquet: Strawflower, Smoke tree foliage, Hyacinth Bean Flower, Butterfly Bush Flower, Russian Sage.

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) –had to use one application of 7 on squash plants this year.

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar Street home.

Doorstep Harvest August 17, 2013

Posted on August 17, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 8-17-13

News from the garden: Alex is out this afternoon for a fun trip to K-State game with relatives. I (Mom) am filling in with newsletter writing today. Black berry production is slowing down (6 oz. of berries today). By the way, they freeze easily (just pop them into a freezer bag…we washed them with vinegar water already). Or, simmer them with some sugar and use as syrup… This past week we tip pruned the first year black berry canes to force side-branching before winter. This technique enables the cane to grow more surface area for next spring’s berry set (thus increasing the number of berries produced that go into your tummy). Fruiting happens on second year canes and branches (so more branches this fall equals more berries next summer). Little cousins (age 5-8) hand-picked Japanese beetles off of the triplecrown black berries this week for one penny each! Just picture the look on their little faces (of disgust and anxiety) as they summoned their braveness and grasped those beetles, hurriedly dropping them into a jar of soap water. Alex says the soap decreases the surface tension of the water so the beetles can’t swim and thus they sink to the bottom and drown. Those boys gathered 75 beetles! A big thank you to Uncle Dale’s boys! How brave they are! Those beetles are just as big as the biggest berries and feel as hard as steel robotic toys…really creepy… They are gorgeous to look at but really give me the heeebyjeebies to touch… We are hoping for Crenshaw melons by early September. Broad bean production is at last in full swing. Tomatillo plants are thriving (over five feet tall!!!!) and setting. Ground was dry enough for Alex to plant some fall crops before this last shower. Tomato season has kicked into full swing and is expected to continue through frost.

This week, in your Doorstep Harvest, you will find:

J Tomatoes: The one pound bag of two funny shaped ones contains heirloom variety (black crim). There are two bags total of four pounds of regular tomato. There is also a one pound bag of a variety of cherry tomatoes. Alex says that equals 6 pounds total tomato.

J/JJ Cucumbers: Mix of varieties. The white one is called Edmonson. Seeds came from Seed Savers Exchange. Blurb about seed writes: “Introduced to SSE in 1982 by Clarice Cooper of Kansas and her late husband Auburn. Family heirloom dating to 1913 from Clarice’s grandfather Edmonson; still being maintained by Clarice. White-green blocky 4” fruits mature to a deep red-orange. Crisp and flavorful even when large; rarely bitter. Good for slicing, salads, and pickling. Hardy and prolific, disease and drought resistant.” Next time it’s harvested, the skin will be “mature deep red-orange.” You can then tell Alex which way you like them best (younger with white skin or older with red skin…)

JJItalian Broad Bean: This variety was chosen due to its fantastic storage properties. Good canned or freezes easily after quick blanch in boiling water followed by dunk in ice water then into freezer bag for winter meal. This variety of bean requires a longer cooking time than your typical snap bean. I love them steamed/boiled with balsamic vinegar and sea salt but Alex likes them plain or in sauté of bacon grease… yum…

JJ/JSummer squash/Zuccinni: production is slowing down a bit due to the squash vine borer…

JJ Chard: A new sort of brown-grey-charcoal colored buggy-beetle (unidentified so far) is snacking on the chard this summer…

JJTriple Crown Blackberries (6 oz): Washed lightly this week with vinegar-water. They are very ripe and fragile. Eat them this weekend. May spoil very quickly! Or, put them in the freezer or fridge.

Mung bean sprouts: Alex took time this week to sprout these for you. Enjoy them in stir fry, on salads, or in soups.

J/JJKale: A bit buggy but well washed (although I advise you to wash them once more and pick them over to your liking as I picked out several clumps of yellow eggs and moth larvae. ( L ) Summer Kale is never as sweet as winter kale… it sweetens in freezing weather… Also, mature Kale is still enjoyable but tougher than baby kale. It is best to shred the mature Kale and cook it longer than usual or google “massaged kale” and find many recipes for kale salad that is literally pressed and massaged by hand into tender-juicy mess and served with a variety of marinades…

SOUP BAG: Small amounts of some things are coming on slowly and may be good in soup: J Okra, J JJapanese bunching onion, J thinned carrots, JJyard long bean, JJokra leaves.

J Flower Bouquet: Strawflower, Smoke tree foliage, Hyacinth Bean Flower, Butterfly Bush Flower, Double Rose of Sharon, Salvia.

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) –had to use one application of 7 on squash plants this year.

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar St. home.

Doorstep Harvest August 10, 2013

Posted on August 10, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 8-10-13

News from the garden: Cool cloudy weather is still keeping the okra production down. Today’s sunshine will be helpful to inspire growth. Potato plants just are not dying off (sign that it’s time to harvest) so, still no potatoes (I checked at fair time and they were not even big enough to exhibit). Sweet potato plants appear to be thriving (wish I’d planted more than I did). Crensha melons and broad beans are all setting well and growing in size. The variety of shell beans (for fall) that are edible when green are blooming well now but they are not yet setting. Tomatillo plants are thriving and blooming! Planting time is here for fall garden but the ground is too wet to plant! In my garden at Grandma’s I found a few dry patches of soil and planted sugar snap peas and snow peas. Triple Crown Black Berries are still ripening and although the peak has past, I expect continued production over the next two weeks at least. Hurray for tomato season. I’ve enclosed a recipe for “Gazpacho” (a raw soup) that mom likes: all of the ingredients for it are included in the delivery today-including the 2.5 pounds of tomato (not including cherry). Bee Balm is sending new shoots and I expect another flush of flowers later in the season so hang on to that fish recipe, if you liked it. The garden flowers are really coming on strong now so the bouquet this week is a treat of hyacinth bean blossoms, butterfly bush flower stocks, straw flower, salvia, and surprise lilly.

This week, you will find:

J/JJ Cucumbers: Mix of varieties.

JJ/J Summer squash/Zuccinni

J Cherry tomatoes: Blend of various varieties- pear, yellow, and red

J Tomatoes: The single big funny shaped one is an heirloom variety. The bag of narrow oval ones is Roma. There is also a bag of rounded ones. Total weight on the three brown bags is 2.5 pounds – precisely the weight required for “Gazpacho” recipe included this week.

SOUP BAG: Small amounts of some things are just coming on and may be good in soup: J Okra, J JJapanese bunching onion, J thinned carrots, JJyard long bean, JJokra leaves.

JJ Chard

JJHerbs : J Jalapeño peppers, J Shisho (Perilla), JJParsley (Japanese & Italian), JJOregano (Keep in paper bag on counter to dry for future use or keep in fridge sealed for use this week), JJComfrey, JJLavender leaf, JJLemon Balm

JJ Triple Crown Blackberries: I washed them lightly this week with vinegar-water. They are very ripe and fragile. Eat them this weekend or today as they will spoil very quickly! Or, put them in the freezer or fridge.

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) –had to use 7 on squash plants this year.

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar St. home.

Doorstep Harvest August 2, 2013

Posted on August 2, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 8-2-13

News from the garden: Fair Week. I entered 23 entries @ CKFF from the garden and have qualified to take the maximum allowed to state in September (8). Crenshaw melons are 2”long now! All though the cool weather is great for most of my plants, it’s slowing the growth of the okra. Organic zucchini at my house is producing but we didn’t get the winter squash covered in time to protect from the squash vine borer and are losing the kobucha and acorn. Some of the butternut seems unaffected so far… Blackberries are producing better than ever and love the cool weather. The broad beans have set and are two to three inches long. The sunflowers are gone; they didn’t make it for some reason. The potatoes are still too small to be called baby potatoes…don’t know why but the plants are still alive and well so we will just wait until the plants die to harvest. Who knows when…

This week, you will find

J/J Cucumbers: Mix of two varieties.

JJ/J Summer squash: Light this week because a lot of my CKFF entries were summer squash and the cloud cover seems to be shading the plants and slowing down the growth.

J Cherry tomatoes: Blend of various varieties- pear, yellow, and red. Some are picked on the green side for you to set aside and allow to ripen at room temp.

J Tomatoes

SOUP BAG: Small amounts of some things are just coming on and may be good in soup: J Okra, J/Bell Pepper, J JJapanese bunching onion, J Jalapeño peppers

JJ Chard:

JJHerbs : Shisho (Perilla), Parsley, Oregano, Comfrey, Lavender

JJ Triple Crown Blackberries: Washed by the rain and too fragile to wash again here so, PLEASE WASH JUST BEFORE EATING. And, eat them this weekend or today because the rain drenched them and is making them too soft.They will spoil veryquickly!

JJ Sweet corn: bad year for sweet corn, grown from conventional seed, but grown organically, Didn’t expect to have anymore after last week but I was wrong- there is more this weekend (last for sure).

J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible)

JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar St. home.

Doorstep Harvest July 6, 2013

Posted on July 6, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 7-6-13

News from the garden: The early blackberries are red with a few hidden ripe ones for tasting. Planning to load them up with water this week for a Doorstep Harvest next week of Blackberries for you! The thornless variety (later season) is already red as well and may possibly be ready next week too. The beets are filling out. Mid-spring planted carrots are being thinned… some of those were large enough to include this week and hoop house planted carrots in late winter are included for you this week. Finally flowers again. Green tomatoes are hanging on the vines. Half of the sweet potatoes didn’t make it but those that did are thriving. Peas are done. Cucumbers will be ready next week. The squash bug battle has begun… I hope to experiment with worm compost tea this week from my worm box. The tea is supposed to be an excellent insecticide. I also plan to try “Diatomaceous Earth” on the squash plants in my garden here in town. Potatoes are still not ready. Hardy Kiwi (female) is growing well with all of the spring rain and appears to be setting buds for next year fruiting. The male kiwi died during the winter though so I have to buy another or even if the female blooms next year, the fruit won’t set… The Crenshaw melon plants are thriving and blossoming now. Okra is coming along. ½ of the parsnips are lost (probably not watered frequently enough this last week).

This week you will find in your delivery:

Vegetables

JBeets: The tops are delicious prepared as braising mix green.

J JChard:

J/JJCarrots: remember to freeze the tops until you make broth, just add them to the broth for extra potassium.

JSummer Squash: this is the first of the squash. This squash is from my garden at Grandma’s and we used Sevin on them last week to stop the squash bugs.

JOnion:

JBaby Kale: please wash this again, and use it right away. It may still have caterpillars in it.L I washed one batch 6 times and it turned crumbly from the handling (turns out the green in the water was the juice, not caterpillar poo…) I was against giving it to you, but Mom told me to anyway. You can wash it until you are satisfied. It may be the last of the baby Kale until fall.

JJMature Kale: Larger leaves are more mature and less tender than baby. Chop fine and sauté.

Culinary Herbs: Herbs are not washed. Please wash prior to using.

Herbs are not washed. Please wash prior to using.

JJOregano: If you don’t plan to use it this weekend, remove from plastic bag and let dry on counter.

JJThyme: can be dried on counter in paper bag for winter use.

JJItalian Parsley: try it on chopped in a canned tuna salad or in tomato sauce.

Tea or cooking herbs/flowers: Don’t wash the delicate flowers.

JJLavender flowers: See recipe from last week for flower ice cream!

JJComfry: 12 grams. Add 1 quart boiling water and steep till cool. Sweeten and drink for bone health.

JJBee balm flower (monarda didyma): see recipe from last week for fish, ice cream, and pastries… It also dried nicely in the open air on the counter and can then be crushed/crumbled easily for future seasoning use.

J/JJShisho: (Perillia) dry on counter or use fresh in recipe provided a few weeks ago.

Flower bouquet: Cleome, strawflower, and loosestrife from the farmJ and Rose of Sharon from my garden in town JJ. The Rose of Sharon is a gourmet delicacy. Try the modifying the enclosed recipe. Rose of Sharon should bloom through fall so keep the recipe for future use!

J Grown in my 4-H Gardens at Grandma’s in the country (organic when possible).

J J Organically grown in my 4-H “Forest Garden” on Cedar Street.

Doorstep Harvest June 29, 2013

Posted on June 29, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 6-29-13

News from the garden: I am back from camp. The salad is too bitter to give this week. The salad I planted several weeks ago should be ready within the next two weeks, so don’t give up on the salad just yet – but Mom says even it tastes bitter! Pole beans are up, but wilt everyday in the heat. The same applies to the bush beans. The okra is growing happily. The summer squash has set fruit, and the squash bugs have found the winter squash. We were going to try a barrier method but when we went out to cover them, we found squash bugs there already! The squash at my grandparents’ house will be sprayed with “sevin”, but in town I am ordering an organic spray to try. The blackberries are getting bigger and need a lot of water. The wind keeps knocking off the mulberries, and their season is nearly over. Potatoes are not ready yet after all. Some of the chard is bolting, but most of it is still hanging on. I planted some sunflowers two weeks ago, and some of them are up now, they should make inch long seeds! The cabbage butterfly is out now, and most of our brassicas will begin to be unusable until fall, when the caterpillars are done. Tomatoes are blooming and setting fruit. Gooseberries and crandle currents are over, bushes were transplanted last year to new location so Mom says it seems their energy went to root development rather than berries. Next year should be better. Sweet potato plants are growing fast now in the heat. Crensha melons are loving the heat. Cucumber is finally blooming. This time of year the production slows down for a week or two until tomato, potato, squash, okra, and cucumber start producing so hang in there if it seems light this week. The windstorm knocked out our internet, so no wikifacts this week. You may want to make a summer soup with a little of this and a little of that mixed with chicken broth or boiled ground beef.

This week you will find in you delivery:

Braising mix: cook separate or together in stir-fry (Chard & Mustard greens)

Beets: remember to eat the tops too. These beets are finally getting large enough to really be beets.

Carrot: just one to nibble on! The rest are still too small to harvest.

Peas: Pea season is closing. There are small amounts of Sugarsnap & shell.

Mulberry: Mom says Mulberries are one of the neglected “super foods” of America. They are so incredibly nutritious that they are included as a yin and blood tonic in the official Chinese Medicine Materia Medica. I eat them fresh, the Chinese dry them and then cook into tea, some people cook them into tarts or into jams.

Onions: there are small bulb onions (the first of the season) and

Garlic: first of the season. It can be left out to dry or use right away.

Herbs: Herbs are not washed. Please wash prior to using.

Lavender flowers: leaves and flowers can be used. Leaves can be used like you’d use rosemary in stew or for flavoring meats. See enclosed recipe for flower icecream!

Oregano: If you don’t plan to use it this weekend, transfer to paper bag and let dry on counter for future use.

Sage: can be dried on counter in paper bag for winter use.

Comfrey: 13 grams.

Bee balm: see recipe enclosed for fish, ice cream, and pastries…

Doorstep Harvest June 15, 2013

Posted on June 15, 2013July 27, 2020 by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 6-15-13

Hi! This is Alex’s Mom. Alex started a new job at Country Mart bagging & carrying groceries a few days ago. It’s going to take a week or two to find a balance between that and Doorstep Harvest so, today, I’ll be covering the newsletter for him. Sorry, no beloved Wikifacts coming from me…

News from the Garden: Alex worked very hard this week. In preparation for fall, we cleared more ground in the back yard, sheet mulched, and seeded more okra, zucchini, kobucha squash, Italian broad bean, hyacinth bean, and tomatillo. Parsnip is up, at least, we hope it’s parsnip, grass doesn’t grow in a row spaced 2” apart. Sorry no carrots this week, they need some more time to mature. There may be a few next week. Blackberries at Grandma’s are green and ¼ inch long already. This rain should help fill them out and they are likely to ripen on time for July harvest. Autumn olive berries are abundant and we are looking forward to fall harvest of these. Alex will keep the salad going as long as possible, however, the heat is causing much of it to bolt. He ordered three varieties of “bolt-resistant” varieties from Johnny’s yesterday and is hoping to get those in the ground this week. He also ordered more okra seed for fun to plant this week for late summer/fall harvest: more “Red Burgandy,” “Silver Queen” (an ivory green variety), and the standard “Clemson Spineless” from 1939, all from Seed Savers Exchange. With blessings, there may be conventional sweet corn this summer (Alex, Uncle Dale, and Dale’s little boys planted a corn patch out at Grandma’s) and it is growing well so far. Strawberries are done. I think we need to increase the size of the strawberry and asparagus patches! The good news about the late frost and “bad” fruit year this summer is that these young trees are vigorously putting their energy into growth and if there isn’t frost kill next spring, these trees are sure to be old enough and strong enough to be loaded at last with peach, plum, and pear!! Alex discovered that beets (which have been difficult to grow) love wood ash. He’s just figured out that cucumbers enjoy the high Ph that wood ash encourages in the soil as well so…we are enjoying outdoor wood-grilled meat more often lately. J

This week, in the Doorstep Harvest, you will find:

Kohlrabi: I am very excited about this vegetable! I first learned about it while living in Ithaca. It is a very popular winter keeper root vegetable there as it grows well in cool temperatures. I haven’t found it in the markets here in Kansas. Alex ran a 3’ x 4’ test plot of this in the hoop house early this spring, it survived a bout of aphids in February (after he watered more frequently) and it just took off in April. Watching the pearly white globe fill out has been inspiring. This unusual Kansas weather has been very good to it. Usually, by this time of year in Kansas, the bugs and heat have halted brassica (kale, collards, broccoli, etc…) growth. The interesting thing about Kohlrabi is that it grows above the ground! Below the bulb is a thin root that dives into the soil. In our yard, Star of Bethlehem has naturalized and in early spring, it takes over much of the yard making gardening above ground in spring a challenge. The Kohlrabi was an experiment to see if it would grow in Kansas, and if it might be a crop to cultivate on top of the Star of Bethlehem. This year, with our cool spring, the experiment worked! To eat, just peel the skin and slice. Eat raw or add to stir fry. Some people think it tastes like turnip but I can’t stand turnip and I just love Kohlrabi. I think it tastes like Jicima (the root from Mexico you can buy at Wests) or like a mild radish. Let Alex know how you like it. He only planted a trial row so this may be it for the year. Oh, the leaves are really tough. Haven’t looked into whether they are edible yet or not.

Green Onion: The starts for these are from Country Mart and are not organic but Alex did grow them organically in his garden at Grandma’s. It has come to our attention that some people cut the tops of and just throw them out. Please don’t do this! Only the seed stalk is tough. The other onion tops can be sliced and added to salad or stir fry. The seed stalk can be composted or added to soup stock.

Sugar Snap Pea: Organic seed from Johnny’s and organically grown in Alex’s garden at Grandma’s. This is likely to be the peak of the season because, when the winds become hot, the vines dry out, and the winds are becoming strong and hot! Production is high right now, and if rain and cool weather continue, we’ll enjoy these for a little while longer. These are to be washed first and eaten whole –pod and all. Love it in salad or as a healthy snack on the run. There was some mix up at planting time with labeling so, if you by chance find a tough pod in the mix, the pod is likely to be a shell pea that was mis-labeled. So far, this problem is happening in the snow pea row and not the sugar snap row but… be warned and please forgive. Thank you!

Snow Pea: Great in stir fry and okay raw. These are organic seeds organically grown in Alex’s garden at Grandma’s. This is the row that had the mix up with the labeling. This week, I believe we have it figured out. In your bag this week, you have a blend of yellow snow pea and green snow pea. Excellent in Asian stir fry. Last week, the blend of snow peas may have contained some tougher large green pods. There was a mix up with the labeling of the rows. There is a row of green snow pea and a row of mixed peas of yellow and green. I thought the green pods among the yellow were a genetic kick back of the yellow but now, more clues are appearing! The sleuth has discovered an empty seed envelope of “Champion Pea of England seeds” AND, the green pea pods are maturing this week in the way a shelling pea would, AND, the green pods do appear to be on a separate vine than the yellow, AND, the green pea vines are growing tall (they are supposed to reach a height 10 feet!). I hope you find this entertaining… This row appears to the sleuth to be mix of organic “Golden Sweet” Snow Pea from Seed Savers Exchange (collected at market in India) and organic “Champion of England” Shell Pea from Seed Savers Exchange (1840 heirloom from the family of Robert Woodbridge whose grandmother “got the seed ‘from the head gardener at a big country house during the war’ where it grew in her garden in the village of Pickworth, Lincolnshire, England.” So, I apologize if there was an occasional tough pod in your delivery of snow pea last week (they tasted tender enough to me as they were still young). We are leaving the green shell peas on the vine now this week to let them mature. Hopefully next week, you’ll receive green shell peas in addition to the snows!

Beets & Tops: Organic seed grown organically in garden at Grandma’s. Please use the tops and add to braising mix or soup stock. They have very high amounts of potassium.

Chard: Organic seed grown organically in Alex’s garden at our house.

Mustard Greens: Add to a braising mix.

Kale: Add to a braising mix. Really everyone, if you don’t have “Mirin” by your stove, you must get some. It is a rice wine for cooking and a staple ingredient for cooking greens in our house. I use it as often as olive oil. It adds the sweet flavor that we so much desire when eating greens, especially in combination with grated ginger and garlic. Makes it easier to eat that two to four servings of greens we so much need for proper nutrient requirements.

Organic Culinary herbs this week are all from Alex’s garden here at the Cedar house and include: Thyme, Sage, Japanese Parsley, Oregano

Organic Tea herbs for health this week are from the Cedar house garden except that the peppermint is from Alex’s garden at grandma’s and includes: 9 grams of Comfry leaf, peppermint, and shisho. This is the first of several harvest we plan for throughout the coming year for shisho. Every part of the beautiful purple leaved Shisho plant is used in Japanese cooking and Asian herbal medicine. The leaf provides the purple color of Japanese pickled ginger (eaten with raw sushi) and is pickled alone and also eaten with raw sushi (to alleviate seafood poisoning). The leaf is crushed and added to season salt, also used in Japanese cooking. Latin name is perilla. Well adapted to our climate, we are letting it naturalize in the garden. Save the enclosed information as we plan to include shisho regularly in the deliveries. Place it in a paper bag and let it dry on the counter, crush it, and store in sealed jar to use in the future. I successfully use it routinely in early stages of wind-cold attack… when the main symptom is clear runny nose, with some slight cough, warm forehead without “fever” with or without mild chills. I just boil 10 grams of dried leaf for 15 minutes in a quart of water, add stevia or honey and drink over the course of a day and repeat for a second day if needed. It has worked consistently with my kids when they were little (if we noticed the runny nose soon enough) and I use it myself occasionally as well. Clinically, it is frequently used regularly in various combination formulas. Seeds are used clinically in cough formulas. Stems and roots are medicinal as well. Whereas Echinacea, goldenseal, and elderberry (commonly used immune enhancing herbs in the west) are cold energetically and therefore used for heat patterns (with yellow phlegm and fever), shisho is warm and used for early stage wind cold patterns (viral stage).

I hope you are enjoying the adventure and that your health is improving from it…