Author: Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest June 8, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 6-8-13
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
I planted okra a few days ago (just in time for the rain again!).  I’ve read that beans climb well on corn, so I’m experimenting by intercropping them with the okra to see how well they climb on okra!  Several more hills of Crenshaw melons are sown now (they are like cantaloupe) and they thrive in the late summer Kansas heat.  We planted some heat loving spinach, more lettuce, more carrots (for late fall), more onions (for late fall), some salsify (for winter and spring2014 harvest), and some summer diakon radish.  The parsnips that I replanted still have not come up, and the organic heirloom peppers that had started indoors are transplanted and just sitting there, not doing anything.  The starts purchased from the store and transplanted at my garden at Grandma’s are blooming, are organically grown, but not organic plants.  We direct sowed some more winter kobucha squash (my favorite winter squash) and zucchini.  Both varieties of blackberries are blooming profusely, and setting fruit.  Grapes have set.  Enjoy the peppermint this spring and try the recipe for honeysuckle flower-peppermint-green tea.  No more radishes, they have bolted and become very woody.  The organic heirloom cucumbers planted from seed (direct sown) have come up, and are about an inch tall.  The organic heirlooms I started and transplanted are struggling.  Because I expanded my garden by 300 sq ft this month, and the city has placed water usage restrictions, Grandpa brought in a load of hay and I’ve been busy mulching this week.  Mulching not only helps drastically reduce water waste (evaporation), it also keeps the soil cool, and keeps the weeds down (translating to less labor for me!).  I put a layer of cardboard beneath the mulch to act as week barrier, act like sponge to hold water, and it will break down by spring and return to soil.
                                                        
This week, in your delivery, you will find:
Salad mix: standard lettuce mix plus red and green orach and spinach.  When I picked the orach, the bottom of the leaves appeared to be glowing!
Braising mix bags:
              Kale: (Wikifact:  see printout from past newsletter)
              Mustard:  (Wikifact:  Brassica juncea is more pungent than the closely related Brassica oleracea greens (kale, cabbage, collard greens, et cetera), and is frequently mixed with these milder greens in a dish of “mixed greens”, which may include wild greens such as dandelion. As with other greens in soul food cooking, mustard greens are generally flavored by being cooked for a long period with ham hocks or other smoked pork products.)
              Chard:  (Wikifact:  Chard has been bred to have highly nutritious leaves at the expense of the root (which is not as nutritious as the leaves).[4] Chard is, in fact, considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables available and a valuable addition to a healthy diet (like other green leafy vegetables).
Berry Bag:  Strawberry patch is still small so harvest happens over a period of days.  Your berries are a combination of fresh pick today and a few days old stored in fridge.  Enjoy daily in small bites as they ripen or prepare in desert this weekend.  This may be last week for them.  This may be last gooseberry week as well.  (Wikifact:  he garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s)
Roots:
              Onion:  (Wikifact:  Workers who built the Egyptian pyramids may have been fed radishes and onions.)
              Beet:  (Wikifact:  Beetroot can be peeled, steamed, and then eaten warm with butter as a delicacy; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad. )
            Carrot:  (Wikifact:  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that world production of carrots and turnips(these plants are combined by the FAO for reporting purposes) for calendar year 2011 was almost 35.658 million tonnes. Almost half were grown in China.)
Tea Herbs:
              Peppermint:  (Wikifact:  Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.)
              Honeysuckle flower:  9 grams fresh herb
              Lemon Balm:  (Wikifact:  Lemon balm is often used as a flavouring in ice cream and herbal teas, both hot and iced, often in combination with other herbs such as spearmint. It is also frequently paired with fruit dishes orcandies. It can be used in fish dishes and is the key ingredient in lemon balm pesto. It has been suggested that it might be a better, healthier preservative than beta hydroxy acid in sausages)
              Bee Balm:  (Wiifact:  Bee balm was traditionally used by Native Americans as a seasoning for wild game, particularly birds.)
              Comfrey:  2.5 oz  (Wikifact:  It is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine.)
Peas:   
              Sugarsnap  (Wikifact:  Often served in salads or eaten whole. They may also be stir-fried or steamed. Before being eaten, mature snap pea pods may need to be “stringed”, which means the membranous string running along the top of the pod from base to tip is removed. Over-cooking the pods will make them come apart.)
              Snow pea   cook whole by steaming or stir-frying.
Sage:  If you cannot use this over the weekend, please remove it from the plastic bag and place it in a paper one, or leave on counter to dry for later use. 
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Wild Oregano
Flower Bouquet:  Salvia, Pink Spirea, Rose, Larkspur.

Doorstep Harvest June 1, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 6-1-13
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: Jolly June!  School is out and there is more time to expand production! Transplanted pepper and winter squash are happy in the ground just before the rain. Whew.  3 varieties of Potatoes, 3 varieties of sweet potatoes, and three varieties of onions are growing bigger!  The sunchokes are also doing well.  Yellow snow peas have set (sample amount is in pesto bag this week). Tender Sugar snap pea vines are three feet tall and have set. Three varieties of beans are up.  Black berries are blooming and setting, if it stays cool this summer, it may be a super black berry year.  Just like last year, it won’t be a bumper fruit year.  However, there will be small amounts in coming deliveries:  Crandal currents, gooseberries, service berries, and bush cherries survived the freezes and set (in small amounts); mulberries are already starting to ripen; a few pears made it, and autumn olive berries have set, black caps haven’t bloomed yet, all other fruit (peach, Asian pear, plum, cherry) has been lost this year due to frost.  On the bright side, this means that my little four year old pear and plum trees can concentrate energy into growing larger this year and have a larger area upon which to place even more fruit next year. Two of four kiwi plants survived but are still too young to produce fruit.  I transplanted Oregon grape recently and hope to harvest tasting quantities of berries from them next year.  Some of the salad is bolting so this delivery is likely to be the peak of the season. Spinach is finished for the spring.  I hope to plant a “heat loving” spinach variety in time for summer-fall harvest. My tomatoes at Grandmas are growing quickly but the heirloom varieties that I started from seed here in town have been transplanted and still are struggling… we will see how they do as the summer kicks in. The parsnip did not germinate, so, I re-planted with a different variety last week, just before the rain came, and I hope this time the seeds will germinate!
This week, you will find in the Doorstep Harvest delivery:
Fruit Pie bag:  strawberries, gooseberries, and rhubarb.  The attached recipe can be modified into a torte.
Pesto veggie bag:  “Golden Sweet” snow pea from India, baby carrot, baby beet, asparagus, and garlic scapes!  See garlic scape recipe. These veggies can be lightly steamed, covered in garlic-scape pesto, and added to your favorite rice, pasta, or tuna salad.   Or, try them in the “braised chicken and spring vegetable” recipe.
Green Onion
Salad Mix:  blend of red orach, encore lettuce mix, oak leaf lettuce, rose petals, tatsoi flowers, and carrot top. 
Lettuce Head bag:  heads are starting to bolt.  I hope they aren’t too bitter.  They tasted fine to me this morning.  You can add this to your salad mix.
Beet tops: I thinned the beet rows last night and these tender young greens can be cooked as a green or chopped and added into salad mix.  In this bag are also licorice mint sprigs that are wonderful in salads.
Baby beets and tops:  Boil, run under cold water to loosen skin, peel, and grate or slice.  Tops can be diced and added to ground beef or boiled and prepared as greens.
Arugula:  Enjoy it added to your salad or try the attached recipes. ½ pound bag.  Arugula is also known as “Rocket.”
Radish:  roots can be sliced and added to sandwiches or salad.  Greens are fantastic chopped and added to ground beef in hamburger patties or meat loaf.  They also are nice prepared in sauté as any of the other greens are.
Mustard greens:  Excellent in curries or seasoned with spices such as nutmeg, cumin, coriander…  See attached recipes.  ½ pound bag.
Red and Green Chard:  ½ pound bag.
Kale:  blend of three kale varieties… red Russian, dino, and white kale. 
Tea herb bag:  Just put the tea herbs (separately, not together) into a jar or mug, and pour boiling water onto them, and let steep till cool. Add honey or stevia to taste.  Consult drugs.com if taking medications to check interactions.  Also, if trying herb for first time, drink small amount over period of days to test for any adverse reactions.
Bee balm (monarda didyma) otherwise known as “Oswego tea.”  Provides the bergamot flavor of Earl Grey Tea.  Use the leaves for refreshing beverage.
Lemon Balm:  can try this cheese spread recipe… 2 oz softened butter, 8 oz softened cream cheese, 2 tbsp orange marmalade, 1 tsp orange zest, 1 tbsp fresh orange juice, 3 tbsp chopped fresh lemon balm.  Blend butter and cream cheese until smooth, mix in remainder ingredients, chill overnight, serve at room temp.
Comfrey is super for building healthy bones and teeth.  1 leaf is about 5-10 grams.  “Excessive” amounts over long periods of time can harm kidney however two leaves per person once weekly is very low dose and is considered to be safe and healthy.
Culinary Herb bag:  bergamot sage, thyme, chives, oregano, Japanese parsley.
Flowers:  Salvia, Catnip, and Rose.  Kind of stinky but it is pretty.
JJ= organically grown in my garden in town   J=organically grown in my garden in the country J/J= parts are in both

Doorstep Harvest May 28, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 5-28-2013
As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts.  Also, please note that some herbs-foods may have some interactions with some pharmaceuticals.  If you use meds, Go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.?
This is a short newsletter, no WikiFacts, sorry 🙁
All produce this week is organically grown in my garden in town, as always thus far this year, with exception of some of the braising mix, which has been organically grown in my garden at my grandparents in the country, and the radishes.
Carrots
Radish:  greens are tasty in the braising mix, or chopped small and put into a hamburger patty.  They are also very nutritious.
Braising mix:  Contains Red Russian Kale, Mustard Greens, and Chard (red and green).
Salad mix: Contains encore salad mix, wood sorrel (the lemony), and baby mustard (the spicy).
Spinach
Tea herbs:
            lemon balm
Culinary Herbs:  Oregano, thyme, and parsley, and wild garlic leaf.
WARNING: herbs are not (and have not been) washed!  This causes faster degradation of the flavor.  The best time to wash is right before use.
A great way to store your herbs for long term use is to keep them in their paper bag on the counter, and let them air dry on the counter.  For short term, just store in fridge.
Flowers: Lilac (purple buds), daffodil, and poppies!

Doorstep Harvest May 25, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 5-25-13
News from the garden: tatsoi (goes inside Braising mix) was planted, but it scarcely put out leaves before it bolted!  The same happened with some radish that we planted.  Many strawberries are set, and ripening for next week!  Just today the birds found them, so we will need to but some bird netting over them.   Rhubarb is almost ready, so next week you can make a rhubarb-strawberry crisp! Peas are blooming and beans are up. Potatoes look good in the heat and rain.  Hoping to transplant winter squash out this coming week.  This week, again, I will be featuring foods high in iron.  Some foods that help with iron absorption are vitamin C, vinegar, fructose, protein, meat, fish and poultry.
JJ Salad mix: giving 1/3 lb salad this week!  All the new rows of salad, in addition to the nice rains, have made the salad really grow well! Included in your bag of salad is a small bag of flowers. These are to be added to the salad. You also get an extra “head” of lettuce.  One cup of leaf lettuce contains .6 mg Fe, but only 7.8% is absorbed.
 Braising mix:  because this is a full delivery, we have ¼ lb or more of each ingredient.  The braising mix doesn’t just have to be stir-fryed; it can also be boiled, steamed, chopped into salad, etcetera…
J 1/3 lb Kale:  for wikifact, refer to the pamphlet attached. Kale is quite the incredible plant!  Kale contains 1.8 mg Fe
JJ ¼ lb Chard: One cup of Chard contains 3.2 mg Fe
J ½ lb Mustard greens:  one cup of mustard greens contains 2.7 mg Fe
JJ Spinach: ¼ lb  Our cool season varieties of spinach are bolting in the heat,  This may be the last spinach for quite a while.  One cup of raw, chopped spinach contains 1.7 mg Fe, however only 3.5% is absorbed.  Cooking the spinach helps with its absorption, as does adding vinegarish salad dressing, if eaten raw.
JJDandelion greens: ½ lb dandelion greens this week! Yes! You can eat dandelion greens!  Enclosed is a great recipe called Dandelion Italiano.  One cup of dandelion greens contains 1.9 mg Fe
Asparagus
Root Bag
JJRadish:  use the greens in the braising mix, hamburger patties, or shed and add to salad for extra spiciness
JJCarrot:  use the greens to make some good soup stock.  Carrots may be winding down for a while, until our other plantings finish maturing.
JJBeet:  just two, you can boil, then peel off the skins right away under cold water to take away the bitterer skin, or you can grate them into your salad of braising mix.  Please use the greens as well, they can be added into the braising mix, or chopped into the salad with the beetroot.
JJOnion:  just one, thought you might enjoy it shredded into your salad mix, or cooking.
JHorseradish greens: Reduce included recipe to 1/3 given amounts
Culinary Herbs:  Oregano, thyme, sage, cilantro, and parsley.  ¼ cup of chopped parsley contains .9 mg Fe
Tea herbs:     Just put the tea herbs (separately, not together) into a jar or mug, and pour boiling water onto them, and let steep till cool. Add honey or stevia to taste.  Consult drugs.com if taking medications to check interactions.  Also, if trying herb for first time, drink small amount over period of days to test for any adverse reactions.
Comfrey:   good for bones and teeth.  1 leaf is about 5-10 grams.  Excessive amounts over long period of time can harm kidney however two leaves per person per week is low dose.
 Lemon balm,
 Bee balm (monarda didyma) otherwise known as Oswego tea.  Provides the bergamot flavor of Earl Grey Tea.  Use the leaves for refreshing beverage.
JJ= organically grown in my garden in town   J=organically grown in my garden in the country J/J= parts are in both

Doorstep Harvest May 11, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 5-11-2013
As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts.  Also, please note that some herbs-foods may have some interactions with some pharmaceuticals.  If you use meds, Go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.?
This is a short newsletter, no WikiFacts, sorry 🙁
All produce this week is organically grown in my garden in town, as always thus far this year, with exception of some of the braising mix, which has been organically grown in my garden at my grandparents in the country, and the radishes.
Carrots
Radish:  greens are tasty in the braising mix, or chopped small and put into a hamburger patty.  They are also very nutritious.
Braising mix:  Contains Red Russian Kale, Mustard Greens, and Chard (red and green).
Salad mix: Contains encore salad mix, wood sorrel (the lemony), and baby mustard (the spicy). Violet flowers are also included.
Spinach
Tea herbs:
            lemon balm
Culinary Herbs:  Oregano, thyme, and parsley, and wild garlic leaf.
WARNING: herbs are not (and have not been) washed!  This causes faster degradation of the flavor.  The best time to wash is right before use.
A great way to store your herbs for long term use is to keep them in their paper bag on the counter, and let them air dry on the counter.  For short term, just store in fridge.
Flowers: Lilac (purple buds), daffodil, and star of Bethlehem (white).

Doorstep Harvest May 4, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 5-4-2013
As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts.  Also, please note that some herbs-foods may have some interactions with some pharmaceuticals.  If you use meds, Go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.?
News from the garden:  The gardens growth slowed down quite a bit with the SNOW AGAIN! I said that the nettle stingers may go only in one direction.  I have since actually looked, at it looked like they went all directions. Whoops 🙂 Tomatoes, broccoli and cucumber are hardening off.  Looks like like we’ll be direct sowing squashes and cucumbers this year.  The ones I planted have petered out, not sure why. Strawberries are blooming.  This week we’ll be giving nutrition facts!  Specifically, vitamin A.
The Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) is 4,000-5,000 IU
All produce this week is organically grown in my garden in town, as always thus far this year, with exception of some of the braising mix, which has been organically grown in my garden at my grandparents in the country.
Carrot:  I am including the greens, as they are extremely nutritional. You can use them to make broths.
1 medium carrot contains 11,000 IU
Braising mix:  Contains Red Russian Kale, Mustard Greens, Chard (red and green), and Beet Greens.
1/2 cup Kale contains 4,600 IU, and 1/2 cup Mustard greens has 4,000 IU
Salad mix: Contains encore salad mix, wood sorrel (the lemony), and baby mustard (the spicy). Violet flowers are also included.
1 cup packed Leaf lettuce has 1,000 IU
Spinach:  growing fairly well ?
1/2 cup steamed spinach has 7,300 IU
Tea herbs:
            lemon balm:  You can put lemon balm with hot water to make a relaxing tea or add to    
            salad.
Culinary Herbs:  Oregano, thyme, parsley, and Japanese green onions. Chop green onions and add to salads or soups. 
(WikiFact for Oregano:  Oregano’s most prominent modern use is as the staple herb of Italian-American cuisine. Its popularity in the US began when soldiers returning from World War II brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”,[8] which had probably been eaten in southern Italy for centuries. There, it is most frequently used with roasted, fried or grilled vegetables, meat and fish.).
A great way to store your herbs for long term use is to keep them in their paper bag on the counter, and let them air dry on the counter.  For short term, just store in fridge.
Flowers: Lilac (purple buds), daffodil, and star of Bethlehem (white).

Doorstep Harvest April 27, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 4-27-2013
As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts.  Also, please note that some herbs-foods may have some interactions with some pharmaceuticals.  If you use meds, Go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.?
News from the garden:  The gardens growth slowed down quite a bit with the SNOW this week but the cilantro loved it! The spinach isn’t growing fast enough, yet, because of the snow, so while you are receiving less spinach, you are getting some stinging nettle to supplement!  See attached recipe for how to cook nettle.  Obviously, stinging nettle stings, so it’s a good idea to use gloves.  The stingers are said to go one direction, so if you can figure out what direction it is, you’ll be fine without gloves. (FYI:  the stingers get softened when cooked).  Tomatoes, brocoli and cucumber are hardening off.
All produce this week is organically grown in my garden in town, as always thus far this year, with exception of some of the braising mix, which has been organically grown in my garden at my grandparents in the country.
Carrot: Obviously great eaten whole, or grated into salad. I added some delicious purple carrot to the mix.  (Wiki-fact: Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used to make various broths.)
Braising mix:  Contains Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur kale, Mustard Greens, Chard (red and green), and Beet Greens.  Just stir-fry them. One tablespoon of Mirin, and a teaspoon of brown rice vinegar, added near the end, adds to the flavor.  Adding sesame seeds also makes it taste great to me. 
Salad mix: Contains encore salad mix, wood sorrel, baby beet greens, baby chard, baby red russian kale, baby spinach, and violet flowers.
Spinach: (Wiki-fact:  the United States Department of Agriculture states that a 180-g serving of boiled spinach contains 6.43 mg of iron, whereas a 170-g ground hamburger patty contains at most 4.42 mg.)
Tea herbs:
            Stinging Nettle:  grown in one of my winter hoops, nettle will sting through the bag,
            so be careful rummaging blindly!  Cooking will eliminate the sting, and it is tasty. You
            can also make a tea with it. WEAR GLOVES!  Stinging nettle contains more vitamins/        
            minerals than cultivated greens. Tea or veggie or both!  Mom cooks it in tea then chops the steeped greens and puts into tomato sauce or into hamburger patties with chopped onions.
            lemon balm:  You can put lemon balm with hot water to make a relaxing tea or add to salad.
Culinary Herbs:  Oregano, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and Japanese green onions. Chop green onions and add to salads or soups. 
(WikiFact for Parsley:  Green parsley is often used as a garnish on potato dishes (boiled or mashed potatoes), on rice dishes (risotto or pilaf), on fish, fried chicken, lamb or goose, steaks, meat or vegetable stews (like beef bourguignon, goulash or chicken paprikash).
A great way to store your herbs for long term use is to keep them in their paper bag on the counter, and let them air dry on the counter.  For short term, just store in fridge.
Flowers: quince (pink), grape hyacinth (purple), daffodil, and star of Bethlehem (white).
Simple Braised Greens
printer friendly
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces mixed greens (kale, collard, mustard, or greens of your choice) about 3-4 cups chopped and well packed
1 clove garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
Add greens stirring to coat with oil
Stir until greens are barely wilted
Add garlic, salt and pepper flakes
Continue stirring until greens are tender
Serve
Serves 1
(1/4 lb braising mix is exactly what we are delivering)
Simple recipe for stinging nettle:
Steam in one inch of water  in a covered pot for 10 minutes or until they turn dark neon green.  By now, the stingers have been disabled and they are edible! Snip the leaves off the stems and eat as is or prepare as follows:  chop fine, sprinkle with garlic powder, dash vinegar, mirin, sea salt. Save cooking water and drink as a tonic tea.

Doorstep Harvest April 20, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 4-20-2013
News from the garden:  salad mix is groaning steadily, I’ve got a heat tolerant variety up and started.  The winter spinach is bolting, but my spring spinach is very happy.  The cilantro is probably done, as it is bolting as well.  The mizuna has bolted, we pulled up the last plants today to use as flowers in the salad.  The same can be said for the arugula we planted.  It bolted so quickly, we didn’t get to harvest it. The chard is really beginning to take off!  It had stopped growing during winter.  We uncovered my low hoop this week, as the plants under it can tolerate light frosting.  With the rain and hail storm we got this week, all the spinach and mustard greens got shredded! We were able to get the good spinach and mustard greens, but it really lowered our yield.  I planted four rows of peas this past week, as well as many potatoes.  The peas I planted at my grandparents farm are up strong.  I planted extra tatsoi (used in braising mix), kale, and arugula there as well. It is all happily sprouted.  The fruit forecast for this year is uncertain to me.  We have had several frosts since the trees bloomed, as well as a few light hails, but I’m still not sure if the fruits have endured.  My tomatoes that I started indoors are ready to be transplanted, we are hardening them off this week 🙂 My squash, cucumber and eggplant starts are almost ready as well.
All produce this week is organically grown in my organic garden in town, as always this year.
Carrot: Obviously great eaten whole, or grated into salad. I added some delicious purple carrot to the mix.  (Wiki-fact: Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.)
Braising mix:  Contains Red Russian Kale, White Kale, Mustard Greens, Chard (red and green), Beet Greens, and sorrel.  Just stir-fry them. One tablespoon of Mirin, and a teaspoon of brown rice vinegar, added near the end, adds to the flavor.  Adding sesame seeds also makes it taste great to me. 
Salad mix: Contains encore salad mix, wood sorrel, baby beet greens, and arugula (white) and mizuna (yellow) flowers.
.  The extra salad mix we planted is coming to fruition, so the salad is mostly encore salad mix.
Spinach:  One of my spinach patches was shredded by the rain and hail in this past week.?  (Wiki-fact:  the United States Department of Agriculture states that a 180-g serving of boiled spinach contains 6.43 mg of iron, whereas a 170-g ground hamburger patty contains at most 4.42 mg.)
Herbs:  Oregano, lemon balm, thyme, parsley, and green onions. Chop green onions and add to salads or soups. You can put lemon balm with hot water to make a relaxing tea.   (WikiFact:
(for oregano) Oregano is an important culinary herb, used for the flavor of its leaves.  Oregano’s most prominent modern use is as the staple herb of Italian-American cuisine. Its popularity in the US began when soldiers returning from World War II brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”, which had probably been eaten in southern Italy for centuries. There, it is most frequently used with roasted, fried or grilled vegetables, meat and fish. Unlike most Italian herbs, oregano combines well with spicy foods, which are popular in southern Italy.) 
(thyme fact:  is a fragrant, small-leafed, woody-stemmed culinary herb that is used frequently in Mediterranean, Italian and Provençal French cuisines. It pairs well with lamb, poultry and tomatoes, and is often used in soups, stews, stocks and sauces.)
A great way to store your herbs for long term use is to keep them in their paper bag on the counter, and let them air dry on the counter.  For short term, just store in fridge.
Flowers: quince (pink), grape hyacinth (purple), tulip, and star of Bethlehem (white).

Doorstep Harvest April 6, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 4-6-2013
All produce this week is organically grown in my winter high tunnel.
Carrot: Obviously great eaten whole, or grated into salad. I added some delicious purple carrot to the mix.  (Wiki-fact: The city of Holtville, California, promotes itself as “Carrot Capital of the World”, and holds an annual festival devoted entirely to the carrot.)
Braising mix:  Contains Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, Mustard Greens, Chard, and Beet Greens, and sorrel.  Just stir-fry them. One tablespoon of Mirin, and a teaspoon of brown rice vinegar, added near the end, adds to the flavor.  Adding sesame seeds also makes it taste great to me. 
Salad mix: Contains arugula, encore salad mix, sorrel, (looks like clover), baby beet greens, cress, and a few parsley leaves.  The extra salad mix we planted is coming to fruition, so the salad is mostly encore salad mix. (WikiFact: (for sorrel) Wood sorrel is an edible wild plant that has been consumed by humans around the world for millennia. In Dr. James Duke’s “Handbook of Edible Weeds,” he notes that the Kiowa Indian tribe chewed wood sorrel to alleviate thirst on long trips, that the Potawatomi Indians cooked it with sugar to make a dessert,)
Spinach:  The spinach is loving the weather in the hoops! It is truly flourishing.    (Wiki-fact:   During World War I, wine fortified with spinach juice was given to French soldiers weakened by hemorrhage.)
Herbs:  Oregano, lemon balm, thyme, parsley, and wild garlic leaves. Chop garlic leaves and add to salads.  They’re rather bland, so you can be rather generous.  Put lemon balm with hot water to make a relaxing tea.   (WikiFact: (for thyme) The spread of thyme throughout Europe was thought to be due to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms and to “give an aromatic flavour to cheese and liqueurs”.)
Flowers:  forsythia (yellow), quince (pink, will force bloom), and Euonymus (no flower, but pretty)
Recipe for Lemon Balm Cheese Spread:
2 oz   Unsalted butter, softened.
8 oz   Cream cheese, softened.
2 T    Orange marmalade
1 t     Orange zest
1 T    Fresh orange juice
3 T    Fresh chopped Lemon Balm
Directions: 
Blend the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the other ingredients.  Chill overnight and serve at room temperature.

Doorstep Harvest March 30, 2013

Posted on by Aahnix Bathurst

Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 3-30-2013
All produce this week is organically grown in my winter high tunnel.
Carrot: Obviously great eaten whole, or grated into salad. (Wiki-fact: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that world production of carrots and turnips (Most carrot cultivars are about 88% water, 7% sugar, 1% protein, 1% fibre, 1% ash, and 0.2% fat.) (the ash mentioned is a chemical term, not like fire ashes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_(analytical_chemistry)    )
Braising mix:  contains mostly mustard greens with lots of  dinosaur kale and tatsoi.  Just stir-fry them. One tablespoon of Mirin, added near the end, adds to the flavor.  Adding sesame seeds also makes it taste great to me. 
Salad mix: contains arugula, encore salad mix, sorrel (looks like clover), baby chard, spinach, cress, and bolted tatsoi flowers.
Spinach:  (Wiki-fact:   Spinach first appeared in England and France in the 14th century, probably via Spain, and it gained quick popularity because it appeared in early spring, when other vegetables were scarce and when Lenten dietary restrictions discouraged consumption of other foods. )
Herbs:  oregano, thyme, lavender, cilantro, summer savory,  and wild garlic leaves. Chop galic leaves and add to salads.  They’re rather bland.  (WikiFact: for (summer savory)  Summer savory is preferred over winter savory for use in sausages because of the sweeter, more delicate aroma.)
Recipe for Lemon Balm Cheese Spread:
2 oz   Unsalted butter, softened.
8 oz   Cream cheese, softened.
2 T    Orange marmalade
1 t     Orange zest
1 T    Fresh orange juice
3 T    Fresh chopped Lemon Balm
Directions: 
Blend the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the other ingredients.  Chill overnight and serve at room temperature.