It’s hard to believe that another month has already passed, and with days getting longer (and hotter) I can really feel the season gathering steam. It’s quite miraculous to see the transformation that the earth has undergone in these past few weeks; the surrounding hills suddenly green and the ground at my feet suddenly bursting with fruits and vegetables that are almost too good to be true. This month’s theme I would have to say is strawberries, strawberries and more strawberries. Shortly after I arrived on the farm I remember digging and replanting strawberry plants, taking from the densely populated sections and making new, neater rows. This got me so excited for when they would begin to produce; I started thinking of strawberry pies, strawberry jam, strawberries on ice cream, and all the other ways I like to eat these delectable little fruits. But I wasn’t thinking about picking them so much until we actually had to start picking them. I can recall some seemingly endless hours, hunched over an impossibly dense thicket of plants, scouring through the plethora of weeds and the knotted stems of the strawberry plants in search of those bright red berries. It was kind of tranquil at times, eventually I would fall into a sort of rhythmic trance and my thoughts would stray from the berry patch while my eyes remained in searching mode. Other times, all I could think about was picking that last strawberry for the day, stretching out my back and moving on to a new task. But I soon learned that there is never a last strawberry. We could spend hours and hours amongst the rows, picking every ripe strawberry that existed, and then, with all this glorious sunshine we’ve been having lately, return five minutes later to find that hundreds of more berries have gone from not quite ripe to red and juicy and ready to go. Luckily we called it quits after one thorough search, only to return a couple of days later to do it all over again.
After these brutally hot days spent amongst the strawberries, I often rewarded myself with a dip in the creek that runs along the edge of our property. The water is surprisingly cold in contrast with the humid summer air and there is nothing that could be more refreshing. The creek is quite shallow though, only running about five or six inches deep through the section I like to spend my afternoons in, so I usually just lay down on my back and let the water run over me like a horizontal waterfall. And then, once my core body temperature returned to a tolerable level and my entire being felt fully refreshed, I’d crawl into bed and sleep like a stone.
Spinach Salad with Strawberry Mustard Dressing
I ate this salad all the time when we had an over abundance of spinach. Those who tend to dislike mixing different flavors together may not like it so much but if you are feeling daring then definitely give it a shot, it’s really quite delicious!
2 cups fresh spinach, stemmed
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled
3/4 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (optional)
1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
Wash spinach and cut/rip into bite size pieces. Put in a bowl and set aside. In a small jar or any container you can shake rather vigorously, put in mustard, oil, and garlic. Take three or four strawberries and mash them, either in a bowl or, if you’d rather you can just squish them between your fingers. Make sure to catch all the juice and add this to the mixture in the jar. You can avoid adding the pulpy sort of remains of the strawberry by holding it back with a spoon as you pour, but personally I like that part. Return the lid to the jar and shake until well mixed. Add water to thin it out if desired. Add the garbanzo beans and the feta to the spinach, and slice the remaining berries onto the salad. Dress just before eating.
Not sure what to do with all the radishes? So many radishes and they are spicy due to the hot temperatures. Did you know that if you cook them they become more mild? You can roast them, saute them or grill them. And even better the greens are edible and very good for you. Last night I sauteed the radishes with their greens, onions and garlic, then I added beans and made burritos.
This week's harvest list:
- kale
- summer squash
- carrots
- salad mix
- arugula
- lettuce
- baby pac choi
- komatsuna
- radicchio
- basil- Italian, purple, lemon.
- herbs: garlic chives, oregano, marjoram, anise hyssop, chives, and mint. (We don't usually give herbs as an item unless requested. Except for basil.)
This week our community meal: As you can tell we eat well on the farm.
- homemade mulberry jam on homemade challah bread
- kale pilaf seasoned with a sweet sake
- wild greens salad (purslane and lamb's quarters), with almonds and dried cranberries. Finished with a Greek yogurt and lemon dressing.
- Marinated and baked tofu
- meringue cookies
- greens dip (chard, kale and spinach blended with yogurt, garbanzo beans) with homemade sesame crackers.
Erica
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