Blue Skies and Dedication to the Land
Soil, rain, sunshine, wind, insects, deer, humans... oh, my!
Thank you, dear CSA members, for letting us into your home pots and pans, blenders and juicers! Your stories and questions...
All the variables in this wonderland we call a farm keep us on our toes,
the sky never ceases to bring a never ending story. And we watch...
And we work...
looking to the sky,
navigating foliage,
tracking animal activity,
weighing to pick or not to pick and how much,
treading as lightly as possible as we
may to give this land the time and attitude it needs
to abundantly respond,
as we usher growth in flood lands,
which have depressed a number of our plants.
We are currently on rescue mission daily,
with some of our plants,
as these conditions have honestly taken a
toll with them.
The past couple of days have offered sunny heat, which we have needed so importantly as we work to keep plants from being completely swamped! And boy, are they full of inspiring life so quickly, these past couple of days. Thank you, Sun. We cannot say what tomorrow or this next week will bring to a pretty suppressed land life force but we are on vigil.
For now, it is not clear how viable our storage efforts will be if we are sacked with the current rain predictions while rebounding from the conditions we just got blasted with, but you know what?
We are giving the land everything we have and
keep our working spirits afloat.
We forge ahead with some stealthy garlic for sure and fall plantings. It will be a week to week kind of adventure as to what we can offer, due to this weather, we are playing a tap dance with transplants and trying to give them the best conditions we can. The boxes are still packed full, though! This week's CSA will include but is not limited to:
Bok Choi ( we have carried this all summer, thank goodness, and begrudgingly prepare to wind down with this power house, staple veggie )
Garlic Scapes ( stock up! they freeze well on their own and also in any freezing dish you want to rock into your freezer before it gets cold again... yes it is coming )
Turnips ( best kept secret of a stir fry )
Parsley ( super fresh, flying off the farm to all, restaurants, co-op and Hy-vee, but hey... come get some from the source. We adore knowing those of you who show up for farmer's markets and the CSA pick-ups there. Always a pleasure. )
Red Russian Kale ( this is rapidly growing in popularity to the denser, more familiar varieties. gorgeous. )
Broccoli ( fickle plant, delicious and familiar flavor... Iowa grown? summer CSA had been getting it steady! )
Cabbage! ( enough said! )
Candy Onions ( game changers: shiny, sweet and charming )
Kale Varietal ( never enough kale, you know. Ha, ha... )
ELEMENT OF SURPRISE! <3
Here is a fun way to play with some of your goodies:
Kale and Bok Choi Slaw with Spicy Sesame-Ginger Dressing
- 1/4 cup raw tahini
- 1 Tbsp. pure water
- 1 Tbsp. light miso (preferably unpasteurized with live cultures)
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. powdered mustard
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2 cups kale leaves, firmly packed, cut into thin ribbons
- 1-3/4 cups thinly sliced bok choy, packed
- 1 tomato, finely diced
- 1 apple, finely diced
- 1-1/2 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts (optional)
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Place the kale in a large bowl and massage it well for a few minutes to soften. The kale should take on a “cooked” appearance and reduce dramatically in volume.
- Add the remaining salad ingredients to the kale. Then add the dressing and toss well.
- Best served within 3 hours, but it can also be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The slaw will release some liquid when it is stored, but it will still taste good.
- Enjoy!
We are your farmers, as always, honored to grow with you,
Kindly,
Echo Team
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