Which, all in all, is a good thing. The rains of the early almost pre-spring/late winter storms were nowhere near enough to break this endless drought, despite of how much actually fell! Most of it just ran off and flowed away down our rivers and creeks, to be taken by the Cedar and Iowa towards the Mississippi. We all watched out our windows, wincing, as we saw all this much-needed water say "see ya later!" and wash away; and not into our parched aquifers, like we hoped it would. But with this last round of storm after soppy storm and weather getting somewhat warmer and warmer, the ground has thawed and allowed much of this moisture to get soaked up! Good news for our wells and watersheds. It also looks like we'll be receiving even more replenishment in the next couple weeks to come. What a wet April!
Reminiscing about last year, we find it all too ironic that this spring is exactly the opposite of the one before: it kick started early, around the end of February, and everything started blooming only for the drought and persistent frosts to shrivel up everything while we ran about like madmen to keep everything watered! This year it seems like that's all getting contradicted. We have been sneaking in plantings in between each downpour when we can, and then we have no choice but to watch them get soaked from inside. A lot less hectic, but we've been itching to get outside and into the fields! While our seeds and transplants are getting plenty of water to start, we are also worried about some of our most important crops, such as garlic and asparagus, hoping they don't get flooded or froze up in the coming late frosts. We're a bit worried about our latest transplants of onions and leeks. We have actually been making some attempts at slowing the growth of our asparagus down so they don't all get zapped by this late-coming freeze!
One week of our Spring CSA 2013 came and went! For those of you participating, we are excited to be getting you some early treats this year. We hope you enjoyed your first box and all those goodies, because we are sad to inform you that not all of them will be appearing in your box next week! We know: sad face. Especially bummed about the early spinach which we overwintered so well, this storm today just beat it up a ton with penny-sized hail so we need to let it grow some new leaves. So this week's list will be a little bit different.
No worries though! We have seedlings in the fields and in our greenhouses that are growing strong and fast for future CSA boxes: radishes, choi, and arugula are in tiny-baby stage, lettuces are rooting and deepening their colors after this last transplant, and much more is in the works out in our fields. Kales and asian greens are soaking up the rain in the fields as we speak (crossing our fingers they won't get overflooded!) Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants are getting big fast, we have already made their first transplants in to larger containers. We ask you to bear with us through these early spring storms; while they hamper us quite a bit now with what we can plant and harvest, and are even damaging sometimes, in the long run these rains will be a huge help to the growth of our veggies and bring you a bigger helping in the near future!
In other news, our greenhouses/high tunnels are covered with brand new plastic and are serving us well, covering a large variety of our vegetables currently. We're grateful that we don't need to worry about them much in their shelters, other than some minor floods here and there.
Our year's pigs have arrived! Four of them, two all pink and two pink and black, one girl and three boys. They're still a little spooked and uncomfortable with all the rain, but they've been cute as heck and sleeping in a big adorable pig-pile! We have a sort of "Pig Naming" ceremony to come up for our Pork-Trade CSA members where we'll have a roast of last year's pork and think of names for this year's litter. A "Piggening," if you will.
We look forward to seeing you Friday at Tim's Kirkwood School for Children, or at Derek's house on Ginter Ave. on Saturday for CSA pickup! Be sure to bring a rain jacket, and maybe some slicks!
On your plate this week:
Garlic
Potatoes
Fingerling potatoes
Turnips (Purple Tops/Scarlet/Golden)
Sprouts (Arugula, Red Choi, Tat Soi, Sunflower, etc.)
Daikon Radishes
Black Spanish Radishes
Recipes
Spicy Turnips (Masala Shalgam) (www.syvum.com)
Serves: 4 Cooking time (approx.): minutes Style: North Indian Vegetarian (Punjabi)
500 grams (about 20 oz.) turnips peeled chopped and washed
2 large onion(s) chopped
2 tomato(es) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) each of grated garlic and ginger
2 green chilli(es) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) each of sugar, cumin powder and coriander powder
½ teaspoon(s) turmeric powder
1 cup(s) water
2 tablespoons butter / oil
salt to taste
finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
Heat the butter / oil in a pressure cooker till it is medium hot. Add
the chopped green chilli(es), grated ginger and garlic. Fry briefly. Add
the chopped onion(s) and saute on medium heat for 3 minute(s) or till
the onions are lightly browned.
Now, add the chopped
tomato(es), salt, and the turmeric, cumin and coriander powders. Stir
fry on medium / low heat for 3 minutes or till the fat leaves the sides
of the cooker.
Add the chopped turnips and mix. Add the water
and stir well. Close the cooker and bring to maximum pressure on high
heat. Now, reduce the heat and cook on low level for about 15 minutes.
Open the cooker after all the steam has escaped. Add the sugar and very
lightly mash the cooked turnips. Keep on the flame for a few minutes to
dry out excess water if any. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. NOTE:
A heavy bottomed vessel could be used in place of the pressure cooker.
The quantity of water may be more than doubled and accordingly, the
entire cooking process would take a longer time.
Serve immediately with: hot white rice, Indian bread (Roti) or sliced fresh white bread.
Korean-Style Daikon Radish with Chicken (www.food.com)
1 medium daikon radish
2 boneless chicken legs with thigh (may substitute with chicken breast but taste might be less rich)
4 Add all ingredients for the cooking sauce. Cook over medium heat, constantly skimming.
5
When the sauce has nearly evaporated, sprinkle sesame oil.
6
Remove from heat and serve. Great with rice.
7
Even better the day after!
Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/daikon-radish-with-chicken-korean-style-133124?oc=linkback
Yay Spring Crocuses!
*********************
Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table,
don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we
should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love
to hear from you!
Hello Echollective followers! Hope you all are doing well. As of this minute, it is pouring outside out here in Mechanicsville. We've been getting so much rain lately! It's really taken a weight off our shoulders not having to run around and water our outdoor plants, and even for a few days afterward (especially if it's cloudy!) we still don't need to worry about them. Mama nature does the work for us. Still gotta water the plants and flats that are indoors and in greenhouses, though. However, in between these storms its been getting so warm, we gotta rush to make sure that we retain that moisture level!
We are looking forward to the first Iowa City Downtown Farmer's Market this year! Happenin' this Wednesday and Saturday, lasting all the way until October. We hope to see you all there, and will be bringing a bunch of good stuff!!!!
Summer CSA is still going and open. You can still sign up if you're interested.
Our new Spring CSA is coming along nicely, we're getting between 25-30 folks each week wanting a family or couple box! Last week's consisted of braising and salad mixes, a bunch of radishes, kale and asparagus, spinach, green garlic, and more. Feel free to contact us for a box and take part in our Spring CSA! So far it's mostly been on a week-to-week basis for most, though we have a few people who've signed up for the full 6 weeks. Contact Derek Roller directly to participate, whether you would like just one box to start, or the full six weeks. Spring CSA Info and costs can be found by clicking the tab above.
If you are joining late we can always give you a pro-rated cost!
What you Spring CSA'ers can expect in our next box:
Cilantro bunch
Spinach (bunch or bag...)
Green garlic
Asparagus bunch
Leeks
Mint bunch
Spring radish bunch
Rhubarb
Parsley bunch
Pac choi head
Lettuce (most likely head lettuce...maybe salad mix, but we might have sold out...)
Along with the farm experiencing lotsa rain, and lotsa salad mix sales....we've also received lotsa....noise? I'm not talking strictly thunderstorms, but we've had a couple real low-flying military planes heading over the farm...pretty normal actually, since Air Force seems to have a steady route overhead here. It's not uncommon to see an Apache or a Chinook helicopter out here. But these planes flew so low that it was incredibly noisy for a while, and....well, we could tell exactly what kind of planes they were, and that they were indeed Air Force One planes. So...apparently President Obama got a really good glimpse of what we're up to here on his way into Iowa City, I hope he was real proud and that his stomach grumbled a few times. Maybe he'll hit is up for some salad mix next week, get a chianti and some vinaigrette and have a romantic date with Michelle. I mean, those planes flew so low and so close, he could've seen how truly beautiful and delicious all of our produce truly is, and in startling detail.
As Spring continues, there is still a lot going on. Potatoes have begun to sprout as a result of the rain. The garlic is bigger and taller. We're pulling up our first big pac choi heads, and our over-wintered leeks are huge...they will be featured in the next CSA box! Soon we will pull our huge New Red Fire lettuce heads also, they are all green, pink, and red. Arugula is getting big...almost there! The ground has been tilled and amended by tractor as of late, and we've plugged in some kale and are readying to put in our onion, leek and shallot starts. More kale and broccoli will be transplanted out into our fields soon, they are getting big enough. We're making room for our quickly enlarging tomatoes! Peppers and eggplants are on the way as well, getting transplanted into bigger containers. Flats of carrots, parnsips, and celery have been recently sown, vegetables we did not try to grow last year! We will see how they do this time around.
We've had several volunteer and intern inquiries. A potential intern, Caleb, is showing up this week for an interview on Wednesday, which includes a two-week preliminary stay here. He has worked on a lot of farms, so we are stoked to meet him, and hope he would like it here. There are a few others who may or may not show up here....I believe we may be expecting a cross-country bicyclist and farming enthusiast to stop by here in May! Stopping in by bike, of course. We also had the Scattergood kids come out here this weekend by bike, part of their one-week long biking stint to different farms in the area. They work for a day, and camp for a night. Pretty cool thing for kids to be doing!
Our two piglets (officially, Dr. Caporkian and Merlock) are growing steadily bigger the more farm scraps we feed them! They have also grown really fond and friendly; in comparison, their arrival here made them a bit nervous and skittish of people. Now Caporkian will stand still for a good back-scratchin', and they'll jump for joy and run around when they are approached! (it's the food.) They'll even let you pick them up! Their menu consists of a whole smorgasbord of things, mostly of scrap that we used to just throw into our compost pile but is now put to an even better, more sustainable use: asparagus stalks, wilted lettuce, cauliflower and broccoli stalks, spinach leaves, old cooked grains, coffee grounds, egg-shells....they'll eat it all, and with a big "suine" (pig-like) smile on their faces. Their pen has already been moved once to a new place in our plot where they can root around and fertilize the soil. We have placed the small chicken tractor in their old spot, and the chickens are cleaning up any scraps and pests they have left behind. In a week or two, those chickens are going to be slaughtered and dressed.
A lot going on...a lot to do...so I've gotta get off this computer and back into the fields!
*(Echollective Suggestion) : whatever other veggies you can fit on there!
Directions
1. Position rack in lower third of oven, place a
pizza stone or large pizza pan on the rack and preheat oven to 450°F for
at least 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in a small bowl;
set aside. Trim asparagus spears to about 6 inches long; slice any
thicker stalks in half lengthwise. Toss in a bowl with the remaining 1
tablespoon oil, 1/4 cup chives, salt and pepper.
3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 14-inch circle.
4. Carefully remove the pizza stone or pan from the oven and set on a
heatproof surface, such as your stovetop. Place the dough on the stone
or pan and brush with the reserved garlic-oil mixture. Arrange the
asparagus in a circular pattern on the dough with the tips facing out.
*(Add those extra veggies!) Top with cheese and the remaining chives.
5. Carefully return the stone or pan to the oven and bake the pizza on the lower rack until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Rhubarb-Cherry Sauce (good with steak or pork chops!) (www.marthastewart.com)
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
8 to 10 ounces rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 pork loin chops, (each 1/2 inch thick and 6 to 8 ounces)
Directions
In a small bowl, combine cherries with vinegar and 1/4 cup hot water; let stand 10 minutes to soften.
In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-low heat.
Add onion; cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
To the saucepan, add cherry mixture, rhubarb, and sugar; bring
to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until rhubarb has softened, 5 to 8
minutes. Stir in nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat;
keep warm.
Generously season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high
heat. Cook pork (in two batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the
pan) until browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve
topped with warm sauce.
Variations
The cherries can be replaced with other dried fruit, such as golden raisins; soften as instructed in step 1.
**********
Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table,
don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we
should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love
to hear from you!
Spring CSA will last for 6 weeks, starting this week and lasting until the end of May. Sign-up is on a contact basis, please contact Derek Roller for a box! Phone, email, and Facebook are great. Couples share pays $20 per box as you want it, Family share pays $30; or you can pay ahead, $120 for 6 Couple boxes, $180 for 6 Family boxes. Derek has already been driving into town for the last few weeks and selling boxes to people on an on-call basis, and arranging pick up times and locations. Popular sites have been the Grantwood Farmer's Market or at Tim's Daycare on Fridays. Our Spring CSA is pretty much the same deal, although our selection will become wider, our vegetables' quality more mature. People have already been getting asparagus, kale and radish bunches, salad and braising mixes, fresh winter spinach, green garlic...we've gotten some pretty positive feedback on giving out early shares! It gives you something to get excited about until summer produce comes in. Everyone should get on board. We've been eating pretty well out here!
Summer CSA 2012 Signup is still open, but we will apply a $30.00 late fee at this point. We now have two new pickup spots available for selection during signup: one is at the Cedar Rapids Farmer's Markets on Saturdays. We aren't sure yet about dropping off there Tuesdays, since that may conflict with our Tuesday packing schedule. The other drop-off is available at Tim's Daycare/Kirkwood School for Children on Fridays, around 5.
We are happy to announce the arrival of some of Echollective's first farm animals! A small chicken tractor has been completed, and is now housing five fledgling meat chickens....and our two young pigs have finally arrived! One is a red barrow (castrated male), one is black gilt (unbred female). We're all still confused about what their names are? Dr. Caporkian and Merlock? Cinnamon and Strawberry? Or...Mulder and Scully? We gotta straighten this out. They seem happy! They get to root around like crazy and eat all our leftovers! We like it when animals are happy.
We've also encountered and welcomed some new wildlife....just today we found a nesting pair of pheasants! We had to put a stop on our mowing operation for a little bit to get our heads around what we were going to do about pheasants having a family in the middle of our field!
The start of the farming season is always busy...we're still plugging in baby plants and planting more seeds in flats...our tomato starts have become huge and will need to get in the ground soon. Our baby beets and peas are getting bigger! And as always there's lots lots lots to do, lots of yummy food to look forward to.
