Hello Farm Folk,
Please help others to learn about what we are up to, and how to get involved: 1. Twitter (http://twitter.com/): Follow us at @thecuttingveg; 2. Facebook: Like us at http://on.fb.me/iTSbQQ, 3. E-mail this newsletter to anyone who may be interested; 4. Share the link to this newsletter (http://bit.ly/ga5Am0) on Facebook or Twitter. 5. Bring a friend with to the farm or a CSA pick-up. Thanks for helping us to spread the word!
The Cutting Veg in the News:
Check out this article, “Urban Gardening Blossoms”, in the Globe and Mail, on saving money by growing your own food: http://bit.ly/bs83Tb
Quick, Cool Kid-friendly Video:
Farm Update:
Slowly but surely, our crops are coming along. The snow and snap peas are starting to produce. The parsley, kale and chard plants are thriving, and also close to harvest-time. The basil and hot peppers are looking healthy, and enjoying the heat. The beans are flowering, and we should be harvesting from them in the next couple weeks. The cukes and zukes are several weeks behind, due to the late planting, but looking very healthy, and primed for an abundant harvest. Some of our tomato plants are thriving, while others are struggling along. The low points, where the water collects, are where the tomatoes are struggling most. Meanwhile, recently planted crops are also coming along. Our most recently planted beds of salad greens and Asian greens have germinated beautifully, as have our 2nd timeline of beans. Last week, we finally finished planting the last of our 130,000 onions, which will supply our CSAs and farmers markets throughout the season, and potentially winter farmers markets as well. We also planted 24 beds of Winter Squash last week, including Acorn Squash, Delicata, and Spaghetti Squash. This week, we will continue to focus on weeding, harvesting, and nurturing our plants. We will also be preparing beds to plant our second timelines of cukes and zukes. While the intensity and demands of June are over (first harvests, first markets/CSA, planting heat-lovers, endless weeding, etc), there is no mellow phase of the farming season. July and August look to be both demanding and rewarding months — lots of work to do, and hopefully lots of veg to delight in.
Introducing Garlic Scapes:
Garlic Scapes are the flowering seed-pod of the garlic plant. We harvest the garlic scapes because a)We want the plants to focus its energy on producing large bulbs, rather than seeds; and b)They are delicious! Garlic Scapes can be cooked however you normally cook with garlic. Sautee with onions to start your dish, put in a salad dressing, add to a dip…or chop, puree, and freeze in a double-bagged ziploc, for your winter supply or local, organic garlic. Another fun option, is garlic scape pesto.
RECIPE: Garlic Scape Pesto
- Blanch or steam your bunch of garlic scapes for 2-4 minutes. This step can be skipped if you want your pesto extra strong and garlicky.
- Puree garlic scapes in a blender, adding as much olive as needed to make a smooth texture.
- Add and puree healthy amount of nut or seed of choice: pine nuts, walnuts, roasted sunflower seeds, etc.
- Add and puree fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
- Add and puree parmesan or asiago cheese (optional)
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
Volunteer Needs:
Each week, we welcome volunteers to the farm from Sunday-Friday, 6:30am-3:30pm. If you are interested in helping on the farm this week, please rsvp to jessica.gibson81@gmail.com, and let her know what day you want to come, and if you need directions to the farm, or a lift (leaving at 6am from Davenport and Bathurst area). Hope to see you on the farm this week!
That’s the news from the farm for now. Until next time, Keep Livin’ on the Veg!
