Be Seen at the Bean Scene!

VEGGIE OF THE WEEK: BEANS!!!

Expect these varieties throughout the season!



Pole Beans: 
Gold of Bacau: yellow large wax bean originally from Romania
 Rattlesnake Pole: a favorite green pole bean 
Louisiana Purple Pod: southern heirloom with purple pods that turn green when cooked


Soybeans: 
Shirofumi: a tasty non-GMO little soy of a bean


A BEVY OF BEANS AND BASIL

1 cup shelled fresh soybeans

1 pound green or wax beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

1/4 cup packed basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Blanch soybeans in a pot of boiling well-salted water 1 minute, then transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Transfer soybeans with slotted spoon to a small bowl.
Cook green beans in same pot until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes, then transfer to ice bath. Then combine with soybeans.
Cut basil into very thin shreds.
Cook garlic in oil with a rounded 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add beans, water, and zest and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Stir in basil and 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice and remove from heat. Season with salt and additional lemon juice if desired. Serve beans warm or at room temperature.

***Slightly adapted recipe from epicurious.com

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX?

Red Russian Kale

Pole Beans

Soy Beans

Heirloom Lettuces

Summer Squash

Cucumbers

Bee Balm and Marigold Edible Flowers

Broccoli or Cabbage

Basil

SAY WHAT?

" Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit is a children's song about the flatulence often experienced after eating beans. The song is noteworthy for correctly identifying the bean as a fruit, not a vegetable. Yet beans, along with many other fruits, are regarded as vegetables due to their common usage as such. The decision to classify certain fruits as vegetables was officially resolved in 1893 when the Supreme Court unanimously decided the tomato was a vegetable, at which time Justice Gray also clarified the status of cucumbers, squash, peas and beans as vegetables."

***reference.com

Cuke, Cuke, Cuke, Cuke of Earl!

VEGGIE OF THE WEEK: CUCUMBERS!!!

Classic Slicing Tasty Types
Ashley
Long Fruited Alien Looking Super Tasty Types
Yamato
Suyo Long

PICKLES!!!

Here is an awesome recipe from Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten for maybe the best bread and butter pickles I've ever had! YUM!!

Ingredients
* 12 small Kirby cucumbers (those 3-inch pickling cukes), or 2 English cucumbers
* 1 large sweet onion
* ½ cup kosher salt
* 1 bunch celery
* ¼ tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
* ¼ tsp ground fenugreek
* ½ tsp ground turmeric
* 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
* 8 allspice berries
* 1 ½ cups apple-cider vinegar
* 1 cup sugar
* ¼ cup maple syrup

Instructions

This is a simple recipe, and the result has tons more flavor than the store-boughts. Less sweet, more zesty. Wash cucumbers under cold water and then slice into ⅓-inch rounds, about as thick as an Oreo. Peel onion, cut in half longways, and slice into semicircles the same width as the cukes. Toss the onions and the cucumbers in a bowl with salt and let sit for an hour. Rinse well in a colander, drain, and place in a nonreactive bowl. Tear up the leaves of celery and add to the mix, then set aside. Add the following to a saucepan: crushed red-pepper flakes, ground fenugreek, ground turmeric, brown mustard seeds, allspice berries, apple-cider vinegar, ½ cup water, sugar, and maple syrup. Bring to a rapid boil and then pour over the cucumbers. Leave them uncovered for two hours and then refrigerate. When they reach fridge temperature, cover with plastic wrap. Done. But they'll be at their best a day or two later. Shelf life is about ten days.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX?

Cucumbers
Beet Roots and Greens
Kale
Multicolored Pole Beans
Heirloom Lettuces
Fennel Bulbs
Summer Squash
Basil and Mint

SAY WHAT?

Cucumbers originated in India. Therefore, the English word cucumber comes from the Indian word “kachumbar”.
*myfolia.com

STORAGE TIPS!

Keep away from apples, tomatoes, and citrus for these produce ethylene gas which contributes to the cucumber's decay.

Osh Squash B'Gosh!

FEATURED VEGGIE OF THE WEEK: SUMMER SQUASH!

VARIETIES:

Zephyr: Bi colored straight variety.
Flying saucer: Bi colored patty pan variety
Slick Pick: Yellow straight

Well, it's been an exciting week here at tiny farm. The heat has finally come on, sweeping in with a lusty gust behind rain rain rain. And with the heat and rain come changes galore! We are saying a sweet farewell to spring crops like peas and turnips and "HELLO!" to squash and cukes and all the delights of summer! In other news we have spotted two copperhead snakes this week. One in the garden and one just yards away. This gave us a bit of a fright, but overall it brings us sweet delight to know that our garden can be a safe haven for so much life! Enough about that though! Let's talk about CEVICHE!!!!!!
SQUASH CEVICHE

This is a really simple recipe that Maggie made up after having something like it at a friend's house a few years back.

2 Summer squash
1 Sweet white onion or red onion
3 Lemons or 4 limes or some combination of the two
Fresh Cilantro, dill, fennel tops or parsley
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper


Slice the summer squash very thin. I like to cut the squash in half or thirds across and then in half or thirds lengthwise and then cut those into thin strips almost like a wide, thick noodle. Slice the onions very thin. Throw these together in a bowl with juice from the citrus fruits, salt, and herb or herbs of your choice. Let it sit at room temperature or in the fridge for at least an hour. Pepper. Enjoy.


SAY WHAT?

According to old wikipedia, the English word "squash" derives from askutasquash (a green thing eaten raw), a word from the Narragansett language, which is the language that was spoken by the Native American tribe of the same name. They inhabited Rhode Island before the pilgrims and all. The french call summer squash "courgette". The "patty pan" variety name is our messed up English version of the french "petit pan".

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX?

Beet Roots and Greens

Heirloom Lettuces

Vidalia Onions

Fennel Bulbs

Summer Squash

Dill, Parsley, and Basil

Cucumbers

Pole Beans

Looking For The Perfect Beet

FEATURED VEGGIE OF THE WEEK: BEETS

VARIETIES:

Chioggia: bicolored scarlet red heirloom
Bull’s Blood: flattened round red roots with the most tender leaves
Detroit Dark Red: dark red heirloom
Touchstone Gold: keeps its gold color when cooked

STORAGE TIPS:
If greens are still attached, cut them off. Store greens and roots seperately, unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper.

COLD BEET BOURSCHT

SERVES 4

1-1/2 3lb beets with greens
1carrot
1/2tspdill seeds
1/4 peppercorns
3whole cloves
1/3dry white wine
1/2white onion, finely chopped
3/4tspsalt
1/4cup lemon juice
1 2tbsp granulated sugar
1/2cucumber, sliced
3hard-cooked eggs, sliced or quartered
1/2cupsour cream
1 1/4tbsp chopped fresh dill, (optional

Cut stalks off bunches of beets; set stalks aside.

Peel and coarsely grate beets and carrots; set aside.

Place dillseeds, peppercorns and cloves in cheesecloth bag or metal spice (or tea) ball. Set aside.

In saucepan, bring 8 cups (2 L) water, wine, onion, salt and spice bag to boil. Add beets and carrots; reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut greens from beet stalks; shred greens and discard stalks. Add greens to pot; simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Discard spice bag; stir in lemon juice and granulated sugar. Let soup cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days.)

Ladle chilled soup into bowls. Top each serving with slices of cucumber and egg and dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with dill (if using).

***www.canadianliving.com



SAY WHAT?

The botanical name for beets is Beta Vulgaris. "Beta, is derived from the second letter of the Greek alphabet, which the bulbous root is thought to resemble, and vulgaris simply means "common." Another story tells us that the English word, Beet, is derived from the French, bete, meaning "beast," as ancient cooks were reminded of bleeding animals when cutting up the vegetables." -viable herbal.com

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX?

Swiss Chard
Beet Roots and Greens
Heirloom Lettuces
Vidalla
Onions
Fennel Bulbs
Summer Squash
Kohlrabi Greens
Dill and Parsley
Cucumbers
Garlic Scapes


WHO'S GOT THE BEET?

Does anyone know of any vegetable themed hip-hop songs because we are tired of singing old-timey folk songs on the farm?

Historpea Lesson

FEATURED VEGGIE OF THE WEEK: PEAS

VARIETIES: SUGAR ANN SNAP PEAS AND OREGON GIANT SNOW PEAS

For your information, snap peas are a cross between English green peas and snow peas, and snow peas are a thin, flat pea. Both can be trimmed to get rid of the stringy part that holds the pod together. Simply cut off the tips of the pods with a knife, and pull along the pod to remove the stringy bit. Personally, I prefer peas raw, but they can certainly be cooked. When cooking be sure to only cook for a few minutes or else you risk creating a dreadful monster...the soggy pea.

And now what you have all been waiting for...HISTORPEA!

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

ONCE UPON A TIME....

"A large kettle containing a thick porridge made of peas hung over the fire in many English and Scottish homes during the Middle Ages and was customary even in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Because few of the peasants could afford meat, they based their meals on pease porridge with an abundance of whatever vegetables were on hand. When the fire died down at night, the morning porridge was quite cold. Each day the fire was relit, and more peas and vegetables were added to the kettle. Indeed, the original ingredients in the kettle could have been nine days old."

*Historpea was brought to you today by vegparadise.com*

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX?

WEEK THREE:

Heirloom Lettuces
Rainbow Chard
Spring Vidalia Onions
Sweet Peas
Arugula
Kohlrabi Bulb and Greens
Kales (Red Russian and Lacinato)
Turnips
Parsley,Chives and Mint!

SAY WHAT?

"There is nothing so innocent, so confiding in its expression, as the small green face of the freshly shelled spring pea. Asparagus is pushing and bossy, lettuce is loud and blowsy, radishes are gay and playful, but the little green pea is so helpless and friendly that it makes really sensitive stomachs suffer to see the way he is treated in the average home. Fling him into the water and let him boil--and that's that." William Wallace Irwin