The fields are drying quickly in the warm sun. Still the puddles and wet spots are not completely gone. We took advantage of the break to clean irrigation lines and remay out of the fields. We are also starting large seedings of onions and flowers this week and the greenhouse is starting to fill.
Two more lambs were born last week, making a total of 7. Although they vary in age only by weeks, their size difference is striking. They grow so fast!
This week's pick list:
- Mustard greens
- Pea sprouts
- Radish
- Turnip
- Rutabaga
- Winter squash
- Parsnip
- Potato
- Cabbage
- Oranges
Buckwheat Blini with Radish Topping from nytimes.com
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm 1 percent or 2 percent milk
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs, separated
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a large bowl. Stir in the lukewarm milk, and let stand for five minutes until creamy.
Sift together the flours and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk into the yeast mixture. Whisk in the buttermilk or yogurt, the oil or melted butter, and the egg yolks. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise in a warm spot for one hour or longer until bubbly.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Cover again, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes until bubbly.
Lightly grease a heavy nonstick or cast iron griddle, and heat over medium heat until hot. For bite-size blini that you can pass as hors d’oeuvres, ladle on 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter for each silver-dollar-size blini. For larger, pancake-sized blini, ladle on about 1/4 scant cup per blini. Cook until holes break through the upper side, about a minute. Turn and brown on the other side for about 30 seconds. Remove to a rack or a plate. If serving right away, wrap them in a towel or place them in a low oven to keep warm. If not serving right away, wrap them in foil and reheat them for about 20 minutes in a 325-degree oven.
Radish Topping
- 1 bunch radishes, cleaned, trimmed and finely chopped
- ¾ cup drained yogurt, or 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese blended with 1/4 cup drained yogurt or Greek-style yogurt until smooth
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced mint, dill, or parsley
- Very thinly sliced radishes for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix together the finely chopped radishes, drained yogurt or blended cottage cheese and yogurt, salt, pepper, lemon juice and dill.
Warm the blini. Top with a spoonful of the radish mixture, garnish with a radish slice and serve.