We are harvesting the first of our garlic this week, starting with the soft neck variety. It is our first truly successful crop of garlic and we are so excited. We rearranged the fields last fall so that the fall planted strawberries and garlic were in the loamy soils, rather than the clay. The garlic has flourished and it should be much easier to harvest as well!
The first of the summer crops are coming in from the tunnels but only in limited amounts. We tried to squeeze in as many plants as we could to have enough for all of us but we are still learning the capacity of the space.
The planting has slowed to a steady pace, while cultivation and hoeing are dire tasks. We also plan to trellis the peas this week, along with haying, spraying horn manure, and more.
This week's pick list:
- Summer squash
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Fennel
- Turnips
- Spinach
- Fresh Garlic
- Garlic Scapes
- Arugula
- Lettuce
- Basil and cilantro
- Strawberries
- Ground peppers
Fennel Rice, adapted from nytimes.com
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound fennel (2 medium bulbs), trimmed, cored and diced small
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup long grain rice, such as basmati, rinsed, or coarse bulgur
- 2 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- Freshly ground pepper
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a deep, lidded skillet or a wide, lidded saucepan. Stir in fennel, add a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring often, until fennel has wilted and softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in rice or bulgur and stir to coat with olive oil.
Add water, salt, pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until rice or bulgur is soft and liquid absorbed. Remove from heat, uncover, sprinkle in mint and cilantro, and then place a towel across the top of the pan. Return lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve hot, with the remaining olive oil drizzled over the top.