By Alyssa
The close of one season, and the opening of the next! The heat is coming, the sparrows are nesting, and so much grass is beginning to head out. With such late rains this spring, we are tilling much later than last season. We are planning to run the tractors continuously twelve hours a day, seven days a week for the next two weeks, implementing split shifts and swapping weekend days so that someone is tilling at all times (but hopefully no one works overtime). We try to till each field three times to break apart the grass and create nice, loose beds to plant and seed into through the coming weeks and months.
We will have to take breaks in order to grease the spader (our tilling implement), and Cecilia, Jesse, and AJ will be working hard to mow, spread compost, and mark out the field ahead of the tilling. It is a dance of tractors and personnel that Sarah is orchestrating masterfully! Much different from the slow pace of tilling last season, when we had such a long, dry spring. I can feel the energy of the season building, and I am ready.
Upcoming Farm Events: Potluck Friday 5/12 at 5:30 pm
CSA barn hours:
Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)
Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)
Pick List:
Eggs
Cortland Yellow and Cabernet Red Onions
Rhonda Beets
Joan Rutabaga
Hablange Parsnips
Mars Celeriac
Finale Fennel
Parade Scallions
Mei Qing Choi
Fava Greens
Regiment Spinach
Lettuce Mix
Cilantro
Spaghetti Winter Squash
Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries
Herbal Tea Blends and Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!) - Note there has been a price increase!
Revolution Bread: Fresh bread on Tuesday and Friday (Frozen bread available if we sell out.)
Bok Choy Stir Fry
This is one of my favorite winter recipes, when our bok choy is delicious and abundant. The dou ban jiang is a fairly easy-to-find Chinese fermented chili and bean taste, and provides an easy boost of salty, spicy, sour flavor that pairs well with a side of white rice.
4 heads of mei qing choy or 2 heads of prize bok choy
1 lb of ground beef or one package of firm tofu
1 spoonful of chili oil
1 spoonful of dou ban jiang (a fairly easy-to-find Chinese fermented chili and bean paste)
Pull apart and rinse the stalks of bok choy. Chop into ½-1 inch long pieces, separating the stemmier pieces into a different pile than the leafier pieces. Heat a wok or large cast iron pan until smoking, then add your protein of choice, breaking it up into pieces. Once it is browned but before it is cooked through, add the stemmier pieces of bok choy, stirring continuously. Once those pieces release some water and wilt down, add a spoonful of each Chinese condiment, and keep stirring. Add the leafier pieces of bok choy, and stir. Serve with cooked white rice, or just on its own!