We woke up Sunday morning and it seemed as if the farm turned green over night. The combination of warmer days last week and the rain on Saturday night suddenly made all the tiny sprouts visible. We moved the laying hens to their winter spot on the top of a knoll behind the loafing barn. We hope it will be dry and not too windy. We tilled and seeded the new perennial beds, where we will plant asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb this spring. The rest of the day we broke the garlic seed heads in preparation to plant them on Wednesday.
Last week we sifted compost that we made last fall from Stella's bedding and vegetable scraps. We put it into large tote bags and plan to use it to make our own potting mix.
Breaking garlic party
Pick List:
- Pick your own strawberries
- Winter squash
- Watermelon radish
- Lettuce
- Kohlrabi
- Spinach
- Pac Choy
- Peas
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
- Beets
- Turnips
- Radicchio
- Frisee
- Potatoes
- Celeriac
- Kale
- Chard
- Collards
- Carrots
- Dill, cilantro, parsley
Sifted compost
Root Vegetable Slaw, from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
- 3 medium beets
- 2 medium carrots
- 1/2 celery root
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
- 3/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup mint leaves, shredded
- 2/3 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper
Peel all vegetables and cut into matchsticks, or use a mandoline or food processor to cut them. Place all strips into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside.
Place lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, sugar or maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon salt into a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat.
Drain vegetables and transfer to a paper towel to dry them. Dry the bowl and replace the vegetables. Pour hot dressing over them, mix well, and leave to cool. Place in fridge for at least 45 minutes.
When ready to serve, add the herbs, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Toss, taste, and add salt if need be. Serve with yogurt, sour cream, or creme freche on the side.