Week 4

Greetings friends,

We are up early (of course) getting a quick blog in before harvest day begins aided by our good friend mate (the best tea ever in our opinion). While the boxes continue to look similar each week there is promise of change! This is part of what a c.s.a. is …eating what is currently available in your region and for no particular reason June has been an exceptionally cooler month. I personally don’t mind, but the plants are maturing at a bit slower speed..so…carrots and beets are coming (we ideally try to include a root in each box), as well as all the other summer veggies. We are behind on some plantings, due to Sam finishing work up at the schools, mama being pregnant and considerably tired this time, not much help, having a toddler, the tiller is broken, and fixing up and moving into a different house. WOW! I wonder why we are a bit behind..we’re making it though and you will  be getting delicious summer crops at some point! So until then, enjoy these great spring greens and the last of the radishes. Also, please remember if there is an item you don’t not particularly like in your box, feel free to exchange it with another item of the same value at the booth when you pick up your box. We are thinking of a work party in mid-July sometime, it has gotten pushed back due to something major happening each weekend (weddings, fourth of July, birthdays etc..) We were wondering if Sunday afternoons work for you all? Enjoy the week and be well

SMALL SHARES

Salad mixto: the usual SWF blend

Onions: The first of the fresh spring onions (red this week..wallas next week)

Kale:  Maybe because its so cool out you could through it in some soup!

Cilantro: The first of the year, yum! If you don’t enjoy cilantro you can exchange for another herb at the booth.

Radish: Last picking! Wish I had a better recipe for you all than in a salad..I have heard of pickled radishes..anyone?

Raspberries: Finally we have enough for the all the boxes..so delicious and sweet!

Dried hot pepper:These are from last year, we thought it might be a nice addition to your cilantro if your in the salsa making mood. If not save for later, you can grind with a mortar & pestle to make into finer chunks.

LARGE SHARE:

Head lettuce

Chard: my favorite recipe from grandma S., saute chopped garlic and the finely chopped stems of the chard in olive oil for a bit, then add the chopped leaves, cook for a few minutes and then pour scrambled eggies over. Cook until eggs are done and top with finely shredded parmesan cheese..delicious!

Cherries:  These are the first of the year ( Small shares don’t get upset..they will be coming you way next week!) There was only enough for a few baskets this week.

Pea liquidation!

dHello friends,

Well, it is sad to say but this is the end of the snap/snow peas until the fall.  You’ve been so tender and sweet Mr. and Mrs. Pea, we really appreciate you!  Candy in a green pod. 

The neat thing about fresh food is that it is perfectly in tune with the seasons and ripens up when we humans need it.  Plants store the energy of the sun and the nutrients of water and earth minerals in their tissues.  The energy is then available to us in the form of enzymes.  When we eat fresh veggies and fruits we are bringing enzymes into our bodies.   The more enzymes we can eat, the better!

So here are the energetic, enzymatic ingredients in your baskets this week.  Enjoy, my friends!

SMALL SHARE

Sweet Water Salad Mix:  The perfect base for the summer salad.

Radishes:  The perfect addition to the perfect salad

Green Onions:  Put em in a salad or stir fry or what have you

Chard:  Big, colorful leafy green related to spinach and beets.  Add to an omelete, soup, salad, or stir fry to add color, fiber, and nutrients.

Strawberries:  Antioxidants in a sweet little, bite-size package.

Oregano:  a key ingredient in pasta, breads, and sauces. If you don’t use it soon just hang upside down to dry and use later as needed. Roll the stems in your hands and all the dry leaves will fall into the bowl you have under it.

Peas:  Let us honor the last showing of these protein packed snacks.

LARGE SHARE ADDS:

Spinach:  The last of the spinach for a while, enjoy!

Raspberries:   Enjoy the concentrated sunlight.

Head lettuce:   Chop it into a salad, add whole leafs to a sandwich, or just bite into the whole head releasing all inhibitions in an act our friend Marissa calls “bad baby cow.”  I like to do this when the plant is still attached to the ground.!

Take care neighbors!

Baby broccoli, seriously

Hello amigos. 

We aim to use all open-pollinated seeds at Sweet Water Farm.  These are the seeds that have been handed down from farmer to farmer, from season to season, and have passed the test of time.   If we find a variety that grows well under the Southern Oregon conditions we can grow that variety out to seed and save the progeny.  We could then continuously select the best individuals as seed sources and the variety would become more and more adapted to this region.  And everyone would live happily ever after.

That being said, we have not found an open pollinated brocolli that has performed here.  They have either went directly to seed, formed a quarter size head, or not formed any head at all.  We will try some hybrid brocollis for the fall plantings this year.  In general hybrids are more vigorous and uniform in their growth.  The drawback to hybrid seed is that it is more expensive and you are continually at the mercy of some company from some other place for your seed source.  As well,  if you grow a hybrid out to seed the plants that you grow from those seeds will likely be nothing like the original.   So the saga continues for a proper brocolli harvest here!  I may throw in a funny little broccoli sprig to each of you so you can see what I mean. 

Either way, things are beautiful in Southern Oregon.  The rain has just fallen and although it may have damaged the strawberries a bit , any rain in June is a blessing.  I have noticed that the plants respond to rain with bountiful growth and energy in comparison to normal irrigation.  There is something special in those drops from the sky!

Here’s the goods for this week.  Enjoy!

SMALL SHARE :

Strawberries: you all know what to do with these!

 Snap and snow peas: eat fresh or enjoy in a stir-fry

 Spinach: my favorite right now…a nice big spinach salad, grated carrot, toasted sunflower seeds, thinly sliced red onion (feta if you like)

 Kale:yes, we know kale..it seems so intimidating if you haven’t embraced its power yet. Dark leafy greens are the most absent from the Standard American diet so… try kale finely chopped in a salad, throw some leafs in a green smoothie, or saute some garlic (or your garlic scapes) with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for a great side dish (or just add some scrambled eggs to this for breakfast).

 turnips: these are tiny we know..but, you can add them to a salad (finely chopped) or put into a soup.

 garlic scapes:this is the last week so enjoy! scapes are only around for a few weeks out of the year that is why you are getting them again. Once again just use them as you would garlic (don’t use the very top that looks like an unopened flower). The bonus is there is nothing to peel …just chop!

dill: you get a little fresh dill this week. We love to put fresh dill in our salads but, it can also be used to garnish eggs with, pasta, potato salad, or mixed with garlic and butter for a great topping on fish. It you can’t find a use for it this week just hang dry it and use later.

FULL SHARE:

 half pint of rassberries…the first of the year !

1/2 lb. salad mix

red butterhead lettuce

2 artichokes: steam until tender and make a nice garlic butter and dill dipping sauce.

Those of  you who didn’t get eggs last week, they will ready for pick-up this week…try the kale eggs (with dill and garlic scapes)…seriously.

Take care and see you all tomorrow!

Sam, Denise, Ari

The view from the cedar tree... this is where your food is coming from!

The bees are alive! Hopefully one day we can offer a honey share.

C.S.A. Starts Saturday!

Hello, Neighbors!

Thank you so much for supporting Sweet Water Farm this season.  We will do our best to provide you with the most nutritious food we can pull from our soil!  There is a new baby in the family that is scheduled to be harvested some time around late January so the need to grow healthy food is greater than ever!  We are honored to be feeding you as well.

The first baskets of the season will be ready for pick-up at the Grants Pass Grower’s Market from 9:00 am-to 1:00 pm this Saturday June 6.   The earlier you pick up your basket, the sooner it returns home and the fresher your produce will be.  This event will continue every Saturday at the same time in the same place through October 31st.  You may arrange to pick up your basket at the farm if you can give us a day’s notice.

Your basket of produce will actually come in a plastic tote.  Please bring your empty tote back each week and we’ll trade you for a new one with fresh, nutritious goods.  Be as gentle as possible with the totes please.

Half of those who ordered an egg share will receive eggs this Saturday.  The other half of the egg subscribers will pick up their first dozen next Saturday.  Flower shares start next week.

Small share this week will receive strawberries, spinach, garlic scapes, snap and snow peas, radishes, collards, and head lettuce.  Large share adds salad mix, butterhead lettuce, turnips and chard. We will tentatively post what we think we will be putting in your basket, but please note this is subject to change (just a bit). When we are out there in the field we are looking for the most abundant and ready produce, so.. for example we thought we would have a herb for you all this week (parsley) and when it came down to it…well there just wasn’t enough, but there was plenty of head lettuce. So..that is what you got! It all works out in the long run and you will never get skimped on an item. Although, we always try to have a fresh herb for the boxes there are some weeks where that might not happen. Thanks for understanding!

The first recipe of the year is a simple, yet important one: the green smoothie!   Greens contain chlorophyll which cleans our blood, provides our body with oxygen, and nourishes us on a cellular level.  A great way to start the day, cleanse the body, and get energy. 

In a blender, blend 2 cups of water and the greens of your choice.  When liquefied add bananas, apples, pears, mango, or any other combination of fruit that you enjoy.  Add bee pollen, spirulina, or maca powder to your smoothie to give it more substance.  Yet even on their own, greens and fruit are a perfect  food.     

You also have collard greens in your box this week a simple way to make them is to saute some garlic ( you could use your garlic scapes)  and olive oil and then braise your finely chopped collard greens, maybe you could top with a little balsamic vinegar or just sea salt. You could also just steam your greens as well..it’s up to you! They make a lovely (and very nutritious) side dish. The other “odd” thing in your box this week is garlic scapes. This is the flowering top of the garlic, we snap them off so that the energy goes into the garlic bulb and the “scape” part is a tender, mild, and delicious different way to use garlic!  You can use it in any way that you would use garlic, it just isn’t as strong as the actual garlic cloves..kinda nice.  Chop it up and use in it in stir-frys, sautee with eggs, greens, soups,or just put them raw in your salad.  We hope you enjoy them..they are one of our favorite foods and you can only get them once a year..right now!                                                                                                                                              

You can check the blog each week to see what you will receive in your baskets, to get recipes, and read random occurrences happening on the farm.  As well, please feel free to leave comments.  They will be forwarded to our email.  You may also reach us by phone at 479.0249.

We will soon confirm the date of the first potluck/work party. 

Again, we truly appreciate your support and look forward to a tasty season.

Take care,

Sam, Denise, Ari, and ?