SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?
WILD HARE WEEKLY, SUMMER #6
SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?
Or shall I ditch the sonnets and tell you what is fresh and tasty this week? Shallots--shallots of them, along with another round of Favas, Zucchini, Squash and another go at the Italian Chard before we give it a good mid-summer mow. Lovely and temperate. If you've not had them before, Shallots are the milder cousins of sweet onions and garlic, and their flavor falls somewhere on the spectrum between the two. By the way Shallots + Zucchini =Delicious! I even like them sauteed with Apricots and a bit of Cumin and Cinnamon on a skillet or on the grill. When life hands you Shallots, why not go savory, right?
And since we're already talking savory, why not get bittersweet for a moment and talk Berries 2019. We hope to harvest a small number of Golden Raspberries at the start of the week and begin Blueberry harvest by the week's end. However, due to the fact that our newest plantings of reds aren't producing yet, we are expecting an almost non-existent Red Raspberry harvest this Summer. Instead of picking, we will be nurturing these young canes that we've planted in anticipation of a fair 2020 harvest. We foresaw this unfortunate gap as we removed a barely-producing/damaged block of Cascade Delights, eventually planting a few more rows of Tulameen in the South field. In a perfect world, we probably would have set this in motion back in 2016 when the established canes were still productive; however, since we didn't own our farmland outright until late 2017, setting a big perennial planting in motion wasn't in the cards (or the budget) until more recently. If ever we needed to call upon the old platitude that "to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow," large perennial plantings are a reminder that the scope of our farm, whether we're talking about the soil, the business, or the people like you and me who comprise them, extends so far beyond a given growing season or year. At my daughter's school, they speak quite often of nurturing a Growth Mindset, but around here, you could say that our growth mindset is perennial.
Just a few hours ago, Mark and I had the opportunity to host a brief visit to the farm from a handful of community leaders, experts and advocates from the WSDA, WSU, PCC Farmland Trust, Pierce County, and a wide range of organizations who are actively looking for ways to sustain agriculture and environment in our area of the Puyallup River Watershed and beyond. One of the consultants asked us what about our farm keeps us up at night, Whereas the short answer for any business owner is always "money," Mark and I also agree that time is always something that we could use more of around here, quantum physics aside. Case in point--the perennial herb garden renovation that keeps slipping to the bottom of our to-do list. Out in the CSA upick beds, the Poppies are poppin (and the Zinnias, Bachelor Buttons and Calendulas too). With any luck, and sufficient staff hours, we'll be planting out new Lavender, English Thyme and Sage with more herbs soon to migrate into their new homes at the front of the perennial herb beds. Black Currants are also ripe and ready for share members to pick this week way out in the orchard. So if Currants are your jam (and trust me, they should be), be sure to check in with Jade or myself so we can point you in the right direction to pick a few this week. The Kale, Collards and Chard happen to also be planted way out West by the orchard this year, so you can do double duty with your long walk!
Perennially Yours,
Katie
IN THE FARMSHARES THIS WEEK:
Fresh Shallots
Fava Beans
Green Oak or Gem Romaine Lettuce
Italian Chard
Zucchini
Apricots
SEASONAL RECIPES & TIPS
QUICK PICKLED SHALLOTS
Escoffier
3 ea shallots (peeled and sliced thinly)
2 oz red wine vinegar (substitute with champagne or rice wine vinegar)
2 oz granulated sugar (substitute with honey or agave)
1 oz red wine (substitute with white wine or fresh juice)
1 ea herb bundle (freshly picked)
CONTINUE TO RECIPE
ZUCCHINI WITH SHALLOTS
Pierre Franey
1 ½ pounds small zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
CONTINUE TO RECIPE
QUINOA PORRIDGE
WITH TOASTED ALMONDS & APRICOTS
Food & Wine
2 bunches Tuscan (lacinato) kale
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces pecorino cheese, finely grated (about ½ cup)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, finely grated
1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pistachios, almonds, or walnuts
CONTINUE TO RECIPE
GRILLED APRICOT SALAD
Jamie Oliver
8 ripe apricots
8 sprigs of fresh thyme, ideally the flowering kind
olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
1 big pinch of pink peppercorns
1⁄2 a red onion
2 large handfuls of salad leaves, such as escarole, Castelfranco, wild rocket
4 slices of higher-welfare prosciutto
125g ball of mozzarella cheese
1 lemon
FAVA, FARRO, PECORINO
& SALAMI SALAD
Joshua McFadden
2 1/2 pounds fava beans in their pods
2 cups cooked Farro
1/4 pound salami, cut into 1/4-in.-thick slices and then into 1/4-in. dice
4 ounces pecorino fresco cheese*, cut into 1/4-in.-thick slices and then into 1/4-in. dice
1/2 bunch scallions, trimmed (including 1/2 in. off the green tops), thinly sliced on an angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
Red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
CONTINUE TO RECIPE
CRETAN MASHED BROAD BEAN SKORDALIA
Diane Kochilas
2 cups fresh broad beans shelled
1/4 cup lemon juice
3-4 Tbsp. water
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt and pepper
1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil