Week 10
Week 10 is the halfway mark of the growing season. It's a big accomplishment for us as the farmers and a reminder for you the eaters to enjoy the fresh local bounty while we still have it. The growing season is a fleeting thing!
This week the small shares are getting:
BeetsCabbage
Lettuce
Rainbow chard
Carrots
Pac choi
Sage
This week the large shares are getting:
Beets
Cabbage
Lettuce
Rainbow chard
Carrots
Pac choi
Sage
Moringa
Edible flower mix
Beets and Carrots are the candies of the vegetable world. They will sweeten your juices (if you are into juicing veggies, remember to the also add the tops of carrots and beets since they are very nutritious and delicious) as well as your soups, purees and roasts. Store roots separate from tops to keep the roots from getting soft. Peel them for an extra sweet treat (the skins can be a little bitter), but you'll see that roasted whole or simply cut in half, both carrots and beets are a delicious side dish or snack.
Rainbow Chard is in the spinach and beet family. It's colorful stems are fun to cook with. Try a simple stir fry and chop the stems to put them in the pan first, with a bit of garlic or onions until soft and then add the green part of the leaves at the end for a short time. The leaves are best undercooked otherwise they get too mushy. This cooked down chard is great for filling omelettes or quiches paired with a salty sharp cheese. You can also try adding cherry tomatoes to the pan until they get squishy and soft and serve the whole mixture over brown rice (add a sunny side up egg for a complete vegetarian meal!).
Sage is a personal favorite and we can only grow it during winter and spring here in South Florida because it doesn't survive the humidity of our rainy summer season. It goes really well with squashes, potatoes or meats.
Moringa is a perennial short lived tree that grows in tropical climates. It's also known as "miracle tree" because it contains so many vitamins and minerals and because it grows so fast, providing a reliable source of nutrients for the poor in tropical countries. We've been growing it at the farm for a few years and we sell young trees at the farmers market. We also dehydrate the leaves and sell moringa in a powder form that can be added to everything from smoothies to soups to increase nutrients. The fresh leaves can also be added to smoothies, juices, stir fries, salads, grains, etc. Think of moringa as a nutritional supplement that you can add to any meal.