Morning Song Farm News

Okay, I admit I was less than enthusiastic about adding kale to my baskets. I got so many requests, I thought I'd at least try it. It looks light Swiss Chard, only tough; I thought. But you have to try this simple preparation before dismissing kale: Chop up, boil with a little salt in pan. Drain, chill. That's right, chill it. Serve as a sidedish with a little goatcheese, crushed walnuts, drizzled olive oil and lime juice. If you tried doing that with Swiss Chard, you'd be disappointed but Kale keeps its shape even after steaming, so lends itself to a sort of cooked salad. I think the taste is stronger than spinach or Swiss Chard, but really delicious. Of course you can serve it hot like you would Swiss chard or Bok Choy, but I think what makes Kale special is that you can eat it cold. I did try eating it raw. Don't try that. I think Kale is too tough to eat raw. Just my opinion.

We could use some help with our new hoop house! We're putting up a small hoop house in an area of the farm that burned completely down (no clearing necesssary). We've discovered that the tiny greenhouse on the hill isn't big enough to keep the flow of flats going that we need for our row crops, so we're adding a cheaper version closer to the fields. Called a "hoop house" it's constructed by bending PVC pipes in an arch, attaching to rebar into the ground and then covering with plastic. It's like a giant tinker-toy project covered with greenhouse plastic. No beauty queens, but they get the job done. Anyway, it's just been too darn hot to invite subscribers to enjoy our farm, but I would think by October it will have cooled considerably. Adults and teens only, as this is a work day. Bring a picnic lunch, closed toe shoes, sunscreen. For those who have never seen the farm, I'll do a tour at 9:00 and start work right after, breaking for lunch aroun...

It's been suggested that I put the pick ticket up on my blog before we harvest, and I'd like to try doing that this week. The drawback is that sometimes our best laid plans are circumvented by harvest disappointments, or surprises, so pre-harvest tickets won't be absolute. That said, here's what we're planning on this week: Lettuce, kale, zuchini, bok choy, tomatoes, maybe the first of our apples, Asian pears, avocados, radishes, Swiss chard, hot peppers, cukes, limes, mint, maybe figs. We're planting brocoli, cauliflower, and kale in our little greenhouse this week and Swiss chard, radish, cilantro, beets and lettuces in the field. We should begin the macadamia harvest this month, so by mid-October I would think we'll be putting our wonderful raw macadamias in our CSA baskets again.