VOLUME 6, ISSUE 12
WWW.BURROAKGARDENS.COM
BURR OAK GARDENS, LLC
To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves- Mohondas Gandhi
This Week on the Farm
Well it is our first week without all of our summer helpers and so far it has gone smoothly. Thankfully
there are fewer weeds to pull this time of year! The weekly job of washing totes is the only thing that
seemed like it took up more of the day than it has done in prior weeks. It may mean that Tyler and I
will be washing totes on the weekend to make sure we have enough time to get everything else done.
We spent part of Friday and Monday morning planting out our looseleaf lettuce mix. We have about
three quarters of the planting in the ground and we are just waiting for the last few plants to fill out
the plugs before we can plant them. For some reason the germination was a little uneven (probably
moisture levels), so some of the plugs developed more rapidly than others. By this Friday the last
plugs should be ready to go in the ground. The lag-time between the first “planting” and the last
“planting” will, I think, actually be helpful this fall. Each planting size was large enough to get one
week of harvesting off of it, so we should have three weeks of looseleaf lettuce to harvest. That will
give the first planting time to regrow by the time we are done harvesting the last planting.
We are planning on getting the last of the transplanting done this Wednesday. We have spinach,
kohlrabi, broccoli, pac choy and cauliflower to plant out. Depending on the weather we may or may
not have broccoli and cauliflower in the boxes this fall. This is the first time we are trying for a fall
harvest of these crops off of transplants and I think we were about two weeks late getting the trays
seeded in the greenhouse. But we live in Wisconsin and fall weather is unpredictable so we may have
perfect growing conditions anyway.
Our first round of fall transplanted plants is looking great. Everything is starting to put on new leaves
and is looking very healthy. We lucked out and have gotten plenty of rain the last couple of weeks, so
we haven’t had to worry about watering them in at this critical time in their development. It always
amazes me how much of a difference there is in weed pressure in the spring vs the fall. That being
said, we will still probably need to hoe those crops at least once this fall. I hope we will get to that in
the next week or two, but I also want to wait to do that task until the humidity is gone. Hoeing is by
far everyones least favorite job, and hoeing in 80 degree weather with high humidity is pretty much
my idea of hell.
The tomatillos and peppers are finally starting to take off. With the cool weather last week it felt like
we were at a standstill, but things are starting to push forward and you have a larger amount of both
items in your box this week. Some of the tomatillo wrappers look a little sad, but the fruit underneath
looks good. The bell peppers in your box this week are a mix of Iko Iko and Purple Beauty. We like
putting these in the “early” pepper boxes because they have such nice color. Our standard bells are
just starting to blush from green to red and with the warm weather in the forecast we may have
several other varieties of peppers making their first appearance next week.
!
Recipe Drawing
For every recipe you send us that utilizes the veggies in your box, you will be entered into a drawing
to win a free storage box this fall. Send recipes to us via email, on our Facebook page, or by snail mail.!1
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 12
WWW.BURROAKGARDENS.COM
This is the first week for jalapeños. We made the decision a couple of weeks ago
to try to hold the jalapeños for a couple of weeks because they were not sizing up
well. The cool weather seemed to inhibit fruit set, so I am glad we didn’t try to
put them into the box early, because they look really nice this week. Half shares
get three jalapeños and full shares get six jalapeños this week. If you don’t like a
lot of heat in your cooking, just use part of a pepper and save the rest for another
dish.
Jalapeños (and any of the other peppers) do freeze well, so if you feel
overwhelmed with peppers over the course of the next couple of weeks freezing is
an option. Just remove the stem, membranes, and seeds from the peppers and
freeze in a plastic bag. I generally halve the peppers, but with the bells I like to
try to remove the smallest amount of the top of the pepper so that I can make
stuffed peppers later in the year.
The garlic in the box this week is a silverskin variety. Silverskins do not size up as
well as some of the other types. Half shares get a medium sized bulb and full
shares are getting around six small bulbs. Although the bulb size is smaller, the
clove size is pretty standard and the taste is great!
In other farm news, this
year Tyler planted about a
quarter of an acre of
sunflowers for me as a
Mother’s Day gift. This past
Friday the first flower
opened up and they are
gorgeous! The photo on the
left is of me riding in from
the field waving the first
sunflower triumphantly.
The plants are gigantic! The
shortest plants are over six
feet tall and the one flower I
harvested was from a plant
that was about ten feet tall!
I am really excited for the
flowers because I think it
will be stunning when they
are blooming en masse, but
the farmer part of me is
even more excited for all of
the biomass that we will be
adding to our field when we
till them under. I think that says a lot about my transformation from city girl to
farmer in the past five years.
Your Box
This
Week
!Walla Walla
OnionsStore in a cool
place out of
direct
sunlight.
!Garlic- Same
as onions.
!Kennebec
PotatoesSame as
onions.
!Basil- Place
in a jar of
water on the
counter. Do
not put in the
fridge.
!Iko Iko or
Purple
Beauty Bell
PeppersStore in a
paper bag in
the fridge.
!Jalapeño
PeppersSame as bell
pepper.
!Eggplant-
Store on the
counter top.
!TomatillosSame as
eggplant.
!Kale- Store in
a plastic bag
in the fridge.
!2
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 12
Black Bean, Hominy, & Kale Stew
2 poblano chiles
8 ounces tomatillos, husks removed and halved
(about 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 cups organic vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 (15.5-ounce) cans unsalted black beans, rinsed and
drained
1 (8-ounce) bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves
chopped (about 4 packed cups)
1 (15-ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
(about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat broiler to high.
Place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 7
minutes on each side or until blackened and charred.
Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 15
minutes. Peel chiles; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds
and membranes; coarsely chop. Set aside.
While poblano chiles roast, place the tomatillos in a food
processor, and process until smooth. Set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl
to coat. Add onion and jalapeño; sauté 5 minutes or until
tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cumin; sauté 1
minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatillos, broth, and next
4 ingredients (through kale); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce
heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are
tender. Add roasted poblanos and hominy; cook for 2
minutes or until heated through. Ladle into each of 4
shallow bowls; top evenly with sour cream and cheese.
Sprinkle with cilantro. (www.myrecipes.com)
Spicy Garlic Kale w/ Sautéed Red Peppers
2 bunches kale
1⁄2 cup leek, chopped
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced (or extruded through garlic
press)
1 1⁄2 large red bell peppers, cut into short strips
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt
white pepper
Wash kale. Pull greens away from the stalks, discarding
stalks. Shred by hand into small pieces.
Place kale in steamer basket, and steam until tender
(approximately 10 minutes). Remove immediately from
heat.
Heat olive oil in heavy pan over medium-high heat. When
the oil is hot, add onions and leeks. Sauté until onions are
translucent and leeks begin to brown. Add garlic and red
pepper flakes, sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Add bell
pepper slices, and sauté until tender (approximately 4-5
minutes). Remove from heat.
Add kale to pan, and toss ingredients together thoroughly.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or room
temperature. (www.food.com)
WWW.BURROAKGARDENS.COM
Tomatillo Basil Salsa
2 limes, juiced
4 cloves of garlic
5 tomatillos, roughly chopped
~8 large basil leaves
1-2 jalpenos peppers
salt and pepper
2-3 T. Olive Oil
Put all ingredients together in a bowl and puree with a
hand blender or food processor. A few small chunks are
okay and encouraged! (www.spotonfoods.wordpress.com)
Angel Hair Pasta w/ Red Pepper Pesto &
Basil
3 medium red bell peppers
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 small garlic clove, smashed
1/4 cup basil leaves, plus 2 tablespoons chopped
basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 cup shaved pecorino cheese
Roast the red peppers over a gas flame or under the
broiler, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer
the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let
cool. Peel, core and chop the peppers.
In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat
until golden, about 4 minutes. Let cool.
Transfer the peppers and pine nuts to a blender. Add the
garlic and whole basil leaves and blend until coarsely
chopped. Add the olive oil and puree to a chunky pesto.
Season with salt and pepper.
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, add the pasta
and cook until al dente. Drain and cool slightly under
running water. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and toss with
the pesto. Season the pasta with salt and pepper. Top
with the chopped basil and pecorino and serve at room
temperature. (From www.foodandwine.com)
Three-Pepper Pasta Salad
1 package (12 ounces) tricolor spiral pasta
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small sweet red pepper, julienned
1 small sweet yellow pepper, julienned
1 small green pepper, julienned
1 medium tomato, cut into thin wedges
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
8 ounces cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile,
in a blender, add the oil, vinegar, basil, Parmesan cheese,
salt and pepper; cover and process until blended. Drain
and rinse pasta in cold water; place in a large bowl. Add
the peppers, tomato, olives and onions. Drizzle with
dressing; toss to coat. Stir mozzarella cheese. Serve at
room temperature. (From www.tasteofhome.com)
!3