March 28th, 2022
What’s in this Week’s VEGGIE BOX: Beets, Asparagus, Oranges, Chard, Rosemary, Radishes and
Bread this week: Round Lavain OR Garlic Parmesan your choice of one
SPECIAL EVENTS
~Mother’s Day Hats & High Tea~
Saturday May 7th 2-5PM
If you are interested in joining us please email Claire for ticket availability as they are limited. See the website for more information on the event.
~April Plant Sale~
Order by April 8th, for April 26th delivery
We are once again offering plant starts for you home gardening needs. If you would like starts delivered to your drop site, please fill out the plant form and send to Claire. Some plants are limited, and it will be a first come first serve, so make sure to get your orders in
This week on the farm
Going to sleep last night, hearing the pitter patter was so comforting. Oh my, it is raining and its sounds soooo good. A salve to heal the soul, a sound that we all have been waiting for, praying, asking and dancing for, as every day I look to the west to see if there are storm clouds lingering. Rain water for the hill grasses and native trees to drink and store for the coming dry summer, and for the roots of all the plants just waiting for their spring tonic. A cleansing of the soil, I think those worms are just wiggling with delight! I know I am!!! I have to say that I have felt somewhat depressed with our future, a feeling of lost hope that we as a community can work together to make sure that there is enough available water for farming, growing food, drinking and living. For the moment, as it rains, that sound, the wet fields, the puddles…helps to fill my reservoir of hope, and determination to keep working, talking, sharing concerns, asking questions and speaking out for our water resources.
Many of you know that Jeff and I were part one of three families that started the farmers market in Davis in 1976. We went around Yolo County looking, talking to growers, trying to convince them to sell at market. We went to the City Council to get permission to have the market on City Property. We started selling string beans from our garden by the handfuls, as we had no scale. These same three families started Good Humus Produce and that was the beginning of our farming career. And here we are today with a very successful farmers market that the community loves, and these three farming friends that started the market are still selling there with three separate farms. Yes we are the longest selling farmers at the market. So as you can imagine our kids grew up going to the farmers market every Saturday. When they were little they might spend the morning at their cousin’s house while Jeff and I were selling, but most of their lives have been at market. Some customers may remember them peeking out from under the stand tables, one customer continues to remind me about the time when I asked her to hold Zach as a baby as I rushed to the restrooms. Over the years even though it was sometimes hard to get the kids up in the wee hours of the early mornings they all love the market. It is the place where they can see friends, it is a place to see who buys our produce, and they can see the where the money comes from. They have learned to talk to people, have conversations with just about anyone; they have had to deal with unhappy costumers too. Now all three of our kids are master marketers, they all know how to set up a beautiful display that is includes contrasting colors of produce, more like an art display than a place to sell produce. They know where to place the least desirable produce-out in front, and pile it high when we have tons to sell. Zach has always been the one to give samples of the unknown veggies like kohlrabi, or the sweet Tokyo turnips, and he knows that samples sell the peaches. Claire continues to hold the record for the most sales in one market, and Ali coordinates who from the community of our market friends will help us each market.
When Zach and Nicole’s kids were old enough they would come to the market and be propped up in box, or held as we worked, or played in the van and have come to love the market too. I think they have come to know (as our kids did) which vendor (almost all of them) will give them a free apple or apple juice, they have learned the vendors names, and I think Zoe has her first crush on farmer Steve the apple guy across the way. Also they have learned that if they go across the street YoloBerry to use their bathroom that they will get a sweet treat too. They have become what we called our kids “the Market Rats”
This last Saturday at the market was a monumental moment for the family. The family history was being passed down to the next generation, and it was the most heartwarming event ever! Our grandson Nolan has wanted a Lego conveyer belt, but his parents said he had to earn the money to buy it. So he has been asking to do jobs here at the farm so he can make the $10 he needs, and has helped planting baby plants in the nursery. Well we never gave our kids allowances, but they had the opportunity to make a wreath, flower bouquet, pick strawberries and sell them at the market, for a cut of the sale (always had to pay the farm its share of the costs). So on Friday Zach told Nolan and Zoe that if they helped picked the lilacs in their backyard (lilacs from my mama plants, that came from my grandma’s mama plants), and came to the market and sold them that they could have a cut of the sales. So that is exactly what they did. Zach would help Nolan help the customers-ask them if he can help them, if they want the bouquets wrapped separately, and then figure out how to make change. I told him how to count the change back so check to make sure he did the math correct (which was over his 6 year old head) and to make sure to look the customer in the eye and tell them thank you. Zoe was the banker, they put the money in a basket, and the basket was under the paper wrapping box table along with Zoe. She was in a banker box cage putting money in and giving change back (although she doesn’t know a one dollar bill from a five dollar!) What’s amazing is those two kids stayed with it for several hours, and sold all of the lilacs along with most of the rest of our flower bouquets. The deal was, if they sold all of the 15 bunches of their lilacs that they would get $1 per bunch, so at the end of the market they each got paid. I told Nolan that if he wants to work the market like he did today that I would pay him-and Zach said $5 per market! His eyes got big, along with a big smile. On Sunday morning Zach and Nolan put together the Lego conveyer belt. Have a great Weeks ~Annie
Rosemary, Olive Oil and Orange Cake
Source:NYTcooking
10 small rosemary sprigs, no more than 1 inch each in size
1 egg white, lightly whisked
2 teaspoons granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar)
FOR THE CAKE:
2 tablepoons unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, more to flour the pan
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup plus 1 teaspoon superfine sugar (caster sugar)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (about 1 1/2 oranges)
1 ½ tablespoons packed finely chopped rosemary leaves
2 large eggs
½ cup grams sour cream
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
FOR THE ORANGE ICING:
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ¾ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, or 1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar.
At least 6 hours before you plan to ice the cake, prepare the crystallized rosemary: Brush rosemary on all sides with a little of the egg white and then dip it in the sugar, so the needles are lightly coated on all sides. Set aside on a wire rack to dry. Repeat with remaining rosemary. Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a 9-inch Bundt pan with half the butter and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Butter again, generously, and then flour it, tapping away the excess.
Put olive oil, superfine sugar, orange zest and chopped rosemary leaves in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until combined, then add eggs, one at a time. Whisk for another minute, until thick, then add sour cream and mix until combined on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the olive oil mixture and mix until combined. Increase speed to high and whisk for 1 minute. Scrape batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top with a small spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. (You may want to trim the cake at this stage, if it rises unevenly, to allow it to sit flat on the plate.) Prepare the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. When the cake has cooled, drizzle icing on top, allowing it to drip down the sides of the cake, then top with the crystallized rosemary and serve.
ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGE AND ROSEMARY
Source:TheLemonBowl
1 bunch beets (4 large or 8 medium)
1 in large orange (cut half)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large pinch kosher salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and line 8 x 8 baking dish with foil.
Wash and trim the greens from the beets but leave the root in-tact as shown in photo. Place beets in the pan and cover with juice of one orange, rosemary sprigs, olive oil, large pinch kosher salt and a few turns of a black pepper mill. Leave the orange halves in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 45 minutes or until beets are fork tender. Let cool completely before removing foil. To serve, carefully remove skin with hands (should peel right off) and slice into bite-sized pieces.
Beet Green and Radish Green Pesto Pasta With Roasted Beets and Radishes
Source:SeriousEats
3 medium beets, with greens
1 bunch radishes, with greens
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound box spaghetti or cappellini
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare beets and radishes: tear off greens and reserve. Peel beets and cut beets and radishes into a medium dice. Place beets and radishes on a rimmed baking sheet in separate piles (to avoid color bleeding); season each vegetable with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat and roast, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 25 minutes. While vegetables are roasting, blanch greens: pick off any large stems and bring a large, covered pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath for greens by filling a medium bowl with cold water and a tray of ice cubes. Add greens and cook, pushing on them to submerge, until bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath immediately using tongs. Return pot of water to a boil. When greens are cool, drain, then wring thoroughly with your hands to remove excess liquid. Place walnuts and garlic in bowl of food processor and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse until nuts and garlic are coarsely ground. Add beet and radish greens and pulse until mixture is coarsely ground. With machine running, stream in 3/4 cup olive oil or more, as needed, until pesto is sufficiently loose. Add Parmesan cheese, pulsing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Before draining, reserve 1 cup pasta water. Combine pasta and about 3/4 cup prepared pesto in a large bowl. Drizzle in some pasta water and toss to combine using tongs, adding more pesto or pasta water as necessary. Transfer pasta to serving dish and top with roasted beets and radishes. Serve immediately.
Gluten Free Pizza with Swiss Chard-Asparagus Crust
Source:Betterhomesand garden
Gluten-free nonstick cooking spray
10 ounces fresh Swiss chard or spinach
2 teaspoons olive oil
⅔ cup finely chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon salt
6 ounces fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg white
¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups cooked brown rice, cooled
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Havarti cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Desired pizza toppings,
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Coat foil with cooking spray; set baking sheet aside.
If using Swiss chard, separate stems from leaves. Cut stems and leaves into bite-size pieces, keeping them separate. In a large nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add red onion, garlic, and salt; cook for 2 minutes. If using chard, add stems and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chard leaves or spinach; cook about 5 minutes or until chard or spinach is wilted and moisture is nearly evaporated, stirring occasionally. Add asparagus; cook and stir about 3 minutes more or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Spread mixture on a plate to cool slightly. For crust, in a medium bowl combine eggs, egg white, oregano, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in cooked rice, Parmesan cheese, and chard mixture. Spoon mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Using your hands, press into a 12-inch circle. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Broil crust 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or just until golden. Sprinkle with Havarti cheese. Broil for 1 minute more. Remove from broiler. Let stand for 3 minutes. Top with desired pizza toppings. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes more or until toppings are heated through and mozzarella cheese (if using) is melted. To serve, cut into four wedges.