Some may think the keys to successful market gardening include skill, experience, the right equipment or maybe even the right varieties. I think these things are important, sure, but somedays I think the secret to success is simply to be caffeinated.
The physical needs of a farm really demands a lot of motivation to tackle. Think about a task like shoveling yards of compost to spread it across a field. It’s daunting. Give me a cup of coffee and I’m excited to take on the challenge.
My morning ritual in order includes one cup of water, 15 minutes of yoga, and two cups of very strong coffee with cream. That’s typically gets me there. The problem today is I’m out of coffee – maybe that’s why I’m writing this – let’s see if I actually get the box together only on tea. I may just topple over and be unable to do anything…
In the box:
- Cabbage
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Spring Onions: You can used the greens just as you would from green onions.
- Green Garlic: This is uncured garlic, freshly harvested this morning. It’s a bit stronger than garlic, but you’d use the same way. You can leave in a sunny, dry location for 3-5 days and the wrapper will dry down and you officially ‘cured’ garlic
- Swiss Chard
- Kohlrabi: Peel, slice and eat with salt and lemon.
- Parsley
Farmers Cook at Home: Quinoa Salad
What came to my mind when I looked at this week’s box contents was a couscous or tabouli using the tomatoes, parsley, and cucumber. But I didn’t have either couscous or bulgur on hand, so I put the quinoa to work we had in the cupboard, treating it the same way as I would couscous by browning a bit in the oil before adding liquid.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa: Cooked with broth at 1 quinoa to 1 and 3/4 cup broth or stock.
- A couple spring onions, diced plus greens chopped
- Olive oil: 1 T for frying, 3 T for seasoning
- Cucumber, peeled and diced
- A couple sprigs of parsley, chopped
- A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
- Juice from half a lemon
Over medium heat in a saucepan, add 1 T olive oil and diced spring onions. Once a bit brown add quinoa and brown for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1.75 cups of broth (I used 2T of Better than Bouillon Chicken stock), once boiling, cover and simmer on low for approximately 15 minutes. Chop all other ingredients while quinoa is simmering. Once done, let sit 5 min or so to absorb all liquid like you would rice. Fluff with a fork and add all other ingredients, adding as much olive oil as you’d like – me I was thinking of it as a tabouli, so I’m generous with olive oil. Throw in some feta or olives if you like those and have on hand.
Lida Farm 