Month: June 2024

Perfecting the Mix

June 25, 2024

How do we choose what to grow?

I often say, “Whatever will grow in Minnesota.” That’s quickly followed by a rejoinder of “but not artichokes, which are possible, but simply a farmer challenging themselves…” With greenhouses and enough heat and supplemental light, a person COULD grow bananas or dragon fruit or something, but the cost and the effort would probably produce a $23/lb tropical fruit. What’s the point? Boosting your ego as a master grower?

So, yes we grow as wide of a mix of crops as possible that will grow in Minnesota, but also appropriate for place and timing so we have an mix of crops that perform well. You see, operating a CSA is one big juggle of time. If you spend an hour on peppers, you can’t spend that same hour on lettuce. And if one crop needs a lot of babysitting to get it to fruition, it gets the ax because it becomes a time suck that could endanger its fellow veggie friends. So it’s been with spring spinach. This year it would have done fine, but for the past 20 years it’s been getting harder and harder to grow. Springs have been turning hot sooner and it’s nothing but bolt city as the spinach quickly turns to reproduction and moves to flower production to save its species. We could set out a shade cloth, but see point about ‘one big juggle of time’ above.

That’s a roundabout way to highlight this miracle of strawberries in the box! I have not put strawberries in a CSA box for 15 years. Like spring spinach, they got the ax early in Lida Farm’s history. Fruit needs a lot of attention at the same time veggies need a lot of attention or they’ll be lost in weeds. So, even though I just explained how thoughtful I am about finding the perfect mix of crops that best fit our place and timing, there’s still a place for whimsy. I grew these plants last year on a lark, which was neither thoughtful nor strategic. Judging the size and shape, I can’t say that I’m good at growing strawberries, but the flavor is there, and, so is the surprise.

In the box:

Veggies, Ahoy

June 17, 2024

We’re setting sail on a new season to ports unknown. It takes faith each year to launch and hope all the necessary pieces line up well enough to make for a solid 16 weeks of CSA boxes. This is season #20, which is hard to believe. For 20 years we’ve been assembling a crew, putting seeds in the ground, and hoping for the best. We’ve had super rocky starts, terrible weather, and a range of farm mishaps, but we’ve also seen glorious harvests, perfect rains, and near flawless vegetables.

Each year, it’s difficult to know what’s in store. I do think of it like a voyage, but not like a cruise in the Bahamas, more like a whaling expedition circa 1750. We push off shore and labor on the ship for days on end. Some days are boring where we’re handweeding for hours in the sun. Other days we see some action, batten down the high tunnels and hope the hail stays north or reel in a huge harvest of potatoes. To take this stupid sailing metaphor a bit further (honestly, where am I going with this?), I know we have a very capable chief mate in Mason Berube, who has two seasons of farming under his belt. The family crewmates have dropped off since Sylvia’s gone off to college. This summer she’s working at a music camp in Wisconsin and the boys are not much for farming.

Lots of things are on the verge of getting ready, but not quite there yet – makes for a box lighter than I like, but that seems to be the nature of the first box of the year.

In the box:

  • 2-3 garlic scapes: These are shoots that come off the top of hardneck garlic -chop up and use wherever you’d use green onions…got a mild garlic flavor. I put in eggs.
  • Radishes
  • Mizuna: Red-banded green with frilly leaves. See recipe below.
  • Cilantro
  • Arugula: Red-banded greens with oakleaf shape. Commonly used in a pasta or as a salad – think Italian with parmesan.
  • 1-2 Sprigs of Basil
  • Fresh mint: Mojitos?
  • Bunch of kale: Big bunch of greens with a blue band. This is young and especially tender as the first kale of the year, so maybe try your hand with kale salad.

SIMPLE MIZUNA SALAD

from https://dishingupthedirt.com/recipes/simple-mizuna-salad/

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES    COOK TIME: 0 MINUTES    SERVES: 2-4

  • 1 large bunch of mizuna
  • 2-3 radishes, very thinly sliced
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + additional to taste
  • flakey sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly toasted on the stovetop for  a few minutes
  • a few thin slices of fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • a few pinches of micro greens (optional)

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl toss the mizuna with the radishes and drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss well. Sprinkle the salad with a few healthy pinches of flakey sea salt, the toasted sunflower seeds, shaved parmesan (if using) and micor greens (if using). Serve immediately.

Notes*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary