Our daughter’s bout with COVID-19 … maybe

In March, our daughter Sophie rushed home from studying abroad in Spain, trying to beat border closings as Spain entered military lockdown.  She was healthy when she arrived but fell sick within days, presumably with COVID-19.   She could not get tested for the virus but had many typical COVID-19 symptoms: fever, uncontrollable cough, racing heartbeat, exhaustion.  Her fever persisted for 14 days straight.  She did not need to be hospitalized but our bags were packed for two nights as she struggled to breathe.  She is completely recovered now but it was a scary and tense three weeks, with many worries at once.  We were worried about Sophie’s health of course, but also the unfolding growing season and how to protect our employees as they returned to work.

Farmwork continued during Sophie’s illness.  She was in isolation upstairs in our house.  Steve, Ari and I were in quarantine, in separation from both Sophie and the rest of the farm.  Our winter crew kept things going.  We met outside in the driveway at great distance, communicated via phone, sanitized everything, and created ‘zones’ on the farm.  The crew got the barn, Steve and I got the greenhouse, etc.  No one else got sick and, by mid-April, we were all out of quarantine.

This experience sharpened our farm response to COVID-19 risks.  Figuring out how to avoid spread within a household is directly applicable to avoiding spread on a farm.  We’ve made many changes, which I’ll write about another time.  Knowing how sick Sophie was lit a fire under our crew.  Only five employees were working in March and April and they all took this very seriously.  Everyone was on board and actively problem-solving with us.

Eventually, we will know via antibody test if Sophie was exposed to COVID-19.  As I tell people about her experience, she is often the only person they know who may have contracted the disease. Believe me, this is one hell of a disease.  Beth

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #4, June 11/12, 2020
– Weekly shares
– EOW/ purple
– Sampler/ moon

Asparagus, ~1/4 lb
Spinach, 1 medium bunch
Romaine lettuce
White salad turnips, 1 bunch
Radishes, 1 bunch
Kohlrabi, 1 or 2
Scallions, 1 bunch
Mint, 2 stalks
– Some sites get 1 medium bok choy.
– Some sites get 1 small bok choy plus 1 small bunch green kale.

Next week’s box will probably contain napa cabbage, lettuce, kohlrabi, scallions and more.

Asparagus – This has been an unusually short asparagus season. We lost production to frost and to Japanese beetle damage last season that weakened the plants. We have finished our asparagus harvests. Now it’s time to tend the plants and let them replenish their root reserves for next season.

Mint – You’ll get about two sprigs.  Refrigerate in a small container.  Avoid bruising until you are ready to use it.

Kohlrabi (pale green, round vegetable with thick skin) – Crunchy and sweet, kohlrabi is a great addition to salads.
Storage:  Kohlrabi bulbs will store for a month in the refrigerator.
Uses:  Kohlrabi are good peeled and eaten out of hand, or added to sandwiches, or added to salads.  It makes a nice salad on it’s own.  You can grate it, slice it, or cut it into matchsticks.  It’s also good cooked.  If you have it, the Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook has a long list of kohlrabi suggestions.

Kohlrabi

RECIPES

Visit our 2020 Recipe Log or our 2019 Recipe Log or join our Facebook discussion group.

LOCAL THYME/ Cooking 101
Romaine Salad with Peanut Dressing
Eggs Scrambled with Three Greens, Radish and Feta
Aloha Chicken Salad

LOCAL THYME/ Cooking 202
Lettuce Wrapped Fish
Spiced Kohlrabi Fries with Spicy Mayo
Farro Salad with Salad Turnips, Turnip Greens, Mint and Walnuts

LOCAL THYME/ Quick & Easy Meal
 Tofu Bok Choy and Radish LoMein

RECIPES FROM LAUREN

NOODLE LETTUCE WRAPS WITH PORK MEATBALLS & CRUNCHY GARLIC CHILI OIL

Serves 2-4
Takes 1 hour

1 bunch scallions, divided
Handful or two of spinach (or turnip greens), roughly chopped
1-1/2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
Zest of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons crunchy garlic chile oil (recipe below), plus more for serving
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
6-8 ounces vermicelli, rice or ramen noodles (I used these!)
1 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 head lettuce, washed and leaves separated

Crunchy Garlic Chile Oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves (or stalks green garlic, white and pale green portions), minced
1-1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1. Begin by preparing the garlic chile oil by pouring oil into a small saucepan and heating over medium heat until glistening (but not smoking). Add garlic and stir. Things will sizzle for a little bit. Let them do that for a minute or so and then add the red pepper flakes and salt into the pot. Reduce heat to medium low and let sizzle for 5-10 minutes until the garlic has gotten a little browned and crispy. You don’t need to watch this too carefully so feel free to start your meatballs while this is going.
2. In a food processor, combine half of the scallions (cut into 1 or 2-inch pieces) and greens. Process until finely chopped. Add pork, ginger, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, lime zest, and salt. Process until the mixture comes together (it doesn’t need to be especially smooth, just uniform). Roll the mixture into 20-30 meatballs and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil.
4. In a large bowl, combine maple syrup, crunchy garlic chile oil, lime juice, toasted sesame oil and 2 tablespoons fish sauce. Whisk to combine. Add kohlrabi and remaining scallions (thinly sliced) to the bowl. Toss to coat.
5. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water when finished. Add to bowl with kohlrabi. Thinly slice remaining scallions (white and pale green portions only) and add to bowl.
6. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Cook half of the meatballs for 10-12 minutes until well-browned on all sides and cooked through. Repeat with the second half of the oil and second half of the meatballs.
7. Serve noodle mixture and meatballs over several lettuce leaves. Drizzle the whole thing with several spoonfuls of the crunchy garlic chile oil.

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SPINACH & TURNIP DIP
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Takes 30 minutes
Serves many

2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves (or stalks green garlic, white and pale green parts only), minced
1 bunch turnips, roots shredded and greens, roughly chopped
2-4 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
8-ounce cream cheese
2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and saute for 1 minutes over medium heat until very fragrant. Add radishes and cook, tossing, until well-coated in butter, 1-2 minutes longer. Add spinach and radish greens along with salt. Cook until wilted and most of the liquid is cooked off., 5-10 minutes. Add cream cheese and cook until melted. Stir in Parmesan and pepper until melted and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Serve warm with toast, in a bread bowl or with crackers.

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BOK CHOY & RADISH SLAW
Adapted from Dishing Up The Dirt

Takes 20 minutes
Serves 4 (as a side)

1 bunch radishes
1 medium head Bok Choy (or 1 small head and 1/2 bunch kale)*, stems and leaves very thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove (or 1 stalk green garlic, white and pale green portions), minced
2 sprigs mint, leaves removed and very thinly sliced
1-2 limes, zested and juiced
1/4 cup peanut or walnut oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1. Halve radishes if small, quarter if large. Very thinly slice and toss into a large bowl with bok choy, scallions, garlic and mint. Add the zest of 1 lime then squeeze in juice.
2. Drizzle salad with peanut oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, and salt. Stir well to combine all ingredients then taste and adjust seasonings as desired. You may want to add more lime juice and zest. I love things to be a little zingy so I used a full second lime.
3. Right before serving toss with sesame seeds. Serve as a salad, alongside some grilled salmon or atop a chicken taco (as Andrea Bemis does).

*If using a combination of bok choy and kale, be sure to remove the stems from the kale.