Everyday beauty

I bought a smart phone recently and find myself taking more photos of our farm’s everyday beauty.

The cabbage family grows in many shades of gray-green. From front, two types of cabbage, then Brussels sprouts, then more cabbage, then our new solar array.  We installed the array for its blue tint.

Once in a while, an eggplant will form rings of color emanating from the stem and calyx.  See how the rings echo the shape of the calyx?  We assume it’s related to light exposure with a new ring forming during each day/night cycle.  It could be temperature-related instead.  There’s a science project in there!

The alfalfa is in full bloom. We planted it on the scrubby parts of our farm and rarely cut it – it’s there to keep the soil in place and provide habitat for beneficial insects. The blooms come in every shade of lilac. The scent is incredible at full bloom. Of course, the alfalfa blossoms draw many visitors.

Billy rescued this gorgeous frog and relocated it to a safer spot. Caitlyn took the photo.  We think it’s a leopard frog but could be a pickerel frog.

We plant flowers in our pepper fields to separate the different varieties. (We grew 28 pepper varieties this year.)  The flowers help us keep our bearings, but also bring a jolt of color that we all appreciate.

The pepper variety marker gets placed at the base of the flowers so it’s easy to find.

Steve tilled around this patch of bolted fennel to provide short-term habitat for beneficial insects.  It’s another fragrant beauty.

Veggie List and Veggie Notes (August 27/28, 2015, week #15, purple EOW)

Make salsa this week. We’ve sent all the usual ingredients; ripe tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, hot peppers, sweet peppers. Your choice between the sweet Walla Walla onion or the more pungent red onion. I mentioned to the crew that this is our annual salsa box. Their immediate response was ‘Watermelon salsa! Kale salsa!” Turned out that at least one person in the group had made salsa with every ingredient in this week’s box.

Tomatoes, 3.8 lb, mixed slicing & plum
Cilantro, 1 bunch
Garlic, 1 head
Walla Walla onion, 1
Red onion, 1
Jalapeño chiles, 2
Red frying peppers, 2+
Orano peppers, 2+
Yellow or orange bell pepper, 1
Orange or yellow watermelon
Kale, 1 bunch
You will receive two things from this list:
Cucumber OR heirloom tomato OR zucchini OR cherry tomatoes

Next week’s box will probably contain tomatoes, peppers, basil, onions, sweet corn, beans and more.

Jalapeño chiles – These are hot.  You can reduce the heat by removing the seeds and inner membrane of the pepper.

THIS WEEK’S RECIPES

Comforting Classics

Quick Juicy Salsa
Roasted, Seared and Simmered Salsa
Kale Smoothie
Pepperonata
Watermelon Popsicles
Blue Room Cilantro Marinade

Outside the Box Recipes

Salsa Carnaval
Salsamole
Braised Lentil and Kale Salad with Grilled Steak or Salmon Chimichurri
Cheese and Sweet Pepper Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Watermelon Lassi
Cilantro Oil

Kitchen Sink Recipe

Taco Salad with Kale

Quick and Easy Dinner Idea

Szechuan Pepper and Zucchini Kebabs with Shrimp