This promises to be our best-ever strawberry crop. Eat ’em, pick ’em, this is the moment. Tipi members, read our June 17 email about two upcoming u-picks.
Strawberry season is a demanding time of year. Peas and strawberries are ready to harvest and both are time-consuming to pick. At the same time, we’re still planting and transplanting crops, yet earlier plantings need weeding. This happens every year. We’re all pitching in and working long hours as needed. The extra effort is worth it; the food this time of year is so delicious and the season so short!
Ginger
We doubled our ginger planting this year. Our small inaugural crop last year was a success. I ordered twice the amount of ginger ‘seed’ this year, an accomplishment as the seed is always in short supply. We buy from a farm in Hawaii that produces disease-free organic ginger seed. They are the only source worldwide right now, so we rarely receive the entire amount we order. I placed my order this winter minutes after they opened sales. The ‘seeds’ are just pieces of gingerroot which we plant in potting mix and keep warm until they sprout. It takes at least 6 weeks before they are ready to plant in the ground in our smallest greenhouse. It’s a great use for an under-utilized corner of the farm. We use this greenhouse for just a month in spring to harden off seedlings before they go outside. After that, it sits empty. Now we have a new use for it. We’ll give you an update in October – that’s when the ginger will be ready to harvest.
It’s important to pre-sprout gingerroot to get a jump-start on the long growing season needed to produce a crop. Planted into potting mix and kept warm, the gingerroot slowly forms buds and roots.
Jory tends young ginger planted in our smallest greenhouse.
Veggie List and Veggie Notes (June 18/19, week #5, purple EOW)
Strawberries, 2+ qt
Asparagus, 0.9 lb
Spinach, 1 bunch
Snap peas, 1.4 lb
Snow peas, 0.25 lb
Both types of peas are in one bag.
Broccoli, 1 medium head
Red bibb lettuce, 1 or 2
Zucchini/summer squash, about 2 lb
Scallions, 1 bunch
Next week’s box will probably contain strawberries, peas, zucchini and summer squash, scallions, garlic scapes and more delightful spring vegetables.
Strawberries! – We’ve been waiting for these.
♦ Ripe strawberries are always perishable but these are especially delicate because of rainy weather earlier this week. Ripe berries should be eaten immediately, or stored in the refrigerator. Most berries are quite clean. If you want to clean your berries, rinse gently. Don’t soak them, just rinse. Do not be concerned if you receive a partially-filled container. Sometimes we fill them partially in order to distribute berries to all the members.
♦ You will receive two or three containers of strawberries. Compare the containers, judge which berries are softer and more ripe, and eat those first.
♦ Please recycle your strawberry containers. We no longer collect them for re-use. Please don’t return them to your pick-up site.
Snap peas (plump pea pods) – These peas should be eaten pod and all. They are delicious raw, or very lightly cooked or stir-fried. They might need a quick rinse to remove faded gray blossoms. Store in the refrigerator. Here’s how to remove the strings from the snap peas. Snap off the stem end and pull the string down the concave side of the pod (the inward-curing side). Throw away the string and eat the pod.
Snow peas (flat pea pods) – These are excellent stir fried or in raw salads. The thicker pea pods will usually have two strings along the edges. Remove them when you snap the stem off.
Zucchini and summer squash – You will receive yellow summer squash or green zucchini. Some squash are oddly shaped but are fine to eat. This is typical for the first picking, and reflects that the first squash were not completely pollinated. The plants were hidden under row covers where pollinators couldn’t find them. The honeybees settled down to work once we removed the row covers. The young squash sizing up for the next picking look great.
THIS WEEK’S RECIPES
Comforting Classics
Broccoli Penne with Spinach Pesto
Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Hard Boiled Eggs, and Chickpeas
Precious Snap Pea Sauté
Strawberry Dessert Pizza
Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan Dressing
Curried Steak, Radish, Zucchini and Snap Pea Stir Fry on Lettuce
Outside the Box Recipes
Sesame Wilted Spinach
Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Asparagus with Fig Coulis
Quinoa Salad with Snap Peas
Strawberry Soup
Zucchini and Sugar Snap Pea Vietnamese Salad
Lettuce Pesto
Kitchen Sink Recipe
Some of our members like to make a big vat of something that uses up a lot of their veggies, then eat it all week — With this one, you can add just about any of the veggies in your box.
Quick and Easy Dinner
Spice Rubbed Zucchini Tacos with Scallions and Grilled Chicken