​Harvests have been lush!  Even though it's been hot, the early fields of greens still look great, with broccoli and cauliflower on the way!
 
We've been planting a lot!  With the days still getting longer with the summer solstice just three weeks away, the rush is on to get as much as we can in the ground. In mid-May, we direct seeded carrots, arugula and turnips.  This week, we used the new vacuum seeder to plant sweet corn, okra, dry beans and sorghum.  (See photos below). That was about 1.5 acres total.   We also planted an acre of winter squash: butternut, spaghetti and delicata.   This last week was very hot and dry for us, so got the irrigation system up and running a little earlier than usual to water to get those seeds to germinate, especially the ones planted in mid-May.  So the unexpected rain on Sunday was perfect timing for the vegetable fields!  

It was really fun to use the vacuum seeder and think of all the people who contributed to helping us get that this year. It made that work so much quicker, and will be such a boon come weeding time! It also is wonderful to be doing this work for such a supportive community.  Thank you!

On Sunday, we also had our annual "3 sisters" planting of corn, beans and squash.  We plant heirloom seeds that have been shared among friends and passed down from generations past.  The corn is rainbow colored... white, red and purple kernels to grind into cornmeal to make cornbread. We plant this as a community patch, where folks from Sustainable Agriculture Louisville come out to work together for the planting. We plant by hand, the old-fashioned way. The "3 sisters" work together in a symbiotic relationship.  The corn grows tall, the beans climb up it, and the squash covers the ground with a ground cover to shade out the weeds. There are one or two weeding days before the winter squash leaves cover the ground, but once they are established, we don't have to do much else to it until harvest time in October or November.  On harvest day, we share the bounty with who is there. What is harvested from this patch is never for sale, it's only meant to be shared. It's a special tradition we've been doing for eight or nine years now. On Sunday, we were finishing the very last row when the rains started. It felt like such a blessing on our little community, and the work we had just completed together.

​My CSA Farm Share bag is full of greens! What do I do?!!
Lacinato kale, red Russian kale, Swiss chard, collards... oh my!  How do I go through all these greens in a week? (or two).

Here are some ideas!

Kale salad!
De-stem kale, chop small. Massage dressing (vinegar, oil and a little sweetener) into kale. Add accents.
Dressing idea: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little maple syrup or honey. Shake in a jar to combine, then pour over raw kale.  After you massage the dressing into the kale, let sit for about an hour before serving. This helps begin to break down the kale making it easier to digest.
Accents: I really like dried cherries and sliced almonds.  Other options include: sliced strawberries, pine nuts, feta cheese, green onion or garlic scapes, raisins ... you can get creative

Big Pot O Greens
Destem all the kale and collards in your box (or you can do two separate pots). Throw it in a giant pot. Add one to two inches of water. Cook about ten to twenty minutes. Serve over beans and rice.  Each person can season to their tastes. Options include: vinegars, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, coconut aminos.
Leftover greens from your pot? Form into balls, freeze on a cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Then put into storage bags for insta-greens in the winter.

Greens sauté
Use onions and garlic scapes as a base. Sauté in olive or avocado oil. Add chard stems (chopped small). Cook about 5 minutes. Add de-stemmed, chopped greens. Kale first. Cook 1-2 minutes. Then chard. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Season to taste.

Quinoa salad
This is a good basic cold salad. Base is quinoa and a legume, like chickpeas. From there, you really can do anything. This time if year, I would cook the chard stems with the garlic scapes and base of the green onion. let cool and add. Cut chard into ribbons and add raw. Or cut collards into ribbons, cook and add. In a week or two, add roasted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or beets. Add chopped green onions. Add feta. Toss with some good vinegar. Voila. Lunches for the week.

Soup
Start with good, homemade bone broth. Add any veggies you want. Dinner is served.