This week was the big garlic harvest, family came to help and we have almost all of the crop hanging happily in the barn.  We grow around 1/3  of an acre of garlic, this year we grew 8 different varieties.  When we started our farm in 2007 we planted 19 different kinds of garlic!  We have slowly narrowed it down to the best tasting and most productive of those.  Some of our favorites are Russian Red, Khabar and German Hardy.  We really love garlic and hopefully you do too!  

Since we spent the morning harvesting potatoes here is our dinner-one of our favorite early summer dishes-   Potato Tomato Gratin

• 2# Potatoes sliced thinly
  
• 2 Fresh Onion
• 2 cloves garlic- chopped
• 2 large tomatoes sliced into wedges
• 1/2 bunch of Kale or Swiss Chard
• Feta cheese-crumbled
• Olives or capers (optional)
  

Pre heat oven to 425.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes and cook until just tender, a few minutes.  Sauté onions & garlic in a little olive oil and butter -we like to add fennel in here also!-  Spread into bottom of a shallow baking dish, In the pan I cooked the onions in I wilt the kale or chard with 1/2 of the tomatoes then add them on top of the onions.  Layer the potatoes over the greens then stuff the remaining tomato wedges, olives and feta crumbles in between potato slices, drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Cover and bake for 25 min.  Remove cover and bake for 20-25 min more.  Enjoy!

This week in your share-
Garlic, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Potatoes,
Zucchini, Cucumbers, Hakurei Turnips
 Bunched Onions, Carrots, Eggplant 
Kale or Swiss Chard & Basil or Parsley

Exactly 3 weeks ago on this blog I predicted that we would be harvesting hundreds of pounds of food on a warm sunny day.  So, I MIGHT have some sort of pyschic powers, because we have been doing that exactly, hundreds and hundreds of pounds in the sweltering heat actually.  We also told ourselves during those dark rainy afternoons "you know we'll be irrigating in a few weeks" so maybe a little psychic or maybe it's just how farming in VT goes these days.

I'm sure you are all doing whatever you can to avoid turning the oven or stove on the past few days.  We mostly solve that problem by grilling which is really one of my favorite things about summer anyway.  Shane and I spent the morning (and last night) harvesting parsley, which got me thinking about tabbouleh.  Tabbouleh is so simple and wonderful plus it tastes better after a day or two, so make a big batch!  Everything you need is in your share and at the Farm Store!  

Tabbouleh Salad-
1 cup bulgar soaked until tender
juice from 2 lemons
1 gigantic bunch of parsley chopped finely
2 or 3 tomatoes chopped
1 bunch scallions
olive oil
salt 

This Week In your Share-

Fennel, Tomato, Lettuce, Cabbage, Sugar Snap Peas
 Swiss Chard or Kale, Cucumber, Zucchini, Summer Squash
Scallions,  Parsley or Basil  & New Potatoes!

I am a pretty terrible pea picker.  Most other crops I get right to work fill up my bins and get them into the cooler as fast as I can.  It's just that I love those fresh peas SO MUCH.  They are about as close to candy as we can grow, and I've got an enormous sweet tooth.  So I feel it is my duty to sample freely and make sure you are getting only the best possible.  And also breaking the shell apart to find all the little peas lined up and snuggled in there so perfectly just makes me smile!  

I was so excited about peas that I almost forgot about one of the biggest holidays on this farm and that is First Tomato Day!  I spend a lot of time thinking about how to use that first tomato about a week or so actually, from when it first starts showing color to when  I can't hold out anymore and pick it!  This year that first tomato went onto the simplest of all sandwiches which might be my favorite all time- Our homemade no-knead bread, mayo (we use vegenaise) and tomato, nothing else, just that and it is perfect tomato heaven.

This week in your share-
Kale or Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Shell Peas, Bunched Mixed Beets, Lettuce, Purple Scallions, Zucchini & Summer Squash, Napa Cabbage, Basil or Parsley
 Garlic Scapes and a Tomato!

That's the name of the variety we grow, just plain sweet basil, and it really is sweet.  We use fresh herbs as much as possible in the summer and more than any other herb it's basil.  I freeze what some people might think is a ridiculous amount of pesto.  Whenever I think "Oh, I'm done for the year, we have plenty!"  I find myself a week later breaking out the food processor right up until the frost has taken the last harvest.  We are so far from that day right now, with plenty of time to stock the freezer and enjoy this beautiful herb!

Our pesto recipe is pretty loose, I substitute different herbs or bitter greens, nuts or seeds and any cheese that's similar to parmesan will do.  But right now the basil is too good to pass up, So-
2 cups packed Basil
a few cloves of garlic or several garlic scales
1/3 c. Olive oil
1/4 c. Grated cheese
1/4 c. Walnuts or Sunflower seeds

This week in your share-
Napa Cabbage, Broccoli, Zucchini, Summer Squash
Garlic Scapes, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale or Rainbow Chard
Basil and your choice of one other herb