Wet Days on the Farm
/
In all my years in Colorado, I would never encourage anyone to curse the mud...until maybe now. Our Colorado clay soils are not made for this type of moisture and while it is great from an ecological point of view, those of us in agriculture are in somewhat of a pickle. Over that past three weeks, the fields have been too wet to prep beds or to direct seed and this in turn means that there will be unintended gaps in our availability of certain crops for the next few months. In addition, the crops that are already in the ground need some sun to ensure the up-take of nutrients and continue strong growth. In short, we are starting to get creative as to how to keep the farm moving forward in a strangely stalled spring. We appreciate all your patience while we wait for the sun to shine again!
This week we will continue with the green trend at the market stand. In general, my cooking rule is to keep things simple and let the freshness of the vegetable speak for itself and with limited availability of fresh ingredients, spring is the season for simple. I love to play around with different salads and the abundance of eggs this time of year always seem to make their way into my spring cooking. One of my current favorites is a tuscan kale salad with shallot lemon dressing and pecorino cheese. Served over couscous, quinoa, or bulger, it makes for a lovely lunch or dinner side. If you haven't tried the pea shoots, you are missing out. As a fleeting spring treat, they add a lovely sweet flavor to, well, everything! Wilt them in a skillet with some green garlic, shallots, and olive oil and then crack an egg into the pan. You can top it with some goat cheese or guyere, but all you really need is some good salt and fresh cracked pepper. Feeding more people? I shove all the fresh greens and garlic into a Sunday morning frittata or quiche. Serve it with a side salad of pea shoots and there is Paris in your breakfast nook. Radishes are mild in the spring. Enjoy them while they are sweet and crisp. My favorite is a radish sandwich with butter, arugula and salt on a crusty baguet.
We will be at Beaver's market tonight from 4-7p,m, rain or shine (but most likely rain). I usually joke that if it is raining, it must be Wednesday, but with recent developments, I have been having a hard time keeping track of which day it is. Callie from Ingrained Bakery will be joining us again this year on Wednesdays and we will also have coffee for sale from Peritus Coffee Roasters. Many of you tried this at the member mixer and loved it so pick some up for a mid-week boost.
VEGGIES:
Collard Greens
Tuscan and Curly Kale
Rainbow Chard
Arugula
Salad Mix
Spinach
Pea Shoots
Radishes
