Monday, August 22, 2011

Catching Up

THE RAINSHADOW EFFECT IS THIS SUNDAY!!

If you haven’t already, be sure to get your tickets for The Rainshadow Effect on August 28!
Come join the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and Rainshadow Organics for a lovely evening of delicious food (all meat and veggies from the farm), local beer and wine, and the excellent local sounds of Bend-based Franchot Tone!!
We'll kick off at 4pm with beverages, starters, and a farm tour. Then we'll have music and a fabulous dinner. The party will go on around the campfire so bring your personal instruments!
The proceeds of this event will fund Place-based Watershed Education.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.RestoreTheDeschutes.org for $20. You can also email me by Wednesday and pay at the door. And please spread the word! This is the very best time of year to visit the farm and for a wonderful cause.

We are looking forward to seeing you on the 28th




ITALIAN FENNEL CASSEROLE
· 3 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered
· 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter,
· Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
· 1 large onion and 3 cloves garlic
· 8 small plum tomatoes diced or one can tomatoes if I can’t find enough in the greenhouse
· 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1/2 cup crumbs
First prepare the fennel by discarding any coarse outer leaves and the root base and slice the bulbs very thinly. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the chopped onion and garlic. Add the slices of fennel and cook these for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes to the fennel and onion mixture and season well. Cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes, then transfer the vegetables to a lightly greased dish. Mix the cheese and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top, then bake the casserole for 15 - 20 minutes until the top is nice and crisp.

Dry your Herbs
I try to include herbs each week from mint and parsley to basil, oregano, cilantro, sage, etc…
If you don’t use them fresh and you are wondering what to do, just hang them in your kitchen or dry them in a slightly warm oven, then crush them and save them for winter. Mint is great for tea!

NEWS FROM THE FARM
The farm is in full force. Finally. Everything is big and fabulous and sort of astonishing. We are somewhat ahead of the weeds and finishing our final plantings. A wave of starts is coming out of the greenhouse this week including fall kale, cabbage, lettuce, and broccoli. Our last seed starts will get planted this week and get transplanted at the end of the month. Our four season greenhouse has been cycling since February. As things come out now we will be planting fall cover crops like peas and vetch to add nutrients to our soil over winter. Our summer peas are dry and soon to be combined for seed. We have had a full worker exchange as our lovely helpers are all headed back to school. We have a couple new people that you might meet at veggie drops. Otherwise I am trying to stay ahead of beans and zucchinis. Please consider coming on the 28th for our Dinner. I would be so delighted to show you around your farm.

Pork and Beef
We still have a couple little pink pigs for sale. They are devouring organic veggies at the farm and getting fat!
We also have our grass fed beef for sale by the mixed box of 10 or 20lbs. It is priced cheaper than grocery hamburger and you get a mixed box of roasts, steaks, etc. I can deliver this each week with one day’s notice.
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Remember to buy your tickets for the Rainshadow Effect at the CSA drop for $20

FENNEL AND CARROT RECIPE


Ingredients
· 1 tsp olive oil
· 3 carrots, shredded or chopped fine
· 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
· 1/2 tsp ground coriander (fresh chopped cilantro also works)
· 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
· 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir in carrots and fennel and season with coriander and fennel seeds. Cook until lightly browned. Mix in the heavy cream and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 5 minutes until the cream has been absorbed into the carrots and fennel. Serve hot.



Your farmer is back from the mighty Colorado River! I soaked up a ton of powerful medicine in the canyon and am glad to be back on the farm. I am absolutely astonished at how your veggies have grown! I feel like this spring was so terribly slow, but finally we have a garden FULL of food. It is the jungle I have been waiting for. Now, we just have to keep up with the veggies in our brief window of diverse abundance. Last year our first frost was August 21st. Lets hope for an Indian summer this year so we can enjoy our hot crops for all the weeks they want to give. Speaking of which, get ready for the days of beans and zucchinis! Keep in mind that they can be thrown into anything, soup, stir fry, casserole, crock pot, etc… but they can also be blanched and frozen for winter. This is a very easy process and lets you enjoy the bounty of our area even while the snow falls.

KICKIN' COLLARD GREENS!



Ingredients
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 3 slices bacon
· 1 large onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon pepper
· 3 cups chicken broth
· 1 pinch red pepper flakes
· 1 pound collard greens cut into 2” pieces
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.
2. Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.


























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