Howdy, all!
Here’s what’s in the box this week:
-Sun Gold Cherry tomatoes
-Zucchini/Patty Pan Squash
-Delicata squash
-Cucumbers
-Kale
-Swiss Chard
-Banana and/or Bell peppers
-Beets
We are starting to transition into the yummy summer crops that are everyone’s favorite! I have so many melons, tomatoes, and peppers on the vines that you guys are going to love!
I want to give you a recipe this week for the Swiss chard, since that has been a popular request.
Swiss Chard Frittata
Ingredients
-1 bunch Swiss chard
-4 tbsp olive oil
-I small yellow onion, finely diced
-salt and pepper to taste
-6 eggs (Taynna’s Farm Fresh Eggs J)
-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350
-de-stem the chard, then cut the stems cross-ways into small slices. Coarsely chop the leaves.
-In a large frying pan, heat half of the oil over medium heat. Sauté onion until tender- about 5 minutes.
-Add the chard stems to the pan and sauté for 4-5 minutes until they begin to soften. Season with salt. Then add the leaves and sauté for 4-5 minutes longer until all of the chard has softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
-In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the garlic and Parm. Season with cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt to taste.
-Remove excess liquid from the chard by gently squeezing the leaves in a paper towel. Stir the leaves into the egg mixture. In another oven proof frying pan (or the same, if the first pan was oven proof) Heat the other half of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the egg and chard mixture to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook without stirring for about 5 minutes until the mixture is set around the edges. Transfer to the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the frittata is set.
-Remove from heat and let cool for 1-2 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
If you like, you can always add bacon or ham to your frittata, or other veggies such as green peppers or mushrooms. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Farm Updates:
The eggplant have started to flower, so their insect netting came off this week. I use ProTek netting to keep some crops safe from flea beetles, Japanese beetles, and other very damaging insects. It’s very effective when applied at planting. It cuts down on spraying, and there are some crops susceptible to insects that are not well controlled with insecticides anyway.
It seems the first crop of yellow squash is done, as are the cauliflower. The broccolini are close behind. The greenhouse has transitioned into a shadehouse for the fall cop transplants, which usually happens mid-June, but with the odd weather we have had, it wasn’t needed until this week.
The teff grass I used this year for a living mulch cover crop between my rows has been a major success. It has saved me from erosion from the rain, which helped the plastic stay in good shape (and kept me from having to walk through rows barefoot in the mud!). It also majorly cut down on weed pressure. The last couple years I have used a mixture of rye, crimson cover, and hairy vetch, which works great in the spring and fall, but did not do well in the summer months. Look how tall the teff was before I cut it this week! Literally hip high!
