Thursday 25 May – Our 1st farmers’ market of 2017, North York. The weather – lots of rain all day, very windy, and cold. The results – just enough sales to pay for our gas & our coffee, but not wages … (lots of time to take pictures though!)
Thursday 1 June – Our 2nd farmers’ market of the season, North York. The weather – no rain, but extremely windy, and cold. The results – pretty good sales … (but no pictures – we were too busy hanging on to our tent to keep it from blowing away!)
Saturday 3 June – Our 3rd farmers’ market of the season, downtown Georgetown. The weather – sunny, no wind, and warm. The results – excellent sales … (but no pictures – we were too busy serving the crowds of customers!)
Tuesday 6 June & Friday 9 June – Our first week of CSA for the season. The weather – chance of showers both days. The results – we already know that our CSA members will be here, excited to pick up the first vegetables of the season. And we’re excited too – excited to see our friends again from other years, and to meet the many new CSA members that are joining us for the first time.
With both markets running, and now our CSA too, the rhythm of the season has begun. Planting, weeding, harvesting, marketing … these will be our main activities for the next 5 months.
We’re ready!
What’s in the box?
Lettuce mix, spinach, bok choy, radishes & rhubarb.
- Lettuce & spinach – it’s salad time! We will have rinsed it once to remove most of the field soil. You will want to wash it a bit more thoroughly, bag it & store it in the refrigerator.
- Bok choy grows best when the weather stays constant & a bit cool. When temperatures fluctuate bok choy can quickly go to flower. That’s the story of our spring this year, so your bok choy is a colourful mix of green leaves & yellow flowers. These flowers are beautiful & totally edible along with the green leaves. Flowering bok choy might be less tender though. The simplest way to cook bok choy is to stir-fry it in sesame oil. Or include it in your favourite stir-fry recipe. We will have washed the bok choy once – it will probably need additional washing.
- Yes, the radishes are big! They could easily have been harvested last week – but nothing else was ready. They are plenty hot too! Soaking them in ice-cold water for 20 minutes will cut some of the sharpness & also make them crisper. Add them to the lettuce & spinach salad. For something different, try roasting the radishes in the oven – see recipe suggestion below.
- Who remembers munching on raw rhubarb as a child? Now, I prefer my rhubarb in a pie. There will be enough rhubarb in your share this week to make a pie. Or, make a crisp – much quicker & easier and almost as good!
ROASTED RADISHES
INGREDIENTS
-
- 1 – 2 bunches medium radishes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
PREPARATION
-
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.
- Melt butter in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice.
- Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve.
Aunt Elvira’s Fruit Crisp
Cut up rhubarb (or any fruit) and half fill a pie plate.
Mix together …
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ cup rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
3 TB butter
(adjust the amounts to suit your preferences)
Cover fruit with this mixture.
Bake for approx. 12 minutes in the microwave.
(We sometimes bake it in the oven – 350 F for approx. 30 minutes. The topping gets crispier & browner)
The farm this week …
Tomatoes are planted!
thiessenfarms.com 
June 6, 2017 at 2:07 pm
Thanks, Ron, for this update on the weather, growth and distribution aspects of the Thiessen Farms!!!
Hedy