Week 5

This week we have:
Empress green beans
Zucchini
Red Russian Kale
Shiitake
Chives
Purple Opal, Genovese and Thai basil
Salad Sprout Mix with broccoli, radish and pea sprouts

The veggies are finally starting to take off! The green beans are great just by themselves but are also great in a garlic saute. Place trimmed beans in a saucepan with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil. Cook them uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain, then toss the beans with 1 minced clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and then drizzle with olive oil.
Here's a link to a stir-fried kale recipe:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stir-Fried-Kale/Detail.aspx
They are also great sauted with the shiitake!
We tried out a shiitake mushroom stroganof recipe this week and really liked it. If you're a stroganof fan, try thowing some shiitakes in the next time you make some. Here is another good shiitake recipe:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/semi-homemade-cooking-with-sandra-lee/edamame-with-shiitake-recipe/index.html
The basil is a great compliment to many dishes, including salads. You can also freeze basil if you don't feel like drying it. Wash the basil and salad spin it. Dry it off with a towel and put into freezer bags. It will lose some of its color, but many people prefer frozen basil to dry basil.
We tried sprouting peas this week and they turned out really well. They are included in the sprout mix this week. We haven't actually tried them on anything yet because they are so good by themselves!

Everything out at the farm is going really well. The half of the chickens that weren't laying are finally starting to this week and our rooster is just learing how to crow. The mushrooms have been exploding these last few weeks with all of the heat and humidity. The oyster mushrooms should start fruiting in the next week or so. We are also experimenting with onion sprouts and a salad sprout mix for Bluff Country Coop. People's Food Coop in La Crosse is starting to carry some of our produce and we're trying to establish relationships with some restaurants down there as well. Bryan and Ayden are in the Boundary Waters this week so if you have some free time and want to check out what happens at the farm let me know! Next week we're expecting more beans and zucchini as well as swiss chard and maybe broccoli and beets!

Auf Wiedersehen!