“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.”
~Pema Chodron~
Summer Share Box 7 Crop List
- Cauliflower – All Shares
- Summer Squash/Zucchini – All Shares
- Cucumbers – All Shares
- Sugar Snap Peas – All Shares
- Kale – All Shares
- Kohlrabi – All Shares
- Scallions – All Shares
- Oregano – All Shares
- Basil – All Shares
- Peppers (Bell & Beaver Dam) – Full Shares Only
- Broccoli – Full Shares Only
Farmer Notes
Things are progressing nicely here on Earth Dance Farm as we make our way from July into August. We continue to plant for our Fall and Winter seasons and spend over half of our time harvesting all the wonderful produce for the boxes. Keeping our fields ‘clean’ involves: as much time as we can find for hand weeding, hoeing, and cultivating growing crops, mowing completed crops with the bush hog and between black plastic crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and melons) and also between the onions, garlic and potato beds/rows with the lawn mower, and reeling in the row cover once it has done its work. Crop areas that are harvested and mowed down are then disced and planted into one of several cocktail blends of cover crop. As our Facebook post showed this week, a buckwheat/ sudangrass cover was cut and disced in preparation for our fall Cruciferous vegetables. This cover crop scavenged potassium, protected the soils, provided an environment for microbial life, and added organic matter to our efforts of building soil.
~Farmer Norm
Crop of the week – Cauliflower
It’s that time of year again, and cauliflower is on the menu. Growing abundantly in the fields, it is a hardy, tasty and filling crop that is featured in this week’s box. Cauliflower is a wonderfully versatile vegetable that can be prepared in a variety of ways, for a number of tastes and palettes. Originating in Asia around the Mediterranean Sea, cauliflower made its way to Europe in the sixteenth century and was first planted in North America in the late seventeenth century. Since then it has exploded as a staple crop in the United States, with California growing the most cauliflower out of any state.
Preparing cauliflower can be simple and fun, or you can really get into it and transform it into something totally new! Roasting it in oil with your favorite spices is always a quick and easy recipe you can throw into your back pocket. This goes great with meat. Another idea, my personal favorite, is pulsing it into rice with the food processor. You soften it with curry or your favorite sauce and you’re good to go. If you do go the curry route, add meatballs, cilantro or parsley, and diced apples to elevate that dish to the stratosphere. Cauliflower steamed with melted butter is always a great guilty pleasure as well. To give yourself a kick, make roasted buffalo cauliflower with some blue cheese dressing to dip them in. Hope y’all enjoy cooking up this wonderful ingredient with your box this week. Cheers!
-Farmer Dylan
Some Recipes To Try:
| Servings |
|
- 1 medium head cauliflower cut into bite-size florets
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Ingredients
|
|
- Line a large rimmed baking pan with foil and position oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 F.
- Toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Alternatively, toss all the ingredients directly on the baking pan.
- Spread the cauliflower out in an even layer on the pan.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and lightly browned.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a serving bowl with all the brown bits in the pan.
| Servings |
|
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- salt and black pepper - to taste
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, or half and half
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium head cauliflower grated
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 TBSP fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 tsp onion powder (optional)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheeese
Ingredients
|
|
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Cut them into cubes and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oven to 325 F. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and stir.
- Cook and stir the chicken until browned on all sides and just tender, or about 10 to 12 minutes total.
- Add the heavy cream to the pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits.
- Grease a 7-by-11-inch baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole with the vegetable oil. Add the grated cauliflower. Sprinkle the cauliflower lightly with salt and pepper, basil, thyme, and fresh parsley. If using, add the onion powder. Stir well to mix all the ingredients.
- Top the riced cauliflower with the browned chicken, and drizzle all the cream and juices from the pan.
- Top the casserole with the shredded cheddar cheese. Cover the casserole tightly with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
| Servings |
|
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 large leek, or 2 small leeks
- 3 TBSP butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Ingredients
|
|
- Remove the outer leaves and core from the head of cauliflower and discard. Chop the cauliflower coarsely and put it in a medium saucepan. Cover with water 1 teaspoon of salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until it is very tender. Drain in a mesh sieve and set aside.
- Meanwhile, clean the leeks. Cut the root end and dark green tops off the leeks and discard. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse under cold running water to loosen and remove any bits of sand within the leaves. Slice the rinsed leeks thinly.
- Place the butter in a large skillet and place it over medium heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the leeks. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the leeks for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the are very soft but not browned. Stir them frequently. You might have to lower the heat more, depending on your burner.
- Add the minced garlic or garlic powder to the leeks and continue cooking for 2 minutes longer.
- Put the drained cauliflower and leek mixture in a food processor and add the heavy cream. Process until smooth. Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Alternatively, process the mixture using an immersion blender or an electric mixer.
- Spoon the mashed cauliflower into a serving bowl and enjoy.
