Maplewood Organics

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Week 6

New to your share this week: beets, carrots, and beans! Some of you are getting your first round of new potatoes, bok choy and raspberries. For bok choy tips remember to go to our Local Harvest website listed below! This is just the beginning of the beans. We should be able to harvest twice as much next week. Our first successful crop of peas is starting to produce. The plants are small because of the heat. I was only able to pick about half a pound on my first round. We'll wait and see. The zucchini and scallopini summer squash are starting to produce too! Yay! We won't dig any more new potatoes after this week. We want to give the plants a chance to finish their job so we'll have potatoes late this summer and fall.

Preview Your Weekly Share Every Friday!

Every Friday you can go online to Maplewood Organics’ Local Harvest listing to view what will most likely be in your share the following week. Just go to

Garden Progress and Farm News

Our crew is down to Robert and I and amazing Maggie! She stepped right in on harvest day and washed all of your produce! We'd have been working into the night without her help. Susie's back too, easing back in for an hour or two. If any of you wants to volunteer on Sundays or Wednesdays during harvest and prep, please consider doing so during this next month while we're waiting for our next intern to arrive.

The raspberries are finishing up this week. It hasn't been a great year for them. I'm considering cutting them all batch and giving them a full two years to recover. I'm still researching my best option. Robert and Justin did a great job pulling out the stinging nettle that was growing around the patch, so they are virtually weed free.

Robert and I started planting the final third of the big garden. So far we have planted our third crop of beans, carrots and beets for the fall and a late second crop of summer squash. This week, we plan to finish planting that section with lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, and more!

We have work to do behind the house too. We'll be digging the garlic this week or next for curing. We have two wide rows of lettuce and radishes that have gone by to pull up. We'll plant turnips and arugula there. The row of carrots that Robert and Yanara planted last week needs to be torched to kill off the first flush of weeds.

We'll have a weeding frenzy in the big fields this week too. We have finally figured out the correct spacing for our new rototiller and cultivating tractor, so our newest plantings and next year's plantings will be in especially good shape!

Recipes of the Week

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients

2 pounds root vegetables (use potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, beets), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch wedges

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

Chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the root vegetables and onion in a roasting pan.

2. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt to taste. Do not crowd the vegetables.

3. Roast the mixture for a total of 45-50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, scatter the garlic cloves in with the vegetables. Continue stirring every 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and evenly browned.

4. Before serving, add a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs or balsamic vinegar, if you like for additional flavor.

CREAMY POTATO & GREEN BEAN SALAD from COOKS.COM

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/3 c. milk

1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper, or to taste

3 c., diced cooked potatoes (2 lg.)

2 c. cooked, fresh or drained canned cut green beans (8 oz.)

1 c. sliced celery

1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions

Romaine lettuce (optional)

For garnish: Roasted red pepper or pimento strips and/or pitted ripe black olives

In large bowl beat mayonnaise, milk, mustard, salt and pepper with a whisk or fork until blended. Add potatoes, green beans, celery and onions; fold gently until well coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Leave in bowl or line a serving platter with romaine lettuce and spoon salad in center. Garnish.

Cooking tips for chard If you've had enough for now, blanch some (boil 2 min. ice water 2 min. then squeeze out extra water) and freeze it for winter!

Raw, the stalks have a rather unpleasant earthy flavor, so we recommend the following preparation methods:

Remove the thin fibrous membrane; boil them in a "blanc" ( water to which some flour and lemon juice have added) or salted water; peel and remove all green parts.

Steam, boil, braise, sauté, etc.

Prepare like asparagus or celery; goes well with cream, garlic and pearl onions.

Add to a good vegetable soup.

Italian-style – serve with pasta and sun-dried tomatoes, oil or cream and Parmesan shavings.