This past week we harvested all 6 rows of our garlic. It went way quicker than expected thanks to Kelly's friends that are visiting, some volunteers and the whole crew! We've got a mix of softneck, hardneck, elephant garlic and shallots. We will be using the softneck to make garlic braids, hardneck is best for storage and the variety that produces the scapes that we all love, elephant garlic mimics a hardneck, but is larger and more mild in flavor. This particular sowing of garlic was planted back in the fall of 2020, roughly 9 months ago. Garlic needs colder weather to produce new bulbs. The way you know that it is ready to harvest is the plant starts to yellow and die back. Once the garlic is harvested we hang it to dry, sort of the largest bulbs to use for seed and clean up the plant so it's just the bulb.
What's Growing
Kale, Chard, Green Onions, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Potatoes, Lavender, Beets, Carrots, Parsley, Basil, Lemon Balm, Ground Cherries, Broccoli, Tomatillos, Broccoli Raab, Micro greens, Eggplant, Shishito Peppers, Green Beans, Zinnias, Cosmos, Snap Dragon's, Stock, Phlox, Amaranth, Celosia, Dahlia's, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Borage
Kitchen Notes
Green Beans are here! This is the first week of harvesting our greens beans! It certainly can be a tedious task, but the pay off is worth it. I personally like to keep it simple and sautè the beans with a little bit of olive oil, garlic and salt.
It's smoothie season! I know all of us at the farm have been making lots of smoothies lately. They are great all year round, but especially during these warmer months. Smoothies are quick, easy, refreshing and packed with lots of flavor. Veggies are such a great addition to any smoothie and balanced with other ingredients can be the perfect nutritious meal.
Try using cucumbers in this creamy cucumber and pineapple smoothie.
Beets, you either love them or hate them, but there's no doubt they are packed with lots of nutrients! Try this simple beet and berry smoothie.
A classic green smoothie is sure to never disappoint and a great way to get your daily dose of greens!
Let's talk about Green Coriander! This spice has a lemony citrus flavor and has a wide variety of uses. To name a few, try adding coriander to your pickles, making a chutney, grinding it up with other spices to make curry powder, baked into bread or cooked in a soup.
Fun Fact! Cilantro and Coriander come from the same plant. Cilantro is the leaves and coriander is the seeds.
Here's a few recipes to try:
Roasted Vegetables w/ Coriander Cream
Spicy Cabbage and Coriander Salad
Potato Wedges with Pickled Coriander
Local Spotlight
Columbia Mushroom Company is the supplier of all the mushrooms we offer as an add-on to the CSA. The company first formed in 2016 and is based out of Hood River. Neil, the owner of the company is also the master mushroom grower! He definitely knows his stuff, when it comes to growing mushrooms and there's no doubt that the mushrooms we get are grown with lots of care and intention. You can find out more info about Columbia Mushroom Company on their website and even order your own grow bags to try growing mushrooms at home!
Every Saturday we have a booth at the Vancouver Farmers Market. You can also visit us during our Farm Stand Hours every Friday 3:00-6:00pm at the farm. Come stop by and say hey!! We would love to connect with you all!
Hope you all enjoy the this weeks Bounty,
Lyndsay
(and the rest of the Flat Tack and Sprout & Blossom Farm Crew)
