From the Garden this Week, March 18, 2021

From the Garden this Week…

Red Lettuce Heads, Broccoli, Frisée, White Salad Turnips, Snow Peas, Cauliflower, Parsnips, Carrots, Kale, Rosemary, Oregano, Parsley, Lemons, Oranges and Grapefruit

Coming Soon… Arugula, Baby Lettuce Mix

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have our first parsnips and snow peas of spring. The first recipe I combined the parsnips with the carrots and roasted them with the fresh rosemary and oregano. The floral aroma of parsnips is complimented by the spring herbs. We grow these perennial herbs as small bushes. In the spring the new growth comes on strong and then in the summer the plants are trimmed to remove their flowers. To store your herbs, wash them and then shake off most of the water, then wrap them in a towel and store in a plastic bag that is open at the top to allow the herbs to breath. If you can’t use all the herbs in a week, let them dry at room temperature. I lay mine on a tray and put them in a warm spot for about two weeks. Then crumble the leaves and store in a sealed jar.

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with Rosemary and Oregano

1-2 parsnips, peeled and sliced, remove the woody center of any large parsnip

2-3 carrots, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the parsnip and carrot slices with the oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and oregano. Place on a rimmed baking sheets and cook in the oven until lightly browned and tender, about 25-35 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and serve.

Volunteer with us for Love Modesto on April 24th!

As spring begins to show its colors, maybe you are feeling the itch to come and get your hands in the dirt?

Perfect! On Saturday, April 24th, we are hosting a Love Modesto volunteer event at the farm. We have 2 different chicken coops that need repairs and about 50 rows of gorgeous vegetables that need some seasonal maintenance. You might even get a visit from Elouise, our resident peacock, as you labor with love!

Reach out to join our team – we have 4 spots left!

Spring Sautés…

The fresh tender vegetables harvested in early spring lend themselves to quick cooking to preserve their fresh flavor and crispness. This turnip recipe cooks the turnips just enough so that they are cooked through, then adds the greens, lemon zest and snow peas for a light and flavorful side dish.

Lemony Braised White Salad Turnips and Snow Peas

3-4 white salad turnips, cleaned and cut in halves or quarters and greens chopped, keep

greens and turnips separate.

1 tablespoon butter

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon lemon zest

1 handful of snow peas ends removed and cut in half

1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Spritz of lemon juice.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add turnips and cook until nicely browned on all sides about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt, lemon zest, turnip greens and snow peas and let wilt for a minute or two. Finish with parsley and lemon juice. Taste for salt, add if desired and serve right away.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul

By Ronda May Melendez

Today is the next to my last day in Arkansas, for the time being. For the last two weeks, crumpled brown lifeless leaves have covered my Mom’s garden. Thatch, what we Southerners refer to when describing the wintered grasses that have browned in our yards, covered hers. A few days ago, she asked if I would “sweep the yard”, as a storm was going to be blowing through. What she meant was, would I take the zero- turn mower and mow nascent grasses beginning to grow, while blowing off the layer of thatch lining the surface of the lawn. Well, I am never to turn down having fun on a zero turn, so I quite happily took on the quiet task of ‘sweeping’ Mama’s lawn. It was so lovely. Wind swept through the pines above, sounding much as the ocean would on the coast, while the mower swept away the thatch below. The sun broke through the various clouds floating above head and I reveled at the sounds and the feeling of warmth on my skin.

With playtime behind me, the promised storm has blown through with its thunder and lightning illuminating the waters of the lake behind the house. Today I sit on the front porch. I watch, listen and feel the environment. A bright sun fills very blue skies, light winds brush wisps of hair into my face and happy robins pick at the obliging edges of Mom’s flower beds for a lunch of juicy worms.

Beyond the peace of the nature encompassing me, I notice that where the thatch had covered the yard creating a brown, lifeless appearing landscape, grasses had already begun to grow rapidly, stretching their green life filled blades toward the sun. They are thriving now that the dead things oppressing them have been removed. I wonder how many things the Lord is currently using to “sweep the thatch” from our lives? What dead things are oppressing us? I wonder if we can be giddy with anticipation as He fires up His sweeper and exposes the lush green growth of our lives underneath?