Week #3, 2025
Mustard greens
Bok choy or arugula
Spinach or chard
Kale
Cilantro or dill or chervil
Sage, thyme or oregano
Lettuce
Onions or shallots
Radishes or the end of the sprouting broccoli
We have been putting in long days and into the nights. The extra hours of daylight push us further as we try to get vegetables into the ground. We have planted the whole back side of the field. We have peas, kale, cabbage, green onions, collards, broccoli, potatoes, small red onions called purplette and much more. I have transplanted about 10 flats of beets as we work to get these garden delights to your homes. Juvenio has hand shoveled over 100 wheelbarrows full of compost. I began the arduous task of planting onions and shallots. There are over 20 flats of this family of veggies known as alliums. So far I have planted 7 flats and taken up two full beds. I was anxious to jump to beans but the forecast for near freezing temps next weekend have made me hesitate as I have lost many tender flowers already to nipping frost.
We will get greenhouse tomatoes and maybe some cucumbers into the hoop houses and cool our jets until Mother’s day weekend to fill in the rest of the tender crops into the lower half of the garden. I keep my fingers crossed that we get the three sisters no till beds ready this year but we seem to be at a stand still. Just too much to do every day to open up new land. My hope is that all the ornamental corn, dry beans and winter squash and pumpkins will go over there, but that is a tall order. Maybe we need a work party??
Speaking of work - Peas are on the way! They are in full bloom and we will be able to harvest them in 3 weeks. Beginning with peas until the end of October is the time we need help with the harvest. You are not required to help on the farm, but this is a way you can experience the work that goes into producing food and really lend a hand to your farmers. We start harvesting at 7:30 (7:00 on extremely hot days) and we like helpers to stay until the harvest is done (3-5 hours). Children are welcome, if they are under 9, there should be a dedicated adult to supervise and one adult to actually help bring in the harvest. There are certainly tasks that kids can help with especially once it is tomato picking season. You do not have to work out in the field; there is a lot to do in the barn once the produce is picked. Please wear long pants and closed toed shoes. We have Canadian thistle as one of our many plagues that we battle and getting thorns in your toes does not feel good. We have nitrile gloves if you want to wear them, you can bring gardening gloves if weeding is your jam. But come prepared to work hard and have some fun along the way.
We look forward to Chinese Broccoli and beets next week! More radishes on the way, parsley is sizing up and kohlrabi too. We do love spring.
Come and visit me at the Beaverton Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8:30-1:30. You can pre-order veggie starts for your home garden box at: https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/
Thanks to Sue Kass for some amazing recipe sleuthing and to Janey for the PSB recipe below. I included some of our family favorites at the end with my salad dressing recipe and Kris Schamp’s kale salad which we riff off weekly.
Garlic-Sesame Purple Sprouting Broccoli (my guess is you could use Chinese Broccoli as well)
“This was my first time cooking purple sprouting broccoli (it came in my CSA box) and it turned out delicious. You can eat the entire vegetable, I just trimmed the ends of the thicker stalks and some of the leaves that were a bit wilted. Great healthy spring vegetables! “
Submitted by Barbara
| Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound purple sprouting broccoli
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced salt to taste
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, or to taste
Directions Step 1 Bring a large wide pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in broccoli and boil until dark green, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Step 2 Heat vegetable and sesame oils in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broccoli and stir-fry until well seasoned with garlic oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt. Step 3 https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/283835/garlic-sesame-purple-sprouting-broccoli/?print Page 1 of 2 4/14/25, 5:00 PM Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli Tart
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks finely sliced OR 1-2 bunches of scallions, thinly sliced
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 tbsp coarse cornmeal or polenta
10 spears of purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed
150 mL creme fraiche (I used Greek yogurt instead)
50 grams finely grated fresh parmesan
2 egg yolks
25g flaked almonds (I used a handful of pine nuts)Step 1: Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat a frying pan with a lid over a medium heat and add the oil. Cook the leeks, with the lid on, stirring occasionally until just tender – about 5 mins. Set aside.
Step 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out a rough 26cm circle – use a big dinner plate as a template. Cover a baking tray with baking parchment, sprinkle the polenta or semolina over it, and place the pastry circle on top. Score a circle about 2 cm from the edge. Spread the leeks out evenly inside the scored circle, then bake for 10 mins until the edges have puffed up. Remove from the oven and turn heat down to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil.
Step 3: Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for 1 min, then drain and cool under running water. Drain again and arrange on top of the leeks. Mix together the crème fraîche, Parmesan, egg yolks and some seasoning, then pour evenly over the veg. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake the tart for 15-20 mins until golden. Serve warm or cold.
Persian Herb Stew with Rhubarb
120ml olive oil
1 large onion (200g), finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
20g ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, deseeded if you like less heat
150g parsley, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
30g picked mint (left whole)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 jar chickpeas (700g), drained
800ml chicken or vegetable stock
15gjaggery or palm sugar finely grated (I used brown sugar)
150g rhubarb, trimmed, cut in half lengthways then cut into 2.5cm pieces
Place the oil in a shallow cast iron or saute pan, on medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the onion and cook for 10-12 minutes, until deeply caramelised. Stir in the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the jalapeno, parsley, mint, turmeric and cumin. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until dark and wilted, then add in the chickpeas, stock, jaggery, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Stir well, cover with a lid ( lower the heat to medium if it's bubbling too violently) and cook for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to medium, smoosh some of the chickpeas with a fork to thicken the sauce slightly, then stir in the rhubarb. Cook for 2-3 minutes until just starting to soften, take off the heat and set aside covered for 5 minutes.SPICY ROASTED CHICKPEAS WITH GREENS
FOR THE CHICKPEAS
2(15-ounce) cans chickpeas, well drained, or 4 cups cooked chickpeas
¾ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt and pepper
FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE
⅓cup tahini
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
Warm water, as needed
TO FINISH
About 10 ounces kale, chard or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed
Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Handful of roughly chopped mint
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
Lemon, cut into wedges
Step 1
Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing. ) Step 2 Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. Step 3 Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside. Step 4Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside. Sue’s note—I don’t cook the greens—I just chop them very finely and then toss with the chickpeas and dressing below Step 5 When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the greens , and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and scatter remaining pita chips on top. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.
Taiwanese Dumplings with Broccoli and Mustard Greens
1(2-ounce) ball/bundle of dried mung bean noodles
1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 10 ounces), ends trimmed (or purple sprouting broccoli or Chinese broccoli)
1 bunch mustard greens (about 12 ounces), ends trimmed (or 9 ounces Chinese mustard greens)
1(14-ounce) package firm tofu
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½teaspoon ground white pepper
Vegetable oil (if frying the dumplings)
Prepared Chinese dumpling wrappers (72)
Soak the mung bean noodles in a large bowl of cold tap water—set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and blanche for 1 minute, and then remove with tongs or slotted spoon to a large colander. Repeat the same process with the mustard greens. Rinse the greens under cold water until cool; drain well. Wrapped the cooled drained greens in a clean dish towel and squeeze out any excess moisture. Coarsely chop the greens and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until chopped into pea-sized pieces. Pat the tofu dry and squeeze it in a towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Add the greens in the food processor along with remaining ingredients (except for noodles) and pulse until tofu is mostly pulverized and greens are in small pieces. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Drain the noodles and coarsely chop, then fold into the vegetable mixture.
Take a dumpling wrapper and place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center, then fold it in half around the filling into a half moon shape. Use moistened fingers to compress and seal the edges. Place on a flour dusted plate or tray as you are making them. If you wish to freeze them, place in a single layer on a tray and lightly cover with plastic wrap and freeze for one hour before transferring to a freezer bag.
To cook, either boil or fry. To boil, place in rapidly boiling water x 5 minutes until translucent and remove and serve immediately. To fry, heat 2 Tbs neutral oil in a large frying pan with a lid. Place the dumplings spaced about 1/2” apart and cover with the lid, lowering heat to medium-low. After 5 minutes, add 1/4 c water to the pan and cover again to steam/fry until cooked through
Kale Salad (from Kris Schamp)
Flax oil (1/8 C)
Lemon juice (1/8 C)
Soy sauce* (less than 1/8 C)
1 bunch kale
Red onion
Shredded or shaved (with peeler) carrots
¼ C pumpkin seeds
1/8 C sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds
Sprouts (any kind)
Mushrooms (optional)
* can use Bragg's - a low sodium substitute for soy sauce
1) Make the dressing: equal parts flax oil, lemon juice & soy sauce (or Bragg's - a low sodium substitute for soy sauce. Use less soy sauce if sensitive.)
Marinate very thinly sliced / shaved red onion in the dressing while you prepare the kale.
2) De-stem the kale - try to get the young, tender smaller leaves.
Cut it into ribbons. Place in a very large bowl to allow for easy mixing.
Add the rest of the "dry" ingredients.
3) Add the dressing and marinated onions to the kale mixture. Using hands, gently massage the dressing into the kale; softening down the structure of the kale and aiding the absorption of the dressing by the kale.
Let sit for a while (20-30 mins) before serving. Can be made well beforehand and refrigerated. Can add chopped avocado when serving. Goes well with marinated tofu-you can use the same dressing.
Lyn’s Salad Dressing
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic pressed
Add all ingredients to a Mason jar and cover with lid. Shake until creamy and well blended.
Chinese Broccoli
(Lyn’s Quick Stir Fry)
1 bunch Chinese Broccoli (flower, stem and leaves) – remove any hard end of the stem
2-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 – 2 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup water
Olive oil
Heat a wok or frying pan and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add minced garlic until aromatic (about 1 minute) then add the broccoli and toss to coat with oil and garlic for about 1 minute. Add soy sauce and coat then add the water and cover for 3-5 minutes until tender and still bright green. Serve by itself or over rice. . . YUM!