Week #4, 2026
Chard or kale
Spinach or mustard
Kohlrabi
Beets
Herb
Lettuce
Green garlic
Shallots
On this day we call Mother’s Day we are taught to celebrate our mothers. To cherish them and hold them dear as they have given us life and taught us from their hearts and heads how to move through life and leave our mark. Today, Dan shared with me an article written by Heather Cox Richardson, a prominent American Historian about Mothers Day. She writes that the original Mothers day was in 1870. Julia Ward Howe, a writer and reformer, wrote that women must take control of politics. Women must unite. She said that a woman did not have to build her life with a man at the center of it but rather could lead and be an equal participant in American politics. “It's worth remembering that women must have the same rights as men, and that they must make their voices heard’
It is hard to believe we are 4 weeks into the 2026 season. As we watch the peas bloom and the garlic stems widen we long for late spring treats. We get to enjoy kohlrabi and beets. I love to just peel and slice kohlrabi raw. You can check out some recipes below for ideas or you can just do as I do. Herbs and greens are the basis of Persian Kuku. We will see the end of the turnips and radishes for a while. Green garlic is a spring treat just before they begin to bulb. You can peel and use the stem as garlic flavoring for sautees or stir fries or roasts.
This week we will hopefully get the cherry tomatoes planted out in the field. We will finish the alliums, leeks are the last of that family to go in the ground. As it has been so dry the job is made harder by crumbly soil. Juvencio will head to New Jersey at the end of the week to help his niece celebrate her college graduation, the first in her family to achieve this. Luna and Kody will step in to help me harvest next weekend, hopefully the peas will hold off another week.
We have plenty of veggie and flower starts to add to your home garden. We share this business with Pumpkin Ridge Gardens and sell at our stand at the Beaverton Farmers Market. You can visit us on Saturdays from 8:30-1:30 or order online here: https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/. This spring is incredibly dry and warmer than usual. There is still plenty of time to prep your garden and get veggies in the ground.
Kohlrabi Slaw with Cilantro, Jalapeño and Lime
Refreshing and healthy Kohlrabi Slaw made with kohlrabi, cilantro, lime, jalapeño and a simple citrus vinaigrette.
INGREDIENTS
· 6 cups kohlrabi -cut into matchsticks or grated in a food processor -about three x 4 inch bulbs (or you could substitute sliced fennel, apple, jicama, cucumber, or cabbage for part of the kohlrabi for more diversity)(or radishes or baby turnips)
· 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( one small bunch)
· half of a jalapeno -minced
· 1/4 cup chopped scallion
· orange zest from one orange, and juice
· lime zest from one lime, and juice
Citrus Dressing :
· 1/4 cup olive oil
· 1/4 cup fresh orange juice ( juice form one orange)
· 1/8 cup lime juice plus 1 T ( juice from one large lime), more to taste
· 1/4 cup honey ( or agave syrup)
· 1/2 tsp kosher salt
· 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
Trim and peel kohlrabi. ( I normally have to peel twice to get thru the thick skin). Cut off two ends. Cut in half from top to bottom. Thinly slice, rotate and slice again, making 1/4 inch matchsticks.
Place in a large bowl with chopped cilantro, scallions, finely chopped jalapeño ( 1/2), lime zest and orange zest.
Whisk dressing together in a small bowl. Toss with salad. Refrigerate until serving. Garnish with zest and cilantro. This tastes good the next day too.
–+ servings
4.98 from 34 votes
Roasted Kohlrabi
PREP TIME 5minutes minutes
COOK TIME 23minutes minutes
TOTAL TIME 28minutes minutes
SERVINGS 4
AUTHOR Holly Nilsson
This light & fresh veggie dish is so easy to make, and is full of flavor!
Ingredients
· 4 kohlrabi bulbs
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· ½ teaspoon garlic powder
· salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Cut the tops off of the kohlrabi (they are edible, set aside for use in salads or stir fries).
3. Cut the bulb in quarters. Once cut, peel the outer layer of skin.
4. Chop the kohlrabi into 1/2" slices.
5. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Roast 22-24 minutes or until tender crisp.
Beetroot Borani
Borani, the Iranian yoghurt dip, is an opulent dish for the senses: delectable, visually stunning and guaranteed to win over the hearts of beetroot sceptics. A firm favourite on the Morito menu.
4
medium raw bunched beetroot (about 700g)
1
small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with ½ teaspoon salt
4 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 tbsp
strained Greek yoghurt, such as Total
2 tbsp
chopped dill, plus a few sprigs to garnish
2 tbsp
Forum Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar, or a good-quality aged red wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar
50g
feta cheese, crumbled
6
walnut halves, roughly crushed
½ tsp
black onion seeds
Wash the beetroot but don’t peel it, then put in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 40 minutes or until tender, topping up the water if necessary. The beetroot is ready when a sharp knife goes through easily. Drain and leave to cool. Peel the beetroot and blend in a food processor. You want some texture in the purée, so don’t over-blend. Transfer to a bowl, add the garlic, olive oil, yoghurt, dill, vinegar and a pinch of salt and mix well. Check the seasoning and spread the purée on a plate. Sprinkle with the feta, walnuts, black onion seeds and extra sprigs of dill and drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with Flatbread or pita.
What to do with Green Garlic: https://foragerchef.com/green-garlic/
Mustard Greens and Tofu Dumplings
This makes a ton, but they freeze beautifully and are great for a quick midweek dinner with stir fried veggies
1bunch broccoli rabe (about 10 ounces), ends trimmed
1bunch mustard greens (about 12 ounces), ends trimmed (or 9 ounces Chinese mustard greens)
1(14-ounce) package firm tofu
2tablespoons sesame oil
2tablespoons soy sauce
2teaspoons sugar
2teaspoons salt
½teaspoon ground white pepper
Vegetable oil (if frying the dumplings)
Gyoza wrappers (enough for 6 dozen gyoza!)
FOR SERVING
Rice vinegar
Light soy sauce
Chile oil, if you must
· Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and blanch for 1 minute. The water temperature will drop when you add the broccoli rabe. Do not wait for it to come back to a boil, just let the broccoli rabe sit in the pot for 1 whole minute and then, with tongs or a spider, transfer to a colander fitted in a large metal bowl. Repeat with the mustard greens.
·
Rinse the blanched greens under cold running water to cool; drain. Take a few long strands of greens at a time and, with your hands, squeeze the greens very dry. Coarsely chop the dried greens and transfer them to a food processor. Pulse the greens a few times until they are chopped into pea-size pieces. Pat the tofu dry and squeeze it over the sink or colander to release as much liquid as possible. Add to the greens in the food processor, along with the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt and white pepper. Using long pulses, blend the mixture until it resembles a spinach dip, with the tofu mostly pulverized but the greens in small pieces. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
To fold the dumplings: Take a dumpling wrapper and spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center, fold the dumpling in half (you should have about ¼-inch of space surrounding the filling at the edge of the wrapper). Using your fingertips, make pleats to seal the filling inside the dough. There are no right or wrong ways to pleat a dumpling. An easy way to start is first fold it in half around the filling, creating a half moon shape. Then, press the edges together at the top-center of the seam to seal. Now start to make small folds on either side of the center point until the entire seam is pleated. Place each formed dumpling on a flour-dusted plate or tray and repeat with remaining skins and filling, draping them with a sheet of plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. (To freeze the dumplings, lay them in a single layer on a large plate or small tray, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 1 hour. When they’ve started to firm up, you can transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag and freeze until you’re ready to cook them, or up to 3 months.)
To boil the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Add the dumplings in batches and boil until the dough is slightly translucent around the edges, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the dumplings do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Remove the dumplings with a spider and serve immediately.
To fry the dumplings, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet with a fitted lid over medium-high. Place the dumplings, spaced about ½-inch apart, in the pan and cover with a lid. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low and cook the dumplings until the bottoms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup water to the pan and close the lid again. Steam-fry the dumplings until they are cooked through, another 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve immediately, with rice vinegar and soy sauce for dipping. (A ratio of 3 parts rice vinegar to 1 part soy sauce is recommended. Add chile oil, if desired, but do try the dumplings with just the vinegar and soy sauce first to taste the filling.)
Vietnamese noodles with fresh mustard greens
Yield:4 to 6 servings
4 large garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
Kosher salt, as needed
10 ounces dried Chinese wheat noodles or Japanese ramen
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon monosodium glutamate (MSG), or use ½ teaspoon chicken stock base or 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
5 tablespoons salted, European-style (cultured) butter
10 ounces sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms
1 large bunch mustard greens, stems and leaves, cut into 1½-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced shallot
Chopped cilantro, for serving
· Step 1
In a small bowl, cover garlic with 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
· Step 2
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook noodles 2 minutes less than package directions for very al dente. Reserve ¾ cup noodle water, then drain noodles in a colander, rinse with cool water and set aside.
· Step 3
In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, fish sauce, cornstarch, MSG, sugar and reserved cooking water. Set aside.
· Step 4
In a 12-inch skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard greens and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until bright green and just tender, another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer to a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
· Step 5
Return skillet to stove (with heat still off) and add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, shallot and garlic-water mixture (do not drain). As butter melts and sizzles, turn heat back on, to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant and some pieces are golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
· Step 6
Stir in cooking liquid mixture and raise heat to medium; bring sauce to a bubble. Using tongs, toss in noodles just until coated in sauce, then turn off heat. If noodles look too thick or taste too salty, add a splash of water. Stir in mushrooms and mustard greens. Let it sit for 1 minute, then serve topped with cilantro.