- Chard
- kale or chard
- spinach
- bok choy
- lettuce
- Chinese broccoli or Rob
- cilantro dill or sage
- Radishes or arugula
Finally a reprieve from the hot weather yesterday’s showers will make the outdoor crops brighten and the weeds flourish. It is unfortunate that the one day that it rains is a Saturday when I am poised to sell vegetable starts at an open air market. Such is the spring in Oregon.
Juvencio managed to mow most of the cover crop, incorporating it into the soil. We still have over half the field to plant and at this point that seems daunting but doable. I just wish there were more hours in the day.
This week most people will get to taste our delicious Chinese broccoli. It is a seasonal delight that is one of our favorite spring crops not available in supermarkets or even most farmers markets. We grow it undercover beginning in January and get to enjoy it from the end of April to the beginning of June. We hope that you will learn to love this delicious vegetable which is a cross between broccoli and bok choy. You eat the leaves and the stems. The whole stock is tender and delicious. Our favorite is searing it on all sides and then put a splash of soy sauce a little bit of water and steam it until bright green and still crunchy and tender.
Spring is the time for greens. Enjoy a delicious salad with some of the season’s best lettuce. We have “little gem” and her cousins as well as cure a body and some Celanova. Keira body is the beautiful bright green curly looking lettuce bread for all tiny leaves and his a small butter head there is a both a red and green version of this delicious butter lettuce call.
Salanova
Cegolaine
Little Gem
Kiribati lettuce
Suiho Chinese Broccoli
If you have not tried my salad dressing, now is the time! You will get two heads of lettuce as we are busting at the seams with this spring version. There will be times we are lacking, such is farming – feast of famine.
I sent out my political thoughts earlier in the week so will hold for now. Please if you are interested in the Hillsboro School Board, one or our members and an active participant in United Unidos is hosting a virtual house party for Erika Lopez, our school board chair’s re-election campaign. I can happily send you the link – do text me.
Here are some recipes:
Ottolenghi Lasagna with Spinach and Swiss Chard
3 Tbs EVOO
3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 400g chopped tomatoes
1Tbs (hint: get a tube of tomato paste—so handy o keep in fridge)
1/2 tsp sugar
600 g (1.3 lbs) each chard, spinach leaves chard stems thinly sliced and leaves of both
Roughly chopped
2tsp caraway seeds
60g (2 oz) parsley, roughly chopped
60g (2 oz) dill “ “
8 sheets no-bake lasagna
4 oz grated parmesan
4 oz gruyere, grated
2 oz hazelnuts, coarsely chopped.
Salt, pepper
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and fry the garlic a minute or so to infuse the oil, then add the tomatoes, paste, pinch of salt and simmer over low heat for 10minutes. Take off the heat, stir in 90ml (about3 oz) water and blend until smooth with immersion blender or in food processor. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan, sauté the chard stalks in a tbs of oil for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the chopped chard in two batches, stirring until wilted before adding the second batch; then add the spinach until well wilted. Stir in caraway seeds and some freshly ground pepper. Turn heat to low and then cover and leave to cook x 15 minutes, then stir in chopped herbs and take off the heat—it should be quite wet.
Heat oven to 375. Grease a large (13×9) ovenproof pan and cover with 4 sheets of lasagna. Cover with 1/2 the tomato sauce, then spread 1/2 the greens over, then scatter with 1/2 the cheeses. Cover with another layer of lasagna and repeat, ending with the layer of cheese. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
HOW TO ENJOY CHINESE BROCCOLI
You can steam til tender and serve with soy sauce and sesame oil—or Chile crisp.
To stir fry, slice diagonally into 1/2 slices—leaves and all. Heat a teaspoon of neutral oil
(Canola/sunflower/ grapeseed) in a wok or wide sauté pan, then toss in the broccoli (I threw in my bok choy stalks sliced in chunks) and stir occasionally until tender. Stir in the bok choy leaves if you are using them and cook until starting to wilt. Stir in 1tsp each finely chopped or grated ginger and garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like, then add a few teaspoons of soy sauce and cook for a few more minutes.