Suddenly Collards, Kale, and Beets

Suddenly Collard Greens, Red Russian Kale and Beets

 

 

Know the saying, "Hurry up and wait"?  That sort of applies to our garden every year.
We plant the seeds around mid to late March and then the waiting begins.  Little by little, the little seedlings emerge.  But what's funny about gardening in the high desert, once there's consistent warmer temperatures, most things just jump.

 

The collard greens are looking fabulous, the red Russian kale are gorgeous, and our red and golden  beets are finally filling out.

 

Good things come to those who wait . . ain't that the truth.

Green Pac Choi

                                                              Green Pac Choi

I love Asian greens.  They are so versatile.  You can eat them fresh when small, use more mature leaves in stir fries and also in soups.  Pac Choi is one of those greens that have a mild taste so it does not overpower any dishes.  It is not bitter, sometime it can be mildly sweet.  

This is a vegetable that when harvested, it is cut from the main stem so the entire head is cut off.
I am not sure if it will grow back from the roots, but we'll see. 

This is another new green we decided to try this year.  It performed well but the leaves got a bit of tip burn from our spring winds and the bugs are discovering it too. 

We'll probably plant this again for fall and maybe try the white stemmed variety as well.

Juane d' Or - Yellow Gold French Radishes

Jaune d' Or Yellow Gold French Radishes

 

 

One of the first things that are ready in the garden are radishes.  They are a very short season vegetable and although we try to time their planting so that they are ready when several other crops are ready, they seem to jump ahead of the rest.

 

 

These radishes are a pretty yellow almost gold color.  They are white inside.  Mildly spicy when small, quite spicy when larger. 

 

 

Our friends, John and Tikva had a wine tasting party last Saturday and I brought these radishes.

I used Ina Garten's recipe for Radishes with Butter and Salt below and tweaked it just a little.

 

2 bunches radishes with tops intact, root tips cut off

 

Sea Salt (I purchased Fleur de Sel de Guerande at International Marketplace on Decatur)

 

Herb Butter - recipe below

 

1 French Baguette, sliced diagonally and lightly toasted

 

Herbed Butter

 

1/4 lb. unsalted butter - room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. minced scallions  (I used green onions)

1 1/2 tsp. minced dill (used dried lemon dill mix that I had - couldn't find fresh)

1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh parsley leaves (Used Italian parsley)

1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground pepper

Looking Forward to Our First Farm to Fork Dinner!

http://www.meetup.com/The-Chef-s-Table/events/112457092/

Red Orach - A Different Type of Green

 

Red Orach - A Different Type of Green

 

 

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds had a picture of this in their catalog and it looked soooo pretty.  We just had to try it.  Part of the fun (seriously!) of farming is growing something that you've never tried before or even seen before.  This particular vegetable fit both of the criteria. 

 

 

Its' botanical name is atriplex hortensis.  It will grow to a height of 4 - 10 feet tall.  It is in the same family as Lamb's Quarters. 

 

Eaten fresh - a pretty addition to a green salad mix.  The leaves are a bit succulent and  about the size of a poker chip.  A sweet mild taste with a bit of a tart finish.  Interesting . . . .

 

Our little bed gets a lot of splashing hence, our crop has a bit of dirt on them.  Can't wait till they get some height to them to minimize the splashing issue.

 

For more information check out Dave's Garden website  http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3692/



Komatsuna Summerfest - Asian Greens

Komatsuna Summerfest  aka Red Komatsuma

This is a new green for us.  It is so pretty with tinges of purple/red in the leaves.   It is great when picked small and incorporated into a salad mix, mild taste.

When larger, the leaves can be used in soups and in stir fries.   Try juicing them too!

A limited supply of these are available - we wanted to test it first to gauge taste, response, and production.  So far, so good.