Potato Day 2009

Many hands make light work… and with 1,675 # of potatoes we used all the hands we could get!

More potatoes!  Go, girl, go!

Quite a production.  But potatoes aren’t our only “bumper crop”

The eggplants are simply incredible!  If you haven’t tried one, you are really missing out!  Ask Vanessa for a recipe.

And look what is hiding quietly in the tomato patch.  Fall is right around the corner.  Have a blessed week.  We look forward to seeing you soon.  Vanessa has chosen Friday, September 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, September 12 from 8 to noon for the Fall Plant and Produce Sale.  Please make plans to attend and savor the last of the summertime garden as well as decorate for fall.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks to everyone who has visited the Farm over the past month.   We will be open this coming Saturday morning.  The daylilies are incredible!  The gardens are beautiful too.   Vanessa’s produce list for this week is just wild… it seems like everything is available.     YUM!

Green Cabbage $1.50/head

Red Cabbage $1.50/head

Romaine Lettuce $4.00/gal. bag

Arugula $2.00/sandwich bag (limited supply)

Collard Greens $2.00/gal. bag

Scallions $1.00/10

Green onions $1.00/10

Purple Onions 2/$1.00

White Onions 2/$1.00

Oregano $1.00/bag

Basil $1.00/bag

Greenbeans $2.50/lb

New Red Potatoes $2.50/lb

New Yukon Potatoes $2.50/lb

Zucchini 2/$1.00

Butterstick Squash $1.00/ea

Beets 10/$1.00 (good size!)

Broccoli $2.00/head

Okra $2.00/sandwich bag

Cucumbers 2/$1.00 (limited supply)

Eggs $1.50/doz

Daylily – Lime Frost, Spider Yellow-Green

Bouquet $5.00/vase This week we will feature purples, yellows, oranges, very colorful!!

We hope everyone enjoyed their fourth of July celebrations with family and friends!  And Happy Birthday to Vanessa on Tuesday, July 7th!

This week will be a busy one at the Farm.  We anticipate picking green beans Monday and Wednesday evenings.  Combining those with new potatoes is always a popular meal this time of year.  Also in honor of the 4th of July – Vanessa will be creating her popular patriotic bouquets.  So for only $5, make plans to share one with your guests or host/hostess this weekend!

A rich, easy recipe that earned 4 stars from my junior high “foodie,” this Pesto Recipe will be a success at backyard cookouts this holiday weekend.

Pesto

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 cups of fresh basil leaves

1 cup parsley sprigs

2/3 cup of pine nuts (WalMart has them with the other nuts)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups olive oil

Place garlic, basil, parsley, pine nuts and Parmesan chesse in a food processer or blender.  Blend at medium speed, adding oil in a think stream until smooth.  Place in a clean jar, cover with a think layer of oil, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Pour away oil before using.

Vanessa’s bouquets – above, left

Star Spangled Daylily – above, right

Also for sale (and delivery) this week is a spider daylily, Star Spangled.

As you can see from this picture, spider daylilies are amazing as they can spread more than eight inches across.  And with their glorious combination of yellow and orange, it is remincent of fireworks.

This past week has been wonderful at the Farm.  We have added three new chicks to the group of bantams and guineas that roam the garden and yard areas.  It is always amazing to see what God created – especially new life.  We have also been grateful for the break in the rain  as this allowed us to finish planting the sweet corn, broom corn, Indian corn, pumpkins and gourds.

New to the produce route this week are:  tart pie cherries (picked fresh!), beets, cauliflower and broccoli!  It will be a busy week in the garden.

This past Saturday my husband made his Green Fettuccine.  It was incredible.  He uses fresh spinach to make fettuccine dough, creates a white sauce and adds grilled pork and wow! we are in an exclusive Italian restaurant.

We have also been enjoying the snow peas with grilled chicken or beef – at least the ones that aren’t eaten while in the patch!  J., J., and J. really like to eat them fresh off the vines.

We hope to see many of you at the next Open Patch, Saturday, June 20.  Bring a friend, come see the amazing daylilies and enjoy touring the gardens.  Have a great week and

Wow!  What a difference the sun makes this year!

I hope all of you are enjoying the produce.  We have been.  One item I would encourage you to try if you haven’t yet this year is the blue curly kale.  It has been incredible this spring!  My kids are eating it in salad, and I wanted to offer this recipe that we (the adults) have enjoyed.

Kale Ceviche

4 stalks kale, I use more with the younger leaves, remove stems and chop leaves into medium shreds

2 scallions, roots removed and the white sections chopped

4 small radishes, thinly sliced and quartered

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T. olive oil

Soy sauce to taste

Freshly ground pepper

Mix together all the ingredients and serve.  You can use any colorful combination of vegetables in addition to or instead of kale, including baby beets, spinach or pac choi.  This salad gets more delicious if left to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

It was wonderful to see so many of you this past weekend in Strasburg and Shelbyville,  and I would like to invite you again to consider a trip out to the Farm this summer for one of our Open Patch events.  There is always someone to willing to drop his/her hoe, welcome you and give you a tour -

We are so excited to announce that the gardens are ready, and we are preparing to release our first “email” featuring produce available for Friday, May 8 delivery!

Please be watching for Vanessa’s email.  The email will arrive Sunday evening.  If you don’t receive one, be sure to email Vanessa directly at vanessa@hisgloriesfarm.com.  We look forward to bringing the best in Central Illinois garden produce to you directly.

Have a great week!