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What’s in the bag?

On the menu – June 29, 2009

Tomatoes
Blackberries
Peaches ‘Harken’
Potatoes
Rosemary ‘Tuscany’
Garlic
Farm fresh eggs
Sweet Corn ‘G-90’
Green Beans ‘Kentucky Wonder’
OR
Sweet peppers – Bell and banana

If you did not get green beans this time, I will give you some next time – if they are still producing well.

I only have one row of green beans, and I had not intended them for the veggie deliveries, only for my personal use.  But they are growing so prolifically that I thought I would share!  However, they are hard to pick, and I can only get enough at a time for half of the delivery list.

I am hoping this works out!  Next year I will plant more rows if I can come up with the trellising.

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On the menu this week . . . June 22, 2009

Kentucky Wonder pole beans in our garden

'Kentucky Wonder' pole beans in our garden

On the menu this week . . . June 22, 2009

Tomatoes – the very first!

Cherry Tomatoes – yes, they are orange

Lettuce ‘Oak Leaf’ – the very last . . .

Summer Squash

Peaches ‘Harken’

Sweet Corn ‘G-90’

Green Beans ‘Kentucky Wonder’

Cucumber

Garlic

Farm fresh eggs

What to do with Green Beans . . .

Green beans are suited to a variety of preparations, from elegant to country style.

Begin by giving them a good rinse in cool running water.  Snap off each end from the bean – and if a “string” happens to be attached, just pull down the bean until it comes off.  I haven’t encounter many strings with this Kentucky Wonder pole bean – but some green beans are very stringy and called “string beans”.  Leave them long for an elegant presentation or snap into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long if you prefer.  Now they are ready to cook.

There are two approaches to cooking the beans.  One is to keep them crisp and bright green, the other is to cook until very tender.

I like both ways, but the way I most often prepare green beans is a very Southern, country style.  Fry a few pieces of good bacon in a large cast iron skillet.  When crispy, add the snapped green beans to the pan with a little water, maybe a cup. And let cook, covered, over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.  As the water cooks off, the beans will start to brown a little.  This is the effect I am looking for – the beans have a lot of natural sugar and they will caramelize a bit and have a rich flavor, and it looks beautiful.  Keep adding a little water if the pan is getting too hot, and keep stirring.  Add salt.  When the tenderness is to your liking, turn it off and serve hot.  The leftovers are even good cold with a little vinaigrette, like a green bean salad.

Other popular variations are to cook the snapped beans in a pot with new potatoes until all are tender.  Serve with salt and pepper and butter.  Also, cooking in plenty of salted water and serving the tender beans with fresh cornbread is an old fashioned hearty meal.

To achieve the crisp bright beans, it is necessary to either steam or simmer the beans briefly – maybe 10 minutes or so.  If you are serving hot, do so promptly or the color will fade.  To serve cold, like on a vegetable tray for dipping, you must stop the cooking by “shocking” the beans, plunging them into icy cold water.  They should stay green and crispy.

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On the menu this week . . .June 15, 2009

Blackberries

Summer Squash – yellow crookneck and straightneck, gray and green zucchini,  yellow zucchini ‘Gold Rush’

Carrots

Lettuce ‘Buttercrunch‘ and ‘Jericho‘–  washed whole leaves

Sweet corn

Sweet Onions

Garlic

Farm fresh eggs

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On the menu this week . . . June 1, 2009

rows of garlic in the winter garden

rows of garlic in the winter garden

Sweet Onions

Baby Summer Squash – yellow crookneck and straightneck, gray and green  zucchini, yellow zucchini ‘Gold Rush’

Carrots

Lettuce – mixed, washed whole leaves – red leaf, buttercrunch, oak leaf, and romaine

Radishes

Spring garlic

Farm fresh eggs

Blackberries and peaches??????

Normally by this time we would be full on into blackberry season.  My daughter’s birthday is this week and I know that for eight birthdays there have been blackberries and here is the ninth birthday, and no blackberries.  These early berries were damaged at the flower stage in a frost.  There will be berries soon when the later varieties come on.

The report at the farmer’s market is that there is a half peach crop this year – they aren’t in season yet, of course.  Half is better than none!  In 2007 there was a total loss, in 2008, a great crop, this year, 2009, half.  The life of a peach farmer is one of uncertainty.

Onions

The onions in Fouke took a beating in the hail storm a few weeks ago.  These onions are delicious, but some have a soft core as a result of damage to the stem.  Keep them refrigerated and discard any soft parts.  If we were in pioneer days and growing onions to keep for our families through the year, we would be going without this year.  These soft cored onions will not keep.  I can imagine folks including onions in every meal to get them all eaten up before they went bad, then going months with no onions – an important seasoning ingredient for the bland pioneer diet.  No California or Georgia onions for them.

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On the menu this week . . . May 18, 2009

New Potatoes

New Potatoes

Spring onions

New potatoes – ‘Yukon Gold,’ and Red La Sota’

Kale

Edible pod peas – sugarsnap and snow peas

Cabbage

Spring garlic

Beets

Farm fresh eggs

Our first vegetable delivery of the 2009 season!

I might be getting started too early, because the bag feels a little skimpy, but I will throw in something extra as soon as I can to make up for it.  I wanted to go ahead and get started because I have been getting a lot of calls and questions about when I’ll be showing up with veggies. But this is about 2 weeks earlier than we started last year.

Weather woes

Rain, rain, and more rain.  Oh, and let’s not forget hail.  And a 3 day power outage.  And a little sunshine would be appreciated by my growing plants.  Although the rain event we have been experiencing these last few weeks is over, the effects will linger.  There is still standing water in my garden.  The bugs are tremendous in variety and quantity.  Most plants are growing through their tattered leaves and broken stems sustained in the hail at the beginning of the rain onslaught.  The tomatoes and squash, for instance are pulling through and looking good.  Others either just didn’t make it at all, like the eggplant, which was totally crushed and destroyed, and the onions, which are alive but look terrible and won’t get any better.

Spring garlic

This is like the soft-shelled crab of the garlic world.  Peel off the outer layer and inside is the developing head of garlic.  The cloves are so tender that you can just chop up the whole thing and use it – no peeling.

This is a bit unorthodox, but we should enjoy this garlic while we can.  I am hoping that it continues to develop, but the soil is very wet and the appearance of the plants is unfortunately declining.  This is so disappointing, because we tripled our garlic production for this year based on positive feedback from last year’s crop.  We planted in the fall last year, it has been growing all winter and looking beautiful, and now the leaves are yellowing and they should still be growing vigorously.  Too wet!

Looking forward to a great season!

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On the menu – Dec. 31, 2007

On the menu – Dec. 31, 2007
Farm fresh eggs
Swiss chard ‘Sunshine Mix’, washed and ready to cook
‘Easter Egg’ Radishes
Baby beets
Beet greens
Turnips
‘Ebenezer’ green onion
‘Beauregard’ sweet potatoes
Miller County honey
Miller County stone ground corn meal – NOW ORGANIC!!!
Posted by Georgiaberry Mobley at 12/31/2007 5:00 PM <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu–dec-31-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu–dec-31-2007.aspx</a> | View Comments (1) <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu–dec-31-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu–dec-31-2007.aspx</a> | Add Comment <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu–dec-31-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu–dec-31-2007.aspx</a>

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On the menu Dec. 17, 2007

On the menu Dec. 17, 2007
Farm fresh eggs
Salad mix – lettuce baby ‘Superstar Mix’, lettuce ‘Black Seeded Simpson’, baby romaine lettuce, baby chard ‘Sunshine Mix’,
‘Easter Egg’ Radishes
Swiss chard ‘Sunshine Mix’
Anaheim peppers
‘Weathersfield’ green onion
‘Beauregard’ sweet potatoes
Sweet Potato Spice Muffins – Happy Holidays !
Posted by Georgiaberry Mobley at 12/31/2007 4:58 PM <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-17-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-17-2007.aspx</a> | Add Comment <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-17-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-17-2007.aspx</a

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On the menu Dec. 10, 2007

On the menu Dec. 10, 2007
Farm fresh eggs
Broccoli
Bok Choy
Red Pimento pepper
Salad mix – lettuce baby ‘Superstar Mix’, lettuce ‘Black Seeded Simpson’, baby romaine lettuce, baby chard ‘Sunshine Mix’,
‘Easter Egg’ Radishes
‘Red Russian’ Kale
‘Weathersfield’ green onion
‘Beauregard’ sweet potatoes
Posted by Georgiaberry Mobley at 12/31/2007 4:56 PM <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-10-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-10-2007.aspx</a> | Add Comment <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-10-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-10-2007.aspx</a>

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On the menu Dec. 3, 2007

On the menu Dec. 3, 2007

http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-3-2007.aspx

Farm fresh eggs
Bok Choy
Bell pepper
Salad mix – lettuce ‘Black Seeded Simpson’, baby romaine lettuce, baby chard ‘Sunshine Mix’, baby ‘Red Russian Kale’
‘Easter Egg’ Radishes
Baby beets and beet greens
Bunching onions
New potatoes ‘Yukon Gold’ and ‘Red Pontiac’
Edible pod peas
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Chives
Posted by Georgiaberry Mobley at 12/31/2007 4:53 PM <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-3-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-3-2007.aspx</a> | Add Comment <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-3-2007.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/31/on-the-menu-dec-3-2007.aspx</a>

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On the menu – Nov. 19 2007

On the menu – Nov. 19
Farm fresh eggs
Bok Choy
Sweet Potatoes
Salad mix – lettuce ‘Black Seeded Simpson’, green leaf lettuce, baby chard ‘Sunshine Mix’, baby ‘Red Russian Kale’
Radishes
Zucchini
Pimento Peppers
Bell peppers
Bunching onions
Cucumbers
Fresh Rosemary and Chives
Posted by Georgiaberry Mobley at 12/1/2007 5:46 AM <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/01/on-the-menu–nov-19.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/01/on-the-menu–nov-19.aspx</a> | Add Comment <a href=”http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/01/on-the-menu–nov-19.aspx”>http://sunshinefordinner.com/2007/12/01/on-the-menu–nov-19.aspx</a>

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