NEWSLETTERS

McDougal’s Farm LLC

What’s Growing On !

Not an EOW week

July 29th, 2021

Happy not to be a plant this week….it..is..HOT! Lucky for them, they have been averaging an inch of rain a week. That is just enough to keep them going in this intense heat. For the most part, things are doing quite well in the field; we are even noticing an increase in pollinators. The high winds Monday night did minimal crop damage; actually the fields may have fared the storm better than the rest of us. Tuesday morning we all looked a bit scruffy, most of us without electricity and all of us with little sleep….but we kicked butt anyway and got the harvest in. They all went home with flowers.

The first pitch fork into the ground is always in the carrot patch. It was wishful thinking to take a stab at them this early, but there they were…big, beautiful and full size! So you’ll find them in your bag this week. Also ready and growing right out of the ground, were the Daikon radishes….some 18 inches long!  Daikon radishes have the magic power to balance out your blood glucose levels. If these long white root beauties are a first for you, check out our recipes below. There are a lot of veggies coming into prime in the fields right now, but we couldn’t walk past the green cabbages this week. Pretty sure if we stared at them long enough we would see them burst any minute from all the rain, so they got put at the top of the harvest list. The broccoli, zucs and cucs have to be picked every day now…that’s how fast they grow! They will all be in your bag this week. You are getting an ample amount of fresh broccoli this week. The big beautiful heads lined themselves up all the way across the field. We put freezing instructions below…How does that old saying go?  “Make hay when the sun shines but freeze broccoli whenever you canJ”. ??

Enjoy the abundance this week. Next week is already looking like another plentiful one with something new every week. Beets and Baby Reds coming soon! Love, love this time of year!

Peace, love and broccoli

Jerry and Maydene

What’s in the Bag

The bags are certainly getting heftier. This week you will have green beans, a generous amount of  broccoli, Daikon radish, a head of green cabbage, a bag of carrots, a cucumber, a young zucchini, a bouquet of cilantro and romaine in your bag….enjoy!

Freezing Broccoli: it’s easy

• Wash and trim broccoli, submerge into cold salt water.
• In large kettle bring water to boil
• Drop broccoli into boiling water for 3 minutes (this preserves the color)
• Remove and transfer into ice cold water (to quickly remove the heat)
• Drain and pack into freezer Ziploc bags
• Remove all the air
• label and date
• Enjoy this winter

Broccoli Apple Salad from cookingclassy.com

4 cups small diced broccoli florets

2 small gala apples, cored and diced

1 cup walnuts

1 cup matchstick carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped red onion

Dressing

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup Hellman’s or Best Foods Mayonnaise (full fat)

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp honey

Salt

For the dressing:

1. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, honey and season with salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp). Chill until ready to use.

For the salad:

1. In a salad bowl toss together broccoli, apples, walnuts, carrots, raisins or cranberries and red onion. Pour in dressing and toss until evenly coated.

Thanks for sharing Lisa!!

Vegetable Spring Rolls

½ cup shredded daikon radish

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 small fresh jalapeno or Serrano chile pepper

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

½ shredded carrots

½ cup short thin strips cucumber (can substitute zucchini)

2 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon soy sauce

6 -81/2 inch diameter rice papers

1 ½ cups shredded Boston or curly leaf lettuce

Fresh cilantro

Shredded carrots

Combine daikon, green onions, vinegar, sugar, chili pepper, and sesame oil. In another bowl combine the ½ cup carrots, cucumber, cilantro and soy sauce. Cover both mixtures and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 24 hours, stir once. Drain both mixtures

2. Pour 1 cup warm water into a pie plate. Carefully dip rice papers into water 1 at a time. Place papers on towels. Let soften.
3. Place ¼ cup shredded lettuce on each rice paper near one edge. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of each vegetable mixture on the lettuce. Fold in the ends and tightly roll. Place seam side down on plate cover with damp cloth. Repeat with remaining rice papers. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Garnish with cilantro and shredded carrots.

Great with Barbecued Chicken!

Cabbage Coleslaw (KFC knock-off)

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1-1/2 T. vinegar

2T. lemon juice

1/3 cup(or less) sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp celery salt

1 head of green cabbage, shredded

Mix together the first 8 ingredients and then pour over shredded cabbage. Can also add shredded carrots or kohlrabi

VIETNAMESE-STYLE CARROT AND DAIKON PICKLES      from Todd and Dianne

1/2 pound daikon peeled

1/2 pound large carrots peeled

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

3 Tablespoons sugar or to taste

1 cup water

Wash daikon and carrots and cut into matchstick sizes, or round sizes (about thickness of a 25¢ quarter). Pat dry.

In a bowl, mix vinegar, salt, sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Add the carrots and daikon to the mixture and let marinate for at least 1 hour before serving.

For best pickled flavor, store vegetables in an airtight mason jar for about 5 days in the refrigerator.