- Green Bok Choy
- Red Bok Choy
- Radishes
- Head Lettuce
- Garlic Chives
- Fresh Thyme
- Rainbow Swiss Chard
- Green Garlic
- Tomato Puree (a delicious shelf-stable product made from last fall's tomato crop)
Announcements
Organic Plant Sale on Saturday, May 14th
The Prairie Crossing Learning Farm and Prairie Crossing Charter School invite the public to their 6th Annual Organic Plant Sale. Most of the plants for sale are grown by the students of the Charter School as part of their curriculum. The Organic Plant Sale will be held right down the road from our farm at the Prairie Crossing Charter School, 1531 Jones Point Road in Grayslake, on Saturday, May 14th from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. In addition to vegetable, herb and flower plants for sale, there will be kids activities, garden-related vendors, food and drink and more.
Annual Prairie Pedal - A Family Bike Ride on Sunday, May 15th
Celebrate open space and support the Liberty Prairie Conservancy’s land preservation work by taking part in this popular Lake County tradition—a bike ride through beautiful natural areas surrounding our farm. Choose from a variety of route lengths, ranging from child-friendly to challenging, and be sure to swing in to the well-appointed refreshment and education stations. The end point features a scrumptious lunch, ice cream, and professional massages. Check in and begin riding anytime between 8:30 and 11 a.m. at the Lake Forest Hospital building in Grayslake. Walk-ups welcome. Visit www.libertyprairie.org/ for more info.Goat Milk Soap for Sale - Order soon for delivery next week
Gretta's Goat Milk Soap is a locally-crafted artisan soap that is made with moisturizing goat milk, organic vegetable and essential oils. The soap is carefully crafted in small batches utilizing the cold-process method of soap making. Gretta's Goats are hand-milked here on our farm where they graze on certified organic pasture. Gretta's Goat Milk Soap is safe and gentle for children and people with sensitive skin. A portion of proceeds benefit children who are blind to support educational programs.Types of soap include peppermint, sweet orange, unscented, lavender and oatmeal. In addition, Gretta makes specialty soaps including one made with Bell's Stout, a Michigan craft beer, one made with coffee that is great for removing cooking odors from your hands, one made for dogs and one made in the shape of a goat. To order soap, please contact Gretta Winkelbauer directly at gwinkelbauer@yahoo.com or (708) 906-9735 and we will deliver your order to your pickup site next week.
Sham-wow, Gretta's Nigerian dwarf dairy goat
Naya, a white Nigora goat
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
A Chinese vegetable that is gaining in popularity here, bok choy (also known as pac choi) has a mild, sweet flavor when cooked. Like many members of the Brassica family, its growing season is limited to the cool spring and fall. We cover our bok choy with fabric row cover while it is growing to protect it from one of our most persistent pests, the flea beetle. Flea beetles are those little insects that make tiny round holes in the leaves of arugula, radishes, bok choy and a few other crops. Nutritionally speaking, bok choy is loaded with vitamins. When cooking with bok choy, use the entire plant, both green leaves and white stems. It's also fantastic eaten raw. The mild, crunchy stalks are a particularly welcome addition to salads dressed with asian-inspired dressings.
bok choy growing in one of our hoophouses
Part of last year's tomato crop was made into tomato puree for us by a small food processing plant in southern Wisconsin. As it says on the bag, the tomato puree makes a great soup by itself or with the addition of a little cream. You can also use it as a base for heartier soups, chili and pasta sauce. I like to use it as a basting liquid when roasting meats, as a replacement for water or broth when I’m making risotto, or in the crockpot when I’m slow-cooking meats or vegetables. You can also chill it and drink it straight like V-8 juice. The tomato puree does not need to be refrigerated until it's been opened.
Green garlic stalks are the immature stalks of the garlic plant. We plant our garlic in October and harvest the bulbs in July. We allow most of our plants to develop bulbs, but a small portion are harvested in the spring when they look like very large green onions. Use everything but the fibrous dark green tops. I substitute garlic stalks for garlic cloves in many different recipes since the flavor and pungency are very similar.
Garlic chives look similar to regular chives but they have a flatter, wider leaf. They are relatively mild (especially compared to the green garlic stalks) with a slight garlic flavor.
a beautiful green garlic stalk
Garlic chives look similar to regular chives but they have a flatter, wider leaf. They are relatively mild (especially compared to the green garlic stalks) with a slight garlic flavor.
Although Swiss chard it is native to the Mediterranean, this leafy relative of the beet got its name because it was first described in the scientific literature by a Swiss botanist in the 16th century. Chard is flavorful yet mild, and can be substituted for spinach in many dishes including quiches, omelets, lasagna, pasta sauce, etc. Chard is high in vitamins A, E and C and the minerals calcium and iron. You can use the entire leaf as well as the tender stem. Here are a couple of other ideas:
- Sauté chard with onions and herbs and stuff in a pita pocket with a bit of cheese.
- Slice leaves into ribbons and lightly steam. Toss with sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce and serve with rice.
Swiss chard growing in one of our hoophouses
This Week's Recipes
Remember that you can search for hundreds of other great recipes at www.sandhillorganics.com.
Next week's harvest (our best guess)... Japanese salad turnips, cilantro, dill, arugula, head lettuce, asparagus, green onions, spinach and maybe rhubarb.
