Sol Food Farm

Your box has: lettuce heads, basil, lettuce mix, carrots, collards, kale, bok choi, napa cabbage, garlic, and summer squash or broccoli.

PESTO is the besto!!
¾ cup good olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon pine nuts or walnuts or what have you
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
4 cups fresh basil leaves
Place all ingredients except the basil into blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Then add basil a handful at a time, blending until the pesto is relatively smooth. Store in refrigerator in a small jar with a wide mouth and a screw-top lid with plastic wrap pressed down onto surface to prevent browning. To serve, toss several tablespoons with hot pasta or risotto, spread over pizza, use to flavor sauces, top potatoes, or fill omelets.

There are lots and lots of ways to make pesto, this is one of them.

FARM LIFE

Hope you all are doing well. Brian and I have been keeping busy out in the field. There is always more to be planted, more to be weeded, more to be harvested, and more to gossip. We are now officially in full swing market season and are present at the Sebastopol Market on Sunday mornings and the Occidental Market on Friday evenings. We tried to be a part of the Petaluma Market on Wednesday but realized we were becoming walking zombies and so had to take a step back.
The fields are looking great. We are harvesting the garlic today, which is going to take a while. But that’s good, because it means we will all be eating lots of garlic! After harvesting we have to sort the garlic, saving some for seed, some for the CSA and market, and some for the household. All in all we are happy with our garlic crop and even grew a row without irrigation, which is also known as dry-farming. As you know, we also do this with some of our tomatoes and potatoes. Dry-farming leads to more of a condensed, intense flavor. It also helps us save water. The tomatoes are going to take a bit more time but they’re on their way.
Thanks everybody and please help yourself to the flowers out in the fields. If you have any questions on which flowers to harvest, or how to cut them, please let us know.

We are famous. Go to www.youtube.com and type Sol Food Farm. We are part of a WWOOF documentary where yours truly talks his face off while Brian looks like mister cool. Anyways, have a fantastic week and enjoy your food! Thanks.

Contents: dill, cilantro, basil, swiss chard, garlic, collards (heirloom and top bunch), napa cabbage, summer squash, lettuce head, lettuce mix, lettuce be friends, rapini
Braised Cabbage with Dill (Joy of Cooking)
Bring to a boil in a covered skillet:
8 ounces carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon butter
Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add:
1 pound shredded cabbage
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill
Cook, covered, over low heat until the cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes. Uncover, stir well, and cook until the cabbage is tender and the pan juices are reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes more. Stir in:
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Spicy Stir-Fried Broccoli Rabe with Basil Tofu (The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen)
For the Tofu:
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 lb firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced ½ inch thick
For the Rapini:
1 bunch rapini (tough stalks trimmed)
1 bunch swiss chard
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Coarse sea salt
Freshly milled black pepper
Lemon wedges for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, soy sauce, basil, oil, vinegar, and lemon zest. Lay the tofu slices in a baking dish that can hold them in a single snug layer. Pour the marinade over the tofu.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the tofu is nearly dry and well browned.
4. To make the rapini and swiss chard, chop the tender stalks and greens into 2-inch pieces and soak them in a large basin of cold water.
5. In a heavy, wide sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and sauté gently for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden. Add the red pepper flakes and tofu and sauté for 1 minute.
6. Scoop the greens from the water and add them to the pan. Raise the heat and turn the greens over in the oil with a pair of tongs. When the greens begin to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the greens are tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve drizzled with some of the pot liquor and garnished iwht the lemon wedges and garlic cloves.

Holy moly it’s getting kind of hot out there folks. And as these days are getting hotter we are up earlier and earlier to beat the heat. This weather has a slight affect on some of the cooler season crops, including Brian, but makes those summer squash holler with joy. Bring it!!! Anyways we are good and normal as always. We are off to the Petaluma’s Wednesday evening market to try it out. Sol Food Farm in the big city! We’ll see how it goes and let you know. Hope you are all drinking lots of water and enjoying some secret swimming hole somewhere. Here’s what you’ll be eating this week:

Napa Cabbage, Carrots, Turnips, Collards, Lettuce Mix, Braising Mix, Arugula/Mibuna Mix, Baby Bok Choi, Butterhead Lettuce, Brocolli

Here is a recipe for Kim Chee from Angel Foods by Cherie Soria
1-Napa Cabbage(finely shredded) reserve some outer leaves to cover Kim
½ - Turnip bunch, (finely shredded)
¼ cup red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
½ tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Combine all ingredients and firmly pack into a deep glass bowl or crock. (The cabbage should be very juicy, so mash it up a bit.)
2. Place the reserved leaves over the top, allowing them to extend partially up the side of the crock; put a small saucer on top.
3. Place a weight on top of saucer. Allow some space around the sides to ensure a good air supply.
4. Cover with a clean dish towel.
5. Place in a temperate, dark closet for 3 to 4 days.
6. Store your Kim Chee in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It will last two weeks or more, but is best eaten as soon as possible to ensure live lactobacillus bacteria.

This weeks’ box could also be mostly eaten raw. The baby bok chois, and arugula are great in a salad, as well as the turnips and carrots. Brian likes to make cole slaw with the Napa Cabbage. Someone at the market also likes to use the Napa on their fish tacos. Be creative with your produce and it will be creative with you. Thanks and have a great week!