It’s Chenopodium week! That’s the name of the family of plants that we’re getting a bunch of this week. Spinach, beets and chard are in this family; other members include quinoa, lambsquarter and all the goosefoots. Needless to say, these are cool weather crops – and have been loving all this cool wet weather.
We subscribe to the Capital Press, the weekly agricultural paper serving northern California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. It mostly covers the big players, the huge nurseries, the commissions (like the Potato Commission or the Oregon Berry Commission) and they’ve recently been covering smaller scale and organic agriculture. Here are a few recent headlines: “Fruit Crops Running Behind- Cold, wet spring may hamper Fourth of July cherry sales,” “Cool, Wet Weather Hampers Tomato Crop,” “Damp Weather Puts Roundup Ready Crops To Test,” and my favorite: “Smart Gardeners Outlast Uncooperative Weather.” In short, farmers all over the Pacific Northwest are dealing with this cold and wet weather – hence our big lot of greens this week! The good news is that greens are super healthy, packed with vitamins & minerals. Also, they tend to be some of the more expensive items – so enjoy ‘em while we can!
In Your Share This Week
Lettuce – Black Seeded Simpson or Red Sails– the large heads; Mesher or Victoria– the small butter heads
Tyee Spinach – High in chlorophyll, vitamins A&C. Stuff sandwiches, tacos or burritos with it; add it last minute to soups, stir fries or sautés; toss raw or cooked leaves into pasta; add to crepes, quiche, lasagna or other baked dishes. Make pesto substituting raw spinach leaves for some or all of the basil.
Chard/Swiss Chard – Indigenous to the Mediterranean, currently gaining recognition in this country as a flavorful yet mild leafy green that is nutritious and versatile. Can be used interchangeably with spinach.
Early Wonder Tall Top Beet Greens – Farmer Shari’s favorite greens. Use with other greens, or solo to get to know their unique taste.
Cilantro– Cilantro Pesto! In processor blend ~1 cup cilantro, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/8-1/4 toasted walnuts, dash of S&P and enough olive oil to moisten.