Week 11 is Here!
Hello Followers!!
Week 11 is all about getting things in order around the farm! We’re keeping up with planting and crop care while tackling plenty of cleaning, repairs, and maintenance. With our Harvest Dinner coming up on September 19th, there’s a little extra motivation to get everything looking its best!
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**Add on's: We will have eggs FOR SALE the rest of the season, but it is first come, first serve. Coffee subscriptions ended last week, but again we will have Philipsburg Coffee Roasters available at the stand as usual to buy. Thanks to all of our add-on participants this year!!!
🌿 Featured Item: Tatsoi
🌱 Tatsoi: A Small Green with a Lot Going for It
Tatsoi is a type of Asian leafy green related to bok choy, kale, and other cabbage-family vegetables. It has small, dark green, spoon-shaped leaves that grow in a low, round cluster. The flavor is mild with just a little bit of mustardy bite.
Although tatsoi isn't very well known in North America, it's packed with nutrients and can be a really healthy addition to your diet.
What makes tatsoi so healthy?
High in vitamin C: Tatsoi contains a good amount of vitamin C, which supports your immune system and helps protect cells from damage.
Good source of vitamin A: It contains beta-carotene, which your body can turn into vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for healthy skin, your immune system, and vision.
Good for your eyes: Tatsoi contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients that are especially important for eye health. They are concentrated in the retina and may help protect your eyes as you get older.
Contains beneficial plant compounds: Like broccoli, kale, cabbage, and arugula, tatsoi contains natural compounds called glucosinolates. When you chew or cut the plant, these compounds can turn into other substances that researchers are studying for their potential health benefits, including possible protection against certain types of cancer. Most of this research, however, has been done in laboratories, so it shouldn't be interpreted as proof that eating tatsoi prevents cancer.
Provides calcium and iron: Tatsoi contains useful amounts of both calcium and iron. Because it is relatively low in oxalates, your body may be able to absorb these minerals more easily than it does from some other leafy greens.
🥗 How should you eat it?
One interesting thing about tatsoi is that you don't have to cook it for long. Some of its beneficial plant compounds are affected by high heat.
For the most benefit, you can:
Eat the young leaves raw in salads
Add them to sandwiches or wraps
Toss them into a stir-fry right at the end
Add them to soups just before serving
Use mature leaves much like you would spinach or bok choy
In a nutshell
Tatsoi is basically a nutrient-packed Asian green that's easy to grow and easy to eat. It's high in vitamin C, provides vitamins A and K along with calcium and iron, contains important nutrients for eye health, and has the same beneficial plant compounds found in vegetables like broccoli, kale, and arugula.
information provided by:
https://mygardyn.com/blogs/news/tatsoi-health-benefits?srsltid=AfmBOoqVqhYReSX_DGo2clvqBtwwHkPPKqws90DA-evjrC9btBLmw6M3
🍽️ Recipe of the Week:
Tatsoi Fried Rice
Looking for a simple and delicious way to use fresh tatsoi? This tatsoi fried rice is an easy weeknight meal that comes together in one pan. The tender tatsoi leaves, crisp stems, garlic, onion, and egg all come together with sweet soy sauce and rice for a flavorful meal that’s a great way to enjoy your fresh greens.
Ingredients
Fresh tatsoi
Sweet soy sauce
Cooked long-grain rice
1 egg
Yellow onion, chopped
Garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Prepare the tatsoi. Separate the leaves from the bunch and trim the ends. Rinse the tatsoi thoroughly in warm water followed by cold water, then pat dry. Separate the stems from the leaves and chop the stems into small pieces.
Cook the aromatics. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant.
Add the tatsoi stems. Stir in the chopped stems and cook until they turn a bright green and begin to soften.
Add the rice. Pour in the sweet soy sauce and stir to combine. Add the cooked rice and toss everything together until well mixed.
Add the leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the tatsoi leaves and cook until they are just wilted.
Cook the egg. Push the rice mixture over to one side of the pan. Pour the beaten egg into the empty side and scramble until cooked through.
Bring it all together. Mix the scrambled egg into the rice and toss everything well.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Farm tip: This recipe is a great way to use the whole bunch of tatsoi. The stems add a little crunch while the leaves wilt down beautifully into the rice.
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This Week on the Farm 🌱
Week 11: Getting Things Ready for Fall
Week 11 has been another busy one around the farm, but this week has had a little more of a “getting things in order” feeling. Along with keeping up with the crops, we’ve been tackling maintenance, cleaning up the fields and greenhouses, and getting the farm looking its best as we prepare for our Harvest Dinner on September 19th. There’s always plenty to do this time of year, and we’re definitely keeping busy!
We’ve been curing garlic this week, and it’s always exciting to see a good harvest hanging and drying. Once it’s cured, it will be ready to store and enjoy for months to come. We’ve also transplanted yet another round of lettuce, keeping the next succession of crops moving along. It seems like just as we finish planting one round, it’s time to get another one started!
The cucumber house has needed some attention, too. After the leaf spot damage we’ve been dealing with, we’re spending time cleaning up the cucumber plants and removing damaged growth. We’re also fixing our large ventilation fan in the cucumber house. Keeping good airflow in the greenhouse is important, especially when we’re trying to manage disease and keep the plants healthy.
Out in the fields, we’ve been weeding the onion beds and doing some general clean-up. We’ve also been moving flood tables around and taking care of all those little jobs that tend to pile up on a working farm. Some weeks are all about harvesting and planting, while others are about fixing, cleaning, organizing, and making sure everything is ready for what’s coming next.
The tomato greenhouse has been keeping us on our toes as well. We’re adjusting the irrigation with the new pump, making sure the tomatoes are getting what they need and hopefully putting an end to our pump troubles for a while! Fingers crossed that this one keeps doing its job.
And speaking of getting things ready, we’ve been doing a lot of overall farm clean-up in preparation for our Harvest Dinner on September 19th. We’re excited to welcome everyone to the farm and want to make sure everything is looking its best. There’s still plenty to do between now and then, but we’re making progress one job at a time.
We’ll have a very limited number of Harvest Dinner tickets available starting in the middle of next week. Our subscribers will get the first opportunity, so be sure to keep an eye on your email if you’re hoping to join us! With limited tickets available, they won’t last long.
That’s the farm this week — garlic curing, lettuce going in the ground, cucumber plants getting cleaned up, onions getting weeded, flood tables being moved, fans and pumps being fixed, and lots of general clean-up happening all around us.
There’s always something to do on the farm, but we’re enjoying seeing everything come together as we head toward fall. Thanks for continuing to follow along and support our farm. We can’t wait to share the Harvest Dinner with you!
See you at the farm! 🌱
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COME VISIT US!!
Whether you're a CSA member or not, you can always come by our pop-up market stands!
Please Note: No more market stands in Drummond on Wednesdays.
