Week 4 and 5
Hello Followers!!
Once again, we have failed to consistently get a newsletter out!! We hope everyone understands that we are busy tending to your vegetables, and sometimes the newsletter falls to the bottom of the priority list. We think it's a good excuse, right?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here is what you might find in your box (for week 5):
Salad Mix (starting for Wednesday pick-up)
Kale
Swiss Chard
Radishes
Cipollini onions
Tomatoes (cherry or big)
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Sweet or hot peppers
Basil/cilantro/chives
Upcoming:
Summer Squash
Coffee of the Week (for Coffee Subscribers only)
Philipsburg Skate Park Coffee "Kick-Flip"
🌿 Featured Item: Basil
We're beyond excited that Lisa Stravakas from Renew Wellness has decided to contribute her wealth of knowledge on the health benefits of eating and utilizing fresh produce and herbs. Thank you Lisa!!
Basil
Basil is a powerful herb! It’s pungent and warming. Whether dealing with a chronic lung condition or acute cold symptoms, basil can help cut through mucus and relieve congestion. It helps to break up and removing phlegm from your bronchial tubes.
Immune Boost - Basil is a good anti-bacterial herb with anti-inflammatory properties and a great source of vitamin C. Make a nice cup of basil tea next time you feel a cold coming on to help sweat it out! Alternatively, make a lemongrass soup heavily garnished with basil. Both will flushing your skin, sinuses, and lungs with blood that is rich with immune fighting cells. Like most members of the mint family, basil induces profuse sweating because of its aromatic qualities.
The concept of "sweating it out," is common Chinese medicine practice. It’s used when your body realizes it's been exposed to a pathogen, your wei-qi, the part of your immune system responsible for defending your body through circulation and your skin, clamps down and closes your pores. The symptoms of neck ache, body aches, and a tight, cold chill throughout your body is wei-qi. It’s where the body closes your pores and tightens up all the muscles in order to keep the “wind” pathogens out. In order to push the pathogen back out the way it came, Chinese Medicine, like Ayurveda, prescribes diaphoretic herbs to induce therapeutic sweating. As these herbs (like basil and ginger) begin to work, wei-qi relaxes and opens pores back up, you start to sweat, and your neck relaxes.
Use in Diabetes - The benefits of basil point strongly to one disease- diabetes. Basil is a diaphoretic; therefore, it has been shown to stabilize blood sugar, tonify the kidneys, reduces cholesterol, and aid in weight loss. Like all members of the mint family, basil is an effective nervine, so has a positive effect on neuropathy. It also sharpens your memory.
Basil for Heart Health - Basil is an excellent source of beta-carotene, a powerful anti-oxidant. Beta-carotene protects the cells that line your blood vessels from free radical damage. It also helps prevent free radicals from oxidizing cholesterol in the blood stream. Cholesterol only builds-up on your blood vessel walls to cause atherosclerosis after its been oxidized. So, incorporating lots of anti-oxidants into your diet can protect you from a heart attack or stroke, extreme end results of severe atherosclerosis. A cup of basil tea daily is excellent for heart health both by tonifying your heart and reducing cholesterol. In the summer, make Basil Melon Cooler: 4 cups chopped melon (watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe) 4 large basil leaves, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, juice of 1 lime, 1/2 cup water. Put ingredients into a blended and blend on high until the basil has become green flecks. (The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell)
Basil is high in magnesium, the mineral responsible for relaxing muscles in your body, including your heart muscle. When your heart is relaxed, blood flow remains smooth and even to your heart, reducing the risk of irregular heart rhythms and stress induced high blood pressure. Basil also contains Omega 3 fatty acids, whose anti-inflammatory properties protect your heart.
Calms Inflammation for Pain Relief & Deep Healing - Basil offers relief from painful inflammation. A chemical in basil's volatile oil called eugenol has been shown to block activity of the same enzyme (cyclooxygenase) that aspirin and ibuprofen block in order to reduce painful inflammation. Basil also contains anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids, while providing strong anti-oxidants in the form of beta-carotene.
Anti-oxidants, as mentioned in depth above, neutralize free radicals which are a contributing factor in disorders of chronic inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and asthma. A few fresh leaves of basil every day may help manage these disorders and other inflammatory conditions.
🍽️ Recipe(s) of the Week(s):
Garlic Scape & Crispy Beef Stir Fry
If you are looking for a way to use garlic scapes, look no further than this stir fry. Garlic scapes are the star of the show and cooked with crispy beef, bell peppers, onions and scallions in a flavour packed dish. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and leftovers will last for up to 4 days in the fridge. Serve this stir fry on its own or over rice (or cauliflower rice)
Ingredients:
3 cups garlic scapes (approx 12 garlic scapes)
1 pound sirloin, flank or skirt steak cut against the grain into very thin strips
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp arrowroot starch or corn starch
2 tbsp avocado oil or coconut oil
1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey (or 1 medjool date for whole30)*
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions:
- Start by preparing the garlic scapes. Remove any of the tough ends and then cut them into 2 inch pieces. I leave the buds on but you can remove them if you prefer not to eat them.
- In a bowl season the thinly sliced beef with salt and pepper and toss to ensure the pieces are well coated before adding in the arrow root powder and stirring to ensure they are coated.
- Add the oil to a wok or large skillet on high heat. Add in half of the beef and cook for approximately 2 minutes per side until golden brown in colour and crisp. Once the beef is cooked set it aside in a bowl and repeat with the second batch of beef.
Once all of the beef is cooked and set aside, add the garlic scapes to the pan and cook for approximately 4 minutes until charred. - While the veggies are cooking make the sauce. In a bowl stir together the coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, honey and black pepper.
- Add in the onion, bell pepper and ginger and along with the sauce and cook for 3 minutes until the veggies are tender. Add in the chopped scallions and beef and cook for another 2 minutes until the beef is warmed through.
- The stir fry can be served on it's own or with cauliflower rice. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Every Last Bite
https://www.everylastbite.com/garlic-scape-beef-stir-fry/?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic#wprm-recipe-container-34325
📣 Farm News & Notes:
Week four and five have been productive! As the larger projects begin to wrap up, smaller ones take over! Succession planting of lettuce every week, microgreens, radishes, and green onions every 2 weeks. Pruning and trellising tomatoes and cucumbers, managing nutrients, and washing rafts are just a few examples of maintenance tasks that pile up throughout the season!
The update on aphids is a positive one, finally. We are starting to see less and less live bugs! All that is mainly left is the sugary honeydew on the affected plants that the aphids excrete. We have had to take a pause this week on salad mix and head lettuce as our next successions mature. Thank you to everyone for your understanding while we fight the good fight.
Broccoli and jalapeños are here, as well as garlic scapes! The cucumber plants are doing fantastic, despite some signs of leaf spot, and about 50% of our squash plants are coming back after the early June frost. Lastly, carrots are planted as the weather becomes slightly more predictable. (This feels risky to say, but I’m going to say it anyways!)
The MRR chickens are navigating the heat or dealing with something unknown, (mysterious little birds) so egg production is lower than normal. We’ve tried to make sure everyone with an egg share has been getting their dozen, whether we have to get them from someone else or not. Please let us know if you’ve been skipped so we can add an extra week on the end of the 9 week share.
All in all mostly a positive report on things these past few weeks. We hope everyone is enjoying the fresh vegetables and staying cool in this hot weather!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
COME VISIT US!!
Whether you're a CSA member or not, you can always come by our pop-up market stands!
