June Newsletter

Stockbridge Farm News

June, 2021

From the Garden

The garlic is growing well, and we have just harvested the scapes, the long, curly flower stalks that come directly from the root. We snap them off before flowering, and make pesto, pickle them, or use them to add subtle garlic flavor to a recipe, such as Denise's Herbed Farro Salad.

The few lavender plants we have left in our garden are doing well and are producing sweet-smelling flower stalks, which are harvested in bud stage.

The veggie garden this year is a bit smaller. Already planted are the kale and broccoli. I’ve noticed a few deer tracks in the garden so we’ll see how long the kale lasts before Bambi and his pals discover it.

We’ve lugged out the pole bean towers from storage and have planted four varieties of pole beans: Yellow and green Roma flat beans; and purple and green round bean varieties.

We held off from planting pepper starts until the recent very hot weather. For years, we had terrible pepper harvests. I finally did some research and learned that peppers like warm evening temperatures in the 50’s. Cold evening temps cause blossoms to fall off. It certainly explained why my lush pepper plants in the past produced few peppers—I was planting them too early.

This year, in addition to planting bell peppers and jalapeño hot peppers, we added Fresno peppers.

A jalapeño look-alike, the Fresno has a smokier, fruitier taste than a jalapeño as it matures to its red hue. We found the Fresno peppers starts at Hatfield’s Skawski Farms, which still have numerous varieties of all veggies.

With the tomatoes, eggplants, green and red basil, cucumbers, summer and winter squash and pumpkins, the plants in our veggie garden just need to grow.

The rewards in just a few months will make all the hard work spent now well worth it.

Stay safe,

John and Mary Ellen

Strawberry Time

For Denise's June Recipe, go to the bottom of this newsletter.

June To-Do List:

Check out our products at the Atlas Farm store.
Want a “Farm Experience”? Help a farmer take in hay bales. Nothing like a little “exercise” on a 90 degree day in June.
Use rhubarb to make a tangy sauce.
Make strawberry shortcake.
Make chocolate-covered strawberries.
Make pesto with garlic scapes.
Farmers Markets are back. Buy local. Support your favorite farmer.
Cut herbs in order to get regrowth all summer.
Hill soil around leeks.
Buy a new variety of daylily.
Use sunblock to prevent a nasty sunburn.
Make additional plantings of lettuce, carrot, beet, and radish.
Remember to use sturdy, “fat” asparagus stalks in pasta.
Continue to plant cilantro so your tacos will always have that zing.
Continue to plant bush beans: Maxibel from Johnny’s Seeds is an excellent French bean.
Weed regularly and hoe to get rid of crusty soil. Get air in there for root development.
Keep hummingbird feeders filled—no need to use red food coloring.
Shop at Ocean State Job Lots for any seeds you may have forgotten to buy. Still not too late to plant.
Cucumber seeds like a soil temp above 60 degrees.
Watch out for ticks and poison ivy.
Try planting Mrs. Burns lemon basil. Such great flavor.
Knee-high nylon stockings are great for tying tomatoes to stakes.
Get a soil thermometer. Accept that plants just don’t grow in cold muddy soil.
Fertilize with fish emulsion.
Call a distant relative, just to keep in touch.

JUNE IS BUSTIN’ OUT ALL OVER!

I am always surprised at how quickly everything grows in June. We plant tiny little seeds or starts and in no time flat, the garden is flourishing. Hot weather and June rainstorms assure the miracle of growth. It's almost as if you can see the progress of each plant if you look closely enough. And, you don't have to take a long look to see that the weeds grow twice as fast as the vegetable plants! With a little help, the weeds will not win the battle and we will be rewarded with freshly grown, local vegetables.

June is a great month for perennial herbs. Our tarragon has already been harvested, and I just noticed that the Greek oregano is ready for its first cutting. Sage, thyme and chives are in bloom and the mints provide us with a natural air freshener each time we walk near them. Our annual herbs are also doing well--cilantro and parsley are ready for the kitchen, and the dill is getting ready to do its part in flavoring our pickled vegetables. I did a little pruning the other day and came away with a nice handful of basil. Some of it joined the party in our salad that evening. I saved a few leaves to flavor this tasty herbal beverage.

Sparkling Cucumber Basil Lemonade

A three inch length of cucumber, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

3 basil leaves

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey or agave

1/4 cup still water

3/4 cup sparkling water (plus more to taste)

Add the chopped cucumber to a blender or food processor with the basil, lemon juice, water and honey. Blend until smooth, then distribute evenly between two glasses. Add the sparkling water, again splitting evenly between glasses. Add some ice cubes, and garnish with basil, lemon or cucumber. Enjoy.

Note: This mocktail can be turned into a cocktail by simply using your imagination!

June also signals the end of harvest for some of our spring favorites. Asparagus season is almost over, so grab any you can find now--it won't be back until next year! The mighty pie plant, rhubarb, is also nearing the end of its 2021 run. Here's a great swan song for this sour fruit that really is a vegetable!

RHUBARB PUDDING CAKE

2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons soft butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour, sifted, then measured
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup boiling water

Grease an 8 or 9 inch baking pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with the chopped rhubarb. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Mix 1/2 cup white sugar with the brown sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla and flour. Combine well. If batter is very thick, add a little more milk to make it spreadable. Pour the batter on top of the rhubarb and spread it so that it completely covers the fruit.

Mix the remaining one cup of sugar with the cornstarch and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. Pour 2/3 cup of boiling water over the sugar mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped or ice cream.

Enjoy the freshness of the season. Radish, lettuce, kale, spring carrots and beets and lots of other local produce decorate our local farm stands. Sweet strawberries are ripe and luscious right now, soon to be followed by raspberries and blueberries. It's a great time to live in this valley filled with farms that give us wholesome, tasty food every day. Take advantage of the bounty!

Denise's Recipe of the Month

Herbed Farro Salad

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup whole grain farro

2 cups vegetable broth or wine

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup snipped chives or garlic scapes

1/4 cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup basil, torn into small pieces

1/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey or agave

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Place the olive oil and shallot in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the shallot slices begin to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and crispy. (about 15-20 minutes) Remove the shallots from the oil and place them on a plate covered with a paper towel. Give them a light dusting of salt. Set the oil aside to cool to room temperature.

Put the farro, broth, salt and bay leaf into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the farro is simmering and cook until it is tender, about 30 minutes. Pour the cooked farro through a strainer, then rinse with cold water until the farro is cold. Transfer the farro to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, herbs, toasted pecans, and garlic and carefully toss the ingredients together.

Once the reserved olive oil has cooled, add the Dijon mustard, honey, and vinegar and whisk until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the farro and toss to coat the salad with the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Best served at room temperature.

Cooked proteins, such as beans, chickpeas, chicken, or shrimp can easily be added to this salad. Makes 4 servings.