As you noticed the garden kicked it in gear and we had more! Not all the shares are alike–we have three groups A, B, & C.
Everyone:
Caraflex cabbage,
Purple Viking potatoes,
Hakurei Salad turnips,
zucchini and summer squash,
Tasty Jade cucumbers,
broccoli.
Group A & C: Islander Bell Peppers– purple this time of year
Group B & C: Watermelon Radishes.
Here’s some additional information to get the best use out of your produce:
Caraflex Cabbage is sweet, early, and appropriate for slaws and cabbage burgers. It is cone shaped! (Recipes item #35, #36)
Purple Viking potatoes, purple pink mosaic skin, white interior. Flavor and texture–EXCELLENT! These are an early potato and were not field cured–so they can bruise and spoil sooner than cured potatoes which keep months. Because the Purple Viking are an early potato, they grow and split, heal over and grow and split. Some of the BIGS are bizarre looking–but worth the effort to fix them for fried. These are organic–you can eat the peels. (Do not store potatoes in enclosed bags–they sweat and spoil–open the bags up…best at 50-55 degrees…outside the fridge.)
Hakurei salad turnips are usually eaten raw…the bigger ones can be cooked. Some people eat the tops braised with bacon fat. Turnips will become stronger tasting the older they get…eat sooner than later to enjoy!
Cucumbers are in the same family as melons. They do not keep long. Tasty Jade will keep longer than Sultans. I think Harmonie keeps the longest of what we grow. (Keep them bagged to prevent refrigeration damage. But they will become a gross, slim-ball in the fridge if forgotten.)
Broccoli will keep quite a while in the fridge. Best flavor earlier. We are waiting for the next ‘batch’ so we can get some good heads! (Freezes easily–blanch, cool, and bag.)
NEW ITEMS:
Islander Bell Peppers are light meated in color and texture. They are purple now and then change to an orange and then to a red. Generally smaller than the green or red bells. I prefer them raw. These just started producing–more will be available for Group B–our largest group.
Watermelon Radish–Sweet type of Daikon. Also known as Red Meat. Great in salad and as a snack. Peel and slice. (Will keep in the fridge for a longer time than regular radishes. Considered a storage root.)
Enjoy! The Farmer’s Wife
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