I’m writing this email this morning from a VERY pungent room, known as our office, which is also pulling double duty as our garlic storage room, now that we have cured some of it and it’s ready for eating. This always feels like such a BIG moment for us; the beloved crop that has been in the ground since All Hallow’s Eve and now is above ground in all of its glory nearly 9 months later, ready to make so many things better just by being in the mix. Garlic is a joy for us to share because it has truly been a labor of love, maybe more so than anything else we grow. Each bulb is hand planted, watered, weeded, dug, cleaned, tied, hung, re-cleaned, loved and inspected so carefully at each point. We hope you’ll enjoy this crop as much as we do. Aron still has the answer to all of your (and mine) questions about this crop and enjoys learning more and more each year. We’d be okay with being the smelliest farmers around, if we always smelled like garlic. Here is a video you may want to watch if you need some inspiration to use more garlic. This is our most favorite way to spend our down time right now, watching this gal do everything.
Ok, apologies because garlic really has been our main focus out here for the last few weeks and now that it is finally all harvested, we can begin to focus on some of our other summertime crops. So many of the beloved, iconic summer loves are SO close to being ready, it’s all happening so quickly this year. We’re well ahead of what our harvest records tell us we were doing in 2020 at this time, so thanks for being flexible with how we’re getting things out. Aron and I have been feasting on summer squash sandwiches for a minute and really want to share them and the idea of how to make them with you as well.
Here’s the quick version of how to get yourself a very summery tasting sandwich. We’ll be providing you with the produce for it, so you’ll just need to get some bread and cheese ready. 😉
Summer squash Sand-o’s
1 summer squash
3-4 basil leaves
1 clove of garlic
handful of salad mix
2 slices of rustic bread or a hearty roll
Olive oil
Mayo or more olive oil if you prefer
Semi hard cheese (cheddar or the like)
First, slice your summer squash into 1/4 in slices and put into a pan with a bit of olive oil on med heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and allow to brown, about 3-5 mintues, turn and allow the same for the other side. Set aside.
While your squash is browning up, get your bread into a toaster and toast just until it’s lightly browned. Pull out and grab your garlic clove and scrape the clove along the surface of the bread, using it as a grater to put a fine layer of garlic onto your toast. Spread bread with mayo and add the basil leaves. You can break them with your fingers or chiffonade them.
Now add a layer of the cheese to the bread and pile on the cooked squash along with as much lettuce mix as you prefer. (We prefer about 2 handfuls). Put the top bread slice on and DIG IN! It tastes like summer y’all.
Ok, now that you’re hopefully hungry and in the mood to hear about some more food, let’s get into this week’s share. We’ll have some extras if you’d like one, they’ll be $30 for pick up, with delivery fees extra, depending on your location in PDX. If you’re a first time customer please send us your best delivery address as well as a number to reach you on delivery day, Monday, July 12th, between 12pm and 3pm.
Here’s what else will be in the shares!
-Summer squashes! Expect to see a variety of squashes; Patty Pan, Rhianeau Gold and Romenesco zucchini. Each has been lovely in a variety of ways for us so far, so we hope they’ll make you as happy as they’re making us.
-Garlic cloves! These lovely purple beauties are dried and ready to make an appearance in whatever you have been dreaming up. We’ll be getting you Aglio Rosso this week which is a highly prized garlic that stores well and will get hotter the longer it is stored. The seed is highly sought out and we feel lucky to have been growing our own since 2018. Please enjoy!
-Salad mix! Another lovely addition of red and green leaves mixed to perfection and onto your salad or sandwich plate. So much of our lettuce crop did not enjoy 115 degrees a few weeks ago, so these little leaves are real fighters and we’re happy to get them to you. Eat the survivors!
-Bacchus radish bunches. These, sadly, may be the last of the radishes for awhile. They do love some cooler weather and we’ve likely seen the last of “cooler” for awhile now. They’ll return in the fall, so don’t despair. Enjoy their spicy crunchiness while you can.
-Basil and mint bunches. Use some of this basil for the above sandwiches and store the rest on the counter in a glass. Hang that mint somewhere that needs a splash of green or pop it right into a container and set it outside for sun-mint tea. Both really amazing on their own or fun to put together into a salad too.
-Rainbow chard bunches. Summer looks like colorful bunches of everything to me, including rainbow chard and all of its beautiful textures and shades. Chock full of so many vitamins, its nutrient dense and so satisfying to saute, grill or steam.
EXTRAS!
-Pickling cucumbers. $5/5 lbs If you’ve been dreaming of making your own pickles, this could be your moment. Let us know if you’d like some to put up for later.
-Bok Choi heads, $4 ea. These magic babes held on through the heat and look beautiful and are YUM!
-Mustard bunches, $4 ea. Spicy leaves of colorful goodness. Get some!
Ok, that’s it for us for now. We wanted to leave you with this moment here on the farm this week that touched us and reminded us of why we do what we do. (We love you Gabi, and Gabi’s mama, and papi and Samuel). It’s easy to loose sight of that sometimes, especially when we’re coming out of this pandemic and after things have been so strange, just in general lately. We’ve got deep love for our friends and chosen family who have spurred us on, encouraged us and helped us to bring this little farm dream to life. We know we thank you often, but it will never be enough. We do this all in an effort to feed you and to help bring you closer to your food and our Earth. We love you.
xoxo
Beth and Aron
Amos Acre Farm
Amos Acre Farm 