The first farm shares will be distributed this Thursday!  I’ve included 3 recipes at the bottom of this post for using what is in the share.

Such an exciting time on the farm.  Everything is growing fast and loving all that compost.  The lilacs are finally out and the birds are having little ones, or banging loudly on the metal mailbox.  Hundreds of little birds singing and swerving around like mini-fighter pilots!  It smells great, sounds great, and I’m sure there’s lots of action under the soil surface too.

Some housekeeping… I have just updated the website with pick up times in Bedford (5-8pm), Fleming Heights (4-7pm) and Seaforth will likely start around 2pm.

The hens have just started to lay a couple of weeks ago.  That means most of the eggs are small and some are way big.  They will even out soon and we’ll have ‘normal’ sized eggs in a couple of weeks.  Please be patient with the hens.  They are so giving and they are trying their best.  They are doing a great job weeding the raspberries too.  

I went out and took a few photos this morning:

 

Recipes!

Rhubarb snacking cake (rhubarb, eggs)

From Smitten Kitchen

Cake
1 1/4 pound (565 grams) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths on the diagonal
1 1/3 cup (265 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice (psst, skip ahead and zest it for the cake before you cut it)
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups (165 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup (80 grams) sour cream

Crumb
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces, or 55 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Make the cake: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or a nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper, extending the lengths up two sides. (It will look like a sling). Stir together rhubarb, lemon juice and 2/3 cup sugar and set aside. Beat butter, remaining sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at at time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Whisk together flour, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon table salt and ground ginger together in a small bowl. Add one-third of this mixture to the batter, mixing until just combined. Continue, adding half the sour cream, the second third of the flour mixture, the remaining sour cream, and then the remaining flour mixture, mixing between each addition until just combined.

Dollop batter over prepared pan, then use a spatula — offset, if you have one, makes this easiest — to spread the cake into an even, thin layer. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the cake, spreading it into an even layer (most pieces should fit in a tight, single layer).

Stir together the crumb mixture, first whisking the flour, brown sugar, table salt and cinnamon together, then stirring in the melted butter with a spoon or fork. Scatter evenly over rhubarb layer. Bake cake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when a tester comes out free of the wet cake batter below. It will be golden on top. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Cut the two exposed sides of the cake free of the pan, if needed, then use the parchment “sling” to remove the cake from the pan. Cut into 2-inch squares and go ahead and eat the first one standing up. (If it’s written into the recipe, it’s not “sneaking” a piece but, in fact, following orders, right?) Share the rest with friends. Cake keeps at room temperature for a few days, but I didn’t mind it at all from the fridge, where I kept it covered tightly.

Saag   (mustard greens, spinach, other greens)

Thanks to Benjamin Lee

(Saag is an intense greens dish. We love it!)

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

2 large onions, diced

Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

½ to 1 hot chili, seeded and sliced

Ghee or other neutral-tasting fat

Large bunch of mustard greens, washed and roughly chopped

Large bunch of spinach, washed and roughly chopped

1/4 cup tomato purée

½ tsp garam masala

Sea salt

In a large pot over medium heat, fry onions, ginger, garlic and chili in ghee or butter until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add greens, cumin and ½ tsp salt, and stir until just beginning to wilt.  Incorporate tomato paste, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for about 8-10 minutes.  Once greens are very soft, blend everything to a purée.  Add garam masala, and season to taste with sea salt, and serve.  Traditionally served garnished with paneer (but cheese curds will do in a pinch!).

Bacon-Balsamic Turnip Greens  (spring turnips)

Thanks to Benjamin Lee

1 handful of bacon, cut into small strips

1 large onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, sliced

Bunch of turnip greens, washed and cut into 1-inch lengths

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

turnip, sliced paper-thin (garnish)

In a frying pan over medium heat, fry bacon until it’s crispy and rendered. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in pan.  Turn up heat to medium-high, add onion, garlic, and ½ tsp of sea salt, and cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times.  Turn down heat to medium low, cover pan, and cook for 5 minutes.  Uncover pan, turn up heat to medium, add balsamic and cook for 1 minute.  Add greens, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The greens should be wilted, but still vibrant.   Adjust salt to taste, grind over some fresh black pepper, and garnish with crispy bacon and turnip slices.  Serve immediately.