In the farm share this week we expect to have bunched carrots!  If the weather co-operates, we may have little red surprises too.  They can’t be picked when it is raining though.

It is dry and we are praying for rain.  In HRM you get a lot more precipitation than we do on the farm.  Here it is bone dry.  This week we hired Jeff with an excavator to deepen one of the ponds because we want to be able to hold a greater volume of water when it does rain.  Jeff hit some springs, so both ponds are spring-fed.  What a blessing!

There is always a debate about irrigation… do we use sprinklers?  or drip tape (tubes of plastic with holes that allow water to drip on to the crop slowly but surely)?  David is glad we have a combination of the two, but recognizes that drip tape is more water efficient.  Drip tape produces a lot of plastic waste though.  Without irrigation, and water to irrigate with, the crops would be dying by now.

So… we’d like rain but not when our friends are getting married, not when strawberries need to be picked, and not when we’re standing all day outside at produce distribution.  Picky, picky!  Let me rephrase that: at this point, we’ll take any rain we can get. Our house well has gone dry about 8 times in the past two days.  Thank God it is fed by a pretty healthy spring.  That well is used for washing produce, supplying the livestock with water, for all the people on the farm, and irrigating the seedling greenhouse.  It has a UV light on it to make sure it is super-clean for all those uses.

Here are a few photos from this week on the farm:

 

Recipes

Creamy Beet Tahini Dip from Ahu Eats

Ingredients

• 4 beets (medium cooked, or 1 15-ounce can of beets)
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 1 clove garlic
• salt
• pepper

Preparation

1. Cut your beets into rough chunks and add to your food processor or blender.
2. Add in the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
3. Start by seasoning with a ½ a teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper (you can adjust this later).
4. Blend or pulse for 30 seconds – use a spoon to scrape down the sides if necessary.
5. Very carefully get a taste with a spoon and adjust salt and pepper seasonings if necessary.
6. Continue to blend until reaching your desired consistency – I like mine not completely smooth but free of big chunks.
7. Serve immediately with your favorite dip-vessel like pita chips, chips, crackers or carrot sticks!

Spinach, Yam, and Lentil Soup from Ahu Eats

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 yams, washed and cut to a large dice
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 bunch Abundant Acres spinach
• ⅓ cup of lentils, rinsed
• 1 bunch curley parsley, washed and chopped
• 2 limes
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, melt the butter and toss in the diced onions, minced garlic, turmeric and a ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
2. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium-high until the onions are translucent.
3. Turn off the heat and toss in the chopped yams and rinsed lentils. Pour the stock over and cook over medium-low for 20 minutes.
4. Add in the spinach (just throw it straight in), beans, tomatoes and juice of 2 limes and cook for another 20 minutes.
5. You’re almost done! Toss in the parsley and give it a big stir. Taste your soup and add in more salt and pepper as needed.
6. Simmer another 5 minutes, then enjoy!