April 6, 2013

It is finally feeling like spring, well sort of.  How about it sounds like spring?  The Red-winged Blackbirds are back making lots of noise in the trees and the Robins are like marauders overrunning my yard looking for worms.  The Canadian Geese are back on the pond along with the Mallard ducks.  And of course the ground is getting softer every day.

In Your Share this Week

New baby Spinach

·         Winter grown greenhouse spinach

·         Winter grown Buttercrunch lettuce

·         Leek

·         Eggs

 

Recipe

You are probably wondering what to do with all of this spinach?  Spinach is very versatile.  It can be eaten raw in salads (my favorite), but that’s a lot of salad!  It can also be sauteed, steamed, added to eggs, put on pizza, layer it on a cold or warm sandwich…lots of choices. 

A quiche is an excellent option for any meal of the day.  Alone for breakfast, with a salad for lunch or a light evening meal. 

I use the biggest pie pan I can find, put a crust in it and bake until lightly golden.  You can buy ready-made piecrusts or puff pastry.  These work great and save time, especially if pie crusts aren’t your special talent (they aren’t mine!)

But if you would like to make your own:

·         1 ¼ c flour (I mix some whole wheat with the white)

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         1/3 c plus 1 tbsp. shortening (I use butter)

·         3-4 tbsp. water

Combine the flour and salt and cut the shortening into this until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle cold water, 1 tbsp. at a time, evenly over the surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.  Shape into a ball; cover and chill until ready to use.

Roll out the crust and place in a pie pan, prick the bottom with a fork and bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes and you are ready for the quiche ingredients. 

·         Saute the leek in a little butter before placing it on the baked quiche crust.

·         Meat:  not necessary, but I always fry a few strips of bacon, drain and layer on top of the leeks;  cooked ham or sausage would work as well.  If you want to steer clear of meat but would like protein, open and drain a can of butter beans and layer the beans on top of the leeks.  A can of tuna would work just as well.  (Tuna + bacon + 1 tsp. of powdered mustard mixed with the eggs)

·         Sliced mushrooms – if you have any.

·         Wash, drain and chop your spinach – as much or as little as you like and layer this on. (Some recipes say that you should cook your spinach first, I think it is personal choice, it wilts in the quiche anyway.)

·         Grated sharp cheddar or gruyere with your ham?  As much or as little as you want.

·         Sprinkle the top with a little salt and pepper .

·         (Chopped parsley – I hope to have some for you soon!!!!)

·         Eggs – crack and whisk.  How many?  Depends how big your pie pan is.  Start with 4, whisk with a little milk or water and pour over the top.  (Sometimes I have to whisk a few more).

Bake quiche at 350° for 40 minutes or until eggs in the center of the pie pan are set.  Eat warm or cold. 

 

What’s Happening on the Farm?

Buttercrunch Lettuce

Do I need to mention that everything is later this year than last?  The overwintered greens are doing well, the spring planted seeds are much slower than I had anticipated.  The early carrots are about an inch tall and were planted in February.  Hopefully there will be a little arugula next week or the week after to spice up your greens.

The outdoor garden soil is just getting ready to be tilled.  I did get two rows of leeks transplanted.  This year I decided to create permanent beds and walkways in one part of the garden.  I wanted to square this garden up and layout 50 foot rows so rotating crops and green manures will be much easier.  In order to have it look semi-professional, I wanted to square up my corners to make sure they were all 90 degree angles.  Does anyone remember how to do that from high school math?  It’s a 3-4-5 triangle with the 5 being the hypotenuse, or a²+b²=c².  So, my a=40ft. my b=50ft and so my hypotenuse should be around 64ft.  With two tape measures, I measured either the 40 or 50 ft. segment and the 64ft line and where those met was my stake and therefore the right angle.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, it took me about 5-6 tries before I staked out the outside of the garden – hadn’t even started on the beds.  Who says we don’t use high school math?