As we move from spring to summer, the days at the farm
are still filled with many labors—we are not done with all our planting
and much of what's in the ground is still at the fragile stage
of needing lots of attention to ensure an abundant summer and fall bounty.
While we may not yet be able to steal a taste of something as we are picking,
we do get enough signs of encouragement to keep us going.
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| growing Dragon Beans behind "the fig" They look cool now, but when cooked, the bean will lose its variegated color. Good thing you can also eat them raw! |
"The "Dragon Tongue" bean is a dual purpose bean,
qualifying as a fresh pod
bean as well as a dried legume.
When harvested fresh, the entire bean,
shell and "seeds" are edible.
The bean has a warm cream color with
vivid violet
variegations throughout its stringless pod.
Its shape is
broad and the bean measures to an average of six inches in length.
The
pods are crisp and succulent and bear four to six plump bone white seeds
with pink to purple stripes that turn tan with age.
The fresh seeds
are firm, slightly starchy, nutty and sweet."
We have to wait a bit to see what magic our chefs will create with these.
Check out this primer on other bean varieties
and how to use them
So yes, even with our labors, we are doing a lot of waiting these days.
Waiting for vegetables to grow, for seeds to set,
for blossoms to mature and fruit to ripen.
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| eggplants growing |
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| squash seeds just planted |
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| we can't harvest the potatoes until the flowers have finished blossoming |
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| Indian Blood Peaches starting |
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| soon to be apricots |
If you are waiting for your garden to grow, or if you aren't able to have your own farm,
check out the Farmers Markets near you.
While it's true that even those who farm for a living
may not be at peak time yet, you might be surprised
at some of the gems available now.
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| Sonoma Farmer's Market photo courtesy of Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau |
If you do want to grow your own vegetables and have your own "backyard farm,"
there are lots of great resources to help you.
In the North Bay, there's "Let's Go Farm,", where you can purchase vegetables to plant,
join their CSA and also buy from their bounty at area Farmers Markets.
Joey Smith, the young man who founded "Let's Go Farm," explains:
“One of my goals is to show people that they can
grow a lot of food on a very small piece of land.”
This video also gives you an idea of how to create your own "farm" at home:
Still wondering how to get started? Or need some tips?
Check out Garden Nerd.
And still one of our favorite online resources is SmartGardener
And in the "creative ideas" department,
we couldn't resist this use of a ladder:
More ideas to share: The headline for this post was
Easy recipes to use what you are growing
or finding at the Farmers Markets.
Back at our farm, we are waiting for those potatoes
that are getting close to harvesting.
Besides the obvious go-to creation for them:
here's our Fingerling Potato Confit recipe
Fingerling Potato Confit Serves 6
2 pounds Fingerling potatoes, cut in half
4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
11⁄2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Place the potatoes in a deep cooking pot along with the olive
oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Make sure the potatoes are
completely covered by the oil (add more oil if necessary).
Heat the oil and cook the potatoes until soft, about 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow the potatoes to rest in the oil for at least 10 minutes.
What are you waiting for from your garden?
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