growing Maha greens We’ll have a bumper crop of greens again this year. As the days are getting longer and the rains keep the soils moist, the leafy greens in our gardens are really responding. Prized salad greens grow best in this weather, and are an easy crop for even a beginner. Spring leafy greens will need a lighter soil with high fertility and good drainage. Add lots of compost and an extra source of nitrogen, either composted manure, worm castings or fish or blood meal. When buying fertilizer, the first of the three numbers on the fertilizer package will give you the nitrogen content. That number should be significantly larger than the other two numbers, maybe 3 to 5 times larger. I particularly like the leaf lettuces because you can be picking off their leaves for weeks or months even and the plants continue to produce. The oak leaf varieties and the deer leaf and the beautiful ruffle and colorful varieties they sell these days. I plant very thickly and then continue thinning these as we eat our way through spring. Romaine lettuce is a hardy producer and a regional favorite, but remember not to crowd this variety. It needs room to fill out. Though they can be delicious, I have difficulty with the soft buttercrunch varieties They grow slowly and sweetly and the slugs find their way into the heads and ruin the crop. So, romaine is the primary “heading” lettuce we use. But there are so many more leaves to try in our salads. I fell for baby turnip greens a few years ago. This is a turnip variety that does not produce a large root. I have been saving these seeds for years now. They grow so quickly and the leaves are easy to snip off with a scissors. They grow very much like the arugula, which is also easy to save seed for. Just toss a handful of these two types of seeds into a well dug bed in March or early April and you’ll harvesting these salad greens all through May, maybe June if it stays cool. And of course, if you planted your beets in early spring, they will need to be thinned and you can add those little leaves into your salad mix. Remember that the beet seed is actually a small fruit which sprouts several plants from each "seed". Thus, to avoid crowding the developing roots, you will need to thin your beets. Salad growers all over the Northwest have their favorite “designer” salad mixes. Experiment with what your family likes best. Try tiny kale and mustard leaves which are very fast growing. Don’t forget the perennial plants that add zest to a salad. We grow a couple kinds of sorrel and love the lemony, tartness on sandwiches and in salads. Add snipetes of salad burnett, fennel fronds and watercress. And while you are snipping through the garden, add the tips of some chick weed which are a healthy, little treat. Perhaps add a couple tips from your pea vines which are also a treat in a salad. As we get into June we use a different strategy for growing your salad greens. Many of these early spring greens will bolt (start flowering and producing seeds). Leave a couple blooming plants, tie them to a stake and tag them so you can save the seeds for next spring. Compost the rest as they will loose their sweet flavors. For summer greens try planting New Zealand spinach, mizuna, purslane and black seeded Simpson lettuces. I’ve had good production from other lettuces like slowbolt and valmaine. Generally you’ll want to plant a short row of greens every month to have a regular diet of green salad. Besides keeping them well watered, try to give them a spot in your garden with afternoon shade. Enjoy the spring time. Keep growing your food and your community.Anza Muenchow July harvests begin The salad mix has baby lettuce, new zealand spinach, various herbs and sorrel. There is also a head of romaine. The onions have started bulging. We tossed in a couple of early carrots with the onions. Our second crop of bok choy has arrived. The fresh garlic bulb was picked today and so has not been dried for keeping. Just leave it out in a warm, dry place as you use the cloves. We also tossed in the last few garlic scapes and some mature cilantro, which we added into our pasta salad along with the peas for our lunch. We finally have our big crop of peas that we expected at the end of May or early June. The snap peas are the fat ones and the fattest ones can be quite sweet, many people like to snack on them. The flat ones are snow peas, popular in chinese food. Both are edible pod peas, good in salads or cooked dishes. We have also included 6 eggs this week from our chickens. Notes from the Field: "We’re harvesting our garlic these days. The early varieties are hanging up and drying in the shed. Next week or two we’ll get the rest harvested too. So, we are sending you some before they are dry because it can be so difficult to cook without good garlic. It is fine to use your garlic bulb right away or let it dry. The garlic scapes needed to be picked, so we included them too. I enjoy chopping into salads, omelets, soups, anything really. I did find myself pulling the skin off the larger tougher scapes before chopping. There are a couple pink raspberries appearing on the vines. You may see those in your boxes in a week or two. The onions are getting bigger as you can see. Real bulbs are forming now as we continue to thin and make room for them to grow. I have found that slicing onions, salting them and letting them sit for a few minutes before adding to a salad makes them juicy and less pungent. Maybe because I’m wanting more salt in my diet these days too. We’ve been busy getting the new Tilth Wed. Farmers only market organized. It opens July 4th 4-7pm and will continue late afternoons until Sept. 26th (my birth date). This market will offer cheese, milk and meat too. Stop by!" Your farmers, Marc and Anza Mid june harvests The salad mix has romaine, heart lettuce, and arugula plus a few herbs. The second broccoli harvest is smaller as we finish picking the first heads on our plants. Later in the season, we will pick the small heads that have just started growing. We threw in some chinese broccoli, or gai lan in most of the bags. The gai lan stems and leaves are delicious and tender. We put some green onions in with the baby beets in a bag. The beet greens are delicious with just about any dish you would use for spinach. Or try steaming or sauteing. The peas are small, but continue to bloom. We are optimistic about a bigger harvest for next week, when we typically would be past the peak harvest. We have also included 4 eggs this week from our chickens. Notes from the Field: That was a good rain, but it lasted all morning. I kept waiting for it to stop. Of course, as soon as I finished at 2pm the sun comes out. Now it is even warm outside. I picked soggy strawberries, tried to dry them with a hair dryer and then just ate them myself. Sorry, but I needed the energy.We continue to coax out of our developing soil some good produce. All the summer crops are in, but growing slowly. I picked a cute salad mix with sorrel, New Zealand spinach, arugula, leaf lettuce and whatever herbs I found and put it in the bag with the romaine. (Toss with a light vinegrettte maybe) I'll plant more greens this week. Eat up! Beginning the 2007 season of gourmet veggies Our first harvest of 2007 includes assorted lettuce, baby spinach, baby arugula, cilantro, and radishes. Of course, cilantro is a good addition to many cooked dishes as well. You might want to try some of the radish greens or arugula in a stir fry with the bok choi. See arugula recipe below as well. If fresh radishes are too hot for you, try cutting radishes in half and placing them in a small roasting dish, sprinkle with about 1T of olive oil and about 1t of salt, to taste. Roast at 425° for 7 minutes, stir and then cook another 7 minutes. Eat cooked radishes as side dish or add to other dishes. Rhubarb for desert, several recipes below. Enjoy. Your farmers,Anza and MarcMaha Farm FRESH FROM THE FIELD:Anza reports "Weather is finally warmer, so we are finishing the last radishes and bok choy. We thought of calling the bok choy a new lace leaf variety, because the slugs have been enjoying the leaves too much. The stems are delicious in a stir fry and we tried to save you as much of the leaves as possible. We washed it very well, but as you pull it apart you will probably have to wash the stems even more. We hate sharing so much with the slugs, but that what organic growers have to do sometimes. The cold temps have slowed the pea plant growth, we're at least two weeks away from the first harvest." For the arugula:Arugula , Italian style Wash and finely chop the arugula. Stir fry arugula in olive oil, garlic and pine nuts. Let cook for about 5 minutes or until the arugula is tender. Serve hot over pasta with a generous sprinkling of parmesan or other Italian cheese. For the rhubarb:If you don’t have time to cook the rhubarb into a lovely sauce or dessert (like a cake, pie or crisp), rhubarb is easy to freeze for later use. Just chop into the size of piece you may want to use later and put in a zip lock freezer bag and freeze. It is great to add to any pie or baked item later in the season. I try to have several bags of rhubarb in the freezer by the end of summer, so I can bake up something tasty during the winter months. Here are some possible rhubarb recipes for now or later. Rhubarb Pie Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method-------- ------------ -------------------------------- 3 c Rhubarb, 1" slices 1 c Sugar 1/2 ts Grated orange peel 3 tb Flour 1 x Dash salt 2 tb Butter or margarine Combine all ingredients except butter or margarine. Line a 9" pie plate with Orange Pastry**. Fill with rhubarb mixture and dot with the butter or margarine. Top with lattice crust. Bake at 400 degrees 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. ** Substitute orange juice for the water in your favorite pastry recipe. Rhubarb Cake Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method-------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 1/4 cups light brown sugar -- packed 1/2 cup shortening 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups flour -- sifted 1 1/2 cups rhubarb -- diced 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon Cream 1 1/2 cups sugar with the shortening. Mix the buttermilk with the baking soda and add it with the egg to the sugar mixture. Add flour alternately wiht rhubarb, then add the vanilla and pour into a greased and floured 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixed with the cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.NOTE: Dark brown sugar can be substituted for the light. Looking forward to the 2007 season Has it really been a year since I looked at this page? Well, we've been really busy. Last week we cleaned our saved seeds and we have tons of things to plant. Also, we've ordered some new seeds from the lovely seed catalogs that we have been receiving. We are in the process of talking with last years cutomers about the varieties and things they want us to grow for them this year. We'll have all the old favorites (onions, garlic, peas, beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, herbs) and some new things planned(edamame, interesting greens, choys). The berrys and fruit trees are looking good, despite a challenging winter. We are excited about growing more plant starts to sell at the farmers market and to our customres. The flower seeds are so tempting in the catalogues, but we don't have that much space with deer protection, so we have to limit ourselves.The forest was transformed in some areas by the wind storms this winter. So many trees down. Big ones that will take days to clear out of the way. All the little ponds are full of water. We should have a bumper crop of frogs this year. Guess we'll have plenty of fire wood for next winter. 2006 growing season, finally We are so excited to actually be planting seeds for this season's crops. We have several kinds of the peas and parsley seeds planted in the garden. In the green house we have lots of different onions, shallots, lettuces, Brassicas and assorted cut flowers. It is still suppose to be near freezing tonight, but we are thinking about the spring and summer garden all the time. Thanks again to our returning customers in Seattle and welcome to the new Whidbey Island customers.We look forward to an even more bountious harvests in 2006 Welcome to MahaFarm.com - Sept. 9 2005 Welcome to the webpage of Maha Farm and Forest! You'll be able to find various information about Maha Farm here. We hope you find the webpage useful, please feel free to contact us with any comments. Enjoy!