Since it is so warm, we went down to the farm to open the high tunnel. The first photo shows a view of the high tunnel with the sides open. See the plants inside? They look great! The second photo gives you a better view of the growth inside the tunnel. We took off the low tunnel that you saw in the pictures last week.

Here is a look at the pea field.

The beans don’t look like much right now but just wait. This warm weather should be encouraging growth.

Because of the freeze on Mother’s Day weekend, the potatoes were set back a bit. They sure look good now. The bags you see in the photo were used to mark the rows; we don’t need them anymore but haven’t taken them out yet.

Have a guess what this might be? A tent city perhaps? Actually each one of those tents houses a giant pumpkin plant. We used agribon fabric over hoops to make the tent. This will protect the pumpkin plant from all sorts of things and give them a good headstart. Hopefully we will get some giants out of these plants. Hopefully one will set a new record for us.

That’s all for now; check back next week for our latest photo tour.

Growing up with a Polish mother, I saw a lot of cabbage on the dinner table usually in the form of golabki (cabbage rolls) or sauerkraut. I really didn’t like either but I did like the inside of the cabbage rolls. Luckily for me, my dad would eat the cabbage and let me get away with eating the inside. As an aside, I also didn’t like the pepper part of a stuffed pepper, just the insides. (I know, very strange).

I am still not a big fan of cabbage, although I do like cole slaw a whole lot. However my husband and the kids are way bigger fans of cabbage than I am, which is good for us since we grow the stuff.

About

Cabbage developed from a wild mustard plant that flourished along the Mediterranean Coast as well as in Denmark and England. Some mention of cabbage has been found dating to the early days of Greece.

There are several types of cabbage:

• Green  -  The most popular type available. Used for everything from cabbage rolls to cole slaw.
• Red  -   Has a  nice red color that adds beautiful contrast to salads and stir fries.
• Savoy –  Has a loosely formed head with crinkled leaves, great for cole slaw. Available primarily in October and November. It is very tender and sweet.
• Chinese –  There are two varieties included here: one is an oblong cabbage used primarily for salads and Chinese dumplings and the other is bok choy which does not form a head but leafs in clusters.

Varieties We Grow

• Platinum Dynasty – a main season cabbage
• Ultima Vantage –  a mid to late season green cabbage
• Red Dynasty – a main season red cabbage
• Super Red 80 – an early red cabbage that is highly rated for appearance and taste
• Rona – a deep red late maturing cabbage that is good for storage
• Savoy King – considered by many to be one of the best Savoy varieties

Yields

One and one half pounds of cabbage yields about 4 servings. Ten pounds of shredded cabbage yields about four quarts of sauerkraut.

Freezing

Cabbage becomes limp and loses flavor when frozen. Canning is also a problem with cabbage as it discolors when canned. So don’t can cabbage unless you are making sauerkraut.

Fortunately cabbage will stay crisp for several weeks if you remove any outside leaves that may be wilted before storing in your refrigerator crisper drawer.

Serving Tips

Add shredded cabbage to your salads.

Combine shredded cabbage with other vegetables and stir fry until crisp tender.

To boil cabbage, heat one inch of water in a large pot until boiling. Add wedges or shredded cabbage and cover pot. Cook wedges about ten minutes; shredded cabbage about 5-7 minutes. As always, cook until tender crisp. Salt and serve with seasonings of choice.

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, add several cups of shredded cabbage. Pan fry only until wilted, stirring regularly (about 10-15 minutes).

Nutritional Value

• Cabbage is rich in vitamin C, with 1 cup shredded raw green cabbage containing about 1/3 of the daily requirement.
• It is a very good source of fiber, manganese, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acieds.
• Cabbage is also a good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, and protein.
• It is low in calories with 1 cup shredded cabbage containing only 24 calories.

(Once again, it isn’t Friday but at least I am quicker than I was last week!)

A shot of broccoli from our 2009 crop

I don’t ever remember having broccoli as a child; I first encountered broccoli in my college dorm dining room. Every Saturday night was a steak dinner night with different sides every week. One week we had broccoli in a side salad and to my surprise, after surveying this strange vegetable, I found it to be quite tasty.

ABOUT: Originating in the Mediterranean countries especially Italy, broccoli is a member of the cabbage (or cole) family. Broccoli is another cool-weather crop (like peas) that does not like  hot summer weather. This vegetable has been grown in the United States since colonial times, but achieved popularity in the years prior to World War II when grown widely by Italian immigrants.

VARIETIES WE GROW:

Diplomat – a late summer/fall broccoli

Packman – an early broccoli

YIELDS: 1 pound of broccoli yields 6 cups raw, trimmed pieces (florets and stems) which is the equivalent of 4 to 6 servings.

2  to 3 pounds broccoli will yield about 2 pints frozen broccoli.

FREEZING:

Wash broccoli. Remove leaves and woody portions. Split lengthwise so florets are not more than 1 ½ inches across. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water or steam for 5 minutes. Cool promptly in cold water and drain.
Pack into airtight freezer containers (we use freezer bags and squeeze excess air out), leaving no head space. Seal, label, date and freeze. Use frozen broccoli within 8 to 12 months for best quality

HOW TO PREPARE:

Broccoli can be steamed, stir fried or eaten raw. Add a little lemon juice to lightly steamed broccoli. It is delicious in salads or with your favorite cheese sauce.

RECIPES:

Look for a great recipe coming up on Tempting Tuesday – May 11. Think yeast bread!

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

• Broccoli is an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, potassium, folate, and fiber. Broccoli has more Vitamin C than some citrus fruits.
• Need more calcium in your diet? Broccoli is a great source of calcium.
• It is also low in calories with a one cup serving of cooked broccoli having 45 calories.

(No, today is not Friday, it is Sunday. Despite the post’s title, I am not posting this on a Friday, although that was my intention. From now on, I hope to post every Friday about one of our crops.)

(a look at our pea patch in 2009)

Peas are one of my favorite vegetables. However, while growing up, I never knew there were any other kinds of peas other than the ones that come in a can from the grocery store. Lucky for me, I learned that there are different kinds of peas, all delicious.

One of the other things I remember from childhood was my mother’s ongoing battle with my brother to get him to eat his peas. I never understood what he didn’t like about them but then he probably never understood why I don”t like onions. So I guess we’re even.

ABOUT: Peas are what is known as a cool weather crop. They love the cool spring weather and absolutely detest the warm summer weather. So we usually have peas for sale during the month of June, along with our strawberries.

Peas are a member of the legume family. There are three different types of peas:  garden peas (English peas), snap peas and snow peas. We grow two types of peas: snow peas and sugar snap peas. Snow peas have a flat edible pod and are picked when the seeds inside the pod are barely formed. Sugar snap peas have an edible round pod with small seeds inside.

VARIETIES WE GROW:

Sugar snap peas – Cascadia

Snow peas – Oregon Giant

FREEZING:

We froze several quarts of peas last year and it was well worth it come those cold winter days when you crave vegetables. The sugar snap peas seemed to freeze better for us. We tried the snow peas and the results were disappointing.

Instructions for freezing:

1. First, wash and trim the pea pods.
2. Set out a large bowl with either ice water or really cold tap water. This will be used to stop the cooking process before freezing the peas. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanching no more than one pound of peas at a time, drop peas into boiling water and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave the peas in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peas to the ice water bath and soak for approximately 5 minutes. If you are using tap water without ice, change the water several times to help cool the peas.
4. Remove from water and drain.
5. We use plastic quart freezer bags to store the peas. Fill the bag with peas and try to remove as much air as possible. Freeze for up to one year at 32°F or below.
6. Both the blanching water and the ice water bath can be reused as you work your way through your vegetables.
   

RECIPES:

One of our favorite recipes is one I discovered last year. In fact, it was chosen by Rebekah as her birthday meal which tells you how much it is liked around here. Give it a try – Magicland Farms Chicken and Snow Pea Skillet. Although the recipe calls for snow peas, sugar snap peas work just as well.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

• Green peas are very low in calories – only 41 calories per cup.
• Green peas are rich in dietary fiber.
• Green peas slow down the appearance of glucose in the blood and thus, help keep the energy levels steady.
• Peas are a  good source of protein, vitamin A, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, phosphorus and copper.
• They are a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin and manganese.

I apologize for my lack of postings lately but that doesn’t mean that things have been quiet around here. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been able to start planting at the farm. We  even put in some sweet corn, hoping that the warmer than normal weather will provide us with early sweet corn. Here is what has been happening at the farm.

• The orchard got pruned and the brush hauled away.
• The first planting of beets went in.
• Our garlic crop is about six inches tall and looking good.
• All of the broccoli (early, midseason and late) has been planted. Also we have planted most of the cabbage.
• The sugar snap peas have been planted.
• The high tunnel is in use with the first planting of tomatoes.
• Norland, Yukon Gold and Kennebec potatoes are in the ground.
• New strawberry plants were purchased. They are in the ground being grown on plastic.
• Our famous Newaygo Newaygo onions were transplanted in the field. Hopefully they will do well this year.

There is much more to  come and we will keep you posted as things happen around here. Also, I have been working on the blog behind the scenes and hope to start posting regularly next week.

The harvest season is in full swing now at Magicland Farms.

Some of the items we have available now are:

Sweet Corn – BiColor and Yellow are in now. We do have white sweet corn coming a bit later in the season.

Snap Beans – We have both yellow and green varieties, picked at the peak of tenderness and flavor

Tomatoes – Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes and our Little Red tomatoes are in and as always delicious. We just started picking slicing tomatoes and hope to be regularly harvesting them soon.

Apples – Quinte and Vista Bella are the two summer apples available now. We also have 1/2 bushels of utility apples for $3.

Peaches – Candor and Early Red Haven are the varieties available now – however not by the bushel.

Potatoes – Our delicious red potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes are available now in quart, 1/4 peck and 1/2 peck quantities.

Kohlrabi – Try this unusual vegetable in cole slaw; it makes a great one!

Cabbage – Just started picking this today.

Cucumbers, pickles, beets, carrots, broccoli, zucchini and summer squash are available every day while supplies last.

We picked the first sweet corn of the season today. 11 bushels were picked and are available for sale at the stand. Hurry on down and get some!

• Green Beans – available by the bag, the peck and the half bushel
• Garlic – Our German Extra Hardy garlic is excellent for your cooking needs. The aroma is just wonderful.
• Zucchini and Summer Squash – The zucchini has take off. One day there wasn’t much and now we have a lot. Summer squash is also coming on although slower.
• Lettuce – This year we have Freckles (an heirloom romaine) and Bibb lettuce available.
• Beets – Looks like there will be plenty available.
• Broccoli – This is a new item for us and we are harvesting quite a bit of it right now.
• Potatoes – Red potatoes are available in the quart, 1/4 peck and 1/2 peck sizes. They are delicious.
• Cucumber/Pickles – We just started picking these and hope to keep up the supply in the days to come.
• Kohlrabi – Lots of great looking Kohlrabi available. Be sure to try it in cole slaw instead of cabbage, YUM!

The crew has been busy picking today despite the hot weather (which we are grateful for as it really helps the crops).

We still have strawberries for sale, this will be the last week for that. We have now added snow peas and radishes. Sugar snap peas are coming.

In the near future (hopefully) we will be having our famous green beans, potatoes and zucchini.

Happy eating!

Despite the rain today, the crew managed to get some strawberries picked, along with garlic scapes. The strawberries have been wonderful and we hope to be picking them for the next several days.

Hopefully we will have peas for sale next week. We have both snow peas and sugar snap peas planted and hope to have a nice crop of each.