Introducing Kohlrabi......

A belated intro to one of our favorite vegetables: Kohlrabi. I really love Kohlrabi. One of our early CSA members, Jim Hornig, suggested that we grow it about 20 years ago. It is a fast growing brassica (member of the broccoli/cabbage family) that has been more common in Europe than the US. Of course, now that we have been introducing it to the Upper Valley for all these years, we see it more and more at other farmers' stands... just another example of Luna Bleu charting new waters from way back when.... or not...

Anyway, what should be done with this wild looking vegetable that looks like it may have floated down from outer space? Typically, people eat the "bulb" (really, a swollen stem), but you can also eat the leaves like you would collards or kale. It is best to peel the bulb with a paring knife because the skin is a bit fibrous. Then you can cut it up and enjoy it raw... use with dips or put into a salad. One of our apprentices, Aurora, made a lovely salad with julienned cucumbers, kohlrabi and carrots (we still have some in the cooler from last fall!). I don't know exactly what sort of dressing she made... maybe sort of a lemony vinaigrette... You can also cook with it. At this time of year, I like to put it in stirfry. It has a crisp and juicy texture... sort of like a water chestnut or maybe jicama (although I don't think I have had either for years... not since I have kohlrabi!). Of course it is also good in soups and other cooked medleys of vegetables or just on its own.

Enjoy your kohlrabi. If you would like to share any of your favorite ideas or recipes, just let us know.

Pizza Oven House

It has been about a year since we built our pizza/bread oven and now finally we are getting a shelter built for it. Steve Hoffman, a good friend of ours is doing all of the skilled work and we helped with a little of the heavy lifting. Now we have the beginning of a beautiful frame and all we need is the roof... Not sure if it will be completed by our next open house... but maybe...

It will be really nice to put away the tarp that now covers the oven all the time. We will also be able to store wood next to the oven and keep other supplies out there. Oh it will be so spiffy!

Tonalli, one of the WWOOFers who helped build the oven last year, is here visiting for a few weeks so she gets to help put this shelter up now!

Bridge Construction causes detours to farm

MILL ROAD BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Alternative Routes to the farm. The best route for most people is to go over Happy Hollow Road from Route 14. Happy Hollow is between route 110 and Welch's Hardware (on the right if going toward Bethel, on the left if coming from Royalton Village or Bethel)Go all the way up the hill to the end of the road (2.5 mile). Turn right at the T. Go about a mile. Look for a Luna Bleu Sign by our mailbox on the right. Our driveway is a sharp left turn. You might find it easier to go a little farther to the end of the road and turn around.

If you are coming from Tunbridge or points north on route 110, take Russell Road from Route 110 to get to the farm. Turn right up Russell Road. Go 1.6 miles and take a left to continue on Russell Road. Go a little over a mile. Take left at the next intersection (Mill Road) and go down the hill. As you go down the road you will actually see the farm and greenhouses on the right. Continue down the road, curve to the right and take the right on Rix Road. We are the second driveway on the right.

We'll try to make sure signs are up during this time. Don't forget to drive slowly on those back roads!!

Farm Open House

Here is a photo of the Catamount Solar guys putting up the first panel on our new pole barn roof. Long time follows will remember a post from back in December when we were working on this barn... in the freezing cold.. Well, these guys waited for one of the hottest days this year to get up on that nice metal roof. I think that is sort of a nice balance.

To celebrate the completion of this big project and the beginning of summer, we are having an open house on the farm this SUNDAY, June26 3pm to 6pm. Dan Kinney, one of the solar guys will be around to answer questions about our set up. We'll also give tours of the farm and fire up the pizza oven. Catamount Solar is bringing some things to nibble on and drink. Summer is here. Lets have some fun!

Just remember the Mill Road bridge is out so you have to go over Happy Hollow Road from Route 14 or Russell Road from Route 110 to get to the farm. We'll make sure some signs are up. Don't forget to drive slowly on those back roads!! RSVP can help me know how much pizza dough to whip up! 802-763-7981 or lunableufarm@myfairpoint.net

GARLIC SCAPES! I think of these as some of the great examples of local farms introducing people to a new and beautiful (in a weird and wild way) food. They are the "flower" of the most popular type of garlic grown in the Northeast. Despite what you might think from the previous post, we did not introduce this culinary treat to the world... we won't even try to take credit.

Young and tender like these, you can use them anywhere you would use garlic. They are also great brushed with oil and thrown on the grill. CSA members will find them in their shares for these next few weeks. The rest of you, just come to the farmers' market, or go out to your garlic bed!

What else is in the share this week... well, a little like last week... lettuce, bokchoy AND bokchini, a few zucchini and cukes, basil, spinach or chard, scallions... I think that is all.

What is it? Bok Chini!!

Luna Bleu Farm has taken to popularizing what would, to the less.... creative.... farmer, be seen as a bolting vegetable and turning it into a culinary treat! It is true, as a grower, I might be embarrassed by this photo. Yet, as YOUR farmer I am delighted to introduce to you a tender and tasty delicacy that we like to call "bok chini" (sort of like broccolini etc.) Typically would would not see this crop being sold with the pretty yellow flowers on top.... but what a loss to the world. I just started eating it in the field and found it crispy but still tender. It has a nice bok choy like flavor that ends with a little zip! You could certainly just eat it raw out of hand as I did or put it in salad. Most people would probably chop it up and make a little stir fry with it... toss in some of those scallions, a zucchini.... looks like a meal!

Earlier this spring we discovered kalini and tatsini from our overwintered kale and tatsoi.... they were hits at the farmers market. In a few years it will be all the rage. Just remember, you saw it at Luna Bleu first!

2011 Harvest Shares Begin

Well, the silence on the blog is because we have been so busy jumping around the crazy spring weather we have been having and trying to get things planted for the harvest season. Finally we begin to have some proof that we have been out in the fields planting for you. Here is the first CSA share. It is a little later than usual but we hope it will be worth the wait. The Zucchini and Basil are from one of our unheated greenhouses. The Scallions were actually overwintered outside from last fall's planting. Everything else has been growing rather slowly out in the field. It would certainly help if we had a little more sun and warmth (but please not the extreme jumps into the 90's!).
Although we love to complain about the weather and it has indeed been challenging here, I do acknowledge that we really should be counting our blessings..... we have not been flooded, haven't had hail or tornadoes or other severe weather events.... just inconvenient snows and rains...

We are happy to be harvesting for you all again. Despite the crazy weather so far, we look forward to an abundant year with lots of exciting things happening on the farm. We will get into the routine of a regular weekly blog post.