Week 6: July 17, 2012

July 17, 2012

Sugar Snap Peas, Snow Peas, Shelling Peas, Beets, Parsley, Green Onions &

Romaine Lettuce

            In the past week I feel like we have spent most of our time picking peas.  Friday we picked for market and yesterday we picked for the CSA, out in the heat without a breeze both days. You eat so many peas and when you think you cannot possibly eat any more you see the perfect pea pod and you just have to eat it.  L Ugh

            The garden is growing like crazy, the tomatoes and squash have doubled in size since last week and the cucumbers are finally blooming.  The carrots have sized up and will feature in next week’s shares.  The animals are all dealing with the heat as best they can.  Everywhere you go there are groups of panting sheep.  They all act like they are seriously over heated, crowding into the tiniest piece of shade thrown by a gate or fence post when they could be resting under the trees, and then you watch them all go out to nonchalantly graze in the sun.  The pigs have created several large mud wallows, and the piglets love rolling around in the mud.    

            One of our Muscovy ducks has decided to try hatching another batch of eggs.  She has parked herself in the bottom of the barn beside the bag of grain we feed to the milk cow, so well hidden no-one knew she was here.  Last Thursday Lisa was carrying a table back to the CSA area when the duck freaked out, and flew right through the glass window of the barn.  Poor Lisa went running outside expecting to find a gory mess, and the duck was perfectly fine; not a feather out of place.

Easy pea ideas

Sugar Snap peas

Take off the stem end and string on the sugar snaps.  Drop into boiling water and cook until just tender.  Drain and toss with a good dollop of garlic butter or herb butter.  Serve

Snow peas

Remove the stem end and place the snow peas in a pot.  Pour boiling water over the peas and let sit for 1 minute.  Drain and chill.  Drizzle with sesame oil and a little soy sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve warm or cold.

Altamura Pea Soup – Minestra di piselle di Altamura

olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 large handfuls of freshly shelled peas, keep the shells

2 pints chicken stock

9 oz dried spaghetti, broken into 1 inch lengths

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

optional, 1 sprig each of fresh mint, basil and rosemary

small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

“If I am using fresh peas, what I like to do to make the soup even tastier is boil up the stock with the shells of the peas.  You can do this while you’re frying the onions.  Then you can strain the stock onto your onions and peas when they are ready.”  Jamie Oliver

 

Pour a good glug of olive oil into a pan, add the onions and fry slowly for 10 minutes. Stir in the peas and chicken stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.  Cook your spaghetti in salted boiling water for half the time recommended on the package, then drain and add it to the pea soup to finish cooking.  It is nice to add the springs of herbs and pop them into the soup to give it a nice fragrance, removing them before serving.  When the pasta’s cooked, have a taste of the soup and season carefully with salt and pepper.  Divide the soup between the bowls, drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with the parsley. 

Jamie’s Italy,  Jamie Oliver 

Meg O’Mally --- Folk at the Farm

Wednesday July 25^th at 8pm – all are welcome!

 “From the oceanside forests and farms of Canada’s West Coast, comes the free-range style of O’mally, a fresh face from British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, and a breakout artist with a distinctive sound.  O’mally’s well paced clawhammer banjo and acoustic guitar layer her strong and earthy vocals, and are complimented by the clear harmonies of fiddle player Elise Boeur, culminating in a collection of delightfully orchestrated yet simple old time and folk songs. “

Acoustic folk artist Meg O’Mally is a friend of my brother’s from Victoria.  Last year she put on a wonderful show in our hay barn and we are lucky to have her back again.    We will set up benches and will carry on regardless of the weather.   Bring chairs if you would like to be more comfortable.

DIRECTIONS to Ranfurly Farm, 797 Bailey Road:  Turn south off Highway 1 onto the Squilax Anglemont Road.  Turn left onto the Squilax Turtle Valley road (it is the only road between Highway 1 and the bridge).  Travel 4.8 km up into Turtle Valley and turn left onto Bailey Road; you should see a sign for the Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge pointing down Bailey Road.  Go 2.5 km and you will see the Ranfurly Farm sign on the right.