Collaboraton! JW’s Farm & Harmony Gardens…
This week at Atherton Market, JW’s Farm and Harmony Gardens combined forces to bring you a great selection of delicious, sustainably grown, chemical-free, winter produce!
Being the time of year where neither of our garden’s are producing at full tilt, (c’mon, it got down to 24 degrees in Charlotte last night!) JW & dhijana have worked out a partnership to sell both of our offerings from one booth on Saturdays from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. We’ll be taking turns “minding the store”… so that you’ll still have access to BOTH farmers’ goods each week!
Michihili (mi-CHE-he-lee) – Chinese Cabbage
When we first planted the seeds for this <new to us> variety of Chinese Cabbage, we were expecting small, oval ‘bok choy’ sized heads… but we soon realized we were in for a BIG surprise!
Don't be intimidated, even though one head is approx. the size of a Miss America pageant bouquet!
This tall Asian green has coarse, dense, narrow leaves with a deeper green outer color and lighter green interior with wide, flat white ribs. A quick internet search revealed that it can be used for fresh, raw salads or braised/stir fried as a cooking green.
It was very good stir fried , with a little olive oil, some onion, and soy sauce to taste. Quick, healthy & delicious… BUT we still had quite a bit more in the fridge & began looking for a way to use this gigantic veggie at least a pound at a time… so, with the change in weather, we started thinking SOUP!
The recipe below can easily be adjusted down, using 2-3 leaves of michihili cabbage (or a smaller head of cabbage, such as bok choy or napa cabbage) and 1/2 the amount of the rest of the ingredients, incase you don’t have a large enough soup pot. When we made it, we used ground turkey for the “meat”, but next time we are going to try some ground pork or pork sausage, which we expect will have even more flavor. If you are vegetarian, you can leave the meat out and add an egg or two, if you are not vegan.
CHINESE CABBAGE SOUP
In a pot, pour some cooking oil, (use whatever you normally use – we use olive oil and it doesn’t affect the taste) and saute the onion until golden brown. Add the ground meat and brown.
Add the sake and the water. Bring it to a boil and then add the chicken stock and soy sauce. Add the chopped Chinese cabbage, sesame oil and finally, the white pepper. Simmer until cabbage is done.
Onced served, you may find it needs a little bit of salt or more soy sauce, (but taste first, because most chicken stock and soy sauce have a pretty high sodium content.) Season to taste and enjoy!
PS. We should have LOTS of Michihili all through the fall, on Saturdays at the Atherton Market. We hope you’ll get some & give this recipe a try!
Atherton Market – 10.2.10
Harvesting under autumn stars, envigorating! Just picked for Atherton Market Saturday… Arugula, Eggplant, Okra, Peppers, Salad Mix, Radishes, Swiss Chard, Turnip Greens and first time this season – Komatsuna (aka. ‘tendergreen mustard spinach’) Come see us, 9 am – 2 pm.
Then we’ll be up again at dawn to get the Chinese Cabbage (Michihili), Sweet Genovese Basil, and Baby Collards before we head to market! Also, last chance for Fall Veggie Transplants (Brussels Sprouts & White/Purple Kohlrabi) Hope to see you!
Garlic Planting time is about here!
I’ll be planting the Inchelium Red from last year’s crop (gracing my front door) and adding 4 new varieties this year!
Florida Speckled Butter Beans
It’s finally getting cool enough at night that my butter beans have started blooming. This variety should hold up well against the relentless 90 degree days we’ve had for so long.
How to LOVE weeding!
Just got a Valley Oak Wheel Hoe in late August & it is awesome. Weeded between all of the newly planted row crops in less than an hour!! Why didn’t we know about this amazing tool before now??!!
Our NEW favorite garden tool!!!
Just look at those weed-free rows!
So easy, even Rascal wants to give it a try!
Atherton Market – 9.4.10
First harvest… crisp & tender!!
It’s Labor Day weekend… and you know what that means!! The kids are back in school, Summer is coming to an end, and great Fall produce is just around the corner!
But wait! Lucky you!!! You don’t have to wait for Sept. 22 (the autumnal equinox) to enjoy a crisp & tender Garden Blend Salad… because we’ve just had our first harvest of the new season of a great mix of delicious, chemical-free lettuces…
Bibb, Black Seeded Simpson, Butter Crunch,
Grand Rapids Leaf, Parris Island Romaine, & Oakleaf!!!
Come see us on Saturday at Atherton Market and you’ll also find peppery baby arugula, ‘Rosa Bianca’ eggplant, okra & green peppers, Chinese cabbage (bok choy) greens, heirloom ‘Sugar Baby’ (personal sized) watermelons, and of course, our awesome sweet ‘Genovese’ basil!
We look forward to seeing you between 9:00 am & 2:00 pm!
Did someone say, "Arugula"?!?
JW's Farm 
