Hood River Organic

Celilo Restarant/Cor Wine Cellars/Hood River Organic Dinner of June 12th, 2011

2011-06-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

My husband and I came to the dinner not knowing what to expect, for one thing we'd never eaten at Celilos before and for another I over heard my boss (Brian) speaking to Chef Ben about the menu and he used phrases like "what do you think about quail eggs?" Quail eggs, I thought, how's that going to work? But, if your mouth works anything like mine, that night it said "Whoa, it works, IT WORKS!

As a whole I thought it quite a wonderful experience, the only thing I thought would improve it, is if there were a way that you could sit and chat with EVERYONE there!

Dee Farm Garden Journal 5/24/11

2011-05-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hey, I saw my friend today. I'm thinking tree frog, what do you think?
Brian got the irrigation system all up and working for me and it works wonderfully. I only had 1 problem with 1 of the sprinkler heads and I twirled it about by hand and it took off! The hoop house and 1 outside row have drip lines and 4 bin rows are setup with a sprinkler system. we can only water 1/2 of each section at a time, but this is sooooo much better than trying to go around the entire garden with a hose and a rainbird!
Other than a few things being nibbled on by the squirrels, things are really starting to take off, I mean things that were looking like "are they going to make it?" are looking wonderful to great!
We have strawberries, green of course, and alot of blooms I sure am looking forward to them!
Brain and Connie transplanted 7 bins worth of pepper plants this weekend.
The kale is coming back well now. The fennel looks healthy! The onions, leeks, chives, thyme, garlic, and sage all look great! The asparagus is going to seed now. Carrots from last year look like they're going to go to seed, also. The radished look well, considering that they've been nibbled on and the celery looks really good.
In the hoop house the tomatoes are looking very healthy and the speckled romaine came back and is looking good, even though it's, on and off , been very warm in there. The eggplants are still alive, I hope they take off soon.

Dee Farm Garden Journal 5/18/11

2011-05-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Well, we've gotton some sun, alternating with some rain lately and you can tell, things are starting to perk up around here. I did very little watering today, only spot watered the egg plants both in the hoop house and under hoods in the outside garden area and I watered the 2 bins of celery, which are also under hoods. The egg plants are holding their own and the celery looks good for having been transplanted just last week.
5 of the 10 bins seeded with radishes are poking their heads up. Much of the european spring mixed lettuce, the speckled romaine and the brocolli raab was harvested and sold today. More to come! I did notice that in a couple of the bins that have the harvestable spring lettuce mix, the black drip tubing is too close to some of their leaves and they're not liking it.
Many of the larger tomatoes are in bloom! 1 tomato in bin #39, got broken off, I noticed and some of the tomatoes are being covered in brocolli raab, does the raab think the tomatoes are cold? The temperature in the hoop house was 74 degrees when I was out there and the outside temperature was 64 degrees.
Outside the "hoop" all is looking pretty good, the garlic, thyme, chives (which are presently being harvested), sage, asparagus, beet greens (some of which got sold today), strawberries are in flower and look wonderful, salad onions are looking much better now that it's a little warmer, even the fennel and the kale look a little better, more like they're going to survive!

Dee Farm Garden Journal 5/6/11

2011-05-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well, fancy that it's cool and cloudy again. 48 degrees outside and inside our hoop house its 62 degrees. I left the doors closed today. Only watering bins #1-11, which contain newly planted European spring lettuce mix seedlings. Formerly these bins contained Pink beauty radishes, but they have all been harvested now. Much of the baby arugula has now been harvested also and these bins will soon contain new transplants. We've also begun to harvest chives, which are growing outside of the hoop house.

Note: all of our bins contain, at least, one tomato plant. By June 15th, all that will be left growing in the hoop house will be tomatoes. We will be watering these tomatoes two times per week, at that point, soaking them thoroughly and allowing them to dry out in between these waterings.
Also, all of our indeterminate varieties will be a bit labor intensive, as all new growth will need to be monitored for nodal growth.

Dee Farm Garden Journal 5/4/11

2011-05-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been so cool (as in cold) that I haven't watered in a week! But today while I watered it was sunny. (Is this where I'm supposed to insert a happy face?)
Note: Hoop house doors have to be left open whenever it's sunny, because the inside temperature will get to great. While I was in there, it was 68-72 degrees inside and 48-58 degrees outside.
We are Harvesting: pink beauty radishes, forellen speckled romaine, arugula, and some european spring mix lettuce. The spring raab is getting very close and outside there will be more brocolli raab soon.
Bins #1-3 have now been fully harvested of radishes and more european spring mix lettuce has been planted instead.
Radishes in bins #7-10 need to be harvested!
The tomatoes that have been planted are looking great, for the most part. Tomatoes that are still in their containers need to be planted. More staking needs to be done.
The containers of egg plants are still not looking good.
Scallions and onions under hoods are looking much better.
Found Foot steps in 2 of the outside bins, that have now been planted with scallions and some of the tiny plants were pushed over/under and I tried to fix the situation.

Dee Farm Garden Journal 4/29/11

2011-04-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

I didn't water again today, I haven't watered since 4/25/11. The soil is still moist as it's been cloudy and cool. Today it was 40 degrees outside when I went to check on things and 60 degrees inside.
The Pink Beauty radishes are ready to pick and will be put into the Saturday and Monday CSA boxes. Cool!
Some of our Casper eggplant starts, in containers, aren't looking so good. Combination of the coolnest lately and, possibly, there need for more soil in their containers.
Quite a few of our tomatoes have now been staked, but more need it.
Some of our speckled romaine leaves have been harvested now and it's looking like the arugula will be next! And this without much sun!
The bin of European spring mix, bin #37, looks like it's close. Just a little sun over the weekend and viola!
Bin #47 still has a potato trying to grow in it, I pulled it again. No evidence of potato in bin #48 now though.
Outside the brocolli raab is looking good again, but the kale remains decimated looking. Still alive, though. The scallion and onion starts are looking alright, a bit weak looking, but a little sun should perk them right up also.

Dee Farm Garden Journal-Monday 4/25/11

2011-04-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

It was pouring when I went out to water today and 30 degrees outside and 45 degrees in the hoop house. I watered the 8 bins of onion starts today. 5 of the 8 are looking better today after the sun we had on Saturday. The brocolli raab has been eaten on, bummer, it was looking good and strong on Friday. The kale raab has still not bounced back from this same problem. Squirrels, don't you know. In the hoop house the radishes are definately looking good enough to eat! Grass still coming up in the bins of speckled romaine, pulled again. There were 2 yellowed, sick looking plants in bin #17 that I pulled today. The potato plants in bin #47 came back up, I pulled again and now bin #48 had a potato in it also, which I pulled. Last 2 bins in each row of bins were, again, watered with a can. I got to pick radishes today, Pink Beauty's, about 11 lbs with greens!

Dee Farm Garden Journal-Friday 4/22/11

2011-04-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today I watered the 2 outside bins of brocolli raab, the plants are looking strong. I didn't water the 8 bins of onion starts as the cold got to them a bit, even under their protective hoods, and they were looking pretty sad. The hoop house today was 84 degrees when I first went in to water and 70 degrees inside when I finished. It remained 50 degrees outside the entire time and was a bit on the hazy side. 6 of the 10 bins of radishes look real close to being ready to pull. There is 1 tomato which isn't looking good at all from the cold, and others were hit a bit also. Some of the tomatoes need to be staked already. The arugula needs thinning. I thinned bin #12.
There was some grass coming up in the speckled romaine, so I pulled it. And 2 potato plants were coming up in Bin #47, so I pulled them. I continue to water the last 4 bins with a watering can.

Dee Farm Garden Journal-Wednesday 4/20/11

2011-04-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today I was visited by a very bright lime green frog with specks. (Specks, as in spots and not glasses.) The 48 bins inside of the hoop house are looking good, but I believe the arugula needs to be thinned. The temperature today was 64 degrees inside and 44 degrees outside when I went in to water. Two of the tomatoes already need to be staked. Outside the awning on the broccoli raab and kale has been removed. The broccoli raab is looking very good. Onion seedlings were transplanted outside on Monday and were covered with plastic hoods. I watered those today, also.

Dee Farm Garden Journal-Monday 4/18/11

2011-04-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Today I began a new adventure. I am now doing the watering at our Dee Farm. Since we have been having a wet (very wet!) spring, I only need to water in our new "hoop House" and underneath a protective awning where we have kale and Brocoli raab planted. In the hoop house it was a balmy 66 degrees (outside it was 42 degrees). We have seedlings inside of: arugula, Forellen speckled romaine, pink beauty radishes, heirloom cherry and other heirloom tomato varieties, european spring lettuce mix and spring raab. All is looking good, but there is evidence of flea beetle and rolly polly activity. Our hose was length/water pressure today was such that I needed to water the 2 end bins with a watering can. I feel tired yet refreshed! Is that possible?

Romanesco Cauliflower

2010-11-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

This vegetable was first documented in Italy in the 16th. century. Romanesco broccoli and Romanesco cabbage are alternative names for this variant form of cauliflower, whose shape resembles a natural fractal (a self-similar pattern).

This vegetable is rich in vitamin C, fiber and carotenoids.

It's species is: Brassica Oleracea L., which includes cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens and kohlrabi.

Romanesco Cheese Recipe
Use your favourite cheeses in the sauce for this recipe. It's important that it has a good flavour, or it will taste bland against the romanesco. This recipe also works well with broccoli or cauliflower.
Ingredients

Serves 4 as a side dish

•1 whole romanesco (also works well with broccoli)
•¾ pint milk
•1 heaped dessert spoon of cornflour
•½ teaspoon mustard
•1 bay leaf (dried)
•150g cheese (e.g. Stilton, crumbled; Cheddar, grated; parmesan, grated)
•salt & pepper to taste

Method

1.Remove the outer leaves and the chunky stalk, as you would for cauliflower.

Break the points off into medium-sized florets.

2.Cook until soft (up to 10 minutes for steaming, 5-8 minutes for boiling). Drain well when cooked and return to the pan, to keep warm.

3.While the romanesco is cooking, make the cheese sauce:

◦Warm the milk in a pan.
◦Add the cornflour and whisk until combined.
◦Add the bay leaf.
◦Heat the sauce gently, stirring regularly, until thickened.
◦Cook gently for another 2 minutes, then add the mustard. Mix well. Remove the bay leaf.
◦Add the cheese and stir until melted.
◦Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

4.You can either serve the romanesco on plates, with the sauce on top, or you can mix the sauce and the romanesco together.

5.If desired, put the romanesco in an oven-proof dish and cover with the cheese sauce, plus a little extra grated cheese.
Grill under a pre-heated grill (medium-hot) for 5 minutes, until the cheese starts to bubble and brown.

Cupboard-To-Table
20 minutes

Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin squash)

2010-11-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin Squash), pronounced: kah-bow-cha. Kabocha can be harvested all year round. This squash caught my eye this season and I looked into it and found it to be a very versatile squash. I found recipes for it like: pancakes (yes, pancakes), pies (supposed to be sweeter than butternut squash for this purpose), you can steam it, braise it, roast it and make soups from it. I even found a kabocha cheese cake recipe that looks wonderful.

The prime nutrient in kabocha is beta carotene. It's other nutrients include: vitamin C, iron potassium, folic acid, calcium and trace B vitamins.

Here is a sample of one of the recipes I found:

Kabocha Squash Soup by Chef Yuko Kitazawa
Recipe Summary
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

Amount Ingredients ChefsBest Award Winners

1 tablespoon butter Land O Lakes
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds kabocha squash, skin removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups chicken broth Wyler’s
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
To taste salt and pepper
Steps

1.Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium flame. Add the onions and sauté 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add the squash and stir to heat through, another 2-3 minutes.
2.Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Skim off any impurities that float to the surface.
3.Puree with a hand blender until smooth, and then stir in the half and half. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Notes

The natural sweetness of kabocha is enhanced by the addition of nutmeg.

Recommended Wines

Medium red; pinot noir; US Napa-Sonoma

Enjoy!

Laurel

wild mushrooms galore!

2010-10-22T09:20:00.001-07:00

Howdy Folks, we have had sooo many wild mushrooms to put in the csa box lately, we hope you have enjoyed them as much as we have...
The 2 most abundant right now are the Matsutake and the Chanterelle...The Matsy is kind of spicy with a piney kind of aftertaste and the chanterelle is very aromatic with lots of apricot aftertaste and just plain delicious!

As we move into winter we are limited by our cold temperatures as to what we can grow but we can still crank out the beets,carrots, spinach, kales, chards and even some romaine lettuce in our cold frames...as well full circle has some amazing potatoes, turnips and braising mix that will keep us full all winter long.
Also, we are going to be putting honey, hot breakfast cereal mix and the micro sprout mix to add to the winter flare

much neglected blog

2010-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

a hardy howdy to all our winter members. Sincere apologies for neglecting the ol'blogg'in stuff, none of us here are technologically inclined. Plus, we've been too dag-gone busy anyway.

We're confident you've been enjoying the winter boxes as they have been beautiful and bountiful.

Best of health and have a great year,

Dan

Winter is coming on

2009-11-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

We've got beets, we've got kale, we've got snow flakes too. The winter squash is gorgeous this year - perfect ornaments for the Thanksgiving table

About Us

2009-09-01T22:01:00.000-07:00