Farm Update from Farmer Josh
We have made great strides in planting, the Spring has been dry so far. We have planted in the ground many things – peas (sugar snap, regular, snow), early potatoes, carrots they are just about to germinate, garlic is at the 3 leaf stage already. Lindon is planting non-organic sweet corn once we get planted we will put plastic over it to keep it warm. Corn likes warm soil to germinate. In the tunnels we have lots of spinach planted. There is also beet greens, white turnip (hakurei or spring turnip), radish and greens mix (arugula, tatsoi, kale, mizuna) planted. We always plant some strawberries in the tunnels and they are in bloom! Once a strawberry blooms you have about 6 weeks, they have been in bloom for about a week. We should have strawberries the first of June!! The sheep had their babies, we have a total of 30 lambs and every lamb is black, they are full of themselves. You are welcome to come see them! One of our pigs had piglets, they are out running around. The daffodils are blooming. We had our first lot of chicks come in. We are working land. It has been a very busy week on the farm!
Wishing you all a nice weekend!
Stinging Nettles: A Spring Treat, and so much more!
Recipes and Information
Be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands when preparing nettles!
Stinging nettles grow wild all over at TapRoot Farms and are super tasty. The reason behind the irritation is that the plant is covered with super-fine, sharp needles/hairs that puncture your skin and transfer chemicals that trigger a histamine reaction in humans and animals. The stinging power of nettles is instantly dismantled when they’re cooked (and by cooked, we mean anything from pureeing into a soup or quickly steaming/blanching the leaves). What you’re left with, once the scary stuff is out of the way, are delicate greens, with a flavor like a spinach-cucumber hybrid and so many nutrients we don’t even have time to list them all.
Nettles have long been used in natural medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties, and they have the added bonus of tasting delicious. You can really use nettles anywhere you’d use spinach, and we’ve collected a couple of easy recipes for you to try!
Apart from the fact that the plants sting, nettles are a wonderful ingredient to use in soups, pasta dishes, frittatas—basically in any cooked dish where you would use young spinach. If you do happen to come in contact with stinging nettles, you can rinse the area with cold water, dab dry and then apply aloe vera or vinegar to the affected area. Alternatively, I read online on a few different sites that you can wash the affected area with soap and water, which may help sooth the irritation.
Nettle Soup: https://foragerchef.com/classic-nettle-soup/
Nettle Pesto: https://honest-food.net/nettle-pesto/
Veggie Share:
- Yellow potatoes
- Spinach
- Nettles
- Beets – Elmridge Farm
- Kale
- Green cabbage – non organic
Combo Share:
- Yellow potatoes
- Spinach
- Nettles
- Organic Grape Tomatoes – PEI
- English cucumbers
- Jonagold red apples
- Sparkling Apple Blueberry Juice
Meat Share:
- Sausage
- Chicken breast
Fruit Share:
- Organic Grape Tomatoes – PEI
- English cucumbers
- Jonagold red apples
- Sparkling Apple Blueberry Juice