High Star Farms and the Big Ouch

Baby Turnips, this week's harvest at High Star Organic Farms. 

Try the recipe (below.) You might like it!

Wednesdays, I volunteer at a local organic farm ~ though this week it was more trouble than toil.

The naive notion was for me to enjoy one quiet, zen-y farm day, every week, where I weed and harvest and let someone else do the thinking.

If that is even possible.

The whole time I was weeding I kept worrying about all the things on my own to-do list that weren't getting done. (I hate it when I do that.) Then C handed me one of their 'garden machetes' for harvesting lettuce.

Be careful, she says, they are very sharp. Yeah, yeah I thought to myself, completely distracted. Marched over to the lettuce bed and promptly sliced my index finger almost to the bone.

Baby Sunflower rejects rescued from the compost bin, destined for my flower garden.

If I had the subliminal wish of getting outta there early to get back on schedule with my own chores, then chopping off the finger worked like a charm. Though, it absolutely didn't. Since I spent the rest of the afternoon at the clinic.

Roasted Turnip Chips
(Don't knock 'em 'til you've tried 'em.)
- Slice turnips potato chip thin.
- Drizzle with olive oil
- Sprinkle with rosemary, chopped garlic, salt and pepper.

Roast in a 375 oven, for about 15 minutes.
Flip & brown on the other side, bake for approx. 15 more minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How Do You Do It?
I'm a flower girl. So, I'm sure I'll learn a lot while volunteering with the veggies. However! I am already bumping into a few confusing 'policies.' Such as thinning beets. Which I've never done. Though I thin carrots at home (for which my horses are eternally grateful.) I do so by watering the bed, to make the soil moist, then pulling the entire plant, tiny carrot root and all, out of the soil. So, the carrot neighbor has more wiggle room. Yesterday, I was told that all you have to do is cut the greens from the crowded beet neighbors and those beet roots will stop growing. Whaddya think? Is it really that simple?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS: If you're looking to be supremely healthy, it's the turnip greens, not the turnips, that contain all the good-for-you benefits.