Busiest week of the year

Whoa - Wooden Hill just got through possibly the busiest week of the year.  Spring planting might have been busier, but last week sure felt tough.  We got through it though, and have bigger muscles to show for it... and now really value the simple pleasure of sitting down.  What made last week so busy, you ask?

...Welp, to begin with, we were busy harvesting delicious thing after delicious thing every day.  Those plants are tough to keep up with, which is exactly what we wanted !  The first corn harvest was HUGE! and went really well but we had to figure out some Macgyver tactics to keep it cool so we set up a mock (read:shabby) cooler here at el farm with some clothes racks and blankets.  But it worked!  Then we picked more tomatoes.  Then us 3 farmers ate 12 ears of corn, each.  

Then we picked more tomatoes.

We were also busy preparing wedding flowers for a wedding in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  We had 33 arrangements to prepare, which took the greater part of last week.  Flowers were cut late in the evening and early in the morning Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (when it's cooler out) and then arranged all day.  Everything turned out beautifully and the pictures from the wedding are absolutely gorgeous!  Congrats to Kenny and Barb on their recent nuptials!  

Then we picked more tomatoes.

Monday went really well with lots of harvesting and mowing going on.  Our fall crop seedlings look really good and strong and will find their homes in the fields starting early next week.  Tuesday, we took the day off and took a farm field trip to Raystown lake to visit a friend and neighbor at his lake camper.  We went tubing!  We went swimming!  We went on a boat!  We went fast on a boat!  We ate sandwiches!  We sat by a fire!  We ate mountain pies!  We did not go water skiing!  We all have sore muscles from tubing!  Charlton can't really move his shoulder!

Today, we picked more tomatoes.  And every other vegetable under the sun.  Literally, everything under the sun.  The hot, hot sun.  Then we drank iced tea and life was good.  Then we wrote a newsletter.  Then we wrote that last sentence.  Then we wrote "Then we".  Okay, that brings us up to speed.

CROP OF THE WEEK

 or in this case...herb of the week

 BASIL

Ohhhh Basil, how we love thee! Basil is a tender herb that is used a lot in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern and Wooden Hill Farms cuisines.  Basil is often said to have a sweet, yet peppery taste with some anise or licorice flavor that varies with intensity according to variety.  That's right, there are a bunch of different Basil varieties, 5 of which we grow here on the farm.  We grow a couple common Italian types called Sweet and Genovese Basil.  These are the varieties that most of us are familiar with.  I'm sure you've been a bit curious about the colorful Basil you've been getting over the past couple weeks.  This purple variety is known as Red Rubin and has a very similar flavor to the two green Italian varieties.  So, yes, you can use it in exactly the same way!   We also grow Thai Basil, which has a very distinct, perfumey aroma, and is, of course, traditionally used in Thai and Asian cooking.  You can also tell it apart by its small green leaves and dark purple stems and flowers.  Finally, thanks to a good friend, we're trying an interesting variety called Lettuce Leaf Basil this year, which has large savoy leaves and a stronger Anise flavor. Basil also has some pretty cool medicinal uses.  It can help with digestion, nerves and stress, as well as headaches.  Basil is also known for its antibacterial, antidepressant and antispasmodic properties.  (some info taken from The Vegetarian Cook's Bible)

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

First and Foremost,  we've been having tomato-basil-mozzarella sandwiches for lunch almost everyday as of late....we think you should join us.

MARINATED FRESH TOMATO SLICES WITH SWEET BASIL
serves 4

3 large ripe tomatoes
2 TBSP chopped fresh Basil
3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 TSP sugar
salt and pepper to taste
-slice the tomatoes into 1/4" slices, place into deep pie dish and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.  In small bowl or jar, mix together oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over tomatoes and basil, marinate at room temperature for 1 hr.  Sponn dressing over tomatoes occasionally while marinating.  Serve at room temperature

BOURSIN
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chives
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1/4 cup black, pitted olives
-In food processor, chop garlic and herbs. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth.  Add olives and chop briefly.  Transfer mixture to small bowl and serve with crackers, french bread or anything you like.  Can also be used as a sandwich spread.
( Both recipes taken from Country Wisdom and Know-How)