Our Table Blog - Our Table Cooperative

An Ol' Fashioned Easter Egg Hunt

3/31/2015

EASTER EGG HUNT
ON-FARM GROCERY
SATURDAY, APRIL 4TH; 11:00 AM
Come find our farm fresh eggs hidden among the blossoming blueberry bushes and tall spring grasses during our ol’ fashioned Easter egg hunt. Bring your own basket to collect the many hard-boiled and dyed eggs, courtesy of our pastured chickens, that will be waiting for you in our fields. There will be sidewalk chalk drawing and Easter treats galore.

Abundant Greens in the Grocery

3/25/2015

We've got lots of amazing local produce to celebrate the first week of spring!
Fresh this week from Our Table...

Parsley Root
Beets
Leeks
Kale Raab (last harvest, hurry before it's gone.)
Lacinato Kale
Braising Greens
Cilantro
Garlic Chives (garnish any dish or add to salads, stir fry, or pasta)
Shallots

From our friends at Gathering Together Farm...

Arugula
Spinach
Spring Mix
Radishes
Sunchokes
Yellow Onion

We also have...

Cauliflower (Siri & Son Farms)
Green and Savoy Cabbages (Siri & Son Farms)
Large Chioggia Beets
Pink Lady Apples
Navel and Valencia Oranges
Blood Oranges
Fresh Ginger Root
Red Onion
Cipollini Onion

All De Casa Fine Foods are 20% off through Friday. Pick up some salsa, bean dip, and tortillas along with fresh cilantro from the farm and you've got a tasty meal. Or let us do the work and pair it with the Chicken or Pork Enchiladas that are fresh out of the kitchen.

Spring? When was it winter?

3/20/2015

Hey everyone! Happy first day of spring to you all! It's been too long since we've talked I know, but now I've got so many things to fill you in on, so get ready. There have been projects galore going on on the farm the past month or so. Karen has been getting the greenhouse ready, not only just seeding, but setting up new irrigation and more tables so we can have more space for seed trays. There's also flowers coming up everywhere so it's shaping up to be a colorful season with Karen Flowers' flowers. Jen has been busy streamlining our wash/pack space making it more efficient and putting systems in place that will last for generations to come so we can be the best wash/packers we can be. Eric has been busy putting together our irrigation plan, our fertility plan, our organic certification plan, our cultivation plan, and in his free time he can be found seeding our spring crops in the fields and hoop houses. On the perennial side, Eugenio recently attended a comprehensive blueberry seminar, so he is now a blueberry master. He's been leading a crew through all eight acres of blueberries first doing pruning, then digging out blackberries, then spreading fertilizer, then spreading leaf mulch. Everyone is just working so hard, and it's great being able to see it paying off even this early in the season.

Our spring greens are popping up everywhere! Seeing these little guys come up never gets old. (this is 5 different varieties of mustard)

As for me, I got to do some cool tractor maintenance I've never done before, changing transmission fluid, hydraulic fluid, changing filters...They should be in tip top shape for the season so I'm really happy about that. And, I'm still actually working on the final touches of the hoop houses. This is basically what a finished end wall looks like (the three other end walls don't have the vent on top yet). The weird end posts you see simply stop the plastic roller from swinging in the wind and banging against the ends. The vent on top is actually super nifty and is attached to a piston that is controlled by a little wax cylinder. When it heats up inside, the wax expands, pushing the piston out opening the vent, and then when it cools the wax contracts, pulling in the piston and closing the vent automatically. Oh ya, I said it was nifty :) I also built little side doors that you can't see, so in the winter we can completely seal up the houses and still get in and out without having to roll up the ends, all while the automatic vents provide the air flow we need. It's been a fun project, though I am looking forward to them being totally finished.

Today was a really busy day for everyone. This was basically my view all day ----------------------------------->
which is fine with me because bed prep is one of my all time favorite things to do. So, I thought I'd give you a little run through on how we prepare the beds for planting into. To start, the ground is actually first broken about 4 weeks before it's scheduled to get planted into, which allows time for plant residues from previous crops to break down. And within those 4 weeks there's probably a shallow pass or two with the tiller to knock down any weeds that are trying to come back (usually grass). But, lets say those 4 weeks have gone by and now we want to plant so what do we do? First thing is fertilizer. We spread a nice mix of organic fertilizers right onto the planting surface so we cover all our nutrient needs (this season we're doing a mix of feather meal, kelp meal, gypsum, and dolomite lime). Then we use this neat implement -------------------------> called a rotary plough to dig out the pathways between beds and throw the soil onto the top of the beds so it raises them up a bit. This allows the beds to warm up and dry out faster, which is what we need for planting in spring. Then a shallow pass with the rototiller incorporates the fertilizer, levels out the bed top, and makes the soil nice and fluffy for planting, and there you have it! There are other nuances and optional steps that I'm leaving out, but I hope to put together a field-work/bed-prep workshop soon that I can do at the store and in the field with folks that are interested, so if you'd like to see something like that give a shout out!

There are two beds being prepped here. The strip of white is the fertilizer, and as you can see I already made a pass with the rotary plough on the bed to the right so it is already raised and has soil covering the fertilizer. (And in case you were wondering, the blue thing is the actual rotary plough, while the rest of the machine is our two-wheel tractor that can have multiple implements attached to it.)

Have a great weekend! And I'll definitely talk to you soon!
Til' next time,

Louis

Happy Spring Equinox from OTC Grocery!

3/20/2015

At long last, the Spring Equinox has arrived. Between all the seeding, cooking, and general scurrying about the farm today, the vibe at the co-op certainly reflects this new season feel. Jump into spring foods with us this weekend at OTC Grocery!

COOKBOOK SWAP
SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST; 1:00 PM
It's our second swap this month. Freshen up your cookbook library with a new book from your neighbor. Bring an old book and leave with a new one. We've got kombucha, wine, and beer on tap for you to enjoy while perusing books.

IN THE PRODUCE CASE...
Our kale raab, braising mix, leeks, beets, green onions, cilantro, and parsley
Gathering Together Farm spinach, mixed greens, arugula, mizuna, kale, and radishes
Siri and Son Farms green cabbage, savoy cabbage, parsnips, turnips, and sunchokes
Plus cauliflower and brussels sprouts

IN THE READY-TO-EAT CASE...
Black-eyed pea soup with savoy cabbage and smoked ham hock
Potato leek soup
Chicken enchiladas
Pork enchiladas
Oven roasted chicken breast over a spring mix salad
Roasted beets
Hummus
Arugula pesto

Last Winter CSA share!

3/19/2015

Your farmer forgot her phone charger today so alas--a plain photo!

Winter CSA - Week 6

In the share this week:

Blue Solaise leek - so flavorful, one of my favorite leek varieties.
Two chicories: Bellesque frisee and Cornet de Bordeaux escarole - these chicories you should be familiar with but we are so proud of how beautiful they look with all this agreeable weather!
Andover parsnip - always sad to see the last of this great root
Yellowstone carrots - a great cooking carrot for soups, roasts and more!
Champion collard greens - sweet and delicious, I could even eat these raw.
3 Root Grex beets w/greens - these winter sweet beets haven't been in the share yet this season. Their greens are delicious and the roots are great raw in a salad or roasted.

We can't believe the Winter CSA is already over! We thank you for hanging in there with us and being flexible to the whims of farming in the winter--even with great weather you never know what is going to happen. We look forward to a short break and then Spring CSA begins. Unfortunately we sold out of our Spring Share but summer is right around the corner and you can sign up for a Summer CSA Share here.

Thanks so much for all your support. We hope you love the vegetable as much as we do!

Jen

Cookbook Swap #2 at OTC Grocery

3/16/2015

COOKBOOK SWAP
ON-FARM GROCERY
SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST; 1:00 PM
It's our second swap this month! Freshen up your cookbook library with a new book from your neighbor. Bring an old book and leave with a new one. We've got kombucha, wine, and beer on tap for you to enjoy while perusing books.

Certified Local Kickoff Party

3/12/2015

ON-FARM GROCERY
SATURDAY, MARCH 14TH; 1:00-4:00 PM
Our newest offering of Oregon grown and crafted foods demands a party, so this is just what we're doing. Similar to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription, our Certified Local Boxes are seasonal subscriptions representing a mix of foods and products. Contents are sourced from Producer Members of Our Table, packed at the co-op in Sherwood, and then delivered weekly to a neighborhood location for pick-up.

At Saturday's kickoff party, get the scoop on how the boxes work and taste some of what's included. We'll be taking sign-ups while Deck Family Farm grills up sliders.

Tomorrow's tastings: Sweet Honey Farmacy & Oak Knoll Winery

3/6/2015

ON-FARM GROCERY
SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH;
10:00 AM (SWEET HONEY)
3:00 PM (OAK KNOLL)
The best medicine is what you eat every day. Food is medicine, and most importantly, preventative medicine. Learn about the health benefits directly from the Sweet Honey farmers that grow, forage, and craft delicious, nutrient dense products that keep you healthy and vivacious.
Later in the afternoon, we'll move into a wine tasting with Oak Knoll. With a long family history in local wine making, Oak Knoll will present a mix of its Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir from Washington County.

The sun keeps shining...

3/5/2015

KALE RAAB
With all this sunshine and pleasant weather a treat that usually doesn't come around until Spring is here! Kale raab
(the tender flowering tops of overwintered kale) is delicious eaten raw or sauteed and added to pasta, pizza or whatever dish you feel inspired with. Kale raab is only available for a short time each year and is an absolute treasure. We hope you enjoy!

GOLD BALL TURNIPS
These winter turnips have been sitting in the ground getting sweeter and sweeter by the day. Once you peel the woody exterior you will be pleasantly surprised at the flavor waiting for you on the inside. I would add them to a salad or just eat them alone. Along with the root, the greens have a great flavor but should definitely be cooked.

We've been busy as bees running around getting ready for the upcoming season. To the left is a shot of our propagation house that is very quickly filling up!!

Over and out,

Jen

Swap cookbooks this Thursday

3/3/2015

We're kicking off March events at our grocery with our first co-op cookbook swap. Freshen up your cookbook library with a new book from your neighbor! Bring an old book and leave with a new one.
COOKBOOK SWAP
ON-FARM GROCERY
THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH; 4:00 PM

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