Magnesium 101, The Miracle of Magnesium

Magnesium is essential to more than 300 biochemical processes in the human body and over 3,700 magnesium binding sites. The functions the need magnesium include:

• Blood pressure regulation
• Protein synthesis
• Neurological function
• Blood sugar control
• Energy metabolism
• Antioxidant production

Most of the US population is deficient in magnesium.

This post is about magnesium rich natural food sources...

Black Beans, Lentils and Black Rice with Cilantro (Gluten Free)

By the time this is posted we will have cilantro in the garden. This is a cold salad with a black rice, bean and lentil base. Very inexpensive and good for you. Lots of fiber and Glutin free.

Here is the recipe...

Ready to Use Herb Transplants

There here is nothing better than fresh herbs for your cooking. They have the kick of flavor the way you remember herbs should taste. Often you find herb starts at the local green house are very modest in size and you resign yourself to several months of growing time before can use them.

We have found that people really like our larger herbs that you can take home and use immediately.

First Fruits

We had some beautiful 50 degree weather today. I took Reed to do his driving test after work, he passed. Good job Reed!

I got home a little early so I planted our first greens of the 2014 growing season.  I planted...

Sun Dried Tomato Butter

Sun dried tomato butter is a great flavored butter recipe to use on your sweet corn or other buttery things.

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
garlic clover, minced
2-3 minced sun dried tomatoes (Petersens), pour boiling water over and let stand for 15 minutes to soften
A small Roma tomato, chopped finely, cored and seeded.
2 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup cilantro (Petersens) or parsley (optional)

Directions:

Combine butter, garlic, lime juice, sun dried tomatoes and regular tomatoes and cilantro together
Shape mixture into a log (about 1 inch around) on waxed paper. Wrap and chill. Slice and use with sweet corn, green beans or other vegetables.

Kick It -Up:

• Add more garlic
• Add a jalapeno, minced.
• Sprinkle the outside of the log with fresh ground pepper
• Sprinkle the outside of the log with black & red sprinkle (Pensey's)

Squash Blossom Salsa

A wonderful combination of flavors and textures from unusual ingredients. We have a good supply of squash blossoms now at the farmers market.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup finely diced zucchini or patty pan squash
1 Roma tomato
1-inch piece of jalapeno (more to taste)
4 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic
4 squash blossoms
juice of half a lime

Directions:

1. Place onion, 1/2 of the squash, the tomato, Jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and squash blossoms in a blender and blend until chunky
2. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and add remaining diced squash. Saute over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the puree from the blender or food processor and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the salsa is thickened and any excess liquid had evaporated. Salt to taste and set aside to cool. Chill in refrigerator.

Serve with chips, quesadillas or tacos.

Kick It Up:

1. Add some corn.
2. Add more Jalapeno
3. Add more tomato
4. Make a bigger batch with more blossoms and proportionally more other ingredients.

Corn with Cilantro Butter

In the honor of our first week of sweet corn we have been trying different flavored butters. One of the yummy favorites has been Cilantro butter. We have some excellent baby cilantro that works with salsa as well.

Ingredients:

12 ears of corn, husked (Petersens)
One stick of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped (no stems please) (Petersens)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or a good mineral salt (optional)

Directions:

Blend butter, cilantro, and spices in a bowl or food processor. Spread the seasoned butter on hot corn, dust with chili powder and salt if desired, serve immediately.

Kick it Up:

Use extra butter on tuna steaks, chicken breast, or toasted french bread

A Simple Fresh Salsa Recipe

A salsa kit contains all the vegetables that it takes to make a great salsa. Once the tomatoes start we offer this weekly. It can vary a little from week to week early in the season, don't worry about the exact proportions, about anything works. The kit typically contains the following:

• Tomatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Jalapeno
• Sweet Onions
• Tomatillo
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Salt and Lime to Taste (not included)

We suggest you add salt and lime, but we don't grow those so they aren't included.

It would typically be about twice the cost to gather up all the ingredients separately so this is a pretty good deal. Makes 1.5 quarts of salsa.

A Simple Fresh Salsa Recipe

Instructions to assembly your salsa. It is easiest to use a food processor, but you can make salsa with just a sharp knife.

Chop up the garlic, cilantro and jalapeno first (if you want it hotter, leave the seeds in, otherwise remove the seeds). Add bell peppers, tomatillo and sweet onions and pulse the food process several times to chop. Cut tomatoes into quarters and pulse again to chop. If you want chunky only pulse a couple of times. If you want a smoother salsa, pulse a few more times.

Enjoy!

Kick it Up:

• Add some of Petersen's sweet corn, cut kernels off the ear (a great way to use up leftovers)
• Add black beans
• Add chipotles
• Add more Jalapenos
• Double the recipe size with your own tomatoes or buy some extra

How to Make Pesto from Just About Anything

Basil is the Pesto King, How to Make Pesto from Just About Anything

The basic Pesto recipe is to add Basil to garlic, pine nuts (or walnuts) and olive oil. You typically also add Parmesan cheese, but I often omit this if I am going to store the pesto long term. As the cheese would be the first thing to spoil and the other ingredients will keep for a year in the freezer.

We have also made pestos from the following (most of which we have at the farmers market weekly):

1. Basil
2. Sun Dried Tomatoes
3. Arugula - a very bright green pesto that is great for bruschetta
4. Cilantro
5. Cilantro and Pepita's
6. Dandelion Greens - that is a sharp flavor
7. Curly Cress - medium sharp
8. Holy Basil, Cinnamon Basil - subtle differences in flavor
9. Sun Dried Tomatoes and Chipotle - spicy
10. Oregano & Thyme - leaves only, very strong, but great for Italian dishes

How to Plant Jenna's Herbs

How to plant herbs is not a one size fits all so let me break it down into families of similar plant types.

Basil and Mint

Believe it or not these are close cousins. They can be started from root cuttings and are very easy to grow from our large from our large transplants. Typically plant at the level that they were in the pots, though they will tolerate being planted a little deeper. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Thyme - English, Lemon, Silver, Winter

Easy to grow and should be planted at the same level as grown. Will tolerate a little deeper and will root from any stem that touches the ground. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Cilantro

Transplant to the garden at the same height and clip regularly. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Parsley - Curly, Triple Curled, Italian Flat Leaf

Can be left in the pots they were grown in or transplanted to the garden. Do not plant deeper than they were in the pot. They will not root from the stem. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Rosemary

The woody stem will root if buried a little deeper than grown. Let the plants get about 12 inches tall and then pinch the growing tip. The side shoots will then start to grow and you can harvest them readily. Grows great in pots or in the garden. Is not perennial in Minnesota.

Dill

Plant in the garden for maximum harvest. The plants will get quite tall and become root bound quickly in pots. If you do leave them in pots, water daily. Plant several times for continuous harvest.

Fennel

Separate plants when small and plant in the garden at the level it was grown at in the pots. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. 

Hyssop

Plant at the level the plant was grown at. A nice herb and beautiful flower later in the season. The bees love this Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.. 

Curry

Plant at the level the plant was grown at. Great aroma and flavor. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Cumin

Plant at the level the plant was grown at. Nice spice and great flavor. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Cilantro Recipes - Easy Guacamole

Easy Guacamole breaks with the theme of mostly local ingredients. In the tomato off season we often "dip" into avocados. So let me recommend that you purchase your avocados at Peoples Food Coop. They will be organic and the Coop is a local business.

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados (PF Coop)
1/3 sweet onion, minced (1/2 cup) (Petersen's) Use scallions until sweet onions are available
1-2 chipotle peppers (Petersen's)
3 tablespoons baby cilantro (Petersen's)
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly grated black pepper to taste
Optional: 2 sun dried tomatoes (rehydrate by 15 minutes in hot water, drain), or 1 fresh Roma tomato

Directions:

- Avocado, remove seed and peel. Mash in a bowl. Leaved chunky.
- Add chopped onions, cilantro, lime/lemon, salt, pepper and mix or mash.
- Experiment with the right amount of chipotle peppers, can also use Jalapeno or Serrano in season
- Cover Guac with plastic wrap until serving to prevent oxidation from air, refrigerate
- Fresh tomatoes should be added before serving, dried tomatoes can be added at preparation and will be best if allowed to sit an hour or two before serving.

Kick it Up:

- Add some hot salsa
- Add sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- Add black garlic (when available)
- Add cottage cheese
- Add grated pepper jack
- Add goat cheese (market vendors)

Cilantro Recipes - Simple Rice and Lime

Simple Cilantro, Lime and Rice. It has rained enough this spring that I think we could grow rice in some of the flooded fields.  But until then get your rice at the local People Food Coop.

Ingredients:

- 6 cups just cooked rice, hot
- 1 cup baby cilantro leaves (Petersen's)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)
- small sweet onion (Petersen's)
- table spoon lime juice
- Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

- While the rice is cooking, finely chop or put in the food processor, all ingredients
- While the rice is very hot combine with the rest of the ingredients
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes

Kick It Up:

- Add 1 chipotle pepper, seeded
- Add your favorite curry
- Add chicken broth to the cooking rice
- Use wild rice or mix 1/2 wild rice. Note wild rice takes a little longer to cook.

Cilantro Recipes - Cilantro Skillet Potatoes

Wow cilantro from the garden already, it will only be a few weeks before we will have those beautiful red potatoes. The two together are dynamite.

Ingredients:

- Fresh cilantro leaves, 1 bag (Petersen's)
- 1 garlic clove or garlic powder or on shallot (Petersen's)
- 1/4 cup olive oil or 1/2 stick of butter
- 2 lbs,Baby Red potatoes washed and cubed (Yukon Gold is OK too) (Petersen's)
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large cast iron skillet, cook the potatoes and oil until tender and lightly brown about 20 minutes. Add cilantro and garlic and stir for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Cilantro Recipes - Roasted Salmon, Lime and Cilantro, with Asparagus

This week is our first cilantro harvest and we are sharing some of our favorite cilantro recipes. We will have fresh cilantro and abundant cilantro plants for those who want to grow their own.

Ingredients:

-Salmon Fillets (6-8 onces each)
- Sea salt and fresh ground tellichery pepper (just ground pepper will do). We get our pepper corns   from Penzy's in Minneapolis (check them out).
- 1/4 cup lime juice, or 1 tablespoon concentrate
- 2 table spoons soy sauce (low salt in desired)
- 8 drops stevian (herb plants available at Petersen's) or 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped baby cilantro leaves (Petersen's all season)
- 1-2 bunches of Asparagus (Petersen's in season)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange salmon fillets in a shallow pan or wrap in tin foil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle and the salmon is flaky.

Whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, and sweetner. Fold in the cilantro leaves. Spoon over fish and serve with asparagus.

You can substitute a white fish if you'd rather or we really like steele head trout when in season.

Cilantro Recipes - Mexican Pesto

In honor of our first week of baby cut cilantro leaves fresh from the garden and abundant cilantro transplants for those who want to grow their own.

Cilantro is our herb of the week and we are featuring some of our favorite recipes.

Mexican Pesto

Normally pesto is made from Basil, but cilantro makes an excellent green pesto in south of the border style.

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup pepitas, hulled pumpkin seeds (you can also use walnuts or pine nuts)
- 1/2 bag of baby cilantro (Petersen's)
- 2 to 4 cloves of garlic or a tablespoon of garlic powder, one shallot can also be used (Petersen's)
- 1 cipotle pepper, seeded (reconstitute pepper by steeping in hot water for 15 minutes, drain)
   You can also use a fresh jalapeno or serrano when they are in season. (Petersen's)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons oliv oil
- Optional: 1/4 cup grated goat cheese, or Parmesan cheese (various market vendors)

Put nuts or seed in a food processor or blender; process until coarsely chopped (pulse). Add cilantro, garlic, chipotle, salt and oil. Process until smooth, at cheese (optional).  Add to meat, orzo pasta, rice or enjoy with your favorite bread as a bruschette.

How to Grow Cilantro - Our Featured Herb of the Week

How to Grow Cilantro. Cilantro is very easy to grow from seed or transplants. It is a key ingredient in fresh salsa and makes a spicy pesto.

If starting with plants, plant in the garden at the same level as the plants were in the pot. Water well and fertilize with fish emulsion every two weeks. Cut the plants frequently and succession plant for production all season.

If starting with seeds you can plant as soon as the frost is out of the ground as cilantro is very hardy (but not quite perennial in Minnesota). Plant about 1/2 inch deep one inch apart. Re-seed when the plants bolt. Cut frequently to keep production at its peak.

We use fish emulsion to fertilize, but cilantro doesn't need a rich environment. We plant rows about 4 to 6 inches apart in a 2 inch layer of compost. For market we cut the cilantro at the baby leaf stage instead of letting it get large and bunching. We put the cut leaves in a quart bag and they keep 7-10 days. We can also cut many more times at this stage.

We grow a slow to bolt variety called "Leisure". You can get seed from Johnny's.

Summer time production is many pounds per week and works well for summer salsa needs.

How To Get the Absolute Earliest Salad Greens of the Season

Getting the earliest salad greens of the season starts the fall of the year before. You need to prepare the bed where you want to plant the greens the fall before. If it is a raised bed covered with two or three inches of compost it will drain well and warm up quickly once the snow melts.

We try to plant the day the frost goes out or the day the snow melts off. The seed won't germinate until the conditions are right so don't worry if it seems too cold or wet. When the soil conditions are favorable the seeds will germinate and take care of themselves. They are basically on auto pilot at that point and know what to do. If you were to plant these same seeds the fall before the seeds would likely rot or have very poor germination. But planting them in the spring works every time.

I have done this for years and it works great.

On the rare occasion that the season warms up and then turns very cold again you might loose some of the baby plants if  the temps fall below 20 degrees. Planting this early is a bit of a roll of the dice but about 80-90 percent of the time it, this approach is a real winner. If you do get frozen out, just replant quickly. The seed lost is typically only a few pennies worth.

The types of plants that this works for are all frost hardy. Spinach, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, beets, and peas.

Good luck and have fun.