Fennel is the name of the bulb that smells like licorice, and also the name of our foster kitten. Also, both kittens love to run and play in the fennel patch and jump out and pounce on farmers. Fennel is the runt of the litter that Pavo came from, and Lily wanted to get mama cat fixed, and so Fennel had to stop nursing, so came to the farm for a one week weaning visit. The jury is out as to whether the kitten will actually ever leave the farm again. It is so delightful to see Pavo and Fennel romping about together. Kittens are a great stress reliever. Just try to have a serious discussion about how we are going to get all this work done and not stop and melt at the sight of romping kittens. KITTENS! I even saw the teen age boys cuddling them last night. Our three farm cats are still keeping their distance. They don’t hiss as much, but still seem aloof, they must have some innate resistance to kitten mania. The farm cats do a great job of keeping the rodents out of our barn, and that’s why we pay them the big bucks. The big bucks in the form of kibble and ear scratching.

Some shares this week will contain shell peas, the ones you get the round peas out of. Some shares will contain snap peas, the ones you can eat the whole thing. You can figure out which one is yours by placing one in your mouth and chewing it up. If it goes down smooth, it’s a snap.

Ailsa Craig is an open pollinated variety of sweet onion also known as “Exhibition”. Ailsa is the onion to grow for the exhibition hall of your county fair. The enormous, slightly oval, pale straw colored globes are sweet, mildly pungent and store for a short time only. A cross between Danvers yellow and Cranston’s Excelsior introduced by David Murray in 1887, Ailsa Craig is named after Ailsa Crag, a small steep-sided island off the west coast of Scotland. These sweet onions are similar to our local state favorite the Walla Walla Sweet, but for us, here in Tumwater, the Ailsas grow bigger faster and more sweet. So we dropped the Walla Wallas from our seed line up and filled the rows with Ailsa, and another sweet type that also stores well called Candy. I’ll be sure to tell you more about all the onions as they appear in the shares.

Lily’s Lettuce Soup recipe sounds gross, but is great. It has bright green color and can be eaten hot or cold. You can use any kind of lettuce, but green ones will give the best color.

1 head lettuce, shredded 1 onion, diced
1 medium potato, cubed 3 cups peas, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp. Butter optional, a little cream, fresh lovage or mint
salt and pepper

Melt butter on medium heat in a pot, add onions and potatoes and cover until soft. Stir in peas and add 1 pint of water. Bring to a boil and when peas are cooked, add the lettuce and cook for one to two minutes until just cooked. Add mint or lovage if using. Remove from heat and blend. Return to pot and add a little cream if using, and salt and pepper.

Celery, Apple, and Fennel Slaw from Bon Appetit July 2011
Whisk together: 3 tbsp. Olive oil, 2 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp sugar.
Then add 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally, plus 1/4 cup celery leaves, 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced crosswise, plus 1 tbsp chopped fennel fronds, 1 firm, crisp apple, julienned. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Kirsop Farm Calendar of Events

Kirsop Farm in the Food Summit Farm Tour August 27th.
Join us here at the farm at 9:30 AM Saturday, August 27th to tour fields one and two for about an hour. Call or email Halli Winstead to reserve a seat for the entire day of farm tours at 360-752-3874, halliw@gmail.com. The other farms on the agenda are Left Foot, Boistfort, and Lincoln Creek Ranch.

Outstanding in Their Fields September 17th, Saturday
Tickets available through Acqua Via Restaurant 357-3677 or their website.

September 19, 5-7pm Chicken pick up!! Call to reserve your chicken today! Many fine fat delicious broilers available for you!

Kirsop Farm CSA potluck dinner and farm tour, October 8. Saturday, 4 pm-8pm.

November 21, 5-7pm Turkey pick up!! Call to reserve.