Week 7, August 22
Both boxes have: Walla Walla onion, baby bok choi, Romaine, Russet potatoes, Nash’s soft white flour
The Small box also has: Lemon cucumber, red chard
The Standard box also has: Red beets with greens, tomatoes, scarlet runner beans, basil
Nash’s Soft White Flour
The flour in your box this week is pretty unique in that it was grown and milled in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. Sequim used to grow wheat and other grain for shipping to Seattle and beyond, and the grain elevator that still stands in town was a bustling enterprise. Built next to the railway line in the early 1940s, it fell out of use as agriculture ceased to be the major economy.
But some farmers continued to grow barley, oats and some varieties of wheat here. The team at Nash’s started raising grain almost 15 years ago, initially to grow our own cover crop seed, and then for animal feed. Grain manager Sam McCullough and Nash have worked hard to find varieties that thrive here, and in that effort they have gotten lots of help from the Washington State Research Station in Mount Vernon.
About 7 years ago, Nash bought an old stone mill (below) in Olympia. Dave Roberts refurbished it and it milled your flour in a special milling room adjacent to the Farm Store. Please note that it is WHOLE grain. We did not remove the bran or the germ, where all the good protein is. It is wonderful for all kinds of baking. Don’t forget Nash’s Hard Red flour, too, perfect for making bread.
Scarlett Runner/Purple Beans
Long, tender scarlet runner beans are beautiful to grow, as the plants get over 10′ tall and have brilliant red and coral-colored flowers. The fresh, young beans are delicious raw, and great for veggie platters, lunch boxes, or quick, satisfying snacking. Trim the tips of the beans, and eat them as you would a traditional green bean: raw, steamed, stir-fried, roasted or even grilled. The purple beans can be prepared in the same ways. They will turn bright green when cooked. Please don’t overcook either kind to enjoy their great flavor and nutritional benefits.
Baby Bok Choi
Bok choi, also known as leafy Chinese cabbage, is popular in Southeast Asia. This humble brassica has become well‐known in the West for its sweet, succulent, nutritious leaves and stalks.
Not only is baby bok choi a good source of phytonutrients and antioxidants, it also is rich in vitamin K for healthy bones, B‐complex vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iron and magnesium.
Your crispy-crunchy baby bok was planted in June in the 24-Carrot Field, adjacent to the Delta Farm. It suffered significant flea beetle damage early in its tender life, but has out-grown the worst of it and is sooo tasty right now. We suggest preparing baby bok choi raw as a salad green or similarly to scarlet runner beans (see the tips above).