Late summer each year we wait for the edamame from Markristo Farm with our fingers crossed. Organically grown soybeans are fussy. This year they are happy. Hooray!
The best way to eat the edamame is to boil in salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain and then salt to taste. Not surprisingly, it is hard to find a recipe for edamame that does not refer to frozen edamame, as fresh product is difficult to find. On that note, the fresher the better with edamame so eat it as soon as you can. If you can’t get to it, freeze it…just drop in boiling water for a minute, drain, and toss in the freezer.
Onward Welsh warriors, we have leeks this week. The Welsh both eat leeks and use it as a fashion accessory. The leek is a national emblem and worn along with the daffodil on Saint David’s Day, a national holiday. According to one legend, King Cadwaladr of Gwynedd ordered his soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets in an ancient battle against the Saxons that took place in a leek field. Shakespeare refers to the custom of wearing a leek in Henry V, in which Henry tells the Welsh officer Fluellen that he too is wearing a leek “for I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.”
We challenge you to figure out how to affix your leek to your bicycle helmet or baseball cap. If successful, please send pictures!
“To fight a disease after it has occurred is like trying to dig a well when one is thirsty or forging a weapon once a war has begun.” The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, The Nei Ching, c. 1000 B.C.
This Week’s Field Goods Favorite
Edamame
The appetizer of choice in most Japanese restaurants, edamame is an immature soybean for mature eaters though kids & immature adults love ’em as well! To prepare: boil water with salt, add the edamame (no peeling or cutting necessary), cook for 5-6 minutes & strain. You can either serve with the pods or peel and pop out the beans to add to salads, pasta, etc.
Boiled Edamame
Three Bean Salad
Garlic Sesame Edamame
Spicy Garlic Edamame