In This Edition:
Recipe: Emmer Berry Salad

Cupcake Luv

Notes from the Farmer

Next Seattle Markets: Aug 5th (Ballard Only)

Online Special: 15% Off Emmer Pancake Mix

Notes from the Farmer

While the rest of the country swelters the ole’ Northwest seems to be coolin’ it. On the first official day of summer the mercury hit 80 here in the Methow. Though perhaps not as wet as the past couple, this June remained just as cool. And since grains are essentially cool season grasses, indeed growing conditions have been excellent.

Our wheat is heading out this first week of July and our earlier emmer is knee high as it stretches inches a day heading into flag-leaf stage. The flag-leaf on grain plants is the last or top leaf of the plant and is much longer and thicker than the rest of the leaves giving a grain field the look of having a million little green flags. Below this leaf is where the plant begins to “bolt." Within a couple days the grain head then begins to “boot," named such because the head first emerges as a tiny green boot.

As growers, we try to keep the plants from bolting too early because fully developed plants generally form bigger heads and also fill each head with more kernels. Grain can bolt early due to any number of stresses including sudden high heat, extreme wind or poor nutrient cycling. Here at Bluebird we are able to manage/off-set some of these stresses by striving to balance the soils (you’ve heard me say before; it all starts in the soil.) Also, through irrigation we can manage moisture in the root zone as the plants grow to make sure they aren’t thirsty for too long. This is a fine line because we also want the plant to work for itself. I wrote briefly about this last time when addressing germination.

When plants stress, they begin to tap their nutrient reserves and cycle them to their fruit, the grain heads in our case. We actually try to stress the plants at the right time, ideally when the heads are full, by shutting down all irrigation. This is when we hope for the hot, dry Methow days later this month and on into August and September so that the grains slowly cure and keep their goodness whole. Not much to ask? Time will tell. Big “MN” bats last and generally holds most of the cards regardless of our plans.



June was filled with irrigating and some foliar feeding as I mentioned in the last notes. From what I saw, the nutrient package we used really helped the grain. We’ll be feeding the same mix on our later emmer crop up valley by the week's end and we’ll continue irrigating into the later part of the month on the emmer. As well, we’ll be mowing and discing down our now blossoming, full, rich, bee-filled cover crops of vetch.

None of the above mentioned has kept this farmer from his early morning cup on the back porch where I’ve been fascinated with the swallow family that has nested, hatched and now fledged from the nearest bird box on our garden fence. These tenacious birds have an even quicker growth cycle than our grain! As well, baby tanagers, robins, hummingbirds, bluebirds… and pairs of fawns teeter about following their mammas through the bunchgrass and bitterbrush while young bucks race about.



We’ve had another good month in the granary where Walt has been kept out of mischief by all your orders. Thank you! We truly feel fortunate for all your support. Despite all the imperfection, we live in a great, great country and hope you enjoyed last week's independence celebrations with “free spirit” and family and friends.

Yours,
Farmer Sam

Bluebird News & Events
from Brooke

Monthly online special: 15% off Emmer Pancake Mix

Longtime customer and Chef John Sundstrom of Lark Restaurant, Seattle visited our farm this past month.
John is working on an interactive cookbook (along with an app and e-book). In our kitchen, John prepared farro pappardelle with wild mushrooms, rabbit and fava beans. It was a real treat to host John, his crew, and watch his process. I encourage those who have not had the experience of John’s fare to visit his restaurant in Seattle. I look forward to the publication of this recipe. By the way the meal was delicious!

Trout Unlimited Farm-to-Table dinner is slated for Sept 2 at Methow Valley Ciderhouse. For tickets go to www.brownpapertickets.com or call 509.881.7690. All proceeds go toward helping farmers in Okanogan County comply with Salmon Safe Standards.


We had a visit from longtime CSA subscriber Barbara Ogle of Olympia. Thanks Barbara for taking the time to find us and for your ongoing support.



Seattle Market Schedule
Our next markets are as follows:

August 5: Ballard Market
Please Note: NO U-District Market in August

September 1: U-District Market
September 2: Ballard Market

* Please place your special orders under 100 lbs. by 4pm Friday, July 27 for the August 5 Ballard Market. Feel free to e-mail cj@bluebirdgrainfarms.com with your special order!

Recipe of the Month:
Emmer Berry Salad with Fruit, Feta, and Pecans

by Georgina Tobiska of Carmelize Life
Emmer Berry Salad
.

Ingredients
2 c. Bluebird Emmer Farro
¾ c. crumbled feta or goat cheese
¾ c. dried chopped fruit (dates, cherries, apricots, huckleberries, blueberries or cranberries or combo)
¾ c. toasted pecans
2 c. torn greens (such as kale, arugula, spinach, beet greens)
½ c. minced green onion
Fresh herbs of choice for garnish

Dressing:
Combine 1/4 c honey, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 2 T balsamic vinegar; mix well and drizzle over salad when tossed.

Method:
Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add emmer grain and bring to a low simmer. Cook covered for 50 minutes or until berries are plump, soft, but still chewy. Remove from heat, drain grain and set aside to cool.

As berries cool toss lightly with a little olive oil or rinse with cold water to cool and re-drain. While grain is cooking, toast your pecans. Chop cheese and dried fruits into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces. Chop onions and tear greens of choice into 1 inch pieces.

When grain is cool, combine all ingredients and toss well. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss. Garnish with fresh herbs of choice and serve with grilled meat, fish or as a vegetarian main course.



Customer Profile: Laureen Lapitan of Cupcake Luv


Laureen Lapitan grew up in Thailand and the Philippines and learned to bake from her father, helping him cook biscuits and pancakes on Saturday mornings. She then progressed to making red velvet cakes, wedding cakes, and special occasion cakes from her aunt in Chicago. Her love affair with pastries was influenced by the French pastries and American cakes and pies she learned to bake as a child, and she later studied with a Cordon Bleu pastry chef and instructor, gaining formal instruction in the essential techniques for fine pastries.

Although Laureen trained as a social worker and nurse, her passion for baking remained strong and she always dreamed of having her own pastry shop. Trips to Scandinavia and Asia, as well as her sister’s "Let Them Eat Cupcakes" birthday party, fueled her passion and gave her added incentive to launch her business: Cupcake Luv.

Laureen believes that the highest quality in foods is achieved when the most local, fresh, and natural ingredients are center stage. Cupcake Luv’s flavors are unmatched, from the nuttiness of freshly milled flour, to sweet Jersey cow's milk and fragrant berries. As she watched her aunts in Thailand labor over meals, sourcing the freshest coconuts and herbs, handcrafting curry pastes with care and love day after day, she developed an aesthetic that featured only the best ingredients.

Cupcake Luv is committed to incorporating the best local ingredients into her dessert creations. Laureen sources from farmers and growers throughout the region which makes a difference in the texture and overall taste experience. She is unwilling to compromise because she simply knows what impact this practice has on the quality of her products. This combination of fresh and natural ingredients has led Cupcake Luv’s cupcakes, whoopie pies, and specialty items to be included on the menu at Swedish Hospital’s Dr. Java Café.

With her focus on fresh and natural, Laureen was thrilled to discover Bluebird Grain Farms at the Ballard Farmers’ Market two years ago. She tested Bluebird’s Hard White Wheat Flour and enjoyed the subtle fragrance and sweetness it imparted to her pancakes and scones. She tends to use the Emmer Flour in her savory cupcakes, as it gives a nutty flavor and a rustic texture to the cakes, which bear irresistible descriptions such as Blue Velvet (blue cheese with honey-walnut cream), Kiss the Pig (BLT), and Swimming Upstream (spring leeks and herbs w/ smoked salmon cream).

Social consciousness takes many forms, and although you wouldn’t expect a cupcake to make a difference in the world, Cupcake Luv shows it can. Cupcake Luv’s products are lovingly handcrafted with the best seasonal Washington-state grown ingredients. Laureen is committed to the farmers and producers who are the inspiration for her savory and sweet creations, supporting their methods and thus their businesses by using their products. In her efforts to be community-minded, Cupcake Luv has also been at the helm of Heroes for the Homeless, an all-volunteer organization that provides meals, clothing, and shelter to the homeless in the greater Seattle area. As one small business owner is proving, a little Luv goes a long way.

To learn more about Cupcake Luv, visit www.cupcakeluv.com.