Sept 2021 E-Newsletter
"When summer opens, I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Spent Blooms at the End of Summer
Picture this: you are enjoying a late summer day around the garden. Maybe you’re picking tomatoes or chatting with a neighbor. Suddenly, there is a loud buzzing noise and whack! In the blink of an eye, a large iridescent green beetle has collided with your head. If this hasn’t happened to you yet, it’s only a matter of time. The perpetrator is known by a few different names. I’ve most often heard people refer to it as the figeater beetle but it also 
goes by the name of fig beetle or green fruit beetle. Sometimes, it gets wrongly identified as a June bug. For anyone who wants to know more about these insects, The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles has a nice blog post about them including their proclivity for crashing into heads. The figeater beetle population around the garden has already peaked and has started to dwindle just as have many of the summer crops and blooms of the season.
Now is a great time to start working on your fall garden. It’s time to start seeds indoors if you’re planning on doing so. There will also be a gigantic greenhouse fundraiser on October 2nd from 10-11:30am, if you don’t have the time or space. A preview of the plants available for sale is already posted. As usual for the fall, you can expect the October sale to be dominated by the brassicas: cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels and broccoli of many different shapes and sizes. However, there will also be a new touted brassica hitting the sale called chijimisai which you might just want to read more about. If you haven’t already, you can start directly sowing carrots and radishing, beets and lettuces. For a full list of things to plant in garden, you can always check out the handy Gardening the LA blog.
Upcoming Garden Events:
Sep. 11 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM - Noon
Sep. 18 - Board Meeting - 9:30 AM Save to Calendar
Sep. 26 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
OVF Announcements:
Fall Seed Starting Class
Saturday, October 16, 9:30 -11:30
The Greenhousekeeper Nina Rumely will teach a class on seed starting on Saturday, October 16, 9:30 to 11:30 in the Community Meeting Area. Class size is limited to 24 and you must pre-register on the website. Pre-registration opens on October 1st.
Participants will learn how to start seeds in containers, using the proper soil mix as well as watering technique. Information about the many different seed catalogs will be provided along with local sources of organic products. Seeds for the coming cool season, soil & clean containers will be provided, but you may bring your seeds too. The wonderful greenhouse volunteers will water your containers for the 5 weeks they are inside the OVF Greenhouse.
Theft in the Garden
Unfortunately, there has been another uptick of theft in the garden. Tools, crops and even a bicycle have been swiped. At least one of the incidents has been traced back to a person who broke into the garden. Please be cautious and do not leave valuable objects in your plot where they can be easily spotted.
OVF WIFI
OVF now has high speed wifi at the garden! While many see the garden as a great place to get out of the house, unplug and take a respite from technology, it can also be a place to sit with a laptop and do what you need to do while surrounded by nature.
Lost and Found
If anyone lost a Mexican silver ring, engraved with a delicate pattern, please contact the recording secretary through the OVF site to describe and claim. If you ever find any lost objects around the garden, they can be added to the lost and found located in the wheel barrow shed.
Featured Recipe: Sautéed Shishito Peppers
Garden member Anthony Lai is back with a recipe for shishito peppers.
With the height of summer, peppers are ready for picking. Packed full of vitamin C, Shishito peppers are actually not very spicy and make a great appetizer, side dish or snack. These peppers have been on the rise at izakayas, gastropubs and even at some fancy restaurants. Their popularity could be due to how easy they can be used to make a tasty, quick dish. In this recipe, we will make an appetizer commonly found at izakayas.
Ingredients
· 1 lb of shishito peppers
· Ponzu or lemon juice
· 1 tbsp of olive oil
· Salt for taste
· Togarashi (optional)
· Bonito flakes (optional)
* Serves 3-4 as an appetizer or side dish
1. Wash and dry the peppers.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide saute pan or cast iron pan; make sure it doesn’t get too hot to make the oil smoke.
3. Add the peppers and cook them over medium; toss and turn them until they start blistering about 10 minutes. Cook longer to get more of a char.
4. Toss the blistered peppers into a large bowl and season with salt and ponzu juice. Toss on some togarashi to add some spice.
5. Add some bonito flakes right before serving for a more unami flavor.
We hope you enjoy this simple yet flavorful recipe!
As always: we want to hear from you! Send us an email, reach out on Facebook, or tag us on Instagram @oceanviewfarms.
That’s all for now. Happy gardening!