The heat is returning. We should hit 100 degrees next week, which will end our below-average June weather. This means the plants will start catching up, as the days are longer and nights warmer. A few early veggies being harvested -- broccoli, field greens, summer squash, fava beans, basil, and loads of flowers. We are looking forward to raspberries, strawberries, beans, onions, and melons later this month. Our wheat harvest begins next week, and we are gearing up for literally thousands of pounds of grain. I will post again as the processing continues.
Weeds anyone? The cooler spring has brought back the plants we love to hate, and there is no shortage here. Many weeds are edible and some can tell us things about our soil. Our helpers on the farm are getting to know them very well. Most summer annuals like pigweed (Amaranth sp.), purslane, nut sedge, crabgrass, and bindweed are making their annual invasion. Weeds continue to be the #1 issue for organic farmers everywhere, as the increased labor time necessary to deal with them by hand or with tools adds greatly to the cost of each crop. So when you pay a bit more for organic produce, remember that it's not just because it's "better" for you. There is more energy devoted to growing these crops by hand. Only the best from the fields at Summer Jo's will make it to the table or the market, ensuring quality, healthful produce for our local customers. And we know they enjoy, because they keep coming back!
During this busy time at the restaurant, the chefs are scooping up all the salad mix, squash, herbs, and other greens I can grow. Our booth at the Saturday growers market also gets bought out within the first few hours, which is great for us, but is delaying the farm-stand opening. The inevitable overproduction of our favorite summer produce is still a few weeks off, but stay tuned for our upcoming availability of tomatoes, melons, herbs, flower bouquets, corn, potatoes, and so on....

Matt Molyneaux, Farm Manager
p.s. We got the house!!!

We're heading back into the rehearsal studio to bring you yet another outdoor summer musical. This year's production, John & Jen by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald, is an all-American story in two acts told through 24 musical numbers. It originally opened Off Broadway in 1995 and has become a community theater favorite across America. Keep reading the eBee for more info as we get closer to opening night on August 17. The show will run every Sunday through September 28 with two special Wednesday night performances during the run.

Shane Skinner, Theater Director

So this is blogging. Until very recently, I would have to agree with my spellchecker, and insist that “blogging” isn't even a real word. But I guess my parents said the same thing about “groovy.” So, like the curmudgeons of every generation, I can either bitch about the concept or turn it to my advantage. Or I could do both at the same time. I could bitch about the topic dearest to my heart, aside from “Obscure 19th Century Spanish Novelists.” That will come later. For now, I stick with wine. Wine is all too often dismissed by lighthearted folks who just want to have fun. The pomp and ceremony that is an almost inseparable component of the wine drinking experience just naturally puts a damper on drinking games and other varieties of good, clean fun.

With that being said, our approach to wine here at Summer Jo‘s is: Wine is fun to drink! It tastes good (ideally!), the aroma evokes different descriptors and even personal memories, and it’s even good for you. That’s not to say that wine should be taken too lightly. It can taste better, worse, or just different depending on what food you eat with it, or even how long you wait before you pour your second glass. It becomes a totally different animal. Malbec, for example, is like the Standard Poodle of the wine world. You might believe it’s kind of goofy and playful, but it might just give you a nip if you stop paying attention. So, to keep wine playful instead of menacing, we promise that we’ll think about all that technical stuff so you, our guests, can just get right to the fun part – drinking it.

Our dedication to our wine program starts in the kitchen. As our chefs start to work on the new season’s menu, the wine guy is right there with them. As a plate’s evolution progresses, he’ll draw inspiration from the aromas and colors of this new dish, and “Yes!” a wine pairing has begun. But that’s not the end. Changes are made to “tune” the dish so that it more completely meshes with the wine. It’s more realistic to do it that way rather than telling the winemaker to change his wine. We’ll try doing that later.

All winemakers are on board with the notion that they want their product to be shown in the best light possible. That’s why we applaud the movement wherein many wineries are going to screwcaps, an old invention that’s been given a name makeover (“Stelvin Closure”) and upsourced to a higher price point (I think the price champ here in Oregon is Argyle’s 93-point Spirithouse Pinot Noir at about $75. Compare that to $4.99 for Good Ol’ Thunderbird). We feel screwcaps can be an improvement over the traditional cork when thought of in terms of wine quality. Screwcaps don’t contaminate wine with a type of bacteria that makes wine smell like moldy cardboard or worse. Winemakers, and us too, know that nobody will order a second glass of Chateau Moldy Cardboard. Unless they’re in training for “Fear Factor”.

For our part, we’re using a bottle storage system that constantly keeps the wine at the right temperature and humidity, away from temperature fluctuations, strong light, and vibration. All those things are bad for the longevity of fine wine. So go home and move those bottles you have stacked on top of the refrigerator.


Thomas King, Summer Jo's Wine Curator

Greetings from the kitchen,

I'd like to invite you to experience the joys of eating homemade pasta by introducing you to one of my favorite dishes: Wild Mushroom Cannelloni. This simple but elegant entree has a melt-in-your-mouth appeal that you just won't experience with store-bought pasta. 

At Summer Jo's we mix freshly harvested herbs and the blossoms of edible flowers into the pasta dough before we roll it out. Then we fill them with locally foraged wild mushrooms and bake with a vanilla-scented mornay sauce. I like to serve them with a fresh basil pesto and field greens to brighten and balance the earthiness of the mushrooms and the richness of the sauce.

Chef Joy

Spring on the farm provided some good early planting weather. All of our cool season favorites are planted and growing well. Cabbage, broccoli, chard, lettuce, kohlrabi, shallots, and leeks among others are dotting the fields. As the cover crops are plowed down and the soil turns bare again, this year's crops are always a perfect vision in my mind. I can see this winter's pencil-drawn plans taking shape, before the first summer plants are set out. There are no pests, or heat, or weeds galore at this time of year sitting on top of the tractor. Just the horizon and fresh aspirations of the long days of work ahead. This year will be much like seasons past, with a few refinements. Some new varieties of tomato, a few less bell peppers and cucumbers, and plans for more copious amounts of our best-selling salad mix. Of course, there will be loads of specialty flower bouquets, freshly bunched herbs every week, and our famous melons. We have also added blueberries and strawberries to complement our blackberries, raspberries, and grapes. This summer should provide the best yields and best variety of local, certified organic produce, grown right here at Summer Jo's.
 
Our wheat harvest will begin in mid-June, and should be processed for baking by the end of the summer. That means when you buy our artisan breads later this year, you will be eating the locally grown organic wheat that you can see growing in our fields right now. Giving the freshest of flavor in our truly local product. We have lots of folks on board to help us with this process, as growing your own grains catches on in the organic farming community. Stay tuned to our site for updates and chances to be involved.
 
As we line up our volunteer workers for the farm this year, we still have room for folks to join us later in the summer. Or, if there is anyone with a year of experience interested in being an intern this season, inquire within. You will be learning directly as my assistant, and providing a crucial role on the farm and at the growers' market this year.
 
There will be lots more to come on our farm page, so keep checking back. The progress throughout the season with be posted here along with what's fresh at our farm stand, and tips on drip irrigation, composting, and seed saving. 
 
Looking forward ....
 
Matt Molyneaux, Summer Jo's Farm Manager

Last night was our first night of Jazz and Blues on the lawn, featuring John Trujillo and B Wishes.
A bass, a guitar, two mellow voices, a gentle evening breeze, fine food and wine, good company: it was an evening savored by all. John and B performed covers of everybody from Billie Holiday to Norah Jones as well as original songs by B from her new album, The Truth That Works For Me. At one point a robin joined in on the chorus!

Welcome to the Summer Jo Bee.