While we continue to plant, cultivate, weed, seed, mow and of course pick potato beetles, the focus this week is on the harvest! It is the first week of the CSA for 2019 and we can’t wait to have everyone back on the farm regularly! The crew will be busy cutting greens, bunching radishes, pulling scallions, and everything else needed to pack the cooler each morning to get ready for the CSA and farm store. A note about the harvest: While our vegetables often look clean, you should definitely wash at home before eating. Shopkeepers Molly, Ione, and Debbie will be in the farm stand to help farm store customers and CSA members. CSA members, be sure to check in when you arrive and the shopkeepers will mark it in our records as well as provide you with picking containers and instructions. If you didn’t come to CSA orientation be sure to pick up a copy of the 2019 CSA guide. New members will also receive their bag and one of the shopkeepers will show you the ropes!
This week in the CSA:
Salanova Lettuce Mix - this cut lettuce mix is similar to mesclun, but a little crisper and will keep well in a plastic bag in your refrigerator for about a week.
Spinach
Kohlrabi - These funny shaped vegetables are crunchy and juicy. Peel off the outer skin and chop in salad or coleslaw or make into fritters!
Mini Mak daikon radishes - These mini daikon are great raw or cooked.
Bok Choi
Radishes - A crunchy, peppery addition to salads! They can also be lightly sauteed for a more mild flavor.
Scallions
Purple Mizuna - Great in salads and on sandwiches
Salad Turnips - Also known as hakurei, salad turnips look like white radishes but are sweet rather than spicy and free of the peppery flavor of radishes.
Red Russian Kale - Great raw in salads or lightly cooked.
Arugula - A slightly spicy salad green. It is great in sandwiches and as a pizza topping.
Lettuce - Panisse (oak leaf), green leaf, new red fire (red leaf) and some romaine heads are ready for picking this week.
CSA pick-your-own:
We hope you enjoy the pick-your-own! We welcome children into the fields but please always have an adult with younger visitors to help guide picking. Please walk in the pathways (along the grass and down tire tracks or straw mulched pathways depending on the crop) as other areas may look like just dirt but are likely newly seeded rows!
Strawberries! Just the first taste of the season, many more to come in the coming weeks. The first few rows (closest to the farm stand) are the first to ripen! Pick the brightest red berries you can find. Check the tip of the berry to be sure the tip isn't still white before you remove it from the plant. To harvest, pinch the stem just above the fruit to avoid pulling on the plant. Walk in the straw pathways and don't forget to check further down the row in case the first area has been picked more recently!
Herbs: Choose from Parsley, Dill, Cilantro, Mint, and Chives (and chive blossoms!). Add some flavor to your cooking this week! Some herbs are planted in raised beds just outside the farm stand while others are planted in successions in the PYO fields. Be sure to look for signs in the field and garden beds labeling the herbs to see which of our current plantings are open for picking this week.
CSA pick-up hours
Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
This week in the Farm Store:
We will have all of the veggies listed in the CSA available in the farm store. We will pick strawberries for the farm store each morning, however they have been selling out quickly! In addition to the veggies listed for the CSA we will have certified organic mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and honey from Double Bee Honey produced from hives on the farm.
Farm Store Hours
Tuesday-Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Recipes:
Kale Salad with Oranges, Currants & Feta
from Boston Globe Magazine, January 13, 2013
• 2 large oranges
• 2 bunches kale, stems removed and leaves washed, spun dry, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1½tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1½tablespoons milk, or more if necessary
• Salt and black pepper
• ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½cup currants
Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest from 1 of the oranges and set aside. Cut the peel and pith off the oranges and, working over a strainer set in a bowl, cut the segments free of the membranes and reserve; discard the membranes. Place the kale in a large salad bowl and set aside.
In a blender or food processor, process the orange zest, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, ⅓cup feta, milk, ¼teaspoon salt, and ½teaspoon black pepper to a smooth puree. With the motor running, very slowly add the oil and process briefly until dressing is thick and emulsified; you should have about 2/3 cup. (If the dressing seems too thick to coat the kale leaves, add more milk about 1½teaspoons at a time to adjust consistency.)Add the dressing to the kale and, with your hands, mix the salad thoroughly until all the kale is coated. Rest the salad to allow the kale to soften slightly, about 30 minutes.
Kohlrabi Fritters
Ingredients:
2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped (about 16 oz.)
1 large egg
2/3 cup (about 2 7/8 oz.) all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup applesauce
Step 1
Using the grating disc attachment of a food processor, process kohlrabi until finely shredded. Squeeze grated kohlrabi between paper towels to remove excess liquid. Place squeezed kohlrabi in a medium bowl. Add egg, 2 tablespoons of the flour, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt to kohlrabi, and stir to combine.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Using floured hands, pat kohlrabi mixture into 12 (3-inch) flat discs. Sprinkle remaining flour on both sides of discs. Fry fritters in two batches until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with chives and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; serve with sour cream and applesauce for dipping.