It was so lovely to welcome CSA members back to the farm last week! There was so much excitement and positive energy both days, even in the drizzly weather Saturday morning. This season has been a little rainier and cooler in general so far, which on the one hand has meant that we haven’t had the best conditions for weeding and the crops are a few days behind where they were in last year’s scorching heat, but on the other hand we’ve had more pleasant working conditions and we haven’t had to devote quite as many hours to irrigation yet!
This week’s agenda includes lots of weed control - tractor cultivation, hoeing, hand weeding and putting down landscape fabric in pathways. Weed control is difficult when the soil is wet, as the weeds can more easily re-root, so timing is everything! If we can see we’re going to have a couple of days of dry weather then that’s when we fire up little cultivating tractors. Our cultivating tractors were manufactured in the early 1960s, so we do occasionally have to contend with some unforeseen mechanical issues (especially frustrating if you’ve been waiting for days for the perfect conditions to cultivate). Overall though, they do a pretty good job for us!
In the CSA this week:
Beets
Garlic Scapes - These are essentially garlic flower buds. We snap them off to force the plant to put more energy into growing the bulbs bigger, but a side benefit is that scapes taste delicious too. They are a little milder than regular garlic.
Cucumbers or Carrots - It’s been a cooler spring than last year, so veggies are filling out a little more slowly, which is why we don’t have quite enough to do carrots and cucumbers on their own this week! If you get carrots, we recommend taking off the green tops at home and keeping the carrots in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer to prevent them from getting rubbery.
Swiss chard
Kohlrabi
Fennel
Radishes
Salad turnips
Mini daikon radish
Lettuce
Bok choi
Kale
Salanova lettuce mix
Baby Bok Choi
Arugula
Yukina Savoy - This mild and tender green is in the same family as kale, cabbage and bok choi. It is tender enough to mix in salads, but it can also be cooked (and when cooked it can be a substitute for cooked spinach)
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Snow peas
Sugar snap peas
Strawberries - Winding down, but there are still some out there if you’re willing to spend a little time looking for them!
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We got a new display refrigerator through a grant from the Town, so look for things like mushrooms, greens and radishes in there! In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:
Broccolini
Flowers - Snapdragons, stock and Sweet William. We will start to have field-grown snapdragons this week, so we’ll have some new colors! The stock and Sweet William are winding down.
Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic
Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic
Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.
Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. Certified Organic.
Arugula and Garlic Scape Pesto
by Merrill Stubbs from Food52
Delicious on pasta, pizza, fish and more!
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes
1 lemon
1 fat clove garlic
8 cups loosely packed arugula
1/3 cup Pecorino
3 tablespoons roasted, salted almonds
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Directions
To make the pesto, put the garlic scapes in the bowl of a food processor. Zest and juice the lemon into the food processor, straining out the seeds. Add the garlic, arugula, Pecorino, almonds, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Pulse everything until it's finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl. (If you have a small food processor, you may need to add the arugula in batches.)
With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until everything is blended into a paste. Taste and add more salt, black pepper, or lemon juice, if needed.
Transfer the pesto to a container and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Stir-Fried Snow Peas With Soba
by Martha Rose Shulman, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
1 tablespoon peanut butter (to taste)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons hot red pepper oil (to taste)
Pinch of cayenne
Salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large garlic cloves, minced (or use garlic scapes!)
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ pound snow peas, strings and stem ends removed
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only
¼ pound firm tofu, sliced (optional)
8 ounces soba noodles, cooked
4 large radishes, trimmed, cut in half, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Preparation
Heat the peanut butter for 10 seconds in a microwave to make it easier to mix. Combine with the soy sauce, vinegar, hot red pepper oil, cayenne, half the garlic and ginger, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Whisk in the sesame oil and broth. Set aside.
Heat the canola or peanut oil in a wok or a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and add the snow peas. Stir-fry for one to two minutes, and add the scallions and remaining garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, and add the tofu (if using). Stir-fry for one to two minutes, then stir in the noodles and sauce. Toss together until the noodles are hot, and remove from the heat. Add the radishes and cilantro, stir together, and serve.
Advance preparation tip: You can cook the noodles up to three days ahead. Toss them with 1 teaspoon canola oil and refrigerate. The ingredients for the sauce can be combined several hours before you make the stir-fry.
The farm stand is looking fly with our new display fridge!