The farm crew arrived at 6am Tuesday morning to bring in the harvest before the heat really set in! We successfully brought in greens, radishes, cabbage, carrots, fennel, scallions and more before it showed any signs of wilting. The crew headed home early and we diligently irrigated the rest of the day to try to keep crops in the best shape possible for future harvests. While Wednesday is supposed to be cooler, it will still be a little hard on these beautiful greens under the CSA tent, so we may need to get creative and bring out pre-bagged greens from the cooler as needed to get folks their greens as fresh as possible. Fortunately, in the farm store we have a new glass door refrigerator purchased with a grant from the Town of Concord’s Economic Vitality department so store customers will find crisp radishes and greens stored safely there when they come to shop!
In the CSA this week:
Carrots
Garlic Scapes - Use just like you would regular garlic cloves. They’re a little milder, so if you like garlicky flavor adjust accordingly!
Cucumbers - From our high tunnel!
Cabbage - Savoy, Caraflex (conical shape), and Green
Scallions
Fennel
Radishes- purple or red to choose from. The radishes are getting spicier in this heat!
Mini daikon radish
Lettuce
Bok choi
Kale
Salanova lettuce mix
Mustard Greens - These spicy greens become milder (but still flavorful) when lightly cooked.
Arugula
Yukina Savoy - May be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Peas: Snow peas, sugar snap peas, and shelling peas
Herbs: Members will have a choice of parsley, dill, cilantro, sage, and chives. For parsley harvesting, please pick only outer stems and leave the center stalks to continue to grow.
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:
Summer squash and zucchini
Swiss Chard
Kohlrabi
Beets
Flowers - Snapdragons: New colors now available from our first field planting!
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. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. NEW: Additional varieties now available, all grown by Charley Baer but these are not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.
Arugula Salad With Radish, Fennel and Mustard
By David Tanis, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
1 shallot, finely diced
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons strong Dijon mustard
3½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad:
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 small watermelon radish, peeled, very thinly sliced
5 ounces sturdy or wild arugula
3 large eggs, boiled 7 minutes, chilled and shelled (optional)
6 small red (or purple!) radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 (1-inch) chunk of peeled horseradish, for grating (optional)
Preparation
Make the dressing: Put the shallot in a small bowl or small jar with a lid, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice, zest and vinegar, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add mustards and stir to dissolve. Add olive oil, and whisk (or cover and shake if making in the small jar).
Prepare the salad: Put sliced fennel and watermelon radish in a salad bowl or on a large platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dress lightly with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Add arugula and toss well, keeping some of the slices on top. Add more dressing to taste, but don’t overdress. Add a pinch of salt and toss again.
If using the eggs, cut them in half, give them a speck of salt and arrange over the salad. Garnish with red radishes and grate a little horseradish over the salad, if desired.
Easy Roasted Carrots and Crispy Kale
By Yossy Arefi from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
½ pound fresh kale
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 pound carrots
Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove and discard the fibrous kale stems, then thinly slice the leaves and place in a large bowl. (You should have about 6 lightly packed cups.) Drizzle in 2 tablespoons oil and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Use your hands to massage the oil into the kale, then set the bowl aside while you prepare the carrots.
Peel the carrots then slice them on the bias into 1-inch pieces and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the carrots to evenly coat, then spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the carrots start to caramelize on one side.
Flip the carrots and push them to one side of the pan, then spread the kale on the other side. Bake for 10 more minutes, then gently stir the kale. Return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the kale is crisp in parts and charred in some spots.
To serve, stir the kale and carrots together, spoon them onto a serving plate, then squeeze the lemon over top.
White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip
by Melissa Clark, NY Times Cooking
We’ve shared this recipe many times! It is a perfect dip for the carrots and cukes we’re enjoying this week, and does not require turning on the stove! We found that where it says “more to taste”, we definitely prefer it with more! (We also add more garlic scapes than suggested).
Ingredients
⅓ cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
Preparation
In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.
With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.
Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.