With the start of the CSA, the rhythm of our days shifts a bit. While harvesting has been a component of every day since the start of asparagus season, we generally would only harvest for about an hour before we moved on to other tasks that prepare us for future harvests, like field prep, planting, weeding, fencing, irrigating, and trellising. This year we’ve also been doing more tractor fixing than usual! Now we have much larger quantities to harvest as we welcome about 200 families to the farm every week in addition to many of our farm stand customers. None of the prior tasks go away, but harvesting is the focus of most of our days! Fortunately, with a larger crew this year we are keeping up with many of those tasks well. Even so, after the heat of last week, we have been watching weeds take off and are eager to spend some time on weeding and tractor cultivation, as well as doing some preventative tasks like putting down landscape fabric and straw mulch!
A scheduling note: Both the CSA and farm store will be closed Saturday, July 4th. CSA pick-up will be moved to Friday, July 3rd from 11am-6pm.
In the CSA this week:
Cucumbers - The first of the season, coming from our high tunnel. Limited quantities this week, but we expect production to ramp up soon!
Fennel - Grown in our high tunnel (next to the cucumbers!).
Beets
Scallions - Grown in our high tunnel.
Kohlrabi - The flavor and texture of kohlrabi is similar to cabbage or broccoli stems, but it is milder and sweeter. It can be roasted, shredded raw as part of salad or coleslaw, chopped up and added to soup, or breaded and fried, among many other options!
Radishes - We’ll have both a red variety and a purple variety.
Salad turnips
Mini daikon radish
Culy kale
Bok choi
Lettuce
Salanova lettuce mix - This cut leaf mix is a little crisper than a mesclun mix and therefore keeps well for longer.
Arugula
Mustard greens
Coming soon: carrots and garlic scapes!
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Herbs: Basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, sage
Sugar snap peas
Snow peas
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA, we will have:
Thin skinned cucumbers - a favorite!
Broccolini
Flowers - We will have both snapdragon and mixed variety bouquets all week. Our mixed bouquets will have even more new varieties this week from our hardy annual bed!
Salsa Verde - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro. Mild.
Hot Sauce - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic habañeros, aji rico, fresno, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and garlic. Hot.
Seasonal Medley Mushrooms - Starting Thursday this week. From Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified organic.
Shiitake Mushrooms - Starting Thursday this week. From Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified organic.
Dried Mushrooms - 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms from Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified organic.
Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry, and Cannellini are Certified Organic. Bumblebee and Black Coco are not organic. Grown by Charley Baer in South Berwick, ME.
Maple syrup - 12 oz. bottles from our friend Jim at Hollis Hills Farm in Fitchburg, MA. Not Organic.
Raspberry Vinegar Infusion -Silferleaf Farm in Concord, MA. Certified Organic.
Raspberry Jam - We just got a new batch delivered! From Silferleaf Farm in Concord, MA. Certified Organic.
Seedlings: Our seedling sale is mostly winding down, but we have cucumbers, husk cherries, and herbs including parsley, basil, thyme (limited) and oregano.
Asian Peanut Rice Noodle Stir-Fry
from Marley Spoon (adapted)
Ingredients
5 oz stir-fry rice noodles
2 limes
½ oz fresh cilantro
1 large clove garlic
½ lb bok choy (or baby bok choy)
2 oz snow peas
1 carrot
1 oz salted peanuts
2 oz (4 tbsp) tamari soy sauce
1½ oz (about 3 tbsp) peanut butter
Preparation
Cook noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the to boiling water, cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until just tender, 6–8 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse under warm water. Reserve pot for step 4.
Prep ingredients: Squeeze 1½ tablespoons lime juice into a medium bowl; cut any remaining lime into wedges. Finely chop cilantro stems, keeping leaves whole. Finely grate ¼ teaspoon garlic. Halve bok choy lengthwise, rinse to remove any grit, and cut crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Trim snow peas. Scrub and trim carrot, then thinly slice on an angle. Coarsely chop peanuts.
Prep sauce: To the bowl with lime juice, add tamari, peanut butter, cilantro stems, grated garlic, ⅓ cup water, and 1 tablespoon sugar; whisk to combine.
Sauté vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in reserved pot over medium-high. Add carrots and 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook until carrots are tender and browned in spots, 1–2 minutes. Uncover, add bok choy and snow peas. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy and snow peas are barely tender, about 2 minutes.
Finish noodles: Remove pot from heat; add sauce and cooked noodles, tossing until coated with sauce. Add whole cilantro leaves, and toss to combine.
Serve noodles topped with chopped peanuts, and with any lime wedges on the side, for squeezing over. Enjoy!
Blood Orange, Fennel and Avocado Salad with Lemon Citronette
from Cookie + Kate
Ingredients
Salad
4 large handfuls of spring greens
2 blood oranges, sliced into segments
1 bulb fennel, quartered, cored and sliced into super thin strips (reserve fennel fronds)
1 avocado, diced
2 ounces (about ⅓ cup) goat cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Citronette
¼ cup olive oil, more to taste
1 lemon, preferably organic, zested and juiced
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon honey
Sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Lightly toast the almonds: In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds for a few minutes, stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Once the almonds are fragrant and starting to turn golden, remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
In a large serving bowl, combine the greens, segmented blood oranges, sliced fennel, diced avocado, goat cheese and warm almonds. If the fennel’s feathery fronds (say that five times fast) are in good shape, chop up a handful’s worth and toss them into the salad.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well blended. Whisk in more olive oil if the dressing tastes too tart. The final result should be pleasantly tangy.
Once you’re ready to serve, drizzle citronette over the salad (you might not need all of it) and toss. Serve immediately.
Greek-Style Kohlrabi Pie or Gratin With Dill and Feta
by Martha Rose Shulman from NY Times Cooking
If you don’t want to bother with the phyllo dough or you want to cut down on carbs or calories, make this as a gratin (see below). It’s delicious either way. Because of the moisture in the kohlrabi, your phyllo will need to be recrisped in a low oven if the pie sits for any length of time.
Ingredients
2 pounds kohlrabi, with greens if possible
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium or large onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
⅓ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 large eggs, beaten
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
12 sheets phyllo dough (½ pound)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (optional)
Preparation
If the kohlrabi still has greens attached, stem and wash the greens and blanch in a pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute, or steam. Refresh with cold water, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely. Set aside. Peel the kohlrabi, making sure to remove the fibrous layer right under the skin, and grate using a food processor fitted with the grater attachment.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it is tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, stir together, and stir in the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in the kohlrabi. Add another tablespoon of olive oil if necessary. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is very tender and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan from the kohlrabi, turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until it boils off. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the kohlrabi greens, dill and parsley, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 10-inch tart pan or cake pan with olive oil. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and beat in the crumbled feta. Stir in the kohlrabi mixture and combine well.
Line the pan with 7 pieces of phyllo, brushing each piece with olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and melted butter, and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the kohlrabi mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling, then layer the remaining 5 pieces on top, brushing each piece with olive oil. Tuck the edges into the sides of the pan. Make a few slashes in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes. Note: If making a gratin, use a 2-quart baking dish, brush with olive oil and fill with the kohlrabi mixture.
Bake the pie for 50 minutes (40 for the gratin), until the crust is crisp and dark golden brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Tips
Advance preparation: The kohlrabi filling can be made through Step 2 up to a day ahead and refrigerated. You can assemble the pie several hours before baking and keep in the refrigerator, or freeze. Transfer directly from the freezer to the preheated oven, and increase the baking time by about 10 minutes. You can bake the pie ahead, but you must recrisp the phyllo in a medium-low oven (325 degrees) for 10 to 20 minutes.
Variation: For a gratin, omit the phyllo and all but 1 optional tablespoon of the additional oil for brushing it (so you will only need 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil). Oil a 2-quart baking dish and place the filling in the dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top if desired and bake 40 minutes in a 375-degree oven, until the top is nicely browned.