Customers who arrive at the farm this week will see a familiar site reemerging after a winter hiatus: our CSA distribution tent outside the farm stand. CSA pick-up hours are Wednesdays from 11am-6:30pm and Saturdays from 9am - 3pm. Shopkeepers will be ready to orient members, but we strongly encourage everyone (both new and returning members) to also check out our CSA Guide here: http://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/member-guide ahead of time. If you are a returning member, please bring your CSA bag from last year. If you have lost it or have switched CSA sizes, new ones are available for purchase in the farm stand. If you’re a new member, you will receive a bag when you check in.
We are very excited to welcome more people to the farm starting this week, both CSA members and farm store customers! See below for a complete list of this week’s CSA veggies such as salanova lettuce, mix, beets, radishes and baby bok choi! These will also be available in the farm store with a few exceptions (we will not be picking snap peas for the store this week but will again in the future!). Also below is a list of items only available in the farm store such as asparagus, broccolini, and mushrooms from Mycoterra Farm.
A note on strawberries this year for both the CSA and farm store: Last fall deer decimated our strawberry plants. We had hoped that the plants would rebound enough this spring to have some limited harvests, but unfortunately they did not. We know this is a big disappointment for our strawberry fans. This is a huge disappointment for us as well, not only because strawberry plants are costly and a lot of work goes into maintaining them, but because we love eating strawberries too! We haven’t given up on future strawberries, though. We have been adjusting our strawberry and deer fencing plans, and we just placed an order for next year’s strawberry plants (which will be planted in the fall).
In the CSA this week:
Beets
Scallions - Coming from 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
Salad turnips
Mini daikon radish
Kale
Lettuce
Salanova lettuce mix - This cut leaf mix is a little crisper than a mesclun mix and therefore keeps well for longer!
Arugula
Kale mix - This is a smaller more tender kale leaf. It’s great mixed in salads, but also is nice lightly sauteed!
Baby bok choi
Yukina savoy - This is in the same family as arugula, but is much milder. It is tender and can be eaten raw in salads or added to stir fry or soups.
Coming soon: carrots, cucumbers, and garlic scapes!
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Sweet William flowers
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:
Asparagus - Likely just for the beginning of the week.
Broccolini - We got our biggest harvest yet Tuesday morning so our supplies are increasing! We will also harvest again later in the week. Look for it in the farm store fridge.
Flowers - Mixed bouquets this week will feature snapdragons, stock and some fun new varieties from our first ever hardy annual bed. We will start to have straight snapdragon bouquets either the end of this week or early next week.
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 - From Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified organic.
Shiitake Mushrooms - 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 just put out some new cucumbers and husk cherries, and we continue to have herbs and a small selection of the remaining tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos; and flowers.
Simmered Beet Greens With Roasted Beets, Lemon and Yogurt
Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
1 bunch of beets with greens
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon (more or less to taste)
1 garlic clove (optional)
1/2 cup drained yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about ¼ inch of stems. Scrub the beets and place in a baking dish or lidded ovenproof casserole. Add ¼ inch water to the dish. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast small beets (3 ounces or less) for 30 to 40 minutes, medium beets (4 to 6 ounces) 40 to 45 minutes, and large beets (8 ounces) 50 to 60 minutes, until easily penetrated with the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish. Cut away the ends and slip off the skins. Slice or cut in wedges and set aside.
While the beets are in the oven, stem the greens and wash in at least 2 changes of water. Place in a bowl.
Heat a large, wide skillet over high heat and add the greens by the handful, stirring each handful until the greens wilt in the water left on the leaves after washing. Once one batch has wilted, add another until all of the greens are wilted. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil, turn the heat down to low, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. The greens should be tender but still bright. Add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, toss the greens in the pan, taste and adjust seasoning. (Note: if you are not serving this right away, don’t add the lemon juice, as it will change the bright color of the greens; instead, add shortly before serving).
At this point you have the option of transferring the greens to a platter or serving the dish right from the pan. Whether in the pan or on a platter, arrange the beets on top of the greens. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil and squeeze on more lemon juice to taste. Mash the garlic to a purée with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle and stir into the yogurt. Place spoonfuls of yogurt over the top of the beets and beet greens, sprinkle on the walnuts and serve, with grains if desired.
Tip: The roasted beets will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator, as will the wilted greens.
Arugula Pesto
By Martha Rose Shulman, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, cut in half, green shoots removed
2 heaped tablespoons shelled walnuts
4 ounces arugula, stemmed, washed and dried 2 cups leaves, tightly packed
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed
⅓ to ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, to taste
Preparation
Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic cloves. When they are chopped and adhering to the sides, stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the walnuts. Turn on the machine, and process until they are finely ground. Scrape down the bowl again, and add the arugula and the salt. Pulse until the arugula is finely chopped, then turn on the machine and run while you slowly drizzle in the olive oil. When the mixture is smooth, stop the machine, scrape down the sides and process for another 30 seconds or so. Scrape out into the bowl of a mortar and pestle. Grind the mixture with the pestle for a smoother texture. Work in the cheese and combine well.
Tip: Advance preparation: Cover the top with a film of olive oil, and this will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Vegetarian Ramen
from Umami Girl
Ingredients
8 cups good low-sodium vegetable broth
1 ounce dried shiitakes, 15-20 mushrooms
¼ cup low-sodium tamari or other good soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon good butter
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon mirin, rice wine
10 ounces baby bok choi or yukina savoy
4 eggs
10 ounces sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
4 servings fresh or dry ramen noodles
One 6-ounce package baked tofu, at room temperature
2 to 3 scallions, white and green parts sliced
Gomasio, sesame salt
Toasted sesame oil with hot chili
Instructions
Combine the vegetable broth and dried shiitakes in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. Let mushrooms steep for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
Remove mushrooms from pot and roughly chop, removing and discarding stems. Add mushrooms to a blender with one cup of the broth and puree until perfectly smooth. Add this mixture back to the stock pot along with the tamari. The broth can sit at this stage until shortly before serving, up to a few days in the fridge if you like.
In a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, two minutes more. Add this mixture to the stock pot.
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add the spinach or pea shoots and cook for about a minute, until just wilted. Remove from pot and set aside.
Add eggs to pot, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove eggs to an ice bath and carefully peel when cool enough to touch.
Return water to boil, then add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and divide noodles among four large bowls.
While noodles cook, add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil to the same frying pan used for the onion and heat over medium-high. Add the sliced shiitakes along with a couple of good pinches of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced in volume and nicely browned in spots, about 10 minutes.
To assemble the ramen, bring the broth back up to a simmer and then remove from heat. Off the heat, whisk in the butter, miso paste and mirin. Ladle some broth over the noodles in each bowl, just shy of the level of the noodles. Arrange a little pile of spinach and of shiitakes in each bowl. Slice the tofu and arrange a few slices in each bowl. Cut each egg in half and place two halves in each bowl. Sprinkle with scallions, gomasio and a little toasted sesame chili oil, with extra garnishes to pass at the table. Serve with chopsticks and large spoons.