Farm updates and CSA Week 10

Last week was a milestone for the farm. All-star volunteers Gretta and Kathleen watered the greenhouse and checked in on the farm on Sunday while Lise was in New Hampshire and Melissa was in Maine. It was the first time we had both left the state during the farm season and the greenhouse has never been so well looked after! We came home to healthy plants and spent time this week with the crew transplanting much of the greenhouse out into the field including lettuce, Salanova lettuce mix herbs, fennel, scallions.  We have just a few more weeks of planting lettuce, spinach, herbs, and beets before transplanting season is done for the year (with the exception of fall planted strawberries and garlic for next year). 

While we are nearing the end of planting season the harvest season is not quite halfway done. This week is number 10 of our 20 week Main Season CSA and then we will be harvesting for our 4 week Late Fall CSA (Thursdays 2-7pm October 26th- November 16th). Crops for late fall include carrots, Romanesco cauliflower, butternut squash, potatoes, lettuce, kale, leeks, popcorn, sweet potatoes and more. Sign-up forms are on the website and printed in the farm store if you'd like to join us!

In the CSA:

Pink Damsel tomatoes.

• Leeks
• Tomatoes - Our red slicer "defiant,"  a pink tomato called "damsel," "pink berkely tie die" (red and green striped) and a variety of heirlooms are now ripening. 
• Watermelon - We have two varieties, Blacktail Mountain (dark green) and Starlight (striped). Both are red inside with seeds. 
• Peppers - Green and purple
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Potatoes - a yellow potato variety called Nicola.
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Chard
• Fresh onions or garlic

CSA PYO:

• Cherry Tomatoes! Sungold, jasper, black cherry, yellow mini, cherry bomb, and more are now ready! Look low on the plants for ripe fruit. 
• Hot peppers
• Sunflowers
• Green Beans 
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We will also have some eggplant, tomatillos and golden beets. In addition, we'll have Verrill Farm sweet corn, Pete and Jen's eggs and Fat Moon mushrooms.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, tithonia, and more.  

 

 

 

Recipes:

 

From The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia

Vinegar Carrots With Toasted Sesame Seeds

If you're sensitive to spicy foods, then start with 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and add more to taste. To make carrot ribbons, peel carrots, then swipe the peeler from the fat end to the tip to make ribbons.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled lengthwise into thin ribbons
1 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegars, honey, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the dressing over the carrots, add the cilantro, and toss well. Season to taste with salt, and serve.

Thanks to Mimi and her sister Barbara for passing along this carrot recipe. They also shared their favorite way to enjoy farm tomatoes!

1. Cut up  heirloom tomato
2. Cut up buffalo mozzarella and  arrange on top
3. Snip fresh Basil and scatter on top
4. Pour on good olive oil
5. Grind some salt
6. Serve with forks before sunset.

 

Store hours:

*Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

*Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

Farm updates and CSA Week 9

It's August and that means that it's that time of year when our days are dominated more by the harvest than by tasks like field prep, seeding, planting, mulching, bug picking, mowing and weeding. Squash, zucchini and cucumbers are bountiful and tomatoes and watermelon harvests are on the cusp of monopolizing our remaining free time. Of course, there are still plenty of the other aforementioned farm tasks to take care of: our fall brassicas, winter squash, carrots and beets need weeding, and we still have a few successions of lettuce, spinach, fennel and scallions in the greenhouse to transplant.

One of the most exciting accomplishments of the past week has been completing our new watermelon netting and fencing system to protect them from crows and coyotes. The crows and coyotes make a dynamic duo of watermelon thieves: the crows like to peck open every one that is close to ripe and the coyotes like to play ball with the smaller ones. The melon protection system unfolded over the course of a week (we needed to order more netting!), and the crows did manage to do a significant amount of damage during that time. Still, the harvest looks promising. This year we broke up our watermelons into two different plantings 2 weeks apart, and the later one appears to be in great shape!

Store hours:

*Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

*Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours in bold and with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

In the CSA:

• Golden beets - these beets are not only beautiful, but they are also particularly tasty!
• Watermelon - We grow seeded watermelons, so time for some seed spitting contests at your next picnic or cookout!
• Tomatoes - the first red slicing field tomatoes are ripening. It's still early, so it will be just a small taste this week, but hopefully more to come soon!
• Peppers 
• Fresh onions - Red long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig (white) onions. 
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Potatoes - the last of the red potatoes, as well as a yellow potato variety called Nicola.
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Chard

CSA PYO:

• Sunflowers
• Green Beans and purple beans
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill

Cherry tomatoes will be closed to allow for more to ripen. They should be back next week!

In the store:

Verbena in the PYO Flower field.

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We'll continue to have blueberries and we should also have some eggplant, fresh garlic and we may even see a few heirloom tomatoes. In addition, we'll have Verrill Farm sweet corn, Pete and Jen's eggs and Fat Moon mushrooms.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, and more. Sunflowers are also ready!

 

Recipes:

Golden Beet and Beet-Greens Salad with Yogurt, Mint and Dill

by David Tanis, NYTimes Cooking

• 2 pounds medium golden beets in skin, well washed (or red or other beets)
• 12 to 16 ounces beet greens (or chard or other greens)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

• ⅓ cup red onion or shallot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
•  Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture
•  Pinch cayenne
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE

• 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
•  Salt and pepper to taste
•  Pinch cayenne
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly snipped dill for garnish

1. Roast the beets: Put them in a baking dish in one layer (if some beets are larger, halve them so they will cook evenly). Add about 2 inches water to the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for at least an hour, or up to one and a half hours, until fork tender. Remove the foil, pour off the liquid and let cool for a few minutes, then peel while still slightly warm. Cut into wedges and set aside.
2. Cut beet greens into 1-inch ribbons, then wash well 3 times in abundant cold water to remove any sand or grit. Bring a large pot salted water to boil. Add the greens and cook briefly till wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool under running water, then squeeze out excess water.
3. In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant and just lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice mill.
4. Make the vinaigrette: Put the onion, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes or so, then whisk in the remaining ingredients.
5. Make the yogurt sauce: Put the yogurt in small bowl. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin-coriander mixture, mint and olive oil.
6. Season the beet wedges lightly with salt and dress with half the vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, lightly salt the greens and dress with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange dressed beets and greens on a platter and top with a little smear of the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with dill, and pass the rest of the yogurt sauce at the table.

 

ZUCCHINI GRIDDLECAKES (and variation with corn)

By Adam Ried, Boston Globe August 19, 2007

• 2 1/2 pounds small to medium zucchini
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons flour
• Corn, vegetable, or canola oil (for cooking)

Using the shredding disk in a food processor or the large holes on a box grater, shred or grate the zucchini (you should have about 8 cups) and the onion. Place the vegetables in a colander, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt, and mix. Place the colander over a bowl and let stand 30 minutes until mixture exudes about 1 cup of liquid. Rinse under cold water. Spread a clean dish towel on a work surface, place the mixture in the center, gather the corners of the towel, and twist to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a large bowl, and break up clumps with a wooden spoon.Stir parsley, eggs, milk or half-and-half, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper into the zucchini and blend. Add the flour, and, using a rubber spatula, fold it into the zucchini mixture.

Set the oven rack to the center position and heat to 250 degrees. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Measure 2 or 3 tablespoons zucchini batter and pour into the pan to form a disk 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Repeat until the pan is filled, leaving about 1 inch between cakes. Cook cakes without moving (adjusting heat if pan becomes too hot) until the bottoms are golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the cakes and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes more. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and set in the warm oven. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

VARIATION:

Thyme and corn Remove kernels from 2 ears of corn, about 2 cups. Follow the Zucchini Griddlecakes recipe using 4 zucchini instead of 8. Add the corn and 3/4 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme to the squeezed zucchini along with the parsley, eggs, milk or half-and-half, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper

Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles

By Jennifer Segal

• 1-1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups cold water
• 1-3/4 to 2 pounds pickling cucumbers (about 6), cut into halves or spears
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 16 dill sprigs

Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small non-reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic or teflon) over high heat. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Transfer the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the cold water. Refrigerate brine until ready to use.

Stuff the cucumbers into two clean 1-quart jars. Add the coriander seeds, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly. If necessary, add a bit of cold water to the jars until the brine covers the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate about 24 hours, then serve. Cucumbers will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Farm updates and CSA Week 8

Over the past couple of weeks we have turned more of our attention to our new field across the street, which will be home to many of our fall crops. After a month-long process of working cover crop into the soil and running irrigation line under the road, we began planting and setting up our deer fencing in early July. We have now filled up a little over an acre  with a few successions of fall carrots and beets, as well as brassicas (kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts). In the short time that we've been growing vegetables in this field, we've found that some sections of it are quite a bit wetter than our main fields, and that deer, woodchucks and turkeys appear to be accustomed to having free rein over there! Covering some of the smaller transplants with netting and row cover has helped give those plants a head start protected from animal pressure. It appears the deer got in one night and grazed on our Brussels sprouts after a tree fell on our fence, but we quickly fixed the fencing and haven't seen anymore signs of deer making it in! We're still working on deterring the turkeys - we'll likely need to cover our broccoli until the plants size up!

Next year we plan to plant our potatoes and winter squash across the street. The Colorado potato beetle pressure in our main fields this year reached levels we have never seen before. While our efforts to keep the potato plants alive this year have resulted in a better harvest so far, it consumed a lot of our energy at a time of year that is critical for many other crops. The intense infestation (coupled with the the beetles' new resistance to the organic spray that we use once a season as a last resort), means that rotating the crop as far away as possible is crucial to our ability to continue to grow potatoes. We have seen the survivors of last week's final attempt to control the beetle population make the journey over to our eggplant field, and we are hoping that Barrett's Mill Road will provide a barrier next year to protect the potatoes a little longer with a little less effort! 

Store hours:

Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours in bold and with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

In the CSA:

• Peppers - we're harvesting mostly green bell peppers, but there may be some purple ones in the mix too!
• Fresh garlic - We hung most of our garlic in the farm stand last week to cure for several weeks, but we're setting aside some of the smaller heads for fresh eating. The curing process intensifies flavor and improves the  long-term storability of the garlic. This uncured garlic is milder and should be used in the next week or two.
• Chard
• Beets
• Fresh onions - Red long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig (white) onions. 
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Red Potatoes
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Arugula or Red Russian kale
• Cherriette Radishes

CSA PYO:

• Cherry tomatoes - Just a taste this week, as the cherry tomatoes are just starting to ripen. The varieties that we're picking are Sungold (orange), Cherry Bomb (red) and Grape (red). Be sure to look low down on the plant!
• Sunflowers
• Green Beans and purple beans
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We'll also have some cabbage, blueberries and more of our own greenhouse-grown tomatoes. It will likely be one more week before we have cherry tomatoes in the store. This week will be the first for Verrill Farm sweet corn and as usual, we'll also have mushrooms and eggs.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, and more. Sunflowers are also ready!

Recipes

This week we have most of the ingredients for our favorite summertime recipe: green gazpacho!

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 mildly spicy chili (such as jalapeño), roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 pound arugula
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cups water

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, spinach, basil, parsley, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 cup water in blender and puree until smooth. Check seasonings, and add more water if you feel it needs it. Let chill in refrigerator. To serve, divide into six bowls, and garnish each with a dollop of Greek yogurt, two ice cubes and a drizzle of olive oil.

Zucchini/Summer Squash Ribbons

adapted from Uncommon Gourmet, All-Occasion Cookbook

• 2   Medium-size zucchini                                   
• 2   Medium-size summer squash                          
• 4   Tablespoons butter                                   
• 1   Medium-size clove garlic, crushed
• ½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup grated Parmesan

Using a vegetable peeler, cut long ribbons of the zucchini and summer squash, reserving the seed core for another use (like soup). Heat butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, squash ribbons and nuts. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Stir well, remove from the heat and serve.

Farm updates and CSA Week 7

After spending last week weeding, mulching and trellising we can finally step back and admire our pepper, tomato and eggplant field! The pepper plants pictured above are planted in-between rows of tomatoes to give the large tomato plants more air flow in the hopes of discouraging the onset of diseases. The peppers and eggplant are just starting to come into the store this week and will hopefully show up in the CSA shortly. Tomatoes are not far behind! While last week was a success in catching up on weeding many areas of the farm, there are always new tasks to add to our to-do list. On tap for this week is the garlic harvest, a watermelon rescue project (netting and fencing to keep out the crows!), fall broccoli and kale planting, irrigation, weeding and thinning fall beets and carrots, seeding later fall successions of crops in the field and greenhouse, and of course keeping up with the harvest! 

Store hours:

Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours in bold and with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

In the CSA:

• Fresh onions - Red long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig (white) onions. These sweet onions should be kept in the refrigerator.
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash and Zucchini
• Red Potatoes - These small red potatoes are great for roasting or boiling for potato salad.
• Celery - Our celery is strongly flavored so we find that it's best for recipes requiring celery rather than an ants-on-a-log snack!
• Carrots
• Red Russian Kale
• Salanova 
• Garlic scapes 
• Cabbage
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Arugula
• Cherriette Radishes
• Baby Bok choy

CSA PYO:

• Green Beans - We have one planting ready and another on its way so despite the heat it will be a good week for picking!
• Basil- Both the second and third basil plantings are looking nice. One is just past the first planting of basil by the farm stand and the other one is out past where the peas used to be.
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill - With the third planting of basil out past where the peas used to be.
• Sage
• Thyme
• Mint (peppermint)

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We'll also have some eggplant, green peppers, blueberries and more of our own greenhouse-grown tomatoes. As usual, we'll also have mushrooms and eggs.

PYO Flower CSA:

The pick-your-own Flower CSA has begun! We have a few spots and plenty of picking time left if you'd like to join us! Sign up forms are available in the farm stand. Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, zinnias, verbena, orlaya, straw flower, gomphrena, calendula, and more! We plant successions of sunflowers for both the PYO Flower CSA and for the Vegetable CSA and the first bed is almost ready! Check in at the farm store before picking and for more information if you'd like to sign up!

Recipes:

Pan Roasted Summer Squash with Red Onion and Fresh Herbs

From the Healthy Living Market

An easy and tasty recipe for any variety of summer squash.  The vegetables can either be roasted in the oven or on the stove top.

• 2 lbs summer squash in 1” chunks
• 2 large red onions, sliced ½” rings
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar
• 2 TB chopped fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove, minced (Or 2-3 chopped garlic scapes!)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• Coarse sea salt

To pan roast: Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat. When very hot, lower heat to medium and place a single layer of squash and onions in the pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes on one side until golden brown with some black spots, then flip to cook other side for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat in batches until all the vegetables are cooked. (The squash and onions can alternately be roasted in a 400 degree oven. First toss with olive oil and place in a single layer on a baking sheet, using multiple baking sheets if needed. Squash and onions are done when tender and golden brown) In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Whisk well. Pour the dressing over the vegetables while they are still hot. Toss to coat. Cover bowl and let vegetables marinate for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper as needed.

Grilled Summer Squash and Zucchini

Gourmet, June 2007

• 6 medium yellow squash and/or green zucchini (3 pounds)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•  2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard
•   1/4 teaspoon sugar
•  Prepare grill for indirect-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (high heat for gas).

Trim squash and/or zucchini and halve lengthwise, then toss with salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl.

Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables directly over hottest part of coals, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until grill marks appear, about 6 minutes total. Move vegetables to area of grill with no coals underneath and grill, covered, until tender, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a platter.

While vegetables are grilling, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Pour dressing evenly over vegetables before serving.

Farm updates and CSA Week 6

This week we are sadly saying goodbye to Emma, one of the first people we hired to work on the farm! For the past 3 seasons, she has been cheerfully helping out customers in the store, thoroughly watering our greenhouses, helping out with harvests, and tackling the various odd jobs we've thrown at her. Emma graduated from CCHS this spring, and she is now off for a well-deserved summer adventure before she heads to college this fall. We will miss this warm, enthusiastic and kind young person, but we know she is off to do good things for the world, and we hope we can entice her back to the farm next summer to do a few more good things for us!

In other farm news, it is the height of weed season! We had been doing a pretty good job keeping on top of the weeds through most of June, but the combination of some inconveniently-timed storms, hotter days, and our field crew being below full strength for a few weeks led to a weed explosion that we are still fighting. We have most of our crew back this week, though, and we're confident that we'll get it under control!

Store hours:

Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours in bold and with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

In the CSA:

• Fresh onions - the variety we harvested this week is called Red Long of Tropea. These are sweeter than the cured dry onions you find in the grocery store (we'll have those later in the season!). These are particularly suited for grilling season. Slice them up raw to put on top of your burgers or grill them with meat or tofu on kebabs.
• Potatoes - the first variety we're harvesting is Red Gold. As the name indicates, it's red skinned with yellow flesh. These potatoes are on the smaller size - perfect for roasting whole or cut in half. Though we've put in a lot of thought and energy into our potatoes this year - we "green sprouted" all our potato seed before planting, kept them virtually weed-free, converted them to drip irrigation, and spent hours hand-picking bugs off of them - we still have small red potatoes thanks to intense Colorado potato beetle and potato leafhopper pressure. The last-resort organic spray we used to use for potato beetles is no longer effective, forcing us to resort to some creative pest control measures (see last week's photo of Lise burning bugs with our flame-weeder!). Some of the later varieties are still alive, though, and we're trying to keep them growing for some larger potatoes later on!
• Summer squash and Zucchini - after a brief burst in production early last week, things slowed down. We're hoping to irrigate this week, which will hopefully trigger some better growth by the end of the week!
• Carrots
• Cabbage - green, purple and caraflex
• Kale
• Garlic scapes
• Lettuce
• Salanova lettuce mix
• Baby bok choy
• Arugula
• Red Russian kale

CSA PYO:

We clung to strawberry and pea-picking season longer than usual this year, but they are now both officially over. We have lots of nice herbs this week while we wait for the next pick-your-own crops coming soon: green beans and sunflowers.

• Basil- Both the second and third basil plantings are looking nice. One is just past the first planting of basil by the farm stand and the other one is out past where the peas used to be.
• Parsley
• Cilantro - we opened a new cilantro planting last week and it still looks pretty nice!
• Dill - new planting this week, with the third planting of basil out past where the peas used to be.
• Sage
• Thyme
• Mint (peppermint)
• We may have a small amount of green beans available for picking later in the week.

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We'll also have some cucumbers, gooseberries and blueberries (it looks like we may have some rain showers this week, and on those days berries may not be harvested if it's too wet before we open). Another exciting item that will make a limited appearance this week: our own greenhouse-grown tomatoes! The tomatoes were an experiment this year, so we just have small quantities, but if it's a success, we'll grow more next year. As usual, we'll also have mushrooms and eggs.

 

Recipes:

This week we're focusing on two recipes that not only make good use of the cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic scapes and baby bok choi, but also the wide variety of herbs available!

 

Sweet “Winter” Slaw

Adapted from Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi

I know the recipe calls this a winter slaw (cabbage is after all a winter staple), but this is so refreshing and is a perfect use of the mini cabbages and herbs we have right now! 

For the dressing

• 6 ½ tbsp lime juice
• 1 lemon grass stalk, chopped into small pieces
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 4 tbsp light olive oil

For the salad

• 1 ¼ cups macadamia nuts (or cashew nuts)
• 2 tsp butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 6 oz shredded caraflex cabbage
• 10 oz shredded red cabbage
• 1 mango cut into thin strips
• 1 papaya, peeled, deseeded and cut into strips (or you can just do extra mango instead!)
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and cut into thin slices
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

To make the dressing, put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a small saucepan, and reduce for five to 10 minutes, until thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat. Once it has cooled down, strain into a bowl, stir in the oil and set aside.

Put the macadamias in a hot frying pan and dry-roast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly coloured on all sides. Add the butter and, once it has melted, the sugar, salt and chilli. Use a wooden spoon to stir constantly, to keep the nuts coated in the sugar as it caramelises. Be careful because this will take only a minute or two and the nuts can burn very quickly. Turn out the nuts on to a sheet of greaseproof paper and, once cool, roughly chop them.

Put the shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl, along with the rest of the salad ingredients. Add the cool dressing, toss and taste. Add salt if you need to, and serve immediately.

 

Vegetable Summer Rolls

Gourmet | May 2001

Peanut sauce

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove (or scape), minced
• 3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar

Summer rolls

• 1 ounce bean thread noodles (cellophane noodles)
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 4 (8-inch) rice-paper rounds
• 2 lettuce leaves, ribs cut out and discarded and leaves halved
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced bok choi or Napa cabbage
• 1/3 cup coarsely shredded carrot (1 medium)

Make sauce:

Cook onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in oil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer, whisking, 1 minute, then cool.

Make summer rolls:

Cover noodles with boiling-hot water and soak 15 minutes, then drain well in a sieve. Pat dry between paper towels and toss with vinegar and salt to taste. Put a double thickness of paper towel on a work surface and fill a shallow baking pan with warm water. Soak 1 rice-paper round (make sure there are no holes) in warm water until pliable, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then transfer to paper towels. Arrange 1 piece of lettuce on bottom half of soaked rice paper, folding or tearing to fit and leaving a 1-inch border along edge. Spread one fourth of peanut sauce over lettuce and top with one fourth each of mint, basil, cabbage, and noodles. Roll up rice paper tightly around filling and, after rolling halfway, arrange one fourth of cilantro and carrot along crease. Then fold in sides and continue rolling. Transfer summer roll to a plate and cover with dampened paper towels. Make 3 more rolls in same manner. Serve rolls halved on the diagonal.