We are looking forward to welcoming many of our CSA members back to the farm this week, but first we have some very exciting news to share: Melissa and her partner Nigel welcomed baby Miles into the world this past weekend! Everyone is healthy and doing well, but (understandably) you won’t see Melissa around the field, farm stand or CSA this June. We’re hoping they’ll make some cute appearances later this summer!
In addition to eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new farm baby, the crew has been extremely busy harvesting, planting, weeding, trellising, setting up irrigation (the rain over the weekend could not have been more welcome!), and picking potato beetles off our eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes. Though there have been some hot days, it’s overall been a chillier spring than recent years (with one late freeze), so while we have been busy and staying on top of things, some crops have been a little slower to mature than last year.
CSA distribution will continue to be held outside under a white canopy tent by the farm stand this year. CSA pick-up hours are Wednesdays from 11am-6pm 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 canvas CSA bag from last year. If you have lost it, replacement ones are available in the farm stand for $10. New members will receive a bag when they check in.
In the CSA this week:
Scallions - Coming from our high tunnel.
Green Garlic - These are smaller and less sharp than the cured garlic we’ll enjoy in the fall.
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 cole slaw, chopped up and added to soup, or breaded and fried, among many other options!
Radishes
Salad turnips
Mini daikon radish
Spinach - We have an abundance this week. Spinach does not do well in warmer conditions, so make sure to enjoy it now!
Lettuce
Salanova lettuce mix - This cut leaf mix is a little crisper than a mesclun mix and therefore keeps well for longer!
Arugula
Baby bok choi
Red Russian kale - This is a smaller more tender kale leaf. It’s great mixed in salads, but also is nice lightly sauteed!
Swiss chard
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Sweet William flowers
Herbs - There will be a choice between sage, thyme or chives. These are herbs that should be harvestable all season, so please follow Shopkeeper instructions about proper harvesting. If plants are cut all the way down to the ground they won’t last!
We are hoping to have the PYO strawberry field ready next week, as well as a greater selection of herbs and maybe shelling peas. Sadly, there will be no sugar snap peas this season. We seeded 3 successions and they all germinated well, but when we took the row cover off we found that entire sections were gone and we are unsure why (possibly some type of grub ate them). The remainder later got mowed down by deer that had jumped our deer fence.
In the farm store:
In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have seedlings, flowers and limited strawberries and asparagus early in the week. Later in the week we will also have bok choi heads, head lettuce and kohlrabi. We will also have mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and Double B honey.
We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Monday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Wednesday for Friday pick-up.
Mushroom CSA:
Now that the farm store is staffed you may come to pick up your mushrooms anytime the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Your mushrooms will be kept in the cooler and retrieved by the shopkeeper when you arrive at the store. It is week 5 of the 8-week Spring Mushroom CSA. This week is a mix of Comb Tooth and Shiitake.
Easy Walnut Spinach Pesto Pasta
from Little Spice Jar
Ingredients:
For the pesto:
⅓ cup EACH: olive oil AND walnuts
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano (or parmesan)
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups spinach, packed
¼ cup arugula (if you don’t like the peppery arugula flavor, you can just do an extra ¼ cup of spinach)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the pasta:
1 lb. linguine (or other pasta shapes)
1 cup reserved pasta water
Pecorino or parmesan, for serving
Instructions:
BLEND: In the bowl of a food processor, add the oil, walnuts, cheese, garlic, lemon zest + juice, and red pepper flakes. Run the food processor until the garlic becomes finely minced and the walnuts break down.
SCRAPE: down the bowl. Then, add the baby spinach, basil, and salt. Continue to run the food processor until the leaves break down into a sauce-like texture. Stop the food processor, taste, and adjust with additional salt.
PASTA: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water generously. When the pot returns to boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions. When the pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining; do not rinse the pasta.
TOSS: Place the pasta back into the saucepan (or a medium bowl) add the prepared pesto and roughly ⅓ cup of water. Toss the pasta with pesto using a pair of tongs, add more pasta water as needed to make a sauce that’s thin but still clings to the pasta. Serve warm topped with additional pecorino if desired; enjoy!
Stir-fried Baby Bok Choi
from The Modern Proper
Ingredients:
1.5 lb baby bok choy, halved
4 tbsp sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp water
Instructions:
In a large wok or skillet, heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Working in small batches, add in bok choy cut side down until lightly browned. Remove from pan and continue until all bok choy has been used.
Once it’s all been browned, add all of the bok choy back to the pan along with the minced garlic and cook 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add soy sauce, salt, red pepper flakes and water. Bring to a simmer, stirring bok choy until well-coated. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Top with sesame seeds and more red pepper flakes before serving. Enjoy!
Note: The baby bok choy is done when the dark green leaves are wilted and light green stalks are tender, but still have a slight crunch.
