Produce Subscription (Week 27)

We are in the lull between the seasons. Spring delicacies are waning and summer beauties are waxing. And maybe, just maybe, the bounty in the woods and meadows is sufficient to keep the deer from the fields!

We have seen some gorgeous dry days this week, so lots of seeding and transplanting going on. Cover crops are getting mowed and transferred to the high tunnel for mulch. An intercropping of clover is going down under all of the well developed brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower) to act as a living mulch and to “fix” nitrogen for the next succession to occupy that space in the fall or next spring. The summer alfalfa we seeded to the third high tunnel position is peaking up; we hope to let it grow for two months (making nitrogen, building soil tilth and suppressing weeds) and then put in the fall crops that will live under the tunnel after it is too cold for tomatoes/peppers/cucumbers. If it all sounds quite confusing, well, it is. Believe me! Thank goodness for computer calendars to keep us on task.

The delivery is light and leafy, with a mix of the following in your boxes this week:

Salad turnips We squeaked out another round of these crunchy white roots. Hope you enjoy them in your salads this week.

Lettuce, red leaf A few small heads to provide some leaves for sandwiches and burgers this week. Nothing to write home about, unless you want to lament the deer in your farm’s lettuce beds to your mom!

Mini-Broccoli These little fellas are so easy; floret, stem and leaf are all fair game. Just rinse and braise/grill/stirfry.

Baby lettuce mix A milder version of WLIG salad mix, but just as easy and fresh.

Spinach, loose leaf More green goodness.

Kale, lacinato/dinosaur Ha! Finally some kale. (I know that’s what you have been saying recently.)

Cilantro A little more invigorating cilantro; take it beyond salsas!

Thyme A staple for savory gravies; if you can’t eat it all fresh, put in very low heat oven (150-200F) and then turn off and let dry overnight.

Sage Fresh or dried/rubbed, sage is a unique and soothing herb. Also easy to dry and save.

Garlic scapes We didn’t put these on the top of your box for fear of spooking you with “Snake!” A great little fresh garlic taste for your cooking and salads. Chop and enjoy.

Recipes for your consideration

Fellow CSA member, JQ, taught me a WONDERFUL way to make salads on-the-go, preparing ahead easy-peasy. Salads in a Jar— the concept is apparently “out there” on the web; a quick search found me many websites and blogs.

The key features appear to be:
1) Use a wide-mouth Mason jar; the white multi-use lids are probably most useful.
2) Salad dressing on the bottom, layer on top of that veggies that can tolerate dressing for awhile (like radish, turnip, broccoli, cabbage)
3) Avoid cut tomatoes; too juicy.
4) Put nuts and seeds toward the top, away from dressing.
5) Top it all off with your lettuce.
6) If making several for the week, place a small square of papertowel on top/under lid for moisture control.

To eat, just shake and stir/fluff a little and enjoy.

A couple of blended cilantro sauces to bring the vibrant herb to lunches and dinners.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

½ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped cilantro
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup or brown rice syrup
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp sea salt
Pinch of ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Simple Cilantro Sauce

1 cup cilantro, rough chop
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or seasoned rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ tsp sea salt
1-2 Tbsp water, as needed to thin

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Spoon over a beans and rice, pasta, corn and tomato salad, mesclun wraps. Great zest of flavor.
(Both from: The Saucy Vegetarian by Joanne Stepaniak)

What are those crazy curly green things? Garlic scapes are the young flower stalk of developing garlic plants; they are traditionally removed to allow all of the growing energy to go to the garlic bulb. The side benefit is the fresh green garlic taste you get with the scapes. They are crunchy and delicious, fresh or cooked.

White Beans with Garlic Scapes

A simple side dish to accompany any meal.

1 Tbsp olive oil
3-5 garlic scapes, cut ½-1inch lengths
¼ tsp sea salt
1 cup cooked/canned white beans, drained
2 Tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp fresh lemon juice

Sauté scapes in oil and sea salt over medium-low heat for about 5min, until tender.

Add beans and parsley, and stir additional 5min until heated thru.

Add lemon juice and serve.

For Your Reading Pleasure

So! Well into the greens eating season, and frankly, almost through it (!), it might be time to refer you to several “local and seasonal eating” recipe books.

A book create by the Madison, WI Community Supported Agiculture Coalition (a community with a VERY well established locally grown food network) is a fun ride thru the alphabet of vegetables. The recipes tend to be fairly simple, relying on the vegetable to headline in a straight-forward manner. And they give you a brief overview of the history of the vegetable and some storage and prep tips.
From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Vegetables

Another good cookbook around the seasonal produce theme guides the reader thru each season with more emphasis on learning to cook, stocking the pantry, and mastering the simple things that make cooking seemingly complex dishes simple. Recipes are richer and more diverse.
Serving Up the Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness of Fresh Vegetables by Andrea Chesman

A good little cookbook I received from my sister, tackles the seasonal eating concept from the vegetarian perspective. The author is a restaurateur in Seattle, so the season is a tich off, but the recipes are creative yet on the clean and simple side of the palate.
Local Bounty by Devra Gartenstein

And finally, a cookbook that is still on my wishlist, but looks like my next purchase. EatingWell in Season: The Farmers’ Market Cookbook Copyright 2009 by Eating Well, Inc. Published by The Countryman Press, P.O. Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091

Farm News

We are just about to kick into high gear with vegetable variety. The summer squash is almost here (soon you will be cursing its existence), green peppers are here (awaiting some color changes), cherry tomatoes are green going on red/yellow/orange, cucumbers are fattening as we speak, carrots are the slowest roots on the planet (but almost), peas are flowering (peppers will beat peas?), beans have escaped the deer (I just jinxed us!), cabbage heads are fattening and beets are popping out of the ground (we did better this year). This week’s box may have been a light leafy experience, but soon you will need your dolly to transport the box indoors.

Happy Independence Day. Spend a beautiful, sunny day outside.

Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.

Roger and Lara