June 8, 2010

The Final Week of the Spring CSA Season

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:
  • Fresh Dill
  • Red or Gold Beets
  • Bibb Lettuce
  • Green Onions
  • Kale
  • Rhubarb (from Tipi Produce in Evansville, Wisconsin)
  • Purple Kohlrabi
  • Napa Cabbage

Important: This is the final week of the Spring Vegetable Season. The Summer Vegetable Season starts next week, and the Fresh Fruit Season starts June 30th/July 1st. If you are unsure whether or not you registered for summer veggies or fruit, please email Peg at info@sandhillorganics.com. (We are now sold out of both.)Thanks to all of our our Spring CSA Members. It's been a great spring for us. We hope you have enjoyed your veggies!

Photo Journal: A Rainy Tuesday on the Farm

It's Tuesday morning and the crew goes out to harvest decked out in raincoats and rubber boots.

Jeff, our crew leader, harvests head lettuce in a steady, cold drizzle.
The lettuce loves it. Jeff, on the other hand, isn't so sure!
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It won't be possible to do any tractor work today, so Matt takes advantage of the opportunity
to do some organizing in the shop.


Oblivious to all the work going on around them, the kids have a ball splashing in mud puddles.
Kids sure have a knack for enjoying themselves in all kinds of weather!

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, has been cultivated for over six thousand years. Brassica rapa seeds have been found in jars in the excavated New Stone Age settlement of Banpo. They were a common part of the diet in southern China by the 5th century. Use Napa cabbage to make cole slaws similar to those made with the familiar green cabbage. For a simple crunchy side dish, chop it up, add sliced almonds and chopped green onions and dress it with oil and vinegar.

Perhaps the most underrated member of the cabbage family, kohlrabi is delicious peeled and eaten raw. Just peel the bulb, slice into match sticks and serve with or without dip. (Dill dip would be fantastic.) The greens on this batch of kohlrabi are pretty nice too. Use them like you would use kale, collards, and other hearty stewing greens. These types of greens become tender and delicious when simmered over low to medium heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Try sauteeing onion and garlic in a pan (a little bacon or salt pork would be the perfect addition) and then adding the greens to the pan along with some type of liquid-- vegetable broth, chicken stock, white wine etc. Try not to rush them. These greens will taste best when they're nice and tender.

Kale is interchangeable for spinach, Swiss chard and broccoli in many recipes, but it takes longer to cook. The key to enjoying kale is letting it simmer long enough so that it becomes tender. Before cooking with kale, take a sharp knife and slice out the tough, center rib. Add steamed or boiled kale to omelets, quiches, scrambled eggs, lasagnas, and casseroles. Add chopped raw kale to hearty soups and pasta sauces mid-way through the cooking time.

Once again, we have rhubarb from the farm of our friends Steve Pincus and Beth Kazmar in Evansville, Wisconsin. Steve and Beth grow certified organic vegetable mainly for the Madison market.

This Week's Recipes
Creamy Dill Dip (try it with raw, peeled kohlrabi slices)


Next Week's Vegetable Harvest (our best guess)... broccoli, strawberries, red currants, head lettuce, Swiss chard, radishes and more!





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