- Red Currants
- Garlic Scapes
- Broccoli
- Strawberries (from JenEhr Farm in Sun Prairie, WI)
- Swiss Chard
- Spinach
- Red and/or Green Head Lettuce
- Baby Leeks
Early Summer Field Walk on Thursday, June 24th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
847-548-4030 or info@sandhillorganics.com.
On behalf of the entire crew, I'd like to welcome all new CSA members who are joining us this week! Pictured from left are Jesse, Nathan, Tyler, Jeff, Derek, Catherine, Meredith, Peg and Heidi.
Abundant rains in the last couple of weeks have meant fast and lush growth of most of our crops. This field of Swiss chard and leeks comprises the view from my kitchen windows.
Like all the other greens on the farm right now, the cabbage and broccoli are growing like crazy. We're starting to harvest broccoli this week, and the cabbage (above) will be ready to harvest in about a month. Green beans, potates and cauliflower are also thriving due to the rains. Our tomato and eggplant crops don't appreciate the moisture quite as much, but the weather forecasters say we're in for some drier weather soon. A few days of dry weather will help us stay on top of the weeding too!
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Red currants are members of the gooseberry family and are native to Western Europe. They are most often associated with the making of currant jelly, but they are excellent prepared in other ways as well. I find the sweet-sour taste of raw currants unique and refreshing on their own, but I also like to use them in desserts, savory dishes and salads. I particularly like to use them in the clafoutis recipe below because the richness of the clafoutis provides the perfect complement to the tartness of the currants. Currants should be stored in the refrigerator.
Leeks belong to the lily family, as do onions, garlic, scallions, shallots and chives. Baby leeks can be used in many different recipes that call for onions. Chop them like green onions, making sure to discard the fibrous tops.This week's strawberries come from our friends Kay Jensen and Paul Ehrhardt who have a certified-organic farm near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The berries are perfectly ripe and amazingly delicious, so you’ll want to eat them in the next day or two. The best way to store them is to put a paper towel on a plate and gently empty the strawberry pint onto the plate. Store them in the refrigerator.
The curly garlic scape is the flower stalk of the garlic plant. If we had left them on the plants, those little buds at the end of each curly scape would eventually have become flowers. We snap the scapes off at this stage in the plant's development so that the plant will devote all of its energy to making a nice, big bulb rather than a flower. The delicious side benefit is that we get to eat the scapes! You can use the entire scape, but some people prefer to discard the pointy end. They can be used in place of garlic cloves or onions in most dishes. Try using them in soups, dips, omelets, salad dressings, stir fry and as a pizza topping. Another way to enjoy them is to cut them into 2-inch sections and saute them in olive oil until they are just barely tender. At this point they have the taste and texture of garlicky green beans.
Scapes are a once-a-year treat. Enjoy them this week because you won't see them again until next year!
Next Week's Vegetable Harvest (our best guess)... carrots, strawberries, broccoli, lettuce, kohlrabi, zucchini, purplette onions, radishes and more!
