- Green-Top Beets
- Baby Carrots
- Spinach
- Red or Green Romaine
- Kohlrabi
- Curly or Italian Parsley
- Garlic Scapes
- Zucchini or Broccoli
- Cilantro
- Red Currants
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Sweet Cherries
Announcements
- The fruit share starts this week. The white plastic boxes we had been planning to use for the fruit share have been backordered indefinitely, so we will be using the same cardboard boxes we've been using for the last several years. You won't need to transfer your fruit into your own bag or box like you do for the vegetable share, but we'd appreciate it if you'd bring the empty box back each week.
Farm Journal
Sunday 2 p.m.Except for the slight commotion created by two hens who can't quite seem to get along, the afternoon is mostly quiet and still. The blades of the wind turbine spin lazily many feet above my head as I pause at the edge of the main field road. Out of the corner of my eye, a slight movement catches my attention near the greenhouse. I turn the electric golf cart around and head over for a closer look. I get within 10 yards before the red tailed hawk makes like he's going to fly away. I take my foot off the accelerator and coast quietly for a few more feet. The hawk is perched on the furnace exhaust pipe that sticks out of the side of the greenhouse, and he is poised to launch himself into the air at any second. But he doesn't. We sit and stare at each other for minutes, so close that I almost wonder if I ought to be scared.
The spell is broken as our 5-year-old comes careening around the corner. The hawk is gone in a heartbeat and the 5-year-old jumps on the golf cart begging for ride. I agree, but I warn her that I've got work to do. Before I got caught up in my mid-afternoon raptor reverie, I had been making the rounds of the farm, trying to figure out the coming week's CSA share. Now the two of us continue down the field road assessing the size of the carrots (just big enough), the quality of the spinach (gorgeous) and the quantity of zucchini (lots). There are disappointments too, like broccoli that's starting to flower before making a proper head, but on the whole things look very good on this beautiful summer afternoon. It looks like we're in for a stretch of great weather this coming week, which means we'll be able to keep the weeds under control as the vegetable crops do some serious growing. If you're curious and want to get a look at your food growing, I encourage you to attend the CSA field walk on July 9th at 3:30. You never know when you'll come across something interesting on the farm.
Have a good week. --Peg
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Kohlrabi is related to cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli. It is delicious peeled and eaten raw. Just peel the bulb, slice into match sticks and serve plain, with hummus or with your favorite vegetable dip. It also makes a fantastic slaw when shredded or thinly sliced. For a great slaw this week, use matchstick kohlrabi and grated carrot, chopped cilantro and parsley, and some chopped green onion leftover from last week's share. Mix with a bit of mayonnaise, a splash of cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar and a dash of salt.
The curly garlic scape is the flower stalk of the garlic plant. 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 chopped up and used in place of garlic cloves or onions in most dishes. Try using them in pesto, 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.
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 sweet, eggy richness of the clafoutis provides the perfect complement to the tartness of the currants. All of your fruit this week, including the currants, should be stored in the refrigerator.
This Week's Recipes
Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... newly-dug garlic, currants, sweet cherries, baby leeks, raspberries, Swiss chard, carrots, cabbage, basil, zucchini, salad turnips and more!
