Final Week of the Spring CSA Share

This Week's Vegetable Harvest:

• Napa Cabbage
• Strawberries from Mick Klug Farms
• Lettuce Heads (mostly Butterhead)
• Garlic Scapes
• Spinach (a mix of traditional and red-stemmed)
• Carrots or Broccoli
• Asparagus from Mick Klug Farm

Important Reminders:

• The Fresh Fruit Share starts next week.
• The Summer Vegetable Share starts next week.
• Summer Egg Shares are still available. Please email us if you're interested.

A Note to our Members

This is the final week of the Spring Vegetable Share. We are quite pleased with how things have gone, and we think it shows in the quality of our vegetables this spring. I have a feeling many of you feel the same! This year we're fortunate to work with many of the same employees who have worked with us for a number of years now. The experience and knowledge that our employees bring to the job enables us to keep all of the various biological and mechanical systems in good working order. So far things are going relatively smoothly, even as we get used to working two different farms. Thanks to all of you for being a part of the amazing work-in-progress that is Sandhill Organics. I am very much looking forward to the start of our 9th summer season together.

Cheers!  --Peg

Our amazing staff, pictured from left: Jeff (kneeling), Tyler, Jeff, David, Luis, Matt, Nadia, Peg,
Travis and Donna. Not pictured: Ian, David N, Phil and MV.

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

It's been a very good year for our spring spinach. To date we have sown five different plantings of spinach in order to ensure a continued harvest. Spinach is one of those crops that dominates in the spring and early summer but disappears once the heat of summer really hits. We give out lots of it now, knowing that it may not reappear again in your share until early fall. The photo below was taken by our friend Mary Ann Natarajan a couple of years ago. It's one of my favorites--Matt working hard to bring in the spinach harvest.

Our friend, Mick Klug, has provided strawberries for us this week. Mick is the Michigan farmer who grows all the fruit for our fruit share. While it is not certified organic, all of Mick’s fruit is grown with minimal synthetic inputs and is a healthy and tasty alternative to conventionally-grown fruit.

 

Red-stemmed spinach is a great example of the way that Mother Nature blesses us with her beauty and variety. We love this type of spinach (called Bordeaux) for the beauty and contrast it contributes to this traditional spring offering.

Thanks to the warm weather in March, we were able to sneak in an extra-early sowing of carrots. The carrots you will receive this week are the last of the crop that was planted in the hoophouse. In two weeks you will receive carrots from our first field planting.

Head lettuce continues to be one of the all-stars of the spring crops. We always plant many different types of head lettuce, and this week you will receive mostly green butterhead. I wish you could see it in the field--it's such a beautiful plant!

Also known as Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage has been cultivated in various parts of the world for thousands of years. It has light green crinkly leaves with white ribs. It adds a nice crunch when used raw in a salad, but it also stands up well to the heat of a quick saute or stir fry. I like to 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 with oil and vinegar.

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. Chopped scapes can be used in place of chopped garlic cloves in most dishes. Another way to use garlic scapes is to cut them into 3-inch lengths and saute them lightly in olive oil. In terms of taste and texture, sauteed scapes are a lot like garlicky green beans. This is a spring treat that I look forward to all year long. If you are still in need of a little inspiration, here's a link that might be helpful. Enjoy!

This Week's Featured Recipes

Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic Scapes and Asparagus
6-8 fresh garlic scapes cut into 3-inch pieces
1 pound fresh asparagus
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
A generous pinch of red pepper flakes.
1 pound dried spaghetti
freshly grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400º F.
2. Rinse the asparagus and garlic scapes and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Trim the garlic scapes by cutting off the tips. Cut the scapes and the asparagus into pieces about 3 inches long. 
4. Spread the asparagus and the garlic scapes on a rimmed sheet pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and red pepper flakes, and use your hands to toss everything together so that the vegetables are lightly coated with the oil.
5. Place in the hot oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until the asparagus and scapes are tender but not too soft.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it generously. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until it is al dente.
7. Drain the pasta, and transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Gently toss with the roasted vegetables, adding a little extra olive oil if desired.
8. Serve immediately with the freshly grated Pecorino cheese passed separately at the table.

Napa Cabbage and Strawberry Salad
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
4 cups chopped spinach
3 green onions, chopped
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Combine the first four ingredients in a jar with a lid. Shake to mix. 
2. Combine cabbage, spinach and green onions in a salad bowl and toss with enough dressing to lightly coat.
3. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and top with sliced strawberries.

Next Week's Fruits and Vegetables (our best guess)... radishes, baby beets, cilantro, peas, strawberries, rhubarb, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, lettuce, green onions and more!