CSA Share Notes:

Thanks for joining us for our Spring CSA!  It’s been the wettest spring on record and has come with its unique set of challenges, but we still had several amazing crops for you.

This final week of the spring season, we are excited to bring you some great crops that I bet many of you have never tried!  I hope you savor each one.

The summer CSA membership is full and we will be bringing you the first harvest in a few more weeks. We are expecting the harvest to be more abundant, so we may open up more space in the CSA for folks on the wait list. If you didn’t get a chance to sign up for the summer season, please go sign up for the wait list now so we can give you first dibs!

Here’s your vegetable line up:

• Radicchio—Large shares are receiving Virtus, a tall, slender variety that looks similar to Romaine, but is much more dense.  The small shares are receiving two round Leonardo radicchio, which look more like the varieties you see in stores.  These are great greens to add to a salad, but are also really nice on the grill as a hot salad drizzled with balsamic and olive oil.
• Fennel—this vegetable has quickly become a new favorite at our house.  It pairs great with orange and coriander, and is a perfect accompaniment to grilled fish. The bulb and frilly leaves impart the same sweet licorice-y flavor. If you’d like to try a recent salad we whipped up with fennel, radicchio and assorted roasted vegetables, try the Roasted Spring Salad with Fennel and Radicchio. Stop by your nearest farmers’ market to pick up some extra root crops for this one.
• Celariac—This is our first season to give this crop a try! Closely related to celery, this crop is cultivated for its bulbous root which tastes like a starchier version of its upper half. The stalks can be used exactly like celery, and these are delightfully flavorful. The leaves add an amazing flavor to a salad. Some of these celariac roots are still quite small, so they aren’t a very good representation of full-grown celariac,  but you can still peel them with a vegetable peeler, and toss them into a pot of soup or boil them with mashed potatoes.
• New Potato—White Kennebec or Yukon Gold. These two varieties are difficult to tell apart unless you cut into them and see tone of the flesh. The Kennebec will be white inside, and the Yukon will be yellow. These are freshly dug potatoes that haven’t been cured, which means that these roots will not store as long. Use them up within a week or so.  Try them in a fresh and light potato salad, or just boiled and eaten with a high quality salted butter, or maybe some herb butter. Keep the recipes simple on these potatoes so you can enjoy their unique flavor.
• Fresh Garlic—This was our first season to grow garlic in East Texas, and though it wasn’t the best year for yields (the garlic really didn’t like having its feet wet all spring) the flavor is still very pungent and so delicious! Enjoy this heirloom Creole garlic. Freshly dug garlic is uncured and should either be peeled, refrigerated and used up within a week, or it should be hung to dry for a couple of weeks before it’s ready to store for longer. You may find some tender green garlic scapes at the top of your garlic plant.  These are edible! Use like green onions to impart a garlic flavor, or grill them tucked into a bunch of asparagus spears.
• Lettuce—Large shares received New Red Fire and small shares received Skyphos. These are two of our favorites for flavor, beauty, and tolerating the late spring heat. You can expect these two varieties year after year from Red Moon Farm.
• Yellow Onion—The first of the onion crop is ready! These need no explanation. These should store for several weeks. Use any nicked or bruised onions within a week.

Veggie Storage tips:

The new potatoes, onions, and garlic can be kept at room temperature (out of their bag). The green items should all be stored in the fridge. Everything will need a gentle washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them. As a general rule, wait to wash any veggies until you’re ready to use them to help retain nutrients and prevent spoilage from excess moisture.

We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share, or tag us in your facebook and instagram posts! We’d love to see how you’re using your share of the harvest.

Your farmers,

Jess & Justin

Large Share

Large share from left to right: Fennel, celariac, New Red Fire lettuce, Virtus radicchio, Creole garlic, new potatoes, and yellow onions.

Small Share

Small share from left to right, starting at the top: yellow onions, Leonardo radicchio (red and green), new potatoes, celariac, fennel, Skyphos lettuce, and fresh Creole garlic.