Share Notes 5-18-17
CSA Share Notes:
We’ve got a great line up for you this week and an exciting announcement! Starting Friday you can join the summer season. Woohoo! You can sign up and reserve your summer share by logging in to your member account, switching the season to Summer 2017, and clicking to join on the right hand side of the screen. The store is closed on Thursdays while we do deliveries, so you can’t join just yet. Just wait till tomorrow and then go get yourself signed up for summer!
Last week we mentioned the Harlequin bugs to you, and yes, they are still an increasing issue. We hope you treasure what the garden has provided for you this week. (we’ve listed the Harlequin susceptible items with an asterisk so you’ll know what to especially cherish.)
So with that update, here’s your box.
- Escarole—small shares are receiving the same Batavian escarole crop that the large shares got to try last week! This European salad green looks a LOT like lettuce, (check out the identifying images below) and has a deep flavor that some actually prefer cooked rather than eaten as a fresh salad. Some love it, some don’t! We hope you’ll give it a go and come to sing its praises as we have. Here’s a great write up for more info on this crop.
- Lettuce—Large shares received a mottistone and a Cherokee lettuce. Small shares received a Cherokee lettuce.
- Dandelion—Did you give our pesto recipe a try yet? It’s not too late! Here’s another chance to get creative. dandelion pumpkin seed pesto
- Asian greens mix*—This flavorful mix of greens makes a fantastic salad, and are also great braised or sautéed. Each green was carefully selected for color, texture, and flavor.
- Radish*—Small shares received watermelon radish, large shares received Easter egg radish.
- Swiss Chard—Lovely fresh or cooked, chard is one of my spring favorites. Try our a fantastic method: massaged chard. Just follow the steps I outline here for massaged kale. When you’re done massaging add some dried cherries, citrus juice, shaved hard cheese, walnuts, etc. and you’ll have an incredible new favorite salad.
- Kale/Collard*—Large shares received a lovely, dense bunch of collards, small shares received a big bunch of curly kale.
- Broccoli*—SUCH large shares of broccoli this week. We’re thrilled to be able to give this much to you. We’re once again blown away by some of our crops this year!
- Mixed Turnips*—An assortment of Scarlet Queen and Hakurei turnips. These turnips are arriving without their greens because the Harlequin bugs we mentioned last week had really chewed them up. We just went ahead and ditched the damage to salvage the good part for you!
- Snow Peas—Crisp and juicy, these are excellent in a fresh salad, but they’re also great sautéed in butter. This week large shares receive a whole quart, and small shares receive a pint. Some of the small shares are receiving their pint of peas in an over-sized quart container (we ran out of pint containers half-way through the day. Time to get some more I suppose!)
Veggie Storage tips:
The many leafy greens will all last longest stored in the refrigerator, sealed up in bags or containers to retain their moisture. The root crops should be removed from their tops to keep the roots from getting rubbery. The tops can be stored like other greens. 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. Send us a note or post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share.
Your farmers,
Jess & Justin
