Share Notes May 23, 2024
CSA Share Notes
This week we have some new crops ready that have managed to struggle through this rainy season and survive through to a beautiful harvest! We’re thrilled to have some new items to provide a little variability to your boxes. With how much crop loss we’ve experienced from the rain, we know your boxes have probably felt like you’re getting much of the same things over and over this season. So yay!
Your vegetable line up:
- Kohlrabi —Large shares received a green and a purple kohlrabi. This crop is wonderful peeled and thinly sliced and either on top of a salad, or eaten with salt and lemon. It’s excellent in a slaw or stir fry, too.
- Green Onions — A petite bunch for everyone!
- Carrots — Everyone received lovely carrot bunches this week, and they’re doing great out there! We should have them for a few weeks.
- Beets — Regular and Mini shares this week. Deep purpley-red, loaded with vitamins. Try this wonderful beet spread recipe that we’ve made and loved for years now. Let me know if your family loves it too!
- Watermelon Radish— A few for everyone to enjoy the end of this crop. Water-loving-pests decimated this crop early, so they didn’t get as large as we had hoped, but they’re still delicious. They’re usually nice and spicy as far as radishes go, so take it slow. We eat with our eyes first, so we love thin slices on a salad to add beauty.
- Mixed Lettuce — The end of the lettuce crop! Large and Regular shares received a mag of mixed salad greens.
- Leeks — 2 for the Large shares, 1 for the regular and mini shares. You’ll clean these well, as dirt can get down into the leaf folds, but they’ll be delicious in any soups or sautes you make this week. If you haven’t tries the Scape, Chard, and Leek Quiche , it’s a winner. We also used them in a wonderful beef and kohlrabi stir fry this week.
- Dandelion Greens — This is a European bitter green in the chicory family and it is excellent for a healthy liver! It’s wonderful as a pesto, or sauteed and served mixed into a pasta. You can find great Italian recipes, where it’s translated to Cicoria (aka- chicory!) so run a recipe search using that term to get some authentic Italian pasta dishes using dandelion greens. The flavor is strong. A little goes a long way. Enjoy!
- Swiss Chard — Mini shares received this crop. It’s closely related to spinach and makes a fantastic saute. It’s so beautiful, it’s my favorite spring crop!
- Kale — Red Russian kale for the Large shares shares, and Curly kale for the Regular shares. These crops can be used interchangeably in any recipe that calls for kale. We’ve enjoyed two amazing massaged kale salads this week- one topped with red wine vinegar, olive oil, red onions, and Winona Orchard peaches (We’ve heard they’re going to have a wonderful peach year!). So simple, and so good. The other massaged kale salad was topped with asian plum vinegar, avocado oil, green onions, winona peaches, and toasted sliced almonds.
- Broccoli and Cauliflower — Regular shares received either a small helping of broccoli, or a small helping of cauliflower. Hopefully we’ll have another small harvest from this crop to give a taste to the mini shares next week. Such a tiny harvest this year! We’re disappointed too. We love broccoli!
Veggie Storage tips:
Consult the e-book we sent you for a comprehensive veggie storage guide! All leafy greens will keep longest stored in the fridge sealed up in produce bags. Root crops should be severed from their tops to keep the roots from getting rubbery, and the greens stored separately, sealed up to stay fresh. Everything will need a gentle washing before cooking, but you can leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent spoilage.
We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Tag us in Stories, send us a note, or post comments of how you’ve used your CSA share!
Your farmers, Jess & Justin
