Share Notes 4-28-16

Share Notes 4-28-16

CSA Share Notes:

Welcome to the Red Moon Farm spring CSA. These first items are fresh, young, and packed with nutrition, so enjoy.  The season gradually builds in abundance throughout the first few weeks so look forward to lots more deliciousness from the Red Moon Farm garden.

  • French Breakfast Radish—An heirloom variety. Yesterday we sliced them in half, length-wise, and sauteed them in butter with their greens. It made a delicious side dish. Did you know that radish tops are edible? These are super good.
  • Asian Spring Mix—A wide variety of Asian greens like scarlet frills mustard, mizuna, tatsoi, and more.  The bright spice of these mustardy greens pairs best with an animal fat like lard, butter, or bacon fat. Yep – no shame – reach for the bacon fat for this one. They’re also tasty mixed into a salad with other milder greens.
  • Kale—Large shares received Red Russian kale, and the small shares received Lacinato kale. We feel the Red Russian variety  is better for fresh eating, and the Lacinato for cooked dishes like soups or braising. The Lacinato is a chef favorite.  Cook your kale southern style with a little bacon and onion, or try the Massaged Kale Salad or the Rainbow Kale Salad.
  • Pac Choi—a delicious Asian cabbage that’s a great addition to stir fries, curries, or turned into kim chee.
  • Lettuce—New Red Fire is one of our faster growing varieties that is ultra tender and mild in early spring.
  • Endive—Frisee Endive is a coveted spring bitter green that is great mixed into salads. It’s flavor pairs best with milder greens like lettuce or baby spinach and a good strong cheese like parmesan or blue cheese.
  • Dandelion Greens— Common in European cooking, dandelion greens are prized by chefs. It’s also considered a medicinal herb, great for supporting liver health. Consider cooking them up with your radishes (which are great for the gallbladder) the day after you’ve imbibed.  Dandelion greens can be added to your next salad, or sauteed with plenty of garlic. This is our first season to offer dandelion greens, and they’ve been so wonderful to grow, cultivate, and harvest. We hope you enjoy them!

Veggie Storage tips:

The many leafy greens will all last longest stored in the refrigerator, sealed up in a bag or container to retain their moisture. The radish roots should be severed from their tops to keep them firm and crisp, and the tops can be stored like the 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

Large Share

spring-csa-share-large Large Share:  Dandelion greens, Asian spring mix, Red Russian Kale, pac choi, radishes, lettuce, and endive.

Small Sharespring-csa-share-smallSmall share: Dandelion greens, Asian spring mix, pac choi, radishes, lacinato kale, endive, and lettuce.