Share Notes June 1, 2023
CSA Share Notes:
Our Summer CSA is getting close to full. If you want to continue getting shares past the conclusion of your Spring season (ending in a few more weeks) you’ll need to join Summer before we fill up. You can join here or log in to your member account (look at the season drop-down dates) to see if you’ve already signed up.
Remember, salad greens are coming to a hard-stop here in another week or so. We’ve been giving you a lot, but enjoy them while you’ve got them! You get NO salad greens from mid- June through late October.
There are lots of various salad greens in your box today. If you either a)serve a side-salad along with each dinner, or b) have a big-ol salad as your main course 2-3 times, you’ll have no trouble using it all up. Here’s some inspiration to mix it up:
- Salmon caesar salad: Romaine (lacinato kale is good here, too), and loads of parmesan. When I have time, I make homemade sourdough croutons and real caesar dressing with anchovies. It’s so, so good. Can’t get enough. Primal Kitchen makes a really healthy caesar dressing, too if you can find that at a natural-leaning food store near you. You can use canned salmon (super affordable!), grilled salmon, or yummy pre-packaged smoked salmon.
- Thai Peanut dressing with tamari, sriracha, lime, cilantro, ginger etc. use shredded cabbage, spring mix, onions, lots of radish or salad turnip
- Southwest chipotle dressing, roasted roots or cauliflower, black beans, avocado, lime, crushed corn chips, cast-iron-skillet-roasted corn. Excellent if you have some leftover fajita beef or chicken.
- Bacon and blue cheese, roasted broccoli, and dried fruit (or fresh spring strawberries) with a honey & red wine vinegar dressing. this one’s great with arugula/spring mix
- Tzaziki, lemon, garlic, fresh radishes and turnips, etc. and topped with grilled chicken or falafel balls (freezer section at Sprouts! Great time saver.)
Now here’s your vegetable line-up:
- Kohlrabi — This crop is related the cabbage and broccoli. Think of it as a giant swelled up broccoli stem. The flavor is sweet and nutty like broccoli stems, and it has a nice crunch. It’s great grated or match-sticked into a good slaw, it’s also wonderful roasted or even turned into a cream soup. This one is quite often new to our newest members, but it becomes a Member Fave. We’ll probably have it one or two more times for you.
- Arugula — For Large and Regular shares. A delicious peppery salad green. I mix mine half-and-half with lettuce and top with fresh or dried fruit, parm, nuts, and a vinegarette.
- Spring Mix — For Mini shares. This is a spicy salad mix, and would be excellent in any salad with an Asian flair. It can also be braised or sauteed, with wonderful results with onion, garlic, and bacon.
- Head Lettuce — Everyone received a beautiful red romaine. Regular shares additionally received a compact green romaine. Larges additionally received 2 green romaines, one is frilly, the other compact.
- Broccoli — Everyone’s receiving a smaller amount of broccoli this week. This crop is coming to an end soon. We’ll have a small amount for the next week or two and then it’s finished till late Fall.
- Cauliflower — Also ending soon. And everyone’s getting a little bit. Handle this crop delicately, and only by the green leaves. It is very susceptible to bruising and turning brown from the introduction of bacteria. If you want your cauliflower to stay crisp and white, handle it by the leaves, whenever possible.
- Turnips: Hakurei turnips for everyone. I can dig right into these fresh out of the ground, I enjoy them so much. They’re super high in vitamin c, too. Enjoy on any salad you whip up this week. Winter Root Salad with Citrus and Ginger, and Roasted Turnip and Grain Salad.
- Radishes — Easter Egg Radishes for the regular shares and Watermelon Radishes for the Large shares. These watermelon’s have a beautiful hot-pink center and really add something lovely to your salads. Are you feeling a little tired of radishes? Head back to our e-book we sent you at the start of the season and read our “exit strategies” chapter! One of my favorite methods for dealing with excess radishes is the quick-pickle method. They become a delicious snack/condiment for meals. Ive got methods all laid out for you in the e-book.
- Cabbage — Pretty savoy leaved cabbages for the Large shares and Mini shares. I love that the crinkly leaves hold on to dressing really nicely.
- Carrot — For the Large and Regular shares.
- Kale/Collard — Winterbor (curly) Kale for Regular shares, Collard for the Larges, and Lacinato kale for the Mini shares. These crops can be used interchangeably in any recipe that calls for kale.
- Chard — Regular shares. This beautiful crop tastes a whole lot like spinach. I enjoy it in a massaged-greens-salad (try it mixed with arugula, add fresh or dried fruit, pecan, parmesan) or cook it like any of my greens, usually with an animal fat (butter, ghee, lard, bacon grease) and garlic and onion. The stems are tasty too. You can mix any/all of your cooking greens together to get a larger serving, as they cook down a lot when you saute them.
Veggie Storage tips:
You can always consult the e-book we sent you recently for a comprehensive veggie storage guide! Most everything will keep longest stored in the fridge sealed up in produce bags.Everything will need a gentle washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent spoilage. Wash really well right before using.
Broccoli and cauliflower, cabbage, leafy greens, basically everything wants to be sealed up in the fridge, preserving the moisture inside the plants, (without adding too much more moisture, that’s why you don’t wash them yet) to prevent spoilage.
All root crops, incl. kohlrabi, should be removed from their tops to keep the roots from getting rubbery, and then put them in a bag in the fridge. If you keep the greens, seal them up to stay fresh. Your kohlrabi store for many weeks if you can’t get to them right away, or if you want to save them up for when we send you more of them.
We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook, showing us how you’ve used your CSA share.
Your farmers, Jess & Justin
