Winter CSA Newsletter Week #27 May 12-18, 2024 “A" week
Lilacs (photo by Marlee)
VEG SHARES
(Photo of the "Default" FULL Share below. See listings to see which share size has what, how much, along with info, guides, recipes.)
FULL VEG SHARE:
SPINACH (3/4 lb) - This green is very versatile (and YES! You can eat the stems, in fact they are very tasty too. ;) It can be eaten cooked or raw, requires little prep, works with sweet or savory ingredients, stands up to other hearty ingredients, and pairs well with rich
, fatty foods such as cheese, butter, bacon, and cream. Raw is popular in salads with, or without, pecans, dried fruit such as cranberries, chunks of cheese, sunflower seeds, and roasted beets. Other possibilities are steaming, boiling, stir-frying, or sautéeing with butter or olive oil. Known as a longer keeper than lettuce, store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week or more. Note - Cooks down in size considerably. Guide & Recipes
RHUBARB - (1 lb) - These tart green & magenta stalks this hardy perennial vegetable is generally thought of as a fruits. It’s mouth puckering goodness is often sweetened with a little sugar or honey and is used in dishes like crisps, compotes, and pies (from which it gets its second name, "pie plant"). Rhubarb also lends a fruitiness to savory dishes and pairs very nicely with pork and poultry. To use: wash and trim off any dry ends. Some peel the skin but there’s no need to do this and besides it holds lots of color and flavor. Store in loose plastic in the crisper drawer of the fridge, where it will keep for about a week or a little more. To freeze, cut the rhubarb stalks into 1-inch chunks and seal in an airtight bag and it will keep for up to a year.
ASPARAGUS (1 lb) - Can be eaten raw or cooked many ways—roasted, grilled, steamed, boiled, pan-roasted, fried and can be added to pasta, salads, soups, and stir-fries.Steam with butter or hollandaise sauce, blanch and chill with a vinaigrette, herbs, or other dressing. Generally speaking, thicker spears are better for roasting, grilling, and stir-frying, and thinner stalks are traditionally left whole so their tender, meaty texture can be appreciated. Trim before cooking by holding the ends and bending the spear until it breaks somewhere in the middle; everything from the middle up will be tender enough to eat easily. Store in the fridge either in a vase of water (cut a sliver off the stalk ends first if they are dried) or store them in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper drawer. Just remember that the sooner you eat it, the better the flavor. Asparagus can also be blanched and then frozen although it will be more mushy when thawed - perfect for soup! Pickling is another option. from our farm and New Forest Farm
CUTTING CELERY (1 small bunch) Cutting celery is a great culinary herb that’s full of flavor, reminiscent of black pepper and looks more like parsley than stalk celery. It’s a very old herb, more popular in European and Asian countries. Chop leaves and stems together simply because it is easiest and add the mix to stir fry dishes, soups, stews, egg dishes and potato recipes toward the end of the cooking period. Sauté chopped celery with diced green pepper and tomato to add to fish or chicken. Or add about a spoonful to a green salad to add a peppery flavor in small amounts. The leaves can be used as a garnish.
GREEN GARLIC (1 bunch) - Use anywhere you’d use garlic. Stronger that regular garlic when used fresh, but milder when heat is added. (Note - if you chop or mince ahead of time, oxidation can cause the garlic to turn bright green or blue. It’s still usable.)
HALF VEG SHARE: (see Full VEG Shares above⬆ for info on each item)
SPINACH (1/2 lb)
ASPARAGUS (1 lb)
RHUBARB - (1 lb)
GREEN GARLIC (1 bu.)
HERB (1 bunch)
OPTIONAL ITEM: 1 dozen EGGS and/or BEETS (1 lb) - Store in the fridge in a plastic bag for months. from our farm and Red Door Family Farm Guide & Recipes
Other ITEMS available in "Design My Share"
Purple Top Turnips Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator where they'll keep for a long time. Delicious roasted.
Daikon Radish Daikons are generally milder than regular table radishes. Store dry in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for weeks - these are long keepers!. Radishes are also delicious roasted - our favorite way to eat them - because it takes out their heat and makes them sweeter! Try also sliced in rounds or matchsticks with your favorite dip or hummus. Adds crunch and great flavor to any stir fry recipe. Guide & Recipes
GARLIC CHIVES (1 bunch) - Garlic chives look similar to chives, but their leaves are broad and flat instead of hollow. Their garlicky flavor enhances cooked dishes, particularly ones where the food is slowly simmered in a sauce, such as red-cooked stews or soups, or in stuffing. Use them also to add flavor to stir-fries. They go particularly well with eggs and seafood—you’ll often find them paired with scrambled eggs or prawns.
CHIVES - Chives, with long, pencil-like, thin edible leaves with hollow centers and also edible purple flowers, belong to the allium family, making them relatives of onions, leeks, scallions, and garlic. They are typically chopped and are most often used as a garnish but are good on just about anything. Their flavor pairs well with any savory dish. and the bright green color adds visual appeal as well. Note: if added to a dish too early, they will wilt easily. Chives will keep a few weeks in the fridge in a plastic bag although quality will be better if used within a week.
SMALL RED CAYENNE BEANS (1 lb) - These beans are small, plump, and creamy and are great for soups and stews. We call them the “everything” bean, as they’re a good chili, soup, salad, refried, baked bean. (from Meadowlark Organics)
PEPPER JACK CHEESE (6 oz) - A semi-soft Monterey Jack with the delicate flavors of jalapeno peppers. Pairs well with: Sauvignon blanc wine. *NOT organic. (from Meister Cheese)
MES SHARES
Week 1 of the rotation so MES is for Mazo, Dianne Dr, Jacobs Way, Homes on Olin & Shefford
FULL: 2 Dozen Eggs
HALF: 1 Dozen Eggs
EGG SHARE
WEEKLY = 1 Dozen
BIWEEKLY = 1 Dozen
RECIPES:
Click the link to more easily print recipe.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, Butter, and Parmesan
Adapted from natasha’skitchen.com
Servings: 8 people as a side dish
2 lbs asparagus, or about 2 bunches
1 lemon, (half juiced and half sliced into rings)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt, or added to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground,, or added to taste
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, or to taste
Rinse 2 bunches of asparagus and break off the ends by holding the base end and snapping it wherever it snaps.
Place asparagus in a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roll asparagus lightly to coat in oil and seasonings.
Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon evenly over the asparagus. Line the top third of the asparagus with lemon slices from the second half of your lemon. Thinly slice 4 tbsp of butter and line the center of the asparagus with butter.
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Remove asparagus from the oven and set oven to Broil.
Sprinkle the center of the asparagus with Parmesan cheese then return to the center of the oven and broil 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.
On the Farm
Lettuce is looking good and will be ready for next week shares!
Cover crop and grasses - i.e. organic matter cut and laid down over beds that will soon be planted.
Laying fabric to before transplanting snapping broccoli in the holes. Using this fabric for helps keep weeds to a minimum. Keeping up with weeds is a continual job for vegetable farmers, and using strategic mechanical practices are very helpful.
On Monday we had a swarm of bees unexpectedly show up and decide to make some of Bill's stack of unused extra beehive boxes their new home.
The stack is setting next to our shed. Aidan and I were working nearby and sometime midafternoon we noticed a few bees flying about but no big deal. That's not really unusual.
About an hour later we suddenly realized the buzzing was getting MUCH louder. We looked over and there was a large cloud of honey bees hovering over the bee boxes. We got Bill - our bee expert - who decided to suit up and take a closer look at what appeared to be a swarm looking for new digs.
That's exactly what it was so with a little help from Bill, the bees chose two of the boxes. Then when the sun to go down, he wrapped a piece of lightweight fabric around the boxes and moved them out to our bee yard closer to the creek and away from the farm buildings.
Bill checked on them the next day, and all seemed well. Now he'll leave them alone for a week to get all settled in.
It wasn't what he'd planned for that afternoon but sometimes farming is all about adjusting to what the day brings, and this day, it brought us an unexpected extra hive of honey-making bees!
And for fun, Marlee made a short video of ants when she set a broken piece of asparagus on their colony.
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