Weekly Share May 26th- June 1st

Arugula
Lettuce (Panisse, New Red Fire, or Deer Tongue)
Mustard Greens
Napa Cabbage
Hakurei Salad Turnips
Daikon Radish
Garlic Scapes
Cilantro

Our Workday is happening this weekend and we are so grateful; because we need help right now. Just this week I noticed that the grass is about my height, over 5 feet tall. As you might imagine this means weeds and more weeds. Plus all the plants want to be planted right now as the weather is great and they want to grow grow grow. After this weekend we will have the majority of our peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant in the ground, as well as our okra and some of the basil. We plant multiple successions of most of these crops, but May is when the majority of them go into the ground. Planting does not just involve putting the plant in the soil, it also means prepping the bed, adding compost and fertilizer, sometimes raking, laying drip irrigation, hooping, and covering with row cover (for protection from pests). In the case of tomatoes or cucumbers, it can also mean staking and tying. With each crop there are a few different steps and this is what takes time. So we are happy to have some extra hands helping us out along the way.

This coming week’s share brings some new crops into rotation. We are excited to have Napa Cabbage and Daikon together, in case you like making kimchi.. Also our Southern Giant Green Mustards are delicious and a little spicy. They can be excellent used minimally in a dish mixed with other things, such as a stir fry, with pasta, a quiche, or you can make a side of straight mustard greens. They have enough spice and flavor to give a dish some good flair. The garlic scapes are a super special crop with a limited season.  These tasty scapes have a texture like baby asparagus with a mild, sweet, and clean garlic flavor. Hardneck garlic sends out a scape (which would eventually turn into a seed head) right as it is beginning to bulb. By pulling the scape, the garlic shoots more of its energy into bulbing and hence gets larger.  So we pull the scape to have nice garlic heads, as well as to enjoy eating the scapes themselves, as they are truly delicious. They are an excellent mild replacement for regular garlic cloves or on their own pickled or grilled. Check out the recipes and enjoy the share…Brian and Autumn

Asian Chicken Soup with Greens from the Kitchen Garden

For the broth:

1 whole chicken

1 head garlic, peeled and smashed

2-3 scallions, cut into large pieces

½ bunch cilantro, leaves, stems and roots, washed

2 inches ginger root, cut into thick slices

1 Tbsp salt & pepper to taste

For the soup:

4 oz. cellophane rice noodles or egg noodles

½ lb greens (bok choy, mustard greens, pea shoots, spinach)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sweet rice cooking wine or mirin

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish

Rinse the chicken thoroughly, remove giblet bag and place in a large pot with cold water to cover by 2 inches (around 2 ½ quarts of water).  Add garlic, cilantro, scallions, ginger, salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil and simmer very gently for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat falls off the bone.  Remove chicken carefully to a colander and allow it to cool.  Strain the stock and skim the fat that rises to the surface.  (If you make the stock in advance, refrigerate it overnight and remove the congealed fat the next day.  You can also use a special device for separating fat that looks like a big measuring cup with a spout that pours from the bottom).  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull off all the meat and shred it with your fingers.  Use a nice handful of the meat for the soup and save the rest for another use (Vietnamese chicken salad, perhaps?).

Meanwhile soak the rice noodles in warm tap water for 15-20 minutes, drain and set aside. If using egg noodles, cook them in boiling water until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.  Wash greens and cut into fairly large pieces.  Bring the stock to a boil and season with the soy sauce and wine.  Taste and adjust salt if necessary.  Add greens and chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Place a handful of noodles in each soup bowl.  Pour soup over noodles and serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Variations: This soup can easily be made into wonton soup.  Get some wonton wrappers from the store (usually sold next to the tofu).  For the filling mix together ½ lb ground pork, 2 finely chopped scallions, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice wine, salt & pepper.  Follow directions on the package to fill them.  Boil with the greens in the hot stock until they float.

Garlic Scapes & Eggs

1 cup chopped spring garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

4 eggs

salt & pepper

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes or so, until soft and starting to brown. Add the cheese in an even layer and immediately crack the eggs on top. Fry the eggs over high, sprinkle with salt & pepper, then flip. The bottom should be a slightly charred mass of crispy, salty , garlicky goodness. Cook the yolks easy or hard as desired. Serves two for breakfast with toast and orange juice.

Spring Pico de Gallo

Easy to make Kimchi

Asian Inspired Mustard Greens

 Spicy Mustard Greens and Daikon Radish with Crispy Sizzling Beef  

Roasted Hakurei Turnips with Israeli Couscous Salad