Weekly Share June 1st – 7th

Lettuce (Panisse Oakleaf or Deer Tongue varieties)
Daikon Radish or Hakurei Salad Turnip
Broccol
Carrots
Mustard Greens
Napa Cabbage
Scallion

In this week’s share we have a number of new crops coming onto the scene, such as broccoli, chinese cabbage, mustard greens, and daikon radish. All of these crops belong to one crop family, Brassica. The weather and temperature fluctuations this spring have been exceptionally difficult on brassicas, especially the quick crops. The timing of our seeding dates coupled with low and high temperatures and inconsistent water, sometimes soaked and then dry for awhile, made many crops go quickly to flower, also called bolting. Two successions of broccoli raab, daikon radishes, yu choi, bok choi, and even some arugula bolted before they even developed much size. These are all crops that prefer temperate weather without extremes, especially when they are young seedlings. Alas our spring has been the opposite with 20-30 degree shifts from week to week with our heavy rains followed by hot and humid conditions, what a way to stress these plants. We will continue to get better at our timing and find varieties that are more adapted to inconsistent weather. All that being said, we are very happy to have at least some daikon radish along with beautiful napa cabbages, broccoli, and spicy mustard greens in one share.

This week is perfect for exploring Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Thai cuisine, with dishes that are fresh, bright, and oriented around greens. Make a quick stir fry served over noodles or rice, a Bahn Mi sandwich, scallion pancakes, salad rolls using Napa cabbage leaf as a wrapper, or simple soup. This week’s share is also great for making Asian pickles like Korean Kimchi or Vietnamese Dua Chua. Kimchi is a fermented pickle, combining salt and chile powder on whatever vegetables you use, such as napa cabbage, mustard greens, daikon radish, carrots, and scallions. Dua Chua translates to “pickled stuff” and is a sweet and savory mixture of white vinegar and sugar over julienned carrot and daikon radish. This condiment or salad is most often found on Bahn Mi. Dua Chua is s a quick refrigerator pickle or salad and it will last for up to a month. Whereas Kimchi needs a longer fermentation time and can take up to a month to be ready, but then it will last for for a very long time and can have a rich, dense flavor profile; making it worth the wait. Please check out the recipes below and enjoy the share…. Brian and Autumn

Easy to make Kimchi

Carrot and Daikon Pickle Salad

Skewered pancakes with vegetables and beef 

Spicy Mustard Greens and Daikon Radish with Crispy Sizzling Beef

Daikon, Carrot, and Broccoli Slaw

Miso Soup with Napa Cabbage and Udon