Spinach
Mesclun Salad Mix
Bibb & Butterhead Lettuce
Spring Carrots or Sugar Snap Peas
Russian or Broadleaf Kale
Fresh Garlic
Cilantro
Hello everyone! We are excited to begin our 2022 CSA season with a bit of a bang. The farm is brimming with food and every few days the changes are noticeable. This is one of the first times we have successfully had carrots, peas, spinach, beets, and herbs at the beginning of May. The weather has been prime for growing since early March, with multiple bouts of warm days, limited rain, and a lot of sunshine. We are really lucky that the next seven days are remaining in the 60’s & 70’s, as it will help our spring crops like early potatoes, favas, broccoli, lettuces and peas. They will remain tender, sweet, and continue to size up without extreme heat swings. So get ready for lots of cooking fun and salad time.
April on the farm was full of big projects. After a decade stewarding this land and its plethora of old farm buildings; we have finally gotten the time to begin addressing some building repair, roofing, and infrastructure projects such as a more permanent spray table patio, adequate gravel roadways, and on and on. These are the projects that we overlooked for years due to limited time and funds. We are slowly but surely beginning to address the many little projects around the property and it feels good. All that is over now though; because May begins our “main season” and with that we spend a lot more time planting, managing, harvesting, and selling crops. On this farm there is barely enough time to keep up, so projects are all relegated to the winter and spring months.
This week’s share includes many greens and lots of salad options. Hopefully you have missed them and are ready to get back in the swing of things. Both the spinach and kale are hearty and will do well cooked or raw. The fresh or young garlic is a little past the green garlic phase as it began to form bulbs very early this year. It will still have a sweet, mild quality like green garlic and you can use most of the plant, but it is not quite as tender. As you go up past the bulb and white tender stalks to the leaves, it probably needs to be minced and cooked a little longer, think of leek leaves. There may also be a hard core, just remove when you are slicing or cutting in half. Both the carrots and the peas have been at their best, tasting fabulous and whatever you don’t get this week, you will get next week, so worry not. Enjoy the share……Autumn & Brian
Sautéed Snap Peas With Green Garlic
Julienned-Carrot and Kale Salad
Farro and Roasted Carrot Salad with Whipped Ricotta
Racha’s Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Cilantro (Spanakit) (1/2 the recipe and substitute fresh garlic bulb and stalks)
Borani-e Esfenaj (Spinach and Yogurt Salad) the New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
This refreshing Iranian salad has a pure and delicate flavor.
½ pound spinach
½ cup thick-strained Greek-style yogurt
1 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
juice of ¼ lemon
Wash the spinach and remove the stems only if they are thick and hard. Drain the leaves and put them in a large pan. Cover and set over low heat until the leaves crumple into a soft mass. They steam in the water that clings to them in a very few minutes. Drain, and when cool enough, squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Chop with a sharp knife and mix with the rest of the ingredients.