Bountiful Harvest: You will be getting a fairly large share today, and I think you should expect so in the future. The garden is producing in record amounts. Please get in the habit of eating lots of salads and stir fries. Don't forget that most vegetables can be frozen for future use. For this and other issues, please consult your CSA handbook, which all of you should now possess. If not, please contact us. And oh yes, keep as much room in your refrigerator as possible. Things like Chinese Cabbage for instance will stay fresh in the fridge for easily two weeks.
Fear Not the Spots: Many of your salad greens may have small holes or spots. This does not render them inedible. The spots and dots are, in fact, completely harmless. Simply rinse your veggies under cold, running water to prepare them for eating.
Surplus: Because we have a lot of some things, we are inviting members who wish to pick your own extra. Just call ahead to schedule a time when we can show you what's available. Now Available: Kale, bok choi, lettuce We also have some surplus plants that shareholders are welcome to plant in their own gardens. Call us to find out what we have on hand.
Work Hours : All of you should know when you are doing your work support hours. Planning a time to do your work hours helps us to construct a workable garden schedule. If you have not yet scheduled a time with us to do your work hours then please do so soon.
Handbook: Please make use of this resource. It is the result of collaboration on the part of many people and should have almost all you need to know about your veggies for identification, preparation and storage. But if you still have lingering questions, call us.
What to Do With Lots of Veggies: The garden is producing such abundance this year that you need to take extra steps to prepare and/or store your veggies. The first way to cope is to eat a lot of salads and stir fries. With all current research showing that chlorophyll rich green leafy vegetables are among the best promoters of good health, do yourself a favor by eating a lot of fresh vegetables, either cooked or raw. Steaming your vegetables is a wonderful option. If you don't have a steamer than go to a kitchen supply store and get one. Steamed vegetables can be eaten freshly steamed, reheated later, or enjoyed cold in salads. They can be eaten as side dishes or incorporated into main dishes. And best of all, steaming vegetables is a simple.
You have at least two options for the veggies you cannot eat between shares - either preserve them or give them away. Friends, neighbors, and co-workers would love to share in the harvest, and maybe they'll get hooked enough to join us. Just bear in mind our membership incentives and open up your cabinet to your neighbors. You can preserve your excess vegetables by freezing or canning. We prefer the former, but there is nothing wrong if you want to can.
Freezing instructions are included in most cookbooks and in our handbook (I believe), but the principle is simple. First blanche or cook the vegetables just enough to break down the cell walls and kill bacteria. This should take a minute or less for greens, or up to three minutes for broccoli and other vegetables. The water should be just at a boiling temperature when you add the vegetables. After blanching, put the vegetables into freezer bags or containers with as little excess air as possible. Come fall and winter you'll appreciate the favor of having bags of summer goodies to cook into supper side dishes and entrees. Remember that any vegetable tastes great cooked lightly by whatever method - stuffed, steamed, boiled - and adorned with a little butter or olive oil and seasonings. Yum! And if that's not enough "Yum" for you, grate a little cheese onto the piping hot veggies. Now that's good eatin'.
Arugula: Arugula is a wonderful green. It adds a bitey, nutty zest to any salad.
Lettuce: We're still waiting for our new lettuce crop to mature. This week's share includes a head of red along with an assortment of green leaves.
Purslaine: Many people consider Purslaine to be a weed. We prefer the term "Volunteer." It is a wonderfully crisp vegetable with a full, green flavor that will wake up any salad.
Mustard Greens: Our best ever. A bitey addition to salads, or delicious when cooked lightly. Very high nutrition. Both red and green leaves are included in your share.
Swiss Chard: It is wonderful cooked and anointed with butter or olive oil and seasonings. Add it raw to salads or chop into stir fries. Some of the leaves are from a variety called "Bright Lights" which have colored stems and veins.
Kale: Kale is among the most nutritious vegetables available. It is a wonderful source for vitamins A, C, E, K folacin, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, and biotin. Kale is also rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Both Red Russian and Curly Green Kale is included in this week's share.
Onions: Our onion crop has reached maturity. Expect to receive some onions about every other week.
Beets: This is the start of a wonderful beet crop. Beets are terrific grilled or steamed. Grating some beets over top of a fresh salad adds a wonderful sweetness. Of course if you still have beets left over and don't know what to do with them there's always the option of pickling. Don't forget about the greens just because there's beets on the end of 'em. Beet greens are great in salads or cooked like spinach, but by now you all know how scrumptious a treat these greens are.
Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi is a crisp member of the cabbage family. It can be eaten raw, stir fried, steamed, or however else you'd like to try it. We recommend trying some freshly sliced
Snap Peas: Our pea crop has finally come in. Eat these fresh peas right in the shell. Great either cooked or raw.
Herb: Our mint patch is growing strong, so you can probably expect fresh mint with most of your shares. This week you will also receive some fresh parsley.
Flowers: This week's arrangement includes Fairie Roses, Lamb's Ear, White Yarrow, Blue Larkspur, Oakleaf Hydrangea, and Hedge Maple Leaves.
Kale with Cannellini Beans
from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
1½ - 2 lbs Kale
Pinch Red pepper Flakes
Salt and Freshly Milled Black Pepper
2 t chopped Rosemary
1 small onion, finely diced
½ cup dry white wine
1½ T Olive Oil
1 1/3 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 plump Garlic Cloves, minced
Freshly Grated Parmesan
Simmer the Kale in salted water until tender, 7-10 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water, and chop the leaves. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the oil with the garlic, pepper flakes, and rosemary for about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it's reduced to a syrupy sauce. Add the beans, Kale, and enough cooking water to keep the mixture loose. Heat through, taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with a dusting of parmesan. Serves 4.
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