Week 3, May 29th: The Never Setting Sun

Make sure to wash all veggies! I recommend soaking and rinsing all vegetables. 

This week’s harvest

Head Lettuce- “Buttercrunch” is a mild, tender, and crunchy head lettuce that is very delicate when handled.  Beautiful red buttercrunch.

Kale “Curly”: See a great recipe below.

Swiss Chard “Rainbow”: See recipe below.

Zucchini and Summer Squash: See recipe below

Baby Greens Mix (Arugula, Mizuna, and Tatsoi) - This lively mix has the peppery flavor of arugula with the more mild flavors of mizuna and tatsoi.  You may also dice it up and wilt down in a dish at the very end of cooking.

Mizuna- fancy Japanese green that is a bit peppery, but is much more mild than arugula. It has fancy, deeply serrated edges.

        Tatsoi-(pronounced: tat soy)     

Sugar Snap Peas: Yum, yum, yum! Recipe below.

Garlic scapes: Chop ‘em up and use them raw or cooked. Tastes like garlic and onions.

Cilantro: The cilantro is very lush right now.  It does not like hot weather, and as soon as it gets too hot it will not produce. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Red Scallions: Use the fleshy part and the greens too.  Nice mild onion flavor.  Check out this blog for a great sauce. It’s good on the snap peas…Ginger Scallion Sauce. http://www.salon.com/2010/06/19/ginger_scallion_sauce_recipe/

Large shares only: the first of the cucumbers

Farm News

Sugar snap peas are a real garden treat.  The entire crunchy pod and juicy peas are edible. Just break off the tiny stem.  Every year we thick about not growing sugar snap peas, because their window of pea production is so short and it takes forever to pick them!  We end up growing them because they are so delicious, and we want to make sure our CSA members get some special veggies! Their season is very short; we’ll only have them for a few weeks.  Make sure to use your sugar snap peas right away; their flavor is reduced with storage. 



Planting of Kale

We’ve been chugging away here with the long days filled with sunshine. We need the extra daylight to keep up with planting the baby veggie seeds and plants, and to try to hack the weeds back. And everything is so much easier when the temperature is only in the mid eighties.  In the past two springs, we were hit with drought like conditions very early in May, and the inhospitable weather kept going all summer. No one likes hot, dry, scorching weather in May. Especially not the plants.  This spring is just right for us so far. I think you’ll be able to see the evidence in your CSA box this week.





A planting of summer squash

Recipes

Braised Swiss Chard with Asiago

This is a yummy Swiss Chard idea for quick and easy garden fresh cooking.    Try playing around with the favors however you may imagine it!

Ingredients:

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1 medium onion, diced

·         1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems and leaves separated.

·         Lemon juice

·         Asiago, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

1.     Dice upper half of stems (you may also dice the entire length of the stem for stronger flavor).  Roughly chop the leaves into 1-2 inch pieces. 

2.    Sauté 1 clove garlic, 1 diced onion, and diced chard stems over medium low heat in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes.

3.    Add ¼ cup of water and chopped chard leaves. Cover and lightly steam in the pan until the leaves are tender and still bright green, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.    Uncover, add a dash of lemon juice.  Grate your aged cheese of choice and toss over your favorite carb like fettuccine, cous cous, quinoa etc…

Tip: Feel free to run wild with the flavors based on what is in season in the garden! Add some dice zucchini or summer squash,  more garlic, fresh oregano, and perhaps little cherry tomatoes cut in half. 

Turkish Beef, Kale, and Rice Casserole

This filling dish is inspired by the delicious kale rolls (like cabbage rolls) that I enjoyed while staying with a Turkish family at their organic honey and egg farm.   That meal was vegetarian, since meat was above their means.  In most restaurants in Turkey the meat would be ground lamb.

This dish is also a spinoff of the traditional beef and rice casserole that easily feeds a hungry family. 

3 cups cooked rice (about 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice) The variety of rice is your choice- I used the end of 3 types of rice and it turned out great!
1 lb. ground beef (you may also use ground lamb or no)
1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon coriander

½ tablespoon cumin

2 tablespoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)

1 bunch curly kale, washed, stems removed, and finely chopped

1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

Brown ground beef, onions, and spices in a large skillet until meat is halfway done (still very pink inside.)  Meanwhile, blanch the chopped kale in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.  Add blanched, drained kale to the beef mixture and cook until beef is done.

Combine cooked rice and beef and kale mixture in an 11x7 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl mix diced tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir until tomato paste is smooth, adding water if needed.  Cover and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until warmed through and bubbly.

Teeny Zucchini with Onions

From Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 2001

Note: squash can be substituted for zucchini

Health Note:  We like to get include some other form of protein in our meals, when not eating meat with a meal.  We tend to eat meat just 3 times a week.  The walnuts in this meal are a great protein source.

1 lbs baby zucchini or 3 medium zucchini

1 tblsp. Olive oil

1 Small Onion, cut into thin wedges

¼ cup chopped walnuts

½ tsp dried oregano, crushed

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Rinse and trim zucchini.  If using medium zucchini, cut each in half lengthwise, then turn into ½-inch slices

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add zucchini and onion.  Cook for 6-8 minutes until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally.  Add walnuts, oregano, salt, and pepper to mixture in skillet.  Cook and stir for 1 minute more.  Makes 4-6 servings. 



"Teeny Zucchini"

Garlic Stir-Fried Snap Peas

From Asparagus to Zucchini, A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce.  Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. Submitted by Oak Ridge Farm

3 cups sugar snap peas

1 tablespoon oil (any mild one)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked rice (optional) (you can also try quinoa)

Heat oil in skillet. Stir in garlic. Add peas; cook and stir 2-4 minutes on medium heat.  Remove and sprinkle on lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Serve over rice, if desired.  Makes 3-4 servings.

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