Week 6 Delivery

Week 6 --Kicking it into summer!

What is in the box this week:

Gold beets
Red Beets
Cauliflower
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Beans
Spring Onions
Lettuce (A variety as we get near the end until fall)
Pac Choi
Napa Cabbage
Green Bunch (this will vary also, as we allow our greens to heal from the storm)
New Yukon Gold Potatoes *
Basil* (A small bunch of sweet and/or Thai to get you ready for tomato season!)
Sage
Cilantro
Parsley
Dill
*NEW this week

Coming soon:
Broccoli (we have some, but wanted to wait until we could give you all beautiful heads)
Summer Squash (this would have been ready if not for the storm)

The Yukon gold potatoes are beautiful and oh-so delicate. That is why they will still be dirty when you get them. When handling potatoes as young and fresh as these, you can easily damage the skin and flesh. As a result, we have handled them as tenderly as possible so they arrive to you ready to enjoy. In our humble opinion, potatoes at this maturity are unmatched in texture and flavor. Enjoy!

The basil is a sampling to get started with what we hope will be weeks and weeks, especially when tomatoes are filling your boxes.

An update on the storm:
Our greenhouse looks as though someone had soft ball practice on one side, but is still standing and stable. We look forward to early tomatoes and cukes to arrive soon from inside.
Our main crop cucumbers (marketmore slicers and pickling) have suffered significant damage from the hail. We should still have decent crop, but will likely not be offering pickling boxes this year. Our melons (water, honeydew, and cantaloupe) also suffered greatly. We all guessing at this point that many will live, but may not thrive as they did without the weather they endured. We started more and may offer two rounds to try and accommodate the smaller amount as a result.
The rest of the garden is recovering remarkably well. Some items that we had hoped to offer early this year may come in around regular time as they heal from damage. This is true for the majority of the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Again, overall we are truly fortunate for the little damage we received from a very large and powerful storm. It is humbling as we move forward and acknowledge how dependant we all are on the Earth to provide and what mother nature can dole out in the blink of an eye.


Recipes:
Many of these are versions of recipes from Molly’s favorite cookbook, Farmer John’s Cookbook. If you are loving CSA’s are going to continue to support this model, or you love to garden, this cookbook is GREAT at walking you through cooking through the mid-west season.

BEETS:

Yummy cold beet salad with fresh dill (adapted from Farmer Johns)

4 large beets, cleaned and trimmed
2 T. fresh chopped dill
3 T. umeboshi vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
Plain yogurt or Sour cream as desired for consistency

1. Place beets in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce and cook uncovered until tender (35-45 min).
2. Drain under cold water. When they are cool enough to touch, remove skins. Cut into thin strips. Place in medium sized serving bowl
3. Add dill.
4. Whisk liquids and stir in until well mixed.
5. Add sour cream or plain yogurt until you get to the desired consistency if wanted.
6. Chill and serve.

POC CHOI:

Choi with Gingery butter (Farmer Johns Cookbook)

1 bunch choi
6 T. butter
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. finely grated ginger
1 clove minced garlic (or more if you live in our house!)
1 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1. Bring water to boil. Add choi and cook until tender but still crisp (2-3 min). Drain and run immediately under cold water. Drain again.
2. Melt butter in large skillet on medium. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and choi. Stir constantly until choi in coated and heated through.
3. Remove. Cover with cilantro and serve immediately.

CAULIFLOWER:

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe (Simply Recipes)
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Lemon juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.
2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.