In Your Share (May 13th edition)

IMG_0100Always with the first CSA share of the season we’re celebrating the greens – arugula, fava greens, mustard greens, and don’t forget to use those turnip greens too! The recipe packet has some great greens recipes – everything from fresh salads to heartier stews. Much of the share hardly needs to be cooked this time of year – snack on radishes & turnips raw, make arugula and fava greens into a quick spicy salad, or put the garlic scapes on the grill for just a minute or two. The spring veggies are so tender and flavorful I think they shine with a lighter touch so the bright color and flavors come through. Enjoy!

You can download Recipe Packet for this week’s share HERE.

And by the way, we still have a few summer shares left for sale!! Follow the links above to sign up. We’ve also posted some fun photos of the farm crew and the veggies on our Facebook page.

This week your share may include…

  • Arugula: I learned one of my favorite arugula dishes at the Busy Corner, a quirky neighborhood restaurant now sadly long since gone. They served up 2 perfectly poached eggs on a lightly dressed arugula salad that was sprinkled with pimentón de la Vera and served with toasted baguettes. So simple and so good!
  • Beets: The last of our winter beets – they have served us in good stead through spring.
  • Fava Greens: I think these are a very interesting and tasty greens. They have some of the heft of spinach with a mild but complex flavor. I can taste the fava bean in there, but they’re also slightly nutty with a hint of artichoke. I love adding them to salad, but they’re great sauteed too. Whatever you do, use them fast as they don’t last long.
  • Garlic Scapes or Whistles: These are the tender tangled flower stalks from Early Chinese Pink garlic. True to it’s name, this is our earliest variety – it flowers first and the bulbs mature early too. Scapes are easy to use and tasty raw or sauteed. This variety is on the spicy side when raw so it’ll add a nice kick to a salad. The flavor mellows when you cook them.
  • Green Garlic: In the fall when we plant our regular garlic field, we always save a few cloves just for green garlic. These are planted on a much closer spacing – just a few inches apart – and harvested early in the spring. The bulb end is most tender and can be used raw or sauteed. The tops are flavorful too they just take a few minutes longer to cook.
  • Lettuce Mix: I love my winter greens, but I also look forward to the return of the simple lettuce salad.
  • Mustard Greens: These are spicy when raw and add a nice kick to salads. When cooked they lose the kick, but happily keep the good flavor.
  • Radish: These are such a nice peppery snack – I love them just plain. Or try this radish butter spread on fresh bread.  
  • Turnips: These are not your grandmothers turnip – they are pure white, crunchy, mild japanese salad turnips. The variety is Hakuri and the greens are tasty too!

Coming soon… cherry tomato plants for your garden!