In Your Share (May 20th edition)

May is a busy month at the farm! We’re running full steam ahead seeding, transplanting & weeding our summer crops. Happily there was a little rain the last few days so that made irrigation easy. The crew has been planting sweet corn, winter squash & red tropea onions. In the greenhouse, we have more plantings of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower & fennel ready to go. Busy = Bountiful Baskets through the summer!

Lots of good stuff in the share this week! The Hakurei Japanese salad turnips are sweet & tasty – use them raw or roasted. Don’t forget to sauté the turnip greens too. The dried cayenne peppers add a nice kick to a variety of recipes. Use a one whole to a pot of soup then pull it out when it has added enough heat.  Or make homemade dried pepper flakes by chopping up a few cayennes then sprinkle on pizza or pasta. The garlic scapes have just started and are very tender with a mild garlic flavor. They’ll be good roasted whole or can be cut into a small dice and sautéed.

You’ll find recipes for hakurei turnips, cayenne peppers, garlic scapes and the rest of the veggies in your share at Cook With What You Have. If you’re a CSA member, you will find your Access Key in the most recent farm email. Enjoy 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

We still have a few spots available in the CSA so feel free to let your friends know they can still get in on the bounty with a pro-rated Summer CSA share share starting next week.

This week your share may include…

  • Amish Butter Popcorn: Real popcorn with real flavor! We were first introduced to this variety by Ayers Creek Farm. Seed is now available from Uprising Seed and it is surprisingly versatile – can also be ground into polenta, cornbread or made into masa. Pop it on the cob in the microwave (in a brown paper bag, max 3 min) or take the kernels off the cop and pop it any way you choose.
  • Green Garlic: Lovely plump garlic stalks for you in the share today. Green garlic is planted alongside our storage garlic in the fall. It grows a vigorous root system through the winter, and pushes up its little green stalks in the spring. We harvest green garlic now – when the greens are tender and before it has much of a bulb.  Similar to leeks – the white part is most tender, but the green tops have good garlic flavor too. Enjoy these little beauties while they last!
  • Garlic Scapes: These are the stems and small flower buds of the garlic plant. They can be chopped up and used in almost any dish that calls for regular garlic. I also like to roast them whole with a bit of salt and olive oil. Just put them under the broiler or on on the BBQ until they begin to darken and wilt. Makes for fun finger food!
  • Red Spring Onions: We call them spring onions to differentiate them from storage onions. This time of year the spring onions have beautiful leaves & stems on them which can be used like just like a green onion. This variety has a nice red blush!
  • Red Potato: These Red Desiree potatoes are great roasted, steamed or boiled.
  • Pea Microgreens: These little greens pack a nice bit of sweet pea flavor and make a nice topping for soups, salad or sandwiches. They also have even more nutrition per ounce than their full grow grown counterparts.
  • Dried Cayenne Peppers: These traditional dried peppers are spicy, but not insanely hot. This is the variety most often used for red pepper flakes and DIY flakes are easy – just make sure you wear gloves or wash your hands carefully after chopping all the peppers. You can also toss whole peppers into soups and stews – a simple way to add some spice to whatever you have on the stovetop or in the crockpot.
  • Hakurei Salad Turnips: The golf ball size turnips are mild & crunchy with a hint of sweetness. Use them raw as a snack or sliced into salad. The greens are also tasty and mild enough for use in salad, or can be sautéed.

Coming soon… French Breakfast & Cheriette Radish