In Your Share (May 23rd edition)

IMG_0104A few tasty new things in the share this week including Hakuri Turnips (in the photo) and beautiful bunches of spinach! This cool weather makes our early spring crops like the roots & greens very happy. In hot weather many of them can get stressed out, but cloudy days keeps them tender and tasty.

Amazing recipes for everything we grow on the farm – including hacker turnips – are available to members at Cook With What You Have. If you joined our Summer CSA you will find your password in the member email. Enjoy 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

This week your share may include…

  • Spring Garlic: This spring garlic brings us all the flavor of a full sized bulb and comes in months ahead of the regular garlic harvest. The whole thing can be sautéed just as you would a garlic clove or use the white bulb and tippy tops raw to spice up your salad or soup.
  • Garlic Scapes: Beautiful scapes (aka garlic whistles) are the curly immature flower stalks of our hardneck garlic varieties. I often coat them with a bit of olive oil and salt then put the whole tangled mass under the broiler until they start to wilt and get some carmelized bits – then serve as finger food. Or treat them as you would a garlicky asparagus – roasted or sautéed and added to any number of dishes.
  • Italian Spring Raab:  These days we call many flowering stalks raab, but this is the real thing! Traditionally known as cimi di rapa or sessantina grossa – it is technically in the turnip family but grown specifically for the greens and small tight flowering buds.
  • Mizuna: A lovely mild flavored asian green that goes well in salad or stir fry.
  • Cayenne Pepper: These are hot! I like to use 1-2 in a pot of stew. Or finely chop or grind them up for homemade red pepper flakes.
  • Amish Butter Popcorn: Real popcorn with real flavor! We were first introduced to this variety by Ayers Creek Farm. The 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 any way you choose.
  • Radish: Choose from Red Round Radish or elongated French Breakfast red & white radish. It’s totally decadent but I love this new twist on an old favorite – french radish & fresh butter – especially good on a warm baguette
  • Spinach: Yum!
  • Hakuri Turnip: One of my favorite spring snacks! This tender sweet white Japanese salad turnip is nothing like traditional winter storage turnips. The greens are good too – sauté them with any of your other greens this week – yum!
  • A Cherry Tomato Plant: We don’t grow cherry tomatoes on the farm but we wouldn’t want you to be without them. Such a terrific tasty treat – plant one in your garden or in a pot on the patio. They don’t take much care – regular water and some kind of support or trellis is but will produce bountifully this summer. Purple, Red & Yellow varieties to choose from.

 

Coming soon… More beautiful greens!