Week 4, CSA News

In Your Share . . .
Share items may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Each share may not have every item listed below.

Asparagus

Red Beets with Tops – organic

Find a handful of the first beet harvest of the season. Remove the beet root from the stems and use the beet greens either raw in a fresh green salad, or cook with your mixed green bunch. The red color can be a little intense, but know that you are consuming a blood tonic that is good for anemia, your heart and circulation. Beets also contain notable amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Refrigerate for storage; the beet root will keep for several weeks, the greens should be used within a few days. Several recipes can be found by searching beets on this online web blog.

Greens: Lacinato Kale, Mustard, Turnip, Flat Leaf Kale – organic
We decreased the frequency of these mixed green bunches last season and several of you really missed them in your shares. We won’t be overloading you with hearty greens this year, but this week is prime time for their harvest – before the heat limits the growing season for spicy greens like mustard and turnip. The kales are much milder and will continue to produce this summer. Refrigerated, heavy greens will keep well for you for 7-9 days.

There are many choices for preparation:
(1) the old KY standard recipes of simmering on the back of the stove for a couple of hours seasoning with bacon grease, peppers, or an onion for extra flavor;
(2) steam until wilted and serve sprinkled with vinegar;
(3) sauté with garlic or onion until tender.

With any recipe, remove any thick stems by tearing the stalks out of the leaves. And be sure to cook your greens long enough to ensure they are cooked through and tender.

Fresh greens are one of the healthiest items in your share this time of year. Kale contains calcium, iron, Vits. A and C, and is said to offer protection from both macular degeneration and colon cancer. Mustard greens are a superior anticancer veggie – the strong flavor will mellow when the greens are cooked. Turnip greens, like many other vegetables, are high in calcium.

Fresh Herb, Cilantro – organic
You can use this fresh cilantro to make a vinaigrette (find a popular recipe below), add to homemade pico de gallo or salsa, cook with dried beans, and add to any pasta recipe. Store refrigerated.

Lettuce Heads - organic
Another week with healthy heads of lettuce for you. The heat and high temperatures may push the June lettuces to flower prematurely and become unhar-vestable, so don’t worry - you won’t be having this much each week. Share with your friends if you have too much to enjoy, and find two new, yummy recipes below using fresh lettuces. Varieties in your share this week include Bronze Arrow, Emerald Oak, and the fluffy red in the larger shares is a Red Crisphead variety. Storage and refreshing tips in Week 2 newsletter.

Sugar Snap Peas – organic
You eat the entire pod and peas with this type. Break the ends and if a string has developed, pull it off from end to end. We grow stringless varieties, but sometimes the pea pods will produce a string anyway. Steam or sauté/stir fry, and try not to overcook or the texture can become a little mushy.

Store refrigerated in a closed container and use fairly soon as they will lose crispness over time. Sugar snap peas can be frozen after blanching.

Strawberries – organic
We see very few new flowers on the strawberry plants. The amount of berries ready to harvest are also decreasing each day, so one of our favorite fruits is on its way out-of-season. We harvest as ripe as we can to ensure you get full flavor – refrigerate if needed – and if you have any extra, cut off the stem and store in the freezer to enjoy later on.

Lemon or Cinnamon Basil - organic
Use your sprig of scented basil in salads, teas or a dressing. We needed to pinch our plants to encourage better growth, so we included the tops in your share today.

Broccoli – organic
Today’s small broccoli harvest is from the first heads that are beginning to open early due to the heat this past weekend. The full crop is not expected to be ready to harvest for another week or so – we’ll see how many 85°days and how many cloudy days we get during this next week. That will determine how balanced and predictable our harvest will go.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .


Lettuce Soup
Makes 4 servings. Our thanks to a friend of the farm for sharing this Emeril Lagasse recipe. Don’t let the name fool you into conjuring up a skeptical image. At a farm lunch last week, most folks thought it was spinach soup and everyone really enjoyed it.

2 T olive oil
1 C sliced onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 T chopped parsley
1 T chopped chives
2 tsp chopped tarragon
2 heads lettuce, leaves torn
3 C chicken stock
½ C heavy cream or evaporated milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
chive blossoms, for garnishing, optional

Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley, chives, tarragon and lettuce and stir until the lettuce is completely wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. When ready to serve, process the soup, in batches, taking care since the soup is hot, then return to a clean saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream or evaporated milk and the salt and pepper and simmer another 5 minutes or until heated through. Adjust seasonings, if necessary, and serve immediately, garnished with fresh herbs and chive blossoms, if desired.

Cilantro Vinaigrette
From Cooking with Nora. This can be used over a green salad, for roasted vegetables, or as a marinade for items for the grill. If you have any green garlic remaining in your refrigerator, this recipe is a great use. You may need to adjust the amounts below to fit your portion size if you have a mini share.

1/3 C cilantro leaves, tightly packed
2 shallots or 1 small onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small green jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 T tamari
1 T rice wine vinegar
3 T water
3 T oil


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put garlic and onion in non-reactive baking dish. Add 1 tsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 30-40 minutes until soft. After roasted, put all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Steak and Vegetable Soup
Our thanks to a long-time CSA member who shared this soup recipe. The original was in Gourmet Magazine, and he reports it is one of his favorite ways to use his kale greens. Serves 2.

½ lb. boneless top loin steak (New York strip or shell), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 chopped carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped thyme
salt and black pepper
½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
1 C diced tomatoes with some juice (from a 14-oz can)
1 ¾ C beef broth
2 ¼ C water
2 C chopped kale leaves
1 C medium egg noodles, cooked

Pat steak dry. Heat oil in a 4 to 5 qt heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook steak until browned on all sides and medium-rare, about 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 8 minutes.

Stir in potatoes, tomatoes with juice, broth, and water and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in kale and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in steak with meat juices, cooked noodles, and salt and pepper to taste.

CSA, Week 3

From the Farm . . .

Although it is really early in the season, this is one of the busiest times at the farm. We are still planting regularly, harvesting something almost everyday, and trying to squeeze in some weeding whenever possible. From week to week, vegetables that are ready for harvest will vary, thus our schedule of harvesting, rinsing, cooling, and packing your boxes some days gets pretty tight. As you might imagine, harvesting a pound of asparagus or snap peas will take quite a bit longer than cutting one head of lettuce. Our approach is to pack your boxes with items that are as freshly harvested as possible. We know vegetables have the most nutrition when just picked, taste better, and you know that your vegetables are days fresher than anything you might purchase at a supermarket. This knowledge allows you to organize your weekly cooking schedule in a way that best suits you.

We have been transplanting peppers, tomatoes, okra, squash, cucumbers, melons, eggplant, flowers, and winter squash. We have also been seeding beans and corn. The hot temperatures this week lead us to think that we have had our final frost this spring. Our current work plan includes laying out irrigation lines and hooking up header pipes; pruning the early tomatoes; mulching the perennial herb beds and berries; more transplanting; and, the daily harvesting and weeding. From the production side, we love the CSA program as it lets us know how much of each item to grow rather than speculating on wholesale market supply/demand. But, we also like growing for real families that want and appreciate healthy, wholesome, organic food! Enjoy your share this week.

In Your Share . . .
Share items may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Every share may not have every item listed below.

Asparagus

Kohlrabi - organic
The round, ball-like item is your kohlrabi. This alien-looking vegetable grows best in cooler weather and is in the same family as broccoli. It has a lot of fiber and is high in Vits. A and C. You do want to peel the outer tough skin, then enjoy either raw or cook. Kids like the raw, sweet kohlrabi sticks – but you can also add to fresh green salads.

At the farm, we sauté in a little butter or olive oil, then eat as a side dish topped with black pepper or other seasonings. Kohlrabi has an unexpected sweetness that you really have to try to appreciate! It has a short season and is only available in KY in the spring and fall. Refrigerate to store and kohlrabi will keep well for two weeks.

Lettuce Heads - organic
Recent rains push the lettuces growing faster than ever. Enjoy fresh salads all week – review last week’s newsletter for storage and refreshening tips. Varieties this week include Bronze Arrow and Emerald Oak – both oakleaf types, along with a fluffy red romaine in the larger shares.

Sugar Snap Peas – organic
The first spring peas are ready! With sugar snaps, eat the entire pod. Enjoy 1) raw, 2) lightly blanch then plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking and add to salads, 3) steam and add a little butter or other seasoning, or 4) use in a quick stir-fry – they don’t take very long at all.

Fresh peas are high in Vits. A and B-complex and a good source of calcium and potassium.

Store refrigerated in a closed container and use fairly soon as they will lose crispness over time. Sugar snap peas can be frozen after blanching.

Easter Egg Radishes - organic
Add these Easter Egg radishes to your fresh salad. Though the skin resembles the colors of Easter eggs, the interior is the familiar crisp white. Rainfall has sped up their growth this past weekend! Store refrigerated.

Spinach – organic
This week’s spinach harvest is from a new spring-planted variety. Enjoy with lettuce as a fresh salad, or lightly sauté to eat in sandwiches, wraps, pasta salads, or use with soft cheese and eggs on toast. Store refrigerated in the bag or other container.

Strawberries – organic
We harvest as ripe as we can to ensure you get full flavor. Enjoy as soon as possible – store refrigerated if needed.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

Spring Asparagus Pancetta Hash
Thanks to a CSA member for sharing this recipe she found on the Smitten Kitchen internet site. She used Elmwood green garlic in place of onions, and used regular bacon rather than pancetta with wonderful results!

This is indeed a flexible recipe. The core idea is a one-pan hash that is lighter than the expected versions and full of texture. You don’t even need to put an egg on it, if you’re serving broiled salmon or grilled chicken. Serving ideas: Fried eggs, dabs of goat cheese and slivers of green onions. Makes enough to top with four fried eggs

¼ lb pancetta (a cured pork that is less salty than proscuitto, and not smoked like bacon), cut into ¼ -inch dice
1 lb gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a ½ -inch dice
1 small yellow onion, chopped small
½ lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 12-inch cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pancetta, turning it frequently so that it browns and crisps on all sides; this takes about 10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Leave the heat on and the renderings in the pan. (With a well-seasoned cast iron, this should be all the fat you need to cook the remainder of the hash. If you’re not using a cast iron, you might need to add a tablespoon or so of oil; if you’ve skipped the pork, you’ll want to start with 2 tablespoons oil.)

Add the potatoes don’t move them for a couple minutes. Use this time to season them well with salt and pepper. Once they’ve gotten a little brown underneath, begin flipping and turning them, then letting them cook again for a few minutes. The idea is not to fight them off the frying pan, once they’ve gotten a little color, it’s easier to flip them and you’ve gotten closer to your goal of getting them evenly browned.

When the potatoes are about three-fourths as crisped and brown as you’d like them — this takes about 15 minutes — add the onion (add this now, not earlier, because it often burns before the potatoes are done.) Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the asparagus, cover the pan and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until crisply cooked. (Skinny asparagus will take just 5 minutes; thicker asparagus will take longer.) Remove the lid, return the pancetta to the pan for another minute, to reheat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve immediately.

Green Surprise Dip
from Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert’s Simply In Season, yields about 2 ½ Cups. This is a fun way to get kids (or reluctant adults) to eat their healthy greens.

1 C steamed kale, Swiss chard, or spinach
1 C plain yogurt
1 C cooked chickpeas
¼ C mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
½ onion, chopped
1 T lemon juice or to taste
½ tsp salt or to taste

Puree in blender or food processor. Serve with vegetables, crackers, or tortilla chips.

Wilted Peas and Lettuce
adapted from a Bert Greene recipe. The original was from Thomas Jefferson as penned by his daughter, Martha, in the kitchen notebook at Monticello.

1 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb fresh peas, sugar snap or fresh shelled
1 C heavy cream
1 C torn lettuce leaves
2 T finely chopped favorite fresh herbs – can use garlic greens, green onion tops, scallions, etc.
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the stock to boiling in a medium saucepan. Add peas and cook 1 minute, then drain (will not use the stock, can be reserved for another recipe).

Heat the cream to just boiling in a medium skillet, reduce the heat. Simmer until the cream has reduced to half, about 12 minutes. Stir in the peas and lettuce. Toss until the lettuce is just wilted, about 3 minutes. Add any fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

CSA News, Week 2

We thank the many of you that were able to come out for the CSA member farm tour. As we are not set up to regularly host groups or tours with adequate parking and bathrooms, it takes a little planning for us to host you and we appreciate you taking the time to come to the farm. We love what we do in growing healthy, clean food and appreciate the opportunity to share our knowledge of organic production systems with you. The weather did cooperate and many of you remarked how you enjoyed being able to spend time here viewing the crops in the fields, transplants in the greenhouses, berries in the high tunnel, the compost system, the heritage breed turkeys, and the laying hens (maybe the most popular with the kids). It is possible we can do another tour day in the fall, but production and filling your boxes each week has to come first, of course. We hope you can now picture Elmwood when opening your box of vegetables each week from “your CSA farm.”

In Your Share
Share items vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Every share may not have every item listed below.

Asparagus
This week’s harvest of asparagus is a little less than last time. We know it is one of the most popular items and it is why we start the CSA program so early in May. This year the asparagus started poking up through the soil a full two weeks earlier than last year since we had nice warm days in April – and we had to begin harvesting before CSA started. The overall product-ion of the asparagus plants is usually about 4-6 weeks, so it is likely asparagus will not be in the shares many more weeks. Enjoy what we are able to harvest now; find a new recipe below.

Garlic Greens - organic
Use these fresh garlic greens as you would green onions – and use in any recipe calling for garlic. The roots are edible as are the white and green parts of the stalk. The flat leaf gets a little tough. Store refrigerated – even if the leaves turn a little yellow, the stalk will remain fresh to use for up to 4 weeks. This plant is the best way to cook with fresh garlic in the spring time of the year.

Alice Waters and many others have developed Green Garlic Soups using these garlic stalks – we included an easy and popular version from James Peterson below.

Kale Greens – organic
Find the first harvest of your heavy cooking greens this season. The red-stemmed kale is similar to the curly green kale you might be more familiar with. It will store for a week or more refrigerated. To prepare for cooking, cut or tear the heavy stem from the leaf. You can either leave the leaves whole if your cooking time is long enough to let the leaf become tender – or you can cut your leaves into strips for faster cooking. Kale can be stir fried, steamed, or braised. We have several recipes in past season newsletters.

Lettuce Heads - organic
All shares should contain both the green butterhead variety along with the red oak leaf variety of lettuce today. Largest shares also have an heirloom red romaine head.

These are young heads of lettuce, so they are especially tender. You can store the lettuce heads in the fridge for several days – whole heads do keep longer than leaves. To keep lettuce at optimal freshness, the sooner you can rinse and refrigerate it, the longer it will keep for you. For salad, wash and tear heads into desired size; use a salad spinner to remove excess water. Lettuce will keep better and hold your dressing without it slipping off and becoming watery. Store in a bag, bowl or other container in the refrigerator and cover to protect from the blowing air that will dry out the leaves. If this does happen, soak lettuce in cold water for 10-15 minutes to re-hydrate, then spin off the water to enjoy.

Fresh Thyme – organic
You can use fresh, or hang to dry. Remove the leaves from the stem before chopping. The flowers are also a tasty treat.

Strawberries – organic
Even with all of the rainfall, we can harvest the berries for your shares since we are growing them in the high tunnel this year. While the ends and sides are still open to the weather, our production system of mulching the plants and using an overhead cover keep the berries from becoming soggy and mud-splashed. We do harvest them as ripe as we can to ensure you get the full flavor. So, enjoy as soon as possible – store refrigerated if needed.

Bok Choy - organic
Use both the stalk and the leafy greens, either together in a dish, or chopped and prepared separately. If stir-frying, add the stalks first as they cook a little longer than the more tender greens. Store refrigerated in a closed container, leaves will wilt slightly prior to the stalk, but it is to be expected and taste will not change.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta
Our thanks to a CSA member who shard this recipe adapted from Bon Appetit. You will not have a full pound of asparagus in your share, so you may want to adjust the quantity of pasta and cheese also.

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish (substitute fresh thyme or sage)
1 5-to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well)
Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Season generously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice if you feel it needs a little extra kick. (We did.) Serves 6.

Green Garlic Soup
adapted from a James Peterson recipe

1 ½ pounds garlic greens
2 T butter
3 ½ C broth
½ C heavy cream (optional, for creamy soup)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut most of flat leaves away, leaving inch or so of dark green above the white portion. Cut off roots and discard. Cut into pieces to fit into deep skillet with butter and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add stock and bring to simmer over high heat. Turn heat down to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes more. Use hand blender in pan to puree, or carefully puree in blender for 1 minute. Work through strainer into a clean pot with the back of a ladle. Add cream, if desired, bring to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Provencal Bok Choy
Thanks to a CSA member who found this awesome recipe on Epicurious.com. She reports “It was easy to prepare. There are a lot of strong flavors (orange zest, tomatoes, olives, thyme, parsley) which really stand up to the bok choy and are a definite change from the stir-fry route we usually take. There might be others on the fence about bok choy who might like to give it a try.” Makes 6 servings.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (from your share)
2 teaspoon chopped thyme (from your share)
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
3 (3-by 1-inch) strips orange zest
3 pounds bok choy (2 to 3 heads), cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces (from your share)
1 pound tomatoes (3 medium), chopped
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté garlic with thyme, bay leaf, and zest until garlic is pale golden and mixture is very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy, tomatoes, olives, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy is crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in parsley.

Welcome to the 2010 Season of Elmwood's Community Supported Agriculture Program!

Week 1, In Your Share . . .
Share items may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Each share may not have every item listed below.


Asparagus
If you have never had fresh asparagus, you are in for a treat. You will want to remove any of the tough ends that grows right at ground level. It is not necessary to cut the end on a long piece – just bend lightly until it breaks naturally. Short stalks may not have to be trimmed if the ends are tender or you may want to lightly peel away the outer skin at the bottom of the stalk. Enjoy raw, boiled, steamed, sautéed, baked, or roasted. To store, put the cut ends in water in a drinking glass or small bowl. Or wrap in a wet paper towel and place inside a container in your refrigerator. Quick tips for blanching are found below.


Garlic Greens - organic
Resembling a green onion, the delicate green garlic can be enjoyed only in the spring before the plant’s energy is put into making a bulb under the ground. Use all of the white and as much of the green you find tender - as you would a green onion – several inches up the stalk. You can enjoy any way you would a scallion or green onion or in any recipe that calls for garlic: sauté in olive oil, chop in salad or pasta, make pesto, or add to soups.


Baby Lettuce Head - organic
Find a small head of spring lettuce – this is fairly early for it, but we thought one small salad might be nice this week.

Radishes – organic
This week’s share includes a harvest of Easter Egg Radishes. The tops are edible if desired, but most people focus on the bulb. You can enjoy raw grated, sliced into bite-size pieces on a fresh green salad, or added to vinegar and water for a quick pickle with the cucumbers.

Over wintered Spinach – organic
We harvested two varieties this week: the green Bloomsdale and the red-stemmed Bordeaux. They are two that will handle our unpredictable winters and start growing earlier in the spring than new plantings. Only greens that were planted last fall are really large enough for harvest this week. We also benefit from eating spinach that has been through a frost as it has great flavor. Store in the bag or another container refrigerated.

Fresh Sage – organic
You can use fresh, or hang to dry. Remove the leaves from the stem before chopping.

Strawberries – organic
Yeh! Yeh! These do not need much description. Store refrigerated and enjoy soon – we harvest at the peak of ripeness to ensure the highest flavor for you.

Dried Beans – organic
Our organic beans are a farm favorite and we are learning more each year on growing dried beans. Popular in Italian, Mediterrean, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisine, our beans can be used in soups, stews, salads, or wraps and burritoes. These beans are fresh from the fall harvest and may not need to be soaked overnight before cooking. Find a new recipe below.

Over wintered Rutabagas – organic
This week we include the baby rutabagas to let you give them a try. They also can grow to a larger size without getting pithy or strong. Rutabagas are related both to turnips and cabbages with a delicate sweet flavor and texture. They can be roasted, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, mashed, or stewed. Quarter them and roast along with potatoes. Enhance the flavor of stews with chopped or quartered rutabagas. Dice them and add to soups. Stir-fry with onions. To eat raw, peel them with a vegetable peeler. Slice and enjoy as a snack. Chop, dice, or grate them and add to salads or slaw. Like other root veggies, rutabagas will keep for 3 to 4 weeks in the crisper of your refrigerator.


Recipes to Enjoy . . .


Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Our thanks to a CSA member for sharing this seasonal recipe she found on the Internet.

½ shallot, finely chopped
2 T raspberry vinegar (she used another vinegar instead with equally favorable results)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
½ pound spinach, washed with stemmy ends removed
1 C strawberries, thinly sliced
1/3 C sliced almonds, toasted
2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled


In a large bowl, whisk together shallot and vinegar. While whisking constantly, drizzle in oil to make vinaigrette. Add spinach, strawberries, almonds and goat cheese and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Marinated Asparagus
A popular way to eat asparagus is lightly cooked and marinated. Blanch asparagus by bringing to boil a large pot of water. Place asparagus in the boiling water for 3 minutes, then remove and immediately plunge into ice-cold water to cool. Drain. Using favorite marinade or vinaigrette, refrigerate in marinade for 4 to 6 hours. Drain, place on serving platter and serve chilled or at room temperature.


Fresh Spinach Topped with Beans, Garlic, and Sage
recipe adapted by a friend of the farm from an original she saw in Gourmet Magazine. Served warm, this is a nice entrée.

1 C beans
6 C room temperature water
2 T olive oil
4-5 garlic greens, using as much of stalk as tender
3 sprigs fresh sage, leaves removed from stem
¼ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coarse salt
½ pound fresh spinach, stemmy ends removed
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Place beans in large bowl. Cover with cold water and let soak overnight.

Drain beans and place in heavy pot. Add water, olive oil, garlic, sage and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce to med-low uncovered for 1½ hours stirring occasionally. Mix in salt and continue to simmer until tender adding water if needed. Meanwhile, steam spinach and drain. Transfer to serving bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to serving bowl atop spinach. Season with salt, pepper if desired and serve warm.

Farm Tour Cancelled Today

While the rain is nourishing our fields and crops, such excess today does not make for good touring weather. The CSA member Farm Tour is cancelled for today. Check your CSA email for the new date!