Working Up Your Weekly Share
Committing
to 22 weeks of fresh, organic vegetables means you've committed to a whole
season—and then some—of the best food you can find for your family.
The
produce you get each week has been cleaned and cooled to preserve that
just-picked freshness and flavor. The pick-up schedule is timed so you can
retrieve your share and quickly get the veggies tucked away in your kitchen
and/or refrigerator. We take great pride in sending you top-quality
products—please do your part to keep it that way until it's time to eat.
When
you get your share and head home, try to keep it out of the sun and away from
drafty, open windows. Secure it so it doesn't get squished by other stuff you
may be hauling around. When you get home, the default mode is to get most items back into refrigeration as soon as possible,
except for tomatoes. As we move through the season, try to take a few moments
to work up your share when you get it home. Some people go ahead and cut up
their vegetables for quick and easy meal prep for busy nights.
Strawberries
Because
we harvest strawberries at peak ripeness—rather than days or weeks before full
ripeness like supermarket berries – they are tender, full of flavor, and your refrigeration
holds them right where they need to be. Still, they should be eaten sooner in
the week.
Asparagus
The
asparagus will hold in the fridge a few days, although the tips may curl upward
if laid flat, as they are continuing to grow and trying to angle toward the
sun. This is why you see them standing up on ice at retail outlets. If saving
asparagus for the weekend, rinse them and stand them up in a dish of shallow
water in the refrigerator.
Leafy Greens
Most
all of our produce is put through a two-basin cold-water wash and rinse system
right after harvest, but is not considered plate-ready. The first basin washes
off soil that came with the vegetables from the field, and the second rinses it
with clean tap water, but equally as important, these steps take out the field
heat and rehydrate the leaves through their stomata, which are the pores all
over the leaves. (Incidentally, if you've noticed fresher produce tastes
better, consider the stomata. Grocery-store vegetables are breathing out
moisture all during their long truck ride from a farm on the other side of the
country. How would you look and feel after riding a bus from California?) If
leafy greens in your share appear limp, simply rinse them off and submerge them
in cold water for a while, shake off the excess moisture or spin, and then
place their container in the fridge so they can crisp up.
Leafy
greens are still transpiring moisture through those same stomates (the pores
all over their leaves), which is why we often bag them for delivery and
storage, but lettuce heads or bunched greens may be delivered open in your
share. We don't want to overwhelm you with plastic bags, but plastic bags or other
closed containers are the best way to store greens in the refrigerator. Wash
and drain them, using a salad spinner, if you have one—and if you don't have
one, consider getting one!
We
expect you to eat your greens every week, and we make no apologies for sending
them to you each week. Be it red Russian, green curly or black lacinato kale;
curly mustard; turnip greens; collards; or rainbow Swiss chard, you will find
creative ways to eat them often. The
health benefits of these greens are widely known. In years past, we on the farm
have had a New Year’s resolution to eat greens on a daily basis. Now, it is
just something we do without question.
These
greens may also be referred to as crucifers or brassicas in the popular press.
Farmers call them cole crops—but everybody thinks we are saying cold crops, which is not entirely
inaccurate, as they grow best in cooler conditions. Broccoli and cabbage are
also in this family of foods.
The ABCs of Using Your CSA
All
of the produce that you'll get in your CSA share can be overwhelming at first
glance, but we're here to help you use every last bit of it. If you can take a
few minutes to read this newsletter, we will point out how to store your share.
You'll also see what all is available for the week, read some recipes you might
not have considered before and have a chance to do some menu planning, which
will optimize your CSA experience. New this year, we're offering two series of
on-farm events—you probably saw the email announcement about our farm tours
last week—and some of the events in the evening Culinary Tour Series are aimed
at working up your weekly CSA share. The first Culinary Tour is The ABCs of
Using Your CSA, next Tuesday, May 24, 6 to 8 pm. Read more HERE. You can
rest assured there are no pesticide residues to worry about on the food you
receive from us. We are militant about organic, so you can eat in peace. Go
ahead and have a little fun: Play with your food. —Mac Stone
In Your Share:
Asparagus
Bok Choy
Kale
Lettuce
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries
Recipes
Serve this decadent sauce over yogurt, ice cream or
other dessert. If you have any ginger frozen from last year’s CSA shares, this
is an excellent use for it, as frozen ginger grates easily.
1 c. sliced rhubarb
(about 2 medium stalks)
½ c. sugar
1-2 inch piece ginger
root, grated
1 T. fresh orange juice
Combine all ingredients
in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the rhubarb
has broken down and
the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool
completely.
Shiitake and Bok Choy Stir-Fry,
adapted from The Simple Art of Vegetarian
Cooking
6
oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms
1
lb. bok choy
¼
tsp. honey
salt
& pepper
1
T. soy sauce or tamari
1
T. rice wine or sherry
¼
c. plus 2 T. vegetable stock or water
1
tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1
T. sunflower or grapeseed oil
3
tsp. minced garlic
3
tsp. minced ginger
½
tsp. red pepper flakes
Remove
stems from mushrooms and quarter mushroom caps. Simmer stems in 2 C water for
20 minutes. Strain. Slice bok choy crosswise into ¾-inch pieces. Combine honey,
salt, pepper, soy sauce, rice wine and 1/4 C stock in a bowl. Make a slurry
with cornstarch and 2 T of stock. Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Swirl
in oil, add garlic, ginger and red-pepper flakes; then mushroom caps. Pour in ¼
C of mushroom stock, and cook for 1 minute, until stock is evaporated. Add bok
choy and stir for 1 minute. Add the honey and soy sauce mixture. Stir until bok
choy is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add slurry. Stir for 1 minute. Serve
over rice or noodles. Add leftover chicken, shrimp, tofu or tempeh to this dish
for protein. Serves 4.
Gluten-Free Strawberry Crumble, adapted
from BakeYourDay.net
Consider
putting some of your fresh strawberries into a simple dessert treat. You can
also combine them with other berries, apples or peaches—whatever you have on
hand.
1 1/2 cups
strawberries
2 T. lemon
juice
3 T.
gluten-free flour, divided
1 c.
old-fashioned oats
2 T. brown
sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
2 T.
grapeseed oil
2 T. maple
syrup
2 tsp.
vanilla
Preheat oven
to 350 degrees F. Coat baking dish with butter. In a small bowl, mix the
strawberries, lemon juice and 1 T of flour until blended. Set aside. In a
medium bowl, mix oats, the remaining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
together until mixed. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, maple syrup and vanilla.
Stream into the oat mixture and stir with a fork until all the liquid is
well-incorporated into the dry. Spoon 1/3 C of the topping ingredients into the
strawberry mixture and stir. Pour the strawberry mixture into the baking dish
and cover with the oat mixture. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the strawberries
are tender and the topping is golden brown and crisp. Serves 4.
