7-5-17
Large shares: broccoli, chard, carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, fresh garlic bunch, butterhead lettuce, greenleaf or romaine lettuce, scallions, cilantro
Small shares: broccoli, chard, carrots, fresh garlic bunch, greenleaf lettuce, scallions, cilantro
Dear CSA members,
We hope you all had a lovely 4th of July holiday. It was certainly nice for us to have the extra day to prepare for CSA this week! Mondays are our busiest harvest day and it was nice to spread out the workload a bit. Our Chehalis market was also cancelled this week which made things even mellower. The fireworks out here are not mellow though! I am slightly sleep deprived as we are very near the Chehalis tribe casino that does an rather loud and large fireworks show, that with the neighbors and it seemed to go on forever last night.
June and July are such busy months on the farm. We are still busy seeding and transplanting, our new crew members are still getting trained, CSA and markets start up and there are so many details to work out, there is so much weeding and irrigating to do, ground must be worked up for fall plantings and fertilized and amended, tomatoes need to be trellised and pruned, harvest needs to be done, the mowing never ends… You get the idea. With the long hours of day light we often find ourselves working 14 hours a day or more!
We look forward to a few weeks from now when things settle into a bit more manageable routine… But by then orders and harvest lists ramp up in a big way as we reach our peak in August and September. Our crew is doing awesome though and things have been relatively smooth for a transition year where we have quite a few new folks on the farm. So it should be no problem when we get to those weeks.
We have some pretty gorgeous broccoli this week. I am always happy when the early broccoli plantings work out nicely. Once you chop up the florets, I reccommend peeling the stems and chopping them too. I think they are the most delicious part of the broccoli.
Fairly soon we will be harvesting our garlic crop. This week we have bundles of freshly harvested garlic for you. Fresh garlic is not dried and cured like you may be used to buying at the store, but it is sought after by chefs for its milder flavor when raw. You can peel the cloves and use just like any garlic but I would reccommend storing in the refrigerator and using up sooner than later.
The rainbow colored green is Swiss chard. This member of the beet family is bred for its greens, not roots. It is tender, delicious and nutritious. Chard is high in vitamin C, A and B’s as well as iron, calcium and phosphorus. I reccomend it stirfried, steamed, or added to soups and stews. You can store chard in the crisper drawer for about 1 week. Finely chopped, the stems are good and add pretty color to a dish.
Cilantro is an herb that has been used in cuisine from Asia to the new world and has been cultivated for 3000 years or more. The seeds, known as coriander are also used as a spice. Apparently, coriander seeds have even been found in Egyptian tombs! Cilantro is great in salsas, dressings, to season beans, as topping for chili and burritos, or in Indian and Thai dishes. Store by placing the roots in a small jar of water and tenting a plastic bag on top, then place in the refrigerator. It will keep a long time like this.
Have a great week,
Asha
Honey roasted carrots: preheat oven to 425. Twist the tops of 16 carrots, leaving a 2 inch nub; wash and scrub the roots. Place the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tsps olive oil. Roll the carrots back and forth to coat before placing them in the oven. Melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp honey together in a small saucepan and keep warm. Shake the carrots occasionally as they roast. Remove from the oven when they are browned in spots and a sharp knife easily pierces them ( 15 to 20 minutes). Drizzle with honey butter over the carrots, roll them around to coat and place them back in the oven. Shake the baking sheet frequently and remove the carrots when their skin begins to caramelize and a knife easily slides through them, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Swiss Chard Quesadillas: Wash but do not dry 1 bunch of chard. Cut off the stems and slice them 1/4 inch thick; cut the leaves into 1/4 inch ribbons. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup finely chopped scallion and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 3 min. Add the chard stems and cook, stirring often, until they are tender but retain a slight bite, 6 to 8 min. Add the leaves and cook, stirring, until they wilt and become quite tender, 3 to 5 min. For each quesadilla, spread 1 tbsp sour cream on a flour tortilla. Top with 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, 1/4 of the chard mixture, and 1/4 cup Cotija. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, and a dash of hot sauce. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Fold the tortilla in half to enclose the filling. Brush a large skillet with vegetabl oil and placeover medium heat. Place the quesadilla in the pan and cook, turning once, until the tortilla is golden on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.
Oriental Cilantro Slaw: Shred 1 medium cabbage (6 cups). Place the cabbge in a large serving bowl. Mix in 1 large shredded carrot, 1 cup tightly packed minced fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup thinnnly sliced scallions. In a jar combine, 3 tbsp canola oil, 3 to 4 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp tamari, 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and finely chopped and sea salt to taste. Shake well to blend, pour dressing over the salad and toss well. Add more lime juice and tamari as needed. Garnish with 1/2 cup chopped toasted and salted peanuts.
Wobbly Cart Farm 