Wobbly Cart Farm CSA week 3

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6-26-18

Large shares: 2 heads lettuce, mustard greens, fennel, turnip, sweet onions, scallions, beets, snow peas, garlic scapes, rosemary

Small shares: lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes or fennel, sweet onions, snow peas, garlic scapes, rosemary

Dear CSA members,

Here we are at week 3 of the csa and we are starting to get into the groove of how our summer weeks will pass. We hope you are getting into the groove of things as well!. Part of joining a CSA is making a commitment to support local agriculture as well as a commitment to yourself to cook and eat fresh and healthy food at home. So, I thought I would share a few tips on making the most of your csa membership this summer.

1. Read the newsletter and recipes: reading the newsletter will give you not only quick updates on what we are doing around the farm but also information about new and different vegetables, storage tips, as well as recipes to try.

2. The night before your pickup, take inventory. I recommend going through your fridge and making use of anything leftover from the previous week so you don’t end up with a ton of back stock clogging up your fridge. I like to make a soup stock or pesto (both freeze well) for later use or juice any leftovers for a quick nutrient dense snack.

3. When you get home with your share do some prep-work. Remove any greens from root crops that you won’t be using. Cutting off radish, beet and carrot tops helps the roots stay fresher longer. If you are going to use the greens pre soak them in cold water, drain, and pack in a separate bag. Soak your lettuces and then spin them dry in a salad spinner. They will also keep better when clean and dry. I like to keep my herbs in a jar of water with a plastic bag tented over it on the self in my fridge. Change the water every couple of days. (except for rosemary which can be left out to dry or stored as is in the fridge). Later in the season, onions, garlic, tomatoes will keep better when they are dried thoroughly and placed on a shelf in a cool dry location.

4.Try out pickling, freezing and canning. There are many great books and blogs out there that have amazing suggestions.

5. And last, enjoy eating more and different vegetables! The less processed foods you eat the better fresh fruits and vegetables taste – replace processed foods with whole foods. I like to add vegetables into breakfast scrambles, green juices, make oven roasted chips out of summer squash and kale… find ways to increase your intake of fresh produce, its good for you! Or, make a meal for someone in need of some good food and share the wealth.

A run down on new crops this week:

We were able to harvest some sweet onions that we overwintered from last fall for you. They are a bit small but should be delicious. We have snow peas again this week. They are really tasty but I hope to have some shell peas next week to change things up a bit.

The long frondy herb with the large flat white bulb on the end is fennel. (This is in the large share box only this week). It is one many may be unfamiliar with but is very delicious if you give it a try. Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet with a licorice or anise flavor. It is often used in Mediterranean cuisine, especially in Italy and France. Store your fennel in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use as soon as possible as it rapidly begins to loose its flavor once harvested.

Mustard greens: These Ruby streaks mustard greens are very young and tender and can add a wonderful peppery dimension to many dishes. You can temper the pungency of mustard greens use a combination of heat, salt and fat to cook them. Mustard greens are found in Southern American, Indian, Japanese, Chinese and African cuisines. The link below has an in depth write up on the many health benefits of eating mustard greens.

Fresh rosemary: Rosemary is a Mediterranean herb with a bright woodsy-citrusy scent. The fresh herb is more subtle that dried and is great for roasted meats and vegetables, in soups, or infused in oil to use for dressings. To make your own rosemary-infused oil, place a sprig or two of completely dry rosemary leaves into a glass jar, top with olive oil, replace the lid, and shake lightly. Store in a warm, dark place for two weeks, strain, and then simply pour back into the glass jar. Use ¼ cup for a fragrant bath or blend with balsamic vinegar to drizzle all over a salad for a delicious dressing. You can dry the rosemary by just leaving out on the counter until competely dehydrated.

Have a great week,

 

Asha

 

Wilted greens: Cook in a large skillet until crisp 4 to 5 slices bacon. Drain on paper towels, cool and crumble. Pour all but 2 tbsp of the bacon drippings out of the pan. Reheat and add ¼ cup cider vinegar, 2 to 3 tsp sugar, the bacon and 2 tsp mustard seeds and 1 tsp minced onion. Mean while place in a salad bowl al large bunch turnip or mustard greens, coarsely chopped. Pour the hot dressing over the greens and toss. Serve at once garnised with 2 sliced hard boiled eggs.

Caramelized Fennel: Wash and trim a large bulb of fennel, removing the root and stems. Slice diagonally as you would an onion into thin slices. Discard any tough core if present. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add fennel and ¼ cup chopped onion. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until fennel softens. Add 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp kosher salt and continue to cook until fennel is caramelized and tender about 7 to 10 more minutes.

Quick Pickled Beets: Combine 4 medium beets, scrubbed, trimmed, halved, and cut into ¼ inch slices. 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced. ¾ cup apple juice or water, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, and a pinch of sea salt in a pressure cooker. Lock the lid into place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 4 minutes. Reduce the heat by running cold water over the cooker in your sink. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. To serve, lift the beets out of the liquid with a slotted spoon. Serve warm or chilled. (from Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen by Lorna Sass).

Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens: trim one bunch medium beets with tops to 1 inch. Wash and chop greens and stems. Scrub beets and wrap tightly in heavy duty foil. Roast in the 400 degree oven until tender, 50 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into wedges. Sauté greens, stems and 2 tsp minced garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat until tender, 6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, 2 tbsp each pistachios and goat cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. ( from Prevention magazine June 2012)

Honey Balsamic Beet Salad: place 2 lbs trimmed and scrubbed baby beets in a baking pan. Combine ½ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, and 1 tbsp olive oil; pour over the beets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender. On a platter combine ½ cups cooked quinoa, 2 cups watercress or arugula, and the beets and roasting juices. Top with chopped fresh tarragon.(from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine November 2012)

Rosemary Potatoes with Sweet Onions: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice 3 lbs potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Skin 2 cups worth of sweet onions, cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss onions and potatoes with 3 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl. Add 2 tbp crushed fresh rosemary and sea salt and pepper to taste. Roast the potatoes until they are brown and crispy.

Nori Radish Toasts: Slice a 12 in. section of baguette in half length-wise, cut into 2-in. pieces, and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden brown on edges. Using scissors, snip 1 large sheet toasted nori into bits, then pulverize in a spice grinder. Mix nori powder with about 5 tbsp butter; smear thickly onto toasts. Top with thinly sliced radishes and radish greens.  (from the November 2011 issue of Sunset Magazine).

Bacon wrapped garlic scapes: cut 12 6 to 8 inch long peices of garlic scape.tightly wrap each scape with a peice of thin cut bacon. When all the scapes are wrapped heat a heavy skillet over medium heat.Cook until the bacon browns on one side, then turn them. Cover the pan with a lid and cook turning occasionally until the bacon is brown and the scapes tender. Remove from the pan, drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Fennel Gratin with Pecorino and Lemon: lightly oil a shallow 2 quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Heat 5 tbsp oil in a large wide pot over medium heat. Add 1 sliced onion and 3 cloves minced garlic; sauté until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add 5 large fresh fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and cut into ¼ inch slices. Increase heat to medium high and saute until fennel is slightly softened and beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 18 minutes. Stir in ½ cup chicken broth, 2 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley, and 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer until most of the broth is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the baking dish. Make the crumb topping: melt 3 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ¾ cup panko bread crumbs and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley, and 1 ½ tsp finely grated lemon peel. Preheat oven to 425. Sprinkle panko mixture over fennel. Bake until gratin is heated through and topping is deep golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Roasted carrots: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together 1 ½ lbs carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks, olive oil to coat, several sprigs fresh thyme, and salt and black pepper to taste. Spread the carrots in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until golden and tender, about 1 hour.

Sauteed Snow Peas with Scallions and Radishes: Trim ¾ lb Snow Peas. Slice 8 scallions(white and pale green parts only) into 2- inch lengths. Trim and quarter 8 radishes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the snow peas; cook stirring frequently, until just beginning to soften (do not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the scallions and radishes; season with coarse sea salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until scallions soften and snow peas are crisp-tender. 1 to 2 minutes more. (From Everyday Food, June 2004)

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA week 2

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6-19-18

Small shares: green leaf lettuce, lacinato kale, carrots, scallions, snow peas, garlic scapes, cilantro

Large shares: 2 heads green leaf lettuce, lacinato kale, carrots, scallions, garlic scapes, radishes, salad turnips, cilantro

 

Dear CSA members.

We are rapidly approaching the summer solstice, our longest day of the year, and everything in nature, the greenhouses and fields is growing like crazy. The days are super long and with the recent moisture from rains and the warm temperatures you can virtually watch the plants grow before your eyes! That would be fun and easier if we could actually sit still for a minute! There is so much work to do this time of year we often feel like hamsters running on one of those little wheels. Going and going and seemingly never getting anywhere.

I know it will get better once we settle into a summer routine, but at the moment we are still planting our fall crops while trying to keep up with weeding (guess what,  the weeds grow faster than anything this time of year), irrigating, and getting into the harvesting and delivering routine. We’re working out some early season kinks but as I said, I know we will get into a good routine soon.

We have an abundance of beautiful lettuce and greens like kale this time of the year and they are very crisp and delicious in the early season. Sometimes during the heat of the summer lettuce can be in short supply… so we must enjoy it while we can.

We also have our first bunches of carrots this week! They are super tender and delicious this time of year. These are going to be excellent raw or cooked. You an also use the tops in stir-fries and pesto (several people shared recipes with me last year).

Lacinato Kale: This kale variety, also known as Tuscan Kale, has a long tradition in Italian cuisine. It is often used in soups such as Minestrone, blanched and sauteed in olive oil, or wilted with sea salt and used raw in salads.  All types of kale are extremely high in nutrients and is known as one of the worlds healthiest foods!

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

 

Baked Kale Chips: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a non -insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems of one bunch of kale and tear into bite sized pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle the leaves with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Spread out on the cookie sheet in a single layer and bake until the edges are brown but not burnt, about 10 to 15 minutes. ( Like potato chips but way healthier!)

Ginger Scallion Sauce: 2 1/2 cups thinnly sliced scallions (greens and tops), 1/2 cup finely minced fresh ginger, 1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil, 1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce, 3/4 tp sherry vinegar or mirin, 3/4 tsp kosher salt. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add additional salt if needed. Excellent with soba noodles, in miso soup, with chicken etc.

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.

Cilantro Pesto: In a food processor or blender combine. 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 cup tightly packed minced fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts, finely chopped, 2 large cloves roasted garlic, or 1 small clove raw garlic peeled and minced, 1 tsp mild chili powder, 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp sea salt.  Great served over beans and grains, bean and grain salads, this pesto is delicious brushed onto grilled corn on the cob or tossed with cooked corn kernels.

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.

Tartines with Gruyere and Radish Greens: Preheat oven to 375 and place rack in the top position. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese and 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter. Stir in 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 cup finely chopped radishes, 1 tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley, 1 tbsp snipped chives, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 1/2 inch thick slices of good bread, pressing it down slightly. Place bread on a baking sheet and toast until the cheese puffs up and is lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olove oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 cups packed radish greens, with some water still clinging to their leaves, to the sillet. Cook, stirring frequestly, until just barely wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the wilted greens evenly over cheesey toasts and serve immediately. ( From Grow Cook eat by Wili Galloway)

Kale Caesar Salad: Preheat oven to 300. For croutons, mince 2 garlic cloves, in a medium saucepan warm ¼ cup olive oil and the minced garlic over low heat; remove. Add 4 cups bread cubed into 1 inch pieces. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt. Stir to coat. Spread bread pieces in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Bake 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, stirring once. Cool completely. Meanwhile, for the dressing, in a blender combine 4 cloves garlic, ½ cup olive oil, 6 anchovy filets, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, and 2 egg yolks. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove stems from 3 large bunches of lacinato kale and thinly slice the leaves. Add the dressing, and using your hands work the dressing into the kale. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. To serve, sprinkle with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and top with croutons.

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA week #1

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6-12-18

Small Shares: fresh dill, garlic scapes, salad turnips, radishes, romaine lettuce, broccoli, chard   

Large shares: fresh dill, garlic scapes, salad turnips, radishes, 2 romaine lettuce, broccoli, chard, and snow peas

Dear CSA members,

Hello and welcome to week one of our 2018 CSA! We are so excited to begin our 22-week CSA journey with you. Today’s delivery is a result of many weeks of support from you, our members, and much hard work and preparation on our part.

The first produce of the 2018 season begins with garlic planted in October, and seeds ordered in December, many of them started in the green house in January, February and March or seeded in the fields as soon as the soil allows us. The fields must also be plowed, tilled and amended before planting can begin. Once seeds are sowed or transplanted we must cultivate, weed, water and tend them until they are harvested, washed and packed for you here all the way at the second week of June!

We want to recognize and thank you all for your support this spring. As you know by signing up for a CSA you are investing your food dollars in a small, local, organic, farm. By providing us with upfront money to keep the farm and our employees going in the late winter and early spring when we don’t have produce to sell, you truly help sustain our farm community. Now it’s our turn to return the favor with all the fresh organic goodness that we spend so much time, care and energy producing for you!

The weather so far this year has been unusually cooperative as far as farming goes. We have had no problem getting our spring crops in the ground with all the warm dry weather in May. I was actually quite relieved that we got about an inch and a half of rain last Friday, as the ground had become quite dry and the grasses looked more like late July than early June! Things feel a bit more normal and “June-uary” like now, with lows hovering around 37 degrees here last night. That kind of weather is great for our cool weather loving crops such as kale and peas, which we should see more of in next couple of weeks. Though the tomatoes, melons, peppers and eggplant are not really loving that. I hear it’s going to heat up next week so- the best of both worlds!

Here is a quick run down on the crops this week:

Garlic scapes are the elegant goose necked flower stalks of the garlic plant. They emerge this time of year as the garlic matures and it is best for the final product of the bulb if we snap them off. As an added bonus they are delicious to eat and can be chopped and used just like garlic in any recipe, blended up into a pesto, braised whole and much more. They keep for a long time in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator so no need to worry about using them up right away.

Salad turnips: are a Japanese variety of turnip that is very tender with a crisp delicious flavor even when eaten raw. They have an even-textured density and the flavor pairs well with a variety of different food items.  Eat them raw (just whole, or chopped/grated in salads), make a quick pickle, or cook with their greens to enhance their natural sweetness. Handling: Wash and peel the turnip root. Turnips should not be overcooked, or they will become dark in color and strong in flavor. Turnips should be stored unwashed in plastic bag in crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Store greens separately wrapped in damp towel or plastic bag – use them as soon as possible.

Both shares received fresh dill this week. This fern like herb has a nice sweet licorice and parsley like flavor. I think it is delicious with potatoes, in green and pasta salads and in creamy dips.

Snow peas are also known as Chinese pea pods since they are often used in stir-fries. They are flat with very small peas inside; the whole pod is edible, although the tough “strings” along the edges are usually removed before eating. Snow peas are mildly flavored and can be served raw or cooked.

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 recommend peeling the stems and chopping them too. I think they are the most delicious part of the broccoli.

Crops to look for next week (no promises!): more peas, carrots, Walla Walla onions, scallions, kale

Have a great week,

Asha

Roasted Garlic Scapes: Preheat oven to 350. Rinse scapes and pat dry. Cut into smaller pieces of desired size, or leave whole, and place in a 9×13-roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with good sea salt. Optional: add cracked pepper or other herbs/spices. Roast for 24-35 minutes, until softened, browned and just slightly crispy to your liking. Remove from oven and enjoy hot or chilled.

Grilled Potatoes with Fresh Dill: preheat grill to 350 degrees. Slice thinly 2 lbs potatoes. Toss with ½ tsp salt, 4 tbsp olive oil, and pepper to taste. Lay out 2 large sheets of foil 12x 26 inches. Oil the foil and arrange the potatoes in a single layer over one side of the foil. Fold the foil over and crimp the edges forming a packet. Grill the packets, covered, rotating once, for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and browned. Open packets and transfer potatoes into a serving bowl. Toss with 2 tbsp butter and ¼ cup chopped fresh dill. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve.

Baby lettuces with goat-cheese dressing, pistachios, and pink peppercorns: for the dressing: in a food processor puree 4 oz goat cheese, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tsp salt until smooth. Refrigerate dressing until ready to use. Divide up 4 cups of lettuce leaves amongst 4 salad plates. Drizzle each serving with ¼ of the dressing and sprinkle with roasted and salted pistachios, fresh tarragon leaves, and coarsely crushed pink peppercorns. Serves 4. (From May 2013 issue of Country Living Magazine)

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 vegetable oil and place over 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.

Garlic Scape Pesto: Place 8 10-inch long garlic scapes in a food processor and chop into small pieces. Add 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, zest and juice of one large lemon. Process into a rough paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the blade running, slowly drizzle in 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil. Process until the oil is thoroughly incorporated and the pesto is fairly smooth, about 30 seconds. Season with seas salt to taste.

Quick sesame snow peas: Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet. Add in ½ lb snow peas that have been washed, stringed and patted dry and cook stirring and tossing for 1 ½ minutes until the snow peas are just barely cooked but warmed through. Remove from heat and toss the peas with 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Cover and let rest for several minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste and toasted sesame seeds.

Garlicky Roasted Broccoli: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a blender or food processor, puree 6 cloves roasted garlic with 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 tsp soy sauce. Add more garlic to taste. Chop up one large head of broccoli ( 4 cups) and drizzle with 3 tbsp of the garlic oil. Toss to coat in a bowl. Spread the broccoli onto a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with red pepper and salt to taste. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is fork tender and quite brown and crispy in spots. 15 to 18 min.

Broccoli with Green Herb Sauce: Break 1 large head of broccoli into florets, peel the stalk and chop into chunks. Steam in a steamer basket over simmering water, covered, until tender to the core when pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Put in a serving dish. Meanwhile mix ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, 1 tsp each fresh thyme and oregano leaves, zest of 1 large lemon, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp brined capers, rinsed and chopped, 2 tbsp finely diced shallot, 1 small garlic clove minced, ½ cup olive oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about half the green herb sauce over the broccoli and turn gently to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature, with extra sauce on the side.

Pan roasted salad turnips: halve one bunch of salad turnip roots, toss with 1 tsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl combine ½ tbsp water and ½ tbsp honey with a pinch of cayenne. Heat a small skillet with an additional tsp of olive oil. Add turnips and sauté for about 10 minutes, turning frequently, until they are golden brown. Add honey mixture to turnips and toss them for a few minutes until they are glazed and tender. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Sauteed Spring Turnips and Radishes with their greens 20 min to make, feeds 4. Remove greens from turnips and radishes and reserve.               Halve or quarter 1 bunch spring turnips 1 bunch radishes lengthwise.               Heat oil in sautee pan.  Add turnips and radishes and shaved garlic scapes, sautee until the roots’ cut edges turn brown. Chop greens and add to pan, cook until wilted and bright Season with salt

Grilled Romaine Lettuce 10 min to make, feeds 4. Slice 2 heads of romaine lettuce in half lengthwise, so each half is held together by the root end.               Coat the halves with olive oil, salt, pepper and, if you wish, lemon juice and/or anchovies. Over a warm grill or on hot cast iron skillet, sear the lettuce, cut edge down until the edge begins to brown and darken. Do not burn the lettuce, it smells terrible. Once the heart has begun to brown, flip the head over to just wilt the leaves. Arrange on a plate and dress with balsamic vinegar and shaved parmesan.  

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #2

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6-21-16

Large shares: carrots, beets, butterhead lettuce, garlic scapes, summer squash, scallions, cilantro, 2 pints strawberries

Small shares: carrots, chard, baby lettuce, garlic scapes, summer squash, cilantro

 

Dear CSA members,

Happy summer solstice! We enjoyed our longest day of the year and the full strawberry moon on the farm yesterday. It is fitting that we still have strawberries to give our large shares this week! The summer solstice and our 16 1/2 hour long days mark the peak of vegetative growth for most plants for the season, from here on out the shortening days will initiate flowering, fruiting and reproduction.

For us farmers, June is also an incredibly busy time, days are so long that it is easy to just keep working and suddenly we realize its like 930 pm! We must balance growing Spring crops, weeding, sowing summer crop successions (beans, corn, lettuce etc) , watering, trellising tomatoes and beginning to seed all our fall brassicas (kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower etc), chicories (raddicchio etc) and root crops (carrots, parsnips, storage beets etc) so that we have them in October, November and December. Not to mention our CSA deliveries begin and markets start up so we can sell all this gorgeous food.

We’ve had a few set backs this week. Last Tuesday’s hail storm has cause some damage to crops and you may notice some pock marks on the summer squash and greens. Looking everything over we have decided that the damage is mostly cosmetic and shouldn’t effect the flavor or storageability of the food. So we are sorry that things aren’t 100% up to our quality standards, but again, we felt like it is all still good food and can be utilized.

Also, our big tractor the David Brown 996 ( 1970’s era) needs a rebuilt engine this week! Joseph was able to do a last round of tilling to get some beds ready for transplants before it completely went kaput last night. We are also down our old Ford 8n due to a steering column rebuild. We’re not sure how long they will be out of commission but we will certainly be hoping for the best.

If you would like to join our Wobbly Cart Farm CSA facebook group email me at info@wobblycart.com and I will send you the link.

Have a great week,

Asha

 

Strawberry and Cornmeal Crostatas: Whirl 2 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tbsp medium grind cornmeal, 5 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 3/4 tsp kosher salt in a food processor to blend. Add 1 cup plus 2 1/2 tbsp cold unsalted butter to bowl and freeze 20 minutes. Pulse until butter is a little smaller than pea size. Add 1/4 cup ice water and pulse until evenly distributed; the mixture will look dry. Pour ingredients onto a work surface. Press and squeeze with hands untl dough holds together. Flatten into a 6 in disk , wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour. Set out 12 4 in. flan molds or tart pans, preferably nonstick. Butter and flour pans if they are not non stick. Preheat oven to 375. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough a bit bigger than a 12 x 16 in rectangle, lifting and reflouring as needed to prevent sticking. Cut 12 even 4 in squares. Gently set each square onto a flan or tart pan. Set pans on 2 rimmed baking sheets. If needed, chill until dough is cool but still flexible, 5 min. In a medium bowl gently combine 3 pints hulled and halved lengthwise strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar. Let stand until sugar looks wet but before syrup starts to pool, stirring occasionally, 5 min. Scoop 1/3 cup strawberries onto each dough square. Fold dough corners over berries by 1/2 to 1 in. Brush corners with milk and sprinkle lighty with sugar. Bake crostatas until pastry is deep golden brown and crisp, about 35 minutes, switching pans halfway through. Set baking sheets on a rack and let crostatas stand until just cool enough to touch, 10 min. Loosen crusts from pans with a knife. Carefully invert each pastry onto your hand, then set right side up on a plate. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream. ( from July 2016 issue of Sunset)

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.

Garlic Scape Pesto: Place 8 10 inch long garlic scapes in a food processor and chop into small peices. Sdd 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, zest and juice of one large lemon. Process into a rough paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the blade running, slowly drizzle in 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil. Process unil the oil is thoroughly incorporated and the pesto is fairly smooth, about 30 seconds. Season with seas salt to taste.

 

 

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #1

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6-16-15

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #1

 

Large shares: strawberries, garlic scapes, scallions, chard, dill, broccoli, snow peas, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, and radishes

Small shares: strawberries, garlic scapes, chard, dill, carrots, sugar snap peas, crisp head lettuce, and radishes

 

Dear CSA members,

Let the harvest season begin! Here we are at the first week of CSA deliveries for 2015. We want to first recognize and THANK you all for your support this spring. As you know by signing up for a CSA you are investing your food dollars in a small, local, organic, farm. By providing us with upfront money to keep the farm and our 10 employees going in the late winter and early spring when we don’t have produce to sell, you truly help sustain our business. Now it’s our turn to return the favor with all the fresh organic goodness that we spend so much time, care and energy producing for you!

It has been a warm, dry and busy spring here at Wobbly Cart. Days have been long and hot, more like August than June. This unseasonably warm and dry weather has been pushing our crops ahead of normal, which is great, IF we can keep up with the irrigation and demanding harvest schedule. Which can hard when the staff and infrastructure aren’t quite at August levels yet! Luckily we have hired several new crew members this week, and are rolling out a lot of brand new drip irrigation to help keep up with the watering.

I am very pleased that the early onset of strawberry harvest was not mutually exclusive with CSA receiving a taste of our small strawberry plot! We don’t dedicate a lot of land to strawberry production, and mainly have them around to add fruit variety to our CSA boxes. I was worried that they were going to come on early and be done before we had enough produce to begin CSA. It all worked out pretty well, as the Monday morning picking was bigger than expected!

Some of you who are to the world of CSA and/or local, seasonal eating may not be familiar with the garlic scapes that are in this week’s box. Garlic scapes are the elegant goose necked flower stalks of the garlic plant. They emerge this time of year as the garlic matures and it is best for the final product of the bulb if we snap them off. As an added bonus they are delicious to eat and can be chopped and used just like garlic in any recipe, blended up into a pesto, braised whole and much more. They keep for a long time in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator so no need to worry about using them up right away.

Speaking of using things up, we thought we would share some suggestions for using up the produce in your CSA box each week. Amazingly, one of the biggest complaints (and there are very few complaints) we get from CSA customers is that it is difficult to use up all the produce from week to week! We all know that eating more organic fresh produce is certainly in accords with living a long healthy life, so it’s great we have all taken a first step in getting there, by joining a CSA!

Next, be creative and inspired. Don’t be afraid to try new things! Cook at home with our recipe suggestions, or check out new cookbooks and food blogs. We will try to make suggestions for good books and other resources throughout the season. Sautee vegetables with your eggs in the morning, make a green juice or smoothie, have a salad for lunch! If you have time to prepare a lunch for yourself the night before to take to work, you can avoid eating out in restaurants and use up more of your vegetables

You might be surprised with how your tastes change when you get a weekly (and daily) dose of ultra fresh organic vegetables. Suddenly over processed and fast foods don’t taste so great any more… you can really taste the excessive salt, sugar, and artificial additives. I also find my kids will quickly devour our farm fresh produce while shun grocery store stuff. It works well for me to set out a snack tray with fresh carrots, radishes, snap peas etc. and allow them to graze on it throughout the day. I am actually amazed at how quickly a large share disappears in our house of four! As well as how much the grocery bill goes down once the harvest season begins again.

We would love to have you all share ideas, storage tips and recipes with us, as well successes and failures you’ve had with the produce you have received. It would be nice to have a lively discussion with interested CSA members and also get new ideas for good recipes to try! Maybe a face book CSA group would be the way to accomplish this dialogue? I will work on setting one up this week for us all to share on!

Thank you so much and have a great week,

Asha, Joe and the crew at Wobbly Cart

 

 

Garlic-braised broccoli: Bring 4 qts of water to the boil in a stockpot, and add 11/2 tsp of salt. Cut 1 lb of broccoli into 1-inch pieces (stems peeled if desired). Add to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, then drain and cool slightly. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the broccoli. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add: 1 thinly sliced garlic scape, and 1 small red chile pepper if desired. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard the chile. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. (Serves 4). (Adapted from the Joy of Cooking.)

 

Roasted Garlic Scapes: Preheat oven to 350. Rinse scapes and pat dry. Cut into smaller pieces of desired size, or leave whole, and place in a 9×13-roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with good sea salt. Optional: add cracked pepper or other herbs/spices. Roast for 24-35 minutes, until softened, browned and just slightly crispy to your liking. Remove from oven and enjoy hot or chilled.

Brown Sugar Strawberry Tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor whirl 1-cup flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1/8 tsp salt. Add ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and ½ tsp vanilla and pulse until fine crumbs form and dough just begins to come together. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 -inch round tart pan with a removable rim. Bake until the edges are golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on a rack, then gently push tart crust from pan rim; set on a plate. In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat ½ cup crème fraiche, ½ cup whipped cream, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp vanilla until thick. Spread in the cooled crust. Arrange 12oz of hulled and sliced fresh strawberries in circles on top. Chill loosely covered, up to 4 hours and serve. (From the April 2010 issue of Sunset Magazine.)

 

Simple Stir Fried Snow Peas: rinse and trim ends from 8 to 10 oz of snow peas. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, over medium high heat. When oil is hot add several tbsp chopped garlic scapes or to taste. Stir-fry briefly, and then add snow peas and ¼ tsp salt. Stir-fry briefly then add 1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste. Stir-fry for another minute and then serve over rice. (Total stir-frying time is 2 minutes).

 

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar: 30 minutes to an hour before serving; thickly slice 2 pints of fresh strawberries, add 2 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature. When ready to serve place a serving of strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Top with freshly grated lemon zest. Serves 4.

 

Baby lettuces with goat-cheese dressing, pistachios, and pink peppercorns: for the dressing: in a food processor puree 4 oz goat cheese, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tsp salt until smooth. Refrigerate dressing until ready to use. Divide up 4 cups of lettuce leaves amongst 4 salad plates. Drizzle each serving with ¼ of the dressing and sprinkle with roasted and salted pistachios, fresh tarragon leaves, and coarsely crushed pink peppercorns. Serves 4. (From May 2013 issue of Country Living Magazine)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #2

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June 24^th 2014

 

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #2

 

Large shares: garlic scapes, scallions, carrots, Merlot lettuce, oak leaf lettuce, rainbow chard, radishes, fennel, 1 lb shell peas, 1 lb broccoli

 

Small shares: parsley, snap peas, ½ lb broccoli, scallion, oak leaf lettuce, rainbow chard, carrots, and radishes

 

Dear CSA members,

 

Welcome to week two of the summer CSA share! I want to thank every one for the nice comments from last week and we are so glad you enjoyed your boxes. With 16 more weeks to go there is so much to look forward too! As of now, we are done planting all our summer crops and are moving on to fall and winter. It’s always amazing to me that right when we begin harvesting the first of our crops, we are seeding the last of our crops!

 

We have a nice box for you again this week. The broccoli keeps coming so both share sizes will get a nice quantity, as well as carrots and radishes like last week. The latest planting of lettuce yielded some nice oak leaf lettuce, as well as a darker lettuce called “Merlot” for the large shares. We also have sugar snap peas for the small share and shell peas for the large! For those who don’t know the shell peas are the large, long, thick pods. You break these open to reveal the tiny little peas inside. Shell them out with your thumb into a bowl. 1 lb will get you about 1 cup of fresh peas. They are excellent just lightly steamed with a sea salt and butter. Overcooking may turn them to mush! The sugar snap peas are small and plump. You can eat these whole, out of hand, once the strings are removed, and they are excellent that way. Sugar snap peas are a favorite snack in my family.

 

The long frondy herb with the large flat white bulb on the end is fennel. (This is in the large share box only this week). It is one many may be unfamiliar with but is very delicious if you give it a try. Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet with a licorice or anise flavor. It is often used in Mediterranean cuisine, especially in Italy and France. Store your fennel in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use as soon as possible as it rapidly begins to loose its flavor once harvested.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

Asha, Joe and the crew at Wobbly Cart

 

 

Sauteed Snap Peas with Scallions and Radishes: Trim ¾ lb Snap Peas. Slice 8 scallions (white and pale green parts only) into 2- inch lengths. Trim and quarter 8 radishes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the snap peas; cook stirring frequently, until just beginning to soften (do not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the scallions and radishes; season with coarse sea salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until scallions soften and snap peas are crisp-tender. 1 to 2 minutes more. (From Everyday Food, June 2004)

 

Roasted Fennel: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the stalks off of 2 bulbs of fennel. Half the bulbs lengthwise and slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Rub the fennel with just enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (or skip if you don’t mind scrubbing pans). Lay out the fennel, and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the fennel is tender and cooked through and beginning to caramelize.

 

Broccoli with Green Herb Sauce: Break 1 large head of broccoli into florets, peel the stalk and chop into chunks. Steam in a steamer basket over simmering water, covered, until tender to the core when pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Put in a serving dish. Meanwhile mix ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, 1 tsp each fresh thyme and oregano leaves, zest of 1 large lemon, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp brined capers, rinsed and chopped, 2 tbsp finely diced shallot, 1 small garlic clove minced, ½ cup olive oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about half the green herb sauce over the broccoli and turn gently to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature, with extra sauce on the side.

 

Swiss chard and white bean soup: heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium pot over high heat. Add 2 chopped garlic scapes, ½ bunch of scallions, chopped, and 1 medium carrot, chopped. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped, 1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed, and 1 qt vegetable broth. Cover and cook until very hot. Serve with cheese.

 

Nori Radish Toasts: Slice a 12 in. section of baguette in half length-wise, cut into 2-in. pieces, and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden brown on edges. Using scissors, snip 1 large sheet toasted nori into bits, then pulverize in a spice grinder. Mix nori powder with about 5 tbsp butter; smear thickly onto toasts. Top with thinly sliced radishes and radish greens.(from the November 2011 issue of Sunset Magazine).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #1

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Wobbly Cart Farm CSA Box #1

June 17^th 2014

 

In this week’s box:

 

Large shares: beets, carrots, kohlrabi, 1 lb broccoli, scallions, radishes, Italian parsley, Galisse lettuce, butter head lettuce, garlic scapes, ½ lb sugar snap peas.

 

Small shares: beets, carrots, Galisse lettuce, fresh dill, radishes, kohlrabi, and garlic scapes.

 

Dear CSA members,

 

Hello and welcome to the first box of the summer 2014 CSA share! We are so excited to begin our CSA season and share the bounty of the fields with you, our lovely members. I want to thank you all for joining us this year and hope you truly enjoy a summer of eating fresh, local, organic produce. I myself have noticed an increase in my own energy and health since we’ve been able to eat fresh from the farm again. Hope you do too!

Our spring and early farm season have been going pretty well. I wouldn’t say it’s been as smooth sailing as it was last year, but things are coming along. One of our biggest disappointments is that all the strawberries in our valley came on extra early this year, before we have enough produce to start CSA.  So unfortunately, we wont have any available this year. I know we will more than make up for their absence with tons of gorgeous spring vegetables, however.

It is amazing, this monumental task of tending a diverse organic vegetable farm. Every year is different with its challenges and successes, but in the end, after much hard work, we always come out with an amazing abundance of delicious food. We couldn’t do it without the support we receive from our CSA members!

In this box are a few vegetables that warrant and explanation for those of your who haven’t been in a CSA before. The long pointy curly green things are called garlic scapes. They are the flowering part of the garlic plant that emerges this time of year. They can be broken off the plant without any harm and make a delicious substitute for bulb garlic. They are a bit milder, but for some that may be a welcome trait. Another strange but wonderful vegetable in your box is the purple or green bulb with leaves growing from it. This is a kohlrabi. All you have to do is peel and slice. The inside of the bulb is sweet and tender, a bit like turnip, but yummier fresh. My kids are known to fight over these when they see me peeling one! Kohlrabi is excellent eaten raw for snacks or salads. The small shares received fresh dill, which is the frondy bunch of herb. Fresh dill is a wonderful seasoning for fish, to make dressing and sauces or to add to salads. Large shares received sugar snap peas which are delicious eaten whole and fresh after the stem end has been snapped off. Everything else should be pretty familiar. We made note this morning how amazingly tender the baby carrots are this week, as well as the vibrancy of the radishes and lettuce. We hope you enjoy them!

 

Have a great week and thank you!

 

Asha, Joe and the crew at Wobbly Cart

Any questions? Call Asha 360 273 8008

Or email info@wobblycart.com

 

 

Garlic-braised broccoli: Bring 4 qts of water to the boil in a stockpot, and add 11/2 tsp of salt. Cut 1 lb of broccoli into 1-inch pieces (stems peeled if desired). Add to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, then drain and cool slightly. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the broccoli. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add: 1 thinly sliced garlic scape, and 1 small red chile pepper if desired. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard the chile. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. (Serves 4). (Adapted from the Joy of Cooking.)

Roasted Garlic Scapes: Preheat oven to 350. Rinse scapes and pat dry. Cut into smaller pieces of desired size, or leave whole, and place in a 9×13 roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with good sea salt. Optional: add cracked pepper or other hearbs/spices. Roast for 24-35 minutes, until softened, browned and just slightly crispy to your liking. Remove from oven and enoy hot or chilled.

Kohlrabi Coleslaw: peel and shred 2 kohlrabi and 2 carrots, combine with 2 tbsp chopped scallions in a bowl. Combine 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp celery seeds, and 1/8 tsp black pepper, blend well. Pour over the shredded vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Sauteed Snap Peas with Scallions and Radishes: Trim ¾ lb Snap Peas. Slice 8 scallions (white and pale green parts only) into 2- inch lengths. Trim and quarter 8 radishes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the snap peas; cook stirring frequently, until just beginning to soften (do not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the scallions and radishes; season with coarse sea salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until scallions soften and snap peas are crisp-tender. 1 to 2 minutes more. (From Everyday Food, June 2004)

Roasted Beet Crostini: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim greens from 1 bunch beets, reserving stems and greens. Place beets in a baking pan, cover with foil, and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on size of beets, uncover and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350. While beets cool, arrange 16 ½ inch slices of baguette in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake, turning slices over once halfway through, until toasted but not browned, about 14 minutes. Thinly slice beet green stems and finely chop leaves; keep stems and leaves separate. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add greens, 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp water and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender and liquid had evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ tsp salt and remove from heat. Peel cooled beets and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place ¾ cup beet pieces, 4 oz creamy goat cheese and ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth (reserve remaining beets for another use). To assemble crostini, spread about 2 tsp beet-cheese spread on each slice of toasted baguette and top with sautéed greens. (lifescript.com)

 Lemon-Dill Shrimp and Pasta: Rinse 12oz frozen shrimp; pat dry with paper towel. Finely shred 1 tsp peel from a whole lemon; set aside. Juice the lemon; set aside the juice. Cook 8 oz dried fettuccine according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a 12 in skillet heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook 4 tsp finely chopped garlic scape in hot oil for 1 minute. Add shrimp; cook for 3 to 4 minutes; turning frequently until shrimp are opaque. Add 6 cups baby spinach (substitute chard or beet tops?) and drained pasta; toss until the greens begin to wilt. Stir in ½ tsp Italian seasoning (fresh rosemary?), lemon peel, and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and top with plenty of fresh dill. Makes 4 servings. (from the April 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens)

 

 

 

 

 

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #2

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6-25-13
Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box # 2

Large Shares: strawberries, 1 bunch carrots, 1 bunch radishes, scallions, garlic scapes, broccoli, green leaf lettuce, ½ lb sugar snap peas, 1 lb shell peas, 1 bunch Italian parsley

Small shares: strawberries, 1 bunch radishes, 1 bunch carrots, 1 bunch Italian parsley, scallions, ½ lb snow peas, 1 summer squash

Dear CSA members,

As I sit down each week to reflect, and write a bit, there is always a flood of thoughts to sort through and decide; what is most interesting, most pertinent, what do I need to explain about the produce…. This week the first thought is “thank everyone for the nice comments!”. And so I will. Thank you all who wrote and called in after last weeks’ delivery to let us know how much you enjoyed the boxes. The first CSA box is always a little stressful around the farm. We are working hard to make sure everything is properly organized, that we have enough produce to make the boxes, and also making sure that the quality is up to where we want it to be. So at the end of the day, it is so nice to hear the positive feedback! Thanks!
The weather this week has been challenging. We had one sunny warm day, but the rest has been cloudy, warm and moist! Unfortunately, the trend looks like it will continue for a while yet. In the high tunnels and greenhouses, as well as for the tomatoes, onions and garlic in the fields this can mean the onset of fungal diseases and other problems. Nothing dire by any means, but we definitely want to be ahead of the curve if necessary! It can be frustrating to work so hard to produce a quality crop, only to have it succumb to pests or disease due to factors beyond anyone’s control. One of the many difficulties of farming organically in the Maritime Northwest! Hopefully the sun will return to us soon.
In this week’s box we have all three types of peas that we grow at Wobbly Cart. Large shares will get 1 lb of shell peas, and ½ lb of sugar snap peas. For those who don’t know the shell peas are the large, long, thick pods. You break these open to reveal the tiny little peas inside. Shell them out with your thumb into a bowl. 1 lb will get you about 1 cup of fresh peas. They are excellent just lightly steamed with a sea salt and butter. Overcooking may turn them to mush! The sugar snap peas are small and plump. You can eat these whole, out of hand, once the strings are removed, and they are excellent that way. Sugar snap peas are a favorite snack in my family. The small shares will receive ½ lb of snow peas. These are the large flat pods. Snow peas are excellent for stir- fries and salads. Everyone will receive a bunch of fresh carrots this week. I recommend breaking off the long tops before you store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. They will keep better this way. This is also true of the radishes. Italian parsley is best stored by freshly cutting the stem ends (just like a bouquet of flowers). Then stick the ends in a jar of water (like a vase). Make a tent over the top with a plastic bag and set it in you refrigerator. Most herbs will keep all week like this. Hope you’re not tired of strawberries yet, because they’re still coming. Check the recipe page for some yummy looking ideas!

Until next week,
Asha, Joe and the Crew at Wobbly Cart

Strawberry-Buttermilk Ice Pops: in a large bowl smash 1 cup fresh strawberries with the back of a fork. Add ¾ cup sour cream, ¼ cup buttermilk, 3 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds and freeze for 3o minutes. Insert a wooden stick into each pop; then freeze for at least 2 more hours.

Balsamic-Roasted Strawberries with Chevre Ice Cream: remove 1 gallon vanilla ice cream from freezer and let soften at room temp for 10 minutes. Transfer to a 1 ½ gallon plastic container. Stir in 6 oz fromage blanc (at room temperature) until well combined. Add 11 oz crumbled chevre, stirring gently so that the crumbles remain somewhat intact. Refreeze ice cream for at least one hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 2 pints hulled and quartered strawberries into a parchment lined baking pan, sprinkle with 3 tbsp raw sugar and drizzle with 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Roast until caramelized and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve over the ice cream. (from July 2013 issue Country Living magazine).

Herb butter: in a food processor, whirl ¼ cup butter, 2 tbsp chopped chives (garlic scapes?), a pinch of kosher salt, and 1 tbsp each of chopped fresh dill and Italian parsley. Use to spread on sweet corn or toss with freshly steamed peas.

Seared Sugar Snap Peas: heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan for about 1 to 2 minutes over med-high heat. Add 1 lb sugar snap peas (strings removed). Toss to coat, and add sea salt to taste. Allow to cook, undisturbed for 1 minute. Add 3 to 4 sliced scallions and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar. Toss to coat and let cook for 1 minute. Toss again, and let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the zest of 1 lemon and 3 tbsp chopped mint. Then add black pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve at once. (from simplyrecipes.com)

French Breakfast Radishes and Avocado on Toast: Toast bread, top with thinly sliced fresh avocado, and thin, lengthwise slices of French Breakfast Radishes. Top with freshly ground Himalayan Pink Sea Salt. Makes a great appetizer.

Orzo with Zucchini, Dill and Feta: preheat grill or grill pan to medium and oil liberally. Season 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise with ½ tsp salt. Grill until tender with golden brown marks, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer zucchini to a cutting board and slice into ½ inch pieces. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 large shallot, thinly sliced. Cover and keep warm and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 lb orzo according to package directions. Drain and add to reserved zucchini. Add 3 tbsp olive oil, zest and juice of 2 lemons, and 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill. Top with 1/3 lb feta cheese and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper. (From May 2012 issue of Country Living magazine).

Peas with Prosciutto and Onions: heat in a large skillet over medium heat: 3 tbsp olive oil, add and brown slightly 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced. Add, 3 tbsp water, cover and cook over low heat until the onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in: 2 cups fresh shell peas, shelled, 4 oz prosciutto or ham, finely diced, 1 to 2 tsp water. Cover and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

Sauteed Snap Peas with Scallions and Radishes: Trim ¾ lb Snap Peas. Slice 8 scallions (white and pale green parts only) into 2- inch lengths. Trim and quarter 8 radishes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the snap peas; cook stirring frequently, until just beginning to soften (do not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the scallions and radishes; season with coarse sea salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until scallions soften and snap peas are crisp-tender. 1 to 2 minutes more. (From Everyday Food, June 2004)

Wobbly Cart Farm 2013 CSA Box #1

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Wobbly Cart Farm CSA box #1

6-18-13

Large Shares: 2 pints strawberries, radishes, garlic scapes, 1 lb broccoli, butterhead lettuce, 2 kohlrabi, 1 bunch scallions, snow peas, 1 bunch spinach, 1 medium summer squash, bulb fennel

Small Shares: 1 pint strawberries, radishes, garlic scapes, 1 lb broccoli, butterhead lettuce, kohlrabi, spinach, bulb fennel

Dear CSA Members,

It has been a great day of harvesting for the first CSA box of the season! Thanks to our fantastic crew and a “relatively” excellent spring we have nice first box in store for you. Tons of strawberries, summer squash for the large shares (thanks to our high tunnel) as well as 1 lb of tender broccoli for both share sizes. Considering planting started in February, it is so nice to see all the planning come together to bring you and your families fresh, local and organic produce. With our new fields and high tunnels I think this is going to be an extra abundant year for Wobbly Cart. I have fantastic looking tomatoes, eggplant and peppers in our largest high tunnel that should bring us an early crop to enjoy! Next week, I’m sure we’ll have more strawberries as well as bunched carrots and more peas. We grow three types; shell, snow and sugar snap and we’ll be sure you get your share of all three types. Hope you enjoy the bounty!
For each letter, I like to go through and explain any unusual produce to help you use it better. I also will have a full page of recipes to try. Some things probably look really familiar to you, while others may be a bit mystifying if you haven’t had a CSA share before. The long pointy curly green things are called garlic scapes. They are the flowering part of the garlic plant that emerges this time of year. They can be broken off the plant without any harm and make a delicious substitute for bulb garlic. They are a bit milder, but for some that may be a welcome trait. Another strange but wonderful vegetable in your box is the purple or green bulb with leaves growing from it. This is a kohlrabi. All you have to do is peel and slice. The inside of the bulb is sweet and tender, a bit like turnip, but yummier fresh. My kids are known to fight over these when they see me peeling one. I have ideas for cooking them on the recipe page, but they are also delicious raw, and grated into coleslaw-like creations. Bulb fennel is a herb/vegetable most commonly known in Italian cuisine. It has a distinct anise- like flavor that mellows with cooking. The white bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. The frondy parts are used for garnishes and to add flavor to salads and sauces. Everything else seems (hopefully) pretty self- explanatory and delicious this week! Everything in your box will store well wrapped in plastic and in the crisper of your refrigerator. Strawberries should not be wrapped, and should only be washed right before use to prevent mold. Though I doubt there will be any problems with using them up a.s.a.p!!!

One last note, please bring your plastic box back each week! We have to have them returned to keep our CSA running and we would really like to reduce our waste by having these reusable boxes. Thank you!!! And thank you again for supporting a small, local and organic farm.

Have a great week,

Asha, Joe and the Crew at Wobbly Cart

info@wobblycart.com
360 273 8008
http://www.wobblycart.com

Grilled turkey and zucchini burgers: heat grill to medium (350-450) mix 1 lb ground turkey, 1 medium zucchini, shredded, 5 large cremini mushrooms, chopped, 1 tsp each salt and pepper, 1 tbsp each ketchup and Dijon mustard, and 1 tbsp water in a medium bowl. Form into 6 patties. Brush patties and rings from one medium onion with 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Grill both, turning once, until burgers are cooked through, about 8 minutes, and onion rings are starting to brown, about 3 minutes. In the last few minutes toast 6 sourdough English muffins, split, on the grill. Addemble burgers on muffins with lettuce, onion, and any additional toppings you like. (from the September 2012 issue of Sunset Magazine).

Baby lettuces with goat-cheese dressing, pistachios, and pink peppercorns: for the dressing: in a food processor puree 4 oz goat cheese, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tsp salt until smooth. Refrigerate dressing until ready to use. Divide up 4 cups of lettuce leaves amongst 4 salad plates. Dirizzle each serving with ¼ of the dressing and sprinkle with roasted ans salted pistachios, fresh tarragon leaves, and coarsely crushed pink peppercorns. Serves 4. (from May 2013 issue of Country Living Magazine)
Spinach salad with bacon, blue cheese, and bourbon vinaigrette: in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring bourbon to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced to about 2 tbsp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a ramekin and refrigerate until well chilled. In a small bowl, whisk together ¾ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and reserved bourbon. Set aside. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, cook 9 slices bacon , cut into small pieces, until crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine 8 oz fresh spinach, ½ cup pecans, 1 green apple, cored and cut into matchsticks, several thinly sliced radishes, 4 oz mild blue cheese, and reserved bacon. Toss gently with reserved vinaigrette. (from May 2013 issue of Country Living Magazine)

Garlic-braised broccoli: Bring 4 qts of water to the boil in a stockpot, and add 11/2 tsp of salt. Cut 1 lb of broccoli into 1-inch pieces (stems peeled if desired). Add to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, then drain and cool slightly. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the broccoli. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add: 1 thinly sliced garlic scape, and 1 small red chile pepper if desired. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard the chile. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. (Serves 4). (Adapted from the Joy of Cooking.)

Brown Sugar Strawberry Tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor whirl 1 cup flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1/8 tsp salt. Add ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and ½ tsp vanilla and pulse until fine crumbs form and dough just begins to come together. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 -inch round tart pan with a removable rim. Bake until the edges are golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on a rack, then gently push tart crust from pan rim; set on a plate. In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat ½ cup crème fraiche, ½ cup whipped cream, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp vanilla until thick. Spread in the cooled crust. Arrange 12oz of hulled and sliced fresh strawberries in circles on top. Chill loosely covered, up to 4 hours and serve. (From the April 2010 issue of Sunset Magazine.)

Roasted Fennel: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the stalks off of 2 bulbs of fennel. Half the bulbs lengthwise and slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Rub the fennel with just enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (or skip if you don’t mind scrubbing pans). Lay out the fennel, and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the fennel is tender and cooked through and beginning to caramelize.

Kohlrabi Coleslaw: peel and shred 2 kohlrabi and 2 carrots, combine with 2 tbsp chopped scallions in a bowl. Combine 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp celery seeds, and 1/8 tsp black pepper, blend well. Pour over the shredded vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Simple Stir Fried Snow Peas: rinse and trim ends from 8 to 10 oz of snow peas. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, over medium high heat. When oil is hot add several tbsp chopped garlic scapes or to taste. Stir-fry briefly, then add snow peas and ¼ tsp salt. Stir-fry briefly then add 1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste. Stir-fry for another minute and then serve over rice. (total stir frying time is 2 minutes).

Sauteed Garlic Scapes: heat 2 tbsp olive oil and a large heavy sautee pan, and add 2 tbsp dark brown sugar. Stir to caramelize the sugar for about 2 to 3 minutes and then add 8 oz of garlic scapes with tips and tails trimmed. Cover and sautee over med-high heat for no more than 3 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan to prevent scorching. After 3 min, add 1½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes, and ¾ cup dry white wine. Stir, cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the scapes are tender, but not soft. Season with 1 tsp salt or to taste, then add 1 tbsp chopped parsely, and ½ cup grilled Haloumi cheese (or other salty cheese). Serve at room temperature. Also, greatly improves if served the next day. (recipe from Mother Earth News)

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar: 30 minutes to an hour before serving; thickly slice 2 pints of fresh strawberries, add 2 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature. When ready to serve place a serving of strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Top with freshly grated lemon zest. Serves 4.

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA Box #1 Sign up now shares are still available in Portland, Olympia, Centralia and Chehalis

Wobbly Cart Farm's CSA Box #1

CSA Box #1 6-21-11

Hello all new and returning members,

In this week’s box:

New Red Fire lettuce Garlic Scapes 3/4lb Dry Beans
Green leaf lettuce Purple kohlrabi Dill
Ruby Red Chard Scallions
Radishes Broccoli

We are so happy to have you join us for the 2011 Wobbly Cart Summer CSA. It’s been an exciting year so far and we are looking forward to another great season growing local organic produce for you. There has been so much going on that it’s going to be hard to fit on one page! To start off we’ve been busy selecting many new and delicious fruit and vegetable varieties for you. Tristar strawberries, Savoy Cabbage, Rainbow Lacinato Kale, Azur Star Kohlrabi, Chehalis Gold Cherry tomatoes, Skyphos butter-head lettuce just to name a few. We’ve been busy building our 2 new hoop houses (big greenhouses we can grow crops in the ground in) and planting them with summer squash, carrots, peppers and eggplants, and Heirloom tomatoes. These should really allow us to extend our season in this cold and damp climate. I’ve also been working to propagate rhubarb, artichokes, and rosemary to add to our perennial crops. Mar and Liza will be offering their pasture-raised poultry again this year and the first harvest date is coming right up. Contact us for more info. If you’d like to order some.
Just when you were thinking whew! How do they do all this? Joe managed to purchase 10 acres of beautiful ground just a couple of miles up the road from the farm. All this happened within the last two weeks but Joe has already started breaking ground for our expansion! It’s going to be awesome. I’ll try to get some pictures for the blog up soon.
As for the veggies in your box, a few explanations are in order. Some things probably look really familiar to you, while others may be a bit mystifying. The long pointy curly green things are called garlic scapes. They are the flowering part of the garlic plant that emerges this time of year. They can be broken off the plant without any harm and make a delicious substitute for bulb garlic. They are a bit milder, but for some that may be a welcome trait. See the recipe for more ideas. Another strange but wonderful vegetable in your box is the purple bulb with leaves growing from it. This is a Kohlrabi. All you have to do is peel and slice. The inside of the bulb is sweet and tender, a bit like turnip, but yummier fresh. My kids are known to fight over these when they see me peeling one. I have ideas for cooking them on the recipe page, but they are also delicious raw, and grated into coleslaw like creations. The pretty frondy stuff is fresh dill. It is very sweet and delicious this time of year. I add it to salads, or tuna salad. Again, see the recipe page. The last thing I would like to explain are the dry beans. They were grown by us last season and cleaned and stored for the winter. There is an interesting selection of colorful varieties that you will find to cook up quite quickly compared to store-bought fare. We hope you enjoy them soon, but if not they will store quite well in a normal pantry-type situation.
Almost all rest of the veggies will store well in the crisper drawer of the fridge loosely wrapped in plastic bag. Enjoy eating all this fresh local goodness, there will be more to come next week. Just a heads up, you can look forward to fresh peas, carrots and strawberries! I can’t wait.
Again, I want to thank you for joining our CSA this year. We really appreciate your support and having you join helps us surmount startup costs in the spring so we can get busy with what we do best. Planting and growing delicious, local, and organic vegetables for you. Please check out our blog http://www.wobblycartfarm.wordpress.com for pics of the box and newsletters.

Thank you,

Asha, Joseph and the Crew
(360) 273-7597
http://www.wobblycart.com
info@wobblycart.com
Wobbly Cart Recipe Page #1 6-21-11

Garlic Scape and Swiss Chard Pesto:
1/2 cup finely chopped garlic scapes
1 cup chopped swiss chard leaves
1/4 cup dry roasted almonds
1/2 cup freshly grated romano cheese
kosher salt, to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Add the scapes, swiss chard, almonds, cheese and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Process to desired consistency. While running, drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream down the shoot and into the food processor. Spoon pesto onto hot, cooked pasta and stir until combined. Alternatively, this can be used as a spread on bread (for sandwiches, with fresh mozzarella or just eating).

Grilled beef and spring onion salad: For the dressing: Whisk together 2 Tbsp minced garlic scapes, 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ea pepper and sugar, and ¾ cup x-tra virgin olive oil in a large bowl and pour half into a small bowl. Add 11/2 lbs beef tri-tip or round sliced against the grain into ¼ inch slices, and 1 bunch of scallions (roots and top half of the greens removed). Stir to coat and let marinade for 3 hours.
Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium (350 degrees). Oil cooking grate and grill the onions until softened and lightly charred, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase the heat to 500 degrees and grill the beef in 3 batches, letting the heat come back up to 500 before starting a new batch. Cook, turning once, about 3 minutes per batch, or until browned and cooked through.
For the salad: Toss 3qts loosely packed mixed greens (chopped lettuce, young radish greens, or chopped chard) and 1 large bunch of red or pink radishes cut into thick wedges, in a large serving bowl with half of the reserved dressing. Divide greens among 6 large plates and top with grilled beef, onions and some sunflower sprouts. (Adapted from a recipe in the April 2011 issue of Sunset magazine).

Garlic-braised broccoli: Bring 4 qts of water to the boil in a stockpot, and add 11/2 tsp of salt. Cut 1 lb of broccoli into 1-inch pieces (stems peeled if desired). Add to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, then drain and cool slightly. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the broccoli. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add: 1 thinly sliced garlic scape, and 1 small red chile pepper if desired. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard the chile. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. (Serves 4). (Adapted from the Joy of Cooking.)

Classic Mexican “Pot” Beans (Frijoles de la Olla): Cooking the beans: rinse about 1 lb of dry beans thoroughly. Measure 3 Tbsp cooking oil or lard or bacon drippings into a large 5 to 6 quart pot, and set over medium heat. Add 1 medium diced onion and cook, stirring regularly, until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Scoop in the beans, measure 2 quarts of water, and remove any beans that float. Add 1 large sprig of epazote (an aromatic herb you may be able to find at farmers markets or Mexican stores), bring to a boil , then reduce heat and simmer partially covered, until the beans are thoroughly tender, about 2 hours or less since these beans are so fresh. Gently stir the beans and add water as needed to keep the level about ½ in above the cooking beans. Finishing the beans: Season with salt, simmer about another 10 to 15 minutes to the beans to absorb the seasoning, then remove from heat, and they are ready to serve. To serve a bowl of beans there should be just enough creamy broth to cover the beans. You can also add fresh jalapeno, Serrano or poblano peppers or chorizo sausage, ham, bacon or smoked hocks. Serve with a smoky Chipotle salsa.

Roasted Kohlrabi: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Peel 4 kohlrabi, and slice into ¼ inch thick rounds then cut the slices in half. Combine 1Tbsp olive oil, 1 minced clove of garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste, in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi slices in the olive oil mixture to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally for even browning. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 5 min. or until the cheese is browned. Serve immediately. (from http://www.allrecipes.com)

Tuna Salad with fresh dill: In a small bowl mash 1 can of tuna with ¼ cup chopped celery, ¼ cup chopped fresh dill, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh scallion, 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tbsp yogurt, and ½ tsp Dijon mustard. Serve on your favorite bread or green salad.

Steamed Radishes: Cut the tops from about 20 radishes, trim the ends and peel a small band of skin from the middle of the radish. Steam until fork tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with ¼ cup butter and sea salt to taste. Serve immediately.