Meet Your Food

Head Lettuce: This week’s lettuce is absolutely perfect for all those summer sandwiches. “Slobolt” is crunchy, substantive, and prettily ‘ruffled’ to boot. While harvesting, I had visions of this lettuce with cucumber and hummus on french bread. Alternatively, if you have any tomatoes left from last week, a BLT would be a great choice.

The Odd Trio: Take your pick of fava beans, cabbage or cucumbers. I know, kind of a doozy of a choice. If you’ve never cooked with fava beans, here’s the skinny:

Fava beans need to be shelled out of their pod, (just like shelling peas). I then cook the beans in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes, until they turn bright green. You favas are very, very fresh, so don’t overcook them. Drain the hot water and rinse them under cold water in a colander. Then ‘shell’ them again. Once cooked, they should almost pop out; you can peel back the outer skin layer. Add a little salt, and eat away. Keep them in the fridge in an air-tight container and use in salads, pasta or just as a simple snack.

Root Eater’s Choice: More root goodness. Your share includes one of the following: beets, carrots or radishes.

Salad Mix: A bright mix of greens for summer salads galore. Now is the season for berry vinaigrettes. I make mine with mashed raspberries, ground pepper, a touch of honey and enough grape-seed oil to make the dressing liquid enough to drizzle over salad. Whisk all the ingredients together, then adjust to taste. Grape-seed oil is my oil of choice for all salad dressings. It’s not as heavy as olive oil, and doesn’t mask the flavor of whatever vinegar, seasoning or sweetener you are using with it. If I had to have just a few ingredients for salad dressings, grape-seed oil would be at the top of my list.

Scallions: Some people love scallions fresh on veggie trays with carrots and/or radishes. If they are too strong raw for your taste, dice them into a salad dressing with grape-seed oil, seasoned rice vinegar and black pepper. You could also cut the ends off and add them to the grill or roasting pan that you have just finished roasting beets in. Cook/grill/roast about 5 minutes, or just until tender and the edges are a little crispy.

Farmer Jones Notes

Summer veggies are slowing creeping into our shares… tomatoes last week, cucumbers and carrots this week, who knows what is right around the corner… yeay for warm days!

The garlic crop is drying nicely and onion harvest is coming soon. We worked in the vineyard this week, training, hedging and mowing in and around the table grapes. Of course there was more weeding, fall seeding, irrigation rounds, and lots of anticipation of classic summer meals. We are still a ways away from green beans and corn, but hope springs eternal!

Happily,

April

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Meet Your Food

Head Lettuce: This week’s lettuce is a romaine variety named “Outredgeous” for its deep burgundy leaves and crunchy sweet taste.
Parsley: Here’s a unique parsley recipe that can be modified with the addition of lettuce or other greens. I know it seems odd to make parsley the center of a salad, but it just works.

Alton Brown’s Parsley Salad
Ingredients
• 0.25 lbs Italian parsley (your share this week is about 0.3 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons walnut oil
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions
Wash and dry the parsley. Pick the leaves, and set aside. Discard the stems.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, walnut oil, sesame oil, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the parsley and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving so that flavors meld.

Root Eater’s Choice: This week you have options! Your share includes one of the following: beets, baby carrots, radishes or the last of my spring turnips that have beautiful green tops.

Tomatoes: The first of the season! I hope you know how happy I am to be bringing you this classic summer staple. The stormy, rainy, cool, spring had me holding my breath more than once. What would summer be without tomatoes? As if just having tomatoes to bring you wasn’t enough of a blessing, they happen to be beautiful and tasty too. Oh rapturous Joy!

Scallions: These mild baby onions have edible tops and bottoms. If you have a little cilantro left from last week’s share, dice it up, along with some scallions, a fresh tomato, garlic and a little salt for a great salsa. A chopped/mashed avocado is a fantastic addition.

Crushing Garlic: Crushing garlic is a general term used for the smaller heads of garlic that are better suited for crushing whole, since they are too small to peel. If you take the flat edge of a heavy knife you can “crush” the clove and slip the skins off. Try putting a small clove or two into fresh salsa or roasting whole heads with beets, parsley and olive oil. If you don’t want to worry about the skins you can also crush the cloves whole and use them as a rub or marinade.

Farmer Jones Notes

Yes, strange, strange weather as of late. I am still making my morning chore rounds wearing long sleeves and pants, and sometimes even a hat. These are fall mornings with summer afternoons. I guess you could say it’s like two days for the price of one? Of course by the time you read this it might be 90 degrees, so you’ll have to reminisce as you sip your ice tea in front of a fan.

We spent all of Tuesday morning (the early morning part in misty rain!) extricating the surviving sweet potatoes plants from some quack grass and dock that was a little to cozy for my comfort. There was quiet a few empty spots down the bed due to our rainy, rainy spring, so we infilled with a few extra eggplant plants that had been biding their time in the greenhouse. Now the sweet potato rows are a quirky mix of bedfellows, since there are volunteer calendula and sunflowers, along with four different varieties of eggplant and two types of sweet potatoes all congregating on a 4 ft wide by 160 ft long patch of soil. A little whimsical, but nonetheless practical given the situation. Mother Nature never leaves a void, so why should I?

Speaking of practical matters, here we are at week number 8. How are things in your kitchen and at your dinner table? I love feedback, especially real time, so please, don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts. So far, is the CSA program what you expected? Too much? Too scant? Packaging requests? Newsletter comments? Logistical quandaries? I want to hear it all. Feel free to drop me a note or catch my ear at pickup. Like my farm, every year I aim to grow and change, in positive ways that help you, dear friends, more thoroughly enjoy the harvest.

Always a student,

April

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Meet Your Food

Salad Mix: This is a mix of beautiful lettuces from Wild Garden Seed. Their seed catalog states: “This is all of it, every lettuce in our entire genetic collection, including unreleased materials and things in process.” I hope you find it as delicious as it is beautifully diverse.

Root Medley Bunch: Great roots, including two types of turnips and the first beets of the season. My favorite way to cook them? Roasted in the oven with olive oil and salt until fork tender. Then layer them on top a bed of the beet and turnip greens that have been wilted and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Frisee Braising Mix: Frisee is a strong slightly bitter green that adds “loft” to salads but I find is best suited to warm pasta dishes or cooked and chilled salads. Here’s a few recipes:

Tuna with Pasta and Frisee
I frequently make a variation of this dish without meat, so feel free to adapt this to your liking. Capers are a nice addition, as are toasted nuts. Adapted from FoodandWine.com

INGREDIENTS
. 1/2 pound pasta such as fusilli, quadrefiore or radiatore (April’s note: just use what is in my cupboard– usually spaghetti!)
. 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
. 8 large, fresh water chestnuts, peeled, or 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
. 4 large scallions, thinly sliced
. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
. 3 garlic cloves, minced
. Salt and freshly ground pepper
. 6 cups (packed) chopped frisée (10 ounces)
. 1 jar (8 to 10 ounces) imported tuna packed in olive oil, drained and broken into large chunks with a fork

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and toss with 1 tablespoon of the extra-virgin olive oil.

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the water chestnuts for 1 minute. Drain and slice 1/4 inch thick.

In a large bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil with the scallions, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta, frisée, tuna and the water chestnuts or apple; toss well and serve.

Quick Braising Mix Pasta Dinner
5 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
braising mix
red wine vinegar 
cooked pasta

Sauté five cloves of garlic in olive oil until they soften; turn the heat to high and toss in the braising mix until it wilts. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar and stir until it disappears. Serve over pasta.
To vary, add a handful of pine nuts and raisins or 2 tsp. honey 1 T Dijon mustard and some chopped walnuts or pecans.

Cilantro: Yes! Finally a hint of summer. Cilantro is a classic ingredient in salsa (try chopping it and mixing in with any jar salsa). It is wonderful with black bean burritos, chilled tomato soup or most any dip or sandwich spread.

Scallions: Mmm. Baby onions. Everything noted above for cilantro applies here too. You can’t miss with fresh cilantro and scallions!

Red Baby Cabbage: It’s slaw season, but I also recommend this easy side dish: scallions, cilantro, and roasted roots veggies on a bed of shredded cabbage. You can roast your root veggies ahead of time, they store great in the fridge for a week. Also, add some crunchy nuts. Half share members, check out last week’s recipe for peanut butter-asian slaw, it’s one of my absolute favorites.

Farmer Jones Notes

Another year of hay is in the barn, whew. We’re trellising up tomatoes, green bean and cucumber plants this week. Irrigation rounds are the norm now, as are afternoon piggy waterings. They sure love cold water on a hot day. Summer really is coming. I hope your weekly shares will soon reflect the recent weather.

Meanwhile, Sunshine, we love you!

Radiantly,
April

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Click here and here to read this week’s newsletter.

It’s a ROOT-FEST of a Basket: Maybe root-a-polooza is a bit catchier?  In any case, I hope you enjoy the carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips in this week’s share.

Season Update: Thanks to last week’s heat wave, you’re now enjoying the first tomatoes of the season!  The other classic summer crops: beans, corn, and squash are up and growing nicely.  Meanwhile, we are hard at work keeping the weeds at bay and getting fall crops, including cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets and carrots planted.  Last Friday (remember how hot it was?) we brought the hay into the barn, about 5-1/2 tons.  It sure is nice to have a barn that smells like fresh dried hay.  Thank goodness for long summer days and my really wonderful family who helped with all those bales.

For the Food Preservationists: I have larger quantities of garlic and spring beetsfor sale.  Now is the time to make pickled beets for winter eats!  If you are interested, please contact me within the next few weeks, and I can add your order right to your CSA bag.  Pricing is dependent on the quantities.

Here’s to wholesome food, grown and eaten with love.

-AJ

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Meet Your Food

Red Iceberg Lettuce: I like to think of Red Iceberg Lettuce as a cross between the sturdy romaine and the crunchy traditional iceberg varieties. It’s not as dense as classic iceberg, but it pairs well with any salad dressing and the big outer leaves make great wraps for tuna salad, humus, or beans and salsa.

Flat Italian Parsley: More delicious parsley. Did you know that parsley has a much higher food value than most herbs? So much so it is sometimes classified as a vegetable. Dice fine in salad dressings, or mix with olive oil and salt, toss in thick sliced turnips and cook on the grill. Not a fresh parsley fan? Dry it for winter soups and stews. Just hang upside down in your kitchen where there is good air flow (or outside, in the shade, not in direct sun) until crunchy. Then crumble it into a small air tight container.

Parsley Pesto
Inspired by The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, by Donna Klein (HP Books, 2001)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1/4 cup vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon plain unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
16 ounces spaghettini or other thin pasta

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process walnuts, oil, parsley, broth, garlic, bread crumbs, and salt until smooth.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid, then drain pasta in colander.
3. Place pasta in a large serving bowl and add the parsley-walnut pesto and reserved cooking liquid. Toss well to combine and serve at once.
Serves 6.

Edible Flowers: The flowers in your share this week are 100% edible. Calendula have a golden bright cheer and add beautiful color to any salad, pasta or potato dish. They have a very mild, almost lemony flavor. Use whole as a garnish or pull the petals and sprinkle liberally to make any dish smile. Arugula flowers are white and have a wonderful, slightly peppery flavor. Try adding them to salads, soups, or sandwiches.

Swiss Chard: More colorful swiss chard. Half share members see last week’s newsletter for a few cooking ideas.

Turnips OR Cabbage: The last of the spring turnips. Grate into salads, roast the baby ones with olive oil and salt or slice thin and layer on sandwiches.

Pac Choy: Here’s a simple asian slaw I love on hot summer days. Steam the pac choy for just a minute or two, then dunk in cold ice water to keep it a bit crispy. (If you don’ t mind the taste raw, just skip the cooking step and chop into a salad bowl.) Drain, chop into pieces and mix in a large bowl with shredded/thinly sliced cabbage and/or lettuce. Make a dressing by mixing 6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, 4 tablespoons peanut butter, diced garlic scapes (if you have any left) and a bit of minced parsley. Whisk all together and adjust to taste. Add a touch of honey if you want it sweeter, or a bit more vinegar for a sharper flavor. Toast a few tablespoons of sesame seeds in a frying pan on high (stir constantly to avoid burning). When the seeds start to pop and they smell wonderfully nutty, remove from heat and shake over top the greens. Pour on the dressing a bit at a time, tossing and tasting until the mix of salad to dressing suits your fancy. Sprinkle with calendula petals and eat up! If you have leftover dressing, place it in an airtight container. It will store nicely in the fridge for at least a week.

Farmer Jones Notes

We’ve had a few very, very early mornings at the farm this week to keep harvested produce (and the field crew) from a terminal wilt. It’s a joy to be outside at dawn, on the cusp of a radiant world breaking forth. We start at 5 a.m., work until 1 p.m., retreat to the shade and then tackle evening chores. Everything needs a little extra TLC in this weather, especially livestock and tender greens. I am especially thankful for my steady water supply and a great drip irrigation system.

Meanwhile, my neighbor has been hard at work in the front field, mowing, raking, and now baling hay as I write this. Tomorrow we’ll buck hay, in the heat of the day, stacking 50 lb. bales in the barn. I will be so glad to have a good winter store of livestock food and bedding. It’s like money in the bank to a Farmer!

Keep cool, and eat lots of salad.

Vibrantly,

April

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Meet Your Food

Tennis Ball Head Lettuce: Slow Food USA notes, “The Tennis Ball Lettuce is a black-seeded lettuce that was one of the most popular lettuces at the turn of the 20th century.  Tennis Ball lettuces grow in small tight rosettes, and have light green leaves that are silky with a slippery texture.  Traditionally, Tennis Ball Lettuces were pickled in salt brine and eaten as a side dish to many meals.” I decided to grow Tennis Ball lettuce when I read that Thomas Jefferson had planted it at his Monticello garden because it “does not require so much care and attention” as other varieties. I haven’t bothered to try it pickled, since it seems a shame not to just eat it fresh!

Turnips: My spring turnips are very mild in flavor, similar to kohlrabi, but not quite as crunchy. Turnips can be eaten raw like carrot sticks, grated into salads, roasted in olive oil in the oven. If you have parsley left over, chop it fine and mix in with mashed turnips and potatoes. The turnip greens are also edible, and can be sautéed with garlic scapes, mushrooms and a bit of balsamic vinegar for a nice side dish. Alternatively, if you make a stir fry, chop them in strips and add to the wok at the last minute, cooking just until they wilt.

Sugar Snap Peas OR Pea Shoots: Pea shoots taste just like spring peas. Traditionally they are used in stir fries, but they can also be chopped fresh into salads. Here are a few more ideas.

Broccoli OR Rapini: Half share members can read all about rapini in last week’s newsletter. Thanks to the cool spring weather, the broccoli is delicious. Unlike store-bought broccoli, (which has a tough stalk), there is no need to peel the skin off. Everything in the bag is tender and edible.

Salad Mix: The lettuce mix this week is delightfully diverse. My seed comes from Wild Garden Seed in Oregon. Those folks really know how to grow organic lettuce seed, and I am very proud to support their work on behalf of organic growers everywhere.

Baby Swiss Chard: First of the season! This brightly color vegetable is a versatile staple which can fill in for spinach in a pinch. I’ve made lasagna, fritattas, salads, and good old spaghetti with chard. The smaller the leaves the more mild the flavor, so these baby greens could be eaten in a tossed salad or added to scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Farmer Jones Notes

It has been a weeding marathon at the farm, as we uncover young seedlings from pigweed, dock, and an assortment of other ground cover that grows extra fast in the rains. I’m still talking sweetly to all those summer vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc.) that just ache for sunny skies. So far, they are holding their own, but only Mother Nature knows when we might taste a glimpse of summer in the weekly share box.

Personally, I’m in a reflective space, thinking about a good friend and mentor who recently passed away. His wife wrote, “the largest tree in my forest has fallen.” It seems unbelievable to me; a great dichotomy to have such a loss when we are on the cusp of summer shining life radiantly into my fields.

One of the most important lessons farming has taught me (so far), is how to graciously hold space for both the joyous details and heart aching sadness that can encompass a single day. So tonight, I’ll sit down to a meal of spaghetti and tennis ball lettuce with pea shoot salad. Respectful of the losses, and grateful for the bounty of my fields. Life and death are two sides of the same coin. Deep sorrow and fantastic elation often walk the same gravel driveway, hand in hand. It is our work to find peace in both.

Quietly,

April

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