A Bit about Bugs…plus CSA & Mkt 2016-05-28

This weekend’s Farm Share will most likely include:
Salad Mix, Hearty Greens Mix, Carrots, Scallions, Cucumbers, Radish, Cabbage
                (See recipe suggestions toward the end of this newsletter.)
This is for our Farm Share CSA members who pick up:
~ on Saturday @ the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s
~ on Monday @ Summer Lake

Each year we take some time to introduce our new CSA members and customers to information about bugs. Eating depends upon agriculture, and agriculture involves bugs. We have good bugs and not-so-good bugs. (We wrote about some aspects of our approach to undesirable bugs in this previous post.) The end of this story is that some bug of some kind is most likely going to make its way from our vegetable field into someone’s kitchen.

The middle of the story is this: We ask for your tolerance of the occasional bug and your appreciation for our interest in not killing any bugs but the most necessary. If we killed all the bugs, our farm would no longer be alive.

And we really like our farm alive.

We can’t go through every leaf individually to check for and remove bugs. Nor can we irradiate vegetables, which is a technique for post-harvest insect control on a large scale . (We are most definitely small scale.) Additionally, this wet spring has made for even more wet nooks and crannies for bugs to thrive. Ugh.

If you experience displeasure or become faint of heart due to a bug discovered in a vegetable from us, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to comfort you, provide a replacement vegetable for you if needed, and hopefully laugh with you about the element of surprise upon finding a critter on your cutting board.

We are confident that our vegetables are, along with having the occasional bug visitor, the most delicious and nutritious option for our community. We hope you agree with us in thinking that it’s worth it.
This week’s harvest includes:
Asian Greens (Bok Chou, Mizuna, & Tatsoi),  Cabbage, Rainbow Chard, Collards, Cucumbers, Hearty Greens Mix, Kale, Microgreens, Radishes, Salad Mix, Turnips….and our Organic, Naturally Leavened Bread (new varieties!).

Recipe Suggestions:
Cabbage – Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Cabbage Saute with Chicken, or for the adventurous, try a recipe for Easy Kimchi
Scallions/Spring Onions – Use these just as you would onions. Use the white and green parts. Saute them with oil or butter and salt and use that as a base for any recipe, or include in a saute/stir fry with other vegetables, or slice on top of salad.
Carrots – We likely need not provide suggestions. Enjoy these tasty beauties! Great raw or cooked, shredded or sliced.
Radish & Cucumber – We are loving a salad of thinly sliced radish and cucumber (as well as any other vegetables you have, including carrots and/or scallions) tossed with olive oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, dill, tarragon, oregano, and if desired, sesame oil. Add a touch of honey if you want a bit of sweet with it.
Hearty Greens Mix – We really love these Hearty Greens and keep eating them every day. In smoothies, with eggs, massaged with our staple Lemon Honey Garlic Vinaigrette, combined with our Salad Mix and topped with any amazing Olive Oil & Vinegar from the Olive Oil Taproom (if you haven’t been there, you really should go! Our favorites are Garlic infused Olive Oil, Blood-Orange infused Olive Oil, Cranberry Pear Vinegar, & Napolean Herbs Vinegar…but our list could go on and on. Their oils and vinegar are incredibly tasty, and have no sugars or artificial flavors. Two locations: Bellgrade and Short Pump.)

2016 Market Share CSA Members: Reserve your selection online to pick up Saturday, May 28th at our farm, at the Brandermill Green Market, or at the Farmers Market @ St. Stephens. (Everything remaining after pre-orders will be available for purchase at the Brandermill Green Market and  at the Farmers Market @ St. Stephens.)

Enjoy ~
Janet, Dan, & the whole Broadfork crew
Want to follow along during the week, including Farm Stand updates? Visit us on Facebook or Instagram.