This weekend’s Farm Share will most likely include:
Salad Mix, Hearty Greens Mix, Cabbage, Scallions, Cucumbers, Turnips, Radishes, and a Head of Lettuce.
(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
June is bringing an amazing abundance of delicious food, and we are grateful for the honeybees that have been busy pollinating so that the treasured summer “fruits” will grow. Fruits here are vegetables with seeds inside of them. Cucumbers, Squash, Tomatoes, Eggplants, Peppers, etc. (The photo above, however, shows cross-comb, which is not what we want the bees to be doing in the hives. We removed these frames and replaced them with new frames that will hopefully guide the bees into making comb that makes it easier for us to help them help us.)
Tomatoes in one of our tunnels, see below, are looking good, but leaf mold is threatening. We are ventilating and troubleshooting. And hoping.
Pardon the terrible photo below, but just look at these clusters of tomatoes!
June is a magical time on a farm like ours because the spring greens are still fabulous (and some are hot pink in color!
How great is it to get to eat food that is hot pink?!) and the summer vegetables are starting.
The squash flowers (pictured below) are like stars sprinkled in the field.
Our farmstand, accordingly, is wonderful. We are keeping it stocked as well as we can, so keep checking Facebook or Instagram for updates. We stock it the most on Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings, and there is BREAD available for sale in the stand on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
This week’s harvest includes:
Asian Greens (Bok Choy, Mizuna, & Tatsoi), Cabbage, Rainbow Chard, Collards, Cucumbers, Hearty Greens Mix, Kale, Kohlrabi, Head Lettuce, Microgreens, Radishes, Salad Mix, Scallions, Summer Squash, Turnips….and our Organic, Naturally Leavened Bread (new varieties!).
Recipe Suggestions:
Baby Bok Choy is likely unfamiliar for some of you. Use and enjoy the crunchy stems – they are part of what makes Bok Choy unique and delicious. It really shines as a stir-fry vegetable, such as in this Stir-Fried Sesame Baby Bok Choy recipe. Try also a simple Saute with Broth recipe, Braised Bok Choy (which is cooking it in a pot of broth, rather than with just a little liquid in a pan) , or see Martha Stewart’s tips for using Bok Choy.
Scallions continue to shine around here as a raw addition to salads, including asian slaw-inspired salads, massaged salads, or simple tossed salads. Even Janet, who does not at all like eating raw onions, enjoys scallions raw in salads…especially with some sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, salt, and ginger. Or, simply cook them as you would onions and include in any meal (fried rice, tacos, stir fry, casseroles, etc.)
Cucumbers: Shares include multiple cucumbers this week, as our plants produced bountifully, though the plants are showing signs of a problem so we don’t currently know whether we will have many cukes to harvest next week. We love them sliced on sandwiches with cream cheese, added to any salad, of course, or we get more creative and make a Quick Cucumber Kimchi, which is addictive and also uses Scallions. Our other favorite cucumber recipe is with radishes. Read on for details…
Radishes…this Cucumber Radish Salad is similar to what we make often. We also simply dice Cucumber and Radish and toss with Rice Vinegar, salt, pepper, perhaps some honey, and sometimes some oil (either Olive or Sesame). We really, really love this simple salad. All of our kids eat it up. Our favorite Radish stand by is Radish-Cream Cheese dip, because who doesn’t love Radishes mixed with Cream Cheese? Just dice the radishes, and stir in a bowl with cream cheese and a bit of sea salt to taste. Or follow this Radish Cream Cheese Spread recipe with a few more yummy ingredients.
Turnips – Try them raw in a Shaved Vegetable Salad or try Roasted Chicken with Vegetables (or sub any vegetarian protein).
Head Lettuce – We love head lettuces because the big leaves fit so nicely on sandwiches or in wraps or tacos, and the leaves also make their own little boat for toppings…as in a Chicken Lettuce Wrap or an Asian Lettuce Wrap. (Feel free to sub tofu or seitan or any vegetarian protein). Or enjoy the lettuce leaves in a tossed green salad. Our recommendation for washing greens is a Zyliss Salad Spinner. Dunk the greens in a bowl of tepid water to rinse clean, then lift the washed greens into the spinner for the spin of their lives. The Zyliss really zings them around and gets them really dry! (No, we don’t receive commissions for the sale of them, but perhaps we should. It’s a great product.)
2016 Market Share CSA Members: Reserve your selection online to pick up Saturday, June 4th 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 Marketand 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.
