Week 5

full share (above)

medium share

small share

Greetings all,

Yikes! Storms have been blowing through the last few days. We’ve been lucky enough to dodge the nastiest of it so far. We did have some heavy rain and some strong winds the other night.

Several of the corn successions were almost flattened and the head lettuce got a little torn up. We think the corn will be just fine, maybe just a little awkward to pick.

In the Box This Week:

Beets!: Early Wonder (red) or Chiogga (pink and white bullseye)
Head lettuce: Adrianna, Lovelock, or Roxy
Fennel (2 heads full, 1 head medium and small)
Romano Beans: Capitano (yellow) & Roma II (green) (3/4 lb small, 1 lb med, 1.5 lb full)
Summer Squash (1 small, 2 med and full)
Oregano
Cucumber (med only)
Choi Sum: Gunsho (med and full)
Carrots (3/4 lb full)
Napa Cabbage (full only)
Turnips: Hakurei (full only)

Romano Beans

Romano Beans are a flat snap bean originating from (you guessed it) Italy. They have a heartier texture and sweeter flavor and can be used in the same way you would any snap bean. See some of the recipes at the bottom of the newsletter for more ideas!

Keeping Up With the Bounty

I’m sure by now you’ve established a good pattern for using your bounty of produce, but if you’re having trouble here are a few tips:

Eat a salad often, it doesn’t have to just be a side dish either, make a great big glorious lunch or dinner out of it.
Make a game plan when you unpack your share every week, make a realistic best-guess of what you will use and what you might not get around to using. Prep as much as you can for use later in the week (washing salad greens, removing greens from root crops, etc) If you don’t think something fits into your meal plan…
Preserve what you’re not going to use Most things like peas, beans and broccoli can be blanched and frozen. Some leafy greens like chard, kale, collards and spinach can as well. Other items you might want to fully prep and freeze for an easy meal later on, like roasting root vegetables or making a quiche with mustard greens. Many things like beets, snap beans and cucumbers can be made into a quick “refrigerator pickle” or canned.
Clean out your crisper weekly it’s easy to lose track of what you have when you more produce and plastic bags keep piling up in the crisper. If you’ve got lots of odds and ends around, it’s time for a stir-fry, quiche, or a big entree salad loaded with chopped veggies and maybe some sliced ham, grilled chicken, or last night’s leftover pork loin.

Good Things Are On the Way

The heart of summer produce is just around the corner. Sweet corn is tasseling,

tomatoes are on the vine,

Eggplant, peppers and melons are flowering! Sooner than you know it they’ll all start showing up in the shares!

Recipes

Fennel is one of the most delicious, most underappreciated vegetables in the culinary world! You really must try it a few different ways to discover how you most enjoy it. For those of you that are unsure of it’s anise-y tendencies, I recommend you roast it or grill it. This mellows the anise, brings out the incredible natural sweetness of the fennel, and is remarkably fast and easy. If you already know you like fennel, make this delicious fennel, olive and orange salad. The quality of the olives is key to this dish, so go to one of the special places that you can obtain a high-quality black olive, none of that canned stuff, please! Oil-cured black olives are even better. Anyone coming out our way can feel free to drop off a pound or two…

To us, snap beans are such a signal of summer and light, fresh, easy eating. Whenever I see a pile of them on the counter I always think of the wonderful times I had cooking them in Spain with my Dad. In honor of those fond memories, here’s two recipes that we made each time we were there. Judias Verdas con Ajo is simple and so flavorful, and the Green Beans with Serrano and Poached Egg is one of my top ten most beloved meals, ever. Please note, you may substitute any kind of snap bean (haricot, romano) for any other in all the recipes on the website.

I’ve also decided that zucchini/summer squash tend to be under-loved in our kitchens. The butt of endless jokes, a properly cooked zucchini is a thing of wonder. A badly cooked zucchini is enough to make you never want to eat them again. Generally speaking, SEAR the heck out of them. Whether grilling, sauteing or roasting, let them develop a beautiful, caramel color. This brings out the sweetness of the vegetable and provides a depth of flavor that can’t be beat. Try this Scandinavian Smorrebrod, understated, simple, stellar. They also play well with others, which is why they turn up so often in fritters, pancakes, breads, and the like. Re-examine your relationship with these guys, you won’t regret it!

If you got turnips in your box this week, there’s a delicious new turnip and couscous salad on the website, perfect to enjoy on it’s own or as part of a light meal.

Sneak Peek at Next Week’s Box:

Beets
Broccoli
Spring Greens
Dill
Summer Squash