Week Three

full share

medium share

small share

 

Hello friends and members!

It’s been another soggy week at the farm. It may sound like farmers are never happy about the weather (we often aren’t) but the non-stop rain really puts a damper on our ability to control weeds and do tractor work. Some of our lettuce beds and beet plantings are being threatened by some mighty big weeds. We’re doing our best to get in there and remove them, but the problem with weeding in the mud is that we really destroy the soil ecology by packing it down, and the weeds immediately re-root instead of die! It’s like an attack of the zombie weeds around here!

Pictures from the past week on the farm:

Peas for miles…at least it feels that way when we’re harvesting!

 

This is what Maybelle and Brandon do while Heather runs the harvest days.

 

Maybelle learning how to change a flat on the tractor!

What’s in the box:

Peas–1 pint each for all TUESDAY shares

Broccoli–1 1/4# for small and medium shares, 1 1/2# for full shares

Radishes–1 bunch each for all shares

Spicy Salad mix–5 oz for all shares

Garlic Scapes–1 bunch for all shares

Head lettuce–1 head each for medium and full shares

Thai Basil–1 bunch each for medium and full shares

Swiss Chard–1 bunch each for full shares

Garlic–1-2 (depending on size) for Full shares

Cilantro–1 buch each for full shares

Thai basil

Swiss Chard

 

 

Recipes

Peas–These little beauties are sugar snap peas. That means you can eat them fresh and whole! Simply snap the tip off and pull the string off, and you’re ready to go. Here’s a pretty funny old video of Brandon and Maybelle demonstrating how. I recommend just eating them fresh, maybe dipped in some hummus. They make a great snack for the lunch box, too, if your kids are into that.

Broccoli–The broccoli is finally starting to recover from the hard conditions of May and June and it’s starting to come in bigger and better. We know everyone enjoys broccoli steamed and served with butter, but can we suggest a few alternate recipes? One I love is this Broccoli Soup–perfect for what looks to be a cool and somewhat wet and dreary week ahead. I’m a huge fan of quiche, and I love my quiche recipe. Try it with steamed and chopped broccoli, some garlic, and a handful of ham or bacon if you’ve got it around. Making something like this one evening or weekend will provide you with meals for days! This casserole from Martha Stewart looks incredible too. Maybe I’ve been spending too much time cold and wet this past weekend, but all I want to cook right now is comfort food! If it does get a little warmer and sunnier, I suggest the Pasta with White Beans and Broccoli Pesto…and don’t let the beans scare you off, if you’re short on time just buy a can of high quality ones and dinner will be on the table in about half an hour!

Swiss Chard–our old friend Swiss Chard makes its first appearance in this week’s box! We love it for it’s earthy, spinach-y flavor and amazing rainbow appearance. It’s also a great green because you can cut off the leaves and then thinly chop the stems, making it 100% edible! I like to put strongly flavored ingredients with my swiss chard to help mellow the deep green earthiness. A classic and nearly instant way to cook it is much like  the collard greens of last week- try this NY Times cooking version. Chickpeas and chard have always been a classic combo, thanks to their shared mediterranean roots, and Bon Appetit has a lovely stew recipe here. If you grab a good quality can of chickpeas, you can again have dinner on the table in around 30 minutes. If you’ve got a little more time or want to do some weekend cooking, this recipe for Sausage, Chard and Lemon Lasagna.

Thai Basil–is much more potent and has a bit of an anise flavor to it. As the name implies, use it in any Thai or otherwise Asian cuisine. I love it on a good Pad Thai, and it would be great in a Coconut Curry Soup or anything else, really. Here’s a nice article completely devoted to Thai Basil!

Enjoy the week, and stay warm and dry!

Sneak peek for next week:

Sorrel

Carrots

Beets

Radish

Napa Cabbage???

 

All the best from all of us,

Heather, Brandon, Maybelle, Michele, Ted, Hannah and Nicole