CSA Week 1

Welcome to the first week of CSA! In your share:

• Cabbage
• Radish
• Kohlrabi
• Green Onion
• Red Russian Kale
• Lettuce
• Romano Green Beans or Broccoli

Full shares only

• Carola New Potato
• Baby Bok Choy
• Italian Parsley

Everyone on the farm enjoyed some off time on Sunday, mostly trying to stay cool with peaceful hours spent by the river. Hope you found ways to stay cool too! We started harvesting earlier than usual to beat the heat and give you the freshest veggies possible. What a bountiful harvest we had today.

If you’ve been to the market the last few times, you may have seen our beautiful heads of cabbage. Cabbage is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, manganese, vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. So many benefits with simply throwing some into a stir fry. Another great dish is cabbage and potatoes. Pan fry the cabbage with some olive oil/butter, salt and pepper. Make mashed potatoes. Once the cabbage is finished, grab those mashed potatoes, mash them together with the cabbage in the pan. Next, you can either make small cakes or one giant one and fry on both sides until golden brown. A little bacon topping or some sausages on the side for protein and you’ve got a hearty meal. The cabbage will store well if you can’t get to them right away, just put them in a bag in the fridge and they should keep for a few weeks.

Today everyone has Red Russian kale, which is my favorite. I find it is more sweet and tender than other kales and is best suited for salads and quicker cooking. I usually chop up the stems and include them in my cooking, but you can also strip the leaves if you prefer. Like other leafy greens, keep kale and bok choy in a bag in the fridge.

I am so excited about these new potatoes for full shares today! Our potato plants are huge this year; it really is a jungle out there. Digging them up feels like digging for gold. Very delicate skins, creamy and perfect for smashed potatoes which I’ve so enjoyed the past few nights. Throw in some chives or roasted garlic or both, roast them or make some loaded baked potatoes with your favorite toppings!  New potatoes, with their delicate skins, should be stored in the fridge in a plastic bag.

If you have a half share, you got some of our awesome broccoli! I can’t stop eating it as I harvest. If you like spicy veggies, try it raw with some dip. You can also steam it, pan fry or it is quite yummy in a good lasagna. 

Ever heard of kohlrabi? If not, give it a try! As soon as your kohlrabi comes home, separate the leaves from the bulbs. The leaves go in a sealed plastic bag, the bulbs are stored loose. Use the leaves within a few days, but the unpeeled bulbs will last for weeks. With the leaves you can chiffonade them finely and toss them in a vinaigrette, or give them a rough chop and either steam or sauté them, as you would collard greens or kale. Peel the bulb with a knife and enjoy raw or cooked. They’re crunchy, juicy, and crisp, which makes them a great addition to salads and grain bowls. The taste is similar to the stem of broccoli. For cooking, you can sauté or you can also treat the bulb as you would any other root vegetable, chop it and roast it until tender, or add it to soups and stews.

The green onions were a fun harvest today with the crew, pulling them up from the ground, bunching them and snipping off the roots. One of my go to comfort meals is scallion oil noodles. While a little more involved it is well worth the time. I also enjoy green onions along with pan fried shitake mushrooms and grated ginger in an egg scramble or frittata. 

With the heat, lots more crops are on the way! Our peas are insanely tall this year and have required many strings of twine and tying back as they grow higher and higher. Tomatoes are starting to ripen in the greenhouses. In the coolness of the evenings it is a pleasure to walk the fields seeing all the flowers in bloom. Enjoy your first share and we’re excited to share so much more throughout the summer!

Roasted Kohlrabi 

Peel kohlrabi and cut into 1-inch wedges: toss with olive oil, salt and a pinch of cayenne on a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F, stirring every 10 minutes, until tender and golden brown, about 30 Minutes. Toss with parmesan and chopped parsley. 

Scallion-oil Noodles

• 10 scallions
• ¾ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
• 1lb. fresh Shanghai or lo mein noodles or dried lo mein noodles
• ¼cup soy paste (such as Yu Ding Xing)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

1. Cut scallions crosswise into thirds, separating dark green parts from white and pale green parts.  Slice lengthwise into very thin strips, keeping dark green and white parts separate.
2. Pour oil into a cold large wok or high-sided skillet. Add white parts of scallions to oil and set over medium-low.  Cook until oil starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Add dark green parts of scallions and stir to combine. 
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are crisped and deep golden brown, 20–30 minutes.  Do not rush this; slow, gradual browning as the liquid in the scallions evaporates will yield the best flavor
4. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer scallions to paper towels to drain. Let scallions and oil cool. Pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve into an airtight container; discard solids. Cover and chill scallion oil until ready to use.
5. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to manufacturer’s directions, adding 1 Tbsp. reserved scallion oil to the cooking water when you add the noodles. Drain noodles, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid, and return to pot. Add ½ cup scallion oil and toss to coat. Add soy paste and toss to combine. Add soy sauce and toss again, adding cooking liquid as needed to loosen sauce.
6. Transfer noodles to a bowl or platter and top with three-fourths of crispy scallions. Serve with remaining scallions in a small bowl alongside.
7. Scallions can be fried 1 day ahead. Keep scallion oil chilled; store scallions between layers of paper towels in an airtight container at room temperature.