CSA Week 2

In your share week 2:

New potatoes: Carola
Carrots
Radish
Salad Mix
Cucumber
Cilantro

Full shares only:

Cabbage
Italian Parsley

The clouds, drizzle, and cool temps are persisting even past the 4th of July, and that means that this week’s share is pretty similar to last week’s. We have lots of crops just waiting for some warm weather to push them ahead into ripeness; peas, tomatoes, raspberries, zucchini. But it’s not happening yet. Fortunately, there was a lot of good stuff in last week’s share and there’s more today.

Today’s new potatoes are Carolas, Mike and I’s favorite variety. These all purpose potatoes are buttery, creamy, and flavorful. We love them roasted, or they are great made into potato salads or boiled and tossed with herbs and olive oil. I recommend keeping them in the fridge for now, as their delicate skins won’t protect them from drying out and the nutrients will be better preserved that way.

We have some lovely radishes today, some of you got the more familiar round radishes and others have the French breakfast type, long with white tips. They are similar in flavor, and both are great eaten fresh, dipped in hummous, or roasted or stir fried. The greens are also good on these, I prefer them cooked since they have a bit of a hairy texture raw. I like to saute them or add them to stir fries and soups. Keep radishes in a bag in the fridge.

Our salad is finally making a come back, we’re getting further into the better rotations and I’m happy to see it looking more like what I expect. But today’s cilantro comes from the same section of the field as our early, unproductive salad, and it’s a bit yellow around the edges. Go ahead and enjoy it, though, we harvested it fresh for you and it is full of flavor! Cilantro is delicious chopped into curries, beans, tacos, and stir fries, or made into salad dressing or pesto. I always eat both the leaves and the stems. It keeps best in a bag in the fridge.

The cucumber harvests are picking up, and we have enough for everyone today. Most of you got one of our green slicer varieties, but some of you get the first of our lemon cucumbers. These are round and yellow; they look like a lemon but don’t taste like one! They are sweet, juicy cukes with thin skins; they can be used just like the more familiar green varieties.

Full shares have a bunch of parsley to go along with the cilantro (chimichurri, anyone?). I prefer Italian parsley to the curly type: I think it is more tender and flavorful. It’s excellent in pasta dishes, salads, pesto, or tabouleh. You can use the leaves and the stems. Parsley is also particularly nutritious, so eat it up.

Creole Carrots

By Dave Scantland for NPR, April 2012

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into strips about 2-by-1/4-by-1/8 inch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon if using regular chicken stock)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard (or other whole grain mustard)

Over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the carrots in a single layer. Add enough oil to form a thin coat on the bottom of the skillet and swirl the butter and oil together.

When the butter starts to brown, add the carrots and sprinkle with the salt. Stir to coat the carrots with the fat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, without stirring, or until the carrots brown a bit on the bottom.

Toss and turn to expose the unbrowned sides to the heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes to brown the other sides.

Add enough stock to cover the bottom of the pan and cover the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for a few minutes, until the stock has mostly evaporated, leaving a glaze on the carrots. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, mustard and remaining tablespoon of butter. Toss well and serve.

Oregon Shrimp Soba with Radishes and Radish Greens

I love Oregon shrimp, which are small, pink, and tender.  Unlike other shrimp fisheries, they are harvested in a relatively sustainable manner.  This dish is quick and uses radishes as well as radish greens, which are nutritious and tasty but frequently unused.  Serves 4.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add ½ pound soba noodles.  Cook 7 or 8 minutes until al dente.  Drain.

Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use coconut) in a skillet or wok over medium heat.  Add:

            ½ bunch green onions, chopped

            2 cloves garlic or ½ bunch garlic scapes, chopped

            1 shallot, chopped

Sautee 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions begin to wilt.  Add:

            1 pound Oregon shrimp

Sautee for 8 or 10 minutes, until starting to get firm.  Meanwhile, pick the greens off of 1 bunch radishes.  Add to the shrimp and continue to sautee for a few minutes, until just cooked.  Add:

½ pound baby bok choy

            juice of 2 limes

            1 tsp soy sauce

Trim the tails off the radish roots, then slice them into a bowl, along with ½ bunch cilantro and ½ bunch green onions, chopped.  Toss with the noodles and shrimp mixture.  Garnish with peanuts and serve hot or cold.