Week 5; July 6, 2017

What's in the box?

Rainbow Chard
Salad Mix - Medium and Large
Butterhead Lettuce
Broccoli (with leaves)
Cauliflower
Garlic Scapes - Medium and Large
Zucchini/Summer Squash
Green Top Carrots

Notes on the box.

All veggies have been hydro cooled, but please give them a wash before eating. Especially in all this rainy weather, dirt splashes up and can hide in the crevices in your greens and lettuce.

Rainbow Chard can be used as you would cooked spinach. The colorful stems are edible, too. They take longer to cook than the leaves (which wilt very quickly) so chop them up and begin cooking them at the at the start just after adding onions and garlic when sautéing. It stores best in a plastic bag in the crisper.
The broccoli includes a lot of side shoots. That's the small florets that the plants put out after the main head is removed. The leaves are also edible and can be used as you would kale. You can chop up the florets, leaves, stems, and all and cook them together. Chop them finely for a broccoli slaw. They will store best in a plastic bag in the crisper.
Cauliflower is one that I never liked before I had it fresh from the farm. It's a little surprising how much yummier fresh cauliflower is. If you think you don't like cauliflower, give it another try! Roasting it with a little olive oil and salt is simple and delicious.
Green Top Carrots! First of the season! Remove the tops as soon as you get them or else their crunch will be lost and they will get bendy. The tops are edible and can be used as a substitute for parsley.

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

This week we have fresh cheese curds and Circle of the Sun. The Circle of the Sun that is included is a year old and has some nice nutty flavors that come through as it ages. The first Circle of the Sun made in the 2017 season will be out in a few weeks. Circle of the Sun is a favorite cheese to make. It's a simple recipe that allows the flavors of the grasses to come through. I think it's a good everyday cheese for snacking and grating onto pasta or salads. It's name comes from a song that was sung at our Quaker meeting as part of a welcoming ceremony for new babies. This cheese is another that is a favorite at farmers market. It's also for sale in the Wedge Co-op's cheese case! I hope you enjoy it. There's not a lot of 2016 Circle of the Sun left! The first Circle of the Sun for the 2017 season will be out in a few more weeks

Recipes.

Curried Kale and Cauliflower rice Soup (sub the broccoli leaves for kale)

Swiss chard Slaw with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Broccoli Slaw with Quinoa and Honey Mustard Dressing

¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1 ½ cups water
½ cup slivered or sliced almonds or other nuts or seeds (sunflower or pumpkin seeds are good)
bunch of broccoli - florets, leaves, stems, heads (anything goes)
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil or other fresh herb or your choice (parsley, dill, or tarragon are good)

Honey-mustard dressing

½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or more lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 medium cloves garlic pressed or minced OR a few garlic scapes very finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Red pepper flakes, optional

To cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
Over medium heat, toast the nuts or seeds, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
Wash broccoli and then chop it finely. Include the leaves and tender stems. For whole heads you might need to peel the outside of the stem.
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and whisk until emulsified. We love our emersion blender for dressings! Feel free to add more honey if it seems to acidic for you, or add more vinegar if it's too sweet for you.
Add the shredded broccoli, cooked quinoa and chopped herbs to your large serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss until well mixed. Let the slaw rest for at least 20 minutes if possible.

On the Farm.

Hit a nice stretch of weather, finally! Hope you all had a great holiday. We worked all week as usual, but had a nice get together at neighboring CSA farm.
Things are kicked into high gear out in fields. High temps, adequate moisture, and weeds are under control.
We're a point where what is done is done for Summer planting. We are seeing incredible rebound in a lot of the crops that got hail damage. The plants are so resilient! Things seem to be growing at double speed now. We are waiting for summer crops to grow and ripen. Things are just a little bit behind after their setback. Now we are planting heavily for fall. We will keep planting through August and early September.
Thanks for all of your kind words of support through the rough patch this spring. It's amazing what a little sunshine, warm weather, and love and support can heal!

cauliflower!

Everyone has different reactions to the farmarazzi coming out to get photos for the blog. Lily seems totally comfortable and used to people hounding her for pictures.