Week 4; June 28, 2018

What's in the box?  

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Swiss Chard
baby kale
green onions
garlic scapes
green leaf lettuce
broccoli (medium and large shares)
summer squash/zuchinni
cucumber (large shares)
basil
fennel (most medium and large shares)
beets (medium and large shares)

Notes on the box.

Fennel might be the biggest curve ball for many this week.  It's got a nice fresh anise flavor.  Our cooler got a little too cold and some of the fennel and cucumbers had to be discarded due to damage, so we ran out near the end of packing.  Apologies to those who didn't get it.  We have more planted for later in the season.  
Beets! Again?  yes.  This year seems to be the year of the beets.  It wasn't originally in the plan to have quite so many, but we lost crops of radishes and salad turnips to a terrible little bug called the root maggot.  But the beets keep on keeping on.  And these green top beets are so good.  The greens are great sautéed with a little garlic and olive oil for a quick side.  And the beets themselves?  No need to peel the fresh green top ones.  You can quarter and roast them, pickle them, shred them and add them to a chocolate cake recipe, or steam them and blend them into your favorite hummus recipe for a spread that will make kids who love the color pink super happy.  
Garlic Scapes!  If these are new to you, enjoy them!  They are the stem of the flower that the garlic bulb puts out.  We pull this off of the plant in order to help the bulb size up, and they have the added bonus of being so delicious!  You can use them in place of garlic in recipes.  They are a bit milder, though and so are good raw.  You can think of them as you would green onions.  
Basil should be stored dry.  You can put it in the fridge, but in a warmer area and make sure the leaves are dry when you put it in.  Or you can do what we do and gather it into a bunch and treat it like a bouquet of flowers.  Put the stems in a small cup of water on the counter.  Basil, Garlic Scapes, and Baby Kale would make a nice pesto for a pizza (especially with some of the Ricotta on that pizza if you have a cheese share!)

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

Herdsman is the first of the aged cheeses from this season.  This cheese was made back in March when the cows were still eating hay.  It's got some nice flavors of hay and a bit lemony, also.  The rind is edible tasty.  
I've also included our whole milk ricotta which is always a big hit!  It's so rich and milky.  It's wonderful for breakfast with a little honey and some toasted nuts.  Or it's nice on crostini with good olive oil and some freshly cracked pepper.  

Recipes.

Fennel and Smoked Salmon Salad from Martha Stewart

Brown Rice Cakes with Sautéed Fennel, Broccoli Rabe, and Ricotta (use beet greens and/or broccoli florets in place of broccoli rabe) 

Broccoli and White Bean, Ricotta Meatballs with Herbed Tahini Yogurt

Josh's Eat to the Beet Salad
Remove green tops from beets.  Wash and then chop them up and wilt them briefly in a pan with a little olive oil (you can add chard here too if you want to make a lager amount of this salad.) Shred beets (and a zucchini - optional). Toss warm green and shredded raw beets together.  Add toasted slivered almonds (or sunflower seeds or nuts of your choice) Dress with a balsamic vinaigrette or sesame dressing.  

On the Farm. 

ATTENTION EAT LIKE A FARMER SHARE MEMBERS!! We are planning on the second Thursday of July for the first meat delivery!  Make some room in your freezer!  More info will be coming soon to your email in-box.

Next week in 4th of July. We will plan on regular deliveries.  We can't stop this summer squash.  If you won't be in town, we suggest having a friend or neighbor pick up your box.  Or if you would like us to donate it, just let us know ahead of time and we will do that instead of having it delivered to your drop site.  

Mark your calendar July 14 will be farm tour.  

This past week we had the privilege to spend time with Rama's grandpa, whom we call Paw Paw, visiting from Texas.  He's 89 and he had his first plane ride of his life to come visit us.  He grew up in a family of sharecroppers and told us some great stories about the three acres of cabbages they grew and how they would load them into a boxcar almost to the ceiling and then put big ice blocks on the top before the train took them away.  He said they had a transplanter that worked just like ours, but it was pulled by mules, not a tractor.  His first words when he got to our place were, "It looks like you've got the farm going your way." It means a lot to us to have had him here. He mowed the lawn, and took a nap outside on the mower. He liked the weather we had. 79, not 97 like back in Texas!  

 

NEXT WEEK
lettuce
broccoli
scapes
squash
cucumber
beets
collards
turnips? 
cabbage? 
salad mix

 

Turnip Rock FarmerComment
Week 3; June 21, 2018

What's in the box?  

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Strawberries
cilantro
salad mix
green top beets
leaf lettuce
napa cabbage (large and medium shares)
green garlic
spinach

Notes on the box.  

It rained right before we picked strawberries so some might be a little dirty.  Give them a rinse right before you eat them.  
The tops and the roots of the beets are edible and both will store best if you remove the beets from the greens.  
Green garlic isn't cured and should be stored in the fridge.  It's mild enough to eat raw or you can use it as you would regular garlic cloves.
Everything will store best in plastic bags in the fridge.  

 

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.  

Circle of the Sun is an original recipe to our farm.  It's my favorite cheese to make and a favorite to eat, also!  It's bright and the flavors of the grasses the cows are eating come through nicely.  
I have also included a cheese called Quark.  It's a German style of cheese that is most similar to chèvre, but it's made from cows milk, not goat milk.  You can make it into a really nice spread for crackers by adding some salt and finely chopped herbs, green garlic, scallions, and/or chives.  If you were one of the lucky members who got a cucumber this week, adding the quark to a sandwich with cucumbers is a favorite of mine.  You can also go sweet with it and use it in a tart with the strawberries. It's nice mixed with some honey and lemon zest.  It should last about 2-3 weeks in your fridge.  If you don't think you'll get to it by then, you can put it in the freezer for later use.  

Recipes.  

Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw

Peanut Cilantro Slaw
1 Napa cabbage and/or boy choy halved lengthwise then cut into thin strips crosswise.  
1/2 cup toasted, unsalted peanuts
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
sliced scallions or thinly sliced green garlic tops
Dressing-
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon tamari
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
Combine cabbage, cilantro, scallions, and peanuts in a large bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Toss dressing with cabbage mixture. Taste and adjust tamari or maple syrup to taste.

Tangy Buttered Beets and Beet Greens with Dijon

Asian Collard Wraps with Peanut Sauce

How to Make Collard Green Wraps from Kitchn

Collard greens have a thick stem and center rib that need to be dealt with first. I go about this by trimming the stem, then trimming down the center rib so that it's about the same thickness as the leaf. You can go the extra step of making the leaves even more flexible by placing them in a large saucepan of boiling water for about 30 seconds, then transferring them to an ice bath. To assemble, add your favorite sandwich ingredients (hummus, grilled chicken or tofu, veggies, etc) and roll everything just as you would a burrito.  

On the Farm.

This week we were lucky to have a visit from Josh's dad.  Then Rama's mom and dad and pawpaw came for a visit.  Pawpaw is 89 years old and lives in Texas and took his first airplane ride ever to come out to visit us at Turnip Rock Farm.  He's an avid lifelong gardener who is enjoying seeing the farm.  We are really happy to have him here.  

We wanted to share with you that you can order an herbal CSA share from our dear friend and neighbor Nancy Graden.  Her farm is called Red Clover Herbal Apothocary and her herbal CSA shares are the best!  The quality is so incredible and the salves and tinctures are very effective and the teas are very tasty.  We really can't recommend her seasonal CSA shares enough.  And if you order one it can be delivered to your dropside on Thursday with your Turnip Rock CSA.  Check out this link to get more info and to sign up!  

Turnip Rock Farmer Comment
Week 2; June 14, 2018.

What's in the box?  

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Romaine lettuce
Leaf lettuce
green onions
arugula
Spinach
Herb pot
Strawberries for Medium, Large. hope we can get more next week.
Salad Mix
Kale
Storage beets

Notes on the box.

The strawberries were picked ripe from our friends patch at Sleepy Root.  Sleepy Root isn't doing a CSA this season but have a beutiful berry patch and let us come pick at their place.  Eat the berries ASAP!  I sure you wont have any trouble with that one!  We were only able to get enough for medium and large shares this week, but hope to get more for next week for small shares.
More beautiful lettuce and salad mix.  As well as beautiful spinach and arugula.  I really like to have the beets peeled, diced, and steamed or roasted and them put them in a container in the fridge to put on salads.  The spinach leaves are big, but still tender.  I like chopped spinach or arugula in a salad with roasted beets, feta, and some toasted nuts.  
Everything should be stored in plastic bags or containers in the fridge.
I know if can be tricky for some folks to get through all the lettuce and greens before the next share rolls around.  If it's at all possible to wash, spin, chop, and store the lettuce in a ready to eat way, you are more likely to get though them.  Have your favorite dressing on hand and have a salad with your meals.  
 

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.  

This week I included two cheeses that I love on salads!  Feta and our cow's milk manchego called Antares.  If you don't think you'll eat the feta in the next few days, you can make a brine to store it in.  2 cups of water and 2 tsp salt and keep it covered in the brine to extend the shelf life. Feta is great crumbled on salads, on top of pizzas, on scrambled eggs or fritatas.  
Manchego is normally made of sheep's milk, so this cow's milk version will be different.  This batch of Antares is very creamy since it was made at the end of the season when there's a lot of fat in the milk.  Cube or shred it on top of a salad or shred it on eggs or on cooked greens like the kale. It's got a really nice piquant lingering finish and is a favorite at farmers markets.  

Recipes.

Skillet Poached Eggs
Wash and chop a bunch or two of spinach (You can include the stems.  Use more than you think you need since it cooks down a lot.  Also works for arugula and chard or any combination of these greens).  The water from washing will help with steaming.  Heat 2 Tbsp of butter or oil in a pan.  You can add minced garlic, onion, or green onion at this point stir those around.  Add the chopped greens. If you like you can squeeze in some lemon juice.  Stir and cook until just wilted.  This will only take a couple minutes.  Spread the greens over the bottom of the pan  and make little wells, spaced out, for as many eggs as you want to cook.  Crack  eggs into the wells and put the lid on top.  Cook until whites are set, about 5 minutes.  Shred on some Antares cheese if you have it!  Serve over toasted sourdough.  

10 Salad Dressings to Know by Heart

Lemony White Bean and Arugula Salad -confirmed delicous by Robbinsdale host, Paula.  Thanks for the suggestion, Paula!
 

On the Farm.

Mark July 14th on your calendar  We are participating for the second year in the Local Farm tour.  https://www.coopfarmtour.com  We will have a self guided tour of the farm with a map, cheese tasting (and buying), and some burgers and hot dogs on the grill. 

We will also have 25# packs of 100% grass fed ground beef on sale. Pick up on the farm only. 

Mostly we hope you get to visit the place where your food is from. 
We will have other events too, if you cant make this one. 

We often get the question "Did you get all the planting done?" It's usually taken as more of a "are you caught up, are things going well?"  But technically they are two different questions and two different answers. We plant something every single week of the summer, ending only in late September with a few last ditch efforts at spinach and radishes. When we start harvesting I'm thinking about the end. Not because I wish it to be over, but because that's what the timing requires.  Early July marks about the last window to get anything transplanted into the field (think broccoli) and still have.a good chance of making a crop. Most transplants require 4 weeks in the greenhouse. Seeding carrots of any storage size also share this same window. That makes the first half of June a critical moment where the beginning meets the end.  We are less than 100 days from average first frost which seems crazy to think about, but we have a very short growing season here so we have to make every moment count!

Recently we finally got the spring weather we were hoping for back in May!  Tomatoes are trellised and pastures are tall. The first fruits of summer squash are showing themselves, and some hoop house cucumbers are making fruit.   Weeks 4-5 can be tricky ones, when summer is here, but Spring is done sprung.  Hopefully the plants with fruits keep growing and the weather cooperates...

Next week
Head Lettuce
salad mix
Spinach
Napa cabbage
Kale or Collards
Cilantro?
green garlic or scapes?
Come on Broccoli! 

 

 

Turnip Rock Farmer Comment