CSA 2013 - Week #3
The contents of the share may fluctuate through the week. Please check the newsletter here for an updated list.
In the Box
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Escarole - 1 head
Purple Kohlrabi -OR- Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
Romaine Lettuce - 1 head
Scallions - 1 bunch
Baby Arugula - 1 bag
Red Beets - 1 bunch (Tuesday)
Notes from the Farmhouse Kitchen
I'm loving the share this week! Escarole is one of my absolute favorites and it only comes around a few times each season. Be careful -- it looks a lot like Romaine Lettuce, but it has frilly outer leaves and a white center. It's a bitter green, so you have to know how to prepare it well. If you're going to try it in a salad, I would stick to the inner leaves with the white stem. This part is more tender and less bitter. Save the outer leaves to cook. (Or you could cook the whole head.) The Red Beets are small and incredibly sweet. The tops are not only edible, they're delicious too! You can cook them like spinach - they'll wilt down quickly in a pan with some olive oil and salt and pepper. I usually plop the beetroot in a pot of boiling water with the skins on and cook til knife tender. (Roasting them in the oven intensifies their flavor, but I opt to keep the oven off during the summer.) Once cooked and cooled, the skins will slip off easily. Purple Kohlrabi is probably new to many of you. We like to call it the "Sputnik" veg because of its unusual shape. Peel the skin carefully and then you can slice raw in a salad or braise gently. I like its cabbage flavor raw in salads this time of year. Scallions are great sliced and sprinkled on any salad and the baby Arugula practically melts in your mouth. Be sure not to dress with an overpowering dressing. A light coating of good quality olive oil, a splash of vinegar and some salt and pepper with bring out its peppery flavor nicely. Finally, Cilantro! My love affair with this herb is well-known, and I can't keep myself from adding it to every salad and bean dish (as well as chicken soup!). However, the recipe below for Halloumi with cilantro, lime and caper vinaigrette is the first recipe I make when the cilantro comes in from the fields. Halloumi is a greek cheese that doesn't melt when cooked! You can find it at Whole Foods and some Trader Joe's and I've even seen it at the local grocery after I pestered them about carrying it. The recipe calls for a sprinkling of cilantro, but I usually serve the cheese over a salad of equal parts arugula and cilantro. Bon appetit, mes amis! - MaggieThis week's Recipes
Escarole and White Bean Salad with Fennel and Gruyere
Escarole and Pine Nuts
Kohlrabi Salad
Halloumi Cheese with Cilantro, Lime and Caper Vinaigrette
News from the Farm
The smells of the farm can tell you a lot about where we're at in the season and, at least for me, can have a lot of personal meaning. As the produce for our Tuesday delivery began to be harvested, the smell of scallions and cilantro were everywhere. It brought me back to my father's cooking, and to some of the strange and wonderful meals he would make when I was growing up. I didn't always appreciate his creations as a child, and was often yearning for bland foods that other kids seemingly ate every night, but now I cherish these strong, almost overpowering, smells. It's a reminder of my father's creativity and inspires in me a passion for the food we grow and eat. As always, we'd love to hear from you if the vegetables you receive this week remind you of something or someone, or if it inspires in you a new or favorite recipe.
The items for the week will occasionally change based on the weather or for a number of other reasons, so please check the newsletter continuously for updates on what's in your share. And finally, don't miss out on our pick your own strawberries. It's likely we'll only have them for one more weekend, this coming Friday, June 21st (10am to 6pm), and Saturday, June 22nd (9am to 5pm). PYO strawberries are $4.00 a qt for CSA members.
Enjoy this week's share, and come see us this weekend if you can! -Stephen
U-PICK STRAWBERRIES!
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and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.
+ FIND RECIPES
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+ READ MAGGIE'S FARM BLOG
If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact us. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from! Your farmers are happy to hear from you at info@goldenearthworm.com at any time, for any reason.