PROGRAM NOTE: The fruit farmer at Briermere Farms has notified us that the start date of the Fruit Share will be the week of August 8th and run for 15 consecutive weeks.  Please mark your calendars accordingly!  We'll be sending out more reminders as we get closer to the start date. 

Happy Fourth of July!  We have an amazing share for everyone this week.  And you'll notice...no lettuce!  Last week's second head of romaine was supposed to be in this week's share, but it grew too quickly and we didn't want to chance it going to flower by saving it for this week.  So we'll skip a week of salad greens, but we'll be back to them again shortly.  In the meantime, there are plenty wonderful veggies to keep you busy cooking and eating!

THE FOLLOWING SHARE CONTENTS IS FOR TUESDAY DELIVERY ONLY.  IF YOU PICK UP YOUR SHARE LATER IN THE WEEK, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE SHARE MAY CHANGE THROUGH THE WEEK.  PLEASE REFER TO YOUR E-MAIL NEWSLETTER FOR THE CORRECT SHARE LIST. 

Red Beets - This is one of my favorite two-for-one veggies.  Beets are so incredibly versatile - grated raw in salads, roasted or boiled and sliced in salads or simply dressed with olive oil and salt.  They can even be made into beet brownies and chocolate beet cakes!  (Google it...)  My favorite way to prep them is to boil them until tender.  After they've cooled,  you can easily slip off the skins.  I make a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper.  Sometimes I add toasted walnuts and fresh herbs and maybe even a little goat cheese...  AND the beet tops are the most delicious, melt-in-your-mouth tender greens you can get.  I love them sauteed with my eggs for breakfast.  They saute or steam up very quickly, so make sure you don't overcook them!  And...STORE THE TOPS & THE ROOTS SEPARATELY! See below...
Storage: Remove the tops and store the tops and roots separately in an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5-10 days.

Carrots - I don't think anyone needs advice on eating and enjoying these beauties!  Carrots are not easy to grow, but they are so delicious that we keep on trying...  CSA members have suggested various ways to use the tops over the years, but honestly, they're just not my thing.  If you'd like, try Googling around for some ideas to use them, or toss them in the compost like me.  Pet bunnies, goats and chickens love them too...
STORE THE TOPS & THE ROOTS SEPARATELY! See below...
Storage: Remove the tops and if using the tops, store them separately.  Store the roots in an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5-10 days.

Basil - This is our first planting of basil for the season.  Try the basil pesto recipe below and toss with pasta for a perfect summer dinner. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator OR standing up in a glass of water (bouquet style) in the fridge. Uses: RawWhen to use: Within 3 days.

Scallions - I love scallions in the summer to toss in all types of salads and even to throw on the grill! 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Purple Kohlrabi - A beautiful purple variety of kohlrabi.  This is an easy appetizer when sliced thinly and sprinkled with olive oil and salt... or try the recipe for kohlrabi salad below. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Radicchio - How are you enjoying your chicory salads?  I can't get through a day without one for lunch or dinner.  If you need a break from eating this raw, try it grilled! 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to Use: Within 5 days

Zucchini/Summer Squash - (2-3 pieces depending on size)
My mother taught me to cube up the zucchini and summer squash and steam it together with a sliced-up onion.  When tender, toss everything together in a bowl with butter and salt & pepper.  Scatter with some ribbons of basil if you'd like... I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or Cooked, Baked When to use: Within 5 days. 

Recipes

Kohlrabi Salad
Roasted Beet Salad with Mint - Tori Avey
Raw Beet Salad - Mark Bittman
Creamy Pasta with Zucchini, Almonds & Basil
Patti's Fresh Basil Pesto - a family favorite!
Grilled Scallions
 

Clockwise from top right: Green Romaine Lettuce, Red Romaine Lettuce, Fennel, Radicchio, Zucchini OR Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Sugarloaf Chicory

A note on chicories….  Last week we harvested escarole, the first of our chicory plantings.  The chicory family is a wide and varied group-they can be loose-leafed or tightly-headed, tapered or round, smooth-leaved or frilled. They are also brightly colored, ranging from purest white and pale yellow to bright green or maroon. All members of the chicory family are favored for the bitterness that they all share, unlike lettuces which are chosen for their delicacy.

The chicories’ bite and texture combine nicely with richer ingredients in salads, like nuts, fruits, and sharp cheeses or bacon, smoked salmon, chicken, or ham.

This week we have two more chicories to harvest, radicchio and sugarloaf.  Both of these are mildly bitter and their leaves are tender. Try some of the recipes below and you might end up with a chicory addiction just like me!  

THE FOLLOWING SHARE CONTENTS IS FOR TUESDAY DELIVERY ONLY.  IF YOU PICK UP YOUR SHARE LATER IN THE WEEK, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE SHARE MAY CHANGE THROUGH THE WEEK.  PLEASE REFER TO YOUR E-MAIL NEWSLETTER FOR THE CORRECT SHARE LIST. 

Radicchio - I like to mix the radicchio and sugarloaf chicory together in salads dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh crushed garlic, shaved parmesan and salt & pepper.  Slice the leaves into ribbons - the colors mixed together in the salad bowl are beautiful!  My brother-in-law loves to grill the radicchio, which is pretty amazing!  Try the recipe below.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to Use: Within 5 days

Sugarloaf Chicory - This is the first year we've grown this chicory.  The entire head is tender and mildly bitter - you can remove the base and then slice ribbons all the way up the head.  Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to Use: Within 5 days

Red Romaine Lettuce - It’s the perfect time of year for dinner salads!  With sliced chicken or fish (or roasted veggies) on top, these romaine leaves are sturdy enough to hold up well in heavier salads and dressings. You could also try lettuce wraps!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: RawWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Green Romaine Lettuce
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: RawWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Fennel -  The bulbs are traditionally the part of the fennel used in recipes, but you can use the stems and fronds too.  It’s my secret ingredient in minestrone soup.  It really adds wonderful flavor to so many recipes.  Here are some great recipe ideas from Serious Eats (even for the licorice haters out there!). 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Swiss Chard - Did you try Grannie's swiss chard recipe?  It's the one that gets the most requests in our house.  My mom also introduced me to swiss chard pesto. (What?! It's delicious!) Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw Pesto, Cooked When to use: Within 5 days.  

Zucchini/Summer Squash - (2-3 pieces depending on size)
We’ve just started harvesting our summer squash and zucchini, so you can expect to receive it in your shares on and off through the summer months.  It is extremely versatile - use in soup, throw on the grill, bake some loaves of zucchini bread!  Try some of the recipes below.   Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or Cooked, Baked When to use: Within 5 days. 

STORAGE NOTE
In general, greens should be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container.  They "go bad" when they dehydrate, so never put them straight in your fridge.  If you find that they have gone "limp", a tell-tale sigh of dehydration, you can try soaking them in a bowl of cold water for a period of time.  Often they will perk right back up again!

Recipes

Grilled (or seared) Radicchio with Garlic, Balsamic & Mozzerella
Shredded Radicchio with Hard-cooked Egg, Walnut Vinaigrette & Breadcrumbs
Simple Fennel with Olive Oil & Parmesan
Fennel, Escarole & White Bean Salad with Gruyere
Balsamic Grilled Radicchio
Sauteed Zucchini with Mint, Basil & Pine Nuts
 

Turn up the heat and turn on the irrigation!  This beautiful summer weather is helping to get our crops growing in the fields.  We just finished transplanting baby watermelons and more summer greens.  The corn is getting taller by the day!  Yes, there's sweet corn coming to your CSA shares this year!  It's a tough crop to grow organically, but Farmer Matt has made it one of his top priorities to grow it for you this season.  Can't wait! 

Irrigating our newly transplanted baby watermelons using a boom irrigation system that moves through the fields on a timer.

Our soil is so sandy that it doesn't hold water for long.  Regular irrigation is necessary during dry periods like we've been experiencing.

As the saying goes, sweet corn should be "knee high by the fourth of July!"  Ours is actually going to be waist high by then!  Coming soon...

Just a heads up...the Romaine Lettuce & Escarole look very similar this week.  A quick bite of the stems will tell you what's what in a flash.  Bitter?  Escarole.  Sweet?  Romaine.  You can also see more white inner stems on the escarole when you cut it up.

THE FOLLOWING SHARE CONTENTS IS FOR TUESDAY DELIVERY ONLY.  IF YOU PICK UP YOUR SHARE LATER IN THE WEEK, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE SHARE MAY CHANGE THROUGH THE WEEK.  PLEASE REFER TO YOUR E-MAIL NEWSLETTER FOR THE CORRECT SHARE LIST. 

Kohlrabi - This unusual looking vegetable is a member of the cabbage family.  Remove the thick outer skin with a knife.  I like to eat it raw by slicing thinly and sprinkling with some salt.  It also works well sauteed, braised or roasted.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to Use: Within 5 days

Parsley - A wonderful green herb that works well in salads, juices, or as a pesto. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or JuicedWhen to use: Within 3 days.

Green Romaine Lettuce - I think it's time for a Caesar salad for dinner... I love the texture on these Romaines.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

White Salad Turnips -  These turnips have a cult following in our CSA...  They're surprisingly juicy (yes, juicy!) and you don't need to peel them.  The kids munch on them like apples.  And don't forget the tops!  It's another two-for-one veg because the tops (the greens) are delicious on their own.  Try the recipe below for turnip greens sauteed with garlic and olive oil. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Escarole - That wavy-leafed green is not lettuce!  Escarole is a member of the chicory family - a slightly bitter green that is delicious in soups, sautes and salads too!  Here's a great article about escarole from The Kitchn.  Uses: Raw or Cooked When to use: Within 5 days.

STORAGE NOTE
In general, greens should be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container.  They "go bad" when they dehydrate, so never put them straight in your fridge.  If you find that they have gone "limp", a tell-tale sigh of dehydration, you can try soaking them in a bowl of cold water for a period of time.  Often they will perk right back up again!

Recipes

Escarole Soup - A traditional white bean & escarole recipe
Escarole with Pine Nuts - a simple saute
Parsley Lemon Pesto - from Food Republic
Braised Kohlrabi
Turnip Greens with Garlic & Parmesan

We have some new greens this week in the shares... Next week we'll start harvesting kohlrabi and possibly fennel and cabbages!  Click on an item below to see a photo and get cooking tips & recipes.

THE FOLLOWING SHARE CONTENTS IS FOR TUESDAY DELIVERY ONLY.  IF YOU PICK UP YOUR SHARE LATER IN THE WEEK, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE SHARE MAY CHANGE THROUGH THE WEEK.  PLEASE REFER TO YOUR E-MAIL NEWSLETTER FOR THE CORRECT SHARE LIST. 

Swiss Chard -  This is a wonderful green that can be prepared in many ways.  I like to savor its flavor early in the season by steaming until tender and serving with some butter or olive oil and salt & pepper.  It's also delicious sauteed with butter, pine nuts and raisins.  Kids love it that way!  See the recipe below.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. When to use: CookedUses: Within 5 day

Toscano Kale - When we have kale in the shares for a few weeks in a row, I recommend doing something easy - like baking up kale chips, adding a handful to your smoothie, or adding it to your soup. The key to enjoying kale is to REMOVE & DISCARD THE STEM! Fine Cooking has an excellent photo tutorial and video to teach you how to easily do this. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Baked (Chips) Cooked (Best in Soups) or JuicedWhen to use: Within 5 days

Red Romaine Lettuce - I can't get over the beauty of these Romaines!  If you came for a tour of the farm these past few Saturdays, you saw them growing in the field! 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Baby Bok Choi -  We harvested these in their true "baby" form.  Bok choi has not done well for us this spring.  Our first planting was largely lost to an unknown cause after excellent germination.  This second seeding had terrible weed competition under the row covers (which protect them from flea beetles).  So we're cutting our losses and harvesting them now before they become lost under the sea of weeds.  More bok choi to come in the fall. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

"BONUS BUNCH" Cilantro - We planted a lot of cilantro this year.  Over planting is always a good idea in case a crop has issues.  But in this case, we've had a bumper crop!  So a little bunch for every share this week helps us use up what's left in the field! Waste not, want not.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.  Uses: Best RawWhen to use: Right away! Within 2-3 days

A NOTE ON STRAWBERRIES - We are just starting to harvest our beautiful, organic strawberries!  They are extremely labor intensive to pick, so we don't have enough time to harvest them for every single member in a given week.  Instead, we will rotate through the groups so that everyone will receive them over the course of a few weeks.  Please don't worry - we keep careful track of who gets what so that everyone receives their fair, equal share at the end of the season.  If you don't receive strawberries this week, you will most likely receive them next week.

U-PICK STRAWBERRIES -  With a very small berry patch and a limited number of berries to pick, we could not open up U-Pick to the entire membership.  We thought that a first-come, first-served reservation system would be the most fair way to manage everyone, but I understand from the disappointed e-mails and phone calls that perhaps this was not the best approach.  Please understand that we're trying our best here to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.  You will be happy to know that all members will receive berries in the veg shares at some point this month!  Thank you for your understanding.

STORAGE NOTE
In general, greens should be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container.  They "go bad" when they dehydrate, so never put them straight in your fridge.  If you find that they have gone "limp", a tell-tale sigh of dehydration, you can try soaking them in a bowl of cold water for a period of time.  Often they will perk right back up again!

Recipes

Grannie's French Swiss Chard - A kid favorite and a family favorite!
10 Ways with Bok Choi - from the kitchn blog
Sweet Potato Lettuce Wraps - from our friend Emilie, CSA member and blogger over at The Clever Carrot

Here we are packing your CSA boxes on Monday afternoon.  You can see Little Farmer Galen, who runs over to the farm as soon as he gets home from school.  He loves to help! 

Hand weeding our carrots.  This is the type of hand labor that goes into growing organic crops.  Underneath each green tuft is a carrot!  They should be in the shares some time in the next few weeks.

A close-up of hand-weeding.  We use knives to cut out the weeds around the carrots.  With larger crops like lettuce and cabbage, we can use stand-up hoes for weeding between the crops. If we don't keep up with the weeds, they can easily take over a bed of carrots or beets in a matter of days. And then we lose the whole planting... So these weeding days are very important!

Clockwise from top: Spinach, Green Kale, Baby Arugula, Cilantro, Red Boston Lettuce, Garlic Scapes, Green Boston Lettuce.

Green Curly Kale - This is a great variety for soups or for making Kale Chips.  (Recipe below) The key to enjoying kale is to REMOVE & DISCARD THE STEM! Fine Cooking has an excellent photo tutorial and video to teach you how to easily do this. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Baked (Chips) Cooked (Best in Soups) or JuicedWhen to use: Within 5 days

Spinach - Farmer Matt grows the most delicious spinach you'll ever eat! I saute this gently in a pan (until just wilted) and top with butter and salt & pepper.  Simple preparation lets the flavor shine through. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Wilted gently or Raw in a salad. When to use: Right away! Within 3 days

Cilantro - It's one of those "love it or hate it" greens.  I happen to love it!  Here's an idea...  Use the leaves in salads or in salsa or guacamole.  The stems are delicious thrown into a pot of black beans for flavor.  And when in doubt, make cilantro pesto which is super delicious!  (Recipe below)
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.  Uses: Best RawWhen to use: Right away! Within 2-3 days

Garlic Scapes - This is the top of the garlic plant and it's a rare delicacy only harvested during a short window in June.  We remove this part of the plant to encourage the garlic bulbs to thicken up.  You eat the whole scape, but remove the flower bud (the small bulge on the thin end). They can be used in place of garlic in recipes, but they're also delicious cooked in usual ways - like grilled until tender, roasted in the oven until tender, or thrown into the food processor and made into pesto!  You could combine the scapes with the cilantro and make cilantro & garlic scape pesto.  You're only getting 2 scapes, because there is only 1 scape per plant!  We don't grow very much garlic these days because organic garlic seed is hard to find and extremely expensive. Enjoy!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.   Uses: Raw, Grilled, RoastedWhen to use: Within 1 week

Green Boston Lettuce - Boston lettuce, again?   This particular variety grows so well in the early season (and not again all year) that we aim to harvest it for you twice in June.  Enjoy the texture of the buttery leaves now, because hot weather lettuce is crunchy, not soft.  Part of the CSA experience is savoring the bounty as it's in season, so enjoy this now before it's gone until next June...
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Red Boston Lettuce - A pretty red-leafed variety. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Baby Arugula - One more week of this beautiful, tender green. It has already been washed once, but we recommend washing it once more when you get home.  Just be gentle and don't let it soak in water for more than 30 seconds.  Try a light vinaigrette (recipe below).  The leaves are so tender that they will bruise very easily and a heavy dressing will overpower its delicate flavor.
Storage: In the bag it comes in.  Uses: Best RawWhen to use: Right away! Within 3 days

A NOTE ON STRAWBERRIES - We are just starting to harvest our beautiful, organic strawberries!  They are extremely labor intensive to pick, so we don't have enough time to harvest them for every single member in a given week.  Instead, we will rotate through the groups so that everyone will receive them over the course of a few weeks.  Please don't worry - we keep careful track of who gets what so that everyone receives their fair, equal share at the end of the season.  If you don't receive strawberries this week, you will most likely receive them next week.

U-PICK STRAWBERRIES -  Our priority is to harvest berries for all of our members first, and then open up our fields to members for U-Pick.  We sent out a separate e-mail earlier this afternoon with more information about making U-Pick reservations.  We do need to limit the amount of U-Pick so that we can guarantee that we have enough to harvest for each member's box.  Thank you for your understanding!

STORAGE NOTE
The baby greens can be stored in the bags they come in.  You should eat them first, before the head lettuce which will hold up in the fridge for a longer period of time. In general, greens should be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container.  They "go bad" when they dehydrate, so never put them straight in your fridge.  If you find that they have gone "limp", a tell-tale sigh of dehydration, you can try soaking them in a bowl of cold water for a period of time.  Often they will perk right back up again!

Recipes

Foolproof Kale Chips - From OhSheGlows Blog
White Bean & Kale Soup - A family favorite
Cilantro Pesto - Wonderful on crackers, sandwiches & more
Garlic Scape Recipe Ideas - The Crisper Whisperer

The first week of CSA is always stressful, exciting and busy!  It takes a few days to get back into the swing of things, and we're a little understaffed at the moment, so everyone has had to put in extra effort and time to get the shares harvested, washed, packed and delivered. After the CSA program begins, there is much less time left for us to actually farm.  Activities like cultivating, field planting and crop maintenance are put on hold from Monday through Thursday while we focus on harvesting. Fridays and Saturdays become extremely important days for us to catch up on work. This is what's been going on..

Farmer Matt is very carefully cultivating (weeding) our onions.  You have to drive straight or the fingers on the weeder will take out your crops! I made a short video of this in action that you can watch on our Instagram account here. 

Tomatoes growing under row cover to keep them warm!

Lettuce seedlings waiting in the truck before being transplanted out into the field.  Lettuce is one of the crops that we plant in "successions" so that we have them available to harvest for you throughout the season.  We seed them in the greenhouse and then transplant them out into the field about every 3 weeks.

"Hairy Vetch" - Funny name, but a wonderful cover crop that fixes nitrogen in our fields when we don't have any planted crops growing.  Nitrogen is fertilizer for the crops we'll be planting into this same field later in the season.  It's pretty too!

Buddy, Eddy & Mario transplanting scallions in field 3.  Today we were transplanting basil, scallions, cabbages and lettuce. 

This is what the transplanter looks like from below.  The machine places the scallion plants into the soil and covers them up.  Someone usually walks behind to make sure that everything looks good.

Clockwise from top: Bok Choi, Red Boston Lettuce, Green Boston Lettuce, Spring Salad Mix, Baby Arugula & Red Kale. Not pictured: Bonus Item.

Welcome to the CSA!  What a wonderful box to kick off our season!

Baby Arugula - This baby arugula is extremely tender.  It has already been washed once, but we recommend washing it once more when you get home.  Just be gentle and don't let it soak in water for more than 30 seconds.  Try a light vinaigrette (recipe below).  The leaves are so tender that they will bruise very easily and a heavy dressing will overpower its delicate flavor.
Storage: In the bag it comes in.  Uses: Best Raw  When to use: Right away! Within 3 days

Spring Salad Mix - This is Farmer's Matt's custom mix of 7 lettuce varieties.  Just like the baby arugula, these leaves are tender and are best dressed with a light vinaigrette. 
Storage: In the bag it comes in.  Uses: Best Raw  When to use: Right away! Within 3 days

Red Kale - This is my favorite kale variety because the leaves are tender and it works well cooked and raw in salads.  The key to kale (and a few other cooking greens) is to REMOVE & DISCARD THE STEM! Fine Cooking has an excellent photo tutorial and video to teach you how to easily do this. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw (Salad), Cooked or Juiced  When to use: Within 5 days

Green Boston Lettuce - A early season favorite.  This is also known as "butter" lettuce because the leaves are so soft. Again, don't use a heavy dressing on this lettuce. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw  When to use: Within 5 days.

Red Boston Lettuce -A pretty red-leafed variety. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw  When to use: Within 5 days.

Bok Choi - We have just a few small heads of bok choi to harvest for each member.  Unfortunately our first planting did not germinate well.  We think this was due to the heavy rain a few days after seeding.  We did have enough for a few small heads for each member, so a good way to use this amount is in a stir-fry with other veggies.  I also like it chop thinly in salads.  The whole thing can be eaten - leaf and stem.  Just cut off the very base.  Small brown spots on the stem are often only cosmetic and can be eaten. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Cooked, Raw  When to use: Within 5 days.

Bonus Item - Farmer's Choice!

STORAGE NOTE
The baby greens can be stored in the bags they come in.  You should eat them first, before the head lettuce which will hold up in the fridge for a longer period of time. In general, greens should be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container.  They "go bad" when they dehydrate, so never put them straight in your fridge.  If you find that they have gone "limp", a tell-tale sigh of dehydration, you can try soaking them in a bowl of cold water for a period of time.  Often they will perk right back up again!

♥

Recipes

Basic Vinaigrette & Salad Instructions - Our go-to salad dressing.
Kale Salad with Lemon, Garlic & Parmesan - My favorite all-time kale recipe!

Now that you're committed to receiving 25 weeks of produce, you're probably going to be spending a little more time in the kitchen!  And what could be better, really?  Cooking is fun and creative, it's healthier for you and it's a great way to bring the whole family together.  To make things easier (and more enjoyable!) we recommend outfitting your kitchen with a few "must-have" kitchen tools.  These are the tools we use in our farmhouse kitchen on a daily basis, and I hope they help you make the most out of your CSA share this year.

MY TOP 5 MUST-HAVE KITCHEN TOOLS

1)  Salad Spinner - This will become your go-to kitchen tool!  I use the bowl of the spinner to submerge and wash all of my greens - from lettuce leaves to spinach, kale and swiss chard.  Place the bowl in your sink and fill with cold water.  Dump your greens in and swish them around.  If they're a little dehydrated or limp, letting them soak in the bowl of cold water will usually revive them in about 15 minutes.  Once washed, transfer the greens to the top of the spinner and dump out the water...then spin dry!  Make sure you dump out the water at least once during your spin and then spin again!  Making sure your greens are really dry means that they'll last longer in the fridge and in your salad!  

2) Produce Storage Bags - I typically hate using plastic, but storing leafy greens in an airtight bag (no, reusable mesh will not work here) is absolutely essential if you want them to last beyond a day or two in the fridge.  The key to keeping greens fresh is keeping the moisture locked in, so when you get home store your bunches of kale, heads of lettuce and bunches of parsley inside these bags.  They wash easily and can be reused indefinitely as long as you don't rip them.  A must-have!  

3) Vegetable Peeler -  This peeler makes short work out of slivering away the peels on your root veggies, cucumbers and other thick-skinned produce.  They make all sorts of fancy peelers, but Farmer Matt (who used to be a chef!) swears by this one.  It's inexpensive and easy to use, so what's not to love?

4) Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife - Farmer Matt said this should be #1 on this list.  You've gotta have a good sharp knife!

5)  Victorinox Cutlery 3-Piece Paring Knife Set, Black Poly Handles - Particularly when cooking with veggies, you could use 4-5 paring knives to create just one dish!  This is an excellent set. 

Not "essential", but here are my TOP 5 GOOD-TO-HAVE KITCHEN TOOLS

6) Garlic Press - This is a fancy (and albeit slight more expensive) model, but for the amount of garlic I use on a daily basis, a good press is a a must! 

7) Citrus Juicer - I use this to make my lemon water every morning, and daily to make lemon based vinaigrettes and dressings.  Inexpensive and extremely useful!  I bought my first juicer about 3 years ago and now can't imagine life without it.

8) Microplane Grater/Zester - This is a must-have for grating your own parmesan cheese and zesting lemons, limes and oranges. 

9) Vegetable Chopper - Confession: I added this to the list even though we don't have one in our kitchen!  Our friend, Emilie Raffa of The Clever Carrot blog (as well as many other great home cooks) highly recommend this tool, so I'm ordering one for our farmhouse kitchen as we speak!  I'm sure my kids are going to love it! 

10) Immersion Blender - No more pouring steaming hot soup into a blender to whizz up in batches.  This eliminates the need to transfer your soup into another container.  Genius! 

Now for some appliances....

11) Food Processor - I have my mom's old Cuisinart from the 80's and it works like a charm.  They come in all different sizes, but this is a good, basic model perfect for making pesto, hummus, chopping veggies, making cookie dough, pancake batter, nut butter....I could go on. 

12) Juicer - I bought our first juicer about 6 years ago, and it was a game changer in our kitchen!  Now, whenever we have leftover root veggies, greens, or pretty much anything else, we just juice it!  The kids love it too.  We have an Omega juicer, which we like better for juicing greens, but this one is a good entry-level juicer that will handle all sorts of veggies. 

Finally, make sure that you have a good-sized SALAD BOWL and TONGS. You're going to be eating a lot of salads!  A good quality, heavy-bottom SOUP POT and a quality ROASTING DISH are also must-haves that didn't make it on my "official" list.  Tell me, what's on your "Top 10" list of kitchen essentials?

Happy Cooking!  xoMaggie

Clockwise from top left: lettuce seedlings newly transplanted in the field (and irrigated since it's been so dry); seeding carrots by floodlight (because there just aren't enough hours in the day); leveling the vacuum seeder (A vacuum sucks up the seeds and deposits them from a rotating plate into the ground.  This keeps them perfectly spaced.); mulching strawberries to smother the weeds and keep the berries clean.

April showers bring May...vegetables!  Our focus has shifted from greenhouse work to field work this past month.  Most of our greenhouse seedlings (lettuces, kales, broccoli) are now happily growing out in the fields, and Farmer Matt and Orlando have been seeding our direct-seeded crops like carrots, spinach, lettuce mix and cilantro in the fields.  We will continue to prep our fields and fill them up with crops over the coming weeks. It's beautiful watching the farm come to life!

SEE US IN ACTION!
A picture is worth a thousand words.  Watch some videos of our recent work on the farm...
- Transplanting Lettuce into the Field
- Mulching Strawberries

FIRST WEEK OF CSA
Mark your calendars!  Our CSA Program begins the week of May 23rd.  We will be in touch again in a few weeks reminding you where and when to pick-up your share.  Please remember that your pick-up day of the week will depend on your chosen pick-up site.

FARM TOURS
Your membership in our CSA means that you are an essential (and much-loved!) part of our farm community!  We encourage all members to come visit the farm to meet us, your farmers, and learn about how we grow your food.  We are located in Riverhead, which is on the North Fork of Long Island.  We're close to lots of vineyards and gorgeous beaches.  Make a day of it!  Tours are FREE for members and their guests.  Reservations are not required.  Our Farm Shop will be open Fridays & Saturdays during the month of June.
CSA Farm Tours - 2:00-3:00pm - Saturdays in June - 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25
Kids' Farm Tours - 11:00am-11:45am - Saturday, 6/11 and 6/25
Farmer Galen, age 6, will lead this special tour specifically for kids.  (Parents welcome, of course!)

We're looking forward to our first harvest in just 4 short weeks!  Grow plants, grow!

Clockwise from top left: Garlic coming up in the field, Seeding onions by hand, Onions germinating in the greenhouse, Tractor maintenance.

Spring has sprung on the farm!  We planted our very first seed in the greenhouse two weeks ago and now our two greenhouses are filled with hundreds of flats of baby plants. Zinny (the littlest farmer) and I tour the greenhouses every morning to check on our “babies”.  He is enjoying watching them grow bigger each day. (Photo below.) We started out seeding scallions and onions and have moved on to kale, lettuce, radicchio and fennel.  Not all plants start their life in the greenhouse.  Baby greens and root crops will be direct-seeded in the field.  But for the majority of our crops, the greenhouse is where it all begins.  Seeding will continue in earnest for the next several months.  We schedule successive plantings of many crops to ensure that we will have a steady supply of them to harvest for you over the course of the season.  

How do we plant our seedlings?  Our plastic flats (trays) are filled with soil, small holes are dibbled in each cell, and the seeds are dropped into the holes before being covered with more soil.  We have a vacuum seeder that helps us seed our pelleted brassica seeds by the flat, but the majority of seeds are planted by hand. (See photo above.) When you cut up your first Walla Walla onion this July, you can think about Noe, Mario, Orlando and Leah sitting in the warm greenhouse seeding these one by one during the early weeks of March.

Tractor field work has also begun! We are starting to rototill our cover crops to incorporate the organic matter into the soil.  It will take several months for it to break down completely, so it was good to get a head start and take advantage of the beautiful warm weather.  We don’t usually start any field work until April when the ground is fully defrosted.

Days are getting longer, and so is our to-do list.  There is never a quiet moment on the farm!  If you’d like to get a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re up to, follow us on Instagram!  -Maggie