CSA 2017 - Week #3
This newsletter is for Tuesday Pick-up Members ONLY. Check your inbox for an accurate newsletter sent out the day before your delivery. Thank you!
Rain? What rain? This hot, dry weather has evaporated all of the moisture out of the soil and today we started irrigating (watering) our plants. Crazy, I know. Tasks on the farm in the summer go something like this.... Harvest. Transplant. Irrigate. Cultivate (weed). Seed. Stress Out! Repeat!!! This week we have some fun new crops to share with you, including garlic scapes and escarole (looks like lettuce, but it's NOT!). Great recipes below...
Video/Pic of the Week
Washing our bunched greens in our stainless dunk tanks. - video
Baby basil plants waiting to be transplanted out in the fields. - pic
This week's newsletter is short and sweet! Hope you all have a great week! xo Maggie
GOT TIPS? Please share your Recipes, Cooking Tips & other ideas for getting the most out of your CSA on our FACEBOOK CSA MEMBERS PAGE! (It's a private group.)
This week in the shares...
Escarole - It looks like lettuce, but it's not! To help you ID it in your box, it's green with frilly leaves. Escarole is a member of the chicory family, a slightly bitter green. The inside leaves are light colored and have a more mild flavor, perfect for salads and eating raw. You can enjoy escarole in a salad, gently cooked or in a soup. It's very versatile! This is an extremely nutrient dense vegetable, high in folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A and K.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw, Cooked. When to use: Within 5 days.
Garlic Scapes - The scape is the top of the garlic plant-- a delicacy you only get to savor for a few weeks each June, so enjoy! Remove the top head (the bulbous lighter part). The rest is edible. It has a distinct garlic flavor, but it is certainly milder than the cloves. You can cook with it as you would garlic, add it finely chopped into salads. Better yet, throw it on the grill until tender!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Grilled/Cooked. When to use: Within a week.
Cilantro - This is definitely a love it or hate it green herb. I happen to love it. Two great recipes below. The pesto is quick and simple, the Halloumi Cheese recipe is a little more involved, but it is extremely delicious! I also love to flavor my chicken broth/soup with cilantro by throwing in a few large handfuls. Our Mexican and Guatemalan friends use this in so many recipes - salsas, scrambled eggs, salads, soups.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or cooked. When to use: Within 3 days.
Baby Arugula - This is the next planting, so it is extremely tender. Best eaten raw in a salad.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw. When to use: Within 3 days.
Red Romaine Lettuce - The Romaine lettuce loves the hot weather. It's crunchy and holds up well to heavier dressings and toppings. Perfect for Caesar salads.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw in a salad. When to use: Within a week.
Green Kale - Yes, another kale variety! This one is great for kale chips, soups, thrown in smoothies, anything and everything!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw, Cooked. When to use: Within a week
Recipes
Cilantro Pesto - Great over pasta, fish, chicken..
Grilled Halloumi Cheese with Lime, Capers & Cilantro - I serve this over a large bed of cilantro/salad greens!
Super Simple Escarole & Pine Nuts
Grilled Escarole & White Bean Salad
Roasted Garlic Scapes
Grilled Garlic Scapes - No recipe, just coat with oil and grill on both sides until tender. Easy!