Your First Share of 2010

Welcome to the 2010 White Barn Farm CSA! It was great to meet our new members and see all our members from last year again!

It seems like a miracle every time, but our fields indeed provided a good harvest for the first share!

So, what was in the box this week?

The bagged salad greens are Arugula, an excellent base for a salad. We dunk our greens to cool them down and sometimes bag cut greens to portion them out, but really you should wash them and dry them in a salad spinner and store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag so they stay fresh. Lots of people say “green bags” work really well and can be reused quite a few times – I think they can be found at Ocean State Job Lot.

 The head lettuces should be treated the same way, actually. I like to fill a large bowl, the bottom of the salad spinner, the sink, whatever, with cold water and twist the core off the bottom of the lettuce, push in the leaves, swish for a minute and after a few moments lift them out (so the dirt settles) and put in the spinner. Dry and store in a plastic bag, including a paper towel if you think there is still a lot of water left (pools of water cause rot). I like to store the leaves whole and tear them into a salad or put on a sandwich as needed.

 The bunch of little round white roots are Hakurei turnips, white salad turnips. They are tender and crunchy and can be treated just like a radish. Slice onto some salad greens for a nice salad. I recommend White Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing to balance the slight spice of arugula, radishes, or turnips.

The large red orbs are radishes. The biggest we’ve ever grown. Other farmers told us about this variety, Crunchy Royale (in fact, one local farmer deems this a great pseudonym for her alternate career in Roller Derby). Anyway, one good reason to grow this variety is that it holds in the field without getting pithy or cracking. Truly, these gems are little love apples! They are definitely mild enough to eat like an apple. They are a very portable picnic snack to be eaten in that way. If you have a fancy picnic basket with a sharp knife, some nice butter, some kosher salt, and good bread, you can have “une picnique” with buttered bread topped with thinly sliced, salted radishes. Another option for either the salad turnips or radishes is to quickly sautee them with butter and a pinch of salt – just until barely soft. Voila! A fast, tasty side that could possibly take the place of a starch.

The football shaped white and light green cabbage is our fast-growing, early friend the Napa Cabbage. We find this cabbage very versatile. It is great sliced to add crunch to tacos (a la iceberg) or roll-up sandwiches. It is sublime in an Asian style coleslaw. It can also be included in a stir-fry. A simple preparation would be a fry of onions, carrots, celery, sweet pepper, mushrooms and broccoli. Throw in the thinly sliced Napa at the end. Barely cook – add a nice flavorful sauce – try whisking together honey, garlic, fresh citrus juice, chili sauce, soy sauce, a little balsamic vinegar, and some olive oil, perhaps a touch of toasted sesame oil at the end. Taste and adjust until you think it’s great. Either add to the stir fry (without adding so much the veggies get soggy) or serve at the table along with a pot of rice.

A bunch of Red Russian Kale was in the share. This was a bunched green with wavy edges and purple stems. Rinse, shake dry, chop coarsely, discarding any stems you think are too tough, and sautee with plenty of olive oil, a good pinch of kosher salt, and slices of garlic (perhaps your green garlic). When it’s bright green and tender, it’s done. A quick and easy side dish. You can also add kale to soups – maybe a nice homemade chicken noodle.

Green Garlic. The whole, young garlic plant. Chop up the white bulb and the tender part of the stem (kind of like a leek) and use just as you would use mature garlic. This is a more mild version, so it could also be added to fresh preparations like tuna, pasta salad, guacamole, etc. The tops are fine for stock, but I’m not aware of other uses. Some plants were beginning to produce a scape, however (the curly, pointed shoots coming from the top). Those can be snapped off and chopped up for cooking, too.

Broccoli. A couple heads of spring broccoli. Growing this crop in the spring was something new for us this year. We kept the little transplants covered with row cover that allows light and moisture to come in, but keeps flea beetles (broccoli enemies) out. The plants did pretty well and our first harvest is already here. I think the heat waves we’ve been having have pushed them to mature a little sooner. There may not be enough in the share to have as a side for the whole family, but try marinating it with some other veggies and grilling in a grill basket or skewered. Roasted broccoli is also very good. Toss with olive oil and salt on a cookie sheet and bake at 400. Check after 15 minutes or so, maybe toss with a spatula and return to the oven to finish. The stir fry option is another good one for broccoli.

Spinach. We made bunches of our large, smooth-leafed spinach for you this week. The roots are on just to keep the bunches together. To prepare, just chop the roots off the bunch, dunk in water to wash, and then prepare however you’d like. The simplest is a quick sautee with garlic and oil. It is great in a pasta, lasagna, or raw, chopped in a veggie sandwich, or melted into a grilled cheese or quesadilla, featured in an omelet (maybe with feta and red onion), or even topping a pizza (make sure to squeeze out excess liquid if you add cooked spinach – no soggy bottom pizzas!)

That was all for this week! We hope you enjoy your share and hope these ideas help you find ways to make all of these green vegetables have novelty each meal of the week.

Don’t forget to return your box next week.

Thank you for making our little farm possible! What a great bunch of people in our CSA!