Week 6 - Spring Season

This week's box contained the following:

1. A bag of lettuce - this contains chick weed which is edible and quite nutritious. 
2. A bag of spinach
3. A large bag of green choi
4. A bag of red choi
5. A bunch of either collards or kale
6. Your choice of a bunch of mustard or a bunch of broccoli raab
7. A bunch of turnips
8. A bunch of radishes

Herbs include parsley, cilantro and a nice bunch of chives

Enjoy and keep thinking about drier weather.

Week 5 - Spring Season

Hi all -
Last week's weather was so favorable for planting that I didn't get around to posting about the box contents.  Here's this week's list:

1. A bunch of radishes - combination of Cherry Belle, Shunkyo (semi-long) and Hailstone.
2. A bunch of turnips - these are Hakurei.  They're a smaller turnip which grows quickly and is sweet.  Try them raw with a little salt.  Nathan eats them like an apple and can't get enough of them.  They're also good to add to stir frys - kind of like a water chestnut.
3. Arugula - red band
4. Spinach - bag
5. Swiss Chard - blue band
6. A large bunch of Kale - green band.  This includes some large stems.  If you saute them first for a while (add some water to steam) then add the leaves, the stems will soften and are tasty.  Some are too woody to eat but most are great.
7. Lettuce - leaf lettuce in a bag
8. Choi - some of this includes flowers - cut them and put them in a vase or eat them.  They're tasty and pretty.  You can sprinkle them into a salad for a nice burst of color.

Optional items will include parsley, thyme and sage.

April 6 - Spring Season Week 3

More tasty spring greens!

The box contains the following:

1. A bag of leaf lettuce
2. A bag of spinach
3. A large bunch of kale - either Lacinato, Red Russian or Siberian.  The Lacinato is darker green and smaller-leaved.  It takes a bit more time to cook than the other two varieties.
4. A bag of mache a/k/a corn salad - sprinkle this on your salad
5. A large bunch of chard
6. A bunch of radishes.  These are small but they're starting to bolt.  Saute the greens.  If there's a radish, enjoy it.  They were planted at the end of October and never sized up.  We should have "real" radishes in one to two weeks.
7. A bag of Asian greens
8. A bunch of mustard

On the table you'll find the options of thyme, parsley, sage, a little arugula and extra mustard.

Enjoy!

March 30 - Spring Season Week 2

Greens!

This week's box is full of tasty greens.  It includes the following:

1. A bunch of either kale or collards - green band
2. A bunch of swiss chard - blue band
3. A bag of asian greens - smallish choi and some tat soi or red choi
4. A bunch of tatsoi.  This is now bolting (starting to flower) but you can still eat the entire plant.
5. A bag of lettuce
6. A bag of mache.  This is small but it's so tasty that I'm still handing it out.  Think of it like sprouts and sprinkle on your salad.
7. A bag of spinach.  Kind of nutty.
8. A bunch of mustard - yellow band
9. Some carrots loose in the box.  They're small but still tasty.
10. A handful of chives
11. A few sprigs thyme
12. A spring of rosemary - I cut back the plants so the sprigs are larger than normal.  A little goes a long way and it saves well if you let it dry.
13. A few sprigs of parsley.  This is very sweet - you might want to eat it right away.

Extras:

• A handful of carrots - these froze.  I uncovered them and then it got too cold this week.  They were in the field.  You can cut off the tops and eat what's left, if you'd like.  
• A handful of tatsoi
• One bunch of chard.  Take it if you'd like.

Spring Season - Week 1

It's Distribution time!

General notes:  Root crops are generally washed, unless they come out of dry soil and aren't too dirty.  If the greens are really dirty, I'll wash them.  But, if they're just a little dirty, I generally don't wash them because they keep longer in the fridge if they're dry - just put them in a plastic bag and toss in the crisper.  Alternatively, if you wash them, spin them and store in your spinner, they'll also keep for a long time.

We hope you enjoy these veggies.  Tomorrow's box will include the following:

1. A bunch of leeks - These are Scotland Leeks which wintered over in the field.  The tops and roots are trimmed up.  They'll keep well if you keep them in your crisper, in a bag.  Use in place of onions.  Wash the greens as they tend to hold dirt - but it's all edible and the greens are a nice addition to soups.
2. Spinach - probably in a bag
3. Lettuce - leaf lettuce, also in a bag.
4. Carrots - these are Bolero which are storage carrots.  They kept well in the ground over the winter (in the hoop).  They are squat and tasty.  Varying sizes.  All good.
5. A bunch of mustard.  Eat fresh or sauteed.  Try making pesto with it.  Yellow band.
6. Tatsoi - this is starting to go to bloom.  The entire plant, blooms, stalks and leaves, is tasty.  Eat raw or saute.  This is milder than either kale or broccoli and full of water.  Blue band.
7. A bunch of kale - either Red Russian or Siberian.  Green band.
8. Maybe a very little mache.  It's small but I think this is as big as it gets.  Will also be in a bag.
9. Herbs as available - check the table.

Holiday Box

It's hard to believe that this box marks the last of the season.  Despite record lows of 18 degrees a few weeks ago, the veggies held on and we packed the boxes with the following:

1. An acorn or a butternut squash
2. 4 lbs. of German Butterball potatoes - great for roasting
3. A head of either Napa, Dutch Late, Famosa (savoy) or Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage
4. A bunch of either red choi or joi choi
5. 2 large daikon radishes - I've heard some people say they combine this with cabbage for slaw or with tuna for a spicy salad.  Some have also been cooking and eating the tops.
6. 1 kohl rabi
7. A bunch of carrots - if there are tops on the carrots, try using them when you make your soup stock.  I often use them when I'm making the gravy stock - throw the giblets in a pot with water, onions, and whatever veggie tops are available, including leek tops, and simmer for a few hours until you're ready to make gravy.
8. A bunch of lacinato kale
9. A bunch of chard - for all of the greens, if you save the stems are a nice addition when you make your turkey soup stock
10. A bunch of small beets - some of the bunches had nice greens
11. A bunch of leeks
12. A rutabaga - some had brussels sprouts or broccoli/cauliflower in place of a rutabaga
13. A few small turnips - the white ones are Hakurei and the purple & white are Purple Top.  Again, greens are edible.
14. A bunch of arugula or a combo bunch of arugula and mustard
15. Either a sachet of celery or parsley
16. Either a pie pumpkin or a Blue Hubbard Squash
17. Drying spicy peppers
18. 4 - 6 tomatoes
19. A handful of red onions
20. A few sweet peppers that held on in storage
21. Herbs, including thyme, sage, cilantro, and rosemary

We hope that you enjoyed the season and look forward to seeing you next year.

Happy holidays to you!

Extended Season - Week Three, November 3, 2010

Despite record lows Sunday and Monday, the veggies are still growing.  Some were frozen solid yesterday morning when I picked so I had to wait until later in the afternoon to harvest everything.  The lettuce is currently icy and I don't know if it will spring back enough to make it into today's box but here's the plan:

1. Kale - either Lacinato or Siberian
2. Choi - it was a bit frozen so it's not perfect but it's still in good shape
3. 1 bunch mustard
4. 1 bunch arugula
5. 1 bunch chard
6. A small amount of cabbage (red or early)
7. 1 daikon radish
8. A bag of salad mix (again, if it made it through last night)
9. A quart or more of tomatoes
10. Some sweet peppers
11. Some spicy peppers
12. A squash - probably acorn
13. A few leeks
14. A head of garlic
15. Misc. herbs that didn't freeze