Spring - Week 5, April 18, 2012

Members picked up another box of tasty veggies this week.  Here's the list:

1. A large bunch of radishes
2. A bunch of either daikon radish greens, broccoli raab or beet greens
3. A bunch of leeks
4. A large bag of lettuce
5. A large bunch of spinach
6. A bunch of mustard
7. A bunch of kale
8. A bunch of radicchio (does anyone like this?)
9. A head of garlic
10. Some fresh thyme
11. Some fresh oregano
12. Some fresh rosemary

Spring Season - Week 4

Hello -
It was another week of tasty veggies.  So far the plants are coming through and yields have been strong.

Today we distributed the following:

 (Here's one of the lettuces.  Thanks for posting, Jenny.)

1. A bunch of young choi.  This is so tender that you could eat fresh or cooked.
2. A bunch of arugula - don't forget, the buds are very tasty too.
3. A bunch of escarole.  This looks like lettuce but is bitter in comparison.  Toss this into the end of the cooking process in a saucy dish (like chicken with some broth) or use in a soup.  It's commonly used in Italian cooking.
4. A bunch of mustard - either green (very spicy) or red-veined (milder).  Eat fresh or saute or make a pesto with this.
5. Either parsnips or carrots - the last of the parsnips until next fall and the last of the carrots for a good awhile.
6. A bunch of radishes.
7. A bunch of lettuce - a beautiful bibb lettuce (red and green) or a red romaine or a few heads of crinkly leaf lettuce mixed with romaine.
8. A bunch of chard.
9. A large bag of spinach.
10. Some thyme
11. A head or 2 of garlic
12. Some sorrel.  This is a citrus-flavored herb.  It is commonly used in soup but I didn't distribute enough of it to make soup.  Hopefully in a few weeks you'll receive this in quantity.  In the mean time,  dice this up and toss it into your salad.  A little goes a long way.  Or use it sliced on fish or chicken or rice.

I wish I had taken a picture of it all.  If anyone does, please send it to me and I'll post it.

Thanks & enjoy!

Week 3, Spring Session, April 4, 2012

The veggies distributed today were more in line with typical spring quantities. Don't forget - to revive any wilted greens soak them in cold water for 10 or so minutes.  Store in your salad spinner for maximum storage time.

1. Carrots - these are the last of the hoop house carrots.  They are very large and very sweet.  Enjoy!
2. A bunch of broccoli raab (a/k/a Rapini) mixed with daikon radish greens.  These are surprisingly tasty!  Cut up the entire bunch, saute the larger stem parts first and then add in the greens.  Yum!
3. A nice bunch of beet greens.  These can either be sauteed or eaten fresh.  They are beautiful in a salad.
4. A bunch of kale and/or kale blooms.  Treat as broccoli - eat fresh or cooked.
5. A bunch of arugula.  The blooms are edible too and are quite tasty.  Leave this in a vase on your table and snack on the leaves and blooms/buds over time.
6. A bag of lettuce - either leaf romaine or Black Seeded Simpson (green leaf)
7. A bunch of radishes
8. A bunch of Komatsuna Summerfest or Choi - either of these greens are tasty chopped up and used fresh in a salad - try mixing with the beet greens.  Or you could saute them as well.
9. A bunch of either chives or green onions.  The green onions are from the herb garden and are Multiplier Onions.  Just peel the outer layer if it is brown and that skin will reveal a nice green onion.  I use the entire stalk at this point as it is still tender.
10. A bunch of cilantro.
11. Some thyme
12. A head or 2 of garlic.

Week 2, Spring Session, March 28, 2012

Yesterday's distribution was another large quantity.  I'm distributing a bit more than usual so I hope this doesn't overwhelm people.  If you can't use it all in a week, you can always blanche and freeze it for use later.  Or make a soup and freeze the soup.

1. Parsnips - these were just dug Tuesday.  Use as you would potatoes - roasted or mashed, etc.
2. Spinach - another double bag.  It should be enough to use in cooking.  An interesting idea I recently heard is to toss the greens into your pasta water (maybe in the last minute of the pasta's cooking time).
3. A large bunch of choi.  This is the last of that planting so you won't see this for awhile.
4. A bunch of kale and/or kale blooms.  Treat as broccoli - eat fresh or cooked.
5. A bunch of chard
6. A bag of lettuce - either leaf romaine or Black Seeded Simpson (green leaf)
7. A bunch of mustard - try making pesto, it's really good on sandwiches or as a side with eggs, etc.
8. A bag of salad mix (this is a combo of kale, Yukina Savoy, flowers, escarole (looks like lettuce but it's not), and a little mizuna).
9. A bunch of chives
10. A bunch of cilantro
11. A bunch of parsley
12. A head or 2 of garlic

Enjoy!

Spring - Week 1

The first week of the spring session!  Here is what was distributed:

1. Carrots
2. Spinach (a double-bag)
3. Large bunch of choi
4. A bag of blooms - treat these like broccoli
5. A bunch of chard
6. A bag of lettuce
7. A quart of potatoes
8. A bunch of arugula & mustard - this makes a terrific pesto
9. A bunch of cilantro
10. 1 or 2 spicy peppers
11. 2 large heads of garlic (or 4 small)
12. Optional turnips & Summerfest Komatsuna & garlic

Holiday Box - November 16, 2011

 The holiday box went out yesterday.  It was definitely a two-box pickup.  I was so busy I forgot to take pictures in the beginning but luckily Kathleen reminded me around 5:45.  So many of the veggies had already been picked up but you can still get an idea of what was here.

Toby & Zane - these guys know their veggies!

The spicy pepper and herb section.

Some of the veggies toward the end of pick up.

Sheryl washing parsnips 

The rain on Monday was a big one.  I didn't re-set the rain gauge so I'm not sure how much rain we got but it had to be close to 2".  It made digging the root crops a bit of a challenge.  Sheryl and I had a lot of washing to do and got much of it done Tuesday.  The remainder of the harvest was done yesterday.  Nick, Sheryl and I wrapped up the harvest just as members started to arrive at 3:30.  Here's what we distributed:

1. A bunch of leeks
2. A daikon radish (or 2)
3. A nice bunch of beets with the tops or a bag of baby beets.  These will be great roasted.  Don't forget to remove the tops and store separately from the root.
4. A nice bunch of carrots - also with tops.
5. Up to 2 lbs. of parsnips.  We hope you enjoy these.  They've been in the field since April and have had a lot of care over the year.  Some are really large which was so exciting for us to see.  And they smell fantastic.
6. A kohl rabi
7. One rutabaga and 2 turnips
8. A bunch of brussels sprouts or a bag of broccoli
9. A bag of salad mix - this is mizuna, tatsoi and yukina savoy and lettuce
10. Either kale or mustard
11. A head of napa cabbage
12. 1 pound of sweet peppers - these are still nice and firm - they were recently pulled from the hoop
13. One or 2 acorn squash and a butternut squash or hubbard squash
14. A pound of garlic
15. A pound of onions
16. 5 pounds of potatoes
17. Up to 15 spicy peppers - the pablanos are beauties!
18. Herbs including rosemary, thyme, chocolate mint and sage
19. Either a bunch of parsley or a bunch of celery - the celery is smaller than you are probably used to but it packs a punch in the flavor department.
20. Up to 4 stems of amaranth - use this as a decoration - it will drop seeds (which are edible) so be aware of that in your choice of location.  Some people were recommending a festive entry-way display.

Have a great Thanksgiving.  There really is so much to be thankful for.

Hope to see you all next year!

Fall - Week 4, Nov. 9, 2011

It was another bountiful harvest yesterday.  Here's what we included in the box:

1. Tatsoi - sautee this like you would choi
2. Senposai - this is a mix between cabbage and mustard.  It looks a lot like collards.  We sautee but you could do almost anything with it - soup, wraps, etc.
3. Tomatillos - the last for the season.  They've been in storage & I tried to sort the bad ones out but check to make sure they're firm before you use them.  Give them a good rinse as well.
4. Sweet peppers
5. Spicy Peppers
6. Salad mix - a mix of mizuna, baby lettuce (romaine), tatsoi and yukina savoy.  Yum.
7. Beets
8. Beet greens or chard
9. Parsley
10. Daikon radish
11. Leeks
12. Baby bok choi
13. Garlic
14. Kohl Rabi - we peel, slice & eat fresh with a little salt.  This is "Gigante" so it's supposed to be HUGE (5 - 10 pounds) but it's not that large.  So don't worry about it being too big.
15. Potatoes
16. Herbs including rosemary, thyme, mint & sage

Enjoy!  Next week is the Holiday Distribution.  If you did not receive an e-mail from me earlier this week about the projected box contents, please let me know.