Week #7, July 5/6, 2018

Chicken dinner hosted by the Lions Club plus a pie sale. 

Everyone stakes their place to watch fireworks at Lake Leota.

Looking forward to Evansville’s 4th of July celebration brings back memories of our farm search during 1999-2001.  We were renting a farm in Fitchburg but it was time to leave.  That place was for sale at a very high price.  Finding a new farm became my job.  I was working PT in the business and taking care of little Sophie.  The thought of choosing the farm where we would “live for the rest of our lives” was intimidating.  We weren’t choosing just farmland; we were choosing a community to raise our family.  I began visiting rural towns in a radius around Madison, arranging visits with school superintendents, picking up the local paper, and hanging out in the local park to see if anyone would talk to me.  Some towns were quite welcoming.  In others, every head turned as I drove down the street.  Not much going here, eh?

My Evansville visit was promising.  Other moms in the park spoke to me!  The local paper was filled with news of the upcoming 4th of July celebration.  Steve and I decided to visit on the 4th and were blown away.  The park surrounding Lake Leota was filled with families and kids.  There was chicken dinner, and a homemade pie sale, and live music (in a beer tent!) and kids’ games.  Most of these attractions were hosted by local volunteer groups.  The entire town turned out.  We thought “here’s a town that can pull together and create community.”  Eventually we found our farm and it was in the Evansville school district.  The forecast has proven true.  It’s a welcoming place.

Farm News

Charlotte and Maggie wash a bumper crop of cucumbers in shiny new baskets. We won’t lose these baskets in the field.

We worked today, despite the holiday. First, we need to feed you folks.  That’s the deal, right?  Second, we had to get as much field work done before the next rain. Each rainy spell pushes us further behind with weeding and transplanting. It was finally dry enough yesterday to get in the fields. Everyone hustled to transplant while Steve and Raul cultivated. We transplanted the next sweet corn, melons, zucchini, Brussels sprouts and lettuce. That’s a lot. It started pouring this afternoon just as we finished.  Steve is bummed that it rained so hard again. It was a deluge.  I’m relieved we could finish before the storm. We are both thankful for our crew who were willing to work on a holiday. That’s the nature of farming but we appreciate everyone’s efforts.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
July 5/6, 2018
Weekly and green EOW shares

‘Caraflex’ cabbage, 1 or 2
Swiss chard, 1 bunch
Cucumbers, 4+
Zucchini &/or summer squash, 3+ lb
Green bell pepper, 1
Green frying pepper, 1
Purple daikon radish, several
Walla Walla onion, 1 large
Scallions, 1 bunch
Basil, 1 bunch
Some sites get 1 sunflower.
– Some sites get broccoli.
– Some sites get an extra cucumber.

Next week’s box will probably contain cucumbers, Walla Walla onions, zucchini &/or squash, and more.

Caraflex – This is a nice salad-type that we grow in summer.  Don’t you love the pointy shape?  It has thinner, more tender leaves than the usual green cabbage.  Great in salads and slaws but can also be cooked.  Here’s the description from the seed catalogue: “Inner leaves are tender, crunchy, and have an excellent, sweet and mild cabbage flavor.  Perfect for summer salads, slaws, or cooked dishes.”
Swiss chard (pretty bundle of green leaves) – Our crew did a nice job mixing colors for pretty bunches.  Swiss chard is a close relative of spinach, but requires a bit more cooking.  Use as a substitute in any recipe that calls for spinach, just cook the chard a little longer. Both stems and leaves are delicious. The stems requite longer cooking, so cut them free from the leaves when preparing.  That allows you to cook the stems longer.
Cucumbers – Woohoo!  The first cucumbers are ready.  We should have a steady supply for many weeks.  We’re glad to have the first Walla Walla onions to share with the cucumbers.  They are great together in cucumber salad.  We alternate between yogurt cucumber salads and vinegar-based ones.  Storage: Refrigerate but in the warmest part of your fridge.  Cucumbers get chilling injury when stored too cold.
Walla Walla onion – These fat onions are sweet, crisp and very mild.  Wonderful raw or lightly cooked.  Try cutting into wedges, threading on a skewer and grilling.  Do not try to fry these onions – it doesn’t work because of their high water content.  Storage:  It’s OK to store at room temperature for up to one week.  Otherwise, refrigerate.
Purple daikon radish (oblong, purple root) – We began growing these beautiful purple Korean daikon last year.  This variety is lovely both inside and out.  Korean daikon are sweeter and less harsh than the long Japanese types, and can be recognized by their fat, stubby shape.  Storage: Cover and refrigerate.  Uses: These Asian radishes are good cooked or raw.  We often make a sliced radish salad, with Asian-style dressing (rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce, minced garlic). Even a brief marination mellows the radish’s sharpness, although it’s less necessary with these Korean types.  These are good radishes to serve sliced with dip.  Kids and adults are both drawn to the color.  For authentic Korean dishes, check out Maangchi’s website.  She has incredible Korean recipes and videos, including an extensive list of daikon recipes.
Sunflower (for some sites) – This is an experiment.  Sunflowers are one of the few flowers that we can send dry in the CSA boxes.  This cheerful variety is called ‘Vincent’s Choice’ does not produce pollen, making it a good choice to pack with vegetables.  Trim the stem and place in water.  Replace with fresh water every day or two.  It might last 5 – 7 days.

‘Caraflex’ cabbage

Sunflower (for some sites)

RECIPES

Visit our 2018 Recipe Log.
Visit our 2017 Recipe Log.
Join our Facebook discussion group.
Note from Beth:  Both Pat and Lauren have given us recipes that include daikon.  If you want to peruse further, check out Maangchi’s website.  She has incredible Korean recipes and videos, including an extensive list of daikon recipes.

LOCAL THYME/ Comforting Classics
Penne with Chard, Bacon and Feta
Ensenada Slaw with Grilled Tofu Adobo
Cabbage and Daikon Fried Rice
Cucumber, Summer Squash Salad with Turkey, Great Northern Beans and Lemon Basil Dressing

LOCAL THYME/ Outside the Box Recipes
Swiss Chard Falafel with Lemon Tahini Dressing atop a Bed of Cabbage
Cucumber Soup
Curried Daikon
Fish and Cabbage Tacos with Quick Pickled Purple Daikon

LOCAL THYME/ Quick and Easy Meal
Sesame Noodles with Cucumbers and Cabbage

RECIPES FROM LAUREN

GREENS GALORE PIZZA
Inspired by Half Baked Harvest
I love to make a batch of the pizza dough linked below on Sundays and leave it in the fridge until I’m ready to bake some pizza during the week. The dough only gets better with time and easily lasts 5 days in the fridge. And pizza topped with veggies is a great, quick weeknight dinner if you’ve already made the dough.  Lauren.

Takes 45 minutes (if using store-bought crust or have already made the dough in advance)
Serves 2-4

1/2 batch homemade favorite pizza dough (or 1 batch store-bought dough)
4 cups swiss chard, stems removed (and reserved for another use), torn into bite-size pieces
Olive oil for message chard + drizzling
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup basil pesto (store-bought or prepared in advance)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 medium zucchini (or 1 large), shaved into ribbons (drag a vegetable peeler on the side of the zucchini)
1/4-1/2 Walla Walla onion, thinly sliced
6-8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet (or round baking sheet) with olive oil. If using a pizza stone, skip the oil.
2. In a large bowl, add chard along with a drizzle of olive oil as well as salt and pepper. Massage the chard with your hands for 1-2 minutes until well-coated with oil.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough to the size of the pizza pan and transfer dough to pan. Bake for 5 minutes.
4. Spread pesto over the pre-baked crust followed by the parmesan. Add massaged chard then shaved zucchini and onion. Top with mozzarella. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and crust is golden. Add basil leaves and bake 2-3 more minutes.

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CABBAGE & CUCUMBER SALAD

Takes 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

1 Caraflex cabbage, shredded
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
1 cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced
1 daikon radish, quartered and thinly sliced
4-5 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place cabbage in a large bowl and add 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit and release its juices while you chop the other veggies.
2. Add cucumbers, radish and scallions to bowl. Add remaining salt then squeeze lemon over bowl. Toss to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, sugar and pepper. Whisk to combine and pour over veggies. Serve at room temperature or chill for up to 3 days. The longer it sits, the more juicy the mixture will become.

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