Week #4, Seven Dry Days

We needed a dry week and finally got it.  Our spring planting schedule was mucked up by a month of rain, so we were more than ready once the rain stopped.  A little desperate, maybe?  We began transplanting last Thursday afternoon on fields just barely dry enough to work.  Those were rough fields!  By Tuesday evening, seven acres were filled with melons, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and Brussels sprouts.  What a relief.  

This was a big effort.  Our stellar crew worked on the weekend plus a few evenings, under threat of more rain.  We try to limit our work schedule to Monday – Friday, but they understood.  We were lucky.  A few forecasted storms didn’t develop as predicted but were a big motivation to work quickly.  We also weeded and harvested everything to feed you this week.  There’s a gentle rain tonight and we are happy.  Beth & Steve

The traffic jam is over.  Last week, these benches and our wagons were overflowing with unplanted seedlings.  

Our Saturday crew transplanted melons, the highest priority for us.  Maybe for you too.

Rolling back row cover from the zucchini and summer squash field.  You can only do this when the covers are dry.  They are already heavy and unwieldy.  Imagine how difficult this would be if the fabric was wet.  It was time to uncover the squash to allow pollination.  We’ll have zucchini in the CSA boxes next week.

The row cover didn’t nurture just the zucchini.  It coddled a carpet of weeds too.

No problem, Raul cleared out the weeds with tractor cultivation.

Tens of thousands of new workers arrived this week.  That joke never gets old.

Veggie List and Veggie Notes
Week #4, June 13/14, 2019
– weekly shares
– every-other-week/ green

Asparagus, 0.4 – 0.5 lb
Kale or collards, 1 bunch
A small lettuce, probably red Romaine
A second small red bibb lettuce OR two small broccoli
White salad turnips, 1 big bunch
Salad radishes, 1 bunch
Kohlrabi, 1 medium
Scallions, 1 bunch
Mint, ~2 sprigs

A few sites get a small broccoli.

Next week’s box will probably contain spinach, snap peas, zucchini, lettuce, scallions and more.  We’re hoping for strawberries and napa cabbage but no promises yet.

Kale or collards – Each site gets either Red Russian kale (flat, green leaves, pink midveins), Redbor kale (ruffled, green with red highlights), or collards (flat leaves, green with waxy sheen).  They can be used interchangeably.  Super nutritious, this first picking of the year is great cooked or used in raw salads.  
Storage: Cover and refrigerate.

Lettuce – Everyone gets two small lettuces OR 1 small lettuce + some broccoli.  The most common combination is red bibb (round head with buttery leaves) plus a red Romaine (slender, dark red leaves).
Kohlrabi (pale green, round vegetable with thick skin) – Crunchy and sweet, kohlrabi is a great addition to salads.
Storage:  Kohlrabi bulbs will store for a month in the refrigerator.
Uses:  Kohlrabi are good peeled and eaten out of hand, or added to sandwiches, or added to salads.  It makes a nice salad on it’s own.  You can grate it, slice it, or cut it into matchsticks.  It’s also good cooked.  If you have it, the Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook has a long list of kohlrabi suggestions.

Mint – You’ll get about two sprigs.  Refrigerate in a small container.  Avoid bruising until you are ready to use it.

Broccoli – Refrigerate in a plastic bag or a container.  Make sure there’s no free water puddled in the bag or container, to avoid rot.  It’s a bad idea to store broccoli uncovered in the fridge; it will wilt.

Kohlrabi

RECIPES

Visit our 2019 Recipe Log or our 2018 Recipe Log or join our Facebook discussion group.

LOCAL THYME/ Comforting Classics
Rigatoni and Kale or Collards al Forno
Cider Braised Pork Shoulder with Salad Turnips
Kohlrabi, Greens and Fontina Frittata
Springtime Salad with Scallion Yogurt Dressing

LOCAL THYME/ Outside the Box Recipes
Barley Salad with Kale or Collards, Radish and Feta
Herbed Steak Salad with Rice Noodles, Salad Turnips and Greens
Lazy Lady’s Pickled Kohlrabi
Aloha Chicken Salad

LOCAL THYME/ Quick & Easy Meal
Curried Kohlrabi Cakes

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RECIPES FROM LAUREN

KALE SALAD & QUINOA SALAD WITH RICOTTA SALATA
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
If you aren’t a big quinoa fan, feel free to leave it out or substitute any favorite grain to take this salad from a side to an entree-sized dish.

Serves 2-3 as a meal or 4-5 as a side salad
Takes 30 minutes

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (or 1-1/2 cups cooked)
1 cup water
1 bunch kale or collards, ribs removed
1 cup diced pecans, toasted and cooled
1 bunch turnip roots, grated (with a cheese grater) or cut into matchsticks
1 bunch radish roots, thinly sliced
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 ounces ricotta salata (if you can find it– if you can’t feel free to use feta or a favorite goat cheese), crumbled
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse quinoa well in a fine-mesh sieve. Place rinsed quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil with a couple pinches of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook at a very low temperature for 15-20 minutes.
2. Stack your de-ribbed kale or collard leaves into a pile as best you can, roll them tightly the long way and cut the roll crosswise into thin ribbons. Roughly chop a few times and then add to a large salad bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients to kale and toss to mix.
3. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small dish, and pour the dressing over the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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KOHLRABI CHICKEN SALAD
I have a real aversion to boneless, skinless chicken breast because I can’t handle eating meat that doesn’t at all resemble the animal from which it came from. I know boneless, skinless chicken breast is by far the most popular cut but I prefer split chicken breast halves. These breasts have bones and skin still attached making them much juicer when cooked. The are also usually much cheaper. It doesn’t really matter too much which cut you use but know that the meat I call for likely takes 10-15 minutes longer to cook than just a plain old chicken breast. If you are using a different cut of meat, go low on the cooking time in the oven and use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s properly cooked.  Lauren.

Takes 1 hour
Makes 8 sandwiches

3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 pounds split chicken breast halves*
2-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
1-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries, currants, cherries or dates
1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
3-4 scallions, trimmed, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Mint, roughly chopped
Lettuce
Croissant or favorite buns, optional

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large heavy pan or cast-iron skillet (anything non-stick and oven-proof will work fine here), warm olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken with 2 teaspoons of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Please in pan and cook for 5 minutes until skin is golden. Flip and cook 5 minutes more on the other side.
3. Place pan in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Again remember that cooking times will vary depending on the cut you ended up using. Use a meat thermometer to get the best and most accurate results. You want it to be at least 165 degrees. Remove from oven place in a bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes while you dice your veggies.
4. Shred chicken right in the bowl, removing bones but leaving the crispy skin in there. Add dried fruit (if using), kohlrabi, scallions and pecans. Stir to combine.
5. In a small bowl combine yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper. Stir until smooth then add to chicken mixture along with mint. Use a spatula to fold sauce into chicken until well-incorporated.
6. Serve at room temperate or chilled on buns (with several pieces of lettuce) or just beds of lettuce. Keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days.

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