Week #4, June 14/15, 2018

Farm News

I watched Steve slowly relax on Saturday night as the rain began.  He loves gentle rain on Friday or Saturday night, perfect timing so it doesn’t get in the way of field work.  It’s great when it falls from the sky without any irrigation effort from us.  Free water!

We accomplished a lot this week.  Sweet potatoes and winter squash are both in the ground.  It will be a long time until those are ready to harvest but this is the first step.

We have a pretty strawberry field this year.  It’s weed-free and the rows are clear and nicely mulched with straw.  Steve weeded the field last summer with our new finger weeder cultivator.  It really worked.  We planted the field a year ago, took care of it all summer, and will harvest berries this year and next.  Then the field is finished.  Strawberries are big time investment but are worth the effort.  From left, Charlotte, Billy, Kristen and Maggie pick this week’s berries.

Planting sweet potato slips with an old strawberry transplanter.  It’s practically an antique (look at the wheels) but still functions.  This is an easy job but you have to like the people you work with; it’s a snug fit with four people.  From left, Charlotte, Jory, Sena and Kristen.  Raul drives the tractor.

Late prairie burn

We burned our experimental prairie last week.  This is a bizarre time to burn prairie but it’s thought to suppress introduced cool season grasses in favor of native species.  This is an experimental approach.  Our goal is to convert this neglected field to prairie to provide habitat for beneficial insects.  In the process, it’s developed into an engrossing hobby for me.  Steve reviewed this newsletter for me and said “Hmm, there are many more photos of your prairie than of the rest of the farm.”  Yeah, that’s how it is.  Beth

It’s hard to believe that a field this green would burn but it does.  The fire stays close to the ground, burning flammable duff at the soil surface.  The grass leaves remain green but fall over as the fire passes.  

Burn boss Kristen.  She has years of experience with prairie management and burns.  She works for us now, and it’s been great having her here as a resource with this project.

By two days later, the grass leaves had withered.

Then we chopped the dry residue and planted seedlings that I grew in the greenhouse this spring.  Most of the seed is from local prairies.  Over the past year, I volunteered with the local Prairie Bluff chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts (TPE).  We collect seed to expand TPE plantings and I get to keep some for my own use.

Before the burn, I collected monarch butterfly caterpillars and moved them to safety.  There are many this year.

Veggie List and Veggie Notes

Strawberries, 1 scant pint
Sugar snap peas, 0.4 lb
Bok choy, 1
Zucchini & summer squash, ~3 lb
Swiss chard, 1 bunch
Scallions, red or white, 1 bunch
Italian parsley, 1 bunch
Red Romaine lettuce
Rhubarb, ~1.75 lb

Next week’s box will probably contain strawberries, snap & snow peas, zucchini, lettuce, scallions, garlic scapes, and more.

Strawberries! – We’ve been waiting for these.  This first picking is small but more are ripening for next week.
♦ Ripe strawberries are perishable.  Eat them immediately, or store in the refrigerator.  Most berries are quite clean.  If you want to clean your berries, rinse gently.  Don’t soak them, just rinse.
♦ Please recycle your strawberry containers.  We no longer collect them for re-use.  Please don’t return them to your pick-up site.

Sugar snap peas (plump pea pods) – These peas should be eaten pod and all.  They are delicious raw, or very lightly cooked or stir-fried.
Preparation: They will need a quick rinse to remove faded gray blossoms.
Remove the strings before eating: snap off the stem end and pull the string down the concave side of the pod (the inward-curving side).  Throw away the string and eat the pod.
Storage: Refrigerate.

Zucchini & summer squash – It was a very productive squash week, so we’re sending lots.  Zucchini and summer squash need refrigeration but do not do well at very cold temperatures, as they will soften and form pits in their surface. Refrigerate these squash but in the warmest part of your fridge.

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.

Scallions – You will get either red or white scallions.  They can be used interchangeably.  We started growing the red ones because they are so darn pretty.

Parsley – We have harvested flat-leaved Italian parsley for you this week.  It looks a bit different than curly parsley but they are used interchangeably.

RECIPES

Visit our 2018 Recipe Log.
Visit our 2017 Recipe Log.
Join our Facebook discussion group.
Beth’s box logic. 
– We’re sending rhubarb this week because we have the time to harvest it.  Next week will be too busy with time-consuming pea and strawberry harvests, plus the other veggies.  If you want to use your rhubarb in combination with the upcoming strawberries, just freeze it.  Wash, dry, and chop it, then freeze in a plastic bag or any container.  You can use the frozen rhubarb in most baked recipes without thawing.  Of course, it’s ready to use fresh as well.
– I like to pack parsley and scallions together because they combine well in grain salads like tabouleh.  This week, I plan to make a farro salad with snap peas, grilled zucchini, scallions and parsley.  We’ll add lots of lemon-olive oil dressing, then eat it over lettuce.

LOCAL THYME/ Comforting Classics
Flourless Rhubarb-Almond Upside Down Cake
Soba and Bok Choy Stir Fry
Black Eyed Pea and Chard Soup
Wilted Chard with Almonds

LOCAL THYME/ Outside the Box Recipes
Chicken with Lemon Rhubarb Sauce
Grilled Bok Choy
Moroccan Chard and Couscous Stuffed Zucchini
Raw Chard and Rice Noodle Salad

LOCAL THYME/ Quick and Easy Meal
Herbed Ricotta Pesto with Linguine and Summer Squash

RECIPES FROM LAUREN

ZUCCHINI, CHARD & CHICKPEA TACOS
I love this dish over the grill for the char I get, but also because I love cooking outside as much as possible this time of year, but it does require one of those fancy grill pans that could keep small zucchini pieces and chickpeas from falling into the fire. If you don’t have one of those, do the broiler method instead. Both are mentioned below. Lauren.

Makes a lot of little tacos
Serves 6-8 with a side dish (4-6 as a meal)
Takes 30 minutes

2 medium zucchini, cut into strips (about 1/4-inch wide by 3/4-inch long as best you can)
1 (15 ounce can) chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt + pinch or two
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch chard, ribs removed and sliced, leaves rinsed, left wet, and roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 lime
3-4 scallions, sliced
Corn tortillas
3-4 avocados
Sour cream

1. Preheat your grill to medium high or preheat the broiler of your oven.
2. In a large bowl, combine zucchini and chickpeas. Toss with two tablespoons of olive oil until well-coated. Add chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, coriander, and pepper. Toss until zucchini is as evenly coated as possible. Place on a grill pan or baking sheet. If using the grill, cook for 15-20 minutes until charred in spots. If using the oven, broil for 10-15 minutes until charred in spots. I had to do mine on two pans (or in two batches) for the best char.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining two tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Toss the sliced chard stem into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the just rinsed chard leaves (while still wet). The pan will spit and splatter a bit, but don’t worry about it. Add a pinch or two of salt and the red pepper flakes and stir a couple times. Let cook over high heat until wilted. Again, it will char in a couple spots and that’s fine. Squeeze half a lime over the chard once it’s cooked to your liking and remove from heat.
4. Just before serving, toss your corn tortillas on the grill to warm. Serve with grilled zucchini and chickpeas, chard, sliced scallions, a generous amount of avocado and sour cream.

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SPRING COBB SALAD
I love a good cobb salad this time of year when we’re all swimming in lettuce and craving something hearty. I always put bacon, egg and feta cheese on mine but you could certainly also add some cold cuts (turkey and ham are common) or substitute blue or gorgonzola for the feta. The veggies too can be super versatile but I love things that are fresh and crunchy so I put scallions, bok choy stems and sliced snap peas into the mix. Lauren.

Serves 4 as a meal (more as a side salad)
Takes 25 minutes

8 slices bacon, preferably thick-cut
6 eggs
1/2 head lettuce (or approximately 8-12 cups), washed, dried and roughly chopped
4 scallions, white and pale green parts only (dark green tops saved for dressing), sliced
4-6 bok choy stems, sliced
1/3 pound snap peas, ends trimmed and sliced
4 ounces feta, crumbled

Parsley Buttermilk Ranch
Makes 1 cup

4 scallions, dark green tops only
1/2 bunch parsley
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powdder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Cook bacon however you usually do. Or if you want to try what we do at our home, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lay bacon on a baking sheet. Place in oven (right away- before its preheated) and set the timer for 20 minutes. Ta da! Perfect bacon every time. If you did find the thick-cut stuff, it may take more like 26-28 minutes to get it crispy.
2. While the bacon cooks, hard-boil your eggs. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the eggs and cook for 12 minutes. Remove to an ice bath for at least 2 minutes (this will make the eggs easier to peel) and then get to peeling.
3. Then, prepare your dressing. Toss your scallion greens and parsley in the bowl o f a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill. Process until smooth. With the top of the food processor open, drizzle in olive oil until the dressing comes together. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. (This is easiest in a food processor but if you don’t have one you can just finely mince your dark green scallions tops and parsley leaves and combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth).
4. Serve your salad by putting a quarter of the lettuce in each of four bowls. Add cooked bacon, sliced hard-boiled egg, scallions, bok choy stems, snap peas and feta. Drizzle with dressing and serve/eat immediately!

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Week #3, June 7/8, 2018

Farm Updates

Almost all our summer crops are in the ground.  Tomatoes, peppers, melons, greens, zucchini, cucumbers, sweet corn, etc; they are all planted and growing.  We still have winter squash and pumpkins to transplant this week.  After that we move on to seeding fall crops like cauliflower and sweet potatoes.  Soon we’ll spend most of our time harvesting and weeding.  This moment is an annual milestone for Steve.  He really hustles to get the farm ready with tilled cover crops, compost and final tillage to smooth the fields.  This week, he stayed one step ahead of the crew, preparing beds just ahead of the transplant crew.

Steve spreads composted chicken manure to prepare the next melon field.  You can see straw-like cover crop residue which has been chopped and incorporated into the soil, and beginning to decay.  The cover crops feeds our soil microbes and release nitrogen as they decompose.  The chicken compost provides nutrients before the cover crops decay.

This photo shows our next field of lettuce, scallions and cabbage but it also the tapestry of the farm, a mix of planted fields, green crops and tan chopped cover crops.

The colors are beautiful right now!  At top, Steve checks the same lettuce and scallion field late in the day.  At bottom, gorgeous red chard glows in the sun.

We all enjoyed the cooler weather this week.  It’s make our lives much more pleasant.  Above, all hands on deck for the arugula harvest.

We picked the first zucchini for you this week.  The plants are healthy and bursting with sap.  Look how much juice emerged immediately after cutting.

How to wash greens efficiently

Members asked this week how to remove grit from greens like lettuce and spinach.  Here’s our approach.  It works.
1.  We have one kitchen sink so we use a 4 gallon Rubbermaid basin.  Fill halfway with cold tap water.  If you have two sinks, fill one sink partway with cold water.
2.  Chop your lettuce or spinach to the size you wish.
3.  Dump it into the water and swish around gently but thoroughly.
4.  Working in two batches (for average lettuce head) or more batches (big spinach bunches, Romaine), pull handfuls out of the water and drain in the basket of a salad spinner.
5.  After all the greens have been rinsed one time, dump the water.  Rinse the basin and refill with cold tap water.
6.  Repeat the process.
7.  Spin your greens dry and store in a dry container.  They store much better when spun dry.

This works because …
– By pre-chopping the greens, you free soil trapped in the head.
– You are using a large amount of water to wash and dilute away the grit.
– By pulling the greens out of the water, you take advantage of the draining action to pull the grit with it.

I hope this helps!

Veggie List and Veggie Notes

Tomato juice, 1 quart
Romaine lettuce
Asparagus, 0.4 – 0.5 lb
Spinach, 1 medium bunch
Zucchini, 2 – 2.4 lb
Shiitake mushrooms, ~6 oz
White salad turnips & greens, 1 bunch
Radishes, 1 bunch
Arugula (spicy!), 1 bunch
Scallions, 1 bunch
Green garlic, 2 stalks

Next week’s box will probably contain kale, lettuce, zucchini, scallions and more.

Tipi tomato juice – We had this juice bottled from our tomatoes last summer.  It’s a great way to capture ripe tomatoes at peak season, at a moment when we are swimming in tomatoes.  Drink it or try making an easy soup.  Simmer diced zucchini in the juice.  Add spinach, minced scallions and green garlic near the end of cooking.  Voila!  Soup!
Storage: Store the juice out of sunlight at room temperature when unopened.  Refrigerate after opening.  The juice is already seasoned so do not add salt if you cook with it.
Ingredients: organic tomatoes from Tipi Produce, salt, organic garlic, organic onion, organic black pepper.  I’ve posted the nutritional information here.
Romaine lettuce – It’s a robust head of lettuce this week!  We plan to make lettuce wraps and Caesar Salad this week.
Asparagus – This is the final asparagus.  It was a short season but we need to let the plants regrow and replenish their root reserves for next year.  We had trouble with weeding last year and it showed up in this year’s small harvests.  The hot spell did not help.  We’ll coddle the plants well this summer.
Zucchini & summer squash – The first picking!
Shiitake mushrooms – These are from Hidden Valley Mushrooms, the same people who grew last week’s button mushrooms.  Most years, we buy portobellos for this box but decided to try the shiitakes instead because I think they will combine well with the spinach and green garlic.  These must be cooked.  A small subset of people can have a toxic reaction to raw or undercooked shiitakes.  Once cooked, they are harmless.  And tasty!
Storage: Refrigerate in a paper bag.  These are perishable so use soon.  Lightly sauce in butter and add to any dishes.  I used mine this week in a a frittata (favorite Smitten Kitchen recipe below), as well as sauteed and mixed into pasta salad.  Sauteed shiitakes and spinach are a great toppings for rice bowls, e.g. bibimbap.
Arugula – This arugula is very spicy, a legacy of the recent hot weather.  I suggest that you add it to other dishes in small amounts, either raw or cooked.  That helps dilute the heat but you still get the arugula flavor.
Scallions (bundle of green onions) – These are useful raw or cooked.  Thinly-sliced raw scallions can be folded into biscuit dough or sprinkled on top of soups or salads.  Terrific garnish for pasta dishes.  Think pad thai.  We will send both scallions and green garlic so see photo below.

Green garlic (left) and scallions (right) look so much alike!  Distinguish them this week by whether the leaves are trimmed (green garlic) or untrimmed (scallions).  They smell very different too.  However, it’s not a crime if you interchange them in recipes.  The green garlic leaves are increasingly fibrous; use just the white and pale green sections.  You can use scallions all the way to the tips.  You will get just two green garlic stalks this week and they probably be loose not bundled.

RECIPES

Visit our 2018 Recipe Log, a week-by-week list of 2018 recipes.
Visit our 2017 Recipe Log, a week-by-week list of last year’s recipes.

Beth’s Favorite Frittata Recipe
Smitten Kitchen has a terrific, easily adapted frittata recipe.  The egg to milk ratio and the cooking times are perfect.  I’ve made the recipe several times, starting with frozen roasted peppers and early spinach, then moving on to asparagus, spinach, mushrooms and green garlic.  I tried shaving the asparagus (as in the recipe) but find it easier to just save a handful of cooked asparagus to use with this recipe.  Sautee the mushrooms in the pan, remove, then proceed to the recipe.

LOCAL THYME/ Comforting Classics
Zucchini Scallion Fritters
Asparagus, Salad Turnip and Shiitake Stir-Fry
Asparagus and Arugula Frittata
Honey Braised Radishes

LOCAL THYME/ Outside the Box Recipes
Greek Stewed Zucchini with Tipi Tomato Juice
Grilled Shiitake Mushroom Salad on Arugula with Ponzu Dressing
Chicken Positano with Arugula and Tomato Juice Dressing 
Blackened Catfish with Radish Raita

LOCAL THYME/ Quick & Easy Meal
CousCous Salad with Arugula, Radish and Feta

LAUREN/ Spring Harvest Grain Salad
I fell in love with grain salads last summer thanks to a beautiful Bon Appetit recipe that featured loads of herbs, steamed veggies, raw veggies and a tangy, sweet, salty dressing. I had never had such a variety of textures and flavors in one bowl of food. I’ve been experimenting with those elements every since. Since there aren’t herbs in your box this week I used arugula, scallions and green garlic as the “herbs”. You could easily add a whole lot more than I used here so make as instructed, taste and then add more greens if you desire.  Lauren

Serves 4-8 depending on whether it’s a meal or a side
Takes 30 minutes

1 cup quinoa
1-1/4 cup beef broth
1/3 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (spears halved if larger)
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces shitakes, sliced
2 green garlic stalks, white and pale green portions only, minced
1/2 cup (or more) arugula
1 cup (or more) spinach
3-4 scallions, ends trimmed, sliced
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
1-3 avocados, optional

1. This first step is my fool-proof method for making quinoa (learned from I am a Food Blog). If you have your own tried and true method, feel free to do that instead and ignore this first step. Rinse your quinoa is a fine-mesh strainer. Add to a medium saucepan and toast over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant but way before it begins to burn. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner and leave the cover on for 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, steam your asparagus for 5 minutes until just tender (but still crisp). I don’t have a steamer so I put a metal colander with handles in a stock pot and cover it to get that steamed effect.
3. Then in that same stock pot (if you used one), drain the asparagus water and melt butter over medium heat. Add shitakes and green garlic. Saute for 7 minutes until mushrooms begin to release their juices and are cooked but not too soft.
4. Combine your quinoa, asparagus, mushrooms, and green garlic together in a large bowl.
5. Cut your greens into a delicate chiffonade (roll a stack of leaves and slice them thinly; then roughly chop the thin strands of greens) and add them to your bowl with the scallions.
6. In a small bowl combine oils, vinegar, tamari and maple syrup. Whisk until smooth. Pour over salad and stir to combine. Serve at this temperature or cold with avocado slices or cubes on top.

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LAUREN/ Radish & Turnip Yogurt Salad
This dish is just screaming to be served next to a nice juicy cut of steak or something else delicious just off the grill. It is cold and refreshing with just enough spice and bite. It’s also incredibly simple and even simpler if you have a mandolin (which makes for very easy slicing) and coming together in 10 minutes flat.  Lauren.

Serves 4-6 as a side
Takes 10 minutes (less with a mandolin)

1 bunch radishes, ends trimmed and greens removed, sliced as thin as you can
1 bunch turnips, ends trimmed and greens removed, sliced as thin as you can
3-4 scallions, ends trimmed and sliced
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl combine sliced radishes, turnips and scallions together.
2. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and yogurt has thinned a bit.
3. Toss yogurt dressing over veggies.***

***If you don’t plan to eat this all at once, just toss enough dressing to coat the veggies you plan to eat tonight. This doesn’t store well as the dressing gets a little runny. I store the veggies and dressing separately in my fridge if there are leftovers.
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Week #2, May 31/June 1, 2018

June 1 check reminder

Many of you paid us with checks dated to June 1.  We will deposit the checks on Monday June 4.

Fast-moving week

The heat this week was ridiculous.  Perhaps you noticed.  Madison set a record with four days in the 90’s.  We are proud of our work crew – they soldiered through, drinking lots of water and gatorade and taking breaks in the shade.  Even seasoned farmhands (like most of our crew) have to re-acclimate to hot weather.  

The heat wave advanced most of our crops.  We’ve quickly switched from running behind schedule to running ahead of schedule.  It is head spinning.  This week’s box contains next week’s spinach, escarole and mint.  In turn, some of the following week’s crops will be ready next week (lettuce field #2, zucchini).  We lost a few spring plantings that couldn’t handle the heat: radishes, some spinach, and the new Abyssinian mustard we planted.  We have more radish and spinach plantings and will see how those younger plants fare.  The asparagus did not respond well to the hot weather.  We’ll harvest again next week but then have to decide whether to end the asparagus season early to let the plants recover and store root reserves for next year.  We’ll let you know.
Bright spots of the week:  It was a big relief when the temperatures dropped.  It rained gently on Wednesday.  The heat-loving crops grew a lot (tomatoes, peppers, squash).  Our mama farm cat moved her kittens back into the garage where we can tame them.  Life is good again.

Top; the strawberry field is blooming beautifully.  You can see young berries forming in the bottom photo.  Steve thinks the first berries might be ready in two weeks but that’s a guess.

The zucchini and summer squash fields loved the heat!  These should be ready to pick next week.

Veggie List and Veggie Notes
May 31/June 1, 2018 (Thurs/Fri sites)
Week #2, purple EOW and sun Sampler

Remember, we list storage, prep and cooking information on each vegetable the first time we pack it in the CSA boxes.  See last week’s newsletter for info on asparagus, spinach, lettuce, green garlic and rhubarb.  If we have special instructions or insights to offer, we’ll list them here.  For example, I’ve included freezing instructions for rhubarb.

Asparagus, 0.6 lb
Escarole, 1
Spinach, 1 big bunch
Button mushroom, 12 oz
Red leaf lettuce
White salad turnips & greens, 1 bunch
Green garlic, 1 bunch
Mint, 1 sprig
Rhubarb, ~1.75 lb

Next week’s box will probably contain kale, lettuce, white salad turnips, scallions, shiitake mushrooms and more.

Escarole (large head of wavy green leaves) – This member of the chicory family can be eaten raw or cooked.  Its slightly bitter flavor is a good addition to mixed salads.  It is excellent cooked alone or mixed with other greens.  It cooks quickly, but not as quickly as spinach.  Cover and refrigerate.

Button mushrooms – These organic mushrooms are from Hidden Valley Mushrooms from Wisconsin Dells.  We buy mushrooms from Mary every year; they are a great addition to spring salads and quiches.  Here are Mary’s suggestions for storing the mushrooms.  Store separate from leafy greens, which hasten mushroom aging.  If storing for more than a few days, remove from the box and store in a paper bag with holes punched in the side.  Keep dry.  Don’t wash to clean, just wipe with a damp cloth.

White salad turnips (bunched white roots with green tops) – I know that returning members look forward to these sweet and delicious turnips, which taste nothing like the turnips that are harvested in fall.
– Storage: Cover and refrigerate.
– Uses: Both the turnip roots and tops are edible.  The roots are excellent raw; Slice and add to salads.  They can be cooked and are especially good when lightly sauteed in butter.  Stir as little as possible so they brown on at least one side.  The turnips greens are excellent cooked.  Treat them like mustard greens.
– Our favorite use:  Slice the roots very thinly and combine with a mixture of rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil.  Eat immediately or marinate.

Mint – Everyone gets one sprig with about 6 to 8 leaves.  Refrigerate in a small container.

Rhubarb – Remember, rhubarb is easy to freeze.  Simply chop and freeze in a freezer bag.  It does not need to be blanched.  When it’s time to bake, just add the frozen rhubarb to your batter.  You’ll need to cook baked goods a few minutes longer, e.g. about 5 minutes longer for a cake in a 9 x 13 pan.

RECIPES

Visit our 2018 Recipe Log, a week-by-week list of 2018 recipes.
Visit our 2017 Recipe Log, a week-by-week list of last year’s recipes.
Beth’s box logic: The mint sprig is small but we included it specifically so you can make spring rolls with mint, spinach or lettuce, plus a few spears of cooked asparagus.  We usually add strips of marinated cooked tofu but shrimp are good if you have them.  
– Here’s a useful recipe for how to handle the rice paper wrappers: Rainbow Vegetable Spring Rolls.  
– Use any vegetables you like. 
– We make a dipping sauce of soy sauce + rice vinegar + thinly sliced scallions or green garlic.  It’s easier to dip or spoon the sauce into your spring rolls as you eat them, rather than adding the sauce to the rolls as described in the recipe.

LOCAL THYME/ Comforting Classics
Asparagus and Spinach Pasta Salad with Feta
Wilted Escarole with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Farro Salad with Salad Turnips, Turnip Greens, Mint and Walnuts
Shaved Asparagus and Maple Mint Salad

LOCAL THYME/ Outside the Box Recipes
Green Curry Shrimp Soup with Spinach and Salad Turnips
Escarole, Salad Turnip and Apple Salad
Pan Seared Chicken with Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Sauce
Rhubarb Mint Vinaigrette

LOCAL THYME/ Quick and Easy Recipe
Spinach Frittata with Turnip Greens

Recipes from Lauren

SPRING SALAD WITH TURNIPS & LEMON CREAM
Every winter I get a new cookbook focused on vegetables to expand my repertoire of recipes and every year I am surprised by the variety of textures and flavors I discover within familiar foods. Re-discovering vegetables in new ways is my favorite thing about cooking. Inspired by Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons cookbook, this recipe made me fall back in love with spring lettuces and salads. The lemon cream dressing is delicate and feminine really letting the fresh lettuce and floral turnip flavors take center stage. Enjoy! Lauren

Serves 4-6
Takes 20 minutes

1 bunch turnips
1/2 head red leaf lettuce, rinsed and dried well
5-10 fresh mint leaves, torn
1/2 cup lemon cream dressing (below)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup salted roasted sunflower seeds

1. Remove the greens from the turnips. Wash, remove any yellowed pieces and pat dry. Roughly chop and add to a large bowl. Roughly chop lettuce and add to bowl. Trim the ends off the turnips and very thinly slice them (use a mandolin if you have one). Add the sliced turnips to the bowl of greens along with the mint leaves.
2. Prepare the lemon cream dressing (below) and add to greens. Use your hands to evenly distribute the dressing (though tongs may also work). Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
3. Top with sunflower seeds.

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Lemon Cream Dressing
Makes 1 cup

2-3 green garlic, quartered and sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a small bowl combine garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add cream, followed by salt and pepper. Whisk to combine until it starts to thicken then add olive oil. Continue whisking until dressing gets a bit lighter and airy. Use within a day of making.

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SHAVED ASPARAGUS, SPINACH & MUSHROOM QUICHE

One 9-inch quiche
Serves 4-6
Takes 50 minutes

1 batch favorite pie dough (this makes two servings) or a store-bought pie crust
2 tablespoons butter
12 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 bunch spinach, leaves torn or roughly chopped
1-1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1/2 pound asparagus, shaved
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. If you made your pie dough from scratch, pre-bake the crust with pie weights for 15 minutes. If you are using a store-bought crust, follow package directions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute for 5-10 minutes until just beginning to release their juices then add the spinach. Stir to combine and cover. Turn off the heat but leave pan on burner for five minutes just to steam the spinach. Add shaved asparagus along with remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine and then pour into pre-baked crust.
4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, cream and milk. Whisk until smooth then add Parmesan. Pour over asparagus mixture. Shake pan to even out the filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.

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Week #1, Let’s start!

Welcome to our CSA!  Deliveries begin this week for weekly members and for green every-other-week (EOW) members.  Go here to check the delivery schedule for other shares.

Things you need to know.

♦  We post this newsletter/blog each Wednesday night, with a list of veggies for the week, quantities, information about storage and preparation, news of the farm, recipes, and a forecast for the next week’s box.  We alert you by email on Wednesday night once the newsletter is posted and ready to read.
♦  Want earlier notice of what will be in the box?  Check the sidebar on our website homepage around 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.  I’ll post the list under “Box Contents.”  I also provide a tentative list for the following week in the Veggie List section of this newsletter.  The next week’s list is rarely complete but the items listed are ones we feel confident about.
♦  EOW, sampler and weekly members, we assume you read all the newsletters, even on your “off” weeks.  This newsletter (and our emails to you) are our means to communicate with you.
♦  The first few boxes of the season are often the lightest.  EOW members, do not worry that you have signed up for the wrong share.  Our deliveries get heavier and more abundant as the season progresses.
♦  We will sometimes write “OR” in the produce list, e.g. green leaf OR red bibb lettuce.  You will receive one of these crops.  All the boxes at each site are identical; we pack the same crops for all the members at each site.  Please don’t open other members’ boxes.
♦  Wash your produce well this week to remove grit.  It has rained a lot lately, driving grit into the asparagus and anything that forms a head (lettuce, bok choy, spinach).  Our crew took extra care with washing but expect to wash everything.  You should always wash your produce!
♦  On Thursday, we deliver CSA boxes to Evansville, Fitchburg, Madison, McFarland, Middleton and Oregon.
♦  On Friday, we deliver CSA boxes to Brookfield, Janesville, Mequon, Milwaukee, Waukesha and Wauwatosa.

A Tricky Spring Decision

In mid-April, we had to decide whether to transplant our precious greenhouse seedlings the day before a predicted snow storm.  Seems crazy, right?  Why not just wait?  Well, we were already two weeks behind schedule, the plants were growing actively and our greenhouses were completely full.  We had a CSA schedule to meet!

We decided to plant.  As a rule, we use every opportunity to plant and transplant in late March and early April.  If the ground gets soaked, it can take a long time to dry.  We use row cover (a lightweight fabric) as an insurance policy, to moderate the cold and wind and to gather the sun’s warmth.  This is a situation where experience is so helpful.  We’ve been through this before and have yet to lose a crop by putting it out too early.  Of course, we did wait for the 15 degree nights to pass before transplanting.  That’s just common sense.

Our greenhouse seedlings are precious.  It takes 6 to 8 weeks for them to grow to transplanting size, which means that we cannot replace them.

We transplanted on a beautiful sunny day, and covered the plants with floating row cover.  It snowed the next day, weighing down the plants and freezing the row cover to the ground.

The plants did fine.  The row cover makes a nice shelter and traps heat from the ground.

The row cover was seriously beaten up by the weather.  We patched it together because we did not want to replace it with a new $300 piece.  Your bok choy has some insect damage as a result; the flea beetles snuck in through the holes.

Otherwise, everything did very, very well.

Harvest day!

The happy resolution to the story.

Veggie List and Veggie Notes
May 24/25, 2018 (Th/Fri sites), week #1, green EOW

Asparagus, ~1 lb
Spinach, 1 big bunch
German Butterball potatoes, 3.5 lb
Green leaf lettuce
Salad radishes, 1 bunch
Green garlic, 1 bunch
Bok choy, 1 large
Rhubarb, 2 lb

Next week’s box will probably contain asparagus, spinach, button mushrooms, lettuce,  green garlic, Abyssinian mustard, rhubarb and more.

Asparagus – Enjoy this spring treat!  Your asparagus will be green or purple.  The purple variety turns dark green when cooked.  Its flavor is almost identical to normal green asparagus.  Wash your asparagus thoroughly to remove hidden grit.  Submerge in water with the tips pointing down, soak briefly, then swish vigorously and pull out of the water.  The draining action helps pull the grit out of the asparagus tips.  Repeat several times.
Storage: Asparagus is perishable, so eat it as soon as possible.  Store it in the paper bag we packed it in, and wrap loosely in a plastic bag.  The paper bag protects the asparagus tips from direct contact with the plastic bag.  The plastic bag keeps the asparagus from wilting.
Preparation: We snap our asparagus at harvest, rather than cutting.  Therefore, there is no need to snap the stalks to remove fibrous ends.  For the same reason, it is not necessary to peel the asparagus stalks.  It’s OK to trim the cut end a bit.
Cooking:  If your asparagus stalks vary greatly in size, you will want to cook the thicker ones longer.  Put an empty steamer pot over water, and bring the water to a boil.  Add the asparagus.  Cover and steam over medium heat until just tender.  Use two forks or a spatula to turn the asparagus during cooking, rotating the bottom spears to the top.  Drain and serve.  Alternatively, you can lay spears flat in the bottom of a broad pan, with ½ inch of water.  Also excellent broiled or grilled.  Good dressed with vinaigrette, or with lime juice, salt and pepper.

German Butterball potatoes –  Please refrigerate these potatoes.  They are in great shape now but will sprout within days if stored at room temperature.  They’ve been stored all winter and want to grow.  Store in a paper bag to protect from light, even in the fridge.  We grow everything we send in our CSA boxes except potatoes, some of the garlic, and mushrooms, all of which we buy from organic growers that we trust.  We purchased these potatoes from Jesse Perkins at Vermont Valley Farm.  German Butterballs are good all-around potatoes with outstanding flavor.  This variety was the first place winner in Rodale’s Organic Gardening “Taste Off.”  Best uses are roasted, boiled or fried.  With the predicted weather this weekend, you might want to make potato salad!  Jesse says the potatoes have a higher sugar content because of starch to sugar conversion during cold storage.  The potatoes taste a bit sweet, and will blacken slightly when fried.  It’s a harmless color change due to the sugar conversion.

Lettuce and spinach – Wash your greens to remove grit splashed into the heads by rain.  Cut to the size you like, submerge in water, swish gently, then pull from the water and drain in a colander.  Some weeks, you will need to repeat in fresh water.
Storage hint – To extend the storage life of your tender greens, wash them, dry in a salad spinner, then store in a dry container or bag.  Lettuce and spinach last much longer when handled this way.

Bok choy (large rosette with thick white stems and green leaves) – This Asian green is good for stir-frying or sautéing or in soup.  You can think of the stems and leaves as two separate vegetables.  The stems require longer cooking.  The leaves will cook almost as quickly as spinach.  Bok choy stores well, so feel free to pull off leaves as you need them, or use the whole head at once.  Refrigerate in a plastic bag.

Green garlic (looks like scallions, tastes like garlic) – Last fall, we planted garlic cloves that grew into the stalks we harvested this week.  If left to grow until mid-summer, the slim white bulb on this week’s garlic will divide and form the usual cluster of cloves in a garlic bulb.  This year’s green garlic is robust.
Preparation: Green garlic is more pungent than scallions, so slice thinly and use sparingly when raw.  It mellows when cooked.  Chop and add to any cooked dish that would benefit from garlic.  Use the white bulbs and pale green stems.  Avoid the dark green stems and leaves, as these are fibrous.

Rhubarb – Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  FYI, 2 lb of rhubarb yields 6 – 6.5 cups when chopped.
Stewed rhubarb:  This is the simplest way to prepare rhubarb.  Chop rhubarb into one inch chunks.  Stir over medium heat with a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan.  The rhubarb will release moisture as it cooks.  Stew until it softens and falls apart.  Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar.  Eat warm on its own, over vanilla ice cream, on pancakes, etc.

Recipes from chef Pat Mulvey at Local Thyme

Comforting Classics
Spinach Salad with Pan Seared Asparagus, Steamed Potatoes, Chickpeas and Oven Poached Egg
Pureed Potato and Asparagus Soup with Spinach
White Bean Stew with Potato and Bok Choy
Rhubarb Compote with Fresh Ricotta

Outside the Box Recipes
Grilled Pizza with Wilted Spinach and Shaved Asparagus
Saag Paneer
Rhubarb Glazed Bok Choy and Radish
Spatchcocked Chicken and Potatoes with Rhubarb Butter

Quick and Easy Recipe
Classic Warm Spinach Salad

Recipes from Lauren

BEEF & GREENS STIR FRY WITH RHUBARB SAUCE
Not many people realize that rhubarb is as amazing in savory dishes as it is in desserts.  Just like citrus, rhubarb lends a complex acidity and sweetness to dishes.  I love to use rhubarb in Asian style recipes with powerful flavors that can balance it (like toasted sesame oil and soy sauce).  Whip up this dish for a quick weeknight meal and remember why you waited so long for fresh produce.  Lauren.

Serves 4.
Takes 45 minutes.

1 large head Bok Choy
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
1/2 pound spinach
2 cups rhubarb, diced
3 green garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound raw flank steak, cut into strips
2 cups cooked rice
Toasted sesame seeds, optional

1. If you don’t have cooked rice in the fridge, begin your rice according to package directions.
2. Remove individual leaves from the bok choy and thoroughly wash. Thinly slice the stalks (like you would celery). Roughly chop the leaves and keep in a separate pile from the stalks.
3. In a large wide saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil with 2 tablespoons water over medium heat. Add bok choy greens and spinach and toss with oil and water to coat. Cover pan and steam for 5 minutes until just wilted. Remove greens from pan with tongs and set aside. Leave juices in pan.
4. Add 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, rhubarb, green garlic, soy sauce, white sugar, honey, garlic powder and red pepper flakes to the same pan you cooked greens in. Simmer gently (and reduce mixture) over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, adding a tablespoon or two of water if it gets too thick. Remove sauce to a small bowl and again, don’t wipe out your pan.
5. Add last tablespoon of toasted sesame oil to the pan along with bok choy stalks and steak. Cook over medium high heat 5-7 minutes until meat is cooked through. Add sauce and greens back to pan. Stir to combine and cook for about a minute, just to warm. Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds, if using.

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SPRING HASH
Ingredients adapted from Smitten Kitchen recipe
I have no shortage of amazing asparagus recipes in my repertoire but for some reason or another, I come back to this one every year. I love the combination of smoky bacon and fresh tender asparagus, but I also love the versatility and heartiness of this dish created by Smitten Kitchen. This time around I added green garlic and radishes. It’s a perfect place to hide radishes if you aren’t a huge fan. Cooked radishes don’t taste all that different from a potato and you’ll relish the slight spice and bite they bring. Enjoy!  Lauren.

Serves 4 depending what you serve with it.
Takes 45 minutes.

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cups potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup radishes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 green garlic, thinly sliced
0.90 – 1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet or other large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bacon, turning it frequently so it browns and crisps evenly. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Leave the heat on and the bacon grease in the pan.
2. Add the potatoes and radishes and donít move them for a couple minutes. Use this time to season them well with salt and pepper. Once theyíve gotten a little brown underneath, begin flipping and turning them, then letting them cook again for a few minutes. The idea is not to fight them off the frying pan, once theyíve gotten a little color, itís easier to flip them and youíve gotten closer to your goal of getting them evenly browned.
3. When the potatoes and radishes are as crisped and brown as youíd like them ó this takes about 20 minutes ó add the green garlic and asparagus. Stir to combine and then add a lid. (It doesnít have to fit perfectly). Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes (thin spears of asparagus will take closer to 5 minutes, thick spears will take a bit longer) until asparagus is softened. Remove the lid, return the bacon to the pan for another minute, to reheat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
4. Serve immediately with a fried egg on top and maybe a small salad of lettuce and thinly sliced radishes on the side.

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Spring news

If you haven’t enrolled yet, we encourage you to sign up during the next two weeks.  We need to know whether to plant for you!  
– Returning Tipi CSA members, go here to enroll.
– New Tipi CSA members, go here to enroll.

CSA Updates (revised 4/14/18)

– We plan to delay our first CSA delivery by one week because of the cold spring weather.  The plants have to grow!  We’ll announce the delivery schedules during the first week of May.  Watch for emails from us then.
– A few members have contacted me in search of someone to split a CSA share.  If you are in the same situation, tell me your pickup site and I will try to match-make.
– Rebates for CSA share purchases are available to some people insured by the WEA Trust State Health Plan.  The rebate is $100 for individual plans and $200 for family plans.  Read more here.

Toasted Orzo Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Celeriac and Carrots

We are soooo close to our spring produce.  Let’s enjoy the last of our lingering winter stash, and start thinking about spring recipes.  Here is my current favorite winter recipe, which should adapt easily to spring or summer produce.  Soon, I’ll try the dish with steamed asparagus and minced green garlic added to the lemon dressing.  Olive oil is repeated multiple times in the ingredients list because it’s used in several steps.  The rich fragrance of this dish comes from toasting the orzo and from the sumac spice.  It’s worth hunting up sumac if you can find it.  (I bought mine at Basics Coop in Janesville.)  *Otherwise, substitute with paprika.  Beth
Adapted from Food52.

Vegetables
1-1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1 medium celeriac
2 large carrots
olive oil

Dressing ingredients
4 tsp dijon mustard
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 medium shallots, minced

Pasta
2 cups orzo
1 Tbsp olive oil

Spices.  Combine in a small bowl.
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sumac*
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted and crushed

Toppings
3 – 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
roasted cashews or your favorite nut

1.  Heat the oven to 425^o.
2.  Peel the celeriac and carrots.  Dice the sweet potatoes, celeriac and carrots into bite-sized pieces.
3.  Oil a baking sheet (or two sheets).  Keeping the vegetables separate by type, toss with olive oil and spread into a single layer.  
4.  Roast, turning once, until fork-tender and blackened in spots.  The sweet potatoes will be ready in 20 – 25 minutes, the carrots and celeriac might take longer.
5.  Make the dressing.  Put the lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a pint jar.  Mix with a fork, then add the oil in a slow stream and whisk to combine.  Add the minced shallot.  Set aside.
6.  In one pot, bring 6-8 cups water to a boil.  In a second pot, stir the dry orzo over medium heat until it is lightly browned and smells toasty.  Turn off heat, wait 30 seconds, then add the boiling water.  Watch out for steam!  Be ready to stir!  Turn the heat back on and cook until al dente.  Drain, transfer to a mixing bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
7.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the orzo and combine.  Add the dressing and combine.  Add the roasted veggies and mix gently.  Transfer to bowls and top with feta and cashews.

Hints to speed the process
– Make the spice mixture in advance and store in a sealed jar.
– You can prep the dressing the morning of.  The minced shallots pickle nicely in the dressing.

Farm News

The sunny greenhouses are my favorite place.  Above, Steve checks lettuce seedlings.  In a normal year, we might have transplanted two weeks ago.  Instead, we waited until the cold nights were over.  We’ve experimented over the years with how much cold these early seedlings can handle.  They are pretty resilient, and can tolerate temperatures down to about 20^o if protected with floating row cover.  The recent 11 and 14 degree nights were just too risky.  

We transplanted lettuce, spinach, scallions and bok choy on Wednesday.  The time was right; we needed to get the plants in the ground before this weekend’s rain.  Everything is sheltered under row cover and will be fine, even if it snows.  From left, Charlotte, Raul and Kristen feed lettuce seedlings into the transplanter.  Maggie checks the planting depth.  Steve comes to see how the job is progressing.  Wow, it felt great to get so many plants in the ground.

From left, Simone, Kerry and Maggie move pepper seedlings into larger pots.

We’re raising an army of bell peppers.  Chiles and Italian peppers get planted this coming week.

Lush, beautiful onion seedlings.

Steve planted cold-hardy spinach, radishes, arugula and sweet salad turnips outside weeks ago.  The seedlings have slowly emerged.  They are covered with floating row cover for protection and to warm the soil on sunny days.

I am apprenticing with the local Prairie Enthusiasts to learn fire management.  It is both fascinating and scary.  Healthy caution is a good idea, right??  We are raising prairie plants from seed I collected with the Enthusiasts last summer.  The seedlings will go into our expanding habitat to support pollinators and beneficial insects.  I love this project.  Beth