Week 1 2016 Summer CSA

Produce for this first full week of summer

June 25 through June 30 2016

Red Leaf Lettuce,  High Tunnel Beets with Greens,  Crispino Iceberg Lettuce,  Red Radishes,  Rainbow  Swiss Chard,  Spinach, and Fresh Dill

Red Leaf Lettuce growing at Eight Mile Creek Farm

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.  Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”

Alan Cohen

We welcome you to the summer CSA season!  We are so excited about you all being a part of our extended farm family and we will look forward to seeing you each week!   We have been working hard preparing, beginning last fall, really, with soil preparation, seed sourcing, crop planning, fencing, seed starting, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating, and finally harvesting.  So, when the produce is finally ready, it is very exciting and rewarding for us.  Coming into our storeroom during harvesting days, it truly looks beautiful!  Produce of varying colors, flowers, and the smell of fresh cut herbs all tell you the work in coordination with Mother Nature, has paid off!  This spring, maybe as a balance from the mild winter, brought a lack of growing days due to colder than normal nighttime temperatures, followed by very dry conditions.  The weather has been good for haying…a bit challenging for growing.  So, we have been busy irrigating and, like the quote above  says, there is no time like the present to begin!  And now that we have begun, it truly does seem like a perfect beginning!

Vegetable Storage

Just a word about your produce.  Everything has been harvested fresh for you, and has been washed.  We recommend a final rinsing before preparing.  Any of the cut greens, such as chard, kale, etc., should be placed with a wet paper towel wrapped around  the stems’ base in a plastic bag and refrigerated.  Any bagged greens, like spinach, salad greens, etc. can be placed in the fridge in the bag you received them in, with the bag slightly opened to allow the greens to “breath  You may also wish to try storing them inside your salad spinner.  Any root veggies, such as carrots, radishes, beets, should be separated from the greens before placing in the fridge.  They are essentially still alive and the greens will  continue to pull moisture up from the root and the root will become less crisp.  Simply cut the greens off just above the root, and store the green as described above in the plastic bag.  If you find you are getting behind and the next pick up is approaching, anything except for lettuce can be blanched quickly for 2-3 minutes in boiling water and stored in the freezer.

We hope you will enjoy all of your fresh produce!

Lemon – Dill Yogurt Dressing

1 cup yogurt, drained for 1 hour in a strainer

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

2 tsp chopped fresh dill

Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a small bowl.  slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly until smooth and slightly thickened.  Fold in the pepper and the chopped dill.  Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.

From Food and Wine

Rows of chard growing in the field on Eight Mile Creek Farm

Sauteed Beets and Greens with Pasta

Scrub beet roots under water and trim.  Separate from stems with a knife.  Dice root and place in a pan with olive oil set on medium heat.  Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted  water to a boil.  Chop beet stems and leaves and add to pan with diced beets.  Saute’, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and place lid on pan.   Add minced garlic.   Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.   When water comes to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente’.  Drain pasta.  Place pasta on serving plates and top with sautéed beets

Calves in field on Eight Mile Creek Farm

Swiss Chard with Garlic and Olive Oil

Wash chard and stack so stems are nestled on top of one another.  Slice stems like you would celery.  Heat a pot over medium with 2-3 Tbsp olive oil.  Add chard stems and cook, stirring frequently, about 3-4 minutes.  Rough chop chard leaves and add to pot along with 2-3 cloves minced garlic.  Stir to coat leaves with oil.  Reduce heat to medium low, place lid on pot, and cook, stirring often, another 4 minutes.  Serve as a side dish or mix with pasta or rice.

other serving suggestions:

add chopped, cooked sweet potato and a scrambled egg,  a handful of cooked black beans, and a splash of hot sauce if desired and use as a filling with a warmed tortilla for a quick and nutritious breakfast or dinner

After a tough start last Saturday,  mom and calf are doing great!

 

Next week…..

Romaine Lettuce,  More Red Leaf Lettuce,  More Beets,  Cilantro,  Baby White Onions

Grazing…if you look at the field beyond the cows, the white there is thousands of wild daisies!!

 

 

Have a wonderful week!