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52 Lowell Street, Lexington, MA
Wed – Fri: 2 pm – 7 pm; Sat: 9 am – 5 pm; Sun: 10 am – 4 pm
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Week of June 25, 2014 (Week #3)
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What's In Your Share This Week
In the Farm Stand
- Kale: we’ll be picking Winterbor, Red Russian and Toscano varieties
- Escarole: Last harvest of the chicory family until late summer.
- Scallions: we’ve got one more week of this delicious spring allium
- Carrots: first harvest! These carrots have been the most weed-free we’ve ever seen, thanks to our drop-in volunteers and farm crew.
Pick Your Own Crops This Week
- Snap Peas
- Parsley
- Basil: first pick, so it will be just a couple stems per share
We do our best to predict what will be available but the CSA newsletter hits the press before the week's harvest begins. That means that sometimes you'll see vegetables at the stand that aren't on the list, and sometimes vegetables on the list are not actually ready for harvest.
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Notes from the Field
On the Horizon
We knew it was coming: the long, chilly spring would quickly become summer, with long hot days that bring vitality to both cultivated crops and weeds alike. We’ve gotten that, mostly. Nights have stayed a bit chilly lately and the early summer squash and zucchinis are staying the same cute, little size they’ve been since last Friday. Every morning lately we’ve been taking a stroll over to the squash beds, hoping the previous night was when they decided to take off and grow. Not yet. Then, we stroll over to the napa cabbage, the beets, the salad turnips, hoping the same thing. Not yet. Turns out, none of these beauties are on our timetable. They’re taking their own sweet time growing to the size that we want them to be. Granted, we were delayed on getting some of these things in the ground because it was so cold and wet in April. But it’s hard to keep the recent past in mind when we are anxious for these crops to be in our farm stand and on our tables and when we’ve been enjoying these beautiful, dry, warm days of the past week. All of this is to say, we’re looking at one more week of a greens-heavy share before we get into some of the more hearty spring vegetables. On the horizon, we’ll see beets, napa cabbage, salad turnips and maybe even some fennel in the share. Until then, we’re thankful to have such beautiful swiss chard, kale and escarole to send home with you all!
Enjoy the harvest,
Erinn, Dan & the crew
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Featured Vegetable: Radishes and Salad Turnips
 Radis, Beurre et Sel
This recipe stipulates that you are eating outside. Otherwise don’t bother, unless you are in fabulous company.
Ingredients:
Raw radishes
Unsalted cultured butter
Gray Sea or Maldon salt
Fresh Sliced Pain Poilane, Peasant Bread (or any rendition of a bread that has a nice chew and crunch – Trader Joe’s French Peasant Bread works well for this recipe)
Directions:
Get radishes the day you plan to eat them. You want fresh radishes. Believe me.
Wash radishes. Gently remove any bits of soil. Allow radishes to dry in a colander or spread out flat on a clean dishtowel to dry. Trim each radish at both ends. Lope off roots and leave a ¼ to ½ inch length of stems on tops. Chill until ready to serve (maximum 3 hours).
Presentation:
Arrange prepared radishes, butter, salt and bread in a manner that suits your esthetic style and décor. If possible, allow for the salt to be in a small bowl, or salt cellar, so that one can roll and crumble the salt between thumb and index finger.
Assemblage:
Take a radish in one hand and butter knife in the other. Place a small dollop of butter on top of radish. Take a pinch of salt and crumble it on top of the butter. Bite off half of the radish and chew. Knock off the rest of the radish. Chase with a bite of bread and liberal amounts of butter. Start over.
Alternate method: Spread butter on a slice of bread. Layer thin slices of radish on top. Sprinkle with salt. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestion: Accompany with sparkling water or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
Crisp Salad (with Salad Turnips)
Ingredients:
2 – 4 2” diameter (or smaller) turnips
Ume Plum Vinegar (available at Whole Foods)
5 – 10 ounces of washed salad greens (depending on how much you want to eat or serve)
Roasted walnut oil
1 washed whole fresh lime
(Optional palate balancer) 1 tablespoon of ¼ - ½ inch diced dried mango
Directions:
Wash and gently peel turnips (apply light pressure as to only remove the thinnest peel possible). Slice whole turnips paper to paper clip thin. Place in shallow bowl. Drizzle liberally with Ume Plum vinegar. Toss and let marinade for 5 min.
Assemblage:
Place greens in serving bowl/platter. Top with layer of turnips (strain as you go leaving whatever vinegar comes along). Quickly grate approximately 1 tablespoon of lime rind on top. Drizzle with just enough oil to slightly coat about ½ the greens. Toss and serve.
Optional: Sprinkle dried mango on top if you want a richer, more lingering mouth feel. Omit if you want a crisp finish.
Note: if you don't have plum vinegar, you can make a substitute by combining 1 tbsp vinegar (cider, white wine, red wine, sherry...) 1/8 tsp brown sugar as well as salt. Muddle with 1 chopped prune. Pour through a sieve.
Tina Jaillet is a Lexington resident and a LexFarm Founding Member. She has boundless interests yet sharing foods with loved ones is a daily pursuit. Tina volunteers for the LexFarm educational committee.
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More Ideas for Radishes and Spring Turnips
RADISHES
Add to salad. It's nice to offset the slight bite of the radishes with a creamy dressing.
Slice them thin or julienne and add to your favorite slaw.
Roast them, tossed in olive oil or with vinegar too. Both of these recipes give you options for using the greens as well.
More ideas for radishes from Food & Wine and Saveur.
SALAD TURNIPS
Eat them raw, in salad, or dipped in hummus.
Stir-fry them and serve with soba noodles.
Saute them in butter.
Soup is always good. Try Miso-Tahini Soup (Delicata squash isn't in season right now, but try substituting snap peas or pea shoots) or Spring Turnip Soup with Garlic Chickpea Croutons.
Here are four different preparations for salad turnips, including:
- Fall salad with turnips and apples: To change this to a summer salad, try using thinly sliced snap peas, arugula, and strawberries instead of dried apricots, fennel, and apple. Save the fall idea for when turnips reappear in the fall.
- Glazed turnips with greens: This is Jackie's go-to way to make beautiful spring turnips with greens.
- Roasted Turnips and Couscous Salad: You could use any grain!
EITHER ONE OR BOTH
Food 52 had a contest for the Best Recipe for Radishes or Turnips. Check out the winners and other entries.
What about quick pickles for radishes or turnips?
This radish-turnip salad also sounds delicious for a hot day. It would be terrific as a side with any Asian or Mexican-inspired foods. Or you could use it as a slaw to top soft tacos or Asian noodles.
EATING THE WHOLE VEGETABLE
Don't discard the greens. You can sauté them (washed but not dried) in olive oil, alone or mixed with other greens. Add a smashed clove of garlic too.
Wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a sealed plastic bag or container, the greens will last for several days.
Make radish-leaf pesto.
Roast the turnips with the greens attached. The greens turn out like kale chips.
Compiled by Jackie Starr & Betsy Pollack
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Lexington Community Farm is a project of LexFarm in cooperation with Community Farms Outreach
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or to add another member of your household to the mailing list for this weekly CSA newsletter, send an email to csa@lexfarm.org.
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Farm Managers
Community Farms Outreach
Dan Roberts, Farm Manager
Erinn Roberts, Farm Manager
Staff
LexFarm
Janet Kern,
Acting Executive Director
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LexFarm Board of Directors
Ken Karnofsky, President
Derek Moody, Treasurer
Susan Amsel
Nancy Gold
Carolyn Goldstein
Linda Levin
Betsy Pollack
Charlie Radoslovich
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