Veggie Times Week 1
On the farm
Welcome to the first week of the CSA. We hope you are as excited as we are to be starting out a season of eating fresh local veggies. Today as I was walking around our beautiful farm deciding on what veggies you all would get this week, I felt so thankful for our little slice of land. The birds were chirping, the insects were humming, and I could hear laughter from my son Emmett and his Dad in the distance. The veggies are looking amazing and we truly think this will be one of the best seasons yet! Thank you for joining us in sharing all things vegetable and helping us to nurture and grow our little farm. For those of you who are new to a CSA the first few boxes will be mostly greens and quick growing roots. As the season progresses we will be giving you different vegetables and more of them. Our goal for this weekly newsletter is to let you know ahead of time what veggies you'll be getting so you can plan, and also provide you with recipes and ideas on how to get the most out of your veggies. We are always learning and experimenting with recipes, so each week I'm going to try to give you a recipe that is quick, easy, and tasty! Also If you are into Pinterst or Instagram you can click on the links at the bottom of this newsletter to see recipes and pictures of the farm.
Recipes
Arugula Pesto
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan
4 garlic cloves, halved
2 cups firmly packed arugula
up to 1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
If desired, toast walnuts in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until you can smell the aroma, shaking the skillet once or twice during toasting. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. In a food processor or blender, combine walnuts, parmesan, and garlic. Cover and process or blend with several blends until the walnuts are coarsely chopped. With the maching running, gradually add olive oil and blend to desired consistency (soft butter is a good analogy). Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze (without cheese) for up to 3 months
I make a lot of pesto over the season and freeze it to use in the winter. To freeze it I follow my favorite pesto recipe, but omit the cheese. I usually make it with a little less olive oil so it's thicker. I then put small dollops onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen I transfer to bags or jars to freeze (this way you can take out only what you need for a recipe).
Our current goto Salad-
Thanks to our intern Kelly for reminding me that I do like mustard greens!
Salad greens/head lettuce/braising mix or a combo of all three
Favorite salad toppings-radish, scallions, chives, carrots
Parmesan cheese grated
Easy apple cider vinegerette
Combine your favorite salad ingredients in a big bowl (this is what we are enjoying above). Add protein of choice to make it a complete meal. Toss with cider vinegar dressing.
Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 garlic clove or chopped up garlic scapes
1/2-1 tsp of honey or to taste
Combine all ingredient in a jar and shake to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste. This will keep for a very long time in your fridge.
Rhubarb Simple Syrup-for those looking for an alternative to pies and crumbles
2 pounds rhubarb, chopped
water
3 cups sugar
a squeeze of lemon juice
place rhubarb in a large pot and cover it with water. Bring to a boil, and them simmer it for an hour. If you have time let it cool over night to really get strong rhubarb flavor. Strain the water into a bowl or large measuring cup and discard the rhubarb. Measure out three cups of the rhubarb infused water (you can use all the water just make sure to use equal parts sugar). Whisk the sugar with the water and bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice and let cool. Serve with soda water, cocktails, or whatever else you'd like.
Grilled Garlic Scapes with Black Pepper
We will talk more about garlic scapes next week, but they are great in egg dishes, or chopped used in place of garlic. If you really want to experience their amazing flavor try them grilled
1 bunch of garlic scapes
olive oil to coat
salt and pepper to taste
Heat your grill to medium low flame. Wash and dry your scapes. Break off the harder ends (if they have any). Leave whole. Massage the scape with oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Toss onto the grill and brown both sides. Remove when they are soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Serve hot.
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