Welcome! Week 1; June 27, 2013
Herb pot with oregano and savory (and tiny rosemary that didn't really size up)
red lettuce
baby red russian kale
greens bunch (featuring a combination of curly and lacinato kale and collards)
french breakfast radishes
green garlic
herb pot with oregano and savory
green garlic
swiss chard
french breakfast radish
baby red russian kale
greens bunch featuring kale and collards
Notes on the box:
Kale/collardsshould be stored in the fridge in your crisper stored in an open plastic bag. It will last for at least a week and likely closer to two. If it seems a little limp from the heat or from sitting in your fridge too long, you can soak it in cold water and it will perk back up. Remove the stems before cooking. Kale and collards are often quite toothsome, but this young stuff is super tender and if you want to try it raw now is the time. If that is too much too soon, greens are great simply sautéed in butter or oil with some chopped green garlic until it is bright green. If you want to consume your greens, but you don’t like the flavor you can add a few leaves to a smoothie. Greens are VERY good for you and among the most nutrient dense foods, so eat up and know that you are treating your body to something healthy!
Radishes store best with the tops removed. Take the tops off and put them in a baggie in your crisper. The tops are edible as well. You can add your radish tops to stir fry or salads. The radishes themselves are very yummy this time of year. They are a great spicy snack and if you've never tried thinly sliced radishes on buttered bread with a little salt, we recommend it.
Green Garlic is simply garlic that has not yet matured. You can use it as you would a green onion or you can cook with it as you would garlic. It has a more mild flavor than bulb garlic, so it’s great to eat fresh. You can put it straight into your crisper. When you are ready to use it, cut off the rooty part at the end and slice all the way up to where the leaves start to separate. You can cut up into the leafy part, but watch out for dirt that likes to hide between the leaves and the stalk. Green garlic is a seasonal treat. We hope you enjoy it!
Baby red russian kale may be new to you. We've grown it as part of a braising mix, but we like it by itself as it has a milder flavor and is more versatile since it's great eaten fresh or lightly sautéed. Store it in the bag in your crisper. If you eat it fresh you can coarsely chop it to avoid too many long stems then add some of your favorite dressing. It's good mixed with salad greens and radish tops for a big salad with lots of texture and flavor. Also nice coarsely chopped and dressed with a warm vinaigrette to slightly wilt the greens.
Rainbow Chard may be new to some of you. It’s leaves can be used the same as spinach in cooked recipes. AND the beautiful stalks are edible as well. Chop them and saute them a few minutes before you cook the leaves since they take a little longer to cook. You can put them in with the garlic or onions in a recipe. Store them in an open plastic bag in your fridge. These greens will also perk up when soaked in cold water when they start to look a little wilty.
Herbs can be kept in a sunny spot and watered regularly or they can be replanted into a garden or flowerbed or window box if you want to let them get bigger. Take off a few leaves at a time to use in you cooking.
Recipes:
[yumprint-recipe id='3'][yumprint-recipe id='4']A link to Homemade Green Garlic Salt recipe
On the Farm:
We've been busy moving our farm! We found the new location in Amery in December and started moving in January. There was a ton of work to do during our usual relaxed and restful planning period. SO many trips with the truck and trailer loaded with equipment! SO many farm implements to dig out of the snow and pry out of the ice! Greenhouses to take down and put up again at the new farm (we've got 3 out of 4 done, not bad!) Housing for our crew to design and build. A comunal kitchen to put in to the house. A packing shed to put in. A walk-in cooler to take down and put up again. Animals to move and housing for all of them to figure out. Fences for animals to be built. A deer fence to put up (our next big project). An old milkhouse to tear down and have rebuilt. A new well and irrigation to have put in. Our old farm to sell. Turning over new ground. SO MUCH planning and so many systems to put in place. In short, we have been trying to get done everything we accomplished over 5 years at the old farm done in one Spring (as well as putting in our dairy and getting more cows) And on top of all that... the usual busy Spring with seeding, transplanting, weeding and getting those veggies growing! The weather (as all of you know) has been extremely challenging this Spring. We anticipated getting a lot more done a lot earlier, but there's little you can do when it won't stop snowing and the ground won't thaw and then when it does, it stays wet, cloudy, and cold for weeks on end! Phew! So much accomplished already and the season is just getting started! It's been exhausting and stressful, but putting the first box together is very energizing (the sunshine has been helpful, too). It reminds us of why we are here and how much we love getting healthy, clean, beautiful food to you and your families.
We realize the first box is missing some favorites (spinach, salad turnips, big head lettuce, and most of all strawberries) due to poor germination from the ground being too wet and cold and things not sizing up for the same reasons. We had to leave behind our strawberries when we moved, but we have planted plenty that we will harvest next Spring... ah waiting.... But Summer and Fall crops are looking great. The late start means more deliveries later into the fall for our members. Our crew this season is so fantastic. We are so lucky to have them. We are excited to have folks out to the farm this season and we are super excited to be growing your food closer to your homes, in better soil, and surrounded by DNR and Wildlife and Fisheries land instead of frac sand mines! We look forward to telling you more about our new place and the exciting developments we have in the works... 17 weeks left to bring you all the news!
Please let us know if you have any questions or problems with the first delivery.
Remember that we will not be delivering a box the week of the 4th of July. Week 2 will be delivered on July 11.
