April 17th-18th, 2012, Spring CSA newsletter 1(uno)

Greetings happy co-producers,

 

This week is your first pickup for the season and along with it this first installment of our weekly newsletters. Full shares will be using a brown Le Tre Lune bag and half shares have the red Le Tre Lune bag.  We look forward to meeting all of you and hope you enjoy!

 

As many of you might think, winter is traditionally a time of relaxation for people living on a farm.  Mother Nature goes into hibernation mode so that she can store up her energy for the rest of the year and we farmers are given the rare opportunity to sleep a bit longer and work on little projects to improve the farm’s infrastructure.  With the invention of hoop houses that use passive solar energy to heat confined areas all that has now changed.  Last year we were able to go to market in December with things like lettuce, carrots, and beets and we even had so much produce that between market and restaurant deliveries we couldn’t eat everything.  When we were not in the hoop house we spent most of this past winter planning out how we wanted this year to look-what type of CSA we wanted, how our crop rotation would work, and most importantly… what we wanted to grow.  We ordered our seeds, they came in January, and as soon as it got hot enough we started planting.  Now it seems like time has flown by and spring is jumping straight into summer. The chard and beets are shooting up out of the ground, we’re only a couple of weeks off from having an entire field full of harvestable carrots, and our tomatoes are already trellised and our bush beans sprouting.  Luckily, the mornings and evenings are still cool and last week we had a break in this unnaturally hot weather so that we could finally catch up on weeding.  At the end of each work day which is becoming longer and longer, I make myself walk around the farm which gives me the chance to look out into the fields to see everything as it is in the bigger picture.  This is just the beginning of the season, I think to myself, and we can already see the fruits of our labor.

 

This week in your CSA bag you can expect to find:

 

Full shares                                              Half shares

1 pint of strawberries                        1 pint of strawberries

1 dozen eggs                                          ½ dozen eggs

1 bunch of chard                                 1 bunch of chard

1 bunch of radishes                            1 bunch of radishes

1 bunch of spring onions                 1 small bunch of spring onions

1/3 lb. of speckled trout lettuce

3 heads of pac choi

1 bag of baby hakurei salad turnips

 

 

Sautéed Swiss Chard with Onions

• 2/3 bunch of chard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or butter substitute
• ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
• Splash of apple cider vinegar
• 2 spring onions halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions but keep the stems which you will then cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Stack chard leaves and roll up lengthwise into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add chard leaves in batches, stirring until wilted before adding next batch, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. If the chard starts burning or sticking at any point you can slowly add broth to the pan to give some moisture. Just before you turn off the heat, add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the pan. (This gives nice acidity to the dish and lightens it up) Transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.

 

 

Wasabi Salmon with Bok Choy, Green Cabbage, and Shiitakes

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish paste) or you can use fresh horseradish/canned
• 1 1″ piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
• 4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (preferably wild)
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound baby bok choy, halved
• 2 cups (packed) finely shredded green cabbage (about 5 ounces)
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced if large
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and wasabi in a small bowl. Stir in half of ginger and half of garlic; set aside. Season fish all over with salt and pepper. Place bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and add remaining ginger and garlic. Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Scatter vegetables across one side of baking sheet. Arrange salmon on other side. Roast, stirring vegetables occasionally, until salmon is cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Divide vegetables among plates; top with salmon. Serve wasabi mayonnaise alongside.

 

Radish Crostini

• 1 fresh baguette or Ciabatta loaf sliced into 1 inch pieces
• ½ cup of room temperature butter (good quality such as Plugra or fresh from a farmers market!)
• Fresh marjoram minced or chopped finely, to taste
• High quality olive oil (should be cold pressed, organic)
• High quality sea salt

Because this recipe is so simple, it is essential that all of the products you use be of the best quality.  This is a great starter to any meal if you’re entertaining or even if you find that you’re not so hungry and want something small to snack on. First mix the marjoram and butter in a bowl so that it is almost whipped and would melt easily. Use a mandolin slicer or thinly slice by hand the radishes almost so that you can see through them. Toast the bread but be sure that it doesn’t get too crunchy and spread the butter on it immediately after you take it out of the oven.  Place the radishes on the sliced bread and sprinkle just a little bit of sea salt and pepper (if you desire) on top. You’re done!!