Time flies! We are a third of the way through our CSA season already. I hope that you have all been enjoying eating your veggies as much as I have been enjoying growing them for you. Yesterday the kids and I spent some time weeding foxtail grass that had gotten way too tall and we discovered more nearly ripened fruits like jalapenos and cherry tomatoes hiding behind the weeds. Sometimes the best way to see what’s going on with things is to get down on your hands and knees and right up close to the plants.
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What’s in My Box this Week?
Beets – This will be our last week for beets until fall. You can use both the roots and the leaves of beets. If your beets still have greens attached, cut them off, leaving an inch of stem. Store the beet roots unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks. For the greens, keep them dry and unwashed until ready to use in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.
Broccoli – Store in the crisper drawer of the fridge. The colder the better for broccoli. Try to use within a few days.
Garlic Chives – These are also sometimes called Chinese chives as they are commonly used in both Chinese and Japanese cooking. As their name implies, they have a strong garlic flavor and make a great addition to salads and stir fries. They also pair well with eggs.
When you’re ready to use, trim off the ends of the garlic chives and wash thoroughly. For best results, add the chives near the end of the cooking process—otherwise, the flavor fades. Refrigerate in damp paper towels for up to a week.
Kailaan (Large Shares Only) – Also known as Chinese kale, Chinese broccoli, or gai lan. The stems, leaves, and florets of this vegetable are tender and sweet. Use the florets as you would broccoli, broccolini, or raab and enjoy the juicy stems as well.
Store in a closed plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.
Kale (White Curly) – Keep in the crisper drawer of your fridge or loosely in a plastic bag to seal in the moisture. Use within a week.
Kohlrabi – Store kohlrabi bulb and leaves separately. The bulb will last for two weeks refrigerated in a plastic bag. Wrap in a plastic bag and keep in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
Scallions – Store in the veggie drawer of your refrigerator and try to use within a week. If you use these after a week, you can peel off any dry and/or “slimy” outer layers of the onion.
Zucchini and Yellow Crookneck Squash (Large and Some Small Shares; If you don’t get them this week, you will next) – Zucchini and summer squash spoil most quickly in very warm or very cool temperatures. Store them in the crisper drawer of your fridge, but try to use within a week as they will quickly get soggy. You can use these interchangeably in recipes.
Notes from the Field
This past week really flew by. I was able to finish a whole lot of tasks that I had started weeks ago, but just hadn’t found the time to complete since then. Finally, our side porch is no longer littered with dozens of seeding trays of plants for us to trip over which is really, really nice. I finished putting about 300 more native plants into the ground and also transplanted some broccoli. I thinned out the rutabaga, Daikon radishes, and turnips. I also seeded watermelon radishes and fennel and discovered some cool insect activity while I was at it. (Below the photos show a Tussock moth caterpillar, a wasp with a butterfly, and a little native bee on some bee balm.)
The kids and I also spent a lot of time weeding. I swear, the weeds were just teeny tiny not two weeks ago, but with all this rain and the warm temperatures, they’ve really taken off. I am deducing that our biggest weed problem – foxtail grass – is a warm-season grass given how much it’s grown lately. Luckily, our soil is nice and friable and the rain has made it very easy to yank weeds out. We are nearly done with that task for all of the beds and if past years are any indication, we won’t have to weed too much more going forward, except for the Canada thistle which I will leave for another newsletter.
This week our biggest job will be to prep the farm for the field day we’re hosting this upcoming Saturday. (See Week 4 newsletter for details.) I need to clean up the edible hedgerow we planted so that people can actually see the shrubs (ha!), mow some walking paths, and order some food. It sounds like we’re going to have a pretty nice turnout and I’m excited to hear what people think of our efforts and to share what we’ve been learning along the way.
Recipes
Make sure to refer to the last two weeks’ newsletters for recipes that use kohlrabi and beets.
Broccoli and Anchovy Orecchiette // Use Either Broccoli or Kailaan, Can Throw Garlic Chives in Here, Too
Broccoli and Soba Noodle Salad // Uses Broccoli or Can Sub Kailaan, Green Onions // Vegetarian
Chinese Chives and Eggs Stir Fry // Uses Garlic Chives // Vegetarian
Gorgonzola, Broccoli, and Thyme Quiche // Uses Broccoli or Can Sub Kailaan // Vegetarian
Hot Sandwich Spread // Uses Zucchini or Summer Squash, Kale // Vegetarian From Raleigh’s Hillside Farm
This is a sautéed combo of veggies you layer onto grilled cheese, paninis or any hot sandwich. Make a batch when you get your box and use it all week!
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
5 or 6 kale leaves, chard or other greens; ribs removed, diced
1 zucchini or summer squash, shredded – unpeeled
Salt and pepper
Could also add: shredded cabbage, herbs, jalapeno or poblano peppers
To make: In a skillet, using a tablespoon of butter or olive oil, saute’ onion and pepper two to three minutes. Add kale and shredded zucchini. Season with salt and pepper as well as garlic, parsley, or whatever other seasonings you want. Saute’ until greens are cooked down and moisture is gone. Store in a container in fridge until ready to use.
To use: Layer buttered bread, cheese, thick layer of veggie mixture, (slices of ham, or turkey – optional), another layer of cheese and final slice of buttered bread. Grill over medium heat until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown. Can also use in a panini instead of grilling. Also good on baked sliders.
Lemon Summer Squash Bread // Uses Summer Squash or Zucchini // Vegetarian
Mapo Tofu // Add Steamed Kailaan or Broccoli and White Rice, Throw Garlic Chives in Here, Too
Pasta with Beans and Greens // Use Either Kale or Kailaan // Vegetarian
Salted Chili and Chinese Chive Frittata // Uses Garlic Chives // Vegetarian
Vegetable Dumplings // Uses Garlic Chives // Vegetarian
Zucchini, Rice, and Cheese Gratin // Uses Zucchini, Can Sub Summer Squash // Vegetarian
Zucchini, Swiss Chard, and Chickpea Stew // Uses Zucchini and Summer Squash, Sub Kale for Chard // Vegetarian
Middle Fork Farm 