Wednesday, June 28, 2023

June 29, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Summer Salad Cabbage

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Purple & White Scallions:  

Rainbow Chard:  

Garlic Scapes:

Red Oak Lettuce:  
Kung Pao Zucchini
Photo from www.feastingathome.com

Zucchini and/or Scallopini Squash:  

Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers:

Green Top Chioggia Beets:  

Sugar Snap Peas:  

Really Quick Broccoli Pasta
Photo from www.recipetineats.com
Tiara Salad Cabbage:  
Sweet Sesame-Lime Cabbage Slaw (See Below)
Kohlrabi and Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing (See Below)

Cilantro:  

Broccoli:  

Hello Everyone!

We’re closing out the month of June and welcoming in July later this week!  Vegetables are really growing now, and we’ll have more new items coming on very soon!  Richard just brought a tomatillo in from the field this week from the first planting?!  It won’t be long before we’re picking tomatoes, tomatillos and even sweet corn!  But this week we are featuring Summer Salad Cabbage!  The beauty of cabbage is that you can make a simple, nourishing summer vegetable salad with cabbage as the base. I have two simple recipes to share with you this week, both utilizing other vegetables from this week’s box or possibly last week’s box if you still have a few kohlrabies in your refrigerator!  The first is for Sweet Sesame-Lime Cabbage Slaw (See Below). This original recipe called for carrots, but we don’t have those yet (coming soon!), so I thinly sliced sugar snap peas in their place and the slaw was beautiful and delicious!  The other recipe is for Kohlrabi and Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing (See Below). If you have some kohlrabi remaining from last week, you can pair it with this week’s cabbage! If you don’t have any kohlrabi available, just substitute additional cabbage for the kohlrabi in this recipe.  

Crispy Tofu & Zucchini Stir-Fry
Photo from www.washingtonpost.com
I also included links to some of my favorite summer cabbage recipes from past newsletters, many of which utilize other items from this week’s box. This recipe for the Simplest Cabbage Slaw is my go-to recipe when I need a creamy slaw.  I often add other vegetables in as available and in season.  This Summer Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad is a great dish to make as a main entrée salad in the heat of the summer.  In addition to all the vegetables, you add rice noodles and protein of your choosing (Chicken, Tofu, Shrimp, etc.) so it qualifies as a full meal. This is also a great picnic item! I also had to include the link to Cilantro Lime Slaw to put on top of Life-Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos.  I mention this often because it is the best crispy fish taco recipe I’ve ever made at home—it’s really good!

If you still haven’t signed up to be part of our private Facebook Group, you’re missing out!  There have been some great recipe shares in there over the past week or two, including a few zucchini recipes I’ve never seen before.  If you like things spicy, try this Kung Pao Zucchini.  Someone also shared this tasty recipe for Crispy Tofu & Zucchini Stir-Fry, a great vegetarian entrée.  Lastly, use this week’s zucchini to make this very simple, but tasty, Zucchini Butter Spaghetti with Basil.  

What are you going to do with two bunches of scallions this week? If you are looking for some inspiration, head over to Food52.com and check out these recipes:  Scallion Egg Noodles, Taiwanese Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Scallions & Broccoli and Charred Scallion Dip.

Happy 4th of July to everyone! As you put together meals and picnics for your holiday celebrations, don’t forget about the vegetables hiding out in your kitchens and refrigerators!  And of course, post your creations in the Facebook so we can cheer you on! I’ll see you back again next week with more new vegetables, including (most likely) fennel, carrots and fresh garlic!---Take care, Chef Andrea 


Vegetable Feature: Summer Salad Cabbage

by Andrea Yoder

We plant most of our cabbage for harvest in the fall as cabbage thrives and tastes better when it is grown in cooler temperatures. However, it’s nice to have fresh cabbage to use in summer vegetable salads, which is why we’ve selected two summer salad cabbage varieties that have the unique attribute of doing well as an early-season summer cabbage.  Why do we call it “salad cabbage?” Well, the reason is that the leaves are tender enough to be eaten raw in salads and the flavor is mild and well-balanced. Another reason we grow this variety for summer harvest is that it gives us another option for a “salad green” during the part of the season when salad mix, and other more delicate salad greens are more challenging to grow. This year we have two different salad cabbage varieties. The first is a small, round, green cabbage that is called “Tiara.”  The other one that we’ll be delivering in an upcoming box is called “Sweetheart” and it is a green cabbage that grows more upright into the shape of a cone!  Both varieties are intended to be smaller in stature, but don’t be fooled by their size.  These heads of cabbage have tightly wrapped leaves and are very dense. You’ll be surprised by how much cabbage you can get from one of these small heads!

 Salad cabbage is most often eaten raw or lightly cooked. Lightly rinse the outer leaves before using. If you don’t use the entire cabbage for one preparation, wrap the remaining portion of cabbage and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.  If you’re using it for vegetable slaws or raw salads, slice it very thinly or shred it.  If you choose to cook it, I’d recommend a quick cooking method such as stir-frying or grilling and be careful not to overcook it!   

Store salad cabbage loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. While it’s not intended for long term storage, it will store for several weeks in the refrigerator.  Just don’t forget about it! 


Sweet Sesame-Lime Cabbage Salad

Yield:  4 servings

For the Salad:
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup additional vegetables, shredded or thinly sliced  
(Carrots, sugar snap or snow peas, etc)
½ cup finely sliced scallions
1 cup chopped cilantro
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

For the Dressing:
¼ fresh lime juice, plus the zest of the lime(s)
2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 garlic scape or 1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
  1. First, make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, and sesame oil. Whisk well to combine.
  2. Next, add the shredded cabbage, additional vegetables of your choosing, scallions, and cilantro. Toss to coat all of the vegetables with the dressing.  Set aside and let the ingredients marinate for about 15 minutes. 
  3. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more sweetener, lime juice or salt as needed. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds and serve either chilled or at room temperature.
  4. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe borrowed from Megan Gilmore at www.detoxinista.com/sweet-sesame-lime-cabbage-salad.


Kohlrabi & Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing

Yield:  6-8 servings
Photo from thekitchn.com

3 small to medium kohlrabi
4 cups shredded cabbage
¼ cup dried cherries 
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 
  1. Using a sharp knife, remove the long stems and greens from the kohlrabi. Reserve for another use. Using a peeler or paring knife, peel away the outer skin. Shred the kohlrabi in a box grater or using a food processor.
  2. In a large serving bowl, combine the kohlrabi, cabbage, cherries, sunflower seeds, and dill. Toss to combine.
  3. In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake to thoroughly combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat well. Let set for about 20 minutes before serving. 
Recipe sourced from www.thekitchn.com, however it was originally published in The Modern Menu by Kim Kushner.
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Wednesday, June 21, 2023

June 22, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Baby Bok Choi

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Baby Bok Choi:
Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choi (See Below)
Summer Bok Choi Salad with Sesame -Soy Vinaigrette (See Below)

Chinese Scallion Omelette
Photo from www.pickledplum.com
White Scallions:

Rainbow Chard:

Garlic Scapes:

Mini Boston Lettuce:

Green Zucchini and/or Yellow Scallopini Squash:

Strawberries

Kohlrabi:

Baby Arugula:

Green Top Red Beets:

Green Top Red Radishes:

CHOICE--Italian Basil:

Happy Summer Solstice! 

As we continue our journey through the seasons, our spring greens are winding down and we are transitioning into summer greens. Last week we had our first kale, but this week we’ve included rainbow chard and baby bok choi.  So, let’s start with our featured vegetable, baby bok choi.  This week’s recipes are very simple, which is just the style I like for putting quick and easy meals on the table during the busy summer months!  The first recipe for Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choi (See Below) left me wondering why I have not grilled bok choi before!  This recipe is simply putting halved bok choi on a grill and then tossing it with a super simple vinaigrette. You can serve this with anything, but I ate it with steamed rice, ground pork with thinly sliced red radishes and sesame seeds to garnish. You could serve it alongside steamed or grilled fish, with rice and a fried egg, or just enjoy it on its own. The second recipe for Summer Bok Choi Salad with Sesame -Soy Vinaigrette (See Below) is also very easy. Basically, cut the bok choi very finely, along with other summer vegetables you have, and toss it with this easy Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette. Garnish the salad with toasted sesame seeds and that’s it!  

It's a big zucchini week!  If you haven’t pulled out your favorite zucchini recipes, or if you don’t have any favorite zucchini recipes, I can help.  This collection of 30 Best Zucchini Recipes  has some good selections to choose from.  Personally, I’m feeling a bit of a sweet tooth this week and these recipes for Zucchini Brownies and Zucchini Donuts are calling my name! 

As zucchini is ramping up, we’re nearing the end of strawberries.  While they’re still available, consider making this Pesto Strawberry Caprese Salad for a light lunch salad.  You could also add these Strawberries and Cream Biscuits to your breakfast or brunch menu!

I’m excited to have fresh beets again as I’ve been waiting to use them to make this Roasted Beet Salad with Kale and Maple-Candied Nuts.  This is a recipe we published several years ago, and it is very delicious. I also included two of my favorite kohlrabi recipes from past newsletters. This recipe for creamy Kohlrabi Custard was a recommendation from a longtime CSA member and friend of the farm.  It’s quite tasty and a different way to use kohlrabi.  I also really like this recipe for Kohlrabi & Chickpea Salad, courtesy of Andrea Bemis from www.disghingupthedirt.

As I sign off for today, I want to extend our gratitude to the individuals who came to the farm this past Sunday for our Strawberry Day celebration! It was so lovely to see your faces again and we enjoyed the conversations we were able to have with you. While the rainstorm was not part of our plan, we did need the rain and are grateful to all of you for making that happen just at the time we were heading to the strawberry field! While it was a bit ironic, it was also very welcomed! Despite the rain, nearly 270 pounds of berries were picked, and everyone had a chance to enjoy a cup of custom-made gelato from Magpie Gelato shop in Viroqua.

Have a great week and I’ll see you back next week for more summer recipes!!  Chef Andrea


Vegetable Feature: Baby Bok Choi

by Andrea Yoder

Baby bok choi is one of our “bread and butter” crops that we grow not only to include in your CSA boxes, but also to support our wholesale and retail partners. Last year we did 19 plantings of baby bok choi from late April through early September that totaled 4.07 acres.  From that acreage we were able to harvest 80,000 pounds of baby bok choi! That’s a lot of bok choi and as you can see, it’s a very important crop for our farm!  While we used to grow full-sized bok choi, we have found these baby bok choi varieties are better suited to our needs. The varieties we grow are naturally this small stature, even at full maturity.                                                                                                                                                                                               Baby Bok Choi is a mild-flavored Asian green that is related to tat soi and hon tsai tai. It is tender enough to be eaten both raw in salads and lightly cooked. I consider it to be one of nature’s fast foods as it only takes a few minutes at most to stir-fry, sauté or steam it. I usually slice the stems of baby bok choi separate from the leaves. If cooking, I give them a few additional minutes of cooking time before adding the leaves. Bok choi may be added to seasonal stir-fries, lightly steamed, or sautéed and eaten alongside steamed rice and fish or meat. It is also often added to ramen or noodle bowls and a variety of soup concepts in various cuisines throughout Asia. It is small enough that it may be chopped or just cooked whole or halved. I mentioned that bok choi may also be eaten raw in a salad, which is a great way to take advantage of its crispy, crunchy attributes.  Since it grows through the entire summer, it’s also a nice alternative to lettuce and spinach which are more difficult to grow in summer heat.  Bok choi salads are best simply dressed with a light vinaigrette.

Store baby bok choi in a plastic bag or in a closed container in the refrigerator to prevent dehydration until you’re ready to use them.  Before using the bok choi you will need to take a moment to clean it. Fill a sink with cold water and trim the base of the bok choi to allow the leaves to separate from the main stem. Swish the leaves in the water, and then check the base of each leaf. You may need to wash a little dirt off the base of the stem. Alternatively, if you are cooking them whole or halved, be sure to run water through the base of the bok choi as this is the most likely place where soil from the field may be found.  If you are going to sauté or grill bok choi, be sure to remove as much excess water from the bok choi as possible to avoid oil spattering while cooking. You’ll also want to pat or spin the greens dry if you’re using them in a salad.   


Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choi

Yield:  4 servings
1 pound baby bok choi
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground turmeric (optional)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional garnish)
  1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. If not already seasoned, brush grill with oil prior to heating.
  2. Halve and rinse baby bok choi well. Lay out on a clean dish towel, cut side down. Pat leaves to remove excess moisture.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and turmeric (if using). Once well combined, set aside.
  4. When grill is hot, lay bok choi on the grill, cut side down. Grill until the bok choi has nice grill marks and is starting to soften. Turn pieces of bok choi over and grill on the other side. It will likely take 4-5 minutes per side to yield a finished product that still has some crunch to it.  If you like it softer, move the bok choi to a part of the grill with less intense flame and let it cook a little longer. Once cooked to your liking, remove from the grill, and put the bok choi in the bowl with the vinaigrette.
  5. Using tongs, toss the hot bok choi in the vinaigrette to coat all pieces well. Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Chef Andrea Note:  This is a very simple, but tasty, vegetable side dish to make.  Serve it with steamed rice and grilled chicken, beef, or pork for a quick dinner. For a vegetarian option, serve with a fried egg or grilled tofu in place of meat.


Summer Bok Choi Salad

Yield:  4 Servings
Salad Ingredients:
1 pound baby bok choi
½ cup shredded carrot, kohlrabi or thinly sliced snap peas
4-6 red radishes, sliced thinly into matchsticks
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette:
2 cloves fresh garlic or garlic scapes, finely minced
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp avocado or other neutral oil
  1. First, wash and pat dry all baby bok choi. Thinly slice bok choi and place in a medium bowl along with carrots (or other vegetable of your choosing), and radishes. Set aside
  2. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for sesame-soy vinaigrette. Whisk well to combine. 
  3. When you are ready to serve the salad, drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and, using salad tongs, toss to thoroughly combine the salad. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve. 
Note:  It is best to put the vinaigrette on the salad just before using. If you do not plan to eat the entire salad at once, separate a portion of the vegetables you plan to eat and only put vinaigrette on this portion, reserving the remaining vegetables and vinaigrette for another day.

Recipe adapted slightly from www.thecozyapron.com/bok-choy-salad.
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Wednesday, June 14, 2023

June 2023: Late Spring Farm Update

By Richard de Wilde & Andrea Yoder      


Onion field with cover crops planted 
in the aisles between the beds
Our world of farming, and all the decisions that face us on a daily basis, are often sculpted around the weather forecast.  As we look back on the past few months, we have to admit it has been a bit of a wild ride!  We had some nice, warm, sunny days back in March and early April, making it look like a promising start to the season. Overwintered parsnips and sunchokes were ready to be harvested, the mulch on the garlic needed to be loosened, and the greenhouses were filling up with plants that needed to go to the field. The only problem was we didn’t have our field crew!  Our H2A visa crew members were delayed by about two weeks this year. Delays with visa processing are commonplace this year and we’re just thankful they made it here without further delay! 

While we waited for our guys to arrive, we continued to do the best we could with our small winter crew and there were a few days when we were all in the field (Andrea and Richard included) harvesting parsnips! Rafael did some of our first direct seeded plantings as conditions were looking good.  Then, on March 31st a storm passed through and nailed us with hail! We have never seen hail as big as we saw that day and by the time it stopped falling from the sky, there was a solid layer of hailstones accumulated on the ground. Unfortunately, the hail was big enough that it punctured holes in all four of our greenhouses which have sheets of plastic for covering. While we usually don’t see too much wind in our valley, the month of April was unseasonably windy.  With holes perforating the greenhouse plastic, it was hard to keep the houses inflated and the plastic was whipping in the wind. We did the best we could to patch the holes, but there were limits to what we could do. Thankfully, we were able to secure all the houses and keep them intact while we waited for more crew members to help us change the plastic!

June 13, 2023:  Frost on frozen strawberry leaves!

Shortly after our field crew arrived from Mexico, we were blessed with about 10 inches of heavy, wet snow!  It was time to harvest ramps, so there were a few days when we had to wait for the sun to come out and melt the snow before we could go harvest! Once we got past that snow event, we were able to carry on with our field operations.  We started putting transplants out in the fields, continued with some early spring harvests, did our direct seedings, and hoped everything was moving in the right direction. We had some warm days, but no rain. No rain, no problem (well, less of a problem), we’ll get set up to irrigate when and where we can.  But then on May 25 there was a threat of overnight temperatures dipping below freezing! What happened to our standard of the last frost happening by the 15th of May?!  We scrambled to put covers on vulnerable crops for frost protection. Thankfully, our efforts paid off and we saved the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil. After the frost, the temperatures shot back into the 90’s and then we were scrambling to get the covers off, so we didn’t cook the crops!  We made it through that fiasco, but it was a little too close to disaster for our comfort level!  We thought we were past the point of frost, but earlier this week we woke up to another frosty morning!  This one took us by surprise and thankfully, no crops were damaged.  The strawberry leaves did have frost on them though!

Overhead irrigation using sprinklers to water 
a new planting of rutabagas so they'll germinate!

We are now in a state of dryness, as in one of the driest springs ever. Everything we have planted needs water, but we only have irrigation capabilities for some properties. We’re also limited by hours in the day and equipment.  So we’re doing our best to keep all of the crops in the game and we’re thankful for any bit of rain that may fall from the sky!

Despite the wild weather wave we’ve been riding, most of our crops look quite nice!  This has been a pretty good strawberry season with great tasting berries, one of the benefits of a dry year.  Our onion crop is also looking quite nice as is this year’s garlic crop! Garlic harvest will likely be happening within the next month, which seems unbelievable!  As you can see by the contents of your box this week, we’re at that point in the season where we’re starting to shift to more of the summer greens (kale, chard, etc.) as well as some brassicas (e.g., kohlrabi) and soon we’ll have some root crops coming in.  Beets and carrots are right around the corner! Despite the fact that it is technically not yet summer, some of our summer crops are starting to make their way into our harvest schedule.  For example, the zucchini in this week’s box and the cucumbers that just might make it into next week’s box! As for other summer crops, we have three plantings of corn in the ground, with two more planned. We have some nice crops of green beans and edamame, and our first tomato field looks great!  The melon and watermelon field look quite nice. Sweet potatoes are in the ground and have taken root, so cross your fingers that we have a bountiful harvest in 3-4 months!

June 2023:  First tomato planting!

In the midst of farming, we’ve also found some time to continue rehabilitation work on a new piece of property we are leasing.  We’re also doing some experimentation with planting a variety of vegetable crops into no-till soil.  We planted our fall pumpkin crop as part of this experiment, so be certain to come to the fall party and see how it turned out!

Yes, it’s been a wild, whirlwind of a ride this spring, but there’s one thing we can always say with 100% confidence—Mother Nature will always take care of us and keep food on our table!

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June 15, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Kohlrabi

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Kohlrabi:  
Spring Grilled Cheese with Scarred Scallions
Photo from www.farmtomartket.com
Kohlrabi Caesar Salad (See below)
Kohlrabi Chicken Salad (See below)

White Scallions:  


Lacinato Kale:  

Lettuce Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
Photo from www.food52.com
Garlic Scapes:  

Mini Romaine Head Lettuce:  


Zucchini:

Strawberries:   

Dill:  

Bunched Spinach:  

Spinach Dill Pie
Photo from www.marthastewart.com
This is the final week of spring; can you believe it?!  This week’s box is still packed full of greens that are full of vital nutrients (and flavor), but we’re also starting to see more “durable” vegetables starting to come.  This week we’re featuring Kohlrabi, a very unique vegetable that holds an important place in our seasonal diets.  I have two recipes to share with you this week, and they’re simple ones.  The first is Kohlrabi Caesar Salad (See below), an adaptation of a traditional Caesar salad concept. You may choose to eat it as a side dish or turn it into a main dish by adding some protein, such as cooked chicken, salmon or pan-fried tofu.  The second recipe for Kohlrabi Chicken Salad (See below)  is from Andrea Bemis at Dishing Up the Dirt. This is a super easy recipe to make, but it’s one of those recipes that you can take some liberty with to add more vegetables, such as this week’s kohlrabi!  

We aren’t sure how much longer we’ll be picking strawberries, but the season is likely going to wind down very soon.  If you can manage to not eat all the strawberries right out of the containers, then consider making one of these two strawberry desserts. Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie is a great recipe to take to a summer cookout.  This Strawberry Pretzel Salad is a relic of my past as it was something my Mom often made to take to church potlucks!  We always prayed that no one else would like it so we could take the whole thing home…..but that seldom happened.

If you’re wondering how to put the bunch of dill in this week’s box to use, no worries, I’ve got you covered.  You can use it in the featured recipe for chicken salad, but it would also be a nice addition to this Creamy Dill Potato Salad.  You can’t go wrong with this Dill & Spinach Dip, which may be used as a dip for bread, chips or vegetables.  This is also good as a topping for baked or roasted potatoes! And if you’re feeling a bit more creative and invested, consider this Spinach Dill Pie.

The last thing I want to mention is zucchini! Zucchini made it here before the official first day of summer! This is a staple vegetable that we’ll be eating a lot of over the next few months, but it’s also very versatile and does have nutritive value!  This week I included  both a sweet and a savory recipe using zucchini.  The sweet recipe is for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins.  I figure a chocolate muffin becomes even more qualified as a healthy snack if we add zucchini to it! If you prefer to do a savory preparation, consider this Zucchini Butter Pasta.  It’s a super easy, but super satisfying dish!

I’m going to wrap it up for this week as I have a lot to do to get ready for the CSA party at the farm coming up this Friday!  Have a great week and I’ll see you back here next week.

Thanks!
Andrea


Vegetable Feature: Kohlrabi

by Andrea Yoder

Kohlrabi is one of the most unique vegetables and is gorgeous to see in the field! Many people think it is a root vegetable, but it’s not.  It actually grows above ground and is classified as a swollen stem.  The stems and leaves shoot up from the bulbous lower portion and the entire plant is anchored into the ground by a strong root. It is a member of the Brassica family, and the name is derived from “khol” meaning stem or cabbage and “rabi” meaning turnip. While all these vegetables are in the same family, kohlrabi doesn’t resemble cabbage or turnip in appearance, instead holding its own unique identity.  

So, what part of kohlrabi do you eat? Well, the bulb is the part of the plant most commonly eaten, but the leaves are also edible and should not be overlooked.  The leaves have a thicker texture more similar to kale or collard greens.  They are best eaten cooked and can be substituted for collard greens or kale in many recipes. The bulb does need to be peeled before eating as the outer skin is tough. I find it easiest to cut the bulb in half or quarters and then peel the skin away using a vegetable peeler or paring knife as if you’re peeling an apple.  Once the skin is peeled away, you’ll find a solid, crispy, juicy, tender flesh inside with a sweet, mild cabbage flavor.  The bottom of the bulb where it is cut from the stem when it is harvested can also sometimes be a bit tough. I usually just trim the very bottom of the bulb off and use the remainder. One little note, regardless of the exterior color of the kohlrabi, the inside always looks pretty much the same. We grow white, purple, and green varieties. To store kohlrabi, separate the stems and leaves from the bulb and store both in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. The leaves will keep for about 1 week, and the bulbs will last up to several weeks if stored properly. 

Kohlrabi is a very cool vegetable that is an important part of our late spring lineup. It is always ready for harvest before other brassicas such as cabbage and cauliflower and it often comes in just ahead of beets, carrots, and fennel. We also sometimes grow kohlrabi in the fall, although it is a different variety that is intended to be stored well into the winter. So, kohlrabi is a very intentional part of our seasonal diets and it’s quite delicious!  It’s sweet, mild flavored, crispy, crunchy, versatile and unique.  You can eat it raw, roasted, baked, pan-fried, and stir-fried. You can use it in salads, on pizza, to make risotto and soup as well as a whole host of other dishes from all around the world! 

As with other vegetables in this family, kohlrabi is rich in nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. It is low in calories and sodium, and contains indoles, which are believed to be potentially significant anti-cancer compounds. 


Kohlrabi Caesar Salad

Photo from www.whitneymiller.com
Yield:  4 servings

Toasted Breadcrumbs:
1 Tbsp salted butter or ghee
2 slices bread
Sea salt, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste

Dressing:
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp stoneground Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic scapes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:
6 cups spiralized or julienned kohlrabi
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
  1. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter or ghee. Tear the slices of bread into pieces and add to the skillet. Season with salt and garlic powder to taste. Cook until the bread pieces are toasted, tossing occasionally. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
  2. For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic scapes in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. For the salad, place the spiralized or julienned kohlrabi in a large salad bowl. Spoon the dressing over the top. Toss with two spoons or tongs until the kohlrabi is coated with the dressing. 
  4. To serve, portion onto four plates and top with the toasted breadcrumbs and freshly grated cheese.
Recipe borrowed from Whitney Miller.


Kohlrabi Chicken Salad

Photo from www.dishingupthedirt.com
Yield:  4 servings

3 cups cooked and shredded or chopped chicken
1 cup peeled kohlrabi, small diced
¼ cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins
½ cup toasted and chopped walnuts
½ cup whole milk plain yogurt
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup finely chopped dill
Salt and pepper, to taste
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
  2. Serve on bread, with crackers or wrapped in a lettuce leaf.
Recipe borrowed from Andrea Bemis’ blog, Dishing Up The Dirt.
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Wednesday, June 7, 2023

June 8, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Garlic Scapes

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Overwintered Potato Onions:  
Smashed Potatoes with Charred Onion Chimichurri
Photo from www.thesavoryanchor.com
Grilled Steak with Scallion Ginger Sauce 

Asparagus:  

Garlic Scapes:  
Garlic Scape & Basil Dip (See Below)
Garlic Scape & Cilantro Pesto (See Below)

Baby Arugula or Baby Spinach:  
Mixed Greens Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
Phot from www.myrecipes.com

Salad Mix:  


Rhubarb:  

Mini Green Romaine Head Lettuce:  

Pea Vine:  
Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza

Baby White Turnips:  


Strawberries:  

German Butterball Potatoes:  

Cilantro:  

Hello Friends!

Things are changing fast around here! Over the past week the strawberries have started to ripen and now over two-thirds of the field has red berries. We have cilantro coming in from several different fields and we may be harvesting zucchini by the end of the week! The garlic field is pulling into the next phase of development as it is pushing out scapes, which is the focus of this week’s feature article! 

This week we’re featuring two very simple, yet versatile recipes.  The first is for Garlic Scape & Basil Dip (See Below). You can use this as a dip, or I’ve given you a few other ideas for how you can use this recipe in multiple ways.  I also included one of my favorite recipes, Garlic Scape & Cilantro Pesto (See Below). It is so easy to make a batch of this and keep it in the refrigerator. I mix a spoonful into scrambled eggs in the morning, toss it with hot pasta and chicken for a quick dinner, or use it as a spread on a ham sandwich.  Beyond these two recipes, thank you to the member in our Facebook Group who shared a link to 30+ Ways to Use Garlic Scapes!  This is a great collection of recipes and definitely worth checking out!

Baked Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast
Photo from www.halfbakedharvest.com
This week’s box is heavy on vegetables to use for some delightful spring salads! I included several links for salad ideas that incorporate other items in the box, such as this recipe for Asparagus & Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing.  You can incorporate your strawberries into salad as well for a savory spin on things. Check out these recipes for Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad with Fresh Strawberries and Strawberry Poppyseed Salad.  If you’d like to save your mini heads of lettuce for something other than salads, check out these two recipe collections for 30 Best Lettuce Wrap Recipes and
20 Lettuce Wrap Recipes You’ll Want to Devour Stat!. They have some excellent options for using lettuce leaves as wraps and carriers for tasty fillings!

On the non-salad front, I added a little variety to offer suggestions for a few ideas that may serve as a main dish item. These Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Sauce  and Grilled Steak with Scallion Ginger Sauce sounded like good recipes to kick off grilling season!

I’ll wrap up this week’s Cooking With the Box article with a few recipes from the sweet side of things.  I have not had baked French Toast in quite a while, but this recipe for Baked Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast looks decadent!  Of course, you can never go wrong with a simple crisp such as this Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp!

Have a great week and as always, let us know what you’re cooking up in your kitchens over the next week!  I also want to remind you that our Strawberry Day event is coming up very soon on Sunday, June 18. If you are a CSA member, check your email for more information about this event and a link to RSVP. See you next week!

-Andrea 

Vegetable Feature: Garlic Scapes

by Andrea Yoder

Garlic scapes are a great example of how interesting and diverse the world of vegetables can be!  If you are not familiar with garlic scapes, they are easily identifiable. They are green, long, and skinny and have a natural curl to them, hence we work with the curl when we bunch them. 

Garlic Scapes in the field
Nearly the entire scape is edible and is best when harvested while young and tender.  You may need to trim off the skinny end near the little bulb at the far end of the scape as this portion is often tough. The remainder of the scape is usable and tender, so they do not need to be peeled. Scapes have a bright, juicy, mild garlic flavor. They may be used in any recipe that calls for garlic cloves, just chop them up and add them as you would minced garlic.  They can also be grilled or roasted, pickled, fermented, and make an awesome pesto!  They are a great addition to eggs, stir-fries, pizzas, etc.
Garlic scapes are actually a byproduct of growing hardneck garlic.  They grow up from the center of the plant and we harvest them in early June, about a month ahead of our annual garlic harvest. Scapes are part of nature’s plan for the plant to propagate itself in the soil. If left unattended, the bulbil on the end of the scape would get bigger and would eventually be so heavy as the scape grows up out of the center of the plant that it would fall down and plant itself, thereby propagating a new plant!  We’re cultivating garlic, so we plant a clove of garlic from a full-sized bulb and use that as a means of growing the plant.  Since we don’t need the scape to produce another crop, we go through the field and cut them off from the plant so the plant can focus its energy into producing a nice sized bulb instead of a scape.  
Up until the early 90’s we used to remove scapes from the garlic plant and throw them on the ground!  We were the first farm in the Midwest to start harvesting the scapes for use as a vegetable, thanks to one of our customers from Korea who asked us to save the garlic scapes for her so she could make pickles. We thought this was odd but saved some for her anyway. She was gracious enough to share a jar of pickled scapes with us and that was our introduction to how delicious they are to eat!

Store scapes in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. They’ll store for 2-3 weeks.  If you’re looking for some interesting ways to use garlic scapes this year, check out this article featured at www.practicalselfreliance.com  for a list of 30 tasty garlic scape recipes!


Garlic Scape & Basil Dip

Photo from www.yellowbirchbobbyfarm.com
Yield:  1 ½ cups

6 garlic scapes
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 ½ cups full fat sour cream 
1 lemon
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

  1. Trim the ends of the garlic scapes and roughly chop into 1-inch pieces.  Add them to a food processor along with the basil. Process in the food processor until very finely chopped. Scrape the contents out into a medium mixing bowl.
  2. Add the sour cream, the juice from the lemon, and the salt and pepper. Mix well. Add more salt and/or pepper as needed, to taste.
  3. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, then serve.

Recipe borrowed from www.yellowbirchhobbyfarm.com.

Serving Suggestions:  This is a simple, handy recipe to make as you can use this “dip” to enhance your meals in a variety of ways. Use this dip for fresh vegetables or serve it with grilled asparagus or roasted or baked potatoes, add a drizzle to tacos, grilled fish, pork, or beef, or add a dollop to a bowl of beans or lentils. You can thin it out with a touch of cream and turn it into a creamy dressing to toss with romaine lettuce, or substitute cream cheese for the sour cream and turn it into a spread for sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, or crackers. 


Garlic Scape & Cilantro Pesto

Serves 6 (Makes approximately 1 ½ cups)

1 cup garlic scapes (6 to 8 scapes, or about 1 bunch), cut into 1-inch pieces, tips removed and discarded
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems coarsely chopped
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted and cooled
1/3 cup cold-pressed sunflower oil
2 tsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Combine scapes and pumpkin seeds in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. 
  2. Add cilantro, lime juice and oil; pulse until evenly chopped.  Season with salt and pepper. Use within a week in the fridge or freeze it.
**HVF Serving suggestions:  Toss with hot pasta and grated cheese for a quick dinner; Stir into scrambled eggs, use as a spread on a sandwich, mix with sour cream or plain yogurt and use as a dip for fresh veggies.

We featured this simple recipe in our newsletter back in 2015, but I wanted to publish it again for those of you who may be relatively new to CSA.  Creative credit for this recipe goes to Dani Lind, a longtime friend of HVF and a talented chef from our area! Her recipe was originally featured in the Edible Madison, Season by Season 5th Anniversary Edition. 
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