June 2, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Pea Vine

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Potato Onions:
Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Ginger and Spring Onion Egg Drop Soup

Baby Arugula: 

Spinach and Arugula Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing
White Pizza with Arugula

Baby Spinach:

Easy Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and a Lot of Variations!
Bacon, Spinach and Green Onion Cream Cheese Tortilla Roll-Ups

Asparagus:  

Pasta with Asparagus and Avocado-Pea Vine Cream Sauce 

Tartine Style Roasted Asparagus and Spring Onion Croque Monsieur 

Rhubarb:  

Cardamom Crème Brûlée Tarts with Roasted Rhubarb 

Rhubarb Raspberry Bread Pudding 

Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzer 

Rhubarb Braised Beef with Rhubarb Kimchi

Green Garlic:  

Green Garlic Potato Salad 

Mini Potato Pancakes with Green Garlic and Chives 

Green Top Red or Diana Radishes:  

Radish & Turnip Hash with Green Garlic 

Radishes with Herbed Butter and Salt 

Hon Tsai Tai:  

Sesame Soy Hon Tsai Tai & Chicken Salad 

Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles with Bok Choi (Sub Hon Tsai Tai) 

Pea Vine:  

Green Curry with Pea Vine & Rhubarb (See below)

Pea Vine Cream Cheese (See Below)

Pea Vine Pesto Pasta Salad 

Baby White Turnips:  

Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza 

White Turnip Salad with Miso Ginger Vinaigrette 

Photo from 5boysbaker.com

This week’s box of vegetables is packed with all kinds of possibility!  What am I saying?  Every box is packed with possibility!  I have to admit I have some seasonal favorite recipes that I look forward to every year such as Pea Vine Cream Cheese (see below) and White Turnip Salad with Miso Ginger Vinaigrette.  I also know we have some members who look forward to making this Sesame Soy Hon Tsai Tai & Chicken Salad every year.  With specialty greens such as pea vine and hon tsai tai, you have to seize the moment and make your favorites because they are only available for 1-3 weeks at most!  This week we are featuring the delicate Pea Vine.  While I have my favorite recipes from past years, I was also excited to create a new way to use pea vine.  This week’s featured recipe for Green Curry with Pea Vine & Rhubarb (See below) was a recipe I came up with as Richard and I were doing our Sunday afternoon tour through the fields to check on crops.  I wanted to challenge myself to use both pea vine and rhubarb in the same recipe in new ways.  

We are excited that our rhubarb field is producing so well this year and we’re able to include it in your boxes for a third week!  I went kind of crazy finding new recipes and ways to use rhubarb in hopes that perhaps you’ll find a new favorite rhubarb recipe.  If you want a simple recipe, try this Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzer.  If you’re up for a bit more fancy recipe, try either the Cardamom Crème Brûlée Tarts with Roasted Rhubarb or Rhubarb Braised Beef with Rhubarb Kimchi.  If you need something in between, go for the Rhubarb Raspberry Bread Pudding.  If none of those appeal to you, invite a few friends to hang out with you on the patio and use the rhubarb to make these Rhubarb and Rose Ramos Gin Fizz cocktails!

What are you going to do with those pretty little, pristine baby white turnips?  Well, I often don’t get past sautéing them with butter, salt and pepper.  They are so tasty on their own they don’t need much added to them!  That being said, two of my favorite recipes from past years include Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza and of course the White Turnip Salad with Miso Ginger Vinaigrette.  I also found this recipe for Radish & Turnip Hash with Green Garlic.  This is the perfect CSA Box recipe for this week and will be on the menu for Sunday brunch!  

Photo from thekitchn.com

Speaking of brunch, if you are not already including vegetables in your breakfasts throughout the week, I challenge you to find some creative ways to do so.  It’s a great way to start your day and will help you successfully eat through the CSA box each week.  Try something like the  Radish & Turnip Hash with Green Garlic or Tartine Style Roasted Asparagus and Spring Onion Croque Monsieur.  If those recipes require more time than you have in the morning, just keep it simple and add vegetables to scrambled eggs.  This week’s box has lots of options for doing this including asparagus, green onions, green garlic, spinach, arugula, turnip tops, radish tops or pea vine!  You can also blend some greens into a smoothie or spread Pea Vine Cream Cheese on a bagel.   See what you can come up with and share your ideas with us in our private Facebook Group.  I can’t wait to see how you start your day!

Ok, that’s a wrap for this week.  As we turn the page on the calendar to June, we have a lot to look forward to.  Of course, June is the month for strawberries, but we’re also looking forward to kohlrabi, salad cabbages, garlic scapes and the first zucchini & cucumbers!  Have a good week and I’ll see you next time.

Chef Andrea 

Vegetable Feature: Pea Vine

by Andrea Yoder

This week we continue our spring leafy greens extravaganza with pea vine!  This is another unique green that holds a very specific spot in our seasonal greens line up.  Pea Vine is an immature pea plant that is harvested before the vine starts to develop blossoms.  It is more of a delicate green with a mild, sweet pea flavor.  It may be eaten raw or lightly cooked and is packed with nutrients that will leave you feeling invigorated!

Pea Vine in the field

Unless you go to a regional food co-op that carries our products, you will seldom find pea vine in the grocery store.  You may find pea shoots that are more like a sprout.  While our pea vine is still an immature plant, it is more developed than pea shoots.  The tendrils and leaves are tender, but the main stem of the plant can sometimes get tough depending on how mature the plant is at harvest.  Most of the upper stem is still tender while the mid to lower portion may be a little more coarse.  In past years we’ve had members comment that the pea vine is “stringy.”  There are several ways to deal with this issue and still extract full flavor and benefit from the pea vine.  The first option is to pick the tender leaves, tendrils and thin stems off the main stem.  You can use those in salads, lightly cook them, or add them to fresh beverages like smoothies or green juice drinks.  Do not throw the stem away as it still has flavor that can be extracted!  Simmer the stems in hot broth, sauces, or soups to extract the flavor, then discard the stems. 

Another alternative is to use pea vine in some way where you blend or chop the leaves and stems in a food processor or blender.  This is not only a quick way to prepare pea vine, but it also maximizes the yield and benefit you get from this green.  I typically still discard the lower few inches of the bunch if that portion of the stem is more tough, but I utilize the remainder of the plant.  If it is chopped very finely using a blender or food processor, you can turn it into pesto, add it to smoothies, incorporate it into soups, or make Pea Vine Cream Cheese (one of our favorite farm recipes!).  

If you are using pea vine in sauces, soups or broth, I recommend rough chopping the pea vine into smaller pieces and adding it to hot broth or a sauce base.  Let the pea vine simmer briefly to extract the flavor, but don’t overcook it or you’ll lose the bright pea flavor.  When I say simmer briefly, it only takes a few minutes to wilt the pea vine in a hot liquid or a hot pan if you are using the leaves.  The stems may take a few minutes more.  Once you’ve infused the flavor of the pea vine into the sauce or broth, you can strain it out to remove it.  If you’d like to extract just a little more flavor, blend the mixture before straining it.  

Pea vine goes well with cream, butter, cheese, pancetta, prosciutto, bacon and ham, eggs, lemon, lime, mint, parsley, chives, spring onions, green garlic, radishes, asparagus, and mushrooms.  You may use it in fresh salads, pasta, or rice dishes, brothy soups like miso soup or a ramen bowl, or creamy soups.  This week I decided to turn it into a green curry dish, inspired by Thai cuisine, but by no means an authentic Thai recipe!  Sometimes Thai recipes call for tamarind, a tropical ingredient with a sweet and sour flavor.  While we can’t grow tamarind in Wisconsin, we can get the same effect with rhubarb!  In this recipe rhubarb is cooked in coconut milk and then the hot mixture is blended with raw pea vine.  The cooking time once the pea vine is added is minimal which helps to maintain the bright, subtle flavor of peas.

Store pea vine loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator until ready for use.  Wash it in a sink of cold water before using.  If you are going to sauté it in oil or use it in a fresh greens salad, shake off the excess moisture or put it in a salad spinner first.

Green Curry with Pea Vine & Rhubarb

Yield:  6 servings

2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil

16 oz Chicken Breast*

3-4 pieces Green Garlic or Green Onions

1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, minced

1 ½ cups Asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup Baby White Turnips, medium dice

1 jar (4 oz) Green Curry Paste

2 cans (13.5 fl oz) Coconut Milk

2 cups Rhubarb, medium dice

1 bu Pea Vine

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1-2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Cooked Jasmine or Basmati Rice or Rice Noodles

*Note:  If you prefer to make this dish vegetarian, substitute firm tofu or mushrooms in place of the chicken.

1. Place coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the green curry paste then add the rhubarb.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the rhubarb is soft, approximately 10-15 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and set aside for a moment.  Roughly chop the washed pea vine and place it in a blender or food processor.  Depending upon the size of your machine, you may need to work in two batches.  Carefully pour the hot coconut milk mixture over the pea vine.  Blend until the mixture is smooth.  If you have a powerful blender that is able to process the pea vine and rhubarb into a smooth mixture, you may choose to use it just as it is.  If your mixture is more coarse than you like it, pour it through a strainer.  Set the coconut milk mixture aside.
3. In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until browned on one side, then stir to release the pieces from the bottom of the pan and brown the other side.  
4. Finely mince the lower white portion of the green garlic or green onions.  Thinly slice the green tops and set aside.  Once the chicken is browned, add the minced white portion of the green garlic/onions and ginger to the pan with the chicken.  Sauté for another 2-3 minutes.  
5. Add the quartered turnips and asparagus.  Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the coconut milk mixture along with soy sauce, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Remove from heat and adjust seasoning to your liking with additional salt, pepper, soy sauce and/or maple syrup.
6. Serve over hot cooked rice or rice noodles.
7. Garnish with the sliced green garlic or green onions.

Recipe by Andrea Yoder

Pea Vine Cream Cheese

Yield: 2 cups

4 cups pea vine, roughly chopped and packed (approximately 1 bunch)

3 Tbsp sunflower oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

8 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup green onion, minced

1. Roughly chop one bunch of pea vine and put it in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the oil, vinegar, and salt.  Pulse the food processor a few times to start chopping the pea vine.   Continue to run the food processor until the pea vine is processed to a very fine texture.  
2. Cut the softened cream cheese into cubes and add it to the food processor.  Process briefly, just enough to gently incorporate the cream cheese into the pea vine mixture.  
3. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into a bowl.  Fold in the minced green onion.  Refrigerate the cream cheese mixture for 1-2 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to develop before you use the cream cheese.

**Note**  Any extra cream cheese mixture can be used in a variety of ways.  A few ideas include:  Spread it on your morning bagel;  Serve it with grilled chicken breast;  Spread it on a grilled flat bread and top with raw, fresh vegetables for a raw pizza.

Recipe by Andrea Yoder

Late Spring Farm Update

By:  Richard de Wilde

2022 Cilantro Planting #1

Ok, I promised Andrea this would not be a farmer “whining” about the weather.  So, this is a report about what we and our crew have done with the hand Mother Nature has dealt us.  The facts only. Unlike last spring which was record-setting cold and dry, this spring was record-setting cold and wet.  This spring we set a new record for my 40 plus years of vegetable farming as the latest first planting date which was April 20.  We are now harvesting those first planted radish, greens, white turnips, and very soon dill and cilantro.  In fact, we have accomplished a total of 6 plantings for our line up of these crops that we plant every week.  

Row covers protecting strawberries and melon plants from frost

Because of the cool spring, we have made extensive use of row covers for heat gain and to protect plants from wind.  Row cover is spun bonded polyester.  It is light weight and transmits 85% of the sunlight.  Under the covers, the temperature is on average 4 degrees higher both day and night.  After several weeks you can really see a difference in the rate of crop growth and, unfortunately, weed growth as well.  

Zucchini plants thriving underneath a row cover
to protect from frost and promote heat gain

So, our heat-loving summer plants, i.e., zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, watermelons, and winter squash were all safe in the greenhouses during the cold weather in April, and then in early May we had 4 days of unseasonably hot weather with temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s!  Those heat-loving crops thrived and made quantum leaps in maturity overnight, literally!  So, it is only the 10th of May and Andrea says the zucchini and cucumbers must get transplanted before they get too big and “leggy.”  Despite some cold days and nights in the forecast, we gambled and put them out in the field.  We immediately covered them with row cover draped over wire hoops that we put over the beds with a string strung between them to help float the row cover above the plants. Putting giant blankets on fields requires a lot of sandbags to hold them in place and is most easily accomplished with low wind speed.  But that was only the beginning as we were still faced with the threat of low temperatures and even frost almost daily.  Despite the forecast, we kept planting.  The tomatoes went next and were also hooped and covered.  Then the eggplant, our first melon planting and watermelons, all with covers for protection.  We still had the whole winter squash crop remaining and the plants were getting very tall, so we put them out as well along with some basil and covered it all.

First crop of tomatoes nicely mulched with rye straw

We had the extra covers on hand, but by this time we had run out of sandbags!  Not only did we have a lot of covers out in the field, but we have also been having record-setting wind speeds this spring!  We rushed to fill over 1,000 more sandbags!  We checked covers daily and replaced them as needed, adding additional sandbags to keep them in place.  We think the danger of frost is passed now, but only after it “nipped” our first bean planting, which was not covered.  Thankfully, the covers did their job, and all those warm-weather crops survived the frost!  The investment of time and resources paid off.

This week we will plant our third crop of beans and sweet corn.  Sweet potato slips from North Carolina are scheduled to arrive on Thursday morning and we have plans to plant them Thursday afternoon.    We have peas to trellis and started staking the first crop of tomatoes.  Peppers are also going out to the field this week.  Aside from our second planting of melons and more basil, this will complete the plantings of our summer transplant crops.

Early variety of strawberries with 
blossoms!

Due to the cold start to the season, it looks like strawberries will be delayed a bit.  However, the plants are full of blossoms and there are even some thumbnail sized berries!  In addition to laying out covers, transplanting, etc., we have also been harvesting vegetables for our early CSA boxes, we have spread 90 4’x 5’ bales of mulch for tomato and pepper crops and Luis, Nestor and Joel have done an excellent job of cultivating!  Thanks to these guys, the sunchokes, horseradish and potatoes are 4-6 inches high and weed free.  

Thankfully, we’ve had time to stay on top of hand weeding and the crew has gone through all the parsnips and beautiful carrots as well as kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, and Kale.  All these crops are looking good, and the kohlrabi is already the size of a 50-cent piece!  Last weekend we finished planting ginger in the cold frame greenhouse, so we have that to look forward to harvesting in late October or early November!

Did I mention that we have a fantastic crew?  They never hesitate to stay late to finish a job and are ready to start again the next day.  Andrea’s right, we have nothing to whine about.  We’re positioned for a great season!

Using the Kult to cultivate weeds in the rows of parsley plants

May 26, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Greens

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Photo from iheartnaptime.net

Mini Green Romaine Head Lettuce:

Maple Mustard Dressing

Taco Lettuce Wraps 

Blossoming Chives:

What are Chive Blossoms 

Chive Butter 

Honey and Chive Blossom Vinaigrette 

Baby Arugula:

Arugula Salad with Parmesan, Lemon and Olive Oil 

15-minute Thin Crust Pizza with Arugula & Hot Honey 

Sauté Mix:

5-Minute Asian Salad Dressing 

Asparagus:

Cheesy Baked Asparagus with Gruyere Cheese, Garlic & Bacon 

Sheet Pan 30-Minute Sticky Apricot Chicken and Asparagus 

Rhubarb:

Photo from itsybitsykitchen.com

Rhubarb Cheesecake 

Rice Noodles in Coconut Rhubarb Curry 

Sparkling Rhubarb Lemonade 

Green Garlic:

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Arugula and Citrus 

Green Top Red or Diana Radishes:

Radish Top Pasta with Chickpeas and Parsley 

Dal with Radish Raita 

Radish Greens Pesto 

Hon Tsai Tai:

Spring Greens Pasta with Greens & Green Garlic Pesto

Hon Tsai Tai and Shiitake Potstickers 

Hon Tsai Tai Salad with Spicy Tahini Ginger Sauce 

Welcome to week 4 of our CSA season and the last week of May!  The month of May has been interesting, to say the least.  In one month we’ve had temperatures in the 90’s and just this last week we woke up to frost in the valley!  Despite an unusual spring and the uncertainty of the weather, Mother Nature still delivers and we continue to have food  on our tables.  This week we’re not featuring one particular vegetable, but rather a category of vegetables that we’re loosely calling “greens.”  As I mention in this week’s vegetable feature article  (See below), we have long been advocates for “eating your greens every day!”  The good news is, greens are nature’s fast foods.  They are quick and easy to cook and versatile in their use.  This week’s featured recipe is for Marilyn’s Stir-fry Sauce (See below).  Marilyn is a longtime CSA member and shared this recipe with me several years ago.  It’s a great sauce that can be made in advance so you can make a quick stir-fry on the fly using any seasonal greens or vegetables you have available.  It’s called creative cooking, following your instinct and using what you have available to you at that moment.   So get creative with your vegetable combinations and use up some of those greens in this week’s box!

Following along with our theme of “Eat Your Greens…Every Day,”  I also included recipe suggestions for using radish tops as well as the unique hon tsai tai.  There are many ways you can eat and enjoy radish tops, but I like this recipe for Radish top Pasta with Chickpeas and Parsley.  While Hon Tsai Tai and Shiitake Potstickers do take a little time to assemble, but they are fun to make and very tasty! 

In addition to a lot of green-centric recipes this week, I’ve also included a recipe for Rhubarb Cheesecake and Sparkling Rhubarb Lemonade as well as Cheesy Baked Asparagus with Gruyere Cheese, Garlic & Bacon and Sheet Pan 30-Minute Sticky Apricot Chicken and Asparagus.   These spring vegetables won’t be around for very long, so enjoy them while they are in season!

Looking ahead to next week, we’re hoping our first crop of Baby White Salad Turnips will be ready.  We’re also hoping to start harvesting cilantro soon, along with more head lettuce from the field. Before I close out this week, I want to thank everyone who has been participating in our private Facebook Group.  There have been some awesome suggestions, shares and interaction since the start of deliveries.  It’s really fun to see what everyone is cooking up!  If you aren’t part of our group yet, we encourage you to join so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Have a good week—

Andrea 

Vegetable Feature: Eat Your Greens. . . Every Day!

by Andrea Yoder

Hon Tsai Tai

For those of you who have been with us over the years, you know that spring is the time for green leafy vegetables (hereafter referred to as “greens”).  Five of the nine vegetables in this week’s box fall into this category of greens.  They include baby arugula, sauté mix, mini head lettuce, hon tsai tai and radish tops.  Root vegetables that are harvested with their green tops are bonus vegetables!  We have long been advocates for regularly including greens in our diets.  We know they are packed with valuable nutrients that keep us healthy and contribute to our overall wellness, but they have other attributes that are worth mentioning as well.  For starters, there are so many different kinds of greens in the world and many of them grow in our climate.  Greens such as this week’s hon tsai tai are important to our seasonal lineup of vegetables because they thrive at a certain time or in certain growing conditions.  Hon Tsai Tai thrives during the cool of the spring and grows quickly thereby providing us with something to eat while we wait for some of the other vegetables to grow and mature.  Amaranth is another example of a green selected for a specific time slot.  It grows in the heat of the summer when other greens are stressed by the heat and are a challenge to grow.  In addition to nutrition, variety and seasonality, greens are also delicious and many of them are quick cooking which is why I like to call them “Nature’s fast food!”  Read on and I’ll explain.

Head Lettuce starting in the tunnel Greenhouse

Many people are intimidated by greens and think they are time consuming or hard to cook.  My job this week is to help you move past intimidation, because no one should ever be intimidated by a vegetable!  For starters, there are some basic cooking principles that can help you figure out the best way to prepare and use your greens.  The first question might be “Do I eat this raw or cooked?”  We’ll usually tell you in the newsletter, but you can often determine this for yourself.  Take a little piece of a leaf and eat it.  If it feels tough, chewy or fibrous, it probably should be cooked.  If you find the green to be strong flavored or bitter, cooking will help to mellow the flavor.  If the green you are eating is tender, and well-balanced in flavor it is most likely appropriate for eating raw, but may also be cooked.  Most greens can be used interchangeably with others of similar texture.  For example, if you have a recipe that calls for chard, you could substitute beet greens.  If you have a recipe for cooked spinach, you can likely substitute other tender greens such as hon tsai tai, nettles or amaranth.

Lacinato Kale 

The cooking technique you choose is most often determined by the nature of the green, its flavors and texture.  Appropriate ways to cook more tender greens include wilting, sautéing, and stir-frying.  Wilting greens is very easy and employs the moisture that is clinging to the greens after washing them.  Simply add moist greens to a hot pan, add a splash of liquid and cover the pan to produce some steam.  It won’t take long for the greens to wilt down.  You can also wilt greens just by adding them to a hot soup, broth or sauce.  Sautéed greens are a good stand-by method for true “fast food.”  Start with a little bit of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add base ingredients of your choosing (onions, garlic, mushrooms, etc.) and cook for just a few minutes until they are tender.  Add your greens and any other ingredients you may choose to flavor them (soy sauce, miso, ginger, etc.).  Sauté just until the greens have wilted down and you’re done!  Cooking techniques such as those described above may take as little as 3-5 minutes or up to 10 minutes to complete.  Don’t walk too far away from the pan while they are cooking or you risk overcooking them!

Red Radishes in the field, don't
forget to eat the green tops too!

Hardier greens such as kale and collards will require a little more prep and cooking time.  You can eat these greens raw and they actually make delicious salads.  The key to a delicious kale salad is to cut the kale into small, bite-sized pieces and allow enough time to “marinate” the kale leaves.  Dressing the salad in advance allows the vinegar and oil in the dressing to break down the kale leaves and softens them without cooking them.  If you are cooking them, you’ll want to make sure you use some source of moisture—added water, broth, stock, tomato juice, etc and allow time for the greens to soften.  

As we wrap up this discussion I want to circle back to my comment that greens are “Nature’s Fast Food.”  While some greens such as collards and kale do require a little longer cooking time, most greens can be turned into a meal pretty quickly as they are quick cooking and/or may simply be eaten raw.  I use this attribute to my advantage when I need to put a healthy meal on the table quickly, which is most days!  In less than 10 minutes I can sauté greens and serve them with a fried egg on top or mix them into scrambled eggs, hot rice or pasta, hot beans or soups.  I can also use greens to make a quick stir-fry.  In the time it takes to cook rice, I can stir-fry greens and other seasonal vegetables along with protein such as beef or chicken.  Add a quick sauce such as the recipe featured in this week’s newsletter and you can sit down to a nutritious meal in little time.  

For greens that may be eaten raw, the key to quick preparation is to invest a little time in advance to make sure the greens are washed, cleaned and ready to go.  I also like to keep a simple vinaigrette or salad dressing in the refrigerator.  If I have clean greens and a vinaigrette, I can create a salad very quickly.  In fact, it can become a main dish by adding protein such as cooked chicken, beef, tofu, nuts or seeds.  

We hope you enjoy incorporating more greens into your daily meals and hopefully these tips have helped you see how to use them to your advantage, both so you don’t miss out on their valuable nutrients, but also for the ways they can help make your meal prep quick and painless so you can eat well in the midst of a busy life. 

Marilyn's Stir Fry Sauce

Serves  8-10

This is an all-purpose stir-fry sauce which goes well with a vegetarian meal as well as with chicken, pork, shrimp or beef.  It keeps well in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar, which is why the proportions in this recipe allow enough for two meals.

This sauce is added after the vegetables and meats are stir-fried.  The final mixture is then brought back just to a boil before serving.

All the ingredients can be purchased at a good grocery store.  The toasted sesame oil is needed for flavor, and can be reduced (but not omitted) to lower the fat content.  The minimal alcohol involved is used to bring out flavors prior to its evaporation.  

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 

2 tsp minced fresh garlic

2 tsp minced fresh ginger root

2 cups (14.5 oz can) chicken or vegetable stock

3 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp rice wine or cooking sherry (dry cocktail sherry)

1. In a small saucepan, heat sesame oil.  Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 15-30 seconds over medium heat to bring out the flavor.  Add chicken stock, soy sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice.  Bring just to a boil, stirring all the time.  
2. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the rice wine, then whisk this into the sauce.  Heat until the sauce thickens and reaches a full boil.  Continue to stir the sauce as it thickens.  Simmer just below boiling for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and set aside.  
3. Any portion of sauce that you are not using right away should be cooled and then poured into a quart jar.  Store it in the refrigerator until needed.  

This recipe was shared by Marilyn Chohaney, long time CSA member and friend of the farm!  It may be used to make your own custom stir-fries utilizing any combination of seasonal vegetables available throughout the year.  During this time of year you can make some tasty stir-fries using green garlic, scallions, asparagus, radishes, greens, baby white turnips, etc.  In the summer you may use peppers, zucchini, white onions, chard, fresh garlic and broccoli.  As you can see, there is no recipe with exact quantities and ingredients.  This is a loose concept that you can vary and play with throughout the season.  You may choose to make a vegetable only stir-fry, or you can add protein of your choosing.  Garnish your stir-fry with toasted cashews or almonds, sesame seeds, or even fresh cilantro.  

Growing & Using Herbs!

 By Andrea Yoder

Fresh herbs bring a fragrant vitality to your kitchen, may be used medicinally, and add beauty to your landscape or patio.  Back in our early days of CSA, we used to include more herbs in the CSA shares.  We wanted to give members fresh herbs to cook with, however we heard frequently from members that they were not using all of the herbs in a bunch before they went bad.  We brought this issue up at a meeting with our members and one member suggested we send the herbs as plants that they can plant themselves.  What a great idea and an even better way to accomplish the overall goal of making fresh herbs available for CSA members to incorporate in their meals!  When you need a fresh herb, you simply cut it from your plant—it doesn’t get any fresher than that!  

Every year in mid-late May we deliver these special culinary herb packs that we start in our greenhouse.  You can plant these herbs in a garden space or in pots to keep on your patio, porch or kitchen windowsill if you’re limited on space.  Choose good, loose garden soil mixed with lots of compost (up to 1” mixed into the soil if you’re planting into a garden space).  The plants will do best in well-drained soil with full sun.  If you don’t have a space with full sun exposure, partial sun will be ok too.  If you have rabbits or other little herb-loving critters in your yard, you might need to fence your herbs to protect them.  While we usually don’t see frost after the 15th of May, it is still possible that we could see some chilly nights over the next few weeks.  While most of the contents of these herb packs can tolerate a little frost, there are a few herbs including basil and chervil that will be damaged by the frost.  If you see a cold night coming, we recommend you either bring your plants inside (if in pots) or cover them with a sheet or other protective covering to protect them from frost or low temperatures.

If you need help identifying the herbs in your pack, please refer to this diagram as well as the pictures that follow. 

Oregano

There are four perennial herbs in your pack:  Oregano, Sage, Thyme and Rosemary.  Oregano, sage and thyme are more cold hardy and have a pretty good chance of surviving our cold winters.  So, consider where you’d like to establish these herbs in your garden as they will likely come back year after year.  Sage and oregano will get quite large, so it is best to give them about 2 square feet of space in the area you plant them in.  Each year we cut off all the old wood from our sage plant to make room for the new growth.  Thyme is a bit smaller and only needs about 1 square foot of space.  While rosemary is a perennial herb, it is not quite as cold hardy.  To ensure it survives into the next year, it is best to bring it indoors in the fall.  If you have planted it in the ground, you can dig it up and put it in a pot to keep inside over the winter.  

Italian Basil

The remaining plants in your pack are annuals and include Italian Basil, Chervil, Italian Parsley and Curly Parsley.  Annuals will only produce for this season and will not survive the winter outdoors.  Italian basil and chervil need to be cut back regularly to delay flower and seed formation so they continue to produce usable leaves.  If you see even the earliest sign of flowering in either of these plants, cut them back to keep them vegetative.  Parsley will continue to produce throughout the season, so don’t be afraid to cut these plants back too.  If you can’t use your herbs as fast as they are growing, cut the extra herbs anyway and preserve them.  There is more information about that to follow.  When harvesting your herbs, use a sharp knife or scissors so you can make a clean cut.

Chervil

Fresh herbs should be cut as close to using them as possible and with a sharp knife, so you don’t bruise the leaves.  The flavor and aroma from herbs come from the oils in the herb and will lessen over time once they are cut.  This is also why you usually add fresh herbs to a dish at the end of cooking or shortly before serving.  In contrast, dried herbs need more time to develop the flavors that have been preserved in the process of drying.  Dried herbs are added earlier in the cooking process to give them time to develop and come together with the other ingredients in the dish. Many times, recipes will direct you to strip the leaves from the stems of fresh herbs.  If the stem is tough or more like a stick, you will want to do this.  However, some herb stems are tender, flavorful, juicy and totally usable!  I often chop both the leaf and the stem when I’m using fresh thyme, parsley, chervil and sometimes young basil stems.  Sage, rosemary and oregano stems are sometimes a bit more coarse and not usable.

Sage

The herbs in our garden herb pack are intended to be used primarily as culinary herbs, adding flavor and vitality to the foods you are enjoying at your meals.  I do want to mention though, that herbs also have nutrients and compounds in them that impart health benefits and may be used medicinally.  For instance, the Latin name for common sage means “healing plant.”  Over the course of history sage has been used medicinally in many applications including as a central nervous system tonic and a circulatory stimulant.   There is an ancient proverb that says, “How can a man die who has sage in his garden?”  Several years ago, Jean Schneider, a longtime friend of our farm and an herbalist, shared some ideas for medicinal uses of some of the herbs in our herb packs.  You can read her full article on our blog where she shared how to make sage honey.  This is a great way to preserve sage at the end of the season and a nice thing to have in your pantry to use throughout the winter to enhance your health.  

German Winter Thyme

Thyme is another example of an herb that is used for both its culinary applications, but also imparts health benefits to our bodies.  The same essential oils contained in the plant that give it its signature aroma and flavor are also responsible for its medicinal benefits including being antiseptic and antispasmodic.  It can help to soothe congestion and calm tense muscles and nerves.  In Jean’s article on our blog, you’ll also find information about how you can make thyme tea.

Rosemary has an interesting history as it relates to health benefits.  Back in ancient Greece, philosophers and students wore rosemary garlands on their heads to stimulate the brain and improve their memory.  Rosemary contains a compound called borneol that is thought to increase blood flow and generally stimulate the circulatory system thereby increasing blood flow to the heart and brain.  If this is true, it makes sense that one may have better brain function with enhanced blood flow and oxygenation to the brain!  

Rosemary

These are just a few examples of the health benefits we can take advantage of by including culinary herbs in our diets, but also using them outside the scope of cooking and eating as medicinal plants that can enhance our health.  With that in mind, lets talk more about how we can incorporate culinary herbs into our meals on a regular basis!

Herbs are a great way to add flavor to your food and can really elevate a dish or recipe to the next level by enhancing other flavors it may accompany.  Most of the time we think of herbs as something we add in small portions to give just a little extra flavor or add background flavor.  An example of this is when you add herbs to the pot when making stock, broth or braised dishes.  In these preparations, herbs are often put in as whole stems or bundles.  They are used to impart flavor and then removed before using or serving.  Other times herbs are used as a garnish, added just before serving with the purpose of complementing the dish.  Examples of this include adding a little fresh parsley to a bowl of chicken soup or a plate of pasta or perhaps you add a little fresh basil to a pizza after it comes out of the oven.  Beyond these small, complementary applications, I would also encourage you to think of herbs as vegetables.   For example, add coarsely chopped herbs to vegetable and grain salads in larger quantities where they are one of the main ingredients.  Vietnamese cuisine is a great example of food where herbs are used in greater quantities more like a vegetable.  Another good example of this type of application is Tabbouleh, a Lebanese salad, which is a combination of bulgur, tomatoes and lots of fresh parsley and mint. 

Italian Parsley

There are some classic preparations from around the world that are characterized by their use of herbs.  When your plants are really producing and you have a lot of fresh herbs available, consider using them more as a main ingredient in some of these preparations.  Pesto is a great example of this and is traditionally made with fresh basil, although you can make pesto out of nearly anything green and leafy!  Gremolata is an Italian condiment made from fresh parsley, lemon and garlic.  It is traditionally served with osso bucco, an Italian dish of braised veal shank, but can also be served with lamb, beef, chicken or bean dishes.  Chermoula is a Morroccan herb condiment made with fresh herbs including parsley and cilantro.  It is often served with fish and seafood dishes.  Chimichurri is another parsley based condiment originating in Argentina.  It also includes garlic and parsley as the main ingredients, but also often includes fresh oregano, red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar.  Salsa Verde is another fresh herb sauce, different from the salsa verde made from tomatillos.  The herbal version of Salsa Verde is a simple herb sauce, similar in some ways to a coarse pesto.  It’s often made with parsley, but you could make it with any fresh herbs.  

Curly Parsley

If you do have more herbs than you can use fresh, cut them back and preserve them.  Some herbs, such as basil and parsley, can be pureed with a little oil and frozen in ice cube trays or muffin tins.  Other herbs such as parsley, sage, oregano, thyme and savory are good as dried herbs.  After you harvest them, give them a quick rinse and then dry them in a low-heat oven or in a food dehydrator.  The other option is to bundle the herbs in small bundles and hang them in a dry place with good air flow and let them air dry. If you do this, make sure the herbs are more on the dry side when you bundle them and don’t put too many stems in a bundle, or they may mold or take longer to dry.  Once your herbs are dried, strip them off the stem and put them in a glass jar with a lid.

Cooking flavorful food does not have to be complicated or time-consuming, and neither does raising your own herb garden!  Anyone, of any level of culinary or gardening skill, can learn to feed themselves healthy delicious food if they approach cooking and basic gardening with an open mind and a willingness to learn.  You do have to invest a little time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be terribly complicated and it’s definitely nothing to be afraid of!  In her book The Homemade Kitchen, Alana Chernila says “Fresh herbs will take whatever you create in the kitchen and make it better.”

We hope you enjoy growing your own herbs and find interesting and delicious ways to make use of them throughout the year.  They really are a simple way to brighten up your landscape as well as your meals and the benefits they offer go beyond the flavor.  

May 19, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Sorrel

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Overwintered Spinach  or Mini Green Romaine Head Lettuce:  

Spinach Frittata 

Spinach Artichoke Dip 

Spinach with Walnut Vinaigrette 

Blossoming Chives:  

Chive Blossom Butter 

Grilled Potatoes with Chive Sauce 

Chive Pesto 

Watercress:  

Asparagus and Watercress Pizza 

Spring Watercress and Asparagus Soup 

Nettles:  

Read our previous blog post from 2018 for important information about how to handle and prepare nettles

Frosty Sorrel and Banana Smoothie

Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting 

40+ Stinging Nettle Recipes 

Savory Nettle Scones 

Asparagus:  

Asparagus and Chicken Stir-Fry 

Asparagus Panzanella 

Sorrel:  

Sorrel & Hazelnut Pesto (See Below)

Potato Salad with Sorrel Dressing (See Below)

Sorrel Hummus 

Sorrel-Lime Cooler 

Frosty Sorrel and Banana Smoothie 

Rhubarb:  

Rhubarb and Chocolate Muffins 

Roast Chicken with Rhubarb Butter & Asparagus 

Green Garlic:  

Alice Water’s Spaghetti with Green Garlic 

Mini Potato Pancakes with Green Garlic & Chives 

Sorrel Hummus

Welcome to the third week of CSA boxes!  We have another tasty, spring box coming your way!  This week we’re featuring sorrel, another one of our early spring perennial crops.  This is a unique green that may be used in a wide variety of ways, ranging from soup to salad, pesto, drinks and more.  I included my top three recipes from our archives including Sorrel Hummus, Sorrel-Lime Cooler and Frosty Sorrel and Banana Smoothie.  I also included two new recipes for you to consider trying.  The first of these recipes is Sorrel & Hazelnut Pesto (See Below).  This is a super easy recipe to make and can help you get dinner on the table super quick!  Use this pesto to dress up a plate of pasta or spread it on sandwiches, wraps, etc.  The second recipe is for Potato Salad with Sorrel Dressing (See Below).

This is our final week for nettles, which I think is a sad fact.  If you have not been brave enough to cook with nettles, I hope you’ll do so this week.  They have so much nutrition and depth of flavor, it would be a shame to not try them!  I just found this link to 40+ Stinging Nettle Recipes.  This blog has a lot of great ideas for how to creatively use nettles including this recipe Savory Nettle Scones!

What are you going to do with all of this week’s asparagus?!  I’ve never heard anyone complain of getting too much asparagus, so I’m trusting it won’t go to waste!  I included two unique recipes for Asparagus and Chicken Stir-Fry and Asparagus Panzanella.  You can start with these, or just keep it simple and sauté it with butter!

Whatever you end up creating this week, I hope you have fun and enjoy making and eating your creations!  We have really been enjoying the posts everyone has been making in our private Facebook Group!  It is clear from some of the posts that you have been enjoying cooking out of the box again!

Thank you and we’ll see you next week!

---Chef Andrea 

Vegetable Feature: Sorrel

by Andrea Yoder

Eating with the seasons can be an exciting, yet sometimes challenging adventure in the spring.  For many people, some early spring vegetables may be less familiar and come with a bit of a learning curve.  Most of the early spring vegetables are perennial plants that are either wild harvested, such as ramps and nettles, or are crops we planted in a previous year that start poking through on their own early in the spring.  Some of these vegetables include sorrel, chives, rhubarb and asparagus.  They play an important role in nourishing our bodies and have unique nutritive properties that help us transition from winter into a new season.  If you are not familiar with these vegetables, they might be a little intimidating at first.  However, don’t let a vegetable intimidate you, just dive in and start learning how to enjoy something new!  Don’t worry, we’ll help guide you along the way! 

This week we are featuring sorrel, a unique perennial plant that is amongst the first greens of the season.  Sorrel leaves have a pointy, arrow shape and are thick in texture and bright green in color.  You’ll recognize sorrel by its tart and citrus-like flavor if you nibble on a raw leaf.  It has a bright flavor that will call your taste buds to attention.  It is a very nutritious green that contains antioxidants as well as vitamin C, fiber, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Sorrel may be used in a wide variety of preparations and may be eaten either raw or cooked.   Raw sorrel can brighten any salad and is excellent when blended into cold sauces, vinaigrettes, dressings, dips or smoothies.  Because of its bold, tart, invigorating flavor, it is often treated more like an herb when used raw and will give the end product a bright, cheery green color.  When cooked, sorrel behaves in a very interesting way.  First, its color changes from bright green to a drab olive green almost immediately.  Don’t worry, this happens to everyone and it’s just the way it is with sorrel!  The other unusual thing about sorrel is how it “melts” when added to hot liquids.  The leaves will almost immediately change color and start to soften.  The longer it’s cooked, the more the leaves break apart and you can stir it into a coarse sauce.  This is one of the reasons it’s often used in soups and sauces. 

Spiced Lentils with Nettles & Sorrel Yogurt

The acidity of sorrel makes it a natural companion to rich foods such as cream, butter, sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, duck, and fatty fish (salmon & mackerel).  Additionally, it pairs well with more “earthy” foods such as lentils, rice, buckwheat, mushrooms and potatoes.  As with many other spring vegetables, it pairs well with eggs and is often used in quiche, scrambled eggs, custard etc.  Don’t be afraid to think “outside of the box” and explore some other interesting ways to use sorrel such as in desserts including sorbet, ice cream and panna cotta or beverages including smoothies and cocktails!  Sorrel also pairs well with citrus fruits and berries.

We have featured a wide variety of sorrel recipes in past newsletters, and I encourage you to look at the searchable recipe database on our website. I have a few favorites that I mention every year because they are easy, delicious and have been well-received by other members over the year.  Sorrel Hummus, Sorrel-Lime Cooler and my Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie rank as my top three.

If you’re looking for a vegetarian main dish, this recipe for Spiced Lentils with Nettles & Sorrel Yogurt Sauce is excellent.  There is also a recipe for Spring Greens Soup that uses not only sorrel but four other vegetables from this week’s box!

We hope your spring is off to a good start and you are enjoying these early boxes.  Don’t forget we have an awesome Facebook Group available to all CSA members.  This is another great resource to find recipe suggestions and talk to other members about vegetables!  

Potato Salad with Sorrel Dressing

Yield:  6-8 servings

Sorrel Sauce with Yogurt:

Photo from lemonthymeandginger.com

2 cups cleaned sorrel leaves

½ cup plain yogurt

1 clove garlic (substitute 1 green garlic)

Fresh chives, finely chopped, about 1 Tbsp

Salt, to taste

Potato Salad:

2 pounds potatoes

1-2 Tbsp vinegar

3 hard boiled eggs

4 large, cleaned sorrel leaves

2 ribs celery, medium dice

½ cup mayonnaise

2-3 Tbsp Sorrel Sauce with Yogurt 

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Minced chives, to garnish

1. First, prepare the Sorrel Sauce with Yogurt.  Trim off the stem of each sorrel leaf.  Give the sorrel leaves a rough chop and add them to a food processor.  Cut the garlic or green garlic into smaller pieces and add to the food processor along with the yogurt.  Process until the sorrel and yogurt is a smooth puree.  Transfer the sorrel sauce into a small bowl and stir in the minced chives.  Cover the sauce and refrigerate until needed.  The sauce will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
2. Next, make the sorrel dressing for the potato salad.  In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, 1-2 Tbsp of the Sorrel Sauce with Yogurt, and Dijon mustard.  Taste the dressing and add additional salt, up to ½ tsp, according to your tastes.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.
3. Prepare the potatoes by cutting into evenly sized pieces between ½-1 inch in size.  Whether or not you peel the potatoes is your preference.  Either way is fine for this recipe.  
4. Put the potatoes into a pot and fill with cold water until an inch above the top of the potatoes.  Add a pinch of salt to the water.  Place the pot with the potatoes on a burner and turn it on to high to reach a boil.  When the potatoes are beginning to boil, turn the heat down to medium and put a lid on the pot.  Cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork.   Do not overcook the potatoes or they will fall apart.  Drain the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the potatoes with 1 Tbsp vinegar and a pinch of salt, and gently stir to mix.  Let the potatoes cool.
5. De-rib and cut off the stems of the sorrel leaves.  Stack the leaves and tightly roll them up and cut across to finely chiffonade the leaves.  Put in a bowl with the cooled potatoes.
6. Chop the celery ribs into a medium dice and rough chop the hard boiled eggs.  Add both to the cooled potatoes and gently mix all the ingredients together.  Add the sorrel dressing and gently mix together until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.  Taste and correct seasoning.  Transfer the potato salad to a serving dish garnish with minced chives. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe borrowed from lemonthymeandginger.com

Sorrel and Hazelnut Pesto

Photo from sabrinacurrie.com

Yield:  6 servings

½ cup hazelnuts

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

2 cups sorrel leaves

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp lemon zest

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. In a food processor (or with mortar and pestle), process the hazelnuts and salt until the nuts are very finely ground.  Add the garlic and process again until it is uniform with the nuts.
2. Add the sorrel, about ½ cup at a time until it is finely ground.
3. Add the oil slowly, continuing to stir or process as you pour it in.
4. Stir in the lemon zest and grated Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with salt.  Add extra oil if you want a looser sauce
5. Serve with hot pasta, on crostini or as a condiment on white beans, grilled fish or chicken.

Recipe borrowed from sabrinacurrie.com