In the share this week:
1 bunch/head broccoli
1 head cabbage
1 bunch golden beets
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch swiss chard
1 kohlrabi bulb
1 bag salad mix
1 bunch green onions
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
It's a brassica bonanza this week! These crops are so happy with the mild temperatures we've been having lately. Check out the beautiful field of broccoli plants above! The broccoli is just starting to come on this week, but we should have even more of it in shares next week. Fresh broccoli is such a treat - so much tastier than what you can get in the store. Plus we leave a few of the leaves on each head which can be cooked just like collards of kale if you like. I'm sure most of you have a fav way to eat broccoli. I'm actually thinking about the broccoli and kohlrabi raw with dips (hummus or ranch) would be great for snacks this week. If you are looking to up the flavor quotient, maybe try a coleslaw with a mix of broccoli stem, kohlrabi and cabbage and topped with quinoa. You could almost just make a meal out of it!
The first pick of cabbages are big and beautiful. Cabbage is a hearty vegetable that will keep for several weeks in your crisper. We love to cook with cabbage, particularly in soups. Our family has really gotten into fancy ramen soups lately and cabbage is an awesome vegetable to add to those. However, since we are harvesting some perfect cilantro this week, I'm thinking you should use a least a little of your cabbage for some fish tacos:
Hopefully you aren't getting too tired of beets. We do at least have a different variety for you to try this week: golden beets! They are a beautiful deep golden color, with that earthy sweetness you expect from a beet. They would look very pretty together with the red beets in a grain bowl or salad. Beets with their leaves removed do keep for a month or more in your veggie drawer, but if you are running out of space in you could think about pickling some of your beets this week. I'm actually thinking I may do a good sized batch of canned pickled beets for our family this year since it makes them so easy and ready to eat. Here's a refrigerator quick pickle recipe, but you could easily transfer these into a canning jar and boil for 30 minutes to process.
Our farm task list feels manageable this week and it looks like it will be dry all week so we'll have plenty of time to get the little bit of planting we have to do done. We pulled our overwintered onions to dry a couple of weeks ago and they are looking like they are about ready to process, so we'll be able to offer those to you starting next week. Along with some fresh, spring planted sweet onions too! As soon as the overwintered onions are out of the greenhouse, we'll be pulling the garlic to dry in that space. Our auxiliary greenhouse is such a useful little space!
Have a great week all!