Share 2 - week of May 26th
In the share this week:
1 bunch beets
1 bunch radishes
1 bunch salad turnips
1 head bok choy
1 bunch curly kale
1 bunch spring onions
1 bag salad mix
1 bunch swiss chard
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
Well, after a good spell of drier weather in May we definitely got charged up with lots of rain last week. The farm is soft and muddy early this week, and everything has grown so much over a few days! After many years of doing this farming thing, I've realized that I don't need to get too worked up about any particular weather event. There will always be some good (lots of crop growth and a break from running the irrigation in this case) and some bad (weed growth, slugs and fungal disease in this case). Part of what makes farming and the CSA share model fun and interesting, is the differences that each year brings. Some crops thrive in particular conditions, while others succumb to various pests or disease. We have some controls we can use to stay ahead of some pests, but ultimately the climate and particularly conditions of the season dictate much more which crops will thrive.
The farm is just bursting with new growth and the pic above is our brassica field (cabbages and kohlrabi), all of which will be coming to shares very soon. You'll find that we often have somewhat similar crops in shares for a couple of weeks, and then a bigger shift to some new things. This week is pretty similar to last week, with the exciting exceptions of spring onions and Swiss chard!
As these first few shares are pretty greens heavy, I thought you would appreciate this comment about using beet greens, from one of our long time CSA members, Sandy Niemiec:
I was blown away by the beauty of those beets, and they were so delicious. Beet greens are my very favorite greens. This is how I like to cook them:
Wash and chop the greens. Remove the stems.
In a large pan, saute onions with chopped lamb bacon.
Add garlic, ginger paste, and chopped tomatoes.
When well-cooked, add chopped greens.
Cover. When wilted, toss greens with onions and tomatoes.
Add more greens and water as needed. Cover and cook until well done.
To freeze extra greens, I wash, spin, and chop them. Then stuff them in a Ziplock bag and freeze. I do the same with parsley and cilantro. When you want to use them, just wack the bag on the counter and take out the amount you need.
You could also add swiss chard into this as they are very similar to beet greens, and you can freeze most all greens with great results for cooking.
We have been enjoying using the bok choy in all manner of stir-fries, fried rice and noodly dishes. You'll notice the bok choy leaves are a little damaged this week (that is thanks to all the rain making a great environment for slugs). Luckily, you don't notice those hole when you chop and cook it up! I always figure that the crops the bugs like most and probably the most tasty :)
Here is a great recipe that gives you an idea of how to use bok choy, radishes and turnips in a beautiful, yummy and satisfying ramen bowl:
https://dishingupthedirt.com/farm-fresh/bok-choy/miso-bok-choy-turnip-ramen-soy-eggs/
Hope you all have a great week!
Anna