SPRING!!! With the peepers chirping every night and full buds on the lilacs and magnolias, spring is surely here – finally. Not only has spring arrived, but our first on-farm intern has arrived also. It’s a little chilly still for an unheated cabin, so Bethany is staying in the spare room of the farmhouse. Deidre lives close by, so she stays at her place, and Janelle will arrive in 2-3 weeks. Joining them soon will be our newest field worker, Kurt. It’s good to have these choices made. We have never had so many interesting and eager applicants, so the final decisions were tougher than before. This is just the 2nd day for the new interns. Monday they learned about picking things. Today, it’s all about the packing of the shares for you and other Wednesday orders.
The Summer 2011 cycle is filling steadily – so if you still have not let us know your intentions, please take a second to do so soon. Summer crops are being seeded and/or transplanted – well, if and when the fields dry out. The greenhouses are being weeded (again). That never stops really. As the temperatures warm, especially in the houses, we have begun to see aphids. To control them, we are fighting back with the ever-so- gentle spraying of insecticidal soap. (Should you find these little darlings on your greens, they usually will come off under running water.) The parsley and tomatoes are ready to be ‘shifted up’ which means transplanted into larger containers to continue to get that head start before being planted in the fields. Work on the new equipment shed is plodding along in between raindrops, sleet, or the occasional snow flurry. Thanks to the folks who responded to our ‘help needed’ note. We don’t have a permanent replacement yet, but we are working
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, , Rob, Julia, Penny, Guinevere, Morgan, Bethany, and Deidre)
THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 varieties of lettuce, mizuna, and pe-tsai. The last two are mild Asian greens. This mix is best stored in an air-tight container with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any extra drops of water that can form.Mushrooms - Shiitake. It’s a good thing they’re so good. If you can’t use them all in one week, they should store fine in their paper bag to be combined for a really big mushroom extravaganza next week!
Sunflower Microgreens - Unlike sprouts (which are only grown in water), these are grown in soil and therefore im-part the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Swiss Chard- We are glad to still have this favorite. The mild flavor of chard makes it the all around choice for most customers. It’s the only green that grows well in winter and summer.
Kale - One of our all-time favorites. We love it raw, massaged, steamed, in soup, etc., etc. ,etc.
Carrots - Many of you have writ-ten to say that you agree about t he flavor of these sweet things. And thanks for that. What a special flavor and treat on a gloomy winter day.
Green Onions - Our first time to include green onions (scallions to some.) We tried last winter, but the crop failed, so we are tickled pink to share them with you this week!
French Breakfast Radishes - The first of the season radishes are so special for their tender crisp crunchy juiciness. Enjoy these on salads, bread and butter, with a dip, in a stir-fry, or just by themselves, maybe a pinch of salt.
The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard are finished for the winter.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the Galette.
Please remember to return your green delivery bag each week. We want to reduce packaging as much as possible. Thanks !
Answer to FAQ: Yes, you can still make changes to your Summer 2011 share. From adding someone to upgrading to the cheaper Full Share, to changing the size of an Ala Carte item, early sign-up makes flexibility possible.
Recipes
Fava Bean and Goat Cheese Dip with Radishes
~from Martha Stewart Living, Apr ’11
“Here’s an easy way for fava bean fans to enjoy the ingredient during its short peak season, March to May. At other times, shelled edamame are a worthy stand-in. Radishes make good, crunchy dippers for either ver-sion.” Martha
Coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
2 lbs fava beans, shelled
½ cup soft goat cheese (4 oz)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, + 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon water + more if needed
1 bunch radishes, halved or quartered lengthwise, if large
1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook fava beans until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, and transfer to ice-water bath. Let cool. Drain, and peel beans.
2. Pulse beans, goat cheese, oil, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, ½ teaspoon salt, a nd ¼ teaspoon pepper in a food processor until just combined but still chunky, about 6 or 7 times. Stir in water. Add an additional tablespoon water if mixture is too thick. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Sprinkle with pepper just be-fore serving. Serve with radish-es.
SIMPLE GREEN ONION DIP
~from grouprecipes.com 16 servings
1 large tub sour cream (2 cups)
6 nice green onions
¼ cup fresh minced parsley
1 heaping teaspoon fresh minced garlic salt to taste
In a large bowl, add the sour cream. Cut the green onions in half lengthwise; then cut crosswise in small pieces, greens and all. Stir well, check to see if it needs salt. Let sit in frig for at least 2 hours for flavors to meld. Serve with chops, crackers, or veggies. Also, it can be used on baked po-tatoes. This is so easy, no need to buy the packaged mix.
Green Onion Cocktail Biscuits
~from grouprecipes.com 16 servings
1 cup flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter cut into bits
4 green onions minced
½ cup cottage cheese
5 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Grease a baking sheet.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms.
Knead dough gently on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle.
Cut into rounds with a 2” cutter and place them on prepared sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes.
CARROT COLESLAW RECIPE ~from carrotrecipes.net
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup of green cabbage, shredded
½ cup of red cabbage, shredded
½ cup of light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon skim milk
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded vegetables.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the salad. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
SPICY CARROT SOUP
8 carrots, roughly chopped
5 celery stalks, cut into pieces
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups of water
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil salt
Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan; then fry the chopped garlic and chopped onion or 4-5 minutes.
Add a teaspoon of curry powder, then stir.
Add all of the remaining ingredients except the salt and cook until the vegetables are tender. Mix in a blender until the soup is smooth.
Add salt to taste and serve.
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