Summer CSA Week 2

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It’s the second week of Summer CSA season, and the crew is getting back into the harvesting rhythm. 

Last week was a big week for us on the farm. We needed to play catch up on some plantings. It was a daunting task, but our crew worked extra hard to get it all done, with time to spare. 

Thanks to dryer days, and all hands on deck, we had time to accomplish a few additional things last week as well. The most noteworthy was the caterpillar tunnel the crew put together on Friday.

This tunnel is part of an experiment we are trying on the farm with some of our outdoor tomatoes. The main variety of slicing tomatoes you will be receiving in your box this season is called Geronimo. These tomatoes are know for being prolific producers, resistant to some common diseases, and for producing uniform fruit. The downside that they do best in a greenhouse and often crack before they’re ready to be harvested when subjected to the elements. We have several permanent greenhouses that house our earliest planting of tomatoes, but the tomatoes are more flavorful when grown in field soil rather than soil that’s been permanently protected. Our hope with the caterpillar tunnel is that it will give us the best of both worlds. Since they can be moved easily each year, we get the delicious flavor from the outdoor soil, but we get the protection of a greenhouse. 

As any of our science-loving members know, a good experiment always has a control group. We have standard greenhouse tomatoes, and we have standard outdoor tomatoes serving as our control groups. We can use these control group tomatoes to compare against our experimental tomatoes, to see if the quality and flavor are the same or different. 

I am very excited for this experiment. Mostly because I love tomatoes, but also because it’s refreshing to know that after many decades, and 2 generations, Farmer Janaki is still learning. Often we look at farms of this size and think they must know it all, and do everything perfectly. Nope! Janaki and the farm crew are learning and trying new things every day just like all of you. I believe that every experiment is worth it because even if it doesn’t go as planned, you always learn something from the process, and I think learning is half the fun of trying something new. 

You’ll still have to wait a little while for any tomatoes, but this week in your share you can expect to see: 

Turnips – Broccoli – Lettuce – Rhubarb – Greens mix – Radish

 

We’ve been giving you lots of lettuce lately, if you are stumped on fun ways to enjoy it, one of my favorite ways is to grill it before putting it on a sandwich or chopping it up to add to a salad. Grilling the lettuce will add a smoky flavor, and takes out some of the bitterness. This works best with Romaine lettuce because it’s a little firmer. With the Butter Crunch, or softer lettuce, I like to use the leaves as lettuce wraps. It’s a nice way to lighten any dish that you would usually use bread or a tortilla with. On a hot summer day, a lighter dinner is just what I crave after a long day on the farm.

Another fun way to use lettuce is as a dip for bread, veggies, or whatever you can think of. I like this Peruvian Aji-style sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 head lettuce, stem-end trimmed and discarded
  • ½ bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed
  • 5 green onions
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise or olive oil
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
  • 1 clove garlic
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place lettuce, cilantro, green onions, mayonnaise (or oil), jalapeño peppers, garlic, salt, and black pepper into a blender; blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Honey-Glazed Radishes and Turnips

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. margarine or butter
  • 1 large shallot, sliced
  • 1 1/2 lb. radishes, halved
  • 1 1/2 lb. small turnips, halved or quartered
  • 1/3 c. water
  • 1/4 c. lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced mint leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives

Directions

  1. Step 1In 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter on medium-high. Add shallot and cook 2 minutes or until golden and tender, stirring occasionally. Add radishes and turnips; stir until well coated. Stir in water, broth, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 15 minutes.
  2. Step 2Uncover and cook 7 to 10 minutes longer or until vegetables are glazed and most of liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in mint and chives. Transfer to serving platter and garnish with mint leaves

For the farm crew, 

Jennifer 

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