Happy astronomical summer to you all! And what a nice start- with some rain and some cooler weather! We will need more rain than this to make a dent in what we’ve been lacking, but we can’t complain. And the cooler weather helps crops like broccoli and cool-loving greens stay sweet, and stay more predictable in their maturing (i.e., harvesting time!).

Hopefully you are getting into the swing of summer and in the rhythm of picking up and using your share. We’re getting into the rhythm of harvest on the farm. It’s a learning curve for new crew members as they learn what sorts of veggies we harvest into what sorts of bins and what gets banded, or bagged, or dunked to cool, or not. Those of us who aren’t new mostly remember how to do *most* of the things correctly- but there are many conversations to check in and make sure we’re not wrong (and by we, I mean me).

We trellised our snap peas last week. I don’t think it was anyone’s favorite project and I was trying to remember how to do it at the same time as telling the crew what to do. I commented that trellising peas is like riding a bike after getting amnesia and two prosthetic legs. But the peas are so tasty, and better off the ground than on. Worth it!

When people ask me how big the farm is, and I say we have about 15 acres in production a season, some people react in a way that I can tell they think that’s small. Perhaps they don’t know what an acre is -that’s not unlikely, but I think most people have a corn and soybeans sort of idea of all farms, regardless of what they grow. 15 acres in corn or soy would be tiny, why bother? But with the multiple varieties of multiple species of vegetables that we grow it is plenty to keep up with! Anyone with corn and soy on their mind wouldn’t be thinking of hand weeding, or hands-on pest management (potato bugs, ugh!). Or trellising once a year-only to forget how by the next season. Not to mention the added work of maintaining soil health and fertility as opposed to adding synthetic fertilizers each year. There is a lot to keep up with! And it’s all much tastier than feed corn and soy!

We hope you enjoy this week’s share, and the variety it brings to your table. As we delve into summer shares will have more variety, and your box will get heavier! We hope you enjoy it all -maybe even by bringing some to a friend to share! Remember sharing food with people? How fun!

For the farm crew,
Karin

P.S. There is a lot of lettuce in your share this week – don’t be afraid to dress it up, chop it up, and change up your dressings to use it all up and make it tasty! Maybe bring some lettuce wraps to work, just tell them it’s national lettuce wrap day or something.
There is also a lot of turnips, if you didn’t try last weeks recipe, check it out!

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In your share this week:
Green-top Beets – Greens Mix – Kale – Lettuce – Green Onions – Turnips

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Beet Salad

From Cookie and Kate
The recipe calls for spinach, but you could use the green tops from the beets -they’re related!

Salad

• ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup frozen organic edamame
• ⅓ cup slivered almonds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
• 1 medium raw beet, peeled
• 1 medium-to-large carrot (or 1 additional medium beet), peeled
• 2 cups packed baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped …or the tops!
• 1 avocado, cubed

Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
• ½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
2. To cook the edamame: Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the frozen edamame and cook just until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. To toast the almonds or pepitas: In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds or pepitas, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
4. To prepare the beet(s) and/or carrot: First of all, feel free to just chop them as finely as possible using a sharp chef’s knife OR grate them on a box grater. If you have a spiralizer, you can spiralize them using blade C, then chop the ribbons into small pieces using a sharp chef’s knife. If you have a mandoline and julienne peeler (this is a pain), use the mandoline to julienne the beet and use a julienne peeler to julienne the carrot, then chop the ribbons into small pieces using a sharp chef’s knife.
5. To prepare the vinaigrette: Whisk together all of the ingredients until emulsified.
6. To assemble the salad: In your large serving bowl, combine the toasted almonds/pepitas, cooked edamame, prepared beet(s) and/or carrot, roughly chopped spinach/arugula (see note above about leftovers), cubed avocado and cooked quinoa.
7. Finally, drizzle dressing over the mixture (you might not need all of it) and gently toss to combine. You’ll end up with a pink salad if you toss it really well! Season to taste with salt (up to an additional ¼ teaspoon) and black pepper. Serve.

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Mushroom and Greens Sheet-pan Quiche

From the Leek and the Carrot

Pie Crust:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup water
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
2 green garlics (3-4 garlic cloves will work if you don’t have green garlic), white and pale green parts only, minced
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups arugula, roughly chopped
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
3 cups other spring greens (turnip greens, beet greens, chard, kale, etc), roughly chopped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

1. Begin preparing your crust (if you plan to make it; if you don’t skip to step #8). Cut the butter into small cubes and place in the freezer until ready to use. Fill measuring cup with 1 cup cold water and place in the freezer.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. If you have a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt in there. This is my favorite way to make pie crust and it whips up in a snap!
3. Add butter to bowl and use your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour (or add it to the food processor and pulse until the butter is mostly broken up). You will pinch the butter cubes into smaller pieces until they are about the size of peas and uniformly incorporated. Some pieces of butter will be small and some will be larger; that’s absolutely fine!
4. Remove the water from the freezer and pour in half. Use a rubber spatula to press the dough together. If it’s still dry (it likely will be) continue to add water until the dough comes together. You may need to knead with your hands a little bit. (Here is where a food processor comes in great, turn the food processor on as you pour in about 3/4 cup of water and just leave it running until the dough begins to come together. It should take about 30 seconds, add a little more water if it seems to not be coming together).
5. Wrap pie dough in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 20 minutes or in the fridge overnight.
6. Remove dough from the freezer and roll out to an approximately 12×16-inch rectangle. Carefully, fold it in half and then in half again. Move the dough to a 10×14-inch baking sheet and unfold. Press gently into pan. Remove any excess dough from the edges. Prick the crust with a fork and place pan in the freezer.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and while you wait for it to preheat, begin slicing your mushrooms and chopping your greens!
8. Once the oven is preheated, line your pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights (or dried beans or rice you don’t plan to cook). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake 5 minutes longer. If using store-bought crust, follow package directions for pre-baking.
9. While the crust bakes, melt the butter for the filling in a large, deep saute pan (the larger the better, you’re going to be throwing a lot of greens in here– if you don’t have a large saute pan use a soup kettle) over medium low heat. Add the green garlic and cook for a couple minutes until fragrant. Add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 10 minutes more. Add all the greens, water, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to your pan. Saute until the greens are well wilted.
10. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, two at a time, again whisking until smooth after each addition. Stir in sauteed mushrooms and greens along with the cheeses.
11. Pour filling into the prepared, prebaked crust and bake until filling is set, about 30 minutes.