Greetings!

Let’s start things off with a haiku…

Mid June – so so dry
Irrigate to help them grow
Janaki sleeps not

Week two and another round of locally grown goodness! Up this week:

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Greens mix – Green onions – Lettuce – Radish – Tatsoi – Turnips

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The vegetable spotlight falls on the radish this week. Radishes are not only zesty beauties… they are antioxidant-rich, as well as relatively high in vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and fiber. These cruciferous veggies are entirely edible – all the way from their crunchy bulb to their tender leaves. All parts of the radish are an excellent addition to your summer salad. Radishes are a cool-season vegetable, so they are a little hotter because of how unusually warm and dry it has been, and the heat also means that we’ve had to get all of them out of the field quickly, rather than keeping them for a few weeks. This makes them a great candidate for roasting, transforming the flavor from bright and crisp to mellow and sweet. Find below a two-for-one recipe that uses both your radishes and your turnips to bring out a caramelized quality in both (with a little help from some honey).

Roasted Turnips and Radishes

Serves 4

• 1 lb turnips, halved or quartered
• 1 lb radishes, halved or quartered
• generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons honey, plus more to taste
• 5 fresh thyme sprigs

1. Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 425 F.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the turnips, radishes, and olive oil with salt and pepper. Transfer the veggies to a baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Keep your eye on them and roast until the veggies start to char and soften (about 10 minutes). Drizzle the honey and scatter the thyme sprigs on top. Continue roasting until the veggies are fork-tender and have a caramelized finish (about 10 more minutes).
3. Discard the thyme springs. Transfer the veggies to a platter and drizzle with more honey, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Amidst the various harvests of our CSA, our dedicated members occasionally find themselves facing a delightful yet overwhelming challenge: an abundance of produce that tests their culinary prowess and storage capabilities. When unpacking your weekly share of farm-fresh vegetables, you may wonder “what am I supposed to do with a fridge drawer full of Turnips?”

Enter the quick pickle…

Quick pickles will keep in the fridge for months. They are delicious right out of the jar, but also make zingy additions to salads, sandwiches, and really anything that needs a little punch.

Ginger – Pickled Turnips

• 2 inches fresh ginger, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick coins
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 ounces turnips, cut into thin discs or match sticks
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Put the ginger and garlic in the bottom of a 2-cup wide-mouth jar. Pack the turnips into the jar.
2. Combine the water, salt, honey, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a separate jar. Top it with its lid, and shake vigorously to combine. Pour the brine over the turnips until it just covers them. Top the turnip jar with a lid and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before enjoying.

When the turnips are gone, just shove more vegetables in there – the brine will work its magic on anything from green beans, to radishes, to fennel!

For the farm crew,

Charlie