There is nothing we farmers enjoy more than complaining about the weather, and this winter has not left us short on material. We were grateful to have the high tunnel in November of last year when winter came early, and we are equally grateful to have it this spring since the cold weather decided to dig in its heals and overstay its welcome. It has really been a doozy of a winter, folks. The good thing about all that cold weather this winter is that we got an extended break – it was just too cold to go outside and work but perfect for drinking hot chocolate and playing Scrabble. We’ve got lots of baby veggies out in the field and now that the sun is shining and the weather is warm things will really get growing. Just the other day we saw the first little potato shoots poking through the ground. How exciting!
Love your Wax Boxes
It may look like just a box, but it is an important piece of our CSA infrastructure. We really do need those boxes back. The best way to do this? Simply bring your reusable cloth bags or plastic shopping bags with you when you come to pick up your share so that you can unpack it and leave the box behind. Of course you can choose to take the box with you but then you have to remember to bring it back next week!
For a demo of how to break down your wax box without tearing it, please take one minute and fifteen seconds to watch this video; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq1wQIeceRg
Lots of Recipes on our Pinterest Page
Rather than give you one or two recipes in the newsletter each week, we pin a lot of recipes for vegetables features in the CSA on our Pinterest page. Easier for us, more options for you! In fact, I just added a recipe for quick Pickled Swiss Chard Stems and vegan Bok Choy Slaw with radishes. Check it out!
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!
Eat your chard stems and radish greens. Lots of recipes tell you to remove chard stems and discard. Hogwash! The stems are delicious, but will need slightly more time cooking than the greens. Remove your stems, but chop them up, add them to your dish, and allow them to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes before adding the greens which need only to be wilted.
These radish greens are particularly young, mild and tender. You can add them to your salad for a spicy arugula-like kick or give them a quick sauté in butter. The radishes themselves are quite mild as well but some folks just don’t like a raw radish. Luckily, there is no law that says you can’t cook a radish. Try throwing them into your bok choi stir fry at the last minute so they still have a little tooth to them. A little cooking will mellow out the radish bite.
