What’s in the Box: Golden beets with greens, strawberries, swiss chard, kohlrabi, romaine lettuce head, fennel, garlic scapes, summer squash and/or zucchini, basil tops.
What’s going on at the farm:
We have been getting a lot of rain this week without any major storms or damage thankfully. A lot of my favorite items are in the share this week. Golden beets, berries, baby squash, garlic scapes and so much more…. here is a little rundown of the crops this week as we head into summer solstice and the longest day of the year!
Strawberries: Yes, a second week of berries! The rain has caused some more spotting then the previous week but more berries coming in every day right now so enjoy these aromatic and honey sweet fruits!
Fennel: These sweet anise flavored bulbs pack a crunch and are great in pasta dishes and veggie slaws or even roasted with other roots and fruits like the beets and squash. The licorice flavor is less pronounced when cooked or dressed with vinegar/oil, and even the fronds and stalks are tender enough to be used for cooking.
Kohlrabi: Sweet crunchy bulbs can be peeled and the leaves are not much use so you can snap them off for better storage. We keep them on for simplicities sake of harvest and to showcase the full healthy plant. I suppose they can be used for stock or garnish but I usually toss them myself. Their bulbs however are so fruity and crisp they make an amazing slaw ingredient or can be eaten fresh or even pickled!
Garlic scapes: These curly garlic scapes are the flowering shoot of a hardback garlic plant and they are great minced up and cooked into your dishes anywhere you want garlic flavor. I also like to cook them on the grill in a foil packet with a little oil or with other veggies until they are tender and asparagus like texture.
G0lden beets: These are one of my favorite veggies and are great roasted, sautéed, or sliced thinly raw. They are extremely sweet and do not bleed like a red beet. The greens may also be used as a sauté green.
Basil tops: are our fresh herb this week and basil is great with any of the items in your box weather its minced into your salad or grilled with your squash and beets or made into pest with your scapes.
Swiss chard: is versatile as a green and although its related to beets, the greens are often used in place of spinach but that doesn’t mean you can’t also use the crisp stem blanched, sautéed, or stir fried into your favorite dishes.
Romaine lettuce: A shining star in our spring these green tower romaine heads were grown outside unlike the last two weeks which were indoor crops. This planting was staggered to extend the lettuce coming in your shares this spring. Great for salads, sandwiches, and wraps of all kinds!
Zucchini: is starting to come in along with summer squash and there should be enough that everyone will be receiving a small amount of both green and yellow squash and possibly some patty pan squash. They can all be cooked like zucchini, and do not require any peeling.
It’s been a very busy week on the farm this last week. Sugar snap peas were almost ready for this box and we will likely be picking them Friday or Sunday/Monday for the following week but the crops looks great and much better then last years when we had some bad seed make un-uniform pods. Taking a break from the micro’s in shares this week unless we come up short on the zucchini and squash with this cooler weather then we may do pea shoots as a replacement for them. I’ve been debating over this weeks items a bit but also just out in the field all day everyday so better late then never! Other crops coming soon are the carrots that we perfectly weeded today along with cucumbers, onions, cabbage, and much more! Enjoy the last box of spring folks! -Kyle
