Hello CSA members,
Week one had us washing and packing a lot of fresh greens! This week will be very similar with plenty of greens still in season and the late spring/early summer crops not quite ready yet. The 2000 berry plants we put in last year are just starting to make fruit and its been a cooler spring so everything is a week or two behind last year despite starting at the same time. This week on the farm I worked on micros and weeding as well as harvesting and cleaning all the food and I will finish planting the last of the peppers and eggplant and then i’ll be working to keep it all going for you all into late summer. I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day Weekend and enjoys the food! Here is what’s coming!
Baby Kale: The first picking off our outdoor kale will either be bunched with smaller leaves or I may just bag it up this week depending how large it is when harvested. The flavor is excellent and the greens more tender at this early stage of growth so you can use it raw for salad or to cook with. I’ll be thinning out the curly and the lacinato so you may have two types also.
Baby Chard: I handpicked these little outer leaves to get the first chard out early! soon we will have bunching size chard but this will help the plants send their energy to the new growth also. The chard I am growing is red, orange, white, yellow or pink so the colors can vary. Chard is related to beets with similar flavor and color in a green instead of root.
Cilantro- Fresh cilantro for your stir fry or chicken and rice dishes or salads, dressings, tacos, or burritos.
Radish – Red spring radishes are great with all the greens for salads or just as a fresh snack.
Sunflower Shoots- These microgreens have a nice crunch and are packed with nutrition including protein, b vitamins, and amino acids making them a great choice for breakfast i like them served on the side of eggs and sausage with some syrup on them to compliment the nutty flavor.
Pea Shoots- These microgreens are sweet and mild with a pea flavor. They are packed with vitamins and great in salads, on sandwiches, or to top a strir fry after you plate it up.
Choi: That brings us to choi which is not full size yet but i’m going to distribute it for stir fry to go with the pea shoots. Just rinse these well and chop for sautés with some rice and soy or your favorite protein.
I hope everyone has their favorite salad dressings and recipes ready for this healthy week of spring greens. Remember bi-weekly members are off this week. Market share members your CSA is good at any market stand which is listed on the main page. I am also in Monona at Farmers Market on Sunday mornings now. If anyone missed week one and wants me to bring their week one share I still have a few in the cooler assuming some people were gone for the holiday last week so just send me an email if you missed and want to catch up ill do my best to help you. Thank you all and I’ll see some of you at the drop sites. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend. If I have time I may add green garlic to the mix also
– Farmer Kyle
