Threshing Table Farm                        Week 3 A

June 30, 2016

 

 

What’s in this week’s box?

 

Garlic Scapes                 Peas                                     Basil                                    Beets

Sunflower Sprouts       Kale                                      Turnips

Baby Romaine             Strawberries                  Parsley                             Lettuce                

 

Summer has moved in and spring is gone.  We see it in the vegetables as well as the neighbor’s field crops around our farm. The spinach is done . We will miss it but it was a treat while it was here! The heat this past weekend did it in.  The beets have sized up beautifully and we’re sending them this week but then we’ll be taking a break from them for a while.  The kale is ready for its first picking and we look forward to many more.  Strawberries are still in full swing and we’re thrilled to have Sugar Snap Peas!!! These are super sweet peas that are meant to be eaten, pod and all.  On a side note- the sweet corn is way past my knees! (Ever hear the saying, “Knee high by the 4^th of July”? It refers to a farmer’s goal of having knee high corn by the 4^th.)  Our 1^st planting is on track! Of course, my knees are closer to the ground than most, but we won’t worry about that detail.

 

The Sunflower sprouts are nutritious and delicious! We took a trip to Milwaukee this winter and while there, visited Will Allen’s Growing Power Greenhouse. We saw them being grown there and thought we would give them a try. Yummy!  The sprouts are great to mix into salads as well as eat them as a snack.

 

We try real hard to keep extra plastic packaging out of the CSA boxes. It keeps costs down and most importantly, doesn’t add garbage to the world.  We use the cloth and mesh bags to deliver things to you that might otherwise get “lost” in the share box. Please feel free to take them home with your produce. When you’ve emptied them, please return them the following week when you pick up your produce. We’ll wash and reuse them. My mom, aunts and sister have sewn these for us over the years. It’s fun to see what color/design is on the bag each week. There are a lot of designs to choose from!

 

The cucumbers are starting to come in the hoophouse! We were able to plant them out there earlier than in the field.  We just have a short “trial” row of cucs in the hoophouse and the bulk of the cucs are in the field. We just have a dozen or so cucs that are ready, so we’ll be putting them in random boxes. If you have a cucumber, you’ve won the veggie lottery!  No worries, in a couple of weeks everyone will be getting lots of them!

 

Wanted:  Clean ice cream buckets with handles. Covers optional.  As we head into bean picking season, they come in really handy. Leave them at your pickup site and we’ll get them. Thank you!!

 

Garlic Scapes- Scapes are  the early treat the garlic plants give us each summer. Cut them into tiny pieces and sauté or cook as you would garlic cloves. Great fresh garlic flavor! You can freeze scapes too. I dice them up, package, label and freeze. You can grab a pinch or two of scapes out of the freezer any time you want to sauté garlic.

 

Peas- store in a covered container in the fridge.

Lettuce- Salad Spinner and then store in covered container.

 

Kale- Great for salads or sautéing.  Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

 

Beets- For storage, remove the greens from the root. The root can be stored in a drawer in the refrigerator. The greens should be stored like lettuce or Spinach. Great for salads and sautéing.

 

Sunflower sprouts- Store in a plastic bag in fridge.

 

Basil- I’m changing my thought on the basil- I’m having the best luck putting it in with my salad greens in a covered container.

Parsley- same as basil

 

Strawberries- Refrigerator. But really, did they make it home?

 

Turnips: Remove greens for longer storage. Store greens as you would any salad green, Turnips do best in the crisper drawer.

 

 

Looking for a cooking class to boost your veggie intake?

Well look no more! Member Susan Keskinen is offering a class on the farm-

Save the date!! Tuesday, July 19^th. More info to come in next week’s newsletter!!

 

 

Roasted Beet and Turnip Salad

For the salad

• 3/4 lb. red beets, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
• 1/2 lb. turnips
• 1/2 lb. potatoes
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
•  salt
• 3 cups torn salad greens
• 1 lightly packed cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts

For the vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• salt
• 1/2 to 1-1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
• 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. fresh orange juice; more to taste
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1 to 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• black pepper

 

Roast the vegetables

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

In a large bowl, toss the beets with 1 Tbs. of the oil and 1/2 tsp. salt. Transfer to a large rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet. Spread into a single layer.

In another large bowl, combine the turnips and potatoes with the remaining 1 Tbs. of oil and another 1/2 tsp salt. Transfer to a large rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet. Spread into a single layer.

Roast the vegetables, flipping with a spatula halfway through and rotating the baking sheets, until browned and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheets. Transfer to a large bowl.

Make the vinaigrette

Heat the oil in a 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 15 seconds. Remove from the heat. Let the oil cool for 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, orange juice, zest, thyme, mustard, 1/4 tsp. salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper. Whisk the warm oil into the vinegar mixture until emulsified.

Season to taste, adding more orange juice, salt, or pepper as needed.

Assemble the salad

In a large bowl, combine the greens and parsley leaves. Lightly season  with salt and then drizzle with 2 Tbs. of the warm vinaigrette. Toss, taste, and add a little more dressing, if necessary. Arrange the greens on a platter or plates.

Season the roasted vegetables with a pinch more salt, and dress them lightly with 1 to 2 Tbs. of the remaining vinaigrette. Scatter over the greens, then top with the hazelnuts. Serve right away, passing the remaining dressing at the table.

• Turnip Greens

  1 tablespoon olive oil
  1 small onion, chopped
  1 garlic scape, chopped
  1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  1 pound turnip greens, washed, stemmed, and chopped
  Freshly ground black pepper
  2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  1 cup chicken stock
  1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

  Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.

  Add shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until tender and fragrant. Add the washed and cleaned turnip greens. Mix together. Cook until they have wilted down, about 3 minutes. Add pepper to taste.

  In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon mustard with the chicken stock. Add to the wilted greens and cook until the liquid has all but evaporated. Add the toasted pecans and serve immediately.

Kale, Basil and Avocado Salad

1 bunch of kale, stems removed

• 2 roma tomatoes diced
• 1 large ripe avocado chopped into cubes
• 2 stalks of celery finely sliced
• ¼ cup of soaked sun dried tomatoes finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• ½ a teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of fresh raw pinenuts
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped basil

Chop the kale well and massage with olive oil, salt and lemon to soften and wilt slightly. Mix the massaged kale with all the remaining ingredients. Pile high in serving bowls and serve with a wedge of fresh lemon.

 

Kale & Almond Milk Smoothie:

• 1C kale
• 1C almond milk
• 1-2 Tbsp nut butter
• ½ banana

Kale & Blueberry-Honey Smoothie:

• 1C kale
• ½ C blueberries
• ½ C strawberries
• ½ C plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp honey

Kale & Orange Smoothie:

• 1C kale
• 1C ice
• 1C orange juice
• 2 Tbsp mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp cilantro
• 2 Tbsp parsley

*For fruit smoothies use frozen fruit or just add up to 1C of ice

 

 

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas