Full Share: Snap peas, broccoli, garlic scapes, spring onions, Hakurei turnips, salad mix, Purple Peacock sprouting broccoli, chard, and basil
Half Share: Broccoli, garlic scapes, spring onions, turnips, head lettuce, purple peacock sprouting broccoli, and basil
Hello everyone!
We hope you are enjoying the glorious summer weather! Things are going well on the farm. After literally wrestling an irrigation issue that could not be resolved, I am feeling a bit depleted of flowery prose for this evenings news letter. Actually, it’s not that bad, I’m just coming up short on topics for tonight. So, I think I’ll spend some time discussing some of the more unusual share contents to help you out with ideas.
Garlic Scapes: these are the flower stalks of a hardneck garlic plant, which we pop off to encourage the bulb to grow larger. They are only around for about two weeks each season. Cut the tip off (from the light color band up through the whip end) and discard. Then chop the remaining stem into 1″ pieces and sauté in oil and add to meals as bit of an early garlic treat.
Hakurei Turnips: These turnips always surprise people with how good they taste, and have become a fan favorite. You can eat them raw in salads, but I like to slice them 1/8″ thick and sauté them in olive oil (with garlic scapes and green onions) until they are lightly browned. Many others have roasted them so they brown a bit, with similar exceptional results.
Purple Peacock Sprouting Broccoli: We discovered this a few years back and it’s become one of our favorites because the stem is thin and tender, and you can eat the entire bunch, leaves included. Steam it or saute it.
Basil: So many options to flavor up cooked vegetables or to make a little pesto. One note on basil, it should not be stored in the fridge or it will turn black (cold damage). Keep it in a plastic bag at room temperature, and eat it sooner rather than later.
With the rising popularity with grilling, vegetables have now moved from the era of boiling (that was a dreadful era) to a noble spot next to the burgers and steaks. More and more we hear about people grilling baby bok choy, turnips, spring onions, corn, etc. So, since it’s officially grilling season, Rebecca has included a grilled broccoli recipe here. , as well as a grilling recipe for sugar snap peas here. I have to admit, I’m still stuck in the sauté era of vegetable production (which, if you’re curious, comes after the “steaming” era, but precedes the “grilling” era), but if I ever decide to make a switch, I think grilling might be the direction I head. Maybe once the mosquitoes slow down.
One business note for Kalispell CSA members…we will be doing the Saturday market this week, so you can pick up your share there between 9am and 12:30pm. Enjoy summer while it lasts!!!!
Team Two Bear Farm
