Full Shares:  Mesclun mix, beet greens, salad mix, spinach, green onions, radishes, baby bok choy

Half Shares  Mesclun mix, salad mix, spinach, green onions, and radishes

Hello CSA members!

We hope you enjoyed the first week of fresh produce!  There were a few glitches with pick up locations, but we’re hoping we’ve worked the kinks out and  we should be more dialed for week #2.  The biggest issue to come about last week was that I witnessed a mother ask her young daughter what she hoped was in her CSA share this week.   The answer:  Baby Unicorns!! I know the customer is always right, but in this instance, I’m making the defense that baby unicorns are not a vegetable, and therefore I am off the hook.  Talk about raising the bar!

So what’s new this week?  To spice things up a bit, we are trying a mesclun mix for the first time.  What is that, you ask?  Mesclun is really any mix of salad greens, but in this instance, refers to a spicier version that includes mustards and other greens.  I’m thinking it would be fabulous with some home made Green Goddess salad dressing, and maybe some thinly sliced radish and chopped green onion.  And a boiled egg.  And some toasted sunflower seeds.   Unfortunately, I’ve never made Green Goddess dressing, so I need to ask a chef.  Fortunately, we just happen to have one of those on hand!  We are excited to introduce to you Josh Bard, the new chef for our farm-based food truck Farmer & Chef.  Josh, Mandy, and son Avery hail from the green mountain state of Vermont, and have come here to Two Bear Farm to help us do farm to table cuisine right.  Farmer & Chef is offering up uniquely Montana cuisine…  All ingredients are fresh, local, and organic and come from regional producers, and the weekly menu will be a reflection of the season, much like your CSA shares.  You can find Josh and Farmer & Chef at the Whitefish Farmers Market, Columbia Falls Community Market, and special events around the valley.  He is also available for catering weddings and other events.   You can find them on Facebook and Instagram.

But back to that salad dressing recipe. I lied…It’s late, I need to go to bed, and I can’t get a hold of the chef, so I’m falling back on old faithful. Here is option #1 and option #2, probably dictated by the availability of buttermilk.

Also, for full shares this week, we’ve included some fabulous looking beet greens.  These are very sweet, and I especially like them sautéed with a spicy peanut sauce.  Or, say it together with me, sautéed in a cast iron pan with olive oil and garlic.  Kind of a fun treat before the actual beets are ready.

So, this is another unique week given the market schedule, so let’s go over it again.  Tuesday in Whitefish will be same as last week, with pickup between 5pm and 6:30pm.  Wednesday is the same as last week at the McKeon’s, starting at 5pm.  Thursday will be during the first Columbia Falls Community Market between 5pm and 7:30pm at our market tent.  Friday is on farm between 4pm and 7pm.  And Saturday is at the Kalispell Farmer’s Market at FVCC between 9:00 and 12:30 at our market tent.

Thanks for being a part of our CSA, and we’ll see you at distribution!