2007 CSA Week 5

News from Windy Willow Farm: 2007 Week 5
windywillowfarm@verizon.net 627-0476

Reminder: July 5th is a Thursday pickup!
This week’s share includes:
Bag of spinach – I’m expecting my initial spinach rows to bolt this week and will have to move on to later plantings. I hope you’re enjoying this lovely, dark leafy green. A simple way to enjoy it is to blanch for 5-10 seconds in boiling water and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Bag of arugula
2 heads Bok Choy – this should be the end of our bok choy season as we expect the remaining heads to bolt this week.
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch radishes
3 Qt strawberries- These gorgeous strawberries are sometimes as big as golf balls! Unfortunately, the rain last night cause many of them to be covered in dirt – we got 1.25 inches of rain in 2 torrential downpours. We needed the rain, but the berries did not need to be covered in dirt! And of course, the biggest ones are hanging low on the branch, and are sometimes sitting on the dirt. A good swish in your sink will take care of it. If you have too many to use fresh, just de-stem, wash and slice, and freeze. They come out great.
1head red buttercrunch lettuce – Mark claims that this is the first red lettuce I’ve grown that he enjoys! We’ll add it to the permanent list that we grow every year. I’ve enjoyed its mild taste and beautiful color in my salads.
1 head green buttercrunch lettuce
1 head romaine lettuce- this one is a new variety this year. The heads are a little smaller, but are supposed to have a superior taste. Let me know what you think!
1 head green leaf lettuce – This variety, Tropicana, is a beautiful, ruffled lettuce that grows into a giant head.
3 kohlrabi bulbs – these bulbs are like turnips on steroids! They are so sweet, but with a zing – I tried my first one right in the garden, biting into it like an apple. Most people prefer them raw- sliced or shredded, but if you’re plum out of ideas, try boiling them like potatoes and mashing them with a little butter, milk and salt.

Best guess for next week’s share: Swiss Chard, snow peas, yellow squash, zucchini. Don’t hold me to it!

Our baby chicks are growing fast and strong. This is our first time for growing turkeys and broilers, and it is a treat to watch them grow! The broilers (what you find in the store as a meat bird), grow so fast, and are so meaty, even at 2 weeks old, that they sit down when they eat! Their legs are so plump, they look like they are muscle-bound already. And the turkeys are curious, aggressive and tried to fly this morning: they take off running, flap their wings and jump into the air. Amazing creatures. Our black Barred Rock laying hens are tiny and slow growing, in comparison. The kitten, Honey, has been found in the brooding stall many times, but has not caught a bird yet- she seems to prefer to chase, and herd the chicks into a corner.

One of the challenges in being a CSA member is to receive a set amount of different types of produce each week. If you’ve had enough of a particular vegetable, or if you think you won’t use all what’s offered, please take the item out of the bin, and place it in the Swap Box (I’ll make it bigger!). Last week, when cleaning up, I found at least 4 heads of lettuce and 5 bok choys that weren’t claimed. I would love it if all of the shares had a chance to take this extra produce. The Swap Box is for extras that I pick of anything, as well as anything from your share that you’re not interested in. Anything in there is available for the taking from any shareholders.

This hot weather we’ve been having is both a blessing and a curse on our garden. The blessing is that the heat-loving plants which are absolutely taking off! The tomatoes are flowering like crazy, and our new oriental eggplant, have the most gorgeous purple blossoms. The summer squash is also flowering, showing their tiny squash- we’ll be enjoying these soon! However, our cooler weather crops, like lettuce, are not enjoying the heat at all. Their response to heat stress is to turn bitter. To combat this, I’ve planted the most heat-resistant varieties I can find, but you may need to peel off the outside leaves that may be the most bitter. The heat also causes them to bolt. So, we enjoy our short lettuce season for the brief, intense period it offers us.

The heat is also causing our potato plants to take off. They are beautiful, and are just about to flower. (We also recently fertilized most of our crops with fish emulsion, which offers a bit of nutrition and trace elements they need to fight disease and bugs). After flower, we’ll dig some of the red potatoes to enjoy as tiny, new spuds, and leave the rest to fully mature. With my decreased schedule, we’ve been able to control most of the weeds in the potato patch. We anticipate a fabulous potato harvest!

Our strawberry patch is exceeding all of our expectations! We had been conservative in terms of scheduling public picking, to make sure we had enough berries for our CSA folks, but the patch is producing and producing. If you need more strawberries, we are open the following hours for U-Pick:
Friday, June 22nd, 9am - 12 noon
Saturday, June 23rd, 9am -12 noon
Monday, June 25th, 9am - 12 noon, 4pm – 6pm
Tuesday, June 26th, 9am - 12 noon
Friday, June 29th, 9am - 12 noon
And any other time, by appointment.

Thanks, for your kind support,
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason
© Gwen Hyde 2007


Kohlrabi with Parmesan
2 large or 3 medium kohlrabi, stalks and leaves removed
2 T unsalted butter or olive oil, or combination
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 T minced parsley

Peel kohlrabi to remove fibrous outer layer. Shred with grater or foodprocessor. Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Add butter and/or oil. When fat is hot, add kohlrabi. Cook, stirrring frequently, until vegetable is tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir. Toss with cheese. Cook until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot. Serves 4.

Arugula, Mushroom and Walnut Salad
1 cup walnut pieces (4 ounces)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons full-bodied red wine
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
16 cups packed arugula leaves (3/4 pound)
1/2 pound white or cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a pie plate, toast the walnuts for about 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.2. In a bowl, whisk the olive oil with the wine. Season with the salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, mushrooms and walnuts. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Serve on salad plates.

Bok Choy with Ginger Vinaigrette
1 pound bok choy
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 small glove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

Separate bok choy leaves and rinse under cold water to clean. Place in steamer and steam until stalks begin to turn translucent and are soft when pierced. Combine vinegar, mustard, soy, etc. and mix well.

After bok choy is steamed you have two options:

Chop up piece into bit size pieces while still warm and pour the
ginger vinaigrette over.

or Plunge steamed bok choy into cold water to crisp it back up.
Drain and cool. Then chop and pour ginger vinaigrette over.

Makes 4 - 1 cup servings