In Your Box

• Head lettuce: “Pirat”
• Kale, “Red Russian”
• Komatsuna
• Rhubarb
• Salad Mix
• Spinach

Farm News

Welcome to your first delivery of our 2022 CSA season!  We are so excited to begin feeding your family and bringing in the harvest from our fields.

We are so grateful that you’ve chosen our farm to supply your family with local, sustainably grown produce this year. In the midst of such uncertain times and with so much conflict and hatred in the world and in our country, there’s always a bit of solace in preparing a home-cooked meal from scratch. And, since you’ve already paid in advance for your veggies, you don’t have to worry about the price going up every time you go to pick up your weekly box!

This spring has brought a lot of whiplash to this poor farmer, with a frigid, wet spring instantly giving way to a scorching, dry summer. Even though it has seemed wet so far this year, the rainfall in June has only been about half of what we rely on to keep the gardens growing. So while we’re nowhere near the drought status we endured last year, I’m already busy running irrigation lines and keeping the fields healthy and green.

Overall, the gardens are in good shape and I’m optimistic about the season to come. We have a bumper crop of thistle keeping us busy, but we stayed on track for seeding in the greenhouse and planting in the field, so we should have a great variety and a lot of new tastes for you to try. We hope you enjoy the season!

This week’s box

This week’s box is heavy on greens and salad fixin’s as we wait for the more common veggies of the summer to size up and fruit.

In case you’re not familiar with kale, it’s the bunched green leaves with purple stems. It can be wilted lightly and added to any dish that needs some vitamins (we like it in burritos and lasagna). Some people also like making their own kale chips by chopping the leaves into ribbons, tossing them in olive oil, and baking until crispy. Kale keeps well in the fridge for 1 week, preferably in a bag or hydrator drawer.

Komatsuna is a green native to Japan that works great in a stir-fry. This plant is harvested whole from the field, so it is a head of dark green leaves (kale has a rubber band, komatsuna does not).

We also have a crop of spinach to start the year. Spinach has been the stand-out of the garden thus far, and as long as it can handle the heat we should have a few more weeks of harvest from our spinach beds. This spinach can be chopped small for mixing in a salad or it can be cooked down for any recipe using boiled spinach.

• Please email me if you will be away for a week and don’t need a box or want extra veggies when you get back.
• Please return your boxes! You are welcome to take the box home with you when you pick up, but please return it next week when you come back for more veggies. You may also empty the box into bags or your own box and leave it at your delivery site.

Grains and Greens Casserole

• 2 TB olive oil
• ½ onion
• Bok choy or komatsuna or vivid choi chopped into small pieces
• 1 bunch kale; stems removed and coarsely chopped
• 10 oz baby spinach
• 4 cloves garlic; minced
• 3 cups cooked brown rice (or quinoa/barley/lentils or a combination)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 eggs; beaten
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Oil a 13 x 9 baking pan
2. Add olive oil to the skillet or wok at medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add all the greens (in small batches) to the wok and cook until wilted.
4. Remove greens from heat to a large bowl and cool.  Stir in cooked grains and add salt/pepper.  Stir in eggs and cheese.
5. Transfer to a prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Remove foil and cook until the top is lightly browned.

Coming up

Next week’s box will be quite similar to this first one.  We are expecting bok choy, garlic scapes, head lettuce, chard, radishes, salad mix, and spinach.