In Your Box:

• Broccolini
• Fennel
• Head lettuce, buttercrunch
• Kohlrabi
• Salad mix
• Scallions
• Summer squash
• Tomatoes

Farm News

As we move into the height of summer, we’ve been blessed with an abundance of wildlife lately. Monarch butterflies are back in earnest, and we’ve had a few swallowtails around as well. There’s an alarming number of rabbits and baby bunnies, but thankfully they’ve mostly left the gardens alone and so we’ve been able to live in harmony. We’ve also had more garter snakes than I’ve ever seen here before. I didn’t see a snake here for the first dozen years we farmed this land, but over the past few years they’ve really moved in. I know not everyone is a fan of snakes, but it’s an encouraging sign to see that we’ve been able to restore this land to a natural enough state for them to thrive. Just as long as they stay out of our CSA boxes….

Thanks so much to everyone for returning your boxes! We do ask that you keep the labels on the boxes, since we reuse those every week. The labels have not been sticking well this year, so if you have a loose label you can apply some clear packing tape to secure it. Thank you!

This week’s box

Last week brought us the last of our stir-fry greens, and unfortunately this week we close the book on our spring salad mix. While it is possible to grow salad mix all through the growing season, it takes up a lot of time to wash and prepare the bags, and I’ll soon be busy harvesting tomatoes and beans. We’ll still have head lettuce most weeks and I’ve got another planting of salad mix that I hope to have ready by late September.

This week we start getting into more familiar veggies, with the picking of our first tomatoes and summer squash. Both of these fruiting crops start slowly, but within a couple weeks we’ll be inundated with them. Cucumbers are running a little late but should be ready within a week or two, while our green beans look great but won’t be ready until August.

One other new crop this week is fennel. Fennel is of the same family as carrots, celery, and dill, and has a strong smell of licorice. The whole crop is edible, with the leafy fronds a common ingredient in soups and baked dishes, and the bulbs used for stir-fries and roasting.  The bulbs can be substituted in any recipe calling for celery.  For a good starter into the world of fennel, try it baked: cut into quarters, drizzle with olive oil, and bake until tender, about 35 min at 350°. Our go-to usage for fennel is the pasta recipe, below.

To store: The bulbs will last for two weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge.  The leaves will go limp, and should be wrapped in a moist towel in the fridge.

Also, we have our spring planting of kohlrabi this week. If you’re not familiar with kohlrabi, this is a close relative of cabbage and you can enjoy both the leaves and the swollen base.

• After washing, trim away any tough parts of the skin or bruised areas. The skin is edible, but most people prefer to peel off the outside.
• Can be eaten both cooked and raw. Try grating kohlrabi raw into salads.
• Make modified cole slaws: Mix grated kohlrabi and radish, chopped parsley, green onion, and a salad dressing.
• Trick your kids into eating it by peeling it and serving them slices of “apple.”
• Steam kohlrabi whole 25-30 minutes or thinly sliced 5-10 minutes. Dress slices with oil, lemon juice, and fresh dill weed. Dip in flour and briefly fry.
• Sauté after grating in butter and add herbs or curry for enhanced flavor.
• Add slices or cubes of kohlrabi to soups, stews, or stir-fries.
• Leaves are snapped off from the bulb and prepared in the same way as kale. You may want to remove the center rib.

Pasta Sauce with Fennel

From Asparagus to Zucchini, 3rd ed.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage links (hot or mild)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped fennel stalk
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 cans (each 28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed, or 7-8 cups peeled, chopped, fresh tomatoes.
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• pinch sugar
• red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fennel leaves (optional)
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat one TB olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame.
2. Add Italian sausage links and brown on all sides.  Drain on paper towels.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add onion, garlic, chopped fennel stalk, and fennel seed.  Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender.  Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.
4. Slice sausages into rounds and add to sauce. Continue to simmer for 30 or more minutes.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in minced fennel leaves just before serving, if desired. Toss with hot, cooked pasta (use a short, thick type like penne or corkscrew) or serve over hot polenta, with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 8-10

Coming up

 We are expecting kale, scallions, head lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and broccolini.