Happy sunny Wednesday. It is always an amazing experience to be away from the farm for a week during the spring because things are almost unrecognizable upon return. The beets have doubled in size, the turnips are booming and the tomatoes have become monsters. The amount of growth that happens during a sunny week never stops being impressive. As one of our farmers came in from harvesting summer squash I was pinching myself, not being able to believe it's only the middle of May! Even though it seems like summer is here, we are still operating within the parameters of the spring harvest.
FARM SHARE:
Fava Tops: Much like pea shoots, these are a spring delicacy!!! The tender tops of the fava bean plant, with these you get all of the great flavor of fava without the pain of shelling the bean! These tender greens can be used raw in a salad, made into pesto, put on top a pizza or just eaten straight outta the bag. Store them in their bag in the fridge and use within a couple of days (DO NOT wash before storing as it will turn the leaves black)!! For a simple fava greens recipe from the Beaverton Farmer's Market click here. Another method for adding them to pasta is here.
Arugula Raab: Also known as arugula rapini. By the time CSA season started much of our raab was already out of the fields so I'm happy to have been able to include this delicious arugula raab. We didn't give you too much as the flavor packs a punch but this flowering arugula is super tasty and can been eaten raw in a salad or sautéed lightly in oil. I love this on top of toast with butter and radishes. Sautéing is quick and simple! Heat olive oil, add sliced garlic, add washed greens, sprinkle some chili pepper flakes; stir a few times, cover to steam a bit, and there you have it!
Vivid Choi: From the pak choi (also known as bok choy or Chinese cabbage) family, a mild and sweet mustard green with multicolored stems that are good cut up raw in a salad, or lightly sautéed with butter and salt. How beautiful are the stems? Try a leaf raw, it is SO good! A farmer's favorite.
Zucchini OR Strawberries: PLEASE note!! If you didn't receive strawberries this week don't worry! You will in one of the following weeks. We keep track of who gets what and slowly rotate. This is our way of giving our members some of our crops that we don't have enough of to give everyone at the same time. And if you got zucchini, holy cow! It's that delicious, early season bounty. The first taste of summer, really!
Salad Mix: This is one of our mainstays. We supply our salad mix to incredible chefs all over the Portland metro area year round and they love it! We put a lot of hard work and creativity into it and change our salad mix along with what is seasonally appropriate. Right now it is a mix of delicious mustards and lettuces. It is so flavorful that you really don't need anything fancy in terms of a dressing. We hope you enjoy it!
Valentine's Radishes: A curated mix of three different radish varieties (red, purple and pink). Super tasty and the tender greens can be used as well! To store the roots longer, separate the tops.
Green garlic: The last of it for the year, you received it the first week as well! I think a great recipe from this box would be a fresh pasta with green garlic, fava tops and summer squash. Yum!
MINI FARM SHARE:
Rainbow Chard: The first of the season! We harvested both our very own Our Table saved-seed Rainbow variety as well as an Italian green/white variety called Verde di Taglia. Both are super tasty although the smaller Verde is better raw than the rainbow. Chard, like many of the farm greens, is great cooked. I recommend adding it to a dish (ala spinach) like lasagna or enchiladas or just sautéing it with some onions, garlic and a little bit of oil and maybe some lemon at the end. You can also throw it in fresh pasta, add it to a soup...really the options are endless. I often de-stem the chard, dice the colorful stems and use them in a different dish (delicious in a little olive oil and seasoning alone).
Hakurei Turnips: The large share received these last week. In my mind they are one of the MVPs of spring! Absolutely delicious fresh, these are great on toast, in a salad or munched on alone They can also be roasted or grilled but there is really no need. The greens are also tasty and tender and should definitely not be thrown away! If you want to store the roots for a couple of days remove the tops and store separately.
For Fava Tops and Green Garlic see above.
Hope you enjoy your share this week!
Jen