First of all, I want to extend a huge thanks to all of you for the patience, warmth and excitement that you brought to the farm during our first week of Summer share.  Seasonal transitions are complex, and somehow life feels extra full in June in particular—so many long days filled with celebrations, and if you’re lucky, vacations right?!  All the while, Summer at the farm is a solid reminder of how great it is when good folks make good food happen, both in our fields and in our homes.

And this CREW!  They’re doing BEAUTIFUL work, and we’ve now hit the point in the growing year when our newest crew members are harvesting the fruits of their earliest labors—a worthy source of pride.  Some of the first seeds that they’ve sown and transplanted are now ready for harvest, and this week, they will have cleared the very last of this year’s Green Garlic.  It feels like we’re saying “Hello” and “Goodbye” very quickly this year, but this week’s harvest list is shaping up to provide several good ways of enjoying our last hurrah with our Green Garlic.  

How about a Caesar Salad?  With Kale or Lettuce, or my personal favorite, a mix of both?  We’ll have an array of lettuce heads on the harvest docket for the cool morning hours–Butterheads, Red Leaf, more Green Oak and maybe a bit of Romaine–and a bit more of the Red Russian Kale too.  As far as Kale goes, Red Russian is one of the most tender, which makes it a perfect candidate for salads.  I’m sharing links to traditional and plant based versions below, so scroll down and give the recipes a look.

If you’re schedule is slammed this week, you’ve got everything you need for a quick garlicky stir fry.  If you didn’t have a chance to try Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) last week, it looks like another flourish is coming on in the field.  We’re still learning about this vegetable and its timing as it applies to growing for a CSA, and so far we’ve had some delicious but irregular fits and starts.  Along with some Criminis, Shiitakes, Portabella or Lions Mane Mushrooms available this week, you’ll be good to go in quick time. 

And whether you stir fry them or enjoy them as a little snack, we picked our first round of Sugar Snap Peas this morning…already!  For reference, we didn’t start picking until June 24th last year, so this is a welcome little suprise for the CSA to enjoy this week.  We may have a few extras to sell in the farmstand from this pick, but those coveted little pods have a way of making their way home with folks in the blink of an eye.  Mark is already talking about adding yet another row of them into our planting plan for next year.  

Thank you and have a great week!
Katie

IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:

• Lettuce

• Green Garlic

• Sugar Snap Peas

• Gai Lan and/or Red Russian Kale

• Frozen Blueberries or Bonus Eggs

  
  
  AT THE FARMSTAND THIS WEEK

RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS

HOW TO COOK WITH GREEN GARLIC - Bon Appetit
YES, SOMEONE INVENTED THE SNAP PEA - Saveur
12 FAVORITE KALE SALADS - Cookie + Kate

KALE CAESAR (Plant Based Option)
Love and Lemons

• 1 bunch curly kale, stemmed

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

• Sea salt

• 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce

• Homemade Caesar Dressing or Vegan Caesar Dressing

• 1 cup Homemade Croutons

• Shaved Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan

• Roasted chickpeas, optional

• 1 avocado, diced, optional

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

GREEN GARLIC CAESAR SALAD
Melissa Clark, NY Times

• ½ cup olive oil

• 7 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

• 1 large head green garlic (outer layer, stalk and root end removed) or substitute 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 3 ounces crusty day-old bread in ¾-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 2 large eggs

• 2 large or 3 small heads romaine lettuce, separated into leaves and torn into pieces, if desired (about 10 cups)

• ¾cup Parmesan cheese, grated

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

LITTLENECK CLAMS WITH GREEN GARLIC BUTTER & LEFTOVER WINE
Alison Roman

• 2 cups fresh parsley leaves (about 1 bunch), chopped

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

• 6 stalks green garlic, thinly sliced (or 3 regular garlic cloves, finely grated)

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/4 dry, acidic white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Blanc

• 3 1/2 pounds small littleneck clams, steamers or mussels, scrubbed and rinsed

• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, such as cannellini, drained and rinsed (optional)

• 1 lemon, quartered (for serving)

• Crusty bread (for serving)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

LETTUCE SNAP PEA SALAD WITH MEYER LEMON CREAM
Susan Goin

• 1 Meyer lemon

• 1 1/4 pounds mixed whole small lettuces (4 to 6 in. long), ends trimmed; or use 10 oz. salad mix

• Meyer Lemon Cream Salad Dressing

• 1 cup sugar snap peas, thinly sliced on a diagonal

• 3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes

• 1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves

CONTINUE TO RECIPE