Mornings that toe the line of freezing followed by afternoons and evenings of bright warmth can only mean one thing—we are in the thick of it around here. If you watch closely you’ll see the wildest of the hares bounding through the cover crop, making things a little lighter. Anne Lamott says that laugher is “carbonated holiness,” and Lupa has a delightful way of bringing buoyancy to this place when I feel like I am drowning in it. I hope you enjoy those nine seconds of sweetness as much as I did:) We’ll be putting major miles on the tractor throughout the week, albeit many of them at a speed of 1.5mph while we’re transplanting. But if Mark isn’t mowing, he’s prepping, shuffling, opening, closing, watering and troubleshooting. And if the crew isn’t harvesting, they’re planting, weeding or doing the less than glamorous task of raking beds and moving landscape fabric to make way for thousands of seedlings to take root over the next few days. We finished potting up our lovely tomato plants last week, which YES, we are aiming to have available for sale around the start of May as usual. We’ll keep an eye on overnight temps and keep them warm for you until these frosty mornings are behind us. Soon…but not just yet!
Every April I rack my brain, trying to keep us somewhat interested in eating root vegetables until we have a little more to show for all of the hard work that is happening to bring new crops to life in Spring. And this week, I am pumping myself up with the prospect of baking with vegetables. Think grating Parsnips and Carrots into Morning Glory Oats, muffins, gingery cakes and the like. How about a Breakfast Bake with Purple Sprouting Broccoli or a catch all Root Vegetable Pot Pie topped with biscuits? This is all, of course, inspired by the seasonal debut of one of the most revered dessert vegetables of all time—Rhubarb! Yes, even though it is a signature Springtime dessert ingredient, Rhubarb is a vegetable with bold pink stalks that grow from a rhizome. It is tart and it is a treat, and I really love how enthusiastic we are about Rhubarb in the Pacific Northwest. It is always exciting to watch small red knuckles of the Rhubarb plants unfurl into big leafy stalks every Spring. That’s proof of life stuff right there. I gave up on holding out for local Strawberry season a long time ago. Instead, I have learned to let it fly solo and have become a devoted fan of Anne Dimock’s Straight Up Rhubarb Pie. I’m also a huge fan of the “Bluebarb” flavor combo. Many of our CSA members are too, as you’ll see from the wonderful collection of recipes that you’ve been sending my way over the years. If you’re not ready to use your Rhubarb just yet, you might chop yours into small pieces and freeze it for later.
Enjoy the sun!
Katie
IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Carrots
Parsnips
Yellow Onions
Rhubarb or Apples
Frozen Blueberries
SEASONAL RECIPES & HELPFUL HINTS
KATIE’S SIMPLE RHUBARB SAUCE
2 C Rhubarb, chopped
Juice and zest of 1 Orange
2 T Honey or Sugar
1/4 C Water
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally to keep any sugars from burning, and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to low, allowing the mixture to simmer and soften for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and serve with your favorite bowl of of yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream.
BLUEBERRY RHUBARB COBBLER - Kitchen Confidante
SPICY BROCCOLI CHICKEN & STARS - Brain Food
ORANGE BRAISED PARSNIPS & CARROTS - Barefoot Contessa
BLUEBERRY RHUBARB MUFFINS - Farmer’s Daughter
BAKED SALMON WITH RHUBARB - Feasting at Home
BLUEBERRY RHUBARB DEEP DISH PIE- Desserts for Breakfast
BROCCOLI RUBBLE FARRO SALAD- Smitten Kitchen
SOUPLESS CHICKEN SOUP- Jake Cohen
GLOWING CARROT LENTIL SOUP-- Violet Witchel
LUNCHBOX HARVEST MUFFINS- Melissa Clark
RHUBARB TIRAMISU- Fanny Zanotti