Spring Planting — that's what's up!

I spent the day in a house filled with happy, healthy young plants.  I love the propagation side of farming, but I don't get to do nearly as much of it as I used to.  I make the most of this short window before I start my market season to try and do as much of the tomato seeding and potting as I can with the crew.  It really fills my cup.  We'll have some very exciting tomato varieties to share with you this year, some tried and true and others exciting and new, both as plant starts for gardeners in Spring and for savoring this Summer in fruit form.  

Between Mark and Kim, a whole lot of seeding and transplanting happened last week just ahead of the heavy rains.  Everything was thoroughly watered in thanks to Mother Nature, and we've potted up the remaining Sugar Snap Peas to sell at the farmstand beginning this week. Today, Mark has the exciting task of measuring and crunching numbers for future strawberry and raspberry fields.  This is a really big deal--with the deed to the land in hand, the right equipment and a solid crew, we can finally replenish the perennial plantings in good conscience this year.  

With that long-term stuff in mind, I hope that you enjoy this week's colorful farmshare--I'm stoked for a dose of iron-rich kale, purple sprouting broccoli and beets.  You'll get to mix and match a few things (which I thought would be especially nice for the Tuesday crowd who unexpectedly missed out on Leeks and Pears last week).  

Best Wishes,
Katie
 

IN THE CSA SHARES THIS WEEK:

• Purple Sprouting Broccoli
• Beets
• Greens
• Carrots
• Onions and/or Leeks
• Apples and/or Pears

EXTRAS TO PICK THIS WEEK (FREE TO ALL SHARE MEMBERS):
UPICK for Herbs only from here on until Spring.  

 

 

HARVEST HIGHLIGHTS &
WHAT'S IN STOCK AT THE FARMSTAND
CSA Members receive a 10% discount on most items at our farmstand

HARE-RAISED:  

• Salad Mix (limited)
• Celeriac 
• Braising Greens
• Kale Raab
• Rainbow Chard
• Eggs 
• Winter Squash

FROM BEYOND THE FARM:

• WA Organic Pinata, Cameo, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, & Melrose Apples. Bosc & D'Anjou Pears
• NW Organic Roots, Potatoes & Onions 
• Organic Fruit: Blood Oranges, Cara Cara Navel Oranges, Red Grapefruit, Meyer Lemons, Bananas, Limes, & Lemons.
• Olykraut, Essential Baking Co. Artisan Breads, Grounds for Change Coffee
• Dates, Ginger, Nuts, Sweet Potatoes and Dried Fruit
• Jody's Honey!  

SEASONAL RECIPES & TIPS 

EAT YOUR GREENS DETOX SOUP
Oh She Glows, Angela Liddon

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons coconut oil or olive oil 
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups sliced cremini or white button mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1⁄2 to 3 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 large nori seaweed sheets, cut into 1-inch strips (optional)
• 2 cups torn kale leaves
• Fresh lemon juice, for serving (optional) 

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

 

BROCCOLI RUBBLE FARRO SALAD
Smitten Kitchen

• Salt
• 1 cup semi-pearled farro
• 1 pound broccolini or regular broccoli 
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Finely grated zest, then juice, of 1 lemon (juice before zesting only if you enjoy being grumpy)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces pecorino romano, grated or ground in a food processor

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

KALE SALAD WITH BEETS & LENTILS
Minimalist Baker

• 3 leeks (ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise then chopped, thoroughly rinsed, and dried)
• 1 beet (rinsed clean, dried, and quartered - remove any rough skin)
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup green lentils, rinsed clean
• 1 cup vegetable stock (or sub water)
• 4 big handfuls kale, baby spinach, or spring greens
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
• 3-4 Tbsp good olive oil
• Pinch each salt and pepper

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

BLOOD ORANGE ROASTED BEETS & FENNEL
The Crepes of Wrath

• 4-5 large beets, trimmed and scrubbed clean
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
• juice and zest of 1 blood orange
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder (optional)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

Planting seeds ahead of the rain and feasting on sunchokes

IN THE CSA SHARES THIS WEEK:

Braising Greens
Carrots
Leeks
Shallots or Garlic
Jerusalem Artichokes (or alternate root:)
Bosc and/or D'Anjou Pears

EXTRAS TO PICK THIS WEEK (FREE TO ALL SHARE MEMBERS):
UPICK for Herbs only from here on until Spring.  

 

PLANTING SEEDS AHEAD OF THE RAIN & FEASTING ON SUNCHOKES

Our current mantra around here is "if you don't plant the seeds, the plants won't grow."  What it lacks in poesis it makes up for in practice.  We're packing the propagation house, transplanting peas in the field to make room for more, and Mark is putting some miles on the walk-behind seeder.  We've wrestled with rowcover in the wind and we're playing the open it/close it/open it again/ok better close it game with greenhouse panels and table covers to keep up with the clear skies.  Judging by the forecast, we won't have much more of that to worry about.  We're looking forward to potting up tomato starts in the greenhouse while it pours at the end of the week.  Rites of spring come in many forms.

We're going to nosh on another round of Braising Greens this week, and before we get to planting this year's round, we're going to feast on a few Jerusalem Artichokes, aka Sunchokes.  For those of you who haven't tried them yet, Sunchokes are neither Artichokes nor do they hail from Jerusalem.  They're actually relatives of Sunflowers, producing a tiny yellow flower in the latter part of the year.  The tubers so just happen to taste a whole lot like globe artichokes.  Roasting Sunchokes with Olive Oil is a great way of showcasing their nutty flavor, and they even make a great addition to a soups and salads.  I happen to have a favorite Stir Fry recipe that I'm sharing below.  They don't need to be peeled--just wash and go.  One warning though...while just about everyone loves the flavor of a Sunchoke, a handful of people may find them difficult to digest, because they are high in inulin, a non-starchy dietary fiber.  On the other hand, this is what makes Sunchokes such a great prebiotic.   

Happy April,
Katie

PS:  I'm also going to plant this little seed--it isn't too soon to begin thinking about Summer Share.  You can sign up on our newly-designed website or as always, register at the farmstand in person.   

HARVEST HIGHLIGHTS &
WHAT'S IN STOCK AT THE FARMSTAND
CSA Members receive a 10% discount on most items at our farmstand

HARE-RAISED:  

• Salad Mix (limited)
• Celeriac 
• Braising Greens
• Kale Raab
• Rainbow Chard
• Eggs 
• Winter Squash

FROM BEYOND THE FARM:

• WA Organic Golden Russet, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, & Melrose Apples. Bosc & D'Anjou Pears
• NW Organic Roots, Potatoes & Onions 
• Organic Fruit: Blood Oranges, Cara Cara Navel Oranges, Red Grapefruit, Meyer Lemons, Bananas, Limes, & Lemons.
• Olykraut, Essential Baking Co. Artisan Breads, Grounds for Change Coffee
• Dates, Ginger, Nuts, Sweet Potatoes and Dried Fruit
• Jody's Honey!  

SEASONAL RECIPES & TIPS

SUNCHOKE & CASHEW STIR FRY
Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks

1 teaspoon peanut or sunflower oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon peanut or sunflower oil, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
3 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 serrano chile pepper, deveined and minced
1 cup very thinly sliced sunchokes, well scrubbed
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
1 1/2 - 2 cups day-old, cooked brown rice
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
1/3 cup toasted almond slices
1/2 cup toasted cashews
fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste
plenty of chopped fresh basil (in Katie's humble opinion, this can be omitted if you're basil-less)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

MICHAEL ANTHONY'S SUNCHOKE & APPLE SALAD
Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times

12 sunchokes
 Olive oil to coat the sunchokes
4 apples, sliced
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
 Mixed greens: radicchio, bok choy, mizuna, celery leaves
½ cup celery, minced
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 cup apple cider
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
 Salt to taste
 Pepper to taste

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

GINGER FRIED RICE (WITH LEEKS)
Smitten Kitchen 

1/2 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
Salt
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
4 cups day-old cooked rice
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons soy sauce

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

SOUP DORIA
Andrew Carmellini, American Flavor

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 slices bacon, diced large (2 cups)
1 large sweet onion, quartered and sliced (about 2 cups)
2 large leeks, cut in half, cleaned, and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
1 large celery root, peeled, cut lengthwise into 6 pieces, and sliced thin (about 2 cups)
2 2/3 pounds mixed potatoes (red, yellow, wax), washed but not peeled and sliced thin (about 2 cups)10 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled or scrubbed and sliced into thin rounds (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Herb packet: 3 dried bay leaves and 10 fresh thyme sprigs, tied together with string
1 bunch kale, washed, stemmed, and torn (about 6 cups)
OPTIONAL
Hazelnut or pumpkin-seed oil for drizzling
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

CONTINUE TO RECIPE