Hi Shareholders, 

Welcome to the week of the first carrots.  I really enjoy this week, because I think it sort of signifies the very beginning of the switch from mostly only green things in the box to things of all different colors.  We do have more weeks of lettuce, and of course there will be plenty of arugula, kale and other greens continuing throughout the season.  But I think it's nice to see some of the other colors of the veggie rainbow popping up at you.  I had planned to have carrots almost every week for the rest of the season, since they are so kid friendly and snack-able, not to mention totally familiar! At this point I'm not totally sure that next week's will size up in time, but there should be a lot of carrots coming at you from now on!    

We're undergoing a pretty serious hot and dry spell here - it would be nice to get some rain and a break in the heat!  However, aside from looking a little bit parched everything is taking off in this weather.  I have a feeling we might loose a succession of head lettuce in this streak of 80+ degree days, but I won't know for sure until next week.  Getting the cooler up and running when we did was crucial, because it means that if we are about to loose something to the heat we have more opportunity to harvest it early and "hold it" in the cooler until Wednesday.  This is especially helpful for things like zucchini, cucumbers and broccoli which like to ripen at different rates.  Around this time we start harvesting those items every other day and totaling them up to be able to give out the maximum number of each every week. 

That's about it for farm news - we are just humming along with planting successions, (we are moving into all of the fall crops now), harvesting and of course weeding away.  I would like to take this moment to once again recognize the good work that my whole crew is doing, as well as all of the volunteers that are always popping up to help.  And that recognition goes double for my Assistant Manager Libby Voss who is always there when I need her, and takes on more than her fair share of the workload!  Thanks crew! :) 

Now, onto the box...

This week's box contains the following things that the full shares and some half shares have seen before: 

2 heads of lettuce (1 green and one red)

1 bunch of arugula 

1 bunch of scallions

1 bunch of garlic scapes - I know this is a lot of scapes!  A treasured pesto recipe follows.  Keep in mind that they keep very well in the fridge in a plastic bag, even if they get a bit "limp" they retain their yummy flavor.  

3 mini english cucumbers OR a head of broccoli

1 bunch of turnips OR radishes 

1 bag of peas

1 bunch of cilantro - see this great blog post about freezing cilantro - I made some this weekend!    http://www.blork.org/blorkblog/2005/03/23/how-to-freeze-cilantro/

1 bag of basil 

And the following "new" items:    

1 bunch of marjoram - I sometimes refer to marjoram as the Most Underrated Herb.  I LOVE the way it smells, looks and of course the way it tastes.  I love to chop it up fresh and put it on a salad or just add it to a vinegarette.  I also like it with eggs, mushrooms, and all types of meat.  Recipes below! 

1 bunch of red russian kale - This variety of kale is meant to be eaten small, and is often considered the most tender and flavorful of the kales.  Since the stems are smaller  and younger you can include those as well - no need to strip the leaves from the tough stems! More kale recipes to follow.   You can use this type of kale in the recipes from last week also.  In addition, I thought this tip from Deborah Madison was so spot on and useful: "A splash of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon is often the secret element that brings a dish to life by heightening all the other flavors.  This is true even with foods that are naturally strong tasting, like the more aggressive greens.  That squeeze of lemon or light dousing of vinegar magically sweetens, softens, and sharpens, making everything taste better.  A bit of hot chile will do the same.  In fact, pepper sauce, the ubiquitous seasoning of the South, nearly combines both elements in a single jar." 

1 large or 2 small yellow or green zucchini - The zucchini is just starting to come on, and we only got one picking off of it this week so there isn't too much to give out, but enough to add to a salad or a stir fry.  When we have a bit more I will include my favorite way to fix it up.  

1 bunch of carrots - Yay!!! As previously discussed, I love the first week of carrots.  I hope you enjoy these tasty treats.  I'll start including recipes for these farther on down the line as well when I feel like you might be getting tired of them! :)

* Storage Tip for carrots (and all other roots): Remove the tops from the roots for longer "firmness" in the fridge.  The more green stuff up top, the more moisture wicks out of the roots. 

Speaking of Zucchini...don't forget about our next COOKING CLASS with K.C. Thorson of K.C.'s Cafe.  This month's theme is Zucchini Zone: The Most Prolific Plant in the Garden.  Class includes demos and tastings of four recipes, copies of which you can take with you, and a glass of wine.  We've had great attendance and rave reviews so send in your $20 (advanced, $25 at the door) asap! 

There are a lot of Scape Pesto recipes out there including this one from the Washington Post.  Also, I came across this ode of sorts to the scape and thought you might enjoy reading it...http://www.doriegreenspan.com/2009/06/i-seem-to-be-on.html

Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Method:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.

Marjoram Carrot Puree 

Serves 4 

1 pounds carrots

1/3 cup long-grain rice

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoons fresh marjoram leaves 

Garnish: fresh marjoram leaves

Peel carrots and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Fill a 7- to 8-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil. Add carrots and rice and cook, stirring until water returns to a boil, until carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain mixture well in a large sieve. In a food processor puree half of carrot mixture with half of butter until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Puree remaining carrot mixture and butter in same manner and transfer to bowl. Season puree with salt and pepper and stir in marjoram. (Puree may be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered.)

Serve puree garnished with marjoram.

I also thought these Marjoram Recipes looked delish!

http://www.lovetocook.co.uk/Recipes/marjoram_roast_chicken.htm

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roast-veal-with-marjoramhttp://www.mariquita.com/recipes/marjoram.html

Kale with Cannellini Beans from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison 

1 1/2 to 2 pounds kale 

Salt and Pepper 

1 small onion, finely diced 

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 plump garlic cloves (or a few scapes!) 

pinch red pepper flakes 

2 teaspoons chopped marjoram 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1 1/3 cooked cannellini, rinsed well if canned 

Freshly grated Parm, optional 

Simmer the kale in boiling salted water for 10 minutes

So you've made it to the end of another newsletter!  Congratulations and thanks again for reading.  Hope you all have a great week.  Farmer A.