Week Four  

 

Hello and welcome to our fourth week of CSA boxes!  Let's get right to it with our 2nd intern introduction.  This week's featured intern is Heather Hall. 

 

Intern Intros 

 

Name: Heather

Hometown: Racine, WI

Why you are interested in sustainable farming: I think our current food system is broken and is not sustaining the population nor the land. I want to be a part of fostering a viable alternative to that. 

Favorite/most exciting thing about internship: Going to the farmers markets and getting to meet and interact with the people who are going to be enjoying the fruits of our labor!

Fun fact: I have a goal to learn how to homebrew gluten-free beer! and I'm a master hula-hooper.

 

 

Farm News 

 

OK, so let's just continue the trend and discuss the rain, or lack thereof, that has fallen on the farm since my last newsletter.  This weekend we DID have a rain event, I think it was Friday night, which lasted all of about seven minutes and did not deposit enough water to register in the rain gauge.  Each day I check the online weather forecast (OK, like five to ten times each day) and each day I see 20 and 30 percent chances of rain (this year those statistics have yet to manifest themselves into a steady downpour) and seven days of that big round yellow sun icon.  And each time I quietly resign myself to the fact that we are not going to get a good soaking any time soon.  Just about every farmer I have spoken to over the last month is being affected by the lack of rain, and I am grateful every single day for our new overhead irrigation system.  It's output is small, due to our well capacity, but it is far better than nothing and if we move it twice a day we can cover the whole farm in a week.  

 

The disadvantage of using overhead irrigation continually on the whole farm is that we are not only watering the plants - we are giving the weeds an inch of rain per week as well!  Weeds are often more tenacious than the cash crops that we grow, so with the nice levels of moisture they are getting and the warm weather we have been having, the weeds are having a spectacular year!

 

The thing I am most keeping my eye on right now (though of course there is never just one thing) is the larger than average population of leaf hoppers we have on the farm this year.  The leaf hopper takes microscopic bites out of crops, and feeds on many things including lettuce, escarole, spinach, carrots, potatoes, alfalfa and several types of weeds.  It's not so much the eating, though that could be rough on the potato crop, as the fact that the aster leaf hoppers transmit a disease called aster yellows.  Aster yellows particularly affects carrots and lettuce, causing them to grow deformed.  It's not uncommon to see a few plants here and there infected with the aster yellows, but I've never seen so many before this season.  Some of the lettuce and the escarole is definitely suffering from it, and it could become problematic in our carrots later this year.  Unfortunately there really is no organic control for this pest yet, so all I can do is hope for the best. 

 

This is also a pretty bad year for the cutworm - a rather unfortunately large caterpillar type guy who likes to hole up in things like lettuce and napa cabbage.  They are pretty well hidden, so we don't always know if they are inside a head of one of those two things.  I know several of you have come across these guys and it's not very fun.  I sincerely apologize, and can only hope that this increase in pests doesn't continue!   A nice contrast I have noticed and perhaps some of you returning members have noticed as well is a reduction in the flea beetle holes in things like arugula, pac choi and turnip/radish tops. There are a few holes, but nothing like we were seeing last year! 

 

On a more upbeat note, the crops in general are looking good and we have another full box for this week's distribution.  And soon enough the mostly leafy and mostly green things in the box will give way to other vegetable favorites.  I see orange carrots, red beets and yellow zucchini making their way into the shares in the weeks to come.  We have had a plethora of greens this spring, which wasn't necessarily in the plan (I mean, greens are in the plan but not quite so many) but that's just how it has shaken out in June of 2012 at Wellspring.  If you ever need tips on eating greens that you aren't finding in the newsletter, feel free to ask me - greens as a group are some of my favorite foods and I eat more than one giant pile of them each day, so I am happy to help you do the same! 

 
What's In the Box and Where Does it Go?

 

Crop                              Fridge?               Notes/Variety

 

Green Head Lettuce      Yes

Red Head Lettuce          Yes

Escarole                        Yes  LOOKS LIKE LETTUCE, IS NOT LETTUCE 

Napa Cabbage              Yes

Spinach                         Yes

Salad Turnips                Yes

Scallions                       Yes

Garlic Scapes                Yes

Arugula                          Yes

Pea Shoots                    Yes

Dill                               Yes

Broccoli                         Yes   All dropsites that did not receive it two weeks ago will be getting broccoli this week. 

 

 

Highlighted Items:  

 

A note about the head lettuce:  I've heard from a couple folks who were shareholders last season that they are noticing that the lettuce heads are not as clean as they were last season.  I want to take this moment to explain that we have indeed changed our lettuce head washing procedure from last year.  Our old procedure was to individually handle each head during the washing process, which involved dumping them from their harvest crates into the washtubs to be free-floating and then taking them out individually and re-crating them.  Our new procedure involves leaving them in their crates and gently spraying them off, then dunking them all together, and then gently spraying the crates when they come out of the tubs again to remove any loose dirt.  The reason that this is preferable is that lettuce can be very fragile and we have to handle them several times throughout the process.  Each time we pick up one of those heads, the potential exists to squish it a bit, or to tear leaves.  My belief is that cutting out one of those "handling steps" results in a head of lettuce that will last longer in your fridge.  However, it may also result in lettuce that has a bit more grit left clinging to it.  Let me know if you have any questions or strong feelings on the cleanliness of your lettuce. 

 

Escarole - (this is the same information as last week) is the green thing that looks like lettuce but is a bit, tougher, for lack of a better word.  I mean, the leaves themselves feel sturdier than lettuce.  And it doesn't look like a summer crisp lettuce, which is the green lettuce in your box this week.   It is a bit more bitter than lettuce when eaten raw (there I go again with the bitter greens!) but can be easily mellowed with a bit of wilting, stewing, souping or just marinating in oil and salt.  This is one of my favorite greens, and I love it in several ways.  Some mornings I chop up a head of it very fine, toss it with some gently heated olive oil, some vinegar, random herbs and salt and pepper and put two poached eggs on top.  Sometimes when roasting a chicken I will coarsely chop the escarole and put it in the juices left in the pan  - after just a few minutes it has wilted to almost nothing and tastes amazing.  Then of course there's always the bacon option.  You could cook some bacon, pour off most of the fat, and throw the coarsely chopped escarole in the pan for a few moments.  You could put it in a bean soup - classic! Please refer to last week's newsletter for a recipe. 

 

Dill - Dill is the only species in it's genus Anethum, and it is a member of the Apiaceae family.  This folks, is your farmer's favorite plant family.  Apiaceae is home to carrots, parsnips, fennel, dill, celery, celeriac, cilantro, anise, angelica, caraway, chervil, lovage and asafoetida, just to name a few.  As I see it, few other families contain such a list of attractive and tasty veggies and herbs.  But I digress.  Back to dill.  I love the smell, the look and the taste of dill, but when faced with a bunch of it I will be honest - I'm not sure what to do beyond baking some fish or making potato salad.  I've included a couple of recipes below, and if any of you have any creative dill uses please send them my way! 

 

Napa Cabbage (from the Week One newsletter) - I like to grow a smaller variety of napa, because I know it can be a bit unfamiliar.  (And the big ones don't fit in the box!)  However, some of them this week were a little bit on the ridiculously small side.  If you got one of those in your box, we tried to even the score by adding an extra item of something else.  Did you know that napa cabbage is the most common ingredient in egg rolls?  It's also a main ingredient in the traditional fermented Korean Kimchi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi, which is something I really like to make.  Very simple and tasty new recipe below...

 

Pea Shoots (from the Week One newsletter) -  This is a variety of pea plant I grow just for shoots - they taste a lot like peas!  (Real peas to come later this season.)  These shoots got pretty big on us with all the irrigation and hot weather, but I was waiting for a B week to come back around so I could give them out to the B week half shares that didn't get them last time.  So the bottom of the stalk might not be quite as tender, but the top and the leaves will be.  Always tasty chopped up in a salad, or our pea shoot recipe below - it's a favorite!

 

Garlic Scapes (from the Week Three newsletter) - 

Garlic Scapes - This is an amazing part of the garlic plant - it grows out of the middle of the leaves, and if left attached to the plant it will eventually form a flower.  We remove it because the theory is that if the flower is gone the plant will put more energy into making a bulb.  And we also remove it because they are edible, yummy, fabulously curly shaped and something else for the box!  I use these puppies in anything savory - milder than garlic and really pretty.  I add them to salad or salad dressing, put them in eggs, roast them with meat or on the grill, even make them into a pesto.  (Speaking of pesto, I should add that arugula makes a fabulous pesto also, AND that the basil is coming along nicely in the field.)  When I google "garlic scape" I immediately get three or four food blogs with ideas.  

 

Anticipated Share Contents Week Five: Red and Green Lettuce Heads, Arugula, Salad Turnips, Radishes, Scallions, Broccoli, Carrots, Beets, Dill or Cilantro, Zucchini 

 

Storage Tips

 

(Much of this is a repeat from last week.)  Greens will always stay fresher longer in a plastic bag, or a cloth veggie bag.  If you're not picky about it, this is a great use for all of those plastic bags you have shoved in a drawer somewhere. A tip for something like salad turnips or radishes is that if you separate the greens from the root and also put them in plastic bags (separate or together) they will keep longer.  The green part of the veggie wicks away moisture much more quickly than the root would loose moisture, so by separating the two you prevent that moisture loss.  Speaking of moisture loss,I think it's important to remember that wilted veggies haven't actually gone "bad" when they have wilted a bit in the fridge - they have just lost some water weight.  Some things can be put in water to perk them up, or if you're cooking it anyway you don't need to worry about the wilted factor since vegetables loose moisture in the cooking process. 

 

The trick I mentioned last week for cilantro will also work for dill.  I learned this trick from someone at a farmer's market years ago.  Place your dill bunch (this works with cilantro and basil also) in a mason jar or a glass filled w/ water and place a plastic bag on top. You can refrigerate it or not - either way it will last much longer than if it is in a bag in the fridge. 

 

Dill can also be washed, carefully dried and hung upside down to dry.  Once it's fully dried keep it in a small glass jar with a lid for best flavor retention.  

 

 

Winter Share 

 

We still have spots remaining for our new Winter Shares, and I will be promoting them periodically throughout the season until they are full.  If you have questions please contact me directly, or you can sign up online at our website.  Thanks!
 
For the 2012 Season we have added a three week, every other week Winter Share Option. The Winter Share provides a great way to eat locally and organically even later in the season because it includes crops with long-term storage ability in your fridge or a cool place in your home. It will consist of yummy root crops like carrots, potatoes, beets and parsnips, several types of winter squash, cold hearty favorites like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach and herbs and much, much more!

 

Next Cooking Class: "Herbally Speaking"

 

Our next seasonal cooking class with KC Thorson is July 12 featuring culinary herbs.  $20  in advance or $25 at the door gets you wine, good times and tasty menu ideas (and samples!) The upcoming menu is: 

 

�      Cool Veggie Bisque with Summer Herbs

�      Herbed Veggie Slaw

�      Wild Grilled Salmon with Herbed White Sauce

�      Marinated Summer Fruit seasoned with Fresh Herbs

 

Call 262-675-6755 or email [email protected] to sign up! 


Recipes!

 

An Easy Dill Dip I amalgamated from several I found online: 

 

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tablespoons minced onion

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 cup lemon juice (to taste)

4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely

 

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Mix well. Chill at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

 

The next recipe is from a restaurant in D.C. called Zaytinya.  The head chef is a man named Jose Andres and this dish is a favorite.  I know it's not a far cry from fish, but it looks so yummy!

 

Garides me anitho

 

Serves 1

 

1 tablespoon minced shallot

6 shrimp, (preferably 21/25-count size), peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Salt to taste

Minced dill to taste

Olive oil as needed

 

In a saut� pan set over medium heat, sweat the shallots in a little olive oil (not the tablespoon of extra virgin). Add the shrimp and saut� briefly until the shrimp start to turn slightly opaque. Add the garlic to the pan and saut� another minute. Add the mustard and cover the pan. When the shrimp are almost done, about 2 minutes, add the lemon juice, tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, and minced dill to taste. Season with white pepper and salt. Cook for another minute, then add the butter to the pan to create a sauce. Swirl the pan until the sauce becomes creamy. Garnish with more dill and serve.

 

The there's this very simple recipe from a cookbook my mother gave me this past winter called The Book of Herb Cookery by Irene Botsford Hoffman.

 

Broiled Lamb Chops (with dill)

 

Broil Loin Chops, arrange on platter, season with salt and pepper, and put a dab of butter with 1/4 tsp minced dill on each one. 

 

I'm also including this tasty looking recipe for Napa Cabbage from Deborah Madison, which also can include dill! 

 

Simple Sauteed Napa or Chinese Cabbage. This Asian cabbage cooks quickly and is even milder than European varieties.  Allow 1 1/2 lbs or more for four servings.  Chop the whole cabbage, including the firm white base, into strips of whatever width appeals to you.  Heat a few tablespoons water or rice wine in a wide skillet, add the cabbage, and sprinkle with salt.  Cook over medium-high heat, turning the leaves with tongs, until wilted.  Drain, the toss with dark sesame oil, roasted peanut oil, or butter.  Garnish with chopped parsley, cilantro, or dill; snipped chives; or toasted sesame seeds.  

 

Pea shoot pesto

 

1  bunch pea shoots (cut above the rubber band and

washed)

1  clove garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

1  teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2  cup freshly grated parmesan

1/2  cup toasted nuts (walnuts, pinenuts, etc)

12 ounces cooked pasta

 

Combine pea shoots, green garlic, olive oil, salt, parm

(short for parmesan in our kitchen), and nuts in a

food processor . Process until you have a nice bright

green paste . If it's not combining well drizzle in more

oil as it's processing . Toss with the just-drained pasta .

Garnish with a little freshly grated parm and serve hot,

or refrigerate and add a cup of halved cherry tomatoes

to make a nice pasta salad

 
Food Photos 
red lettuce wk 3
Red Leaf Lettuce 
 
 
Green Leaf Lettuce
 
arugula plant 2 
Arugula 
 
Salad turnips 
Salad Turnips 
 
Scallions wk 13 
Scallions
 
 Napa Cabbage 
 
garlic scapes wk 5 Garlic Scapes 
 
Pea shoots 2
Pea Shoots 
 
dill wk 13 
Dill 
 
Spinach wk 3 
Spinach
In This Issue
Intern Intros
Farm News
Box List
Storage Tips
WInter Share/Cooking Class
Recipes
Food Photos