Vegetable & Fruit Highlights The Harvest! Congratulations, you made it past the "hungry gap" and every week, for many more months to come, new vegetable and fruit varieties will be added to the menu and cause our mouth's to salivate and give reason to celebrate. Strawberries are about to burst onto the scene in great quantities starting next week. English Peas just arrived on the scene, snap and snow peas are on the horizon. We are fully stocked with in-season vegetables and fruits awaiting your appetites! Sadly, we just ran out of the wonderful Washington Navals that all of you have so enjoyed for the past three months. Thank you to Jake Cutler and his family for providing us with gorgeous high quality and delicious fruits - we look forward to next year's harvest!
Valencia oranges are in!
  | | Didar's orchard |
Didar from Ram Das Orchards near the mouth of theCapay Valley has an
extensive orchard ofcitrus and persimmons (remember those Hachiya (soft) persimmons around Thanksgiving). We'll be in Valencia season throughout the summer and unlike the Navals who become sweeter as the weather gets cooler, the Valencia's get sweeter as the weather get's hotter.
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RECIPES
Have a great recipe that you'd like to share - we'd love to publish it in the newsletter!
This week's asparagus recipe comes from Terra Firma Farms. We stopped by there this week to get our first delivery in quite some time. Green garlic, Minneola Tangelos, beets,
Spring Chop Salad with Garlic Fried Eggs Asparagus is frequently paired with eggs: topped with hollaindaise sauce ala "Benedict", in omelettes, as a foundation of a frittata, etc. This recipe combines the ingredients of aioli -- egg, olive oil and garlic -- in a different form and makes a salad with spinach.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Snap the ends off 1 bunch of asparagus and cut the tips off. Slice any spears that are thicker than your pinky in half lengthwise, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Toss with 2 t. olive oil and salt and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast until lightly browned on one side, then stir so the other side cooks to the same color. Remove from the cooking sheet and allow to cool slightly.
While the asparagus is cooking, soak and drain 1/2 lb. spinach leaves. Toss with a simple mustard vinagrette: 1 T. stoneground mustard, 2 T. olive oil, 2 T. red wine vinegar, pepper and salt. If you really like garlic, add 1 t. minced green garlic leaves.
Toss the spinach with the dressing.
Toast 4 slices of crusty bread and cut into croutons.
Mince green garlic (stem or leaves) to make 3 T.
Heat 1 T. olive oil in a non-stick or similar skillet and fry 4 eggs. Sprinkle the green garlic over them while they are cooking. Once they are firm enough, flip them over and cook them until the whites are cooked but the yolks still runny.
Add the eggs, the asparagus and the croutons to the spinach and toss to combine. |
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