June 3, 2013 Common Thread CSA

Dear Common Thread CSA Members,

We are excited that another harvesting season has begun! We did not expect to be ready so early since it's been a cold spring but a lot of crops have sized up, so here we are. Some of the crops are earlier than others, so there might be a few light harvest in June as we get going. This is a good week - lots of greens and fast growing radishes, turnips and scallions. We also had some potatoes left in storage from last season, so those are included in the share this week.

You can find out what the vegetables for the week are by going to our "What's In" page on our website and checking out the PYO page on our website. We've put many of the recipes that we recommended last year on our website and they can be found at www.commonthreadcsa.com/this-week/recipe/

This is a great time of year for salads! Of course lettuce is good in a salad, but several of the cooking greens are quite versatile and are great raw or cooked, including bok choi, kale (although best "massaged" when eaten raw), spinach, and turnip greens. I don't recommend chard, escarole, or broccoli raab raw though they are delicious sauteed with olive oil and garlic.

While greens are the base of a salad, toppings are critical to a great salad. Some of my favorites are goat cheese, olives, sunflower seeds, slivers of apple, carrots and fennel. My favorite dressing is one I learned from a friend many years ago and has become a staple in our house. We call it:

Hannelore's dressing

1 part olive oil

1 part balsamic vinegar

1 part tamari/soy sauce

1 part maple syrup

I'm so glad to have regular access to kale again. It is an amazing plant that does well in the cold and in the heat, so we eat it a lot of the year, but we haven't had our own for a while and we've missed it! Our kids like it best as kale chips and in omelettes. It's also great in a raw salad, sauteed, or made into pesto. Here's a delicious sounding fresh kale salad from foodandwine.com:

Kale Salad with Miso and Pistachios

1 1/2 pounds kale-stems discarded and leaves thinly sliced

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly crushed

1 tablespoon brown miso

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup unsalted roasted pistachios, chopped

In a large bowl, toss the kale with the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the sesame seeds, miso and sugar. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the dressing to the kale and toss well. Scatter the scallions and pistachios on top and serve.

We welcome volunteers during harvest mornings: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 7:30 am and noon. An RSVP is helpful so we know to look out for you.

We welcome your recipes to pass on to the rest of the CSA. If you find a great recipe, we'd love to hear about it, or you can post on our facebook page. Pictures are great too - thanks to CSA member Kim Snow for sending on a picture of her first share above!

Enjoy your veggies this week,

Wendy and Asher