CSA pick up number 2!

Happy Sunday, all! We hope you are working your way through your neat share and enjoying all the spring goodness packed into each crunchy, delicious, certified organic, nutrient dense vegetable!

As we on the farm reflect on the past week, we were so pleased! Our harvest went well, the vegetables were plentiful and quality spectacular, and then we were able to share them with you and either say hello and catch up after a month, or maybe 7, of not seeing you, or meet you for the first time and welcome you to our Community.

We can’t wait to see you weekly (or every other week if you are in the Meat CSA only) through mid-October!

Photo Credit: Zoe Griffith

We love our chickens at Rainshadow and we have two types: meat birds (which our meat CSA will enjoy a couple times this summer) and our egg laying hens. We have spent a lot of our winter thinking about and improving our overall chicken world here at the Farm and can now proudly say that all our birds are fed certified organic feed as well as enjoying a steady diet of foraged bugs, seeds, weeds, and vegetables from the gardens!

News from the Farm

This past week we harvested and tended. This is a common theme on the farm during the summer. The start of the week focuses on harvesting vegetables for our CSAs and market stands and the end of the week focuses on weeding, planting, and nurturing the future vegetables of the CSA.

First CSA harvests of the season take a bit longer than later as our returning farmers remember all the details of a CSA harvest and our Apprentice farmers learn all those details for the first time. As the Summer CSA continues, the number of vegetables increases dramatically and harvest takes even more time, but this time of year we focus on technique and teaching.

Photo Credit: Sarahlee Lawrence

Farmer Richard washes a mountain of bunched carrots last week. First fresh bunch carrots of the year!

After harvest was complete we pivoted to the tending and focused on getting our tomato plants trained. This is the second time we have gone through all three tomato houses and reminded the tomato plants that they need to grow up their jute twine guides. Our tomatoes are growing great right now and we have high hopes for end of July/early August when we think they will make their first appearance.

Photo Credit: (left/top) Zoe Griffith (right/bottom) Alison Holland

Farmer Katya trains tomato plants to their jute twine guides. And an up close photo of the tomatoes and said guides.

Vegetable ID: Hakurei Salad Turnips

Salad Turnips are a root vegetable, related to arugula and radishes, which are members of the mustard family. Salad turnips, are great raw, grated or chopped in salads, sautéed, or roasted with olive oil and fresh herbs.

To store: Remove the greens from the turnips and store in a plastic bag to use within 3 days. The turnip roots should be stored in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to a week.

To prep: Cut off the green tops (which can be eaten as well). Wash and cut the white roots into wedges or slices.

To cook: Serve raw with dip in a veggie tray. Or grate and add them to a salad. Turnips are delicious when roasted with other root vegetables (like carrot, potatoes, rutabaga, garlic).

To freeze: Blanch for 3 minutes in hot boiling water. Cool in ice water for 3 minutes, drain and pack into freezer containers or freezer bags.

Vegetable CSA Harvest List

We think our foundation vegetables this week will be: Hakurei Salad Turnips and other salad style fixings. We will let you know on Wednesday how many other items you will get to select.

We have been keeping an eye on the hoops and 2-acre garden and have a pretty good idea of what is out there and ready to be harvested, but this is a Sunday estimation of what we will be harvesting on Tuesday. Also, because we have a market style CSA, this isn’t a guarantee of 1 of all these things for everyone. Instead, this will be the variety of what will hopefully (fingers crossed) have for you to choose from this week.)

Other Vegetable Options will probably include:

peas
carrots
kale
rhubarb
salad turnips
green onions
lettuce heads
arugula

Napa cabbage
bagged baby beet greens
chives
oregano
spinach
sorrel
salad mix
zucchini

Keep an eye on our Instagram stories for a tour of what the options are on Wednesday around 11 am.

Recipe Corner

Salad turnips are probably going to make an appearance in this weeks CSA, so I have included a couple salad turnip recipes below. But Spring time is salad time so let’s focus some energy there too! Here are a few of my favorite salad dressing recipes and tips and tricks.

Honey Braised Salad Turnips and Greens with Bacon

Adapted from Andrea Bemis’ Vegetarian Local Dirt
(I think I just figured out what I am having for dinner tonight! I can’t wait to try this out: stove top, quick, and could stand alone as a main dish if topped with a fried egg or two.)

INGREDIENTS
2-4 slices thick-cut bacon, roughly chopped
1-2 bunches Hakurei salad turnips with greens, turnips sliced in half, greens roughly chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup chicken broth
1-22 tablespoons honey
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2-1 tablespoon dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 tablespoons butter

INSTRUCTIONS

In cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel to drain.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat and add the halved turnips, broth, honey, vinegar, and mustard to the skillet; season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover the pan, reduce heat and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes.
Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Stir in the greens and add the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to a glaze that evenly coats the turnips, about 10 minutes.
Top with bacon and serve.
OPTIONS: substitute radishes for turnips, top with a fried egg, substitute chard, kale, spinach, beet greens, asian greens for the turnip/radish greens if they don’t look too good.

Basic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
adapted from Cookie & Kate’s How to Make Basic Vinaigrette

(I use this type of dressing almost every time I made a salad. It is easy, quick, and always delicious. Plus, you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already!)

INGREDIENTS
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons vinegar of choice (balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (optional: I almost never put a sweetener in unless I accidentally over mustard or vinegar and am out of oil to balance it out)
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced (optional: when it isn’t garlic season, I either forgo this or substitute garlic powder or garlic salt and don’t add salt again)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
dried herbs (I will sprinkle dried herbs like thyme, basil, or oregano into the mix for a little extra favor)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir well with a small whisk or a fork until the ingredients are completely mixed together.
Taste, and adjust as necessary. If the mixture is too acidic, thin it out with a bit more olive oil or balance the flavors with a little more maple syrup or honey. If the mixture is a little blah, add another pinch or two of salt. If it doesn’t have enough zing, add vinegar by the teaspoon.
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for future use. Homemade vinaigrette keeps well for 7 to 10 days. If your vinaigrette solidifies somewhat in the fridge, don’t worry about it—real olive oil tends to do that. Simply let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes or microwave very briefly (about 20 seconds) to liquify the olive oil again. Whisk to blend and serve.

If you are still looking for some great homemade salad dressings, check out 25 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes from the A Couple Cooks blog. Lots of variety, all the classics. I am looking forward to checking out their homemade ranch and honey mustard dressings!