"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi

What’s in the box this week:

Fruit:
Strawberries

Veggies:
Baby arugula
Beets
Bok choi
Carrots
Cauliflower or broccoli*
Cilantro
Green garlic
Dinosaur kale
Lettuce
Young red and yellow onions
Radishes
Spinach
Mystery item

"Extra Fruit option" will start next week!

*courtesy of Mariquita Farm (see Field Notes)

CALENDAR


Sat. Jun 21 - Summer Solstice Celebration
4pm - 10pm
with Kuzanga Marimba!

Aug 8, 9, 10 - Children’s Mini Camp
Friday evening to noon Sunday

Sat. Sep 20 - Fall Equinox Celebration
3pm - 9pm
with the Banana Slug String Band!

Sat. Oct 26 Halloween Pumpkin Palooza
all day.
the Banana Slug String Band will play here too!

CSA: a revolutionary way of eating. Eating locally and seasonally seems revolutionary in today’s global economy, where an almost unlimited plethora of products is available at any time of year. Your partnership with us transforms the food we grow into something much more than an economic commodity. Suddenly the strawberries, carrots, over-wintered beets, and many of the greens in your spring share have a certain familiarity; they speak of a place and an environment that is familiar. The farm is literally in your backyard, since everyone lives no more than an hour away. This proximity is important since it offers everyone the opportunity to have a more direct relationship with your farm and the people growing your food. Being a community farmer... "It's like having your own personal gardener," a member once said. "You can see how and what kind of food is grown throughout the seasons, get to know the growers, and if you like, help in the process." So to reestablish and preserve small scale, sustainable farming in our community, it is vital that this link is strengthened. Your financial commitment relieves us of the uncertainties inherent in the wholesale market. It also allows us to embrace ever more sustainable farming practices, to provide decent wages and adequate housing for our workers, and to support our farm education and apprenticeship programs. – Tom

Field Notes
Although this cool weather is slowing things down a bit we can expect our own broccoli in the shares next week, as well as fennel and cauliflower in May. (This week's broccoli and/or cauliflower is from Mariquita Farm, another local, organic, CSA farm. We sometime do trades to round out our respective members' boxes.) Broccoli raab will be alternating from week to week, and kohlrabi (say what???) – an often unfamiliar vegetable – is another which likes to join its spring cousins in our early shares.

An Onion a day keeps the bugs away. Often, a problem in the garden has a solution growing right next to it. Both nature and many ecologically-driven farming cultures have known this for a long time. Here on the farm I have noticed over the last few years that when I plant onions and garlic close to my strawberry patch I reduce a lot of my insect problems. So if I can’t plant an onion family member in between my other vegetables, it is often useful to apply a tea of garlic or onions with a bit of mild detergent soap to deter aphids and other creepy-crawlies. It is interesting to plan plantings of crops in such a way that they enhance and support the health of each other and the soil. For anyone interested in companion planting in their own garden, an excellent guide I highly recommend is Louise Riotte’s book entitled "Carrots love tomatoes."

Help for the Cooks and Eaters
Hello, Debbie here. First of all, I wanted to let everyone know that I've added a new feature to my online recipe database – produce pictures! For people new to CSA and perhaps unfamiliar with some of the items we get in our boxes, I am now documenting the crops as they are harvested, and will add their pictures next to their names on the 'key ingredient' list. I hope to add pictures each week as new items appear in our boxes. So if you get a leafy green or some veggie that you can't identify, you can look at the pictures on the website and hopefully make a match that way! This may come in handy, as Tom is reinstating the 'mystery item' concept to our 'what's in the box' list. There are many reasons for the 'mystery item' classification (maybe we can get Tom to talk about it next week), but my job will be to 'demystify' them for you! Click here to go to recipe database w/pictures.

Last week I began talking about how to prepare and store all the produce you get in your box, and I hope to add to this periodically as new items appear in our boxes. Not a lot of change between this week's list and last week's, however the appearance of 'baby arugula' brings up a point I've been wanting to make for some time now. One of the unique joys of receiving a CSA share is seeing the produce come through in various stages of maturity – something you rarely experience when you buy your fruit and vegetables from the grocery store. Last week the arugula was large-leafed and mature. This week we're getting the first bunches of 'baby leaves' picked from a new crop, and probably over the next couple weeks we'll see it again, on and off, increasing in size. I will try to document in pictures these various stages for you, as one crop when it is young may appear like another that is mature (green garlic and leeks is a perfect example). The onions right now are young, sleek and tender. But since Tom has planned for a steady supply of them (as well as garlic) throughout the season, you will be able to watch them grow and fatten, and observe the garlic cloves as they differentiate. You'll see both all the way through their final harvest, at maturity, at which time they'll be carefully stored to last through the winter. Eventually you'll see their outermost layers slowly dry into the protective sheath we're most familiar with in store-bought onions and garlic. If you have children in your family, I encourage to share with them this process of observation!

Ah, but I digress from cooking and prep tips. Let me get back to them! A helpful technique mentioned by member Kirsten Nelson of San Jose is this: if you get a leafy item in your box and aren't sure what it is, taste it! Tear of a bit and chew it, see if it tastes good to you raw. If it does, use it raw in salads. Mustard greens and very young, tender kale are both good this way – something I discovered using this very same technique! And if it doesn't have that much appeal raw, then try steaming or sautéing or braising or stir-frying it!

Regarding preparation and storage, the new items this week are cauliflower/broccoli, cilantro, dinosaur kale, and the radishes (which I forgot to talk about even though they were in last week's box). Referring to last week's discussion (click here for it), treat the cilantro like you would spinach and arugula with one exception – if the cilantro is joined at the root, leave the root attached for storage. Don't cut it off until you go to use it. Treat the dino kale, broccoli and cauliflower the same way you would chard or red Russian kale, and treat the radishes the same way you would the carrots.

Notes from Debbie’s Kitchen . . . . . . . . Have a recipe you’d like to share? Contact Debbie.

A few contributions from CSA members this week! - Debbie

Lasagna with Greens
from new member Susan Ragsdale-Cronin, who says, "a great way to use up all your greens! Even people who don't like greens love this!"

"I sautéed green garlic with all the greens plus some sun-dried tomatoes and red onions and oregano. Boiled up some brown rice lasagna noodles. Sautéed ground beef (substitute tofu for vegetarians) w/organic tomato sauce (1/2 bottle), more oregano, and more green garlic. I layered first greens then noodles, some yogurt cheese, then tomato sauce w/meat, more greens, more noodles, cheese, rest of tomato sauce. Baked it until hot and bubbly (about half an hour or so in a 350 degree oven). Fabulous! My 4 1/2 year old said it was 'glorious!'"

Polish-style Beets
from member Linda Caplinger, who says, "this is a really easy recipe that's been in my family for ages. The nice thing about it is that there aren't any fixed amounts, which is great since we never know how many beets will be in a share!"

Beets
Balsamic vinegar*
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dried oregano (fresh will work as well)

Remove the tops from the beets and scrub outsides with a vegetable brush and water. Place into a pot and just cover with water. Cook the beets in boiling water 20 to 30 minutes, or until a fork can be fairly easily inserted into the thick of one of the larger beets (you may need to remove smaller beets if they cook faster than larger ones).

When the beets are finished cooking, carefully pour out hot water and replace with cold to help the beets cool. When they're cooled enough that you can work with them, slip the skins off of the beets, slice into rounds about 1/4" thick and place into a bowl. You may find that doing this under running water is easiest.

While the sliced beets are still warm, douse them with vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano to taste. Gently mix the beets and allow the flavors to mix, perhaps 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at room temp. or chilled.

* Flavored berry vinegars work well with this dish too (i.e., blackberry, raspberry, etc).

Leek* & herb soufflé
serves 4
from Practical Vegetarian Cookery, and submitted by member Sue Burnham, who *substituted green garlic and onions for the leeks.

12 oz. baby leeks (or green garlic/onions)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 C vegetable stock
1/2 C walnuts
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp. chopped mixed herbs (Sue says the recipe does not specify fresh or dried. She used dried oregano, thyme and a little sage, and says it was good, but that fresh herbs would be better.)
2 tbsp. plain yogurt
salt and pepper

Finely chop leeks and sauté with oil over medium heat in a skillet, stirring occasion-ally, for 2-3 minutes. Add veg. stock, lower heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Place walnuts in a food processor and process until finely chopped; add leek mixture and process briefly to form a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix together egg yolks, herbs and yogurt until thoroughly combined. Pour the egg mixture into the leek/walnut paste, season to taste w/salt and pepper and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold egg whites into leek mixture. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 3 1/2 C soufflé dish, place on a warmed baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until risen and set. Serve immediately.

*Click Here* for a link to a comprehensive listing of recipes from Live Earth Farm's newsletters going back as far as our 1998 season! You can search for recipes by key ingredient. Recipe site is updated weekly during the season.