- Lettuce
- Onion ( overwintered beauties)
- Green onions
- Fennel or kohlrabi
- Carrots or beets
- Cabbage (first Savoy of the season – gotta love “alcosa”) or broccoli (Castle Dome is the first with small heads and nice side shoots)
- Chinese broccoli
- Kale or chard
- Sugar snap peas!
- New potatoes
- Herb
- Zucchini(??)
It’s hard to believe that we had another wet week.We hit records in April for rainfall and it looks like June is on track to hit another record as well. Somehow between the rain showers and constant drizzle Juvencio was able to till up the area in between our blueberry patch and mound it so that I could plant pumpkins. Finally we will have the visible pumpkin patch where people can pick their own pumpkin, if we can keep the weeds back. All this water in some ways is good for crops that are already planted but it makes for soggy soil and lots of weeds.
The sugar snap peas are in full force. The over 10 foot tall peas in our first greenhouse have collapsed making it easier to harvest. Outdoor peas are in full bloom. It looks like we’ll have peas for another month. I sure hope you appreciate and enjoy these delicious sweet treats. It seems like this year there’s enough to have the kids snack on part of the share while driving home and have a few for the rest of the week.
We planted the last two beds in our field and now the planting is complete. We put in fall cabbage and Romanesco cauliflower and a few dry beans for the family. Pretty soon we’ll have to pull out spring planted beds and make room for winter cabbage, overwintering broccoli and cauliflower and radicchio. This year I went crazy. I have 20 varieties of radicchio. If you love this amazing vegetable you want to be part of our winter CSA. Of course I will have some for fall and for Thanksgiving but it will be a staple of the winter basket. Right now you might feel overwhelmed with greens but come December, January and February you will be wanting delicious fresh vegetables and radicchio will be the star. I am also working on having enough winter kale planted to enjoy it almost every week.
Zucchini is in bloom, the cucumbers are in bloom, the tomatoes and peppers are starting as well. They are the promise of summer if it will ever stop raining. It is lucky to have as much covered space as we have so that crops can set fruit a bit earlier. Hope to have tomatoes by the beginning of July. We can’t wait to taste the sweet juiciness.
Here are some recipes to enjoy this week:
The Greenest Green Salad (New York Times Samin Nosrat)
2 c snap peas, trimmed
2 small heads of romaine lettuce, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 persian cucumbers, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, cubed
1 recipe Green Goddess dressing (see below)
Line a large plate with paper towels. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the peas and cook about 90 seconds. Drain and then spread onto prepared plate to cool and dry. Cut each pod in half on the bias.
In a large bowl combine the peas, lettuce, cukes and green onions. Mix well to combine. Add the avocado and 1/2 the dressing and mix gently with your (clean!) hands Taste and adjust seasoning, salt and pepper etc. Serve cold.
Green Goddess Dressing
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
1/2 c mayo
1/3 c full fat greek yogurt
1/2 c parsley leaves
1/3 c basil leaves
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon
3 Tbs minced chives
salt and pepper.
Process all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and uniformly green. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Store extra in a lidded jar in fridge for up to one week
Crispy Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Snap Peas
14 oz block firm or xtra firm tofu, drained
3 Tbs neutral oil
3/4 lb snap peas, trimmed
2 Tbs grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 13 oz an unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp molasses or bark brown sugar or honey
1/2 c toasted cashews
1 Tbs rice vinegar
4 scallions trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 c mint leaves
pinch red pepper flakes
rice or other steamed grain for serving.
Slice tofu in half horizontally and leave on paper towels to drain excess liquid.
In medium skillet, heat 1 Tb oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season both sides of the tofu with salt and pepper, then place in pan and sear w/o moving until browned and golden on both sides, turning once halfway, about 8 minutes total. Move tofu to a plate. Add another Tbs oil to the pan and add the snap peas. Cook, stirring occasionally until blistered and just tender, about 3 minutes. Season w/salt and remove to a bowl. Heat the remaining oil, add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in coconut milk, soy sauce and molasses. Simmer, stirring frequently until sauce reduces and color is deep brown, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in cashews, break the tofu into 1” chunks and toss in a pan to coat. Toss the snap peas with the rice vinegar, scallions, mint and red pepper flakes. Divid among 4 plates, along with the tofu and cashews. Serve with any grain.
Soba Noodles with Chicken and Snap Peas
3 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs honey
1 c. thinly sliced radish
3 c snap peas, trimmed
8-9 oz dry soba noodles
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sesame oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 c shredded cooked chicken
Sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds for serving
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Meanwhile, mix the vinegar, 1 Tbs honey and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl. Add the radish and submerge as much as possible. Let stand until ready to serve (unless you have leftover daikon pickle from last fall….)
Add 1/4 c salt to boiling water, add peas and cook until just bright green and tender—about 30 secs. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. Add the noodles to the boiling water, cook, stirring occasionally until just tender, 4-8 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and remaining 2 Tbs honey in a large bowl. Add the chicken, soba and snap peas and toss until well coated.
Divide among bowls. Drain the radishes and serve on top, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
Bowties with Sugar Snaps, Ricotta and Lemon
1 lb sugar snaps (could also use snow peas, green beans, or asparagus)
1 lb dried pasta bowties
1/2 c finely grated parmesan or romano
2-3 Tbs EVOO
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
juice of 1 lemon
few leaves of mint, slivered
1 c. fresh ricotta
Bring large pot well salted water to boil. While waiting, cut peas into 1/2” pieces. Cook bowties for 2 minutes less than suggested cooking time, then add sugar snaps to pasta. Cook 1 minute more. Reserve 1 c of the cooking water, then drain the peas and pasta. Add back to the pot with 1/2 c cooking water, grated cheese, 2 Tbs EVOO, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook on high heat for 1 minute, tossing constantly. Add more cooking water if looks to dry. Turn off heat and fold in ricotta with a few quick stirs before turning out into wide serving bowls. Drizzle with EVOO and squeeze lemon over, sprinkle with mint and serve.