Whole Farm CSA - Week of June 6th
Full share: chard, broccolini, cilantro micros, pea shoots or spicy mix micros, scallions, salad mix, mint, raspberries
Half share: chard, broccolini, cilantro micros, scallions, salad mix, mint
Good morning Whole Farm CSA!
We seem to be past the bulk of the rain now which means busy planting days ahead (and busy weeding afternoons until the ground has dried enough to plant in). We’re also past the last frost! Which means hot weather crops like peppers, summer squash, eggplants and all the rest can transition to the vegetable fields, along with zinnias, cosmos, celosia and a slew of other personal favorites on the flower side. Summer is really coming into view!
Speaking of summer, next week marks the beginning of Summer CSA! Most of you have told us where you’d like to pick up for the summer but we’re still waiting on a few. If you don’t mark your preferred location on the Whole Farm CSA pickup checklist this week you will be assigned to Saturday farm pickup. Saturday farm pickup is our personal favorite option - we’ll have the market stand open for swaps and additional purchases from 8am-12pm and you can always take a stroll to visit the animals and gaze lovingly at the flower fields! We’ll also have u-pick berries (July) and sweet peas (August) when the time is right. What a great way to kick off the weekend.
Today is the day that three of our crew members will head out to Three Forks to spend the day planting what will become our Fall Festival focal point(s) come October. Every year since 2010ish in the days of Pete, Rocky Creek Farm partners with Roger Nerlin of Headwaters Garden to make the 100-120,000 lbs of Fall Fest pumpkins a reality (I have no idea how many pumpkins that translates to. Maybe we’ll have a guessing competition). We start the seedlings here and roughly three weeks later we load up Roger’s trailer with over 150 flats and a few lucky farm hands to spend the day planting row upon row of pumpkins. It’s quite an operation and one that is exciting to get off the ground every year.
CSA produce tips and recipes:
Broccolini: Lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Broccolini is a hybrid of standard and Chinese broccoli (also known as gai lan) and features longer stalks, small florets, and a few leaves, all of which are edible. “Unlike traditional broccoli, broccolini requires little prep work and cooks quickly. It has a mild, almost sweet flavor and is very high in Vitamin C.” (Second Nature Farm).
Cilantro micros: Store like any other microgreens, in their container, and they’ll last 10-12 days. Cooking will destroy their nutrients and flavor; they’re much better raw sprinkled on a salad, added to a salsa, curry, eggs or anything else your heart desires.
Recipes:
Slow-Cooker Roast Pork Sandwiches Recipe | Bon Appétit
Broccoli Rabe with Chile and Garlic Recipe | Bon Appétit I ran into a paywall on the first but not the second of these. I think the pork sandwiches would take a summer picnic to a never-before-seen place. Let me know if you try them! And feel free to leave us one in the cold room if you do <3.
Roasted Broccolini Flatbread Pick up a bag of the Conservation Grains “Bucking the Sun Pizza flour” and toss this easy flatbread in the oven or on the grill. Comes together in 25 minutes!
There are some really good looking broccolini recipes in the Rancho Gordo cookbook in the market stand (pgs. 71-75) and we’ll also have a few printed copies of Alex’s Grandma’s Rhubarb Bread as well as a Rhubarb Streusel Cake recipe from Judy Cornell at Conservation Grains (adapted from a Stella’s Bread recipe) available to take. Rhubarb will be available for sale in the market stand! In the past week I’ve made rhubarb compote (chopped rhubarb, honey to taste, enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and a dash of salt) at least thrice and have put it on chocolate olive oil cake, ice cream, oatmeal, and toast. Highly recommend.
Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your week!
Sasha