Whole Farm CSA-Week of June 12th

Full Share: Lettuce Mix, Bok Choy, Cucumber, Radish, Rhubarb, Green Garlic, Micros, Sorrel, Chives

Half Share: Little Gem Lettuce Head, Bok Choy, Cucumber/Radish, Rhubarb, Chives, Green Garlic

Flower Bouquet: Lilac, Lupine, Columbine, Snapdragons, Ranunculus, Stock, Baby’s Breath

Summer Solstice Chef Jordan Atwood (lovingly known as Animal Jordan to fellow GVB farmers) doing what he does best!

Ahoy whole farm folks,

Even though the temps haven’t quite made things feel like summer (we are thankful), we have started up summer CSA this week and have switched to summer market stand hours (Tues: 8-6, Thurs: 8-1, Sat: 8-12)! Another exciting summer event is the Solstice Farm Dinner a week from today, Wed June 21st! Our very own Jordan Atwood is going to be showcasing our farm fresh Lamb and seasonal veggies— you don’t want to miss out and please spread the word! You can sign up here. Two weeks from now marks the start of our first farm camp! The farm is going to be bustling in no time, just the way we like it!

There are lots of goodies in this week’s CSA box per usual…I need a pocket thesaurus to have a new way of saying how great everything is each week. Sorrel is one of the most asked about ingredients so I will share a bit about it and what it can be used for! Sorrel is a leafy green vegetable that has a sour, lemony taste. It is great when combined with heavy cream, sour cream or yogurt…think dill sauce but with more of a tart and citrusy flavor. It is a great compliment to dishes with fish as it gives that vibrant acidic taste. It of course can be added to salads, soups, and incorporated into sauces. If you’re looking to use sorrel in a traditional French sauce look no further than the New York Times Cooking Page!

Sorrel Sauce:

1/2 pound of sorrel

8 leaves of spinach (for color)

1 shallot

2tbls of butter

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

-Wash the sorrel and spinach, discard stems. Chop leaves coarsely. Soften shallot and butter in saucepan. Add sorrel with spinach and cook until wilted.

-Add chicken stock or water, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cream and puree the mixture in food processor or blender. If you are using the sauce right away, return it to the saucepan and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you are serving chilled, refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Another exciting feature of this week’s CSA is the flowered chives! The beautiful flowers topping the classic summer herb is also edible!! Top your salad with them, add it to your potato salad, or top your mashed potatoes with them! Pretty and functional…a farmer’s dream!

First of the dahlias… yay!!! More to come!

Speaking of beauty and function, I have been thinking a lot about how to use wilted flowers/what to do with bouquets once they are past their prime. So if you too dread the final days of a bouquet (until next week of course!!) try pressing them, drying them, making potpourri, making a dried flower body scrub, adding them to candles, turning them into a cleaning spray, making bath bombs! There are lots of fun crafty ways to repurpose dying bouquets to keep the joy going until your next pickup.

Till next time!

Lauren