This week your basket contains: green elephant garlic, radish (full shares), KOHLRABI (half shares), spinach, GARLIC SCAPES OR Asian broccoli (half shares), Swiss chard or Asian broccoli (full shares), and lettuce mix. 

NEXT WEEK IS THE FINAL DELIVERY OF THE 2017-18 YEAR! If you will NOT be continuing with us for the next year, please make sure that all your baskets are on your porch for our driver to pick up.

We’ve started delivering the starts you ordered (you still have time to order as well!).  If you didn’t get your full order, it is because some items are not quite ready for the garden.  We expect to deliver them next week.

This week’s harvest has been a bit of mix and match kind of affair.  We have new items developing, but they just haven’t entirely caught up to the point where they are enough for everyone.  Asian broccoli has been slowly increasing, but isn’t quite there yet.  Similarly, KOHLRABI is just about ready but not quite.

Garlic scapes are an interesting side benefit of growing certain types of garlic.  Elephant garlic and “hard neck” regular garlic have multiple reproduction strategies.  They create the bulbs we eat that will, if re-planted, grow into new plants.  They also send up a flower for seed.  By snapping off the flower bud we force the plant to focus all its energy into the bulb with the side benefit of getting these tasty tender garlic scapes that can be used like regular garlic cloves or scallions.  Perhaps my favorite way of using them is to sauté them in butter and then scrambling eggs into them.

KOHLRABI is a relative of broccoli that produces a swollen stem that is tender, mild and sweet.  It can be eaten raw or cooked.  Raw it is great cut into batons for dipping or grated onto green salads.  Cooked it is a good substitute in any recipe calling for turnips.  This is also a very easy way to use it.

EASY ROASTED KOHLRABI

Trim leaves close to the bulb of the kohlrabi (no need to peel the bulb).  Cut the kohlrabi in half or quarters depending on its size and place on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast at 450 degrees until the kohlrabi is tender.

With both lettuce mix and spinach in your baskets this week, you have the option of adding the spinach to your salad or cooking it.  We really like this dressing with spinach.

AVOCADO DRESSING

1 cup +1 tsp  extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds (or pine nuts)

2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1 avocado, skinned and pitted

1 tsp sea salt

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 small onion, minced

Place minced onion in a bowl and cover with lemon juice and set aside to marinate.  This will mellow the raw onion flavor.  Heat a small skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil and add raw pumpkin seeds. Cook until seeds are golden brown (3-4 min). Set aside to cool.  In a food processor, chop two cloves of garlic. Add lemon juice and onion, avocado, and salt. Blend until smooth.  Slowly pour in the remaining olive oil while the food processor is on high  (You can optionally add ½ c. parmesan or pecorino cheese to the dressing)  You can make the dressing as thick or thin as you want, just add more or less olive oil.

This would work well for spinach and/or Swiss chard.

PASTA SHELLS WITH GREENS

1 -1/2 Lbs mixed greens

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. olive oil

small pasta shells for 4 people

salt and pepper to taste

6 chopped canned tomatoes

hard cheese

Heat a large pan of water for the pasta.  Chop greens finely, discarding any tough stem ends.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté the greens with the garlic stirring often.  The greens will reduce in volume.  When the greens are soft but still a vibrant green, season with salt and pepper and add the tomatoes.  Continue cooking to reduce the juice from the tomatoes.  When the pasta has cooked, drain and divide into serving bowls.  Top with the mixed greens and tomatoes, then sprinkle on some hard cheese such as asiago, pecorino or parmesan.   Serve immediately.