This week your basket contains: Potatoes, turnips, green elephant garlic, mustard greens, ENDIVE, and salad mix (lettuce, spinach, arugula, miner’s lettuce, and watercress)
TULIPS HAVE FINISHED FOR THE YEAR. We will have gorgeous mixed bouquets (approx. 25 stems) soon for $10 each. Just email to order one time or standing order.
WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END OF THE 2021-22 YEAR, but not as close as you might think! As everyone knows, a year is 52 weeks, but this year your year-long subscription will be 53 weeks. We’ve decided to do this for a couple of reasons. One is that during the winter we took a longer than usual time off around Christmas and New Year. The other is something we call “calendar creep”. Because 365 days don’t divide evenly into 52 weeks over the course of several years our start date for the subscription year creeps earlier and earlier in May instead of the first week of June. Every once in a while, we need to correct this to keep our planning on track and this year we decided the best way to do that is to add week 53 to the year. This means that the last deliveries of the 2021-22 year will be on Tuesday, May 17th and Friday, May 20th.
As you can see in your baskets, we’ve hit peak spring greens! Crops we have been harvesting from all winter are ready to be taken out, and the crops we’ve planted since January are coming on strong. One of the overwintering crops is endive. This slightly bitter green mellows with cooking and is particularly good in soup. This is our favorite recipe for endive soup.
NONNA’S SNEAKY GREENS SOUP
Copyright 2004 Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
This was how my Tuscan grandmother got me to eat the greens I detested. They said I was a bright child, but I didn’t catch up to what she was doing until I was well into my teens.
8 cups chicken broth (homemade if possible)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole canned tomatoes, crushed with your hands (do not use canned crushed tomatoes)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium to large onion, minced
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large handfuls escarole or curly endive leaves, finely chopped
1/3 tight-packed cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 cup tiny pasta (anice, orzo, stars or alphabets)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup or more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
In a 6 quart pot combine the broth, wine and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, chickpeas, greens and basil. Simmer partially covered 20 minutes. Stir in the pasta and simmer, partially covered, 8 minutes or until pasta is tender. Taste soup for seasoning. Serve hot, passing the cheese to be sprinkled on the soup as its final seasoning. Serves 6 to 8 as a first course; 4 to 6 as a light main dish. Soup can be done a day ahead up to point of adding the pasta.
If you have a favorite meatball recipe, they will shine in this simple recipe that can be made with any and all of the greens in your basket this week.
GRANDMA KATE’S WEDDING SOUP
2 qts veg. or chicken stock
½ – ¾ lb mixed greens
meatballs
Wash the greens, blanch in boiling water or steam briefly. Form small meatballs (use your favorite recipe or vegetarian meat substitute). Drop meatballs into simmering stock and cook 10 minutes or until done. Meanwhile, squeeze the excess water out of the greens, slice them into thin strips, and add to the hot stock just before serving. Garnish with grated hard Italian cheese.
GARDEN STARTS are ready. You can purchase them for delivery with your veggies from our online store (PumpkinRidgeGardens.square.site WE HAVE AN EVER-EXPANDING LIST OF PLANTS, SO CHECK BACK REGULARLY FOR NEW ITEMS AS THE GET READY.
RHUBARB is ready! We can deliver a bunch (approx. 1 lb.) for $5.00. Just email to order.
Pumpkin Ridge Gardens 