This week your basket contains: Potatoes, SWEET ONIONS, GARLIC SCAPES, kohlrabi OR turnips, kale, spinach, lettuce mix, and dill.

WELCOME TO THE 2022-23 SUBSCRIPTION YEAR (our 33^rd year!).  We look forward to growing food for you this year as well as getting to know you and your families.  To that end (i.e. getting to know you) we are planning a SUBSCRIBER DAY POT LUCK ON THE FARM SUNDAY, JULY 10^TH.  We will be firing up the pizza oven, giving farm tours, and hanging out with you and other subscribers.  More details will be in future notes.

Another social opportunity (feels a bit strange to finally be planning social events again, doesn’t it?) is a BLUEGRASS CONCERT IN THE BARN AT FRAGA FARM (our partner for goat cheese that can be added to your basket) on June 11^th.  They plan a pot luck at 6:30 with the concert by True North starting at 7:30.  Details can be found on their Instagram (@fragafarm) or by emailing Lise (EliMonah@gmail.com).

The garlic scapes are from our elephant garlic. Elephant garlic has a number of reproduction strategies.  In addition to the cloves in a head of elephant garlic, the plants put up a flower stalk at the same time the cloves start to form in the head.  By taking the flower buds (called scapes) off  when they are young and tender, we force the plant to put more energy into making larger cloves and heads.  We also get to eat these lovely treats.  While they can be used any way you would use scallions or regular garlic, the easiest way to use them is to sauté them in butter and then scramble eggs into them.  You can also use them in this recipe along with your sweet onion.

GREEN GARLIC AND GREENS

1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil or other cooking oil

3 green garlics, chopped

1/8 tsp. salt plus more to taste

2 slices prosciutto, sliced (optional)

1 bunch collard greens, kale, or Swiss chard thinly sliced or chopped

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Fresh lemon juice (optional)

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add oil. Swirl and add green garlic and salt. Cook, stirring, until wilted, about 1 minute. Add prosciutto, if using, and cook, stirring, until it loses its bright pink tone, about 1 minute. Add greens, stir to combine, add 1/4 cup water. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook until greens are well wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir, cover, and cook until tender. Depending on the greens used (chard will take a shorter time than the others) and your taste, this will take anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste, as you like.

We would have liked to have turnips for everyone this week, but nature had other plans.  We seeded these turnips in March inside one of the hoop houses (small passive solar greenhouse).  Shortly afterwards, high winds tore the plastic off the structure.  We then had snow followed by many, many rainy days and frosty mornings.  The turnips struggled along under frost protection fabric until we were able to recover the hoop house.  After this first thinning, we are hoping to have a full harvest for all of you in coming weeks.  In the meantime, you can use either the kohlrabi or turnips in this recipe.

SPICY KOHLRABI NOODLES 

2-3 kohlrabi

4 oz. cooked (and cooled) rice noodles

½ jalapeño, sliced and/or a few Thai red chiles

½ avocado, sliced

herbs: cilantro, basil, and/or mint

handful of crushed peanuts

sriracha, to taste

extra lime slices

optional: tofu or a protein of your choice

DRESSING:

juice and zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced ginger

Mix the dressing together.  Peel the kohlrabi if you like, (I just try to peel off the fibrous nubby sections and I leave the more tender skin on). Use a mandoline to slice kohlrabi into planks and then slice the planks into thin matchsticks. Toss the sliced kohlrabi with the dressing and chile peppers. Chill for about 30 minutes. Toss the marinated kohlrabi with noodles, avocado, herbs, crushed peanuts and sriracha. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve cold or at room temp, with extra lime slices on the side. Adapted from loveandlemons.com