This week your basket contains: Potatoes, green elephant garlic, garlic scapes, BEETS, spinach, lettuce mix, carrots, and cilantro.

We are planning a SUBSCRIBER DAY POTLUCK 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).

This is an easy way to make use of your beets.  As they were grown in a hoop house the greens are tender and could be added to your spinach or used alone.

BAKED BEET SALAD

Bake a beet in the oven by wrapping in aluminum foil and baking at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  After baking, the beet will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator.  When you want to make the salad, gently rub the skin off the beet and slice onto a bed of salad greens.  Top with crumbled blue cheese and roasted hazelnuts.  Dress with your favorite vinaigrette.

The recipe below is an interesting take on a Waldorf salad.

BEET, CARROT, APPLE, RAISIN, AND WALNUT SALAD

4 carrots

1 large beet

1 apple

½ c. raisins

½ c. walnuts

2-3 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. honey

dash of cinnamon

Grate the carrots. Lightly peel the raw beet with a vegetable peeler. Add cut up apple, raisins and nuts (you can toast the nuts for a few minutes in a toaster oven or skillet). Add mayo, lemon juice, honey and cinnamon and stir to mix.

You can combine the green elephant garlic and the garlic scapes for the recipe below.

GREEN GARLIC GNOCCHI

5 Tbsp. butter, divided

4 green garlics, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more for cooking water

15 oz. whole milk ricotta

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter. Add green garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. In a large bowl, stir ricotta and break up any lumps by mashing them against the side of the bowl. Add green garlic and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add eggs to ricotta mixture and stir to combine. Mix in flour. You should have a loose but thick dough. Cover and chill while you prepare the cooking water. Bring a large, wide pan of water to a boil. Add enough salt to make the water taste salty (about 1 Tbsp.) and reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Meanwhile, turn oven to 200° and melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter is a wide baking dish in the oven. Drop small spoonfuls of chilled ricotta mixture into the water, being careful not to crowd the pan. As they cook, the gnocchi will rise to the surface of the water and they must all be able to fit in a single layer. Poach until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to dish with melted butter. Cover dish and return to oven to keep gnocchi warm. Repeat with remaining batches until all batter is used. Serve gnocchi as soon as possible.

With the extra work and chaos of the new year, we’ve fallen out of the habit of putting projected weekly harvests on our web site on Sunday.  As things come down in the coming weeks we plan to get back into the habit.