WELCOME TO our 34^th year of SUBSCRIPTION farming.  We look forward to growing food for you and getting to know your families better.  To that end, we have set the date for our first SUBSCRIBER DAY OF THE YEAR.  It will be on Sunday, June 11^th from 11:00 to 3:00.  We will contribute home-made, wood fired pizzas, lead farm tours and host the pot luck lunch.

The kohlrabi (those green sputnik looking things) are tender, sweet and very similar to broccoli stems.  They need to be peeled and can be used in stir-fries, sliced like carrot sticks or grated raw in green salads.  If you’ve never tried them before, eat them raw and fresh for the best flavor.  They can also be used in any recipe calling for turnip for a milder flavor.  The leaves can also be cooked with any other cooking type green (remove any big ribs first.).  The recipe below is one of our favorites.  As written, this makes a large amount of salad.  You have large kohlrabi this week and the other ingredients should be adjusted accordingly.

AVOCADO AND KOHLRABI SALAD

3 medium kohlrabi, bulbs

2 ripe avocados

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 scallion, chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt

fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Peel the kohlrabi by cutting off the top and bottom, and peeling with a potato peeler. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices into chunks. Place in a bowl. Cut avocados in half lengthwise. Tap the blade of a heavy knife in the pit, twist to remove, and discard. Quarter and peel avocados, then cut into chunks. Drizzle lime juice over avocados to prevent browning and to add flavor; set aside. Whisk together green onion, balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over kohlrabi and mix to cover. Mix together the chunked avocados and the kohlrabi mixture. Make a bed of the salad on four plates, and sprinkle each with feta cheese.

The recipe below would be perfect to serve with kohlrabi and/or carrot batons.

RICOTTA-SPINACH DIP

1 bunch fresh spinach

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1-2 tbs. fresh dill (optional)

3-4 scallions, finely minced

1/2 cup finely minced water chestnuts

5 to 6 healthy radishes, minced

Stem the spinach, clean and dry thoroughly (a salad spinner works fine, followed by paper towel).  Mince finely (a few whirls in the food processor with the steel blade works perfectly).  Place ricotta in a medium-large bowl.  Use a wire whisk or wooden spoon to beat it until quite smooth.  Stir in the spinach and all other ingredients, including the optional dill (or save as a garnish) and minced water chestnuts.  Cover tightly and chill until very cold.  Serve with chips, raw vegetables, or good crackers.  From Molly Katzen’s Still Life with Menu Cookbook.

We are always experimenting with different crops and different seeding dates and growing things in different places (ie in a hoop house instead of outside) in order to provide you more varied baskets throughout the year.  Both the carrots and the onions in your basket this week are examples of that.  The onions were seeded in the greenhouse late last summer and have been growing in a hoop house since fall.  We are not particularly happy with this combination of variety and timing, but they do taste great!  The carrots were seeded in a hoop house in mid-January and the production (due to low light?) was less than stellar, but again they taste great!  We’ll keep experimenting and, we hope, improving our production of these and other crops.

FLOWERS ARE AVAILABLE Now that summer flower season has begun, Polly is making beautiful mixed bouquets that can be delivered with your basket for $10.  You can order occasionally or as a standing order.  Just email to let us know!