THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: snow peas (full shares), turnips, zucchini, basil, spring onions, Swiss chard, SCALLIONS, CUCUMBERS, and carrots.

Over the past 36 years we’ve developed a planting calendar that, if all goes well, gives us a nice rolling lineup of vegetables to harvest each week.   Ideally when one crop ends, another is just coming on to fill its slot.  We count on beans to replace peas in your baskets.  Last year, the harvests overlapped, and Joe & Gorgonio had the less than pleasant task of picking both for a couple of weeks.  This year we’re going to have a bit of a gap between the two.  We see flowers just developing on the bush beans, but that could be 2 to 3 weeks before they are ready to harvest.  One crop we are particularly pleased with this year is spring turnips.  The recipe below is a great way to have a tasty, healthy snack on hand.

QUICK PICKLE BRINE FOR TURNIPS

1 Tbs fresh tarragon

1 cup hot water

1 Tb salt

2 Tb honey

3 Tb cider vinegar

Chopped garlic (optional)

Zest of ½ a lemon

Mix tarragon , thinly sliced turnips and garlic scapes in a bowl or Tupperware container.  Mix water with honey and salt to dissolve; add vinegar and pour this brine over the turnips.  Cover and refrigerate.  Turnips can be used in as little as 15 minutes, but will take on more flavor (and lose more turnip bite) the longer it marinates.

MORSHAN

(North African Chickpeas and Swiss Chard)

¾ lb. swiss chard leaves, stemmed, washed and torn

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground coriander seeds

1 small red chile

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ c. minced onion

2 tsp. tomato paste

1 cup cooked chickpeas

¾ c. vegetable broth

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Steam or blanch Swiss chard until tender, about 5 minutes.  Set leaves in colander to drain, squeeze out excess moisture, and coarsely shred.  Crush garlic in a mortar with salt, coriander seed and red chile until a thick crumbly paste forms.  Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add onion; saute until pale golden, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic paste and tomato paste; stir them in oil until sizzling.  Add Swiss chard, chickpeas and broth; cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand until ready to serve.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, with lemon wedges.  Serves 4.  Adapted from Mediterranean Cooking by Paula Wolfert.

We recently came across this recipe and absolutely loved it!  We recommended it to the farmer Polly does farmeers market with and her family loved it too. Chances are it will be a hit with you, too.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

2 pounds zucchini, about 4 medium

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped (⅔ cup)

1 teaspoon sea salt

Pinch red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, grated

12 ounces pasta

⅓ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon, reserve some for garnish

1 cup fresh basil and/or mint leaves

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and wring out the excess moisture.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallot, zucchini, salt, red pepper flakes, and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and jammy. Stir in the garlic.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions, cooking until al dente.

Scoop the cooked pasta directly from the cooking water into the pan with the zucchini, reserving the pasta cooking water. Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and the cheese to the pan with zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until a lightly creamy sauce coats the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed.  Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the lemon zest. Season to taste, adding more lemon juice if desired.  Serve topped with the herbs, the reserved lemon zest, and more cheese. From LoveAndLemons.com