Week 20 + 1 Lists (the extra week)

Only a picture of new things this week.  Sorry, I'm hungry!

Top: Italian prune, marisol pepper, green bell
Bot: Asian pear, brown Asian pear, red pear

SMALL

raspberries

white pattypan squash

green bell pepper

broccoli

Armenian cucumber

marketmore cucumber

Japanese cucumber

lemon cucumber

marisol pepper

peaches

tomatoes

cantaloupe

Italian prune

red pear

Asian pear

bok choy

spinach

turnip greens

MEDIUM

crookneck squash

straightneck squash

zephyr squash

brown Asian pear

yellow raspberries

young spaghetti squash

LARGE

golden zucchini

green zucchini

green basil

purple basil

sorrel

cherry tomatoes

extra red pears

extra raspberries

extra brown Asian pears

Week 20 Lists

Please keep bringing back your boxes.  This last week or two, please bring bags to take your produce home in so that you can leave the boxes behind and not risk keeping them through the winter. The boxes are pricey and bump up the price of the shares when they have to be replaced prematurely.

This is the last regular pickup week for the season.  Those that weathered the very sparse spring with us (signup before June 22nd - email me if in doubt) will get an extra box next week in thanks for your early patience.  Don't forget to sign up for the winter CSA to keep the food flowing.  I have to accentuate just how special local seasonal produce is running through the winter.  It is incredibly hard to find!  I promise you will be missing all these fresh veggies before Thanksgiving rolls around -- guarantee your supply!

Top: white patty, cantaloupe, tomatoes, turnip greens
Mid: broccoli, pears, raspberries, okra, San Marzano tom, arugula
Bot: lemon cuke, nectarine, Marisol pepper, eggplant, Armenian cuke,
marketmore cuke, peaches, plums

SMALL
white patty pan
marketmore cucumber
lemon cucumber
Armenian cucumber
broccoli
nectarines
peaches
plums
spinach
arugula
tomato
San Marzano tomatoes
raspberries
turnip greens
cantaloupe
purple eggplant
okra
Marisol peppers
pears

Raab, golden raspberries, yellow squash, bitter melon,
yellow pattypan (Frankenstein'd with something)

MEDIUM
broccoli raab
yellow squash
bitter melon
golden raspberries
yellow pattypan
extra pears
extra red raspberries

Top: Napa cabbage, Japanese cuke, blackberries, strawberries, red cabbage
Mid: romas, cherry toms, green basil, purple basil
Bot: young spaghetti squash

LARGE
napa cabbage
Japanese cucumber
blackberries
strawberries
green basil
purple basil
purple cabbage
young spaghetti squash
cherry tomatoes
roma tomatoes
extra peaches
extra plums

New this week, we have okra, eggplant, and fresh basil.  All pretty straightforward.  Maybe place a paper towel in the bags with the basil to keep them fresh.  The okra and eggplant would probably benefit from being wrapped loosely in their plastic bags in the crisper.

That eggplant is an Asian variety -- a little skinny for the typical eggplant parmesan, but not impossible.  Try it in a stir-fry, tempura battered, or roasted with other vegetables.  After cutting them up for cooking, eggplants benefit from a bit of salting before cooking.  Salt them, leave them to sit wrapped loosely in a towel or paper towel for 30 minutes, then rinse them before cooking.  It will remove the excess moisture and improve texture.

The arugula is a little exotic to most people, but very accessible once you experiment a bit.  It is a very sharp, peppery green when raw, but just pleasantly bitter when cooked.  In smallish amounts, add it to salad.  It is also fantastic wilted by the heat of a meat or 'meaty' topping (tempeh has a nice quality, as does nicely crisped tofu) that is hot from the oven or skillet (think a bed of arugula greens topped by sliced pork roast, potatoes, and olive oil just before heading to the table).  This week, I did a quick saute of cottage bacon, onions, garlic, and apples, and put a triple handful of chopped arugula into the skillet as a pot of pasta finished up.  Toss it all together and tasty occurs (especially if a little cream finds its way into the mix).

Week 19 Lists

SMALL

Armenian cucumber

White pattypan

Yellow pattypan

Crookneck squash

Peaches

Spinach

Turnip greens

Broccoli rabe (Rapini)

White peach

Arugula

Bartlett pear

Wealthy apple

Stanley prune

Raspberries

Tomatoes

Cantaloupe

Lemon cucumber

Top: Armenian cuke
2nd: crookneck, yellow and white pattypan
3rd: raspberries, white peach, prunes, peach, lemon cuke
Bot: cantalopue, Bartlett pear, Wealthy apple

Top: spinach, tomatoes
Bot: broccoli rabe (jaggedy), turnip greens (round)

MEDIUM

Zephyr squash

Flying saucer squash

Golden raspberries

Marketmore cucumber

Napa cabbage

Nectarines

Straightneck squash

Top: cuke, golden raspberries, nectarines, napa cabbage
Bot: flying saucer, zephyr, straightneck

LARGE

Beets

Doughnut peach

extra Peaches

Green cabbage

Sorrel (lemon spinach)

Young spaghetti squash

Straightneck squash

Golden zucchini

Green zucchini

Strawberries

Blackberries

Cherry tomatoes

Asian pears (nashi, apple pears)

Top: sorrel, cabbage, cherry tomatoes
Mid: young squash, Asian pears, beets, green and golden zuccs
Bot: jalapeno, strawberries, blackberries, doughnut peaches

Notice the 3-year old hand snaking another berry.  I had to snap
this pic in a rush because the strawberries were nearly gone and
she was starting on the blackberries. She does this weekly with the fruit.

Broccoli Rabe (aka Rapini, Rape, Broccoli raab)

A close relative of turnip greens, this jaggedy leafed green is very common in Italian cuisine.  Mine was missing the telltale florets that look like miniature broccolis, but you might find small yellow flowers on yours.  Store it loosely wrapped in plastic in the crisper.  It is all edible.  The most common dish for it is chopped and sauteed gently with garlic and olive oil for 15 minutes or so.  Serve tossed with pasta.

Turnip greens

Treat them as the broccoli rabe and you won't go wrong.  Traditionally served boiled with ham or bacon, these can be cooked up any of the ways you've found you liked kale, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, or collards.

Sorrel (aka Lemon spinach, Spinach dock)

This is a strong flavored green, very citrusy and bright.  The sourness comes from oxalic acid, the mildly poisonous ingredient that makes rhubarb so sour and sets your teeth on edge when you chew it.  (Don't worry, it is only poisonous in large quantities.)  It is a fantastic addition to salads, and is often used in soups and sauces.  I like tossing some with equal parts spinach, some sliced tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, and feta cheese (or fresh Mexican cheese like cotija).

Asian pears (aka Nashi, Chinese/Japanese/Korean pear, Apple pear)

These look like small apples (or large brown apples in some varieties), but they taste like crisp, dry pears.  Imminently snackable.

Week 18 Lists

I'm sorry, but no pictures tonight.  I locked the keys to my car in the trunk after a meeting.  It was late when I got dinner and later still when I got back to the car with the spares.  The "new" stuff this week would be arugula (we saw it this spring, though), lemon cucumbers (they look sorta like lemons and have great flavor), watermelons, and apples.  That's all pretty standard, minus the arugula, which the medium and large share could confuse with their spinach by sight (but never taste).

David says the watermelon is always a gamble on how ripe it is.  Other melons are easy to judge, watermelon - not so much.  If it turns out to be too ripe, it is still totally edible just a little mealy in the texture.  Too green -- try salting it before you eat it, or blend it into smoothies, mixed drinks, or just dropped into a pitcher of water.

Sorry folks, but enjoy these heavy boxes!  Also, we'll have signups for the winter share available on Farmigo within the week (if I don't lock my computer in my trunk again).

I've been snacking my way through the cukes and the fruit, but I'm swimming in a sea of cabbage and summer squash.  I'll put up instructions for freezing the summer squash (great for slipping into winter soup and pasta sauce) and maybe I'll take a stab at REAL sauerkraut to share with you all.  All you need is salt, spice, a big pot, and a rock.  I'll wash the rock first, I promise.

SMALL
watermelon
cantaloupe
arugula
peaches
doughnut peaches
plums
tomatoes
raspberries
Armenian cucumber
white pattypan squash
yellow pattypan squash
kohlrabi
lemon cucumber

MEDIUM
golden raspberries
spinach
extra large watermelon
flying saucer squash
Japanese cucumber
young spaghetti squash

LARGE
extra raspberries
blackberries
extra tomatoes
apples (wealthy)
strawberries
cabbage
Napa cabbage
extra large watermelon
long bean

Week 17 Lists

Sorry for the late post, everyone.  Still adjusting to the school year - three kids in three schools!

A couple of items:

• Winter CSA - We should get the sign-ups onto Farmigo within two weeks.  We're assuming drops at Harvest Moon in Ogden, the Recycling Center in Park City, and the downtown and Holladay Granato's locations.
• Peaches and other soft fruit - David heard your complaints about the squashed peaches.  There's a certain amount of marking that happens up near the stems where the branch pushes on the peach.  He knows they're going into the boxes perfect (he has supervised extensively the last three weeks) and arriving in pretty good shape (that'd be me), but he thinks a combination of being perfectly ripe and subject to free-range cantaloupe rolling around in the box is leading to bruised fruit.  He has scavenged for plastic containers to keep them protected and has started picking them just a little greener to help the problem.  PLEASE RETURN ANY PLASTIC CONTAINERS TO KEEP COSTS DOWN AND ENSURE FRUIT SURVIVAL!  Heck, throw in your extra salad containers, fruit boxes, and lid-less tupperware.  Reduce, Reuse, then Recycle.
• Raspberries -- Red raspberries grown at elevation and heat (umm, most of Utah) get white patches of sun-spots (called "white drupelets", which sounds silly).  They aren't bad, moldy, or unripe.   Eat as usual.  Also, when they get to be very ripe they shrivel a bit, especially the goldens that are showing up in the shares this week.  David said, "They're ugly, I'm not going to deny it."  Also fine, just sweeter than usual and very soft.  Honestly, mine didn't make it home - they barely made it from the middle school to the preschool this afternoon.  Raspberry mold is big and furry -- you can't mistake it.  I promise you're not getting moldy raspberries.
• Bacon and Eggs -- Zoe's doesn't do pork anymore and can't do eggs at the moment.  I'm going to plug another local alternative.  Tonight my son made fried rice with Zoe's carrots, leeks, red cabbage, and garlic, and also eggs and a tiny handful of small-batch-cured "cottage bacon" from Clifford Farms.  That bacon was amazing, and her eggs are the only ones I'll use to replace my girls' when they aren't laying enough to fill our fridge.  They are just down the row (Eastward) from Zoe's at the SLC farmer's market.

top: cantaloupe, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, spinach
mid: raspberries, plums, peaches, Old Germans, romas
bot: yellow and white pattypans, stright neck, zephyr, Arm. cuke

SMALL
spinach
yellow pattypan squash
white pattypan squash
zephyr squash
straight neck squash
peaches
plums
Roma tomatoes
Old German tomatoes
Armenian cucumber (actually a muskmelon, eat the skin)
cantaloupe
raspberries
cabbage
broccoli
kohlrabi

top: crookneck, Italian striped, Napa cabbage, bitter melon
bot: flying saucer, beets, golden raspberries

MEDIUM
flying saucer squash
Italian striped zucchini
Napa cabbage
crookneck squash
bitter melon (see last week's post for suggestions)
golden raspberries
beets

top: bok choy, green beans, spaghetti squash
mid: strawberries, long red beans, amaranth, Shiro plums, cherry toms, San Marzano
bot: doughnut peach, blackberries, Caspian pink, White wonder

LARGE
baby bok choy
Blue Lake green beans
young spaghetti squash
red long bean
amaranth
cherry tomatoes
Shiro plums (means "white" or "castle" in Japanese, but these are yellow and not made of stone)
strawberries
San Marzano tomatoes (the famous Italian sauce tomato)
white wonder tomato
Caspian pink tomato
blackberries
doughnut peaches (cutest things EVER)
extra plums
extra peaches

Week 16 Lists

Top: yellow pattypan, white pattypan, zephyr, straightneck,
broccoli, cucumber
Bottom: raspberries, tomatoes, green beans, peaches

SMALL
yellow pattypan
white pattypan
zephyr squash
straight neck squash
cantaloupe
cucumber
broccoli
raspberries
Blue Lake green beans
Regina peaches
tomatoes

Top: flying saucer, Armenian cuke, young squash, crookneck, beets
Bottom: plums, blackberries, roma tomatoes, kohlrabi

MEDIUM
Armenian cucumber
flying saucer squash
crookneck squash
beets
young spaghetti squash
blackberries
plums
kohlrabi
extra peaches

Swiss chard, Chinese green beans, bitter melon, wheat grass,
baby squash, cherry tomatoes, leek, corn

LARGE
Chinese green beans
Swiss chard
bitter melon*
cherry tomatoes
wheatgrass
baby squash
corn
extra raspberries
extra peaches
extra tomatoes
extra roma tomatoes
extra plums
extra kohlrabi


Bitter Melon
A tropical relative of cucumbers, pumpkins, and luffas (yes, your bath scrubby is named after a melon), this is among the most bitter fruits grown.  It is also being increasingly researched for health benefits (it features prominently in the cooking of Okinawa, one of the longer lived Japanese islands).  The Chinese like to use it in stir-fries, particularly with pork.  In Indian cuisine, it goes with potatoes and yogurt.  Strong spices like curry, and sour flavors like yogurt / vinegar, help to cut the bitterness.  Honestly, I had this vegetable prepared three or four different ways in Japan, and was never super excited to see it on the plate.  But I'll try again!

Armenian Cucumber
This isn't actually a cucumber, but a type of muskmelon.  Don't bother peeling it.  Eat it like a cuke, for a week if it is one of the bigger ones.  Crunchy and sweet.

Week 15 Lists

Heavy boxes this week!  Nothing new that needs a lot of information on storage.  I'll follow up tomorrow with some new recipes for the items we've received and some information on a fall/winter share.

top: cantaloupe, green beans, peaches, cabbage
bot: zephyr, sunburst, pattypan, crookneck squash
corn, raspberries

SMALL

White pattypan squash

Sunburst squash

Zephyr squash

Crookneck squash

Cabbage (last until late September)

Corn (done with this)

Peaches

Green beans (done with this)

Cantaloupe (some will be a little green)

Raspberries

Japanese cuke, flying saucer, beets, blackberries, broccoli

MEDIUM

Red beets

Flying saucer squash

Broccoli

Blackberry

Japanese cucumber

top: amaranth, Chinese green beans, wheat grass, baby squash, tomatoes
mid: purslane, candy striped beets
bot: Armenian cukes, kohlrabi, finger squash, mustard, chard

LARGE

Candy strip beets

Wheat grass

Baby squash (seriously, they're babies)

Cherry tomatoes

Chinese green beans

Armenian cucumber

Red amaranth

Mustard greens

Purslane

Kohlrabi

White Swiss chard

Finger squash

extra Raspberries

Week 14 Lists

I was swamped tonight -- I dropped by the house during the work day to throw the veg in the fridge and then took off for more events.  Pulling it all back out to photograph at 10pm was a little daunting.  No pictures, sorry, but there's nothing here this week that isn't self explanatory for what it is or something that I've pictured before.  Corn and peaches are the new guys.  I am putting a whack of recipes in a second post to help with using a few of these items up, though.


SMALL
garlic chives
Blue Lake green beans
peaches (early red haven)
white pattypan squash
sunburst squash
Italian green zucchini
zephyr squash
yellow squash
sweet corn (!!)
beets
cabbage
broccoli
raspberries


MEDIUM
flying saucer squash
straight neck squash
Mediterranean squash
Chinese green beans
blackberries
extra peaches

LARGE
apricots
micro pea shoots
red cabbage
Chinese broccoli
bok choy (slightly different variety than usual)
micro purple basil
micro green basil
micro wheat grass
extra raspberries
extra blackberries
extra broccoli

Week 13 Lists

TOP: white pattypan, sunburst, zephyr, Italian striped
MED: beets, garlic, red cabbage, raspberries, apricots
BOT: spinach, purslane, green beans, radishes

SMALL
white pattypan squash
sunburst pattypan squash
zephyr squash
Italian striped squash
Detroit red beet
garlic
red cabbage
raspberries (Dinkum)
apricots (the last)
spinach
purslane
blue lake green beans
champion radish

straightneck, mediterranean, peach, spaghetti, zephyr

MEDIUM
straightneck squash
mediterranean squash
young spaghetti squash
early peaches
extra zephyr squash

TOP: Chinese mustard, bok choy, amaranth, buttercrunch lettuce
MID: favas, micro basil, pea shoots, wheat grass
BOT: golden zucchini, flying saucer

LARGE
Chinese mustard
baby bok choy
amaranth
Chinese butter crunch lettuce
fava beans
micro purple basil
micro pea shoots
wheat grass
golden zucchini
flying saucer squash
extra raspberries
extra green beans
extra radishes

Purslane
This succulent is generally thought of as a weed, but it is nutritious and purportedly delicious (I've never tried it, sorry!).  It is a rare plant relatively high in omega-3s, the healthy fats.  Wrap it in a moist paper towel and plastic, and store in the crisper.  Eat quickly.  Wash and remove the larger stems.  It can sub for spinach in most cooked recipes, is added to soups and omelettes, in salads or on sandwiches, stir-fried or pureed.

Using up the squash -- I'm working on making crunchy pickles out of some of the squash.  They're relatives of cucumbers, so they can't be too far off.  I'll let you know how that turns out.  In the meantime, they're gourmet little guys rather than your bog-standard zuccs and yellow squash, so try sauteeing, grilling, and roasting them until they're all gone in September.

Week 12 Lists

The huge rain storms that passed through the valley yesterday dumped 2" on the orchard at Zoe's.  David says something like half of the remaining apricots fell in the storm, mostly the very ripe ones.  So we're not getting 10 lbs of apricots in every share this week as hoped... but we're still getting 6-7 lbs each.  They are mostly not quite ripe, which means they're still totally edible, just a little tart.  And that the bulk of them will keep for a week or so.

David tried to estimate what he would charge at the market for the shares again this week.  I'll keep asking him for these numbers to help you see the value.  It is a little dicey -- size varies, and weighing all the veg would take too long.  For example, the patty pan squash sells for $2/lb wholesale, David listed it as $1 in the box, but some of them are pushing 2 lbs in size.  Grains of salt.

SMALL  ($40)
Pattypan squash - $1
Zephyr squash - $1
Zucchini - $1
Fava beans - $3
Carrots - $2
Radishes - $1
Apricots - $18
White pattypan squash - $1
Spinach - $4
Beets - $3
Green beans - $4
Garlic - $1

MEDIUM ($52)
Wild garden kale
Flying saucer squash
Straightneck squash
(extra) pattypan squash
(extra) apricots

LARGE (the microgreens alone put this at $120)
Golden zucchini
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Blackberries
Raspberries
Chinese green beans
Microgreen mix
Pea shoots
Micro green basil
Micro purple basil
Cherries
Mustard greens
Amaranth greens
(extra) spinach
(extra) radishes

Apricots, fava beans, radishes, spinach
beets, carrots, garlic 

White pattypan, Pattypan, green beans, zephyr, zucchini

Kale, straightneck, flying saucer, lettuce, golden zucchini

Kohlrabi, leeks, berries, Chinese green beans

Microgreen mix, pea shoots, cherries, basil microgreens

Kohlrabi
It looks like a Martian from a Heinlein novel, but the name literally means "cabbage turnip".  It is a variant of cabbage, and can be eaten raw or cooked.  Treat it largely like a thin skinned broccoli stem and you'll do well.  They should keep several days wrapped loosely in plastic in the crisper, though the leafy arms will get a little limp.  Peel the body and slice it into salads, munch on it with cheese and crackers, pair it with summer squash in a simple sautee, or dice it into a curry.  Apparently, the leaves and bulb together form one of the most commonly eaten dishes in Kashmir.

Other items
     Another small helping of fava's this week.  Try boiling them in salted water and then topping a salad with them.
     Summer squash -- I stuffed several this past week.  They make a great boat for carrying a saute of their innards with garlic, ground beef, some cooked millet / rice / couscous, and herbs / greens.

Week 11 Lists

Boxes are getting heavier!  Quick storage notes: greens (including the beet greens) loose in plastic in the crisper, cherries and berries covered in the fridge, and onions-beans-beets to the bottom of the fridge as well.  The squash are probably fine on your countertop if you're going to eat them in the next day or two.  Some of the apricots probably aren't totally ripe yet, and if they aren't, put them in a paper bag on the countertop.  Check them in the morning and evening until they're as soft as you'd like.  (Some of the apricots are also slightly bruised from a wind storm at the farm last night.  They're fine, but eat them first.)

I listed the retail values for the small share veggies that David charges at the farmer's market, and we estimated them as best we could by weight.  All told, retail, the small box this week is worth $60 at full value.

SMALL

Wild Garden Kale  ($4)

Apricots (4-5 lbs at $3/lb = ~$12)

Cherries ($3 for the half pound)

Spring Onions (~$4 worth)

Chocolate Mint ($3)

Blue Lake Green Beans ($5 for the pound)

    The green beans might have been left out... I'm checking.

Fava Beans ($8 for the pound)

Sunburst Squash

Italian Zucchini

Zephyr Squash

Straight Neck Squash

(5 lb squash @ $2/lb for cheapest = $10)

Red Detroit Beet ($3 for the 3/4 pound)

Garlic ($3)

Spinach ($5)

MEDIUM

Red Russian Kale

Red Amaranth

Flying Saucer Squash

Red Romaine Lettuce

Micro Pea Shoots

LARGE

Raspberries

Microgreen Mix

Micro Chervil

Crookneck Squash

Straight Neck Squash

Golden Zucchini

Black Beauty Zucchini

Great Lake Lettuce

Red Sail Lettuce

Strawberries

Extra Apricots

Zephyr squash (two different colorations), fava, onion,
garlic, beets, Italian zucc, sunburst, straight neck squash

Spinach, chocolate mint, apricots, cherries, wild kale

Red Russian kale, pea shoots, flying saucer squash,
amaranth, red romaine lettuce

tops: micro chervil, microgreen mix, raspberries, strawberries
bottom: red sail lettuce, black beauty, yellow zucc,
crook neck (or straight neck - I'm not sure), great lake lettuce

Fava Beans

Fava beans are meant to be eaten very young.  Remove the beans from their shells and then fry or boil them, mash them and serve them on toasted bread, or sautee them with shrimp and peas.

Week 10 Lists

Week 10 -- not quite halfway through the season.  And the new additions for the week are pointing us towards the full summer produce.  The spinach, scapes, and lettuces are on the way out as they all start to bolt in the heat.  In come the first of the zucchini, stone fruit (cherries this week), green beans, summer squash, and beets.

Before we get rolling, I wanted to mention how the farm manages the harvests so that we are all on the same page for what we're seeing in our boxes vs. what we might see on the table at the market.  On Monday morning, David goes to the fields and orchards and tries to estimate what will be ripe enough and plentiful enough through the week for the CSA boxes.  Will the romaine lettuce have enough heads to supply the roughly 100 small shares on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday?  What about the rhubarb -- is there only enough for the handful of large shares?  It gets too complicated to manage things in separate weeks, giving it to Wednesday and Friday this week and remembering that Monday needs it next.  And anything that doesn't make the cut at the start of the week but is coming up ripe towards the end of the week needs to be harvested regardless.  That is why you'll see things on the table at the farmer's market that just didn't make it into the share during the week.  Chances are more than good that you'll be seeing it come the next week.

It is also worth noting that produce like fruit orchards are drastically affected by very localized weather and microclimates.  One side of a valley can get a one-night frost that kills all the cherry blossoms where the other side gets a full crop.  A hail storm can pass over a mile wide swath just as the green apricots are starting to grow.  Some summers are luckier than others, and some farms are large enough that when they lose a cherry harvest in one orchard, the others can pick up the slack.

Every farm grows (or grows and trades for) a different mix of vegetables, each in their own microclimate.

SMALL
garlic scapes (last week)
red romaine
green romaine
deer tongue lettuce
spring onion
zucchini
strawberries
oregano
spinach
garlic (fresh heads, can be dried)
cherries

MEDIUM
blue kale
amaranth
microgreens
sugar snap peas

LARGE
yellow snow peas
micro chervil
microgreens
green beans
golden squash (either yellow zucc or crookneck, depending)
baby bok choy
young spaghetti squash
beets
iceberg lettuce
extra cherries


COMING IN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS
cucumbers
tomatoes
lots of peaches
apricots
loads more summer squash


Garlic
These heads of garlic are more mature than the young items we've received so far.  If you're going to eat them right away, wash them, peel off the outermost layer, and stick them in the fridge.  Peel and use as normal garlic.  If you'd like, you can hang them in a warm window or a shaded porch to dry.  They'll form the usual papery skin and will store for several months.

Scapes and Lettuce
This is the end of the scapes and the lettuce.  The lettuce is bolting at younger and younger ages, meaning it starts to go to see.  As soon as it grows seed stalks, the leaves get bitter and tough.  Lettuce is a cooler weather crop.  There might be a little come the late fall -- especially if David launches the winter CSA as planned.

Cherries
I would tell you what to do with the cherries, but I defy you to keep them around longer than it takes you to store the rest of your veg.  If they are still there after that, put them in loose plastic as they came in the fridge -- no special treatment needed.

Beets
(I can't resist... Woot!  Beets mean summer!)  Only in the large share this week, but everyone should be seeing them soon - they grow really well in Utah (Sugarhouse is named for sugar beet production, afterall).  Cut off the tops, put the greens in loose plastic in the crisper and the beets themselves loose into the crisper.  The greens are fantastic treated like chard -- sauteed in garlic and olive oil.  The roots are great wrapped in foil and roasted until tender OR shredded raw over a salad (or as a salad with shredded carrots).

Green Beans
Store them as delivered in the bottom of your fridge until you're ready to use them.  Recipes for green beans are ubiquitous, but I'll try to find a few that go well with the squeaky fresh version (as opposed to canned).

Week 9 Lists

Week #9 -- quite a bit of the same this week, as usual, with some new things for variety.  I'm happy to see things that hold up a little better in the fridge from week to week.  Those delicate spring items were hard to use up some weeks before they wilted.... things are getting sturdier, though.

top: great lake lettuce, strawberries/microgreens, spinach
middle: snap peas (fatter), onion, Enlish peas (skinnier)
bottom: shallot scapes, garlic scapes

SMALL

spinach

garlic scapes

shallot scapes

spring onion

sugarsnap peas

great lake lettuce

strawberries

microgreen mix

English peas

top: buttercrunch lettuce, radishes, bean sprouts/microgreens/
edible flowers, green amaranth
middle: romaine, young squash, blue kale
bottom: endive

MED

small +

buttercrunch lettuce

blue kale

LARGE

medium +

young spaghetti squash

endive

romaine

green bean sprouts

micro purple basil

radishes

green amaranth

extra microgreen mix

Spring Onion

The spring onion is basically just a young, 'uncured' field onion.  The outside hasn't been dried out like onions from the grocery.  Store it in the refrigerator, probably in the crisper drawer.

Endive

A member of the chicory family and a relative of frisee and radicchio, I think this variety of endive is also called escarole.  Please correct me if you're more sure of the answer!  Endive is a bitter green, very usable as a salad green or suitable for sauteeing and adding to soups.  Store it loosely in plastic, preferably in the crisper drawer, much like the lettuces we've been receiving, but it should hold up a little better.  Braising might be best for one this size.  Add chopped endive to some hot oil in a skillet.  Brown lightly (maybe 10 minutes), then add a little vegetable stock, salt, and pepper to taste.  Simmer until tender and the liquid is absorbed.  Top with vinegar and croutons.

Week 8 Lists

This week is a lot like the last, with a few more peas and strawberries.  In the next couple of weeks, we can expect mulberries, then raspberries, zucchini, and cucumbers.

Top, LtoR: yellow snow peas, snap peas, shungiku,
english peas, great lake lettuce
Bottom, LtoR: onion scape, microgreens, strawberries,
garlic scapes, Chinese broccoli, spinach

SMALL
strawberries
microgreens
spinach
shallot scapes
garlic scapes
sugar snap peas
yellow snow peas
shungiku
great lake lettuce
English peas
Chinese broccoli

spring onion, rhubarb, Chinese butter lettuce

MEDIUM
spring onion
rhubarb
Chinese butter lettuce
extra spinach

very top: romaine lettuce
top: bean sprouts, young squash, basil micros, yu-choi
bot: amaranth, red sail lettuce, Chinese snow broccoli,
mixed salad greens

LARGE
red sail lettuce
romaine lettuce
red amaranth
bean sprouts
salad mix
micro basil (purple & green)
Chinese snow broccoli
yu choi
young squash (actually spaghetti, but treat like zucchini)
extra spinach
extra microgreens
extra strawberries
extra sugar snap peas
extra English peas


New this week are the English peas and the young squash.  Both are pretty straightforward.

English Peas
A variety of garden pea, the pods of these guys are inedible.  Store them loosely in the plastic bag in the fridge.  Crack them open and 'shell' the peas to get access to those green globes of ultimate garden fresh flavor.  It takes a lot of pods to get an appreciable pile of peas, so unless you live alone, you won't be serving these alone as a side dish.  They can be eaten raw or lightly blanched.  A few ideas for small numbers of peas:  a salad garnish; blanched and mashed with mint and parmesan; added to a mashed potato dish; added to a pureed soup for color and nutrition.  The surprising pairing that shows up over and over for fresh peas is fresh mint, and I have to vouch for its bright flavor and fresh taste.

Young Squash
This is actually a green spaghetti squash.  David's family likes them young, so he put them in the shares.  He says to use it much like a zucchini, but that it has a slightly sweeter flavor.

Week 7 Lists

Apart from the snap peas and rhubarb, nothing new this week that we haven't seen already.  There's more of stuff, though, so those small shares are looking happier.  Also, I'm excited for our new additions.  Our snap peas barely made it through the pictures before my kids spotted them and they were inhaled, so don't hesitate to pull off the string and crunch away.  Grab them by the flower end, snap near the tip, and pull away the string.  Sweet, crunchy, and ready for dipping in some hummus.

I, for one, have lettuce coming out of my ears.  Luckily it is holding up well, but I need to eat more salads.  Maybe sliced snap peas and microgreens will entice me to make a different salad than usual, but I've had difficulty persuading myself to buy tomatoes or cukes in the store.... I know they'll be so much tastier if I can wait for them to get ripe here in Utah.  I'll do us all a favor and find a few non-standard salad recipes so we can branch out.

Top, LtoR: spinach, blue kale
Middle: onion, shallot scape, red sail lettuce, rhubarb, garlic scape
Bottom: yellow snap pea, microgreens / strawberries, snap peas

SMALL
Yellow snap peas
Snap peas
Microgreen mix
Strawberries
Rhubarb (the first and last of it, sorry)
Spring onion
Garlic scapes
Shallot scapes
Red sail lettuce
Spinach
Blue kale

LtoR: shungiku, Chinese broccoli, Swiss chard, snow broccoli

MEDIUM
Chinese snow broccoli
Chinese broccoli
Swiss chard
Shungiku

Top, LtoR: great lake lettuce, microgreens, snap peas, salad mix
Middle: small bok choy, garlic chives, amaranth, asparagus, yu choi
Bottom: short baby bok choy, romaine lettuce

LARGE
Salad mix
Short baby bok choy
Small bok choy
Yu choi
Romaine
Amaranth
Garlic chives
Asparagus
Great lake lettuce
extra Snap peas
extra Microgreen mix


Rhubarb
Rhubarb looks like red celery and is most commonly thought of in combination with strawberries.  Very tart when raw, it is generally cooked to reduce the tartness.  You can make a tasty jam with other dried fruits, an applesauce type concoction for eating right away, stewed rhubarb as a topping for ice cream, or strawberry-rhubarb pie.  To make a strawberry - rhubarb pie filling, you'll need more strawberries than we received this week, a couple of cups at least.  This site has lots of great pictures.  I'll try to get a couple more recipes by week's end if you're not into pies.

Week 6 Lists

Hey all,

I've been swamped the early part of the day, but I want to get the lists up first so you know what you have in your share.  Pictures to follow as soon as I can unpack my box.

SMALL
spinach
oregano
young garlic
shallot scape
garlic scape
asparagus
great lake lettuce
baby leeks
basil microgreens
strawberries (just a couple, they just started to ripen)
green bean sprouts

MEDIUM
small +
red sail lettuce
red amaranth
Chinese snow broccoli
shungiku

LARGE
medium +
green romaine
swiss chard
green amaranth
watercress
baby spinach
wheat grass
purple basil microgreens
purple radish microgreens
baby bok choy
baby yu choi

Top left moving clockwise: spinach, great lake lettuce, oregano,
asparagus, box of strawberries, bean sprouts, and basil micros

LtoR: young garlic, shallot scape, garlic scape (has leaves),
and leeks

top: red sail lettuce
bottom: shungiku, red amaranth, Chinese snow broccoli

top: romaine, wheat grass / microgreens, bok choy, baby spinach
bottom: yu choi, watercress, swiss chard, green amaranth

Leeks
These are mild relatives of onions, and I'm guessing most of you are familiar with them.  Great with potatoes, or in sunchoke soup (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Watercress
These are the new green with tiny flowers on them (at least in my batch -- it was how I could tell them from the Yu choi and the green amaranth).  They are peppery relatives of the mustards, and really pep up a salad in small doses.  Also good as a bed for grilled meats and seared scallops, where the heat of the juices can slightly wilt the greens.

Yu choi
Apparently this is the young leaves and stalks of rapeseed, better known in this hemisphere as Canola.  Treat as you have the Chinese broccoli and mustard greens, as the flavor and preparation are pretty close.  David told me that the stalks are tastier than the leaves and that he likes them lightly blanched with a sprinkle of salt.

Other suggestions:
You've got a passle of young garlic, and that is a great start to some pesto.  I'll get a recipe up in a day or so for several variations that will store well.  If you're already a pesto pro, try a little variation -- watercress pesto, or a milder spinach pesto.  If you're a fan of oniony flavors, a scape and garlic pesto is a simple topping for any pasta.

Week 5 Lists

Edible flowers!

Here we go.  Another fantastic week of produce, and we're seeing a warmer weather evolution.  Also, no more chokes, so quite a few of you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Top moving clockwise: spinach, young garlic, shallot scape,
asparagus, baby bok choy, great lake lettuce
Center:  mung bean sprouts and edible flowers

SMALL
baby bok choy
great lake lettuce
young garlic
shallot scapes
bloomsdale spinach
asparagus
edible flowers (viola)
mung bean sprouts

Top: romaine lettuce, red sail lettuce
Bottom: red mustard, chinese snow broccoli, green mustard

MEDIUM
small +
green mustard
red mustard
chinese snow broccoli
extra asparagus
red sail lettuce
(+ romaine lettuce for the Tuesday drops that missed it last week)

Clockwise from top right: blue kale, chinese broccoli,
purple asparagus, bi-color amaranth, chinese butter crunch lettuce

LARGE
medium +
romaine lettuce
chinese butter crunch lettuce
amaranth greens - bicolor
pea shoots
purple asparagus
chinese broccoli
chinese mustard greens (not pictured, smaller)
mustard microgreens
bok choy microgreens
celery microgreens
blue kale
extra spinach

Microgreens, clockwise from top:  pea shoots, red mustard,
celery, green mustard

Edible Flowers
This particular type of flower is a viola.  Flowers add a sometimes spicy and delicate topping to a salad or dessert.

Overall, nothing new for storage or suggestions.  Treat the greens as you have been and enjoy the more delicate ones now while they are still in season.  We've been eating a lot of salads.  If you find yourself inundated with lettuce, you can always sautee it quickly in butter for a change or turn it into a light soup. And while sometimes you feel flooded with a certain veg, at other times the portions feel too tiny to make up a dish.  I've also been collecting the small bunches of hardier greens (mustards, kales), saving them up to make something worth throwing together with a ham hock and some black eyed peas for my largish family.

Enjoy!