CSA News: Week 3- June 14 to June 20

This Week’s Share:

Share Notes

• Fennel: You can make use of your whole fennel bulb, fronds and all. Try chopping up the feathery greens and add to salad or salad dressing, or just add them as you would and her to any of your favorite dishes.
  

Farm News

The Soil Is Heating Up at SIO

Here at SIO we always work to improve our growing systems and make the most out of the season’s growing conditions. After several seasons of cool wet springs, extended and cooler night temperatures we decided to add a tool that will help us provide more consistent yields with our warm weather crops; that tool is a plastic mulch layer. This tool attaches to the back of the tractor and lays both drip irrigation tape and a thin sheet of black plastic. We then plant heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, melons, cucumbers, and eggplant into holes made in the plastic. This thin layer of plastic creates a significantly warmer environment that encourages the growth of these heat loving crops. Whenever we consider using more plastic on the farm it is not done lightly, but the added benefit of more reliable yields as well as giving us more flexibility in rotating crops throughout our fields weighed in and tipped the scale in favor of adding this tool to our farming system. Above is a video of the plastic mulch layer at work. Below is a photo of cucumbers recently planted using the plastic mulch.

Recipes

Broccoli Recipe

Fresh Broccoli Soup
From Recipes from America’s Small Farms by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein

1 to 1 1/2 pounds broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium to large onion
1-2 stems green garlic, chopped
3 cups boiling water
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Chopped fresh scallions or chives, for garnish (optional)

Cut the tops of the broccoli into florets; peel the stems and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the broccoli, onion, green garlic; sauté until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the water, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until the broccoli is very tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the broth/stock and puree with a hand blender, or transfer into a blender/food processor and puree. After pureeing, add the milk and nutmeg, and heat through bu do not boil. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Garnish with chopped scallions or chives if desired.

Fennel Recipe

Hot Chicken Noodle Salad
From Fresh from the Garden Cookbook by Ann Lovejoy

“When you can only spare half an hour for making dinner, try this hot chicken noodle salad. The savory sour cream is vibrant with the fennel and dried apricots. Substitute thin strips of pork if you prefer, and use dried red currants in place of apricots. Both versions are simple yet sumptuous.”

8 to 9 ounces fresh noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 dried hot red chile
1 stem green garlic (or 2 cloves garlic), chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 whole breast), thinly sliced, or 1 pound lean boneless pork, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice and zest of 1 organic orange
2 bulbs fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2 cups stemmed kale, shredded (can substitute chard also)
2 cups steamed arugula (or spinach)
1 cups sour cream (nonfat works fine)
Parsley, for garnish (optional)

Cook the fresh noodles according to package directions. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chile, and brown on all sides to flavor the oil. Remove and discard the chile. Add the green garlic, rosemary, and chicken. Sprinke with the salt, ground pepper, and orange zest and cook, stirring often, until chicken is opaque, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the fennel, stir to coat, and cook until fennel is barely soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the apricots, orange juice, kale, arugula, cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the greens are lightly wilted. Stir in the sour cream and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss with the hot noodles and serve garnish with parsley if desired. Makes 4 servings. Recipe is easily halved or doubled depending of your needs.

Frittata with Green Garlic (or Leek), Fennel and Goat Cheese
From The Local Kitchen by Katie Rose Lamb

Make this quick and delicious dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups sliced fennel
2 stems green garlic, halved, washed, and sliced (or 1 leek)
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon
Pepper, to taste
2 ounces crumbled or grated goat cheese, plus more for topping

Preheat an oven to broil. Over medium heat melt the butter in an 8-inch skillet and roll it around to coat the sides. Add the fennel and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the green garlic (or leek) and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup beat the eggs thoroughly. Add the salt, pepper, and cheese and stir very gently to keep the cheese in separate pieces. When vegetables are cooked, reduce the heat to low. Carefully pour the egg mixture and stir gently to incorporate it. Cook slowly until the eggs are almost set, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and leave on a top rack to brown for 3 minutes. Grate or crumble more of the goat cheese on top, return to the oven for one more minute, then serve. Serves 2.

Kale Recipe

Kale Chips

Note: This recipe is back by popular demand, so if you are an already seasoned kale chip lover spread the word to the newbies that it is definitely worth a try, especially if you have kale skeptic children in the house. You can also change it up a bit and sprinkle with any type of seasoning you like. Spice it up with some curry powder or cayenne pepper, or give it some Asian flare with seasame oil, sesame seeds, and a few splashes or soy sauce.

Kale (as much or as little as you like)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste,
Pepper, to taste (optional)

Wash kale and remove tough center stems. Tear kale into roughly chip size pieces. Toss with olive oil and salt. You could spray with one of those aerosol oil things since you don’t want to soak the leaves in too much oil. Place kale ‘chips’ in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in a hot oven, 400˚-450˚F. Bake watching closely, you may have to turn a few chips to make crisp on each side…Voila, salty kale chip snacks!

Garlic Sauteed Kale with Cajun Spiced Candied Pecans
(from the June Chef’s Corner by Grace Pae)

Lettuce Recipe

Arugula Salad with Cherry-Chive Vinaigrette
From Fresh from the Garden Cookbook by Ann Lovejoy

5 cups salad greens/lettuce
2 cups shredded arugula

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sweet brown rice vinegar (can substitute balsamic or apple cider vinegar)
1 stem green garlic (2 cloves garlic), minced
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons dried tart cherries

To prepare the Cherry-Chive Vinaigrette combine all the ingredients except the vinegar in a jar; then add the vinegar to taste, starting with 1 tablespoon. Cap tightly and shake well to emulsify. Place the salad greens and arugual in a salad bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over the greens, toss, and serve.