Week 1 CSA Veggie Haul
The Big Green
Currently, as of the last week of June the garden has exploded with abundance. Gemma asked me at the beginning of June if anything would be ready for the end of June. To tell you the truth I was sceptical. I wrote in my garden journal that we would be lucky to have any produce by the end of June. Fast forward two weeks and the lettuce, spinach, arugula and kale all exploded with life. Truth be told I was aiming to have produce by the third week in June and I would have hit that goal. I played it safe and went with a more abundant first CSA week. I think I pulled it off.
This week and for the next two weeks the igfreshaul is going to be greens heavy. I am referring to it as the big green (90’s movie reference). The past month has been a lot of watering. It has given us a great excuse to use our new sprinkler, it will cover 1/3 of the garden. Along with the drip irrigation. This is going to cut down our watering time and gives us more time to pull weeds.
* Wobbler, sprinkler* Drip Irrigation, this puts water at the plant roots. Saving about 60% water than watering overhead.
What’s that White Stuff?
You will notice in some of our pictures that some rows are covered with a white blanket of some kind. This is bug netting, after we plant some vegetables like kale, broccoli, cabbage, radish or arugula, we will cover the plants with a net. The net is great, it allows air flow and water to get through and keeps most pests out. Like the cabbage butterfly. That little white moth that flys around all summer. This butterfly will lay its eggs on the leaves and they will hatch out little worms that like to devour any plant in sight. The net prevents the moth ever getting to the vegetables. The netting is great because it will keep out “most” flea beetles. The flea beetle is a tiny bug that jumps from plant to plant. Leaving tiny holes through out the leaves.
Week One Recipes
LETTUCE
French Vinaigrette
Green Goddess Dressing
About Lettuce:
This a mescaline lettuce mix, its a loose leaf lettuce that comes in a variety. So in this mix of lettuce you will get; arugula, chervil, oak leaf, maché, frisée, beet greens, Swiss chard greens, and mustard greens. The arugula and mustard greens will add a bit of bitterness to the salad but when mixed with a nice dressing and other ingredients it is hardly noticeable.
Lettuce Storage Tips:
In a resealable container or bag, line the bottom with a paper towel. Place the lid back on or reseal the bag and store in your fridge for up to 7 days. A container works great because it prevents the lettuce from getting bruised.
Green Goddess Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or oil of your choice
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar of your choice
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 avocado
1 clove of garlic
Herbs of your choice (dill, cilantro, parsley, oregano, chives, sweet marjoram)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp water
In a blender or food processor combine all the ingredients together. Add 1 tbsp of water to the dressing if it is looking too thick and blend together again. Use right away or store in a container for up to 1 week.
*I put this dressing on almost everything, and its a go to dressing. I will make a big batch and it will live in my fridge on a weekly basis. *
French Vinaigrette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar of your choice
1 tsp dijon mustard
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients until everything comes together in a smooth consistency. Use right away or store in the fridge in an air tight container. (It will store up to 7 days in the fridge, simply shake before using)
ARUGULA
Pesto
Arugula, Goat Cheese + Strawberry Panini
About Arugula:
Arugula, is peppery tasting member of the lettuce family. When young and tender it is less bitter and goes great with many salads, sandwiches and wraps. Now the arugula has a bit of flea beetle damage. As a product it is still fine to eat.
Arugula Storage Tips:
In a resealable bag or container. Place the arugula and on one side put a damp paper towel and seal the bag or container. The container works great because it prevents the arugula from getting bruised in the fridge. This will last in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Arugula, Goat Cheese + Strawberry Panini
2 slices of bread
1 tbsp butter
4 sliced strawberries
2 tbsp goat cheese
1/2 cup arugula
1 tsp honey
Salt and Pepper
Butter one side of each slice of bread (bougie grilled cheese sandwich). In a sauté pan over medium heat place both sides of the bread, buttered side down and let brown. While bread is browning, add the goat cheese to one slice and honey on the other. Once the bread is almost browned on one side add the sliced strawberries and arugula. Close the sandwich up and serve.
Arugula Pesto
2 cups of arugula
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 cup walnuts
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper
In a dry (no oil) sauté pan over hight heat toast the walnuts, until they are becoming brown and aromatic. Dump the walnuts into a food processor, add the rest of the ingredients and blend everything together to form a smooth paste.
This Pesto recipe is great because you can use it with pasta, spreads on sandwiches, mix it with mayo or yogurt for a quick dip.
SPINACH
Summer Spinach + Strawberry Salad
Spinach Storage Tips:
In a resealable bag or container. Place the spinach and on one side put a piece of paper towel and seal the bag or container. The container works great because it prevents the spinach from getting bruised in the fridge. This will last in your fridge up to 10 days.
Summer Spinach + Strawberry Salad
2 cups of spinach
1 cup strawberries, cut into quarters
1/2 cup feta
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
5 green onions, chopped
Dressing
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of half of lemon or 2 tbsp or vinegar of your choice
1/2 cup strawberries
3 sprigs of sweet marjoram (stems removed)
Salt and Pepper
In a large bowl add the spinach and then on top layer the strawberries, sunflower seeds, feta and green onions. In a blender or food processor add all the ingredients for the dressing and mix together until combined. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix in.
KALE
Lemon + Garlic Kale
Kale Storage Tips:
Take the washed kale and place in a zip lock bag or air tight container. Put a dry piece of paper towel in the bag or container to wick away any moisture. Kale is pretty resilient and will last in your fridge up to 10 days.
Freezing kale, remove the rib from the kale leaf. Blanch the kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove the kale from the water, letting it air dry or dry it off with a dry towel. Place it on a baking sheet and put into the freezer for 2 hours. Once frozen put into a zip lock bag and put it back into the freezer. It will last up to 3 months.
Lemon + Garlic Kale
As many Kale leaves as you want
Juice from 1 lemon
3 cloves of crushed garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Roughly chop the kale and add it to a sauté pan to steam with a bit of water. Once the water is evaporated, add in the lemon juice and crushed garlic and let steam until all the liquid is gone. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper.
RHUBARB
Rhubarb + Apple Crumble
Rhubarb Storage Tips:
Rhubarb keeps great fresh in the fridge for up to a week, to extend the shelf life. Store the rhubarb in a resealable container or bag with a paper towel sheet lining the bottom.
To Freeze rhubarb, cut it up into small 1 inch pieces. Spread out the rhubarb pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2 hours. Once frozen, put the rhubarb into a resealable bag and store in the freezer. Rhubarb will store like this for up to 6 months.
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble
Filling
2 cups rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
2 cups apple
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp flour
Streusel Top
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flour (for gf simply sub gf flour)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and cut the apples into 1 inch pieces. In a large bowl mix together the apples, rhubarb, flour, sugar and spices. Mix well to evenly coat all the fruit. Place in a baking dish.
In the microwave or in a pot on the stove top melt the butter. In a bowl or pot combine the rest of the ingredients with the butter. Dump out the streusel mixture onto of the fruit, spreading out evenly. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.
Rhubarb Jam
2 cups rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat add the rhubarb, sugar and water. Bring pot up to a boil, once boiling reduce the heat to low and let the rhubarb mixture lightly simmer for 5-6 minutes. Remember to stir the pot every minute to keep anything from sticking to the bottom. In a small bowl or cup mix together the corn starch and water. Once the rhubarb is done cooking add in the corn starch and water mixture. Stir and let thicken. When the jam is thickened add the vanilla and incorporate. Put the jam in a resealable container and store in the fridge.
MICROGREENS
Green Smoothie
About Microgreens:
Microgreens, fast convenient food that can be worked into sandwiches, wraps, salads and added to food for a fast and easy way of getting fresh greens.
Microgreens Storage Tips:
The greens will store in the bag it’s self for up to a week. To add extra length to the life of your microgreens, put the greens between two layers of paper towel and put into a plastic bag or resealable container. This will store up to 10 days in the fridge.
Green Smoothie
2 cups water, milk or dairy free milk (we use unsweetened almond milk)
2 cups frozen fruit of your choice (I like berries)
2 cups pea or sunflower micro greens
1 cup spinach
1/2 avocado
Couple sprigs of mint (optional)
Juice form half of a lemon
In a blender combine all the ingredients, blend for 1 minute on medium until everything is smooth.
Basil Starts
Great little plant for your window sill, enjoy clippings off of this bushy plant all summer long. Water once a week.
