Week 2 CSA Veggie Haul

The Basic Brassica

Week two started Sunday for us with a plot check. That’s when we go around the whole garden plot and check on the condition of the plants. Looking for new growth, what transplants have failed, and what we will possibly have for the following week CSA.

So what has been going on with the vegetables? For starters we will have broccoli this week, but its a little soon for my liking. We had to pick it smaller and early because it was showing signs of bolting (flowering). This is caused by the ground temperature getting too warm. We learned that to prevent this from happening, you must cover the ground with straw to cool the ground. We will have a better broccoli crop with our second round of transplants going in on Sunday.

Green onions didn’t make the box this week. I was hopeful thinking that they would be big enough, but i’m learning they take a little longer than I anticipated. We do have a substitute of chives for this week.

The new batch of radishes that were planted two weeks ago are coming in strong and I expect them to be ready in 2 weeks, along with kohlrabi, green onions, Swiss chard and garlic scapes. There are some more radishes from our first round that germinated slowly so some people who did not get radishes last week will get some this week, but still not everybody yet. Ive been keeping track.

Thank you guys for your patience as we grow and learn.

* Garlic Scape                                        * Purple Kholrabi 

Succession Planting/Weekly Challenges

After our field inspection we turned on the drip irrigation and got all the peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash watered. As we left the drip running we picked and hoed weeds and planted beets for September CSA boxes.

*just planted rows of beets, you can see the wheel marks.

The weeds are a constant battle and we knew they would be going into this season. So we weed on a weekly basis. Our way to combat the weeds is a lot of hand weeding mixed in with using a stirrup hoe. It’s an ongoing battle but our plants are getting so big they are actually choking out the weeds. hooray!!

*Pictured on the right above. On the left is a row of zucchini and on the right is an out of control patch of weeds

What’s In The Box

Lettuce

Arugula

Broccoli microgreens

Basil

Chives

Kale

Broccoli

Week One Recipes

LETTUCE

• Strawberry Vinaigrette

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.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 strawberries, cut into 1/4’s

2 tbsp fresh basil

1 tsp dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper

Put all the ingredients into a blender and puree until everything is combined. This recipe is versatile, you don’t have to use strawberries, any berries you have on hand will do. Same goes for the herbs.

ARUGULA

• Arugula & Chick Pea Salad with Avocado cilantro vinaigrette

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 & Chick Pea Salad

4 cups arugula

1 can of drained chick peas

1 cup cook quinoa

1 diced red onion or a bundle of green onions

1 cup diced cucumbers

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup olives (optional)

Avocado Cilantro Vinaigrette

1 avocado

1 clove of garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup cilantro

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a bowl combine arugula, chick peas, quinoa, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and olives.

In a food processor add all the ingredients for the dressing and blend together. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix the salad together.

KALE

• -South West Kale Salad

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.

Blanching is the process par cooking (cooking something half way). It starts with boiling water and adding the vegetable to the water and cooking for a certain amount of time depending on the vegetable density. Then removed from the water, strained, and put into an ice bath. The ice bath shocks the vegetable and stops the cooking process.

South West Kale Salad

7-8 leaves of kale, roughly chopped

2 ripe avocados, diced

1 /2 cup black beans

1 cup tomatoes

1/4 cup red onion

1 /2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup cilantro

1/4 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Dressing

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Juice from 2 limes

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 clove of crushed garlic

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper

In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, spices, garlic and mustard. Pour dressing over salad and, enjoy.

BROCCOLI MICROGREENS

• Put that shit on everything!

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 micro-greens. 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.

Microgreens are a fast and convenient food that can be worked into sandwiches, wraps, salads or sprinkled on top of almost any meal for a fast and easy way of getting fresh greens.

BROCCOLI

• Broccoli Pasta Salad

Broccoli Storage Tips:

Store broccoli in a loose fitting container or partially open bag, air flow and circulation is needed keep broccoli fresh. It also like to be kept colder so store at the back of your fridge. It will typically last like this for up to 10 days.

To freeze broccoli, pre cutting to desired size, then blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain the broccoli and shock it in cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled enough to handle transfer the broccoli to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove from the pan, and put the broccoli in a zip lock freezer bag and place back in the freezer. The broccoli will stay good like this for up to 6 months.

Broccoli Pasta Salad

1 to 2 heads of broccoli, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 cup dice tomato

1 cup dice cucumber

1 cup broccoli micro-greens

1 cup bocconcini, cut in half or you could use feta

1 box cooked and cooled pasta of your choice

Caesar Dressing

1 cup mayo

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp anchovy paste

1 tsp dijon mustard

5 tbsp chives

4 tbsp basil

Salt and Pepper

Put all the ingredients for the dressing into the blender and blend for 30 seconds.

In a large bowl mix together all the salad Ingredients. Pour dressing over top and, enjoy.

You can also use store bought Caesar dressing, it works just as well, just mix in the fresh chopped herbs.

We like to add either a grilled pork chop or grilled chicken to this recipe.

BASIL

• Basil & Strawberry Cocktail

Basil Storage Tips:

Wrap fresh basil in a piece of paper towel and put in a zip lock bag or resealable container. Keep in the same place as salad greens.

Basil & Strawberry Cocktail 

Simple syrup

5 sprigs of fresh basil

8oz fresh strawberries

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup water

Cocktail

1oz simple syrup

1oz vodka or alcohol of your choice

Wedge of lemon

4oz of carbonated water

In a pot over medium heat combine water, sugar, basil, and strawberries. Once the syrup comes to a simmer and the sugar is desolved remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the strawberries and basil for the syrup.

In a glass, muddle the lemon wedge and the simple syrup until combined. Next poor in the vodka, carbonated water and mix together. Enjoy!

CHIVES

-Chive & Basil Quiche

Chive Storage Tips

Wrap the chives in a piece of paper towel and store in zip lock bag or resealable container.  Store in the fridge. Chives will store up to 7 days.

Chive and Basil Quiche

1 frozen pie crust (I did see a gf pie crust option at the grocery store)

6 large eggs

3/4 cup milk or cream (for df use df yogurt or completely remove this item, it will still turn out great)

1/3 cup cheddar cheese (for df omit cheese or use df cheese)

3 tbsp chives

3 tbsp basil

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degree oven. In a bowl whisk together in a bowl the cream, eggs, cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Poor egg mixture into the pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes.