Farm Notes
by Kristi Durbin, UK CSA Manager
Welcome to the 2019 CSA season! We’ve all been anticipating this day for a while. Months of planning, preparing, planting, and cultivating to get here. We’re so excited to get to know you all and reconnect with our friends from over the many years. Over the coming weeks we will also be profiling the staff and students you will get to meet at your pick up. We also have some you pick coming soon on the horizon, and then our member potluck on Friday June 28th. This program is only successful because it is a community effort and partnership, so, before I say anything else, I want to say: thank you for your support!
The magic of a CSA is ever new for me each year. Farming is more than just the product. There is a magic of seeing a seed turn into food that is not only nutritious but delicious and beautiful. Meals – even every day meals – can feel like masterpieces when you use freshly harvested vegetables. The abundant life out here is an ever present teacher: from bugs to birds to weeds to crops. My kids have gotten the “farm bug” and pester me with questions about whether the bird eggs we spied hatched yet or what veggies I’m hauling home in my bag that day. I hope you and your family and friends reap just as much joy as my 3 year old and 4 year old do from the CSA experience.
What’s In Your Share
For this week, you’ll receive:
+ Butterhead Lettuce
+ Arugula
+ Spinach
+ Garlic Scapes
+ Rhubarb
+ D’Avignon Breakfast Radishes
+ Garlic Powder OR Spice Blend
+ You Choose Herb Transplant: Basil, Curly Parsley, Flat Parsley, Sage OR Summer Savory
Farm Stand
The UK Winery will be on CAMPUS this Thursday from 4-6pm, set up with the CSA. They will also be at the Farm pick-up location from 3:30-6:30pm. Check out their blog site, ukywine.com for more information on wine varieties and prices.
The CSA Farm Stand (which is for purchasing “extras”) will be set up at both the campus (from 4-6pm) and farm (from 3:30-6:30pm) locations. Items available will be on a first come, first served basis. At the farm, the Farm Stand table will be set up separately from the regular pick-up line. We accept cash, check and credit cards.
Items Available for Purchase this Week:
+ Butterhead Lettuce: $3/head
+ Arugula: $8/ 1 lb. bag
+ Spinach: $12/ 1.5 lb. bag
+ Garlic Scapes: $3.50/bunch
+ Rhubarb: $4/bunch
+ D’Avignon Breakfast Radishes: $3/bunch
Transplant availability may vary depending on farm and campus locations. Some items are extremely limited quantities.
Herb Transplants: $2/pot
+ Rosemary
+ Sweet Marjoram
+ Basil
+ Greek Oregano
+ Onion Chives
+ Curly Parsley
+ Flat Parsley
+ Sage
+ Sorrel
+ Spearmint
+ Summer Savory
+ Lemon balm: $3/pot
Flowers, 6 packs: $8
+ Celosia 6 pack
+ Rudbeckia 6 pack
+ Cosmos 6 pack
+ Snapdragon 6 pack
+ Ageratum 6 pack
+ Aster 6 pack
Flowers, singles: $2/pot
+ Ammi (False Queen Anne’s Lace)
+ Bachelor’s Button
+ Statice
+ Yarrow
+ Bee Balm (Monarda)
+ California Poppies
+ Ageratum
Hot Peppers: $3/pot
+ Padron, Spanish Heirloom
+ Bangkok, Thai Chile
+ Baron, Ancho Pepper
+ Red Flame, Cayenne Pepper
+ Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper
+ Hot Rod, Serrano Pepper
+ Jedi, Jalapeno Pepper
Veggie Tips (or Facts)
If you are interested in trying to store your vegetables with less plastic, I recommend reading this blog, How to Store Produce Without Plastic from myplasticfreelife.com. Not every recommendation may work for you, but you may find it helpful in reducing your plastic use.
Besides the Member Guide, which includes a great quick vegetable storage reference, you may also find more detailed storage information on our blog under the Vegetable Storage Information tab.
+ Garlic Scapes are the flowering stalk of the garlic. They have a bit milder garlic taste, but can still pack a punch. Scapes can be used in a variety of ways. Try grilling them, chopping them small and sautéing, added to dishes like you would add green onions or made into a pesto.
+ The Rhubarb variety is called Victoria and not every stalk is the stereotypical red; some are green, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t ready to eat. Stalks can be stored in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge for 1-4 weeks. If you need to refresh the stalks, just place in a cup of water before using. Make sure you check below for a few rhubarb recipes to try out.
+ The spinach leaves are GIANT! Because they are so large, we recommend cooking the spinach. It still tastes great raw, but cooked may be a bit more manageable.
+ Last year/early spring, we did some food preservation. The garlic powder was made with “seconds” garlic bulbs that weren’t pretty enough to hand out. We peeled the garlic, dried it in Chef Bob Perry’s giant dehydrator in his kitchen lab and then ground it into a powder.
Recipes
For your convenience this week’s recipes in a printable format.
Meal Plan Menu
Thursday:
It’s spring, which means heavy on the greens. Try a new salad dressing with your butterhead lettuce. Sliced breakfast radishes would make a great addition or adding in some arugula leaves for a peppery punch!
Basic Vinaigrette
From Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
4-5 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. salt
1-2 medium cloves garlic, minced
Optional Variations:
~ add 3-4 tbsp. orange or apple juice, or 2 tbsp. lemon juice plus a little grated lemon rind, plus
~ very finely minced parsley and/or
~ very finely minced other herbs (fresh or dried basil, dill, marjoram, chives, thyme)
~ substitute some of the olive oil with a nut oil
~ substitute different flavors of vinegar (fruit-infused, balsamic, champagne, etc.)
~ add 1-2 tsp. good quality mustard
~ for creamy vinaigrette: add 2-3 tbsp. mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt
Directions:
Combine everything in a jar, cover tightly and shake well.
Friday:
Rice and Spinach Gratin
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Ingredients:
Béchamel for Rice Gratin (separate recipe below)
2 bunches spinach leaves
2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, including an inch or two of the greens
2 small garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp each chopped parsley, dill and marjoram
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup white or brown rice, cooked
1 cup ricotta cheese, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF and lightly butter or oil a baking dish. Make the béchamel sauce (directions, below). Cook the spinach in a wide skillet in the water clinging to its leaves until limp, just a few minutes. Rinse it quickly, then squeeze out the water and finely chop. In a wide skillet, cook the spinach in the oil with the scallions, garlic, and parsley mixture for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine the rice with the spinach, sauce, and ricotta, if using. Turn into the dish and bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
Béchamel Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup minced shallot or onion
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
Salt and freshly milled white pepper
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
Directions:
Cook the shallot in the butter in a small saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes more. Whisk in the hot milk all at once, then cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, or for 30 minutes in the top of a double boiler. Season with 1/2 t salt, a little pepper, and the nutmeg
Saturday:
Farfalle with Arugula Gremolata
From The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without by Mollie Katzen
Ingredients:
3/4 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 recipe Arugula Gremolata (below)
1/2 cup (heaping measure) crumbled gorgonzola
2-3 Tbsp golden raisins
1 cup very small, very sweet cherry tomatoes (optional)
1/2 cup minced walnuts, lightly toasted
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Immediately toss with olive oil. Add remaining ingredients, except walnuts and pepper. Toss until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately topped with the walnuts and a generous application of black pepper.
Arugula Gremolata
Ingredients:
2 cups (loosely packed) young arugula, or older arugula (without stems), about 2 ounces
4 tsp finely minced garlic
4 tsp finely minced lemon or orange zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Combine the arugula, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse to finely chop-don’t purée! Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Sunday:
Sauteed Radishes with Radish Greens (or Arugula)
From Farmer John’s Cookbook
This is a fantastically simple recipe, because we rarely think to COOK our radishes, let alone eat the radish greens. Both of which can spice-up your dinner table. The peppery bite mellows when cooked, but if you want the best of both worlds (the succulent sweetness of cooked radishes and the bite of raw radishes) add some mustard or horseradish or cayenne to the dish.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 pound radishes, quartered
4 cups radish greens or arugula
2 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the radishes; cook, stirring constantly, until tender but still crips, about 5 minutes depending on size. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
2. Put greens in skillet with the wash water still clinging to the leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until wilting, 2-3 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and radishes to the skilet; stir until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Monday:
Try this rhubarb salsa with your Memorial Day cookout!
Rhubarb Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups rhubarb, sliced small
1 apple, sliced or diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
3 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp. honey
juice of 2 limes
Directions:
Blanch rhubarb for 3 minutes. Drain and let cool. Mix all ingredients and serve with tortilla chips.
+++
Rhubarb Crunch
From The Practical Produce Cookbook by Ray and Elsie Hoover
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 uncooked oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients. Press half of the crumbs into a greased 9×9 cake pan. Spread rhubarb on the crumbs. Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil while stirring. Pour on top of the rhubarb, then top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Tuesday:
Pesto makes a great “sauce” for pasta, or serve it as a spread on bread.
Scape Pesto
Far and away my favorite use for garlic scapes is pesto, either straight-up or mixed with herbs like basil and dill. Pesto showcases raw scapes in all their glory. Scape pesto can be very pungent, but it mellows substantially after a few months in the freezer. I like it best in the middle of winter, but I think that’s one part mellowing and two parts deprivation. My favorite scape pesto recipe is below.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes*
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few generous grinds of black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
*Or use half scapes and half herbs such as basil, dill and chervil
Directions:
In a small, dry pan set over very low heat, lightly toast the pine nuts, stirring or tossing occasionally until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Combine the scapes, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times, until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you plan to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you’ve defrosted it.
Wednesday:
Leftovers day! Clean out that fridge for new vegetables coming Thursday.
UK-CSA 