Having the sensation of skiing down an Alpine mountain is the theme of this week’s City Distribution Tasting, aka Mint recipes.

What’s for Dinner?

As the season gets going we hope that you are finding more and more local food on your plate. It’s one of the niceties of this time of year. Our dinner tonight included fennel, summer squash, onion, basil and chard from the farm, some homemade tomato sauce, meatballs made from Parker Farms pork sausage, and Bread of Life bread (with garlic). Making an entire meal from mainly local food is satisfying in many ways. We hope you are experiencing the same thing.

Fennel

Though not a vegetable that is clamored for by the membership, we feel that fennel deserves a place at the table at least a couple times a year. Last December we were able to have the opportunity to visit Calabria, Italy, where a lot of Europe’s fennel is grown. We now know what fennel is supposed to taste like and are working to duplicate it here. Ours are smaller and not as mild, but otherwise quite tasty. This week’s recipe is great as a side dish, or can be used as a bed for fish or lamb. Week 8 of 2006 has two nice recipes; Fennel, Tomato and Feta Salad, and Fennel Mashed Potatoes.

Fennel, Summer Squash and Onion Salad

• 2 fennel bulbs
• 1 medium summer squash, grated
• 1 spring onion, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp chopped basil or parsley
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
• ¼ tsp salt

Cut the tops off the fennel, just above the top of the bulbs. (the tops can be chopped up and used in salads or dips). Cut the root end off and clean of any soil. Slice thinly across the bulb to form oval slices.

To the fennel add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Let set for 30 minutes.

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UPDATED LIST THIS MORNING – after looking in the fields this morning and thinking about what we want to hand out next week, we’ve made some changes to the shares. We’ll have some summer squash and kohlrabi in the swap box for the partials and we’re saving the Swiss chard for next week.

In the Share:
PEAS: Sugarsnap and/or snow (F/P) We’re going to try to give everybody the sugarsnap and make the snows an extra item somehow. Tomorrow morning’s picking will tell.
YOUNG SPRING CARROTS (F/P) The first of the year, small but tasty. Scrub well and eat the whole root for the most nutrients.
Choice: SUMMER SQUASH or KOHLRABI (F) The cucurbitae family enters as the brasica exit til fall.
YOUNG SPRING ONIONS (F/P) They’re beginning to bulb out.
LETTUCE (F) Smaller heat-resistant romaine and crisphead types perfect on a sandwich.
KOMATSUNA (F/P) Crunchy and leafy in one. See farmer tom for more info.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Mint or Parsley or a dried herb. New dried dill , marjoram & oregano will be available. Check farmer tom’s blog for a great mint tea recipe

Next Week: More summer squash and peas. The first cucumbers and beans. Swiss chard and beets. Meat and Egg share delivery.

June 20th is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. The summer solstice marks the confluence of our three growing seasons, as spring departs, summer enters and we prepare for the fall. This week Tom began the process of turning under the broccoli, spring lettuces, radishes and turnips. The first of the cucurbitae family – melons, cucumbers and squashes have begun producing. And this week we seed the first fall crops: brussel sprouts, kale and collards in our summer shade tents by the greenhouse. While the greenhouse is put to good use drying herbs at over 100 degrees, our shade tents will house the seedlings until they are planted. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli will soon follow.

Preparing for this shift at the farm is a bit nerve-racking with all three seasons going at once. The fall seeding, in particular, takes several days each week. Meanwhile the crabgrass is giving us hours of slow toiling through the spring and summer crops. This cool, wet weather is any grasses dream and we are struggling to keep it in check. We remain hopeful, partly because the crops so far have been able to put up with the crowding until we get to them, but the list of weeding chores is endless at the moment. Also, we are strengthened every time someone lends a hand. Jenn Baughman, our dazzling apprentice, has been slugging it out alongside us building her finger muscles as we pull millions out by the roots. A few stellar volunteers have us on their weekly schedule for a half or full day of farming followed by a free pass through the strawberry patch. And last weekend a few friends organized themselves for an impromptu visit, filling our refrigerator for most of the week with the leftovers and buoying our spirits. It’s the time of year when the community aspects of our farm operation really shine. Your weary farmers are deeply thankful.

If you’d like to visit the farm, the strawberry patch is still producing some, mostly good berries. Take what you want and pick some flowers too.

Komatsuna

New and old members alike have probably been a little stumped with the komatsuna. If you’re still not sure what I’m talking about it’s the vegetable member Lisa Markley is holding in the photo. A type of mustard green, it is what we use as a celery substitute here on the farm. Good in a stir fry, it also goes well in any salad, especially egg and potato salads.

Summer Savory

If the summer savory in your share is still around you’re in luck. As the summer crops come in, you’ll have lots of uses for it. The recipe below is a perfect example. Add some garlic bread and this dish is as good as pizza. Some dried oregano and red pepper flakes are good additions.

Summer Squash with Shells

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium spring onions, sliced thin
• 3 garlic scapes, chopped fine
• 2 medium or 4 small summer squash, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp fresh summer savory, chopped
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• shell macaroni

Sauté the onions and garlic scapes in the olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the squash and summer savory and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add tomato sauce, bring to boil, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve this over the shells and top with a generous portion of cheese. You can also simply mix the sauce, shells and cheese together in a pan.

Sun Tea

When the sun is strong is a great time to make a regular batch of sun tea. We make it different ways, depending on what we have on hand. Lots of late spring and summer herbs are available from the farm or our garden, including mint, bergamot and hyssop. We also get to put the tea in a very hot greenhouse to steep, a real luxury. The tea recipe below we tried for the first time today, and found it made a very refreshing drink. We hope to have a little bit of dried chamomile flowers in the herb box in the coming weeks.

To a large clear glass jar add 6 cups of water, 2 large sprigs of mint, (lightly crushed in your hand), 2 tbsp dried chamomile flowers (or 2 tea bags), 2 tbsp coarsely grated ginger and 1 tsp honey. Place the jar in direct sunlight for 6 to 12 hours. Strain, chill and serve.

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Go to our Recipe page and search.

Red to Green

It’s nice to see the snap and snow peas finally coming on, and being in such good shape too. They appear to be coming on late and strong. Other crops are later than normal, like kohlrabi. We watched it grow so slowly this year we weren’t sure they were going to make it. But they did, and they meet the crisp and juicy test. Great raw, the kohlrabi is also an uncanny potato substitute.

Aloo Matar with Kohlrabi

This dish is a traditional Indian dish that calls for potatoes and peas. This version takes advantage of what’s in the share and is excellent. The garam marsala is a mix of roasted spices that is about all you need for flavoring. If you are well versed in Indian cooking you can simply use your favorite blend of spices.

• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 garlic scapes (see photo), chopped fine
• 2 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick and 1 bay leaf
• 2 medium kohlrabi, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 cups snap or snow peas, stringed and chopped
• 1 tbsp garam marsala
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• chopped cilantro or dill for garnish

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and saute garlic scapes and ginger for 2 minutes over medium high heat. Add the garam marsala, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and saute for 1 minute more. Add potatoes, peas and tomato sauce and bring to boil. Turn down heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until kohlrabi is tender.

Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and chopped herbs.

Kohlrabi Radish Salsa

Kohlrabi can fit into the concept of Mexican cooking just as easy as Indian. Salsa after all is just something tasty to dip your chips into. This salsa would also be good on fish.

• 1 kohlrabi, peeled
• 2 radishes and/ or 2 Hakurei turnips
• 2 garlic scapes or 1 green garlic
• 2 scallions
• 2 stalks komatsuna
• 1 jalapeno or 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 4 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• salt to taste
• cilantro or dill for garnish

Clean and chop all the ingredients coarsely. Add the tomato sauce, oil, lime juice, hot sauce and salt. Mix well. Top with herbs.

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Go to our Recipe page and search.

A video and photo from last Wednesday’s CSA work day. Thanks to all.

Since the first season of the Fair Share Farm CSA in 2004 berries have topped the charts on our survey of what crops we should increase. So, in our second season we planted about 600 strawberry plants in three of our field beds.

Immediately the deer found them and ate most of their leaves. A great many crowns were yanked right out of the ground in the process. We tried all manner of deer repellents, animal hair, powdered bobcat urine and hot pepper sprays to protect our precious crop and a few plants did survive. The deer fence was up by later that season and the beds started to fill in … with grass that is. The sparse strawberry plants were no match for the sturdy brome grass and ladino clover that covers our walking paths.

But, there were still some berries out there, or at least there were until we went to pick them only to find that someone else had gotten to them first. We soon discovered the culprit (s) – a seemingly endless number of raccoons. For the entire strawberry season, Tom dutifully carted off the latest critter caught in the live trap to the other end of the farm. Every morning there was one in the trap or on one occasion, surprisingly two. As we were sharing our strawberries with our four-legged neighbors, there were hardly any for our dear two-legged members. The last two strawberry seasons have been nerve-racking with us only being able to distribute perhaps one pint of strawberries per member over the course of the season. Frustration reigned as members had to check off on a list for whether they had gotten their berries, so that the next week the rest of the membership could receive them. Very annoying for all of us, let me tell you.

We were beginning to think we should give up on the whole berry business, when we decided to give it once last try. The deer fence was keeping the deer out and we had started talking about getting a dog to keep out the raccoons. That winter at the Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference, I attended a lecture on berry production where they described the ‘matted-row’ system for strawberries where you develop a thick row of plants separated by a mulched path. So early last year we prepared a 50’ x 100’ block and planted around 900 plants, a foot apart in rows five feet apart. At first the planting didn’t seem to be going too well as the early April ground was tight making digging difficult. Libby Negus, our fabulous ’07 apprentice, slogged along beside us digging the holes and carefully planting each one on a mound of soil with the roots carefully splayed about. For the entire 07 season all eyes were on the strawberries. On days when we finished the CSA harvest early, the members diligently weeded and mulched the patch. By fall we had jointly weeded the strawberries on five different occasions and applied about 80 bales of straw mulch.

Over the winter, we swore ‘never again’ to the raccoon onslaught decided to get a dog. Our pup, Rocky, was only here a short while before he frightened off his first varmint and there’s been no signs of our old masked bandits since. With the patch now protected, the plants were able to thrive in the cool, wet weather of this spring and by early May the rows had filled in nicely and were in full bloom.

Last week the strawberry distribution began with a tasting of strawberries for the Wednesday shares. By Saturday, we were picking 20 quarts a day. This week we are averaging 50 quarts each morning. Depending on how much help we have, it is taking us two to four hours to harvest the strawberries every day. But we cannot complain even though the other crops may be a bit unkept, because we have loads of the juciest, freshest, most scrumptious berries. This week the full shares will receive 2 quarts and the partials one. The overage we hope will end up in the freezers, canning jars and bellies of those who order extra. As this is a new experience for us, we’re not sure how long it will last. Our ‘Honeoye’ plants are June-bearers which are supposed to produce for 3-4 weeks, so we may have another weeks or two. So enjoy the berries while you can and remember all the good people who made it all possible – it was truly a community effort.