Welcome to week one of 2008. In our new weekly format, I, Tom, will try to provide assistance to the membership in enjoying their share. With 4 years of newsletters in the archive, there is a lot of information and recipes at your fingertips at www.fairsharefarm.com/newsletterarchive.html. I will suggest some past recipes and hopefully provide one new one each week.

The theme this week is greens and allium—as Spring as you can get. A blend of the alliums (leeks, green garlic and walking onions) makes a nice soup. Check out the recipe below, farm tested, it is mellower than you might expect. You can also check Week 1 of the 2004 through 2007 newsletters in the archives for a nice list of recipes including baked leeks, leek and tomato pasta sauce, and angel hair pasta with leeks.

The greens part of the share can be cooked or eaten raw. They provide a tremendous amount of nutrition, especially when in combination with the alliums. The Asian greens have a crunchy texture, and can stand being marinated in the dressing of your choice. Add some nuts or pumpkin seeds for flavor and protein. Our very first newsletter has a recipe for Asian Salad with (or without) Beef. A little sesame oil and Lovage (see below) is also good in this recipe.

Another green in this week’s share is something new—sorrel. This hardy perennial comes up every year first thing in the Spring and is usually passing its prime by the time the season starts. But this year it is ready to be harvested for the first week of the CSA. A tangy green with a citrus flavor we like it in salads, on sandwiches and in one of our favorites, Sorrel Soup.

The herb choices this week include Lovage, chives, mint, or dried herb. We hope you have a chance to try the Lovage. A little goes a long way, so don’t add too much. A tablespoon for a large salad is usually plenty, and adds a unique taste to dishes. It goes well with potatoes, in cole slaws, and in Asian dishes. It retains its aroma when dry, so don’t throw any leftover out. Air dry it, and then warm it on the lowest setting of your oven to drive off any remaining moisture, before storing it in a sealed container.

Three Onion Soup

2 medium leeks
4 green garlic
4 walking onions
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 dried hot pepper (optional)
Grated parmesan or other cheese for topping

Wash any mud off the vegetables. Cut the root end off the leeks, green garlic and walking onions. Next cut each just below where the tops start.

The tops are used to make a quick stock. Simply chop them once or twice, and add them to a 2 qt stock pot filled with cold water (see photo). Add bay leaf and dried hot pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely slice the leeks, garlic and onion. In a medium saucepan sauté them in the olive oil over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter and turn heat to medium low for 10 minutes. Strain stock into the pan, stir, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Top with grated cheese. If you have oven proof bowls you can brown them in the broiler before serving.