In their shares this week, members will receive the following vegetables: Easter egg radishes, sunflower microgreens, baby kale, baby bok choy, chives, rhubarb and a yellow storage onion (harvested last fall from our farm and stored in our root cellar over the winter).  

This newsletter includes a roundup of news from the farm as well as information and recipes. Feel free to jump to the bottom of the newsletter to find the section titled, “This week’s veggies and recipes.”

News from the farm

We’ve never been more optimistic about the start of a farming season; we’ve also never been more anxious. It’s the largest season we’ve ever had. Our CSA shares sold out in a month, and we’ll be opening our Friday afternoon farmstand the last Friday in June.

And we’ve worked incredibly hard over the past few months to stay on top of our planting schedule, improve our soil and keep weeds under control. 

At the same time, it’s been a challenging start to the season and a really rough couple of days. 

There has been no rain in a month and there is no chance of rain in the forecast. The dry conditions have brought out the pests. Cutworms have eaten through the base of new seedlings like small chainsaws. And this past week, root maggots began slowly attacking our plantings of brassicas, a family of plants that includes broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and others. 

Every time we walked into the field, we discovered more damaged and dead plants. It was heartbreaking. 

We were feeling pretty beat up this past Saturday. But then, baby Willow showed up. We had a work day with Willow and her parents, Hilarie and Miles. Willow delighted in it all. She happily supervised her parents as they assisted us in putting 320 squash and pumpkin plants in the ground. 

We then presented her with a freshly picked radish. She seemed delighted; even mesmerized. If you tried to take the radish from her, there would have been words. Or squeals of discontent anyways. 

Their presence on Saturday, not only meant extra helping hands, it got us out of our heads and reminded us that this is who we do this for. Thank you, Willow. (Oh, and Hilarie and Miles, too.)

By Sunday, things were starting to look up in the field. We had spent the week reading all we could about how to deal with the situation. We also consulted with other farmers to get their thoughts. 

We draped our crops in row cover to protect them from future infestations, and we cultivated beds to ensure the plants were growing in the best possible conditions.

And we kept the irrigation going to make sure the plants had ample water.

With just two weeks left in the month of June, we find ourselves in good shape, overall. All of the beds in the field are now prepped and ready for plants. With the help of our intern for this season, Olivia, and our CSA members who come out to put in their hours, we continued to put transplants and seeds into the soil. 

So far this season we’ve put literally thousands of plants and seeds in the ground: garlic, onions, leeks, winter squash, pumpkin, green beans, carrots, kale, collard greens, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, lettuce, potatoes, sugar snap peas, bok choy, napa cabbage, beets, tomatoes and cucumbers. The planting schedule is designed so that each week this summer, we’ll be able to fill boxes with fresh, seasonal produce.

Setbacks are part of farming. What was so rewarding to us was the way our fellow farmers offered both their encouragement and advice. A farm we follow on Instagram but have never met in person offered some suggestions and even shared their phone number. 

And, best of all, our friends at Farm Sol in Saginaw, had this to say: “Hang in there and try to remind yourselves that seasons are seasonal. You guys are great farmers and the love you grow with shines through!!”

Thanks guys. Right back at you!

Important dates and details

Here is a rundown of important dates and other happenings at the farm.

CSA pickup delayed one day on Fourth of July weekend: Because of the long Fourth of July weekend, we’ve decided to delay our CSA delivery for that week to Wednesday. We’ll send out a reminder once we get closer to that date.

First farm stand: With new hours for the season, we will be opening our farm’s roadside farm stand one week early this year in anticipation of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Our farm stand will be open on Friday, June 30. Our new hours this season will be from 3 to 6 p.m.

June’s CSA member event: Each month, we schedule an event with our CSA members. This month, we are going to keep it simple. Please join us at Love Creamery, 1908 W. Superior St., in Lincoln Park for ice cream with your farmers on Tuesday, June 27. We’ll meet at 7:30, after our CSA pickup is complete. 

Have a cider with your farmers every Tuesday: Throughout the CSA season, we will be at our pickup spot at Duluth Cider from 4 to 7 p.m. Even if your pickup spot is in another location, we hope you’ll stop by and have a cider and say hello – especially if you are new to the CSA this year. 

This week’s veggies and recipes

Here is a rundown of the vegetables in the share this week and our advice on what to do with them.

Every week (or every other week) a box of vegetables arrives, and it can feel overwhelming at times. What do I do with all these vegetables? For this first share, we have some advice that we try to follow ourselves. It comes from our son-in-law Geoff. When visiting the farm last summer, he was in the field by the sugar snap peas when he pulled one off the vine and popped it into his mouth. 

It’s pretty simple, he said, “You just put it in your mouth, ding-dong!”

In other words, consider eating most of the vegetables you get this week fresh and raw. 

In his book, “Six Seasons: A new way with vegetables,” author Joshua McFadden recommends starting to get to know how best to cook any vegetable by tasting them fresh and raw: “Take a bite so that you understand their flavors before you begin making your dish.”

Each week in this newsletter, we’ll share recipes we’ve tried and advice on what to do with each vegetable, but our main goal is to encourage you to let these fresh vegetables speak for themselves.

That’s especially true at the beginning of the season when much of the harvest will be green, tender leafy vegetables. We also want to encourage you to eat the greens on the root vegetables in the early season – such as the radish greens in this week’s share. They are sharp and crisp with just the right amount of kick.

Microgreens: A perfect addition to any plate

This year, we are experimenting with growing different microgreens, including sunflowers and Austrian peas and a Brassica mix. We have been sampling these for the past two weeks. They are on our breakfast plates and in our salads and really on the table for most meals. We also found they stored well in the fridge for more than a week.

Simple stir fry: Baby bok choy and radish greens

This basic sautee can be used for most of the green leafy vegetables you’ll get all season. The cooking method is designed to cook the greens just enough so that they are tender but still have crunch. With early season vegetables that can mean a matter of seconds. As the season goes on and the plants mature, it takes a little longer. (Advice: Just keep tasting as you cook.)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch bok choy, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 bunch radish greens, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 to 3 T grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic (optional), minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or lemon juice 
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the skillet (we use cast iron) and add oil. Heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Toss in the greens – mind the splatter if it’s wet. (Bok choy has a lot of water in it, so you might want do this step in batches if you want to get a little sear on the vegetables. If you put them in all at once, they will steam and not sear, which is also just fine.) Let the greens sit in the pan for a few seconds until the steam starts to come off the greens. 

Using tongs or a spatula, roughly toss the greens, watching for signs that they are wilting. Taste it. If you like the texture, it’s ready. Toss in the garlic, season with salt and pepper and let the garlic cook just long enough to release its flavor. 

Remove from the heat and add some soy sauce or lemon juice if you’d like. You could also add any other of your favorite sauces, seasonings, depending on what you’ve got. (Buffalo chicken wing sauce? You betcha!).

That’s it. Serve it alongside your grilled burger (or on it) or on top of some cooked rice. Maybe throw an egg on it. That’s never a bad idea.

Radishes

These radishes are so delicious, you don’t really need to do anything with them.  The important thing to do with all roots with greens is to cut, or break, the greens off.  If stored with the greens on, the roots will start to get soft.  Store separately.  We really like quartering our radishes and eating them as a snack or as a side at any meal but if you’re inclined to do something different, here is a dip.

Creamy Radish Dip

“Farmstand Fresh” Summer 2014 collection by Fine Cooking Magazine

• 1  8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 4 Tb unsalted butter, softened
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; more as needed
• ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• Dash of hot sauce (optional)
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup finely chopped radishes
• ¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and green parts only
• Fresh vegetables and crackers, for serving

Put the cream cheese, butter, garlic (if using), Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, celery salt, paprika, hot sauce (if using), and salt to taste into a medium bowl.  Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined (you can also use a mixer on low speed, if you like).  Stir in the radishes and scallions.  Chill for several hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Taste and add more salt, Worcestershire sauce or hot sauce, if needed but be careful not to let the Worcestershire sauce overwhelm the delicate flavors.  Serve with fresh vegetables and crackers.

Rhubarb Juice

Rhubarb juice makes for a great addition to summertime beverages.

• 1 ½ cups rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups water
• Sparkling water
• Optional: tequila
• Lime juice

(see “adult drink” below)

Bring rhubarb, sugar and water to a boil, lower to a simmer.  Cook down, about 15 minutes.  Let cool.  Put mixture through a strainer.  Save the juice.  Pour over sparkling water.  If you want to zip it up, add optional ingredients (see additional recipe below!)

78 Degrees North  Vikre Distillery, Duluth

For one drink:

• 1 oz Ovrevann Aquavit
• ¾ oz rhubarb syrup/juice (see above)
• ½ oz lime juice
• Dry sparkling wine

Shake the aquavit, rhubarb juice, and lime juice with ice to chill.  Strain into a champagne flute or coupe and top with sparkling wine.

Kale

We know some people have a love/hate relationship with kale.  Some people hate it and others can never get enough.  Two things: Heather-Marie used to not like it and now loves it and two, it’s so easy to grow!  We have collected kale recipes over the years and will share many but it’s so versatile that you can put it in anything.  We put it in bags and have it in the freezer to use all winter long.

Massaged Kale Salad

from Eating Well

John introduced Heather-Marie to this salad.  We eat this on constant rotation for an easy summer meal.

• 2 bunches kale
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 minced anchovy fillet or ½ teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Strip leaves from the stems (discard stems). Wash and dry the leaves. Tear the leaves into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Add Parmesan, oil, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce, anchovy (if using), pepper and salt. With clean hands, firmly massage and crush the greens to work in the flavoring. Stop when the volume of greens is reduced by about half. The greens should look a little darker and somewhat shiny. Taste and adjust seasoning with more Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce and/or pepper, if desired.