CSA week 1: Welcoming a new season at the farm

The Anderson family of Morgan Park came out Saturday to help us plant several hundred pepper plants. We’re grateful to our CSA members who sign up for contributing shares, working hours on the farm in exchange for a reduced price for their CSA share.

In their shares this week, members will receive the following vegetables: rhubarb, chives, spicy microgreens, head lettuce, radishes, kale and a yellow onion from last fall’s harvest.

This newsletter includes a brief 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

The sunrises are pretty early at the farm this time of year, which is good because your farmers need to get out of bed and get to work.

This week’s delivery marks the start of the fifth CSA season for Rising Phoenix at our farm in Barnum, but it’s Heather-Marie’s 15th year owning this business. After a number of years of getting established at our farm in Barnum, we feel like we have our systems and routines in place, and the seasonal rhythm of the farm is starting to find its groove. 

This farming season has started off well. The weather brought us a fluky, warm couple of weeks that, unfortunately, meant that two entire plantings of an Asian vegetable called baby bok choy intended for boxes this week and next got too hot and “bolted” before we could even put them in the ground. These plants require consistently cool springs and the fluctuations in weather we have had in the past few years mean we have decided we can’t count on this plant any more. Next year, we’ll experiment with growing a larger, more hardy bok choy. 

Otherwise, things are going well in the field. We have had a number of work days and gotten a lot of help getting plants in the ground. Our larger high tunnel is now filled with hundreds of tomato and pepper plants as well as the first plantings of cucumbers. We have hundreds of onions plants thriving, including the addition of shallots, which is a new crop for us. 

The stretches of wet days are welcome, but they are also slowing down our ability to get some plants in the ground. This week, we hope to get tomatoes in the ground as well as winter squashes and eggplant.

This year, our team at the farm includes Kristina, a longtime CSA member and friend, who started working with us part time last season. We are also pleased to have Amelia return to us as an intern. She is from Sturgeon Lake who just graduated from Moose Lake High School. 

Images from the farm

Longtime CSA members Joanne, left, and Jodi, right, help put tomato plants in the ground in our high tunnel.
Heather-Marie pulls back protective row cover to do some field cultivation. This year, we are experimenting with planting clover in our walkways to cut down on weeds and add nitrogen to our soil.
For the past few weeks, we’ve shared our field with a family of killdeer, which nested in our tomato beds. Four eggs hatched and the parents have been shepherding the four baby killdeer around the field as the babies learn the ropes and prepare for the day they can fly off. We have learned that killdeer don’t have the ability to fly for several weeks. We’ve enjoyed watching them scurry about.
Heather-Marie puts in another planting of carrots.

This week’s veggies and recipes

Early season kale is tender and nutritious. We use it with eggs, in our smoothies and also just chomp on a few leaves.

This week’s share offers a variety of early season produce that should provide some bright, tasty dishes. For CSA members, make sure to consult the member portal, which offers tips on storing and preserving what’s in your boxes.

Kale totchos

This is a “recipe” that John came up with while watching the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs a few weeks ago. It’s very simple and will taste fantastic with the early season kale, which is quite tender and delicious. All “amounts” are approximate.

Ingredients

  • Tater tots
  • Garlic, minced
  • Olive oil, 3 Tbs
  • Kale, large bunch, stems removed, torn into shreds
  • Grated cheese, at least half cup

Instructions

This entire dish can be made in a cast iron skillet or a glass casserole dish. Preheat oven to the temperature on the tater tot package. 

Cook the tots while preparing the other items. Once the tots are how you like them, smash then a little to break them up a bit using a spatula or wooden spoon. 

Next, add oil, garlic and kale and combine it all, allowing the kale to wilt. If the kale is tougher, you may want to add a couple of teaspoons of water to cook it down more.

Combine again and toss in the cheese.

Return to the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and the ingredients are combined. Enjoy! You could serve this with salsa or sour cream if you liked. You could always put a fried egg on top as well. 

Rhubarb Custard Bars

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SHORTBREAD

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup cold unsalted butter (1½ sticks), cut into 1-inch pieces

FOR THE FILLING

  • 10 ounces rhubarb, sliced (2½ cups), plus 1 slender red stalk for the top
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 Tb freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
  • 3 Tb all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tb finely grated orange or lemon zest
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

DIRECTIONS: 

 1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan:

• Heat oven to 325°F.

• Line a 9-by-9-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.

2. Make Crust:

•In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt.

• Add butter and process until crumbly dough forms.

• Press dough into the lined pan evenly.

• Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden at the edges, rotating halfway through.

• Transfer to a wire rack and increase oven temperature to 350°F.

 3. Prepare Filling:

• In a medium saucepan, cook rhubarb and 1 cup sugar over medium-low heat until juices are released.

• Simmer, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb breaks down (15-20 minutes).

• Transfer to food processor and let cool for 15 minutes.

4. Prepare Rhubarb Strips:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel long strips from a rhubarb stalk.

• Cut strips into 1½-inch lengths, set aside.

5. Finish Filling:

• Add eggs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, flour, zest, and salt to the food processor. 

• Pulse until the mixture is puréed.

• Pour onto baked shortbread base and scatter rhubarb strips on top.

 6. Bake:

• Bake for 20-30 minutes until filling is set and puffy.

• Cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Cut and Serve:

• Use parchment overhang to lift pastry from the pan.

• Cut into 1¾-inch squares.

• Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Microgreens info

Microgreens are immature seedlings of herbs and vegetables that are grown densely and quickly.  They are grown in shallow trays of dirt and harvested only a couple of inches tall.  Microgreens are packed with nutrients and flavor and are delicious!

Same ways to use them:

  • On top of scrambled eggs or a frittata
  • In sandwiches or wraps in place of lettuce
  • Added to pasta or grains
Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing

This recipe was given to us by former CSA member Jack Kelly.

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD

  • 1-2 heads lettuce
  • Microgreens

BUTTERMILK-CHIVE DRESSING

  •  ¾ cup buttermilk
  •  ½ cup mayonnaise
  •  2 tbsp chopped chives
  •  1 tbsp minced green onion
  •  1 garlic clove, minced
  •   ½ tsp salt
  •   ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare Dressing:

   • In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, chives, green onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Prepare Vegetables:

   • Discard tough or brown outer leaves of leaves, and base of head to separate all leaves.  Dry with a paper towel or put in salad spinner to dry.

3. Assemble Salad:

   • Arrange lettuce in a bowl or plate.  Drizzle with buttermilk-chive dressing.  Top with microgreens.

   • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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