CSA week 3: Let the harvest begin

With the heat of mid-summer, we have begun to transition away from the planting season and into the season of cultivation — which is just fancy farmer talk for “weeding.” But with cultivating comes our favorite part of farming: harvesting. (And eating, of course.) 

Thanks to help from CSA members Avesa Rockwell and Jeremy Kershaw, we got the last of our fall transplants into the ground this week. This was a good feeling. We can look across the field now and see a gorgeous tapestry of plants that are exploding under the hot Minnesota sun as they flower and produce the vegetables that will sustain us all through our remaining deliveries of the summer and then into fall for those who have signed up for a fall share delivery (there is still time to do that if you are interested in pumpkins, winter squash and other great fall vegetables).

Now in our second year of farming on this field, the hard work is starting to pay off, and we are very pleased with how things are going. 

In her book, “The Dirty Life,” author Kristin Kimball writes that part of farming is getting used to loss. In other words, things don’t always work out. There will be successes and there will be failures. There isn’t much to do about it. You shout a few profanities and you move on.

For us, the successes have been many this year, but we have had some failures, mainly in the area of lettuce, salad and braising mixes. Their germination rates have been spotty while weeds have dominated those beds. We aren’t sure why. We have tilled and replanted and we will hope for the best.

We have been fortunate this year not to have had to use any pest control products — while we grow using organic methods, there are some pesticides that can be used on organic farms. Unfortunately, we have noticed a few potato bugs starting to populate both our potato plants and our tomatoes. We will monitor them and try to control, but we may have no option but to spray some pesticide in the next week or two. This is a water-soluble product, so there are no health concerns and it does not harm beneficial insects that we want in our field.

In fact, our farm has had some more welcome critters. Earlier in the growing season, we noticed milkweed growing in our beds. For those who don’t know, milkweed is the one thing that Monarch butterflies eat. So, we left it there, and sure enough, this week we saw the Monarch caterpillars in the field. We lost a few feet of planting for our green beans, but we know that our members see that this was an easy sacrifice to make.

What’s in your shares this week

If things go well, we think we are right on the cusp of our really big deliveries, so get ready. We think this will be one of our more successful seasons as far as the amount and variety of produce. 

This week, the vegetables we are delivering to you are a few new items as well as a couple of favorites that we’ve had already: kohlrabi, head lettuce, turnips, garlic scapes, basil and Swiss chard. We will also have Napa cabbage in the swap box this week.

Recipes

Here are a few recipes from us. We are so pleased that members are also using email to share their own recipes with one another. Keep sharing, asking questions and communicating with the rest of the CSA community!

Kohlrabi and Pea Vine Patties with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce (From “Asparagus to Zucchini”)

AMAZING and a little spicy!!

Sauce:

1 bunch cilantro, stemmed, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

½ tsp salt

1 tsp honey

5 oz plain yogurt

Patties:

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T minced ginger

1 T minced garlic or garlic scapes

1 T curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

½ c packed chopped pea vines or Asian greens

3 medium kohlrabi, peeled and shredded

2 T flour

1 egg

¼ c vegetable oil

1 c bread crumbs

Combine sauce ingredients and let stand 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix all ingredients for the patties except breadcrumbs and vegetable oil.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Form kohlrabi mixture into small patties, squeezing hard to extract excess moisture.  Roll patties in the bread crumbs (FARMER NOTE- I actually think the patties stick together better if you add the bread crumbs to the mixture instead of rolling).  Fry patties on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with cilantro dipping sauce.  

Makes 6 patties.  

Fettuccine with Swiss Chard, Walnuts and Lemon

By Chef Michael Schlow from the Create program, “The Victory Garden”

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces homemade or fresh fettuccine

3 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced

3 cups Swiss chard, washed

4 tablespoons halved walnuts

4 oz clear vegetable or chicken stock

Pinch of fresh chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon butter

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Over high heat, place the oil and garlic in a large sauté pan and gently cook until the garlic turns golden brown.
3. Add 3 pinches of salt, 2 pinches of black pepper, and 2 pinches of crushed red pepper to the oil.
4. Add the rosemary and Swiss chard. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still has a bit of bite to it.
6. While the pasta is cooking, add the stock to the Swiss chard and reduce for 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Add the walnuts and cook for 30 seconds.
8. Add the lemon juice and butter. Taste for seasoning.
9. Strain the pasta from the water and add it to the Swiss chard. Toss it all together until most of the liquid is absorbed by the pasta.
10. Add the cheese.
11. The pasta should be slightly creamy, and no extra sauce should be apparent. Divide into two bowls and serve.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps “Tastes from Valley to Bluff”

These are really tasty!  You can substitute mushrooms or tofu for a vegetarian option.

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 pound ground turkey breast

½ c green onions, sliced

1 ½ T fresh ginger, finely grated

½ tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, mined

1 T soy sauce

1/3 c Hoisin sauce

8 lettuce leaves, washed, dried, chilled

¼ c sliced almonds, toasted

1.  Sauté the bell pepper in the vegetable oil for 2 minutes.  Add the turkey, green onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic.  Stir while cooking for 5 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink.

2.   Add the soy sauce and Hoisin sauce.  Heat thoroughly for one minute.

3.  Spoon the turkey mixture into each lettuce leaf.  Sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds, roll up tightly, and serve immediately.  

Turnips in Coconut and Mustard Seed Curry by Vikas Khanna from The Spendid Table

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 fresh green chile pepper (such as serrano) seeded and minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

1 pound tender turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook until crackling, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, and green chile and cook until onion turns golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and tomato and cook, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the turnips, coconut milk, turmeric, and salt and mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Add water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the turnips are cooked, 15 to 20 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook until any remaining water is evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with dill.