Summer Share Five June 12th 2017
Important information:
- Please let us know if you would like to add on a tree fruit share. They will begin in early July with sweet cherries.
- Please remember that the information you need if you miss your distribution is in the first newsletter supplied before we began shares. Alternate distribution sites are also found on our website @ http://promisedlandcsa.com/csa/dates-locations/
Farm News form Jane
Even though it is not technically summer yet, I sure felt the full power of summer this past weekend. The full moon rose just before the sun fully set on Friday. I forget that this is the quandary of the long hours of daylight near the summer solstice. The moon was a gorgeous orange fireball just on the horizon. I was hoping for a “paddle” around the pond while waiting for the moon to rise but as it were, it was a bit too late for me that evening… I guess I’ll have to wait until July when the sun sets just a wee bit earlier! No complaints though there is something so surreal about the warm air and light in the sky until so late into the evening. I remember as a child coming home from a friend’s house late in the day after working on a school project feeling like the temperature and humidity were just perfect what I now understand to be neutrothermal; not hot not cool almost as if your skin blended into the air and you were “one” with the environment. I don’t think that I’ve ever experienced that quite the same again.
And talking about the weather; the heat has arrived and the veggies are responding accordingly! The tomatoes which were transplanted out into the field just a week or two ago are a beautiful dark green and growing quickly. They have begun to blossom; no transplant shock or transition time for them! We were able to get the tomatoes suckered and trellised over the last few days. Suckering the indeterminate variety of tomatoes (the ones which continue to grow throughout their growth cycle) is a continual process to keep the plant trained to grow and mature ripe fruit as opposed to growing lots of plant. A few blocks of the early red potatoes are also looking very lush and healthy. The peas are blossoming which means not too many weeks before we will begin the harvest! It looks like we may be past the cool, rainy spring season and we may even need to think about watering a bit. But the “winds of change” we’ve been feeling over the last few days will most likely bring us a shower later this week. The breeze sure did make everyone a lot more comfortable while working today!
Enjoy a refreshing salad perhaps with a rhubarb vinaigrette dressing. (See recipe section).
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s who taught us from on their knee until we were old enough to really understand just how much they knew. Thanks for all the love and wisdom Father! Enjoy your day, Jane
Produce: Asparagus Red Cherokee lettuce Red Fire lettuce Garlic scapes
Produce tips:
– The Red Fire head lettuce is quite fragile; the leaves easily fall off the core. But oh so tasty and tender!
– Garlic scapes are the long, curly stem which ends in a seed pod point. All of it is edible and makes a great pesto. (If perhaps you are lucky enough to have some basil on hand!)
– Thursday shares will receive the last of this season’s rhubarb as they did not receive it last week.
– I’ve added a few more rhubarb recipes for those of you who have a stockpile in the fridge. Don’t forget that it’s easy enough to slice or chop and freeze for later use when you have time to “play around” in the kitchen.
Recipes
ROASTED RHUBARB
4cups fresh rhubarb, chopped, 1⁄2cup sugar, 1⁄4cup orange juice or 1⁄4 cup lemon juice, 2tablespoons candied ginger or 2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, minced, 1teaspoon orange peel or 1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
Combine all the ingredients in a baking pan and spread out evenly. Bake in preheated oven at 450F until rhubarb is soft but still retains its shape (about 25 minutes). Stir, cool slightly, and serve with ice cream or yogurt or serve as a chutney accompanying meat.
RHUBARB VINAIGRETTE
1/4c honey, 1 cup water, 4 stalks rhubarb, diced, 1/4c red wine vinegar, zest of one lemon, 1/4c extra virgin olive oil, pinch coarse sea salt, several twists freshly ground pepper
Heat Water and honey over medium heat. When the mixture begins to boil, add rhubarb and boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in vinegar and lemon zest; simmer 5-10 minutes, until dressing has reduced by about half. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly. Whisk the olive oil into the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or cold over fresh salad greens. Yields about 2 cups; Recipe form Mother Earth News
RHUBARBECUE
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, 3 to 4 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
SAUCE: 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (about 7 stalks), 2 cups fresh strawberries, halved, 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup bourbon, 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper , flakes, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Preheat oven to 325°. Mix salt, paprika and pepper; sprinkle over ribs. Refrigerate, covered, while preparing sauce. In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb and strawberries; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Drain; return to pan. Mash until blended. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Brown ribs in batches, adding additional oil as needed. Remove from pan. Add onion to same pan; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until tender. Add remaining ingredients; stir in rhubarb mixture. Return ribs to pan, turning to coat. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake 2 hours or until ribs are tender. Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Yield: 8 servings. Recipe from Taste of Home
RHUBARB CAKE WITH LEMON SAUCE ½ C butter, ½ C sugar, ½ C packed brown sugar, 1 egg, 2 t. vanilla extract, 3 C all-purpose flour, 1 t. baking powder, 1t. cinnamon, ½ t. slat, ½ t. baking soda, 1 C buttermilk, 2 C. chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, 1 T. cinnamon sugar
Lemon Sauce: 1 C. sugar, ½ C butter, cubed, 1/3 C. water, 3 T lemon juice, 1 egg, beaten, 1 t grated lemon peel, 1 t. ground nutmeg
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and soda with the creamed mixture alternately with the butter. Fold in rhubarb. Transfer to a greased 13×9-in. baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake @ 3500 for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack. For sauce, in a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into the egg; return all to the pan stirring constantly. Cook and stir until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in lemon peel and nutmeg. Serve warm with cake. Yield: 12 servings (1-1/2 cups sauce). Recipe from Taste of Home
GRILLED CHICKEN WITH RHUBARB RELISH
3 C diced rhubarb, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, 1 cup orange juice, 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped, 2 shallots minced
Chicken: 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, salt and pepper, 1 T fresh lemon juice, Olive oil Place all relish ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring every so often, for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Cool. Preheat the grill. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Brush with lemon juice and oil. Grill about 6 min. per side. Relish: 3 cups
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
8 oz. scapes cut in 1 in. pieces and processed with 1 cup Olive oil, 2 cups Parmesan cheese and ½ cup lemon juice.
GARLIC BUTTER
1/2 cup butter; 2 garlic scapes, minced; 1 Tablespoon parsley; 1/2 teaspoon oregano
Soften butter to room temperature. Combine other ingredients, mixing well. Use with meats, breads, and vegetables. Yields 1/2 cup.
ZIPPY GARLIC DRESSING
2/3 c. salad oil; 1/4 c. wine vinegar; 1 tsp. sugar; 3/4 tsp. salt; 3/4 tsp. dry mustard; Dash freshly ground pepper; 1 garlic scape, minced
In a screw-top jar, combine all ingredients; shake well. Chill thoroughly before serving. Makes about 1 cup.
GRILLED ASPARAGUS
Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.
ASPARAGUS CHICKEN SALAD
1T olive oil; 4 Chicken breasts; ½ t salt; ½ t pepper; 2c mushrooms; 2t minced garlic; ½ t thyme; 1lb asparagus (1″ pieces); ¾ c chicken broth; 1t cornstarch; 3T balsamic vinegar; 1T lemon juice; 1T honey
Heat 2 t oil med-hi, add pounded chicken breasts, cook with salt and pepper, 3min per side. Heat remaining oil med-hi, add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, asparagus, cook 3 min. Combine broth and cornstarch, add to vinegar, juice and honey, then add to pan. Boil to thicken. Serve over chicken.
FRESH ASPARAGUS COUSCOUS SALAD
DRESSING: 1 garlic scape, very finely chopped; 6 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped (reserve greens for salad);
6 Tbsp. lime juice; 1 tsp. salt; freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
SALAD: 1/3 cup finely chopped onion; 2 Tsp. vegetable oil; 2/3 cup each fish or chicken stock, water, and couscous; 1 lb asparagus, sliced diagonally into 1/3-inch slices, reserve tips; l/3 lb. cooked small shrimp
In a small bowl mix the garlic, scallions, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a medium saucepan sauté the onions in oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add the stock and water. Bring to a boil, then stir in the couscous, remove from heat, and cover. After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and allow to stand 5 more minutes, then fluff again. Transfer to a large dish and refrigerate. As other ingredients are readied, remove and fluff every 10 minutes. Blanch the asparagus until tender but crisp. Place into iced water for 2 minutes, drain and set on towels to absorb extra moisture. Whip the oil into dressing with a fork, then stir in the dill. Mix the asparagus, radishes, green onions, shrimp, and dressing into the couscous. Serve over a lettuce leaf base, garnishing with the asparagus tips.