FULL SHARE & YELLOW HALF SHARE PICK UP TONIGHT

Pick up today: 5pm - 7:30pm at PS 56 on the corner of Gates and Downing

This Week's Share

Peas or bunched pea shoots
Bunched yellow onions
Purple kohlrabi
Potted Genovese basil
Garlic scapes
A variety of greens, including two heads of lettuce, Swiss chard, a mustard mix and collards
Cucumbers
Green zucchinis or yellow ‘Zephyr’ squashes
Fruit: Pete’s small but delicious sweet cherries

Letter from Windflower Farm

Delivery #5, Week of July 2, 2018

Happy July fourth!

Your fifth share of the season will contain peas or bunched pea shoots. This year, we have grown snap peas and snow peas, both of which are eaten as whole pods either fresh or steamed. If you get your peas in bunched form, keep in mind that the tendrils and leaves and blossoms are good in salads and that the stems are woody and should be discarded. You’ll also get bunched yellow onions, purple kohlrabi, potted Genovese basil, garlic scapes and a variety of greens, including two heads of lettuce, Swiss chard, a mustard mix and collards. And you’ll get cucumbers and green zucchinis or yellow ‘Zephyr’ squashes. Your fruit share will consist of Pete’s small but delicious sweet cherries.

We have begun practicing the siesta here at the farm. We were indoors watching the World Cup after lunch yesterday, when temperatures were in the 90s, and then out planting beans in the relatively cooler evening hours. Irrigating happened all day long, but that was largely a matter of my turning valves and operating pumps. It is early Sunday morning as I write this, the Medinas are harvesting collards and Swiss chard and Jan is harvesting some of the longer lived cut flower varieties. They will cool their harvests, dunking them into tubs of cold well water, in the case of the greens, or into buckets of fresh water in the case of the cut flowers, and have them in their respective coolers before the day heats up (we will harvest your salad greens tomorrow). We will then turn our attention to onions, cucumbers, kohlrabi and squashes - vegetables that are less immediately sensitive to the heat. Processing the onions and kohlrabi – removing stems, roots and bad leaves and bunching - is something we will do in the shade, the Medina’s Mariachi music in the background, something cold to drink at hand.

You are invited to our open house at Windflower Farm on the weekend of August 25 - 26. There will be farm tours, a potluck supper, live music, a bonfire, camping (or staying at a nearby B&B or motel), breakfast prepared by the farm crew, a county fair, swimming in the Battenkill River and the camaraderie of your fellow CSA members from throughout New York. More details to come, including information regarding transportation.

I hope you can join us. And I hope you have a happy fourth of July.

Best wishes, Ted

Pea Shoot Recipe

This week you'll be receiving peas or pea shoots - here's some inspiration for what to do with them, via The Kitchn...

Toasted Farro Salad with Fresh Peas, Pea Shoots, and Herbs
Serves 4

For the champagne vinaigrette:
1 green onion, trimmed and minced
1 clove garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
Pinch sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the farro salad:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry farro
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 pound fresh English peas, shelled
4 ounces herb-encrusted Capricho de Cabra cheese or goat's milk chèvre, crumbled
1 cup pea shoots and flowers, shoots torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
Freshly ground pepper to taste

To make the vinaigrette, whisk to combine green onion, garlic, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, and sea salt in a small bowl; whisk in honey and olive oil.

Set a large, wide-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, and when hot, add farro. Stirring constantly, toast until farro has darkened a shade and smells nutty and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Fill pot with cold water and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until farro is tender but chewy, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and and spoon farro into a large salad bowl. Toss warm farro with several tablespoons vinaigrette and set aside.

Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a vigorous boil. While water comes to a boil, set out a strainer and a large bowl filled with ice water. When water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon sea salt. Add peas to boiling water, cook 60 seconds, strain, and immerse strainer with peas in ice water. Drain and set aside.

To assemble salad, toss dressed farro with peas and goat cheese. Drizzle with a few teaspoons vinaigrette and gently toss. Add pea shoots and flowers, and fresh mint, and toss very gently. Finish with a drizzle of vinaigrette and a few twists of pepper.

Zucchini Recipes

You can never have too many zucchini recipes (and therefore you can never have too many zucchini...!) Here are some unusual and delicious ways with zucchini (or courgettes) from Yotam Ottolenghi: a filo pie, a savory porridge, and a salad. Thanks to CHCSA Head Coordinator Ruth Katcher for the link!

Celebrate Your Independence from Waste!

This Fourth of July, the NYS DEC put out this great guide to throwing waste-free parties all summer long. From the decorations to the food, there are so many ways to make your gathering environmentally-friendly. Many thanks to CHCSA Distribution Manager Stephen Narloch for the link!

THE BEET: VOLUME 17; WEEK 5