After all this rain, so many crops are really taking off, such as the peas, beets and zucchini. There are flowers and starts of fruit on the peas and many flowers on the zucchini, so we're hoping that both of them will be available next week! Now all we need is a few not overcast rainy days!We had a very unfortunate incident here on the farm Monday morning; we woke up to the rain and remembered we left windows open in our car, to find it had been stolen. It was found later Monday morning crashed in a ditch. This is why we weren't at the Cicero Market yesterday.

What a terrible setback- but we aren't letting that deter us. I'd like to think of it as a sign that we should be doing less driving around, and grow our farm stand this season. So, depending on when we get another car on the road, we'll be hashing out ideas for a simple roadside stand, probably Sundays. Keep posted on our facebook for confirmation on this and spread the word.

In the meantime we'll be working how to do Deliveries tomorrow AND get to Oswego for the market and customers there. Rest assured we'll get your food to you!

We tried out our new cultivator attachment this past weekend, and are happy to report it works like a gem and we were able to weed 9 beds in 20 minutes with only 3 people! Workshare folks- sure beats hoeing for four hours!

A few weeks ago we added 100 more laying hens to the flock, and they are starting to lay! So egg share folks, you may occasionally get an 18 pack of small "pullet" eggs until they start laying normal ones. This news is exciting to our regular market customers since all of our eggs have been claimed by our supportive CSA members up to this point.

This week's harvest ---

Regular shares: mint, asparagus, dandelion greens, garlic scapes, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, baby red bok choi.

Small shares: mint, lettuce, kale, dandelion greens,  baby red bok choi, and garlic scapes.

For those who don't know- a garlic scape is the flower bud that forms on garlic plants. By pinching them (and eating them) it encourages the plant to put more energy into creating a bigger bulb. So enjoy this seasonal treat just like you would garlic.  Use them chopped green bean size or smaller in roasted or sautéed dishes.  (I like adding them whole to asparagus roasted in olive oil and balsamic vinegar) They look cool, and taste- like garlic. Also using them for making a garlic scape pesto is another favorite, if you like a strong garlic taste. Use them in place of cloves of garlic in any recipe, like this one- a traditional Italian Dandelion green dish.

For the record, we did not just go out and harvest "weeds" - these are cultivated varieties of dandelions that don't bolt,  we started from seed as transplants, and I find to be much more tender and less bitter than wild ones. 

Greens prepared like this are great on some pasta and with some good pastured Italian sausage, (available from our friends at Grindstone Farm,  Schuler Heritage Farm, & Longhorn Ranch) and parmesan cheese.

Sautéed Dandelion Greens from: http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2008/05/sauted-dandelion-greens/Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

These bitter greens mellow out when sautéed with garlic and seasonings.

Ingredients:1 Large Bunch Dandelion Greens
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Dash Of Red Pepper Flakes
1 Large Clove of Garlic, Chopped

Directions:Rinse the greens well, and remove any brown ends.
Squeeze dry to remove excess water.
Cut into 3 inch pieces. In a large, heavy saucepan or frying pan, add the damp greens, the garlic clove, and the oil.
Saute for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the greens are soft and tender.
Add salt and pepper, and red pepper until you have reached your desired level of heat.
Place on a platter, and serve.

We hope everyone enjoyed last week's share and are making room in their fridges for this week's!

Well, we harvested all morning, and then went out to finish planting the rest of the winter squash and bell peppers. After all the rain we got this weekend, (over 3 inches) the weeds are starting to take off, so we'll be trying out our new cultivating tool, the "Ecoweeder" this Friday.Workshare members can start putting in their hours at any time, we have weeding, planting  and trellising that need to be tended to.

This weeks share contents are as follows:

Regular shares: 1 lb asparagus, arugula, garlic greens, red russian kale, lettuce (red or green leaf or romaine) mustard greens, french breakfast radishes, and shallot greens

Small Shares: 1/2lb asparagus, arugula, garlic greens, lettuce, mustard greens, french breakfast radishes, red russian kale

Mustard greens are the main ingredient in this week's recipe. It's one of those greens no one wants to juice but cooking it reduces it's spiciness and lends flavor to other foods prepared with them.  I've yet to try them prepared like this, but many customers have told me this is how they like to prepare their mustards. The onion and garlic can be substituted with the shallot greens and garlic greens in this recipe.

Mustard Greens 'n Beans 

(source) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mustard-Greens-n-Beans/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=mustard%20greens&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i4

IngredientsOriginal recipe makes 6 servingsMakes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste
  
  
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  
  
• 2 tablespoons water
  
  
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
  
  

• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  
  1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  
  
• 1 pound mustard greens, washed and chopped
  
  1 (15 ounce) can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained
  
  
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
  
  

Directions 

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil; cook and stir onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix vinegar, water, sugar, dry mustard, and red pepper flakes until sugar has dissolved. Place the mustard greens into the onion and garlic mixture, and pour in the vinegar mixture. Stir to combine, cover the Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Simmer the greens until the liquid has been absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Mix in the white beans, allow to heat through, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

                          

We hope everyone enjoys their first share of the season and all goes smoothly with pickup.

Please contact us with any concerns or questions.