CSA Newsletter 07.15

"What I stand for is what I stand on." Wendell Berry

It was another busy week on the farm, full of hand weeding, harvesting, and planting. The weeds seem to be just as busy as we are, popping up everywhere and refusing to die. There is lots of laughter on this farm and we are so thankful to our crew for coming to work every day with a kiss ass attitude! Each week there is something new to harvest and joining the list this week are scallions, potatoes, Scarlet Queen red stem turnips, escarole, and sea kale. Trying new vegetable varieties every season keeps the farm kitchen smelling good. We always look forward to the fennel, chard, and kales being ready. Hopefully you are all trying new recipes or enjoying old favorites!

In your boxes this week:

Full Shares:
-Mesclun
-Arugula
-Siberian Kale
-Tuscano Kale
-Head Lettuce
-Fennel
-Scallions
-Scarlet Queen Turnips
-Frisee

Half Shares:
-Red Radishes
-Mesclun
-Arugula
-Tuscano Kale
-Rainbow Chard
-Fennel

Shaved Fennel Salad
If you're using a knife to prep here, do your best to slice things very, very thinly - not quite see through thin, but close
1 medium-large zucchini, sliced into paper thin coins
2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and shaved paper-thin
2/3 cup / .5oz/ 15g loosely chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup / 80ml fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
1/3 cup / 80ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
fine grain sea salt
4 or 5 generous handfuls arugula
Honey, if needed
1/2 cup / 2 oz/ 60g pine nuts, toasted (I used almonds)
1/3 cup / 2 oz / 60g / feta cheese, crumbled
Combine the zucchini, fennel and dill in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside and marinate for 20 minutes, or up to an hour.
When you are ready to serve the salad, put the arugula in a large bowl. Scoop all of the zucchini and fennel onto the arugula, and pour most of the lemon juice dressing on top of that. Toss gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust with more of the dressing, olive oil, lemon juice, or salt if needed. If the lemons were particularly tart, you may need to counter the pucker-factor by adding a tiny drizzle of honey into the salad at this point. Let your taste buds guide you. Serve topped with pine nuts and feta.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON BOXES: We would ask everyone to please return the boxes to your pick up site each week if you can, we do try to reuse them. If you are picking up from High Rise or Flour they requested that if you want to unload your boxes and leave them, please do so outside the bakery. Thank you for the extra help, we really appreciate it!

~Matt and Heather and the Sparrow Arc Crew