2024 Spring | Week 10
“Sometimes you gotta close a door to open a window”
This is our last week of our Spring 2024 harvests. Matt, Charlotte, and I have had a blast providing fresh veggies for all our loyal and local Farmtastik X. Our summer session will start next week. We’ll do 10 weeks again, but there might be some gaps as consistent crops are more difficult when it gets hot. Some people worry that they might miss out on some shares due to vacations. We get it, and we're pretty flexible as long as we know in advance when your share will be on hold. We'll hold the price at $350/share. We'll make sure you get your money's worth. We'll simply adjust your account and discount the fall share.
We’ll have a diverse range of veggies this summer, including daikon radish, kale, snap peas, green beans, broccoli, golden beets, romaine, herb packs, fresh garlic, and French fingerling potatoes. BTW, we will have lots of tomatoes and peppers (five varieties of each) this summer for those who like to put up sauces, juices, and salsa! That’s a lot of great summer meals. Don’t miss out.
What's in Your Crate this Week?
Click the plus sign next to each item for tips, tricks, and recipes!
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Here’s what JOhnny’s says about this mix:A specially designed blend based on two years of trial research to make your salad mix stand out from the crowd. Selected varieties yield darker reds and greens even under low-light conditions. Ruffled edges and unique leaf shapes provide loft, interesting texture, good shelf life, and fancy appearance. Includes green oakleaf, red oakleaf, green romaine, red romaine, lollo rossa, and red leaf lettuces.
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SCAPES 101 Raw garlic scapes are crunchy like green beans or asparagus, when cooked garlic scapes tend to take on a more muted and sweeter flavor similar to roasted garlic. Sauté your scapes with other fresh veggies to infuse everything with a subtle garlic flavor. Or, toss with oil, salt, and pepper and sauté or grill them - they’re great on their own or as a side. You can even cut them long to be used as a substitute for the green beans in a spicy stir-fry.
EAT NOW To prep, trim and discard the stringy tip of the scape and the bottom, woodier part of the stem. Cut crosswise, either minced or in large sections, depending on how you will use it.
OR LATER Store in a plastic bag in the fridge for 2-3 weeks or for a few days on the counter in a glass with cool water - bonus, it’s beautiful! Scapes can also be blanched, then stored in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 1 mo.
RECIPES
yankeestreetfarm.com/blog/the-great-garlic-scape
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KALE 101 - Wash leaves in lukewarm water. If your greens have thick stems, remove them by folding each leaf in half and slicing out the stem. Then, stack the leaves up and slice diagonally into 1” wide strips.
EAT NOW - Wrap unwashed chard or kale in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Best used very fresh, but may last for a week. To freeze, blanch washed greens, rinse in cold ice water, drain, and pack into airtight containers.
OR LATER - Swiss chard or kale can both be eaten raw or cooked. A longer cooking time is best as it brings out the sweetness in the greens. Extremely high in vitamin K and vitamin A, these nutrient-dense greens can help combat cancer and reduce blood pressure! Chard and kale can be used interchangeably with: collards, turnip greens, beet greens, broccoli raab, mustard greens, dandelion, and spinach.
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Microgreens 101—Before use, rinse gently in cool (not hot or cold) water to remove excess dirt. Pat or spin dry, and you’re good to go! Pat or spin dry your greens to remove excess moisture (moisture = mush!). Place loosely in a plastic bag or container and put in the fridge. They will keep for up to one week.
Eat These Immediately!
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Radishes 101 Our radishes are delicious when raw, with a sprinkle of salt or butter. The spicy, raw flavor is a wonderful addition to slaws and salads, or you can sauté and roast radishes to bring out a more subtle earthly flavor. You can even try them grilled!
EAT NOW Scrub radishes well to remove dirt, then trim stem and rootlets. Slice, chop, or mince or leave them whole. Delicious raw or cooked.
OR LATER Remove leaves and store unwashed greens in loosely wrapped plastic bag in crisper. Store unwashed roots in plastic bag in fridge for up to 1 week.
RECIPES
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SPINACH 101 - This versatile, leafy green is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Plus, it’s a great source of plant-based iron! It can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. To get the most out of your cooked spinach, briefly blanch, steam, or sauté until it turns bright green.
EAT NOW - Swish leaves in basin of cool water and let sit for a minute to remove grit. Then, spin or pat dry. Ready to eat raw! If you want to cook your spinach, blanch, steam, or sauté til just wilted. Color will brighten beautifully to signal it is done. Serve immediately.
OR LATER - Keep dry, unwashed greens in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 1 week. To freeze, blanch washed greens for 1 minute, drain, and pack into airtight containers and place in freezer - will keep for up to a year. Frozen spinach is a great addition to smoothies!
To blanch, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. While you wait for boil, prepare an ice bath. Once boiling, drop veggies into water - water should return to boil within a minute otherwise you have too much veg for the water. Once boil has returned, cook for 1-5 min until veg has a vibrant color. Immediately put into ice bath to stop cooking.
RECIPES
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SWISS CHARD 101 - A member of the Beet family, Swiss chard can be eaten raw or cooked. A longer cooking time is best as it brings out the sweetness in the green. Extremely high in vitamin K and vitamin A, this nutrient-dense green can help combat cancer and reduce blood pressure! Chard can be used interchangeably with: collards, turnip greens, beet greens, broccoli raab, mustard greens, dandelion, spinach and kale.
EAT NOW - Wash leaves in lukewarm water. If your greens have thick stems, remove them by folding each leaf in half and slicing out the stem. Then, stack the leaves up and slice diagonally into 1” wide strips.
OR LATER - Wrap unwashed chard in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Best used very fresh, but may last for a week. To freeze, blanch washed greens, rinse in cold ice water, drain, and pack into airtight containers.
RECIPES