Wednesday, June 22, 2011

CSA June 22-25

Addiebelle enjoying spinach

Monarch butterfly moments after hatching on our porch railing

June 22 and week 4 of the CSA!  The rain has come and will not quit.  It's great to get rain but now we are anxiously awaiting the chance to get back in the fields and plant the next round of crops.  We are also watching the weeds grow at an alarming rate!  We had a hailstorm last wednesday that injured many things and ripped the new bed of spinach to shreds.  Anne's 17 year old niece has joined us to work on the farm for the summer. 
This week's box includes: carrots, escarole, sweet onions (like a vidalia), garlic, 2 1/2 lbs pickling cucumbers, sugar snap peas, 1 fennel, 1 rossa lunga di tropea onion.  Full shares also get:  1 lb broccoli, 1 bunch beets, 2 fennel.
The sugar snaps are somewhat injured from the hail but taste sweet.  The pickling cucumbers are great for fresh eating and superior for making pickles.  I'll give you a recipe for making refrigerator pickles.  There are enough for 1 quart of pickles and plenty to eat in salads and sandwiches.  The rossa lunga onions are a lovely, mild onion great for salads or grilling.  They cannot be cured so are only around for  a few weeks a year.

Fresh-pack Dill Pickles
wash well 7 to 9 cucumbers
peel 3 to 5 cloves garlic
pack into a clean 1 quart jar
to jar add:
1 T dill seed
1 clove
1 whole allspice
1 bay leaf
a few black peppercorns
1/2 T mustard seed
in a sauce pan, bring to a boil:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup water
2 T salt
Pour over contents of jar.  When cooled, put on lid and refrigerate for 2 weeks before eating.  These will keep for 6 months in refrigerator.


This is the last box that will have escarole.  Following is another recipe using it.

Braised Escarole
1 head of escarole
3t olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 t chopped basil
1/4 t chopped mint
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Shred not too finely and wash the escarole.  Place in stew pan with other ingredients.  Cover pan and cook over low flame 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve with crushed red pepper and grated parmesan or romano.


Fennel in field

Rossa Lunga di Tropea Onions

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