May 24 or May 27 CSA

It was a muddy, wet harvest day but we found a lot of beautiful vegetables out there!  Rainy days have a unique beauty in that the colors are more vivid, sound carries differently so that the birds calls are more pronounced, and there is no race to get things harvested before the sun and heat become too intense.  Quite nice, really, in our salmon orange rain gear!

Your share this week contains:
1 head of red bibb lettuce, 1 kohlrabi, 1 pound of broccoli, 1/2 pound of sugar snap peas, 1 pound of snow peas, 1 bunch of scallions, 1 bunch of white turnips, 1 bunch of garlic scapes, 1 pint of strawberries.

Storage:
Eat the strawberries today!  We pick them ripe so they taste good but they will not keep long.  Everything else needs to be kept in the refrigerator.  Keep things in plastic bags with the air squeezed out or wrapped in a damp cloth.

JULIENNED SNOW PEA SALAD WITH SPRING HERBS
from Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield
1 pound of snow peas
2 garlic scapes, blanched or grilled
2 T Meyer Lemon Sauce (seee below)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mixed fresh spring herbs (mint, violet, pansy, coriander flower)
  (other herbs could be dill, parsley, cilantro, anise hyssop)
Thinly slice the snow peas lengthwise and transfer them to a large bowl.  Slice the cooked garlic scapes crosswise and add to the bowl.  Toss with Meyer Lemon Sauce and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  garnish with herbs.

Meyer Lemon Sauce
1 Meyer Lemon, quartered and seeds removed
1 stalk of green garlic or 1 garlic clove
(or a few garlic scapes)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth

TURNIP and TURNIP GREEN SOUP
from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters
1 small yellow onion
1 clove of garlic (or a few garlic scapes)
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 T unsalted butter
1 bunch turnips with greens
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
1 small piece of prosciutto or smoked bacon
4 cups rich chicken stock
salt and pepper
Reggiano Parmesan cheese

Peel and slice the onion and garlic thin.  Put in a pot with the olive oil and butter and 1 tablespoon of water and stew, covered, until they are soft and translucent.  Trim off the stems and greens from the turnips and reserve the greens.  Do not peel the turnips.  Trim off their roots, slice the turnips thin and add them to the pot.  Stew them for a few minutes, until they begin to soften.  Add the bay leaf, thyme, prosciutto or bacon, stock, and salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1/2 hour.

Wash the turnip greens and cut them into 1/2 inch wide strips and stir them into the soup.  Simmer the soup for another 10 minutes or so, until the greens are soft and tender.  Garnish the soup with a few curls of shaved Parmesan.
Serves 4.
Note: Water or vegetable stock may be substituted for the chicken stock, and the proscuitto omitted for a meatless version of this soup.

You can make a great salad with the red bibb, sugar snap peas, strawberries, and balsamic-maple syrup dressing.
DRESSING
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 T maple syrup
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well to mix.  Make 30 minute ahead of time.